14 December 2009

Posted at 13:53h in beers, blogging, new media, persona, personality, twitter by

When you're sitting behind a computer screen, you can be anyone you want; yourself, a character, an unintentional character or no one. It's why there's so many problems with the Anonymous. I tend to find the person behind a blog just as interesting at times as the content. That's why when it comes to writing this blog I try to ensure the online me is as close as possible to the offline me. I was speaking to a friend recently who said she had finally gotten around to meeting a blogger she been reading for a long time. Unfortunately, the person she met was not the person she'd come to know online over the past few years. The personalities were very different. I'd like to think I'm fairly true to myself here, although I don't think I'm as arrogant in real life. I'm much more "average" when I'm kicking it offline. But it's an interesting area. Does it matter that the person behind a blog, Twitter account or even a YouTube channel is hiding behind a character? Or is it preferable that they be who they want? Or is acting as someone else not an issue at all? I think it will increasingly raise issues as more and more of the online world converges with the offline at events and social outings like New Media Beers (Friday 29th Jan, 7.00pm, The Cabinet, 11 Rainbow Alley #NMBMelb)....

26 March 2009

Posted at 23:25h in abc, choose your own adventure, lawrence lueng, new media, podcast by

I just watched ABC's Lawrence Leung's Choose Your Own Adventure. Seriously funny shit. My perfect genre of comedy. Instant favourite.Side note before I start, how fucking awesome are the ABC? Not only are they producing the best television content in Australia but they're doing a killer job in the transition from old to new media. Podcasting, online content, iView. Awesome. They continue to lead the way, in fact my second ever post 18 months ago said something similar. Anywho, in the show, Lawrence was looking at some techniques for picking up girls. One guy suggested the use of phonetic ambiguity, which is when you say something that can be interpreted as something else but more subtly.The example they used was the term "below me", which can sound like "blow me". So when you say to a girl about something being below you, she's apparently meant to drop to her knees. I'm struggling to see this actually work but more interestingly has it been done in marketing before?Or can you think of your own to use in a TVC or radio spot?...

16 March 2009

Posted at 23:31h in consumers, free, gen y, igen, new media, user generated content by

In what seems like months ago, I raised a few questions on how Gen Y and iGen's consumed content. As one old bull kindly pointed out, it's easy to ask questions and not answer them. So how do you as a marketer, media producer or content creator get through to me? Simple. Using one of these new media business models, based on the concept of free or with microtransactions. Things like Dr Horrible and Clark and Michael are great examples. We, as Gen Y's and iGen's, are not going to pay more than what content is worth. And we've been brought up thinking that this content, especially digital content, is free or valued at only a few dollars. Most advertisers, content creators and media producers fail to see how this can be monetised, but the examples above show it's possible. That's how you get through to someone like me and still walk our profitable....

14 October 2008

Posted at 17:15h in blogging, framework, new media, response, social media, social networks, twitter, youtube by

The way I see it, new media is the umbrella that encompasses everything from social media marketing to viral marketing to mobile marketing. Essentially, anything that does not interrupt a consumer with a great focus on consented, engaging and value providing content. So what is social media? A few days of research, thinking and graphics work have lead me to two key strategies that can be undertaken when it comes to social media marketing. The first, which I'll be covering here is Response and the second, which I'll be posting tomorrow, is Broadcast. Above the line is from marketer's point of view. Below it, is from the consumer's. Monitor Before jumping into the pool it is important to test the water. Observe your consumer and community in focus from afar. Before posting a comment on someone's blog, you must first understand what they're talking about. You should be scoping the scene out to see if you can firstly join the conversation and secondly add to the conversation. Identify There are too many blogs, social network profiles, YouTube videos and tweets for you to respond to them all. After monitoring your consumer and community it is important to identify the most influential people within this niche. Using these opinion leaders and those with loyal audiences (not necessarily large), you will be able to more effectively and efficiently target your key customers. Engage After monitoring and identify the influential consumers within a community, you can now engage with them. This relationship might be a short or long but either way it should be a case of providing meaningful and relevant value to consumers and their community. UGC You have now engaged with the consumer and started a relationship which has been built on the mutual exchange of value. Here the marketer gives up control of the message and the community takes over with the creation of user generated content. It could be something small like establishing and spreading buzz online (or offline) through social networks or something much more involved like writing a blog post or publishing a video on YouTube. The Body Shop do this extremely well. Not only do they have a blog (see Broadcast), but actively respond to influential bloggers. As a result, I'm creating content about them right now. This is one of two strategies I have identified that could be used when approaching social media marketing. The other is Broadcast. Please feel free to offer any thoughts or critique. Edit: I have since updated this model here. ...

