Mobile…a Process and a Reason | Featuring an Infographic from @microsofttag

This article first appeared on Technorati

The most significant disruption to advertising and marketing is a process, not a platform…

As our ability to connect continues to evolve, so does our perception of messages and what “is” appropriate content.  What has changed? We want to control content and connections, effortlessly sharing and defining our role within a reciprocal process, which did not exist when brands ran the show.

It’s not just the way we connect via Mobile that is driving this change; it’s the “reason” we are connecting… more often, and for longer periods of time.

Mobile devices have become a Life-Tool!

We depend on mobile devices to keep us connected in case of an emergency; navigate our direction, keep our fantasy team in the game and make the right choices.

This morning, I sent an image (shoes, of course) to my daughter.  She called to tell me that she had received it. In conversation, Maggie mentioned that the image was a bit too small to see via her mobile phone, “But wait…I have my iPad right here, yes they are perfect”!  What is interesting, last week she mentioned that she really doesn’t pick up email anymore and never via her mobile phone, just her iPad.

“Just too much to respond to, and email is old news.”  

What is more interesting, less than five feet away she has a brand new touch-screen PC…with dust on it.

We are becoming more reliant and trusting of our mobile device for real-time information, especially within immediate response situations.  In many cases, our mobile device makes the difference in “what we do next”.

The demand for mobile information is extreme. Immediate and direct access to “more” has become an expected ever-present service

As we now live an immediate-aware life, brands must become a part of this new process and/or define an intuitive reason to connect.  Also, it is important to remember that a very different type of usage…requires a very different protocol for measurement.

Infographic presented by 2D barcode service Microsoft Tag.

Music is Emotional – Original…Spotify and Facebook

A great video from Spotify following a week of convergence.

Music will offer a splendid filter within social media.  Music will create connections, with contextually aware motivation for brands that pay attention.  Brands that enable music as a form of engagement and support people-to-people will have co-created original content…The best form of engagement.

One thing we find even more interesting is the expected diversity of the music we love. Certain to be very complex and very personal. People will certainly feel defined by the music we share. Emotional connections will be strong, much like images and video.

Sharing a song with a friend in times good and bad…will always be emotional!

Related articles

• Spotify CEO Daniel Ek announces Facebook integration and statistics at F8 (thenextweb.com)
• Facebook’s Spotify tie-up will spread music further, faster (telegraph.co.uk)
• What Social Media Should Be

Life…More Social, More Open, More Filtered

Reconsider the value of social media…Loyalty and Learning

As we absorb all of the “new” this week has offered, it is a good time to consider how “social” will become an even more natural part of life.  As we are encouraged to share more information, some may worry about privacy, while others consider privacy as an investment, a privestment that will have a welcome return…more relevant information.  Imagine people  defining their personal image and value by what they share.  Branded content will live next to original content, and with little more, sometimes less, importance.  Content will be filtered, and these filters will ultimately define what is influencing peoples’ choice.

Filters are naturally created through new targeted methods of publishing  and content that encourages interactivity

Apps that enable filters will support a cycle-of-courtesy

We are likely to demand even more accountability when trusting traditional media.  Even traditional news has to be pre-filtered and mixed with original stories.  The ability to make immediate choices based on trusted suggestions will become a service that we rely on.  Filters will be interchangeable with some content, while others will have very clear and distinct placement.

Related articles

• What Social Media Should Be…Collaborative | Part II (pallino1021.wordpress.com)

Intro Video – Facebook’s Timeline…a Collection of Time

“Open” Life…

Will “people” feel they define their personal value by what they share?

Facebook Intro Page

Positioning for A Very Different Approach…via Trends

Need Inspiration? We have created this report to help you visualize trends from both the consumer and the brand perspective.  From mobile to measurement, the  implications found within each trend promise to be inspiring and exceptionally resourceful.

Moving beyond advertising and marketing, we support a collaborative business design.  The report journeys through mobile, convergence across platforms and social media.  We explore engagement and challenge the idea of influence, while offering direction for creating sustainable connections and collaborative agendas. In addition, we share ideas for what is and should be measurable.

The report challenges traditional ideas, by enabling people to play a stronger role in strategy and performance, actively co-creating the future of the brand. More than a trend report, this is an exploration of disruption(s) including; mobile, the adoption of NFC, immersive experiences within 3D projection mapping and the importance of collaboration within innovation.

Related articles

• Digital TrendSpot Nordic 2011 Denmark (sitecore.net)

The Role of Mobile in Africa and South Asia

This study offers a wonderful look at Mobile as a life-tool. Findings support the global areas that need mobile solutions most.

Mobile access to social media has forever changed the way decisions are made.  Social media is a normal part of life  for most of us. But, in Africa and South Asia mobile is transforming lives.

Great insight from Movirtu and TNS Global

Related articles

• Movirtu to open up mobile phone numbers to developing world (digitaltrends.com)

Preparing an NFL Social Media Game Plan

Social media needs to play both sides of the ball. Just like a successful football team can’t choose to play just offense, or just defense; a successful social media program must Engage and Respond.

KLM – Committed to “Response”

A Brands new role is service, being a resource provider and an enabler.

KLM is committed to listening, and responding, to people.  To demonstrate this commitment, today KLM is “live” responding  to tweeted service questions via Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, and in a big way.

Engagement is the First Step…Influence is More than Numbers

Brands have created exciting and immersive forms of engagement that have really captured the interest of people and compelled them to talk about it! Enter the Influencer.  Influencers have been defined and positioned as the “ideal” source for motivating brand messages.  But, are we looking at influence and engagement as the be-all and end-all of social media?

Influencers cannot be selected by numbers. They have to be selected via contextual insight and nurtured into lasting diplomats.

Engagement is the first step. The opportunity to create interest and to build on that initial hello occurs within every interaction.  Influence is an action that derives from an emotional excitement, an attachment to the brand, its services or resources.    So, How Do You Make it Last? To define sustainability; you must build true loyalty, stronger influence and possibly co-create engagement through original content.

The diplomatic approach…

Lasting connections begin with that first engagement, but it certainly does not end there.  Understanding what captured attention, and what delighted people enough to say hello again is important.  This is the process of discovery and for brands, a journey that should have no end.

The Ultimate Influencer is engaged…

Let’s have a look at an influencer, one that would most likely be under the radar.  Just as other Moms, Tiffany has looked forward to her family’s Disney World vacation for a very long-time.   Even planning a Disney vacation is an exciting part of the magic.  The planning and reservation encounters can set the tone for the entire Disney occasion!

The Time for QR Codes/Tags is Still…Now

Article first published as The Time for QR Codes is Still…Now! on Technorati.

The demand for mobile information is extreme. Immediate and direct access to “more” has become an expected ever-present service.

A new initiative from Mellville House Publishing, called HybridBook, is bringing print books to life. Through the use of QR codes printed within the books, the reader can access highly curated text, maps, photographs and illustrations related to the original book. Now print books can have the same advantage as eBooks, thanks to those “catchy” QR codes.