Media Cipher

Foursquare has taken the social media and mobile media worlds by storm. The popular Smartphone app, which allows users to “check” into places of business or public areas to gain points, badges and Mayorships, has become the new media darling so far for 2010. I am a Foursquare user. I enjoy checking into new places that I visit, whether they are restaurants, bars, or destinations outside of my city. There is a certain thrill in receiving points for each check-in, and even more delight in earning badges based on how much of a traveler you are. And like any social media tool, your check-ins are shareable, meaning they can be shared on your Facebook news feed or on your Twitter page. The app is also very handy when you are curious to see where your friends are at any given moment. Users in large metropolitan areas like New York can attest to the fact that it is often one of the easiest ways to make social plans.

The double-edged sword of Foursquare, conversely, is that you are exposed to updates that are useless and therefore slightly annoying. I have been using the app for only a few months, but I have so far identified three very annoying Foursquare habits:

1. Checking into your own home. You’ve seen your friends check into places like “Shawn’s Shack” or “Paul’s Pad.” No, these are not legitimate places of businesses. These are fictional titles given to the places where people that want extra Foursquare points and an additional Mayorship eat, sleep, and crap. Is it really necessary to “check” into your own home every time you come through the door? Or when you wake up? They’re given, and you better be prepared for when your friends begin to leave inappropriate “tips” about how your mattress is crab-infested.
2. Checking into your place of work. Checking into your place of business is also not impressive or useful. The fact that you may have a job at all in this economy itself is a blessing, so be advised not to ruin a good thing by making a habit of checking into work so much that your boss notices a slight dip in your productivity. No matter how many times you check into work, you are not the Mayor of your workplace, unless you own the building or are the company’s CEO.
3. Checking into the mundane. I describe “mundane” places as those that are not really worth sharing to absolutely anyone, such as the neighborhood CVS when you’re buying your pubic crab medication, the Shell gas station on Route 73 when you’re refueling the Shaggin’ Wagon, or the post office while you mail the old Savage Garden CD you’ve sold on Amazon Marketplace. Sure, it’s understandable the more places you check into, the greater likelihood that you will earn a Mayorship and enjoy some kind of coupon or discount. But is 50% off the next pack of Orbit gum really worth the price of your friends’ scrutiny? I think not.

Clearly, this post was written in jest, but there some truths to these annoying Foursquare habits. Are you guilty of any of these habits? Or is one of your friends a culprit? Feel free to leave a comment and discuss!

This morning, I learned from a few friends on Twitter and Facebook that that MTV is planning to hire its first ever TJ, or Twitter jockey for short. Essentially, a TJ would serve as a social media-based VJ; one who is the liaison between the network and its followers. MTV currently has selected 18 candidates for this position, and is holding an online contest to find two additional candidates, for a total of 20 candidates. Users can nominate themselves, or their friends.

You can read about the contest here, but what I find noteworthy about this contest is that the nominees will be measured by Edelman PR’s TweetLevel measurement system. This system measures a tweeter by four characteristics: influence, popularity, engagement, and trust. Such factors that determine this measurement include quantity of posts and followers, and interaction rates, among others. Without having to be interviewed, if you are a successful tweeter by these definitions, you might one step closer to having a job with MTV.

The TweetLevel score perked my curiosity, so I decided to measure my exact score on Edelman’s TweetLevel site. My final score was 39. On a scale of 0-100, that seems a bit low at first. On the other hand, I was surprised that my score was much higher than well-established brands and individuals who have larger followings than I do, both online and offline. These include:

• Pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKlein
• Apparel chains GAP and Banana Republic, and designer Karl Lagerfeld
• Esteemed New York Times writer and author Tara Parker Pope and TV personality and Current TV co-founder Max Lugavere
• Microsoft Research (tied)
• Advertising agencies Ogilvy Worldwide, Digitas Health (tied), and Germany’s premiere digital shop Neue Digitale

Don’t get me wrong; I think bragging about Twitter followers is a bit tacky. But I do find these scores interesting, since they indicate that popularity and success on Twitter are not as cut and dry as one would think.