18 September 2008

Posted at 19:22h in ask a ninja, business model, cafepress, gervais model, in rainbows, new media, ninja model, punchbowl model, radiohead, ricky gervais dr horrible, trent from punchy, youtube by

Many people have questioned whether or not there is a possible business model in new media. Looking for not only a sustainable one but profitable as well. Doing what I do best, wasting time on Internets, I have discovered and named four highly successful ones.Punchbowl ModelBased on a series of YouTube clips called Trent from Punchy this model involves producing free non commercial content. An extension of the brand is then developed, in this case tees and other merchandise. In just three weeks profits from tees have been reported as $15,000. Considering the low production cost, immensely successful.Ninja ModelPerhaps the most common model, and based on the Ask A Ninja series, free content is produced which is sponsored. This award winning series would be pulling in a substantial amount of profit based on high audience numbers. Note they are also using the Punchbowl Model with DVD and book extensions.Gervais ModelThis model involves production of free content for a limited time. After a certain period, the content is taken down where it must be paid for to access. This highly targets the innovators and early adopters and usually relies on strong word of mouth. The Ricky Gervais Podcast has reportedly made millions by charging just a small amount with many downloads. This technique was used in the recently successful Dr. Horrible series. Note that in case of The Ricky Gervais Podcast they also used the Ninja Model with the original content being sponsored.Radiohead ModelBased on the recent release of Radiohead's album In Rainbows, content is available for free where consumers have the option to pay. Critics have argued that this was only successful because it had never been done before but this model has also been used successfully by the band Nine Inch Nails. The model usually requires a loyal following. Note that In Rainbows is no longer available, also categorising them in the Gervais Model.There are two common themes in these four models. The first is remarkable content. None of these can be successful without content that is both highly entertaining and easily spreadable. The second is the lack of a middleman, no record labels, producers or publishers. Instead, the product goes straight from the producer to the consumer.What models do you think are missing from this list? Do you have any examples that fall into the current four?...

04 September 2008

Posted at 19:23h in defintion, internet, new media, social media by

The Internets.Social media would not exist without it.Let me explain.I had an interesting conversation last night about this very topic and thought it would be swell to blog about. In a few days I'll be preparing another post discussing the difference between new media and social media but I thought I'd get this out the way first.There are numerous definitions of social media and all of them rely on the Internet. While certain elements existed long before Al Gore was punching away at his keyboard, its full extent and potential had not been realised until recently (although some foolishly still have their doubts). As technology developed over the past twenty years, we were able to identify, engage and ultimately build a relationship with niche targets of consumers.Yes this was possible before. But not on this scale. Not this measurably. Not this easily. Not this effectively. And most importantly, not at this cost.Blogging, podcasting, social networks, image, video and file sharing and the uptake on user generated content all happened because of the Internet. Some of which still haven't hit critical mass.Without the Internet, the term "social media" would never have been coined. And people working in this area would be looking for a new job.What do you think? Does social media exist without the Internet?...

02 July 2008

Posted at 15:39h in blogspot, communication, generation y, new media, rss, social media, trends, youtube by

I'm normally fairly good with people's birthday yet I missed a friend's yesterday. I only discovered it today when I opened my diary and realised the reason I forgot is because she doesn't have a Facebook account. I've come to rely on this tool but also many other aspects of social media. It hasn't just given me more channels to communicate but has now become a main source of information and entertainment. The way I contact people and stay in touch with them has changed with Facebook. The way I watch my favourite television shows has changed with YouTube, which has also opened up infinite hours of UGC. Similarly, the radio is streamed via podcasts. The daily read of a newspaper has changed with my RSS Subscriptions where I choose what I want to read. Interestingly, these changes are all free. No wonder Generation Y is so reliant on social media....