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SMG Meets Marketing Director of RSA, Dominic Grounsell

Submitted by SMG Reporter on Tue, 14/05/2013 - 16:54

The increased power of connectivity and sophistication of data can help companies create even greater brand experiences for customers, RSA Group’s marketing director Dominic Grounsell explains at the Google@SMG event.

Grounsell picked up on the increasing power of connectivity and sophistication of data which can be used to more intelligently reach consumers with new information through marketing.

Grounsell believes increased connectivity will enable RSA to deploy marketing to consumers at the right time. He adds that advancements in social media means human experiences have become more instant and can create a world that is much more interesting than that of 10 years ago.

FA Cup Final: Goals drive tweets but conversation continues long after

Submitted by Iona Murphy on Mon, 13/05/2013 - 13:06

Saturday’s FA Cup final was for the most part an uneventful match that looked set on a nil-nil finish. Uneventful at least, until Wigan’s Ben Watson popped a winning goal in the 91st minute. As our Echo Listening suite allows us to track second-by-second mentions, we mapped Tweets around the match to get an idea of what drove the most conversation. As expected, the on-pitch antics that drive chatter in the pub are the same that drive the peaks on Twitter; the relatively uneventful first half didn’t give much case for remark.

Although kick-off prompted 4716 tweets a minute, the first half of the match wouldn't hit that volume again as the chatter stayed roughly around the 1000tpm mark.

The half-time traffic here is interesting; it's lower than the rest of the game, but not by the same stretch that you would expect. 16,463 tweets were sent over that 15 minutes - just 815 fewer than the first 15 minutes of the second half.

From about 55 mins onwards the match heated up a little with a series of bookings, replacements and near-misses, driving a little more tweet traffic. Wigan’s unexpected goal drove an astonishing 48,208 tweets a minute, but even this was eclipsed by the end of the FA cup tournament, which took the match peak of 57,274 tweets. Putting that in context that's just over half the amount that the Olympic 100m final generated - pretty impressive considering the FA Cup is just a UK event.

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What's really interesting here is the level of chatter that continues long after the match is finished. It took a further 623,113 tweets across 124 minutes (longer than the game itself!) before the chatter would dip below the lowest match level of 954 tweets a minute. This is a full 51,485 tweets more than the total generated by the match.

For brands, understanding what really drives conversations around football is tricky. No two games are the same and tweet spikes can even be misleading - a tweet sample pulled around Wigan's goal suggests these are mostly broadcasting the score; not much of an insight into conversation. The volume of chatter means these peaks might not be the best time to interject on Twitter - with 48,208 tweets blasting off in one minute, you’ll likely get lost in the noise. Maybe brands should be taking advantage of the quieter lulls like half-time and the long tail of conversation after the match to reach their audiences.

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Search Lately: Issue 87

Submitted by Kevin Ting on Fri, 10/05/2013 - 14:19

Highlights brought to you by Search Lately @SMGSearchUK this week include:

  • AdWords Ad Group Mobile Bid Adjustments Land
  • Where did Google Places go?
  • New Yahoo Ad Format in News Stream

Browse last week’s Search Lately for more details and initial reaction from industry experts on recent hot topics.

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SMG Meets Box TV’s Programming Director Dave Young

Submitted by SMG Reporter on Fri, 10/05/2013 - 11:56

Dave Young, Box TV’s programing director speaks to SMG at the SMG Inspired Guest Speaker Series about the history of the brand and how cross platform brand extensions are opening exciting doors for Bauer Media.

Audiences go through different experiences with different mediums. Young reveals that this is an extremely exciting time for Bauer Media brand heat and how their eager and enthusiastic team are always looking for new and exciting ways of sharing content across all their platforms.

Young also shares how excited he is to be able to invite brands to work with Box TV and cross promote content to build synergy for the content.

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SMG Meets Bauer Media’s Music and Content Director Ric Blaxill

Submitted by SMG Reporter on Fri, 10/05/2013 - 11:40

Ric Blaxill, Bauer Media's Music and Content Director at the SMG Inspired Guest Speaker Series explains how sharing content across all their platforms has helped open the studio door and get closer to their audience.

Due to increased interactivity, listeners are now invited to become more involved on a creative level with the use of social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, growing enormously, the former Top Of The Pops executive producer says.

Blaxill also shares his excitement about new talent Al Murray being brought on board at Planet Rock. The “kick ass drummer” will help the brand connect with new, wider audiences.

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SMG Meets Kiss Breakfast Presenters Rickie and Melvin

Submitted by SMG Reporter on Fri, 10/05/2013 - 10:47

Rickie and Melvin, Kiss Breakfast presenters discuss how the radio station has got a whole lot closer to its audience at the Bauer Media INspired Guest Speaker sessions.

