As an infant, social media spurred conversations, enabling users across the world to share photos and links. As it progressed into toddler phase, brands jumped on board exploring ways to best communicate with customers. Evolving into a boisterous adolescent in 2011, social media contributed towards riots, social movements and political revolutions as its true power and force gains momentum to create change for individuals, brands, businesses and political regimes across the world.

2012 is the year when social media comes of age.

If it didn’t already, social media will infuence sales in 2012 – ROI will develop and become measurable where marketers continue to seek appropriate methods of accounting for budget spend. Attention currency remains vital in 2012 with brands seeking initiatives that will maximise time spent with the business. We run down Part 1 of the future of social media and creative technology for 2012.

Facebook becomes the media:
Social media became the medium of choice for citizen journalists. With the onslaught of daily updates about political crisis in Egypt and the Arab Springs, the immediacy of social media is forcing major media organisations to change the way they approach news. In the recent case of Indian student Subhash Bidve killed in Salford on Boxing Day, his father learnt of his death via Facebook before police had time to issue a formal statement, highlighting just how vital a role the media outlets play in how we receive and consume news stories today.

Video streaming services such as UStream and Bambuster allow citizen journalists to broadcast live video connected via Twitter or Facebook, used for the first time providing updates for the Occupy movement both in the St Paul’s occupation and Occupy Wall Street.

Often removing the need for a reporter on the ground, these services offer a window to the world, a pair of eyes and point of view in every city around the globe to broadcast from.

Social commerce:
Social shopping and the concept of fashion entrepreneurs will develop into 2012, with services such as ShopMyLabel offering commission based affiliate sales from users own personalised storefronts on Facebook. Expect to see bloggers making the transition from tastemakers to businesses, as they maximise on their following to sell accessories and DIY fashion to fans. Astraea jewellery by blogger Penelope Armstrong of Fashion Fade is sold via Facebook and Paypal as an ideal outlet to begin F-commerce.

Apps including The Fancy and Svpply bring together that aesthetically pleasing Etsy storefront to a social platform as product-sharing networks, where items are pinned and ‘fancied’ with seamless transactional links and clickthroughs, expect to see these apps become especially effective for generating exposure for smaller independent brands with great products.   Highly successful for image-led fashion and homewares brands such as Aubin and Wills and Burberry, expect to see tech savvy retailers experimenting with these platforms in 2012.

News aggregation servcies:
Slotting in nicely with curation of the Internet, aggregators such as Flipboard and Zine tap into 2012’s trend for content curation and discovery. As social media develops and users relationship with it matures, along with the number of friends and people following, it is becoming increasingly difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff on first glance at a feed. These services pull together content from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Google Reader to visually bring to life content in personalised magazine-like formats.

Expect to see a rise in the use of list making services such as Listorious to order content. Despite Facebook Subscribe and groups, the average user does not have time to organise their feed. Aggregator services overcome this by pulling together the best of the web in a visually appealing way.

Gamification:
The term has been bandied about will come of age with intelligent, location-based applications that encourage mass participation with thought-out content that truly engages users. Applications such as SCVNGR will direct users around real-world maps via their device, performing challenges and tasks – either for fun or sponsored by a brand to win prizes.

Examples of this in action, connecting the online world with offline works especially well for reinventing activities such as going for a walk. Natural Lands Trust used SCVNGR recently to encourage kids to engage with the natural woodlands, plotting treasure trails, competitions and activities accessed via phones and tablets to encourage kids to get out more.

Augmented reality:
Image layering and gaming using smartphone cameras wil become more commonplace, as applications explore ways to innovate in tying AR layers to real world objects. Apps such as Stiktu allow users to create augmented reality image layers that tied to real world images so that whenever and wherever the original image is scanned, the attributed image will display.

Instagram and the Museum of London made waves in 2011 with StreetMuseum, expect to see more informational AR services used within art galleries and museums as personalised tours and exhibition experiences via mobile are shared with Facebook and Twitter. The trick here is how to weave augmented reality into branded communications – expect some hits and misses as the technology finds its feet in 2012.

