The Digital Influence Group is excited to be a part of the New Marketing Summit coming up at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA on October 14 and 15.
This conference is all about the knowledge, tools and strategies marketing and PR professionals now need to be successful in an economy driven by social technologies. They’ve got Chris Brogan, Paul Gillin and David Meerman Scott organizing the sessions so this should be the biggest event on social media and emerging marketing technologies in the Boston area this year.
I’ll be speaking on the panel “Selling Up - Convincing Senior Management about Social Media” at 12:30 on the 14th. Also, DIG will be sponsoring the networking cocktail reception at the Showcase that evening. (Nothing’s been announced yet, but there is talk of a possible appearance of one of the Patriots players) This will be a great event and we hope to see you there.
I’ve always been a big fan of the Gartner Hype Curve. It is an effective tool to visualize the evolution of the technologies around us so we can separate the hype from the business reality.
If you are not familiar with the hype curve, it is Gartner’s way of representing the maturity and business adoption of a group of technologies. There are 5 stages in the curve that represent the rise of a technology to a period of over-enthusiasm and “hype”, to a rapid decline period of disillusionment when it falls short of expectations - to a time of enlightenment when it evolves to become widely accepted and valuable for businesses.
Wikipedia has this explanation of each of the 5 stages:
1. “Technology Trigger” — The first phase of a hype cycle is the “technology trigger” or breakthrough, product launch or other event that generates significant press and interest.
2. “Peak of Inflated Expectations” — In the next phase, a frenzy of publicity typically generates over-enthusiasm and unrealistic expectations. There may be some successful applications of a technology, but there are typically more failures.
3. “Trough of Disillusionment” — Technologies enter the “trough of disillusionment” because they fail to meet expectations and quickly become unfashionable. Consequently, the press usually abandons the topic and the technology.
4. “Slope of Enlightenment” — Although the press may have stopped covering the technology, some businesses continue through the “slope of enlightenment” and experiment to understand the benefits and practical application of the technology.
5. “Plateau of Productivity” — A technology reaches the “plateau of productivity” as the benefits of it become widely demonstrated and accepted. The technology becomes increasingly stable and evolves in second and third generations. The final height of the plateau varies according to whether the technology is broadly applicable or benefits only a niche market.
Gartner’s 2008 Hype Curve for Emerging Technologies was just released and it is interesting to see where our favorite social media technologies are today.
(Click the image to enlarge)
On the Way Up
Microblogging is rising rapidly just about to enter the Peak of Inflated Expectations. (some Twitter users may say its been there for a long time) Not far behind is cloud computing. Both are expected to move through the cycle rapidly reaching mainstream adoption in 2 to 5 years.
On the Way Down
Social computing platforms and video telepresence reached their hype peak and are dropping into the trough of disillusionment. Further down trough are public virtual worlds and Web 2.0. Keep in mind this is part of the evolution and each of these are expected to evolve rapidly. From the Gartner’s press release:
“Although Web 2.0 is now entering the Trough of Disillusionment, it will emerge within two years to have transformational impact, as companies steadily gain more experience and success with both the technologies and the cultural implications,”
Rising Again
Corporate blogging, wikis and social networks have been through the worst and are now on the path towards productivity. Their technologies have been through a couple generations, they are being widely adopted by consumers and companies are making them work for business.
Social media tools are some of the fastest moving technologies on this curve. Gartner has shown how important these technologies are and how critical they will be for businesses in a very short period of time. The key to success right now is to develop a strategy and set some clear objectives so you can try the various tools and technologies to see where you can make the biggest impact for your business.
If you don’t believe me… see how Groundswell author Josh Bernoff combines social media strategies in this short video.
That “Social technology smoke, dont breathe this” line gets me every time I watch this.
Two recent studies highlight why companies are struggling with social media marketing.
We used to point to the fear of giving up control a lack of support from senior management as the primary reason for the slow adoption of social media, but recent studies from Jupiter Research and the Society of New Communication Research (SNCR) show that its not stubborn management anymore… its about strategy and management.
In Jupiter’s “Social Marketing Scorecard” report, they find that advertisers don’t have clear goals when approaching social media sites. In fact, 47% of large advertisers in their study said that figuring out which tactics suit campaign goals was their biggest challenge.
The Society of New Communications Research was part of another recent study that found that the greatest obstacle to making an only community work is not related to technology or funding. It’s about implementation and management.
In their “2008 Tribalization of Business” report, SNCR found that 51% of marketers believe their biggest obstacle was simply getting people involved in the community, and 45% said it is finding enough time to manage the community. In this study, only 9% indicated a lack of management support was a major obstacle.
Here’s a quote from one of the study partners, Lois Kelly of Beeline Labs, in MarketingVox:
“At conferences around the world we’ve heard marketers say that their biggest challenge is executives’ resistance because they fear losing control, but this research indicates that this may not be as big of an issue as marketers think. Clearly the bigger challenge is focusing the community around a purpose that people want to contribute to and be involved with - and devoting the right resources to promote and support the community.”
We’ve heard it a thousand times, social media is a new approach to marketing and not just a new channel to push messages at an audience…these studies give us more proof that this is true.
Like any football fan, I’m gearing up for my favorite sports season, which is why Reebok’s “Join the Migration” had me riveted within the first 2 seconds of the commercial. I saw this ad for the first time this past weekend and watched as attentively as I have watched any ad in recent memory. Great song, great visual and a unique premise for a sports ad. I love the walking (as opposed to the flying) V.
The ad concludes with a call-to-action: “txt ‘migrate’ to 94444”. This type of call to action is appearing more frequently in TV ads both as a channel to connect with consumers and a way measure the impact of the ads. And although I know sending Reebok a text is an invitation for future SMS spam, I figured I’d give it a try. Despite having no idea what I was texting for, the ad had served its purpose – I was curious and compelled.
And what happened after I sent the text? Nothing. I have not received any return text or confirmation that it was received. I found the description of the text component on YouTube: Fans can text MIGRATE to 94444 and they’ll be sent a link to the Migration WAP site where they can enter to win a trip to the ‘09 Pro Bowl, download a free NFL wallpaper, watch the commercial, browse Reebok products including the new Speedwick tee with official NFL branding and more.
There was obviously a promotion. I texted again a few days later, in case I somehow botched the first one. But I got the same lack of result. So after Reebok spends the money to create a 60-second ad targeting me, a male in the coveted 25-34 target, the call-to-action is a dead end for the viewer. Although the front end is key in bringing the consumer in, it doesn’t mean a thing if the back end doesn’t execute the main goal of your ad – engaging with your potential customers.
Has anyone had a different experience? Is it just my phone that Reebok hates?