You can take the test here by simply entering in your Twitter user name. What is your score? Are you surprised?

Earlier this January, when I launched Media Cipher, I wrote about the launch of Vevo, YouTube’s new site dedicated to professional music videos from artists signed to major record labels. I was and still am excited about Vevo. At the time, I wrote that the site was automatically a success for both the record labels and the consumers at large. The labels win, because Vevo provides them with a legal distribution platform, and the music fans win because it gives them content they seek.

As it turns out, 6 months later, Vevo is responsible for a hefty surge in online video viewing. ComScore recently released a report on online video viewership, with some favorable findings for Vevo. Among them, one in four online videos that online viewers were watching in April came from Vevo, totaling 43.6 million viewers.

What explains Vevo’s rise in viewership? I have  a few theories. Primarily, I believe that since MTV seemingly no longer plays any videos at all, music fans have no choice but to turn to the Web to view the content they want. YouTube, as a result, strategically lists Vevo videos in its search listings for music videos. My second theory is that music videos have become much more important in marketing new music. It is no longer enough for artists to have great music; they need to translate their product in a visual format that consumers can share virally and discuss. Lady Gaga is a perfect example of this trend. Her recent videos have wracked up millions of views online, causing other artists to follow suit and reinvest more efforts into video production.

All in all, as a music fan, I view a site like Vevo as a “saving grace” for the art of the music video. If video killed the radio star, than Vevo reincarnated the video comet.

A new social phenomenon is occurring here in Philadelphia. Over the past 6 months, large groups of teenagers, roughly in the hundreds at a time, have been using social media tools like Twitter and Facebook to organize large congregations that often turn riotous and violent. Philly.com, the premier news source covering the city, today posted an analysis of this trend. In the interest of reporting the details and facts correctly, I will defer to this article to give you, the reader, the most accurate understanding of these events. For lack of a better word, the media has described these gatherings as “flash mobs.” Many debate the use of this term to describe these events, as flash mobs are primarily accepted as events in which large numbers of people gather in public places to either perform art or pull comedic pranks. As the article can tell you these mobs are anything but comedic or artistic.

This topic is of special interest to me, given my interest in hip-hop and youth culture, social media, and especially because I live a few blocks away from where the most recent “flash mob” occurred on South Street. I am really torn about how I should digest and process these mobs in my mind. There are so many factors thrown into this controversy that makes analyzing it and drawing conclusions so complex, in terms of socio-economic affairs, race relations, parental responsibility, and city governance.  Contrary to many of those who perhaps don’t understand how social media works and how the younger generation uses it, I am really hesitant to jump to conclusions about why these mobs come to fruition. I ultimately really am curious to read the actual messages and posts the teens upload that lead to these gatherings, because I believe true flash mobs are only genuine based on their intent to disrupt the public in the name of creating attention around a certain act, artistic or not. Otherwise, events like these are simply a matter of kids using technology to simply make plans with their peers. I tend to believe that human beings are essentially good-natured beings, so I find it hard to believe that kids would want to get together just to cause havoc. I really think they know better, and that the violence and crime are just side effects to any event in which there is an unplanned, uncontrollable amount of people in one given location. Does that justify the crime and fear? Not at all.  I just think we should really hesitate to jump to conclusions about how and why people are using social media. I truly believe that South Street, as a tourist spot and “where all the hippies meet” was due for a large turn-out during the first warm weekend of 2010. The explosion of social media just amplified that turn-out to an uncontrollable degree.

The warm weather is on its way, and we can expect more outdoor gatherings in public places. But at what point do we attribute them to being flash mobs versus just casual congregations? Will the trend of “flash mobs” last? Chances are, you have an opinion on this matter, especially if you live in Philadelphia. I’d love to hear your thoughts, so please feel free to leave a comment!

If you use Twitter, you’ve probably seen or encountered spam links that tell you how to increase your followers, or people that subscribe to your tweets. It’s really easy to brush these messages off. After all, why is your follower count so important? It perhaps isn’t the end-all-be-all to being a professional tweeter, but the amount of people that express interest in receiving your updates is indicative of many things. First of all, it is an almost accurate indicator of audience reach, or how many people that have the potential to view your tweets. Secondly, it gives an extra boost of credibility to who you are as a tweeter, that you post updates that are worthwhile to a certain amount of people.

