Altyrian View

PRWeek has posted an article where they asked some “new-media thinkers” to make their prediction as to what will be hot for the next 6 months. Visit the article to see who said what. I’ll just list their predictions (in bold) and my commentary (not bold):

• Social networking & productivity applications going mobile
• Participation TV: I think we all saw the possibilities with participation TV when ABC’s Lost had us surfing the ‘Net looking for clues. Other networks / shows would be foolish to miss out on this trend.
• MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators)
• Democratic editorial control: We’re talking about content being directed by sites like Digg.com and Newsvine.com. I think that not only are we going to see more of this, but we’ll see a response from “traditional” news outlets as they protect their ground from bloggers and podcasters.
• Online community measurement tools: A new service that will help PR people measure the influence of online communities on our products? Sounds awesome. I’m sure someone will try to sell this tool, but I don’t think it will come of age for a few years. I can’t imagine how this would work without the help of individual bloggers which won’t be happening for a while.
• PayPal Mobile: Pay for stuff on the go. If PayPal doesn’t do it, someone else will.
• Using tools to capture fragmented (niche) audiences: The Long Tail tells us that this trend is already upon us. For us to help our clients, it will be increasingly important to identify and target smaller, more well-defined audiences.
• Viral marketing through YouTube
• “2006 might be the year when the hype on blogs finally ends and the bigger picture on peer-to-peer media emerges.”: You’d have a hard time selling me on the 2006 demise of the blog. I’m seeing more and more “average” Web surfers start to get involved in blogs. It’s going to be hard for blogs to go away now that anyone feels compelled to be involved.
• RSS is implemented in IE7: Blog authorship is also coming to Office. Read this item and then check out the last one. Like I said, blogs will at least hit the “mainstream” before they go away.
• Microformats: The social media release has been all the buzz in PR circles, and I agree that change is upon us (look for my post on this subject later this week). The real question is “are reporters ready?”
• Second Life: I’m a big fan of SL! I think MMORPGs like this are going to become more mainstream when “non-geeks” jump in.
• The triumph of PR: Well, looks like we’ll get to keep our jobs one more year.
Leave a Comment
 

Broadcasted on May 19, 2006

Today’s interview is with Lara Helms, Art Director for Altyris Advertising. Helms discusses the marketing strategies used to promote the TV show “Lost.”

• “Lost” is taking its audience outside the hour long TV show to searching websites and other sponsorships looking for show details. Lost fans search sites such as Sublymonal.com, sponsored by Sprite, to look for “Lost” information.

• “Lost” marketers are taking fans from one medium and driving them into another medium to market their product and message. The Hanso Foundation, a fictional organization created in the “Lost” series, released a commercial that prompted a hotline number and website for curious fans. Those who called the number were put on hold and listened to commercials from Monster.com and Sprite.

• For those who do not have access to the power of marketing through hit TV shows, Podcasts from iTunes, viral marketing, and websites like myspace.com have the same kind of impact and are just as useful.

Listen to the full broadcast on our iTunes Podcast Marketing Watch.

Feel free to contact us; we welcome ideas and feedback from our audience.

Broadcasted on: Nov. 1, 2005

Today’s interview is with Larry Hill, President of Altyris Advertisng. Hill discusses the concept of saturation branding, defining it as managing every aspect of the brand image, every channel, and every interaction and experience the customer has with the brand. This boils down to using all aspects of the brand into one focus strategy.

• It is important to keep in mind that every interaction the customer has with the company, must be a positive one to maintain a brand image; this includes everything from interior design, employee representation, customer service, product design and usage, etc.

• Saturation branding for ABC’s show “Lost” included not only TV spots, but posting missing fliers for the characters and messages in bottles on beaches.

• All forms of interaction with consumers need to be made sure that they build the brand in a cohesive manner.

• Saturation Branding is becoming a critical part of the corporate approach to building an image and will only grow as a vital marketing strategy.

Listen to the full broadcast on our iTunes Podcast Marketing Watch.
Feel free to contact us; we welcome ideas and feedback from our audience.