Category Archives: Uncategorized

Can live streaming increase brand awareness on social networking sites?

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So what is live streaming?

Live streaming allows people to be the makers, the directors and the creators. You don’t need a fancy camera or a big budget, all you need is your phone. Annous (2016) states that live streaming on social media provides mobile users to record content that uploads live to the social networking sites (SNS).

What social media platforms provide live stream services?

Marylin (2017) reveals that Facebook has 1.18 billion daily users worldwide. To live stream on Facebook all you have to do is: update your status, select the live stream button, write a description and go. To compete with Facebook other platforms that compete with live stream are YouTube live, Instagram live and Periscope through Twitter (Periscope was is a stand alone streaming service that integrates with twitter).

The statistics

According to Mediakix (2017) in the third quarter of 2015 ad views for live video had risen by 113%. This exponential growth can benefit companies by advertising via live video.

Mansfield (2016) explains that using Cisco’s Visual Networking Index video traffic is predicted to account for 80% of all internet traffic.

Using Ballaben (2017) research shown below in the graph it is clear that online video advertising has the highest percentage of recognition between internet users taken from the study at 31%.

 

What can you take away from the statistics?

As video is becoming growingly popular, it is important to follow trends online because if you’re not kept up to date you could affect your business. The internet and digital marketing is constantly change, it does not take long for a marketing strategy to be out dated. For example the study provided as a graph below King (2016) shows the increase in smart phone ownership compared to basic mobiles that do not have the opportunity to provide apps on the phone. Using this information it is clear that companies should advertise the majority content to mobile phone users rather than physical print.

Why is it successful?

The sense of immediacy ables people to react instant as the content is being created, because there is a sense of urgency this can be exciting for the user. Wilbert (2017) reveals that people behave positively to human interaction, giving customers a glimpse of behind the scenes via live streaming video (LSV) can help create empathy through emotions. Connections can be made through LSV as live streams are mostly unscripted so they have a sense of realist interaction.

Third Angle (2017) says there are different ways you can connect with your audience:

Q&A – People can use live streaming for questions and answers to engage with viewers.

Interviews – People can stream interviews or even speeches for users to gain insight on general questions asked. On Facebook viewers can like and comment as the video is happening to give feedback.

Announcements – Businesses can explain contests live, the idea is to show real behaviours so people can identify personality and behaviours to a brands identity.

Why do people interact with live streams?

Cognitive association theory by Buchanan (2015) suggests that adverts can use certain words to trigger other related material in peoples memory. Since online users are typically liking pages on Facebook, following accounts on twitter, subscribing to channels on YouTube and following accounts on Instagram. Then live streams that will typically appear will be videos from pages they subscribe to and content they typically want to look at. When viewing streams trigger words can stimulate behaviour and emotion towards individuals and businesses for example Nanavati (2013) states that story telling can trigger emotions subconsciously without viewers even realising. Mahoney (2003) shows through focus groups that 95% of cognition (the mental process of acquiring knowledge) happens outside our conscious brain.

Can live streams raise brand awareness on social media?

Tactics can be used when using live streams to raise brand awareness. Product placement within streams helps to raise awareness. Suggestions for the future of LSV are that they should adopt the pause-screen model for when the user pauses a video a link for the product or branding should show on their screens. Limitations currently are that the main source of monetisation for live streams currently are adverts put in the streams or product placement. As social networking sites are free to use the streams do not have a cost to view the LSV. To conclude LSV can improve brand awareness all depending on the content provided.

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Changing your customer base for the better

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GoPro

Lets look at GoPro as an example:

Think it. See it. Do it.

These three sentences above can be applied to any one person but yet GoPro has an established the majority of its target market being adrenaline junkies. This is where they will have to change.

Bland (2014) explains for all who do not know, GoPro make wearable cameras that range from £79.99 to £399.99. These cameras are shock proof, waterproof, small and lightweight. But recently across the last year GoPro released a drone that required a recall as the drones had issues. This made them loose a large amount of share price. Munnarriz (2016) writes that their revenue dropped by 40% in the last quarter in 2016 to $240.6m.

To compensate for the change GoPro decided to grow their target market. But how?

They made a scripted TV advert to target not just all the extreme sports fanatics but to target the average person who wants a camera who doesn’t want to film action sports. Beer (2016) shows that the Senior Vice President of marketing (Bryan Johnston) says that he wants to grow the GoPro Family.

(The survey above polled over 30,000 online consumers between Europe, America and Middle East)

GoPro usually advertise the majority of their videos on YouTube. This platform caters towards the majority of generation Z and millennials. But to now target towards the generation X and the baby bloomers they have made a TV advert as the older age groups (35-64) are more likely to watch television compared to viewing adverts on social media.

The advert consists of showing that you can capture any moment, whether you’re dancing or playing with your children. It is an interesting technique but now the cameras are adapted so they are easily usable with touch screen and have in built microphones so they can make the perfect home camera.