Let me be clear; there is nothing more tacky and unattractive than a follower hound. Bragging about how many people follow you or posting about how close you are to reaching a certain follower goal is very unattractive to the Twittersphere. Working toward achieving X number of followers isn’t a productive goal, in my opinion. However, it is important to do a few necessary things to cement a solid and credible presence on Twitter. I can speak from my own personal experience in starting my own Twitter account a year ago and launching my own blog that devoting some time and effort in the following exercises will pay off and increase your follower list with the right kind of people.

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The picture of me you see to the right is one of several thousands of photos taken by individuals currently taking part in a viral movement for a political cause. The non-profit NOH8 Campaign was created shortly after November 2008 when voters in California helped pass Proposition 8, amending the state’s constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Voters against this measure felt that their voices were not heard in this decision, and soon began to submit self portraits of themselves in which their mouths were covered with duct tape. This “silent” protest soon became a viral sensation, as many more socially conscious individuals took their own photos and used them as their main avatars in social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Soon, prominent and notable figures began to take part in this movement, including celebrities, politicians, activists, and community leaders. (According to the campaign’s official site, there are plans to collect all of these images into larger billboard and print ads). Fast-forward to the present, where people around the world are continuing to spread influence and raise awareness of the movement against Proposition 8 by doing something as simple as taking a photograph. Coincidentally, my photo and this very blog post comes just in time for Monday 11/11, when YouTube will be providing coverage of the trial challenge this California Proposition. Google and YouTube certainly have an ear to the social pulse, as this court case is of utmost interest to many in the U.S.; the outcome can either propel LGBT equality rights forward, or set it back.

Political preferences aside, this campaign really interests me based just on how simple, effective, and creative it is in spreading awareness of a cause virally. Simplicity is always key in an effective social media campaign; making the process too complex for participants is a huge turn-off. It doesn’t take much for a person to put on a white t-shirt, stand against a white background, and duct tape their mouths shut. Sure, one also requires black and red lip-liners for the actual “NO H8″ text on one’s face, but that is surely available at any local drug store or pharmacy. (I happened to have some left over from Halloween, but I digress). Furthermore, empowering one to use his or her own creativity in participating in such a campaign makes them feel valued and encourages them to add their own personalized touch to the process; it ultimately gives them a very fulfilling experience. Finally, such an execution taps into the sheer vanity that many have on their social networks. It is argued frequently that some people participate in social media because of an inherent narcissism complex, in which they get pleasure in presenting themselves in a particular self-satisfying image to others.

We can’t pinpoint the success of this campaign using any of these three reasons, but it certainly uses imagery within social media in a very effective way.

It’s New Year’s Eve, and by now, you’ve probably read a ton of Top 10 or Year in Review lists for 2009. I will spare you from having to read another list. Instead, I will recap a few events that occurred this year I believe to be very significant and speak to how digital media has evolved this year and moving into 2010. Some of these may not be obvious to you, but hear me out, people!

AOL announced in January the formation of MediaGlow, a business unit that would host a handful of individual niche sites catering to specific content areas and audiences. At the time, it had more than 75 sites under its umbrella, including the women’s interest site Lemondrop, technology site Engadget.com, country music site TheBoot.com, and celebrity gossip fixture TMZ. The New York Times reported that AOL plans to add 30 more niche sites to its roster in 2009. In an online climate where Web audiences are increasingly fragmented, and where web sites are trying to be everything for everyone, AOL’s decision is very strategic. As small sites attempt (sometimes in vain), to become mini-portals, AOL is hoping to give advertisers multiple “front doors” for loyal consumers by creating its own “constellation” of branded destinations. It is essentially following in the footsteps of Web properties like Slate, which promotes traffic to its niche sister sites The Root and Big Money. Moving forward with this strategy, AOL is in a nice position to regain some of the edge it has lost over the years to newer competitors.