Rickie reveals that Kiss has become a much more rounded brand with the interactivity it has adopted. Listeners have now become more like friends with the ability to text, email, call, tweet, Facebook the show.

Melvin claims there is nowhere to hide now the show is being live streamed on their website www.kissfmuk.com, Kiss YouTube channel and Kiss TV but enjoys the more “touchable” aspect of the show for listeners due to social media.

The boys also share a few of their showbiz secrets.

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This week's retail round up of news (May 10)

Submitted by Steve Smith on Fri, 10/05/2013 - 10:16
Steve Smith's picture

This week: Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, M&S, Selfridge's and Starbucks

Tesco is trialing a consumer buying model which will allow its shoppers to use social media to bring down the price of products. The grocer has partnered with co-buying specialist Buyapowa to launch a wine ecommerce site that harnesses the group buying power of consumers.

Tesco Wine Co-buys, which launches next week, allows shoppers to register interest in products, the most popular of which is then put forward for sale. Shoppers commit to a maximum price but the price point falls as the number of people that purchase the product increases.
http://www.retail-week.com/sectors/food/tesco-trials-new-model-driven-by-shopper-buying-power/5048945.article

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Sainsbury's is in advanced talks to take full control of its eponymous bank as the supermarket chain hopes to accelerate sales of financial services products to its customers.

It wants to acquire the remaining 50 per cent stake in Sainsbury’s Bank from Lloyds Banking Group, 16 years after launching the joint venture.

Research we recently undertook to identify a core financial services target audience for supermarkets shows that Sainsbury’s is best positioned to poach customers from Nationwide and M&S Mastercard, who currently shop at the supermarket.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/52cd45f4-b589-11e2-850d-00144feabdc0.html?

sainsburysbank.jpg

Marks and Spencer is to create an additional 500 jobs on top of the 1,000 positions already announced at its £200m ecommerce distribution centre in the Midlands, as it seeks to bolster its online offering.

The £200m facility, which it expects to be fully operational by November, is a belated attempt by the retailer to improve its online service, which has just 6 per cent of the market in the general merchandising category.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0ed3c5c6-b822-11e2-bd62-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2SsgOiMsJ

mandsfashion.jpg

Selfridges is to launch its first click & collect service next week, with a drive-thru option for shoppers planned for next year, it has been announced today.

From May 9th 2013, shoppers will be able to collect products ordered online from all of the retailer’s four UK stores to improve flexibility amid growing demand for convenience.
http://www.retailgazette.co.uk/articles/41200-selfridges-to-launch-click-collect-offer

selfridges.jpg

Shopping mall owners British Land - which includes Meadowhall in Sheffield and Glasgow Fort retail park among its portfolio - is to launch free wi-fi across all its developments, following a deal with BT Wi-Fi.

This demonstrates how digital is becoming a crucial part of many people’s shopping experience. Installing Wi-Fi helps to meet consumer expectation, in-store mobile behaviours, to help retailers to maximise their sales potential.
http://www.retail-week.com/property/british-land-to-launch-wi-fi-across-its-shopping-centres/5048980.article

Starbucks continues to see significant traction in its mobile efforts. The company has said more than 10 million people in the US are "active" users of the company's mobile apps. The company now counts close to 4 million mobile payment transactions per week (up from 2 million near the end of last year and 3 million a month ago). This, the company said, accounts for roughly 10 percent of the company's total U.S. tender.
http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/starbucks-counts-10m-active-mobile-customers-4m-mobile-payments-week/2013-04-29

starbucks.jpg

Retail sales volumes were 0.6 per cent lower in April 2013 than the previous April, according to a poll produced by trade body the British Retail Consortium and accounting firm KPMG. Like-for-like sales were more than 2 per cent lower than a year earlier.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b9235e32-b733-11e2-a249-00144feabdc0.html?

Waitrose has put a dent in pre-conceptions about its customer base by recording a stronger performance in the North of England compared with the South, while it has also snatched shoppers from discounters Lidl and Iceland.

Stores in Scotland and the Northwest - which are grouped together with Wales - recorded sales growth of 11.1%, while sales in the Northeast - which is grouped with the Midlands - were up 10.3%. By contrast the majority of its stores in the London area grew sales by just 2.2%.
http://www.retail-week.com/sectors/food/waitrose-shrugs-off-southern-image-as-northern-sales-outpace-south/5048954.article

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SMG Meets Heat Editor Lucie Cave

Submitted by SMG Reporter on Fri, 10/05/2013 - 10:01

heat editor Lucie Cave tells SMG at the Bauer Media Inspired Guest Speaker session how her role has changed in line with the growth of the heat brand. The magazine is very much the mother ship of heat, Cave says and that she now works across all of their platforms to grow reach and speak to their audience where and when is matters.

heat has heat TV, heat radio – where they broadcast live interviews with their celeb guests – and heatworld.com that now attracts over 1.4m unique users – as well as the heat Extra App. Cave explains that together, heat now speaks to over 4m people every week.