Creating Presence

Kim et al (2017) shows that creating immersion (perception of being included) and presence (perception of being there) is key to retain engagement from television advertisements. Communication theory is used to explain that immersing the consumer in what the product is, does and how it can be applied to themselves as the consumer can help them gain interest by connecting them via creating content that they find relevant to themselves.

For example the advert shown above now targets families: “Is this really playing with your kid”. The way the advert works so well is that the children are the most important part of the family so explaining to potential consumers that you keep those memories via recording in an affordable and easily manageable way to retain what families might be looking for.

Story Telling

The brain has been found to find remember stories easier than facts and data. Paul (2012) reveals that the Journal of NeuroImage published in 2006 shows that when describing stories, especially with metaphors peoples brains lit up or made signals. The art of story telling online is to use video, as the advert is recorded on the product they are trying to market they have provided a clear representation for the consumer to see what the footage is actually like in regards to whether they would purchase a GoPro camera.

Criticism

The television advert campaign can be criticised as television shows the least amount of exposure compared to exposure on the internet, Trimble (2015) writes that it has been predicted to this year having 69% of consumer internet traffic will be video. Strategies to reach all age groups from ages 16-50 can be adopted through online, it is just clear that television does not grasp the amount of reach compared to social media.

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What makes millennials addicted to YouTube videos?

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The millennial is a group of people or a generation that is anybody who is born approximately in 1994 & after. YouTube is a company that allows billions of people to actively post, watch, share and find original videos online. Created in 2005 YouTube is a fairly recent site.

The reasoning behind growth of YouTube is more and more people are uploading and watching video content. Heltai (2016) reveals that millennials (aged 18-34) prefer to watch digital online content compared to television. This was concluded in a 2,940 corespondent survey shown below.

But why?

Soat (2015) writes that the reasoning behind the social media addiction is biological. The neurochemical in the brain known as dopamine but also referred as the “reward chemical” releases when certain settings happen to a person. Usually when something good happens it makes the person happy. This “reward chemical” is released when enjoying a YouTube video or even when people get a like on their Instagram photo.

According Koob (1992) ongoing research shows that dopamine is addictive. But because this chemical is also released when people gamble or smoke, amongst other activities. These addictive activities have an age restriction of 18 in the UK. Yet there is no age restriction for social media. Millennials are brought up with having mobile phones from a young age and have access online in an instant.

YouTubers can now make a living wage off being a full time video creator. A recent term created for video blogs are now called vlogs. These “vlogs” are usually people video blogging about their personal life. Some YouTubers even make daily vlogs. For example Jon Olsson has 625,881 subscribers to his YouTube channel and is on his 320th daily uploaded consecutive vlog. Millennials as viewers are getting more obsessed with the perfect life as his net worth is just over £4 million, presenting luxury cars and expensive travelling does not portray the most realistic life style for millennials constantly watching videos online.

These YouTubers make millions from monetisation from advertising deals on their channels to sponsorship deals but promoting company products. Warwick and Allen (2014) reveal that YouTuber KSI started out earning around £1500 a week 9 years ago but now with 15 million subscribers is predicted to earn £20k+ a week.

One issue with famous YouTubers who make a lot off how many views they have per video is that they only show the best parts of their lives. Their videos are filtered with what content in their lives are shown, they only show you the best bits of their lives.

Choudhury et al (2013) researched signs of depression that link to millennials spending too much time online. They conclude that people who binge watch online excessively showed greater negativity but little social interaction but at the same time a vast amount of time spent online.

O’Keeffe & Clarke-Pearson (2011) states a contrast that the addiction to these online videos may not be all negative. Millennials may learn from videos and help to determine ideas or innovate from videos. There are millions of tutorials on YouTube that mean you could for example learn how to mask an object in photoshop within minutes or even learn basic HTML/CSS website code.

Back to the main question. Trust is what makes the viewer continuously put their time in the hands of the YouTuber, usually they are a role model to the viewer. The issue with trust online is it is not a complete relationship, Burchell & Wilkinson (1997) says that through trust relationship model trust needs human interaction in person. None the less the millennials who have been brought up by having YouTube accessible in the touch of a screen do believe in the relationship they have with the creators of the videos online.

In brief whether the brain is too lazy to read a book in this day and age, videos are becoming easier to access, better quality and readily available for free.

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Analysing Urban Industry’s Email Marketing Strategy

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Urban Industry supply authentic mens urban streetwear clothing, the online only store is situated in Eastbourne, Sussex & began in 2002.

Below shows an E-Newsletter offering a 20% Discount code for their website.

email1

email2
email3

 

As we analyse this email we interpret many components, for starters we notice a large blurred image of a jack’o lantern, with writing in the middle stating the discount, showing the event trigger being Halloween & the photo explains details such as “use code at checkout” & “20% OFF ALL FULL PRICE ITEMS”.

