The Evolving Digital Landscape

 

 

Image courtesy of Leanport Software Pvt Ltd

The Evolving Digital Landscape – 2016
by Steven Copertino

The Digital Landscape continues to evolve in both ways we could have predicted and ways we could never have imagined just several years ago. Below is a listing of things that strike me as particularly relevant and interesting. What are your thoughts?

Snapchat Dominates At SXSW In 2016

• Snapchat did not have a presence at SXSW, nor did they do any advertising there
• Snapchat generated 192 million impressions on Twitter from SXSW – more than any other brand (3/6 – 3/16)
• It’s a messaging app created in 2009 by Students at Stanford University. By early 2016, users were sending      7 billion photos and videos PER DAY – more than tripling between June and Nov of 2015 alone. (FB 8 bill/day)
• The messages self-destruct after 10 seconds – images, videos or text. You can create a story that lasts for 24 hours
• Bought by Facebook for $20 billion in 2014 – Snahchat has over 100 million active users per day
• Brands creating unique content for Snapchat – NatGeo, CNN, MTV, Buzz Feed, Comedy Central, WSJ, Food Network, ESPN, People, Cosmo, Mashable and many others…

“Desktop” Matters Less and Less

• No secret that desktop users have been flocking to mobile in droves
• But only this year did mobile traffic finally overtake desktop traffic
• Growth hasn’t slowed. In fact, some companies are preparing for desktop to stop mattering altogether
• That means it’s more important than ever to have a mobile component to your digital strategy

Video Is Becoming The New Normal

• For a while, written content dominated the digital landscape, but videos are taking over – 20% of digital budget in 2016 vs 17.7% in 2015 (display, search and social higher but video is pulling $ from them)
• Thanks to wider availability of lightning-fast internet (and smaller screens that favor video over text), video content is becoming preferred and more popular among publishers
• Social platforms like Facebook and Twitter are auto-playing videos in news feeds and rewarding video contributors
• Google is considering allowing video ads in its SERPs
• If you don’t already have a video content strategy, it’s time to get one. (don’t forget imagery, data visualizations, illustrations as well)

Omni-channel Is More Important Than Ever

• Studies show that 90% or more of consumers’ interactions with a brand employ more than one device/channel
• For example, a customer might search for a business/product/service with a smartphone and then continue using a laptop or by calling or visiting in person
• It’s very important for marketers to work collaboratively to study ALL channel interactions and customer behaviors and to adjust accordingly – data is key

The Humanization Of Digital

• Social media started this trend years ago by showing brands they no longer control the conversation nor the definition of their brand
• There is a movement towards more “human communication” – content with warmth and humor instead of corporate buzzwords, and making communication more authentic through humor, visuals and storytelling.
• It’s the humanization of digital to make brands feel more real and differentiated
• UGC is a great way to help warm up your digital presence – customer blog posts, customer ratings & reviews, etc. – search engines love UGC!  

 Digital Marketing Needs To Be Even More Data Driven

• This is nothing new, but it is. The expectation is for real-time changes based on data and for a personalized experience
• Digital marketing is both an art and a science
• Successful marketing comes from collecting, analyzing and using data about when and where customers spend their time
• In short, data is behavior. Learning from this behavior drives creative messaging and strategic campaigns
• Tracking behavior and tapping into the emotional connection through messaging, ads, social, and design makes all the difference in the digital space
• Content personalization is a consumer expectation

Social Engagement Is Key

• There’s a lot to be learned from your audience online
• You’ll get honest feedback on campaigns and messaging, for one
• Incorporating your fans’ interpretation and opinion of your brand can get you both fresh content and loyal fans
• Create incentive for fans to write, tweet, take photos, share videos, etc
• Reward them for their participation and loyalty by giving them the spotlight in your campaign.
• Think holistic strategy, rather than specific tactics. Each social channel, blog post, email, weblink must have a purpose and drive towards something
• Never post simply to post
• Without engagement or traffic, those posts are a waste of time and money

Social Is Starting To Mean Much More Than “Social”

• Social media apps change a little more every year, but for the most part, those changes have been made to introduce new kinds of social interactions or simplify old ones
• Now, social apps are moving in non-social directions; for example, Pinterest is leading a new trend of social/e-commerce hybrid apps, which offer social functionality combined with purchasable items, and Facebook is developing its own digital assistant

Feel free to share your thoughts.

The Internet of Things Is the Hackers’ New Playground

July 29, 2014, 5:49 AM PDT By Arik Hesseldahl

Excited about the promise of the shiny new Internet of Things? Good. Because hackers are too. Or at least they should be, according to a study by computing giant Hewlett-Packard.

The company’s Fortinet network security unit conducted an analysis of the 10 most popular consumer Internet things on the market and found 250 different security vulnerabilities per product for an average of 25 each. Unfortunately HP doesn’t identify each product but does describe them in broad brush-strokes: They were from the manufacturers of “TVs, webcams, home thermostats, remote power outlets, sprinkler controllers, hubs for controlling multiple devices, door locks, home alarms, scales and garage door openers.”

As a basic rule, these devices often run stripped down versions of the Linux operating system, and so will have many of the same basic security concerns that you might expect to be in place on a server or other computer running Linux. The problem is, the people building them aren’t going to the effort to secure them the way they would a more traditional computer.

What’s happening says Mike Armistead, VP and general manager of HP’s Fortify unit, is that manufacturers are rushing to get their products on the market without doing the harder work of locking their devices down against the most basic kinds of attacks.

Magnifying the potential for the problem is the fact that once one device is compromised, overlapping vulnerabilities can lead an attack from one to the other. If that seems like alarmist paranoia, remember that one of the most damaging hacking attacks in history, the Target breach, in which information on more than 70 million people was compromised, was carried out by way of an attack on a system used to manage and maintain the heating and ventilation system in the company’s stores.

Read the full article on RE/CODE

Developer program makes Nest a focal point for the smart home

by Rich Brown  @rh_brown  June 23, 2014 9:00 PM PDT

Nest’s promised developer program is now live, bringing together connected features from Mercedes-Benz, Whirlpool, and Logitech to the company’s smart thermostats and smoke detectors.

Nine months after announcing a plan to let third-party products integrate with its line of popularLearning Thermostats and connected smoke detectors, Nest Labs’ Developer Program has announced an impressive first set of partnerships.

The inaugural group of supported third party products will all come bearing a “Works with Nest” indicator. The roster includes well-known firms like Mercedes-Benz, Whirlpool, and Nest’s parent, Google, as well as less established companies such as smart LED bulb-maker LIFX, and IFTTT, makers of the self-named connectivity software that can automate behavior between various Internet services and devices.

According to Nest Labs senior product manager Greg Hu, the company’s goal is to keep the interactions between his company’s products and those in the Works with Nest program simple. Rather than exposing the full breadth of options to program your Nest Learning Thermostat, a supporting Mercedes will only trigger home and away behavior in your thermostat based on the car‘s proximity to your home.

Read the rest of this article on CNET