In a “sign of the times” during February, the lackluster state of the newspaper industry’s health had affected something that was once thought of being invincible; the almighty Google. The company that month announced that it would discontinue its newspaper print advertising service, in which advertisers bid for ad space in over 800 U.S. titles, including The New York Times, Washington Post, and Gannett and Tribune companies. the company said that although the service was successful for some clients, the company chose to focus on developing products “that can benefit the most people and solve the most important problems.” Apparently, newspapers do not meet that condition, as several sources this year reported declines in newspaper print ad revenue. While it may be true that any kind of ad revenue decline these days can be attributed to the economy, one has to wonder if the growing accessibility of online news negates the need for a newspaper. This is especially true, when mainstream papers like The New York Times devote significant resources to promoting readership of its own site.

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We all know that marketing and advertising are numbers games. We as professionals have to worry about budgets, time lines, contracts, ROI, and all sorts of analytics. In this tough economy, we have to pay more attention to these than ever. We have to be more strategic with our marketing efforts and more scrutinizing with our media buys, likely all with smaller budgets.

Economic troubles aside, it is perhaps one of the most troublesome times for advertising professionals to be in right now, simply because of the possibilities that are at our fingertips to help our clients. Social media has exploded, mobile and smart phone usage continues to grow, and efficient media buying vehicles like ad exchanges add smarter targeting to our media plans. With all of that said, I cannot stress enough the importance of artistic innovation in media marketing. Let’s not forget, advertising is both a science and an art form. We hire creative designers, copywriters, and art directors for this reason, and I believe we should hold media planning accountable within the same construct.

In 2010, I believe we should all make it a point to embrace this side of our profession more often. Analyzing numbers and keeping a narrow, myopic vision on what we do is such a hazard to our clients’ businesses. They hire us to be creative visionaries. That vision must not be clouded by sticking with the norm and what is “tried and true.” Pushing boundaries, after all, and testing new tactics creates new “tried and true” strategies anyway.

Mashable reported late last month that according to The Global Language Monitor, “Twitter” is the “top word of 2009,” ahead of “Obama” and “H1n1.” The study, which reported the top terms mentioned in the media and on the Web, confirms that the micro-blogging social utility has definitely reached mainstream status.

Those who know me personally, including friends and professional colleagues, know that I use the word a bit differently. I often invoke the term “twizzy” in my daily life, and I proclaim now that it will be one of the top terms of 2010. Let me explain.

Urban Dictionary, one of my favorite guilty pleasure sites, defines “twizzy” in a few ways, only one of which is sanitary and able to be shared on this blog:

Twizzy

a combination of Twitter and Izzy. This defines any girl (or boy) who enjoys tweeting to an excessive an overly annoying amount. Example of twizzy tweets inculde the following: “I love this restaurant”, “asdfjkl;”, and “I feel like taking a nap.”

Person A: My phone just vibrated
Person B: So did mine
Person A and B: Ughhhhhhh… twizzy.
Person A: Whattayuhhh gonna do?
Person B: Yyyeeeeeaaaahhhhhhhhhh

Google earlier this week launched Vevo, a YouTube spin-off devoted entirely to music videos. The site features high-quality videos from artists under most of the major record labels, including Universal, Sony and EMI. In many ways, the launch of this site is comparable to the launch of Hulu, the video site backed by NBC Universal and Fox; both sites are seen as indications that content owners like these corporations and labels must play nice with the technology field and expand their distribution methods in a way that both the platform and the owners benefit. Prior to the launch of Vevo, many record labels had requested YouTube pull any videos its users posted of their artists, whether official videos or live performances, due to copyright infringement issues. Eventually, the labels developed YouTube channels for their artists, but largely did not enable users the option to share the video files on any of their social networks through embedding. The concern there was that the labels wanted to maximize their advertising revenue pay-off, as the only way to view these videos was to do so on the actual site. At the end of the day, it appears, the creation of Vevo by Google was a play to keep the record labels happy and their pockets full as they open their content up to the Web. It’s a success for the music industry, and for Google; both parties benefit.

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