Keep your eyes peeled for Part 2 of our Need to Know: Future of Social Media & Creative Tech 2012 series next week.

A new wave of multichannel video service providers, or MVSPs for short, are transforming the television experience by kicking the traditional TV viewing format into a far more  social sphere. Maximising on interactivity by offering second screen capabilities, revolutionary new forms of usage behaviour are emerging relating to social discovery. For example in advertising breaks, a large number of brands and retailers now mention the ways in which you can connect via Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. MVSP systems will allow viewers to tap into these social channels via multi-screen technology at the click of a button, without leaving the program.

The main selling point however of social TV is its ability to provide personalised information connected to either the show or logged in user.  Taking this concept further, tailored advertising such as that found in the right hand columns on Facebook can draw on information gathered from the user’s viewing preferences or activity whilst logged in on social networking sites to offer personalised advertising solutions. 150 billion minutes of video content is downloaded from YouTube each month – that’s the equivalent of 4 million TV channels – proving that social television is the next logical step to connect social media and mainstream television.

Considering reports that Facebook will reach one billion users by 2012 out of two billion internet users worldwide, that’s a staggering statistic; a mass audience beyond the wildest expectations of any broadcaster for advertising possibilities. “We want to be your partner in unlocking 750 million friends,” Facebook’s European head Joanna Shields told broadcasters at IBC 2011’s keynote on Social Media. To be successful, social TV needs to be executed in alignment with a brand’s existing social strategy. It is for this reason we focus the attention of our broadcast clients on developing the right strategy to take full advantage of the opportunities available through social TV because the solution is nothing with the strategy.

Social television presents opportunities for extended content related to either the television show itself or brands featured in advertising breaks. Along with a broadband TV viewing experience comes countless opportunities for audience engagement and monetisation via additional content videos; real-time conversations related to the TV show and interaction between fans. Social television opens up opportunities to use smartphones and tablets as remote controls and program guides, not only making use of extended functionality and inter-connectivity but streamlining the whole viewing process.

“Social TV solutions provide the canvas for creative content producers, advertisers and merchandisers to create social TV experiences that matter” concluded Alex Blum, COO at KIT Digital. When social TV is adopted into the mainstream it will open out countless opportunities for brands to engage with their consumers more closely by understanding their purchasing behaviour and viewing habits. Furthermore, by tapping into this information brands can offer solutions to problems at points where the viewer is most susceptible to take note and buy, converting views to sales via ecommerce platforms on broadband enabled television sets. Welcome to the dawn of social TV friend!

A recent infographic detailing the history of Facebook Commerce – or F-Commerce as it has come to be known – throws up some interesting facts about the way we use Facebook to shop and carry out our online purchases. 67% of shoppers spend more money after following recommendations of friends from their social networks, highlighting the importance of presence and increasingly the ability to carry out transactions straight from a brand’s Facebook page. Although research by Forrester argues the case against F-commerce, suggesting it offers only 1% click-through and 2% conversion rates (compared to email at 11% and 4% respectively), it is a new concept with huge potential for growth.

The digital generation has high expectations from brands. Continually plugged in, they want everything at the touch of as few buttons as possible. Research shows that although 11% of those surveyed have bought from Facebook only 8% of retailers’ FB pages currently accept a transaction; that’s an awful lot of missed opportunities for potential sales.

Not one of the top 100 Prestige Brands as ranked by luxury market experts L2, sell from Facebook. Although there is a lot of discussion as to whether social networks suit the exclusivity of the luxury market, surely an extra opportunity to buy wholly integrated within the Facebook page and other digital assets is a help rather than a hindrance? Then again for the likes of Burberry, D&G, Gucci and Chanel who do not allow fan posting (read our blog post discussing the pros and cons of this here), not listening to customers seems to be their current strategy.

Bucking the trend is US designer Diane von Furstenberg whose Wrap of the Month concept highlights how F-commerce should be done. Rolling out a new limited edition each month, the exclusive dresses will be available via Facebook only, with fans contributing comments and the ability to share the purchase once added to their shopping bag.