This form of call to action (CTA) image follows a certain technique that the eye follows down the page in natural reading. Hernandez et al (2013) states that the Gutenberg diagram helps us show that the layout is a strong composition for someone to read, making the image a link that takes you to a page of their latest collection of product range for sale (link of image) in the centre the email is on one page showing a Z pattern to match the way the user gazes at the email.

z-pattern-2eoppjr

Referring the Z pattern, between points 1-2  2-4 shows the most content in the email at a letter smaller size compared to the CTA discount button in the middle. Points 1-2 show the brand logo being the word “Urban Industry”, also showing details of free UK shipping & low costing international shipping is good way to make the consumer feel invited for a specific deal to benefit them personally. Lastly at the top is certain tabs the consumer can click on to take them to specific parts of their website, for example if they click on “Brands” the consumer will be taken to the part of the site which shows all the brands they sell. The reason this link will be at a small font size is because typographic hierarchy is used to make sure no part of the email is equal so the more important aspects stand out to the reader of the email (Typographic Hierarchy)

Now although this offer is very inviting, what can be criticised by it is that the email could very easily cover one page for the user to read, rather than having to scroll down to see most of the content. In this instance they could have made the CTA image link smaller but still larger than any of the other items in the email.

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Even when viewed on a mobile the email is still more than two pages of scrolling. Which is unnecessary for the user. The whole email has a total of 9 clickable links that take you to the site and an additional 3 links that take the user to each individually social media platform, this is good for the user, it creates an easy access to follow them if they are subscribed to the list. Ballaben (2016) explains that consumers aged 16-34 have lower engagement to emails compared to social media.

Urban Industry have benefited from keeping their emails clear and to the point. They may not show photos of the clothes in the email due to the occasion of halloween that they want to emphasise, more than one large photo in the email may make the E-Newsletter seem to much, according to Chaffey et al (2009) a simple page is more meaningful when creating E-Newsletters.

The email shows use of emojis in the title, emojis are animated faces that people aged 16-25 typically are identified with using on their mobile phones. The title is “? Get 20% OFF This Halloween ?” which is a good way to relate to & attract the target market.

Lastly we look at the time of which the email was sent, it was sent on Friday 28/10/16 at 11:33 am, what we can gather from this is that it gives the consumer a 3 day period on which they can use the 20% until it expires but it also means they have a 3 day window where they can exploit the occasion of Halloween & make use of the special occasion to promote/drive sales. The reason the email was sent in the morning is to ensure that the email gets to the consumer early & has the opportunity to sit in the inbox of the user. E-Consultancy shows that the top click hours for people checking emails are typically in the morning for higher levels of traffic but only between 8-10 am, people are more likely be working between the hours of 10am-12pm, so Urban Industry made a mistake of sending the emails out at 11:33am, 1 or 2 hours earlier would be ideal for maximum click rate.

 

 

References

Ballaben, S. (2016). Digital Trends Spring – UK – March 2016.Available: http://academic.mintel.com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/?highlight. Last accessed 4th Nov 2016.

Chaffey, D; Ellis-Chadwick, F; Mayer, R; Johnston, K (2009). Internet Marketing: Strategy, Implementation & Practice. UK: Pearson Education. p293.

Hernandez, A; Resnick, M. (2013). Placement of Call to Action Buttons for Higher Website Conversion and Acquisition: An Eye Tracking Study . Proceedings of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting. 57 (1), 1042.

 

 

Argos and the digital era

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Argos is the largest catalogue retailer in the UK to this day serving around 123 million customers per year with a product range of more than 43,000 items, the company was founded in 1972. Now as the world turns to the digital age, that’s what Argos anticipate and plan to change towards, that being digital stores.

argos

Brandwatch Analytics have been employed on behalf of Argos to create a segment analysis to help the company to achieve a goal of opening 53 new digital stores across the UK. This goal has been created to compensate for the rise in demand in technology. In 2013 alone over 20 million people owned a tablet.

Brandwatch is a renowned leading social media listening and analysing platform. The idea is to use Brandwatch to help with feedback on the new digital store concept. Analysing the feedback is necessary because Argos has built such a large name as a catalogue store for over 40 years. Consumers do not allows like the idea of change. Any negative feedback is welcomed so the customer experience can improved and any positive feedback can help the company learn to what works and what doesn’t.

The technique of understanding the customers will be natural language processing. The use of social media will aid in achieving the goals of the company. The idea is that certain categories will be used to split the target market up to aid the store managers regionally. Twitter is used to address the difference in opinions between demographic, gender and age. The demographic split of feedback is important to be relevant to each individual store. The use of twitter is to ensure that fast response can be acted appropriately between each individual store, store managers can act accordingly.

The data made many conclusions, males showed a positive reaction in the change to towards a digital store and females made more of positive reaction towards the change in customers service. The data also concluded that the digital stores were most popular in London. The article below shows the relevance that London is the tech capital of Europe. (see link below)

http://www.thecreativeindustries.co.uk/uk-creative-overview/news-and-views/news-london-confirmed-as-europes-tech-capital

The research did however conclude that some customers did prefer a traditional shopping experience, therefore going to Argos for their original tended purpose of ordering products out of product. Argos has taken the data as an advantage to adjust to what customers want to experience.

We are still yet to see what Argos has in store for future goals but keeping up with the digital era is an exciting manifesto.

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