Rather than being scared of social media, heat has embraced it as a way to divert people for the mundane and be part of peoples’ lives. “If weren’t not watching Made in Chelsea with them, they’re like where are you, what are you doing, why aren’t you talking to us”, Cave says underlining how social media has helped strengthen relationships with their audience which makes talking about brands less overt.

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Presenting SMG Inspiration Series With Bauer Media Group

Submitted by SMG Reporter on Fri, 10/05/2013 - 09:59

Steve Parkinson, MD for Bauer Radio London hosts the Bauer Media Group panel at the SMG Inspired Guest Speaker Series and reveals the ambitions and dispels the myths of the vibrant global media business.

Parkinson reveals the true reach of the business for the first time explaining how Bauer publishes and broadcasts to 200 million consumers across the year, in 17 countries with 570 brands globally. In the UK Bauer has 53 magazines, 43 radio stations and 7 music TV channels alone.

Parkinson was joined on stage, in front of a packed SMG audience, by a star-studded panel including Ric Blaxill, music and content director of Bauer Radio, Dave Young, Box TV programming director, Lucie Cave, heat editor and Kiss Breakfast Show presenters Rickie and Melvin.

The company is going through a major evolution, Parkinson said and is now less about brands and platforms and much more about audiences first, closely followed by content.

Bringing together out of home and mobile

Submitted by Steve Smith on Wed, 08/05/2013 - 08:34
Steve Smith's picture

Starcom MediaVest London’s CEO, Stewart Easterbrook, took part in a panel at a MediaTel event this morning, ‘The union of out of home and mobile’

The research shows that out of home experiences that explicitly incorporate and leverage mobile are likely to increase purchase funnel actions, conversations across communities, and brand equity.

Over half of UK adults now own a smartphone, and around 86% of smartphone owners regularly go online via their phones (Ofcom 2013). This, together with the fact that out of home has the second highest monthly reach behind TV, means that 16% of adults report using their mobiles to search the web partly as a result of out of home ads in the last month (Outdoor Media Centre). Clearly, search and brand sites need to be mobile optimised.

Searches resulting from out of home can also result in purchases. Thirteen percent of adults have bought because influenced by OOH advertising in the last month (OMC). Brands should look to see how they can increase likelihood of purchase through search, for example by showing local stockists and local deals, and through couponing.

Bringing mobile and out of home together also provides an opportunity to engage higher value customers. Young, mobile, affluent, connected and urban individuals are most likely to buy because of out of home. Forty four percent of 16-24s report having made purchases because they have been influenced by out of home media (OMC).

However, mobile activities should not be just about enquiry and purchase. Brand owners need to look to see how they can extend brand experiences through mobile, for example by using mobile to continue a story started on out of home. A partnership between Bing and Jay-Z to promote his autobiography is a good example of how this can be done.

Emotion is one of the biggest drivers to brand funnel and further media actions, and brand owners need to create out of home and mobile content that are likely to have emotional impacts. Fifty six percent of adults have had a positive emotional response to an out of home ad in the last month, closely followed by TV (OMC). Recommendation is the most common action by these people, followed by increases in brand equity.

Brand owners should also use mobile and out of home to drive talk and social media conversations. Ten percent of adults share (online or offline) something about an OOH experience per month (OMC). According to our Community Igniter research, 18% of people use out of home as a media source for at least one of their conversations.

Until recently, out of home advertising has been off limits to mobile phone activities on the London Underground. However, opportunities to engage people at some popular underground stations are now opening up due to Virgin Media, Vodafone and O2 opening up Wi-Fi hotspots in them. These provide the chance to target and engage higher value people, but connecting needs to be simple and easy. As with other locations, content needs to be compelling and people need to be given relevant reasons to undertake further activities on mobile.

QR codes and near field communications have had a lot of coverage in the media. However, QR codes show little sign of success in most campaigns, and people are more likely to manually search on their phones instead, due to high barriers to using QR codes. More phones now have NFC chips, but they don’t have scale, there aren’t many opportunities for people to use them, and research shows that most people see no or only little value in them.

Instead of QR codes and NFC, brand owners need to look at simpler ways of engaging people. I really like the partnership between Boots pharmacy and Weetabix. Weetabix recently ran a TV ad that encouraged people to take a photo of the ad and then go into a Boots store to get a discount.

Some apps are available that can extend a brand experience such as Aurasma, through which people can download additional content when a person points it at an image, such as an out of home ad. However, it has a small user base and it is not always simple to use.

Google Now is an emerging technology. This tracks people to give them ‘the right information at the right time’. There may be opportunities around out of home, for example tracking people who pass posters for particular ads that can then be used for better targeting and tracking of subsequent online behaviours.

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