Instead of just replicating online stores, consumers want authentic social content that maintains brand integrity at all times, offering something more than just the opportunity to buy. Levi’s are leading the way with their Friends Store showcasing only products liked by your social connections and inviting friends to browse the store together. The Friend Store is proof enough that F-commerce is thriving: besides acting as an alternate storefront it also works as a social way of displaying and predicting sales, benefiting both customers and the brand.

Although the visual nature of fashion lends itself well to being showcased on Facebook, it is not just clothing brands and designers experimenting in the world of F Commerce. Delta Airways launched Ticket Window back in August 2010 to allow user to book flights directly from their FB page proving the convenience factor is high in the success of F-commerce initiatives.

History of F-Commerce SlideShare

make 2009 a very merry Xmas

Online has demonstrated non-stop growth every Christmas in the retail sector and never has this been more important than in the current economic climate. Luckily for you, it can be even more cost effective…

We’ve teamed up with SheerLuxe to offer our clients a massive discount of the full day conference… and now we’ve managed to negotiate coverage for all followers of Neoco. The full agenda is below, including how to get your discount but the important thing to remember is that if you are planning on any selling this Christmas, this is a must-attend event. Neoco will be down there too to help out with any additional questions you may have.

A highly esteemed array of industry experts are presenting, including:
• Nick Robertson – founder of ASOS
• Nick Wheeler – founder of Charles Tyrwhitt & other half of The White Company founder Chrissie Rucker
• Emilie Carson – More2 & the founders of Isabella Oliver Vanessa Knox-Brien & Baukjen de Swaan Arons
• Vicky Lovell – Head of Operations at Astley Clarke, previously x7 yrs at John Lewis Direct
• Paul Sheehy – Chillifish & Peter Levenspiel – Chillifish & Ex Net-A-Porter e-commerce manager
• Andrew Wilson – The Catalogue Consultancy

Topics to be covered include planning your Christmas Strategy / Budget / Timings, your Christmas PPC campaign, viral marketing to grow your database cost effectively whilst driving sales, Christmas online merchandising, PR & standing out from the crowd, as well as the invaluable opportunity to network with likeminded businesses in your sector.

Wednesday 8th July, 2009 9am – 5pm Fulham, London SW6

9.30 – 10.10 Ecommerce Lessons from an Entrepreneur
Nick Wheeler (founder of Charles Tyrwhitt)

10.10 – 10.50 Your Christmas PPC Campaign
Piri Ramazanoglu (founder of MinuteSteak)
- When to start
- Allocating your PPC budget
- Finding the right key words in this competitive period
- Writing the right copy
- Bidding on Christmas competitors

10.50 – 11.20 COFFEE

11.20 – 12.05 Strategy / Timings / Budget this Christmas
Anne Stagg(more2)
- When to start planning your Christmas activity
- How to allocate your budget between existing and prospective clients
- Incentives and choices beyond discounting
- Co promotions and joint marketing
- Can you recruit through a sale?

12.05 – 12.45 Viral Marketing to Grow Your Database
Paul Sheehy (Chillifish) & Peter Levenspiel (Chillifish & Ex Net-A-Porter e-commerce manager)
- What is Viral Marketing and why does it work?
- Looking at ways to grow your database in the run up to Christmas to ensure you are communicating to a larger audience during this crucial trading time.
- Pssst, pass it on: a look at successful viral campaigns

12.45 – 13.45 LUNCH

13.45 – 14.35 Online Merchandising
Andrew Wilson (The Catalogue Consultancy)

In this fast paced session Andrew will cover how you can get the most of your merchandising this Christmas to increase your sales and profits with no extra expenditure.
- “Long Tail” or “Paradox of Choice” which applies to your range?
- How to use analytics to inform your merchandising
- Creating the correct price hierarchy for your site
- Getting the correct relationship between navigation and merchandising
- The small changes that can make a huge difference to your profits

14.35 – 15.15 PR, Marketing, Standing Out From the Crowd
Emilie Carson (more2) & Founders of Isabella Oliver
- Recognition: Who are your target markets & how to find them
- Repetition: Getting maximum impact from your campaigns / creative approaches to pr and media
- Reputation: How to influence what people think of your brand / tips to bringing your brand to life
- Recommendation: How to encourage customers to become brand advocates

15.15 – 15.45 COFFEE

15.45 – 16.25 Planning & Executing Successful Christmas Trading:
The rules are the same whether you are large or small
Vicky Lovell (Astley Clarke, Ops Director & previously John Lewis Direct, Head of Customer Service)
- Stock, Delivery, Customer Communications: What should you be thinking about – now
- Which strategy best fits your business?
- A unified approach
- Pulling it off!

