Wednesday, August 29, 2012

New Standards for Gauging Reach

Facebook is throwing a lot against the wall these days as they work on regaining their footing and credibility.  But they are and will continue to be among the most powerful media platforms in the world and everything they do is worth noting.

The latest is highlighted in this piece in AdAge, "Facebook Measurement Chief Advocates New Standard for Gauging Reach".  While almost comically self-serving, it clearly identifies a huge need and opportunity in the market.  I work with dozens of agencies and clients each week, helping them reach their customers across multiple media platforms.  And most certainly...
"a metric that looks at the unique reach and frequency of a campaign across all "experiences" -- including traditional media such as TV, radio, print and outdoor, as well as online media, social media (owned, earned and paid), mobile and in-game ads"
 ... is a big idea.  And it is comical that our $200 billion advertising industry, driven by so much extraordinary innovation, is years behind in measurement standards.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

The End of Email?

Some fascinating data highlighted in this recent MediaPost article on the displacement of email by social media.
Apparently consumers are more attached to their social network pages, than to email -- especially teenagers, who visit Facebook several times a day, but their email address maybe once a week.
The study found 38% of those ages 18 to 34 log onto their social network as soon as they awake, but before checking email. Not only are consumers afraid they will miss a news event,  but the younger generation often checks in with their friends and followers online before they’ve even rubbed the sleep from their eyes. And 27% send more messages from within their social network than from their primary email account.
 
So true .... I recently spent a week trying to connect with a young cousin of mine in Ireland.  He sent me a message on Facebook and I sent him an email, both messages sitting unchecked for days in our respective secondary digital communication channels.