16.25 – 17.00 Q&A Session
Nick Robertson (founder of ASOS)

17.00 – 19.00 DRINKS @ Chateau 6

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Interested in your discounted entry:

Simply email georgiecoleridgecole@sheerluxe.com quoting NEOCO to book at the early bird rate ( only £155 for independents).

Don’t say we never give you anything!

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Want more insight like this? Neoco send out a regular email with a collection of great facts and insight like this, combined with a series of workshops for that enable you to maximise that knowledge. Just get in touch with Benn for more info.

monty python you tube channel banner

“We’re letting you see absolutely everything for free. So there! But we want something in return. None of your driveling, mindless comments. Instead, we want you to click on the links, buy our movies & TV shows and soften our pain and disgust at being ripped off all these years.”

And you know what? It seems to be working. Monty Python’s DVDs climbed to No. 2 on Amazon’s Movies & TV bestsellers list, with increased sales of 23,000 percent!

Great marketing ploy to get one last silly walk from the dead parrot.
Enjoy.

The husband ponders the wife's shopping bill

An utterly fantastic video from 1966 that speculates on what life will be like in 1999… so I thought I’d upload it to celebrate 2009! Unlike most videos from the past that speculated on flying cars and robots doing all our chores, this one went for the ‘home shopping’ angle, bank account unification and a way to send letters electronically all over the world… It is so funny the way they talk about ‘the wife’ and her shopping with ‘the husband’ picking up the bill. Aw, nuclear families.

[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=EC5sbdvnvQM]

It looks like all those acquisitions in the past year paid off. European professional social network Xing is reporting 5 million registered members worldwide, and significant growth in paid subscribers. The strongest growth, in fact, over the entire history of the company. With revenues reaching $28.74 million for the 2007 fiscal year, Xing is skipping all the way to the bank.

So what are these grand numbers being attributed to? Aside from snatching up business-oriented social networks across Europe, Xing has also spent a good portion of 2007 expanding its eCommerce and Advertising segments, which have enabled Xing to layer in two additional streams of revenue. As networks like News Corp. begin to launch their own centralized advertising networks, it’s clear that having a comprehensive ad network of one’s own is an option that is being readily explored in hopes of retaining as much of that profit as possible.

eCommerce is another segment that makes sense for the demographic that Xing reaches out to, and layers in nicely with the other action-oriented aspects of the network that Xing has been improving in the past year as well. Providing more tools for the self-promotion of oneself has seemingly been central to Xing’s improvement to-do list, so incorporating more ways in which to have a farther reach is evident in such changes mandated by Xing, including the network’s participation in Open Social.

This is what I love about the internet as you could never do that with a brochure.

Not quite as slick as the IKEA sequence from the movie Fight Club but it shows we’re getting there. Overlay.tv is a new start-up with a great infomercial viral movie (see below), that enables users to overlay content on top of video. This content can be just for fun and games or it can actually link to other pages – ideal for one-click purchase of some shoes in the new Sex and the City film!

OK, so it’s a few steps from movies as currently it only enables video streams from popular video sharing sites like YouTube, MySpace TV, Google Video, Yahoo! Video, and College Humor but that’s pretty impressive to start with (although similar to Ooyala).

Nice, but what about the retailers? Well, they’ve already signed up over 600 including Amazon, iTunes and Wal-Mart. Add in the fact it works in both IE and FireFox (sorry no Safari, Apple peeps) and that users can even turn off overlays means this is one exciting piece of tech. If only it was running on the M&S site that we mentioned a few days ago…