Communitainment December 14, 2008
Posted by airyrae in e-volution.Tags: communitainment, entertainment marketing, internet marketing
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“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place”
George Bernard Shaw
It has been predicted that within the next decade at least one-half of all content consumption on the Internet will be driven by communitainment: a type of hybrid between social communication and entertainment driven by the popularity of instant messaging, social networking, photo and video sharing sites. Piper Jaffray coined this term and recently released a report title, The User Revolution, predicting that global online advertising revenue will be over $80 billion by 2011. Right now over fifty percent of a person’s online time is allocated to communication and entertainment. The idea of communitainment legitimizes the internet as and emerging medium and hones in on the social interactions that are surround broadband internet users.
A study by Netpop found that broadband consumers spend almost half of their spare time online and are active producers of content. It seems that as consumers become more and more involved with new media they become less and less responsive to the more traditional forms of advertising. Broadband has revolutionized they way that we use the internet and our enabled us to do more with less time. As such, new media and communitainment specifically is going to offer marketers a new opportunity to reach consumers on an individual basis.
This study found that online consumers are oftentimes more receptive and interested in advertisements that appear on their favorite Web site. This interest is attributed to that fact that consumers trust their favorite sites and feel that these sites think like they do. Web sites are becoming more of a confidante to consumers than simply an informative digital front. Consumers can gain instant perspective, referrals, information, purchase, and build a relationship with any entity through an effective Web site. A consumer’s favorite Web site is like a best friend that they need to ‘catch up’ with on a daily basis.
New media is allowing marketers the opportunity to connect with consumers on a personal level, engage them, and then support this budding relationship through additional integrated marketing communications. Ultimately, communitainment is bringing marketers closer and closer to effectively communicating with a segment of one. But since the internet has the ability to integrate so many different mediums marketer must rethink their online efforts to create extremely powerful relationships with consumers.
Game On December 1, 2008
Posted by airyrae in e-volution.Tags: gaming
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“Life’s a game, all you have to do, is know how to play it”
If my husband and I ever decided have children there is only one aspect of raising them that I know is going to problematic: video games. My husband grew up with his choice of video game consoles and how often he played them. On the other hand, my parents didn’t allow us to own video game consoles as long as we lived in their house. After I went off to college, I still never felt the need to own any of these gaming consoles. I’m not against gaming; rather I enjoy playing them on occasion. Unfortunately, my husband can’t just play Xbox 360 on occasion.
The fact that he can’t seem to find an Xbox 360/work/life balance is truly upsetting to me. This apparent gaming addiction makes me think that my parents were ingenious in not allowing us children to own these consoles. But gaming has come a long way since I was a child, such gaming is now revolutionizing the way children learn and interact with each other thanks to new media. Researchers are even saying that gaming may even be beneficial for children.
Along with this gaming revolution has come opportunity for educators and advertisers alike; allowing them to communication with the hard-to-reach younger generations in an extremely engaging and effective way. However, most adults in America are unsure of whether new media and gaming are a good combination. Some argue that in game advertising exploits children and these games derives them of physical activity and ‘real’ social interaction. Personally, I’m not thrilled with some of the language that I hear out of other gamers through Xbox 360 Live. Parents need to ensure that their children’s social interaction through gaming is age appropriate. Because, from what I’ve heard this social interaction can easily be a negative experience: and while you can monitor gamer’s in-game experience; you can’t monitor how they speak to each other during live game play.
Basically, researchers would have to come up with some extremely compelling evidence that gaming is more beneficial that not in order for me to be OK with my children spending hours every day playing video games. Yet, I’m kind of stuck on this matter because my husband loves his Xbox 360 and I can’t tell him what to do: Since it’s inevitable that gaming consoles are in my household, I’m not sure what will happen once we have children. I’m sure it will be an epic battle of learning to grow with new media for all involved.
Arin
OMG! U Speak IM? November 25, 2008
Posted by airyrae in Blessings and Burdens, e-volution.Tags: IM Speak
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“WTF”
“and you can quote me on that”
Instant messaging has become a huge activity of teenager over the past decade. As such, a whole new dialect has entailed the instant messaging craze. Shorthand like: OMG “Oh my god”, BFF “best friends forever”, and BRB “Be right back” are heavily relied upon by heavily users of instant messaging. The problem is that the IMers are growing-up, getting jobs, and using this IM speak in professional communications. I couldn’t believe my ears when I read a report about how IM speak is being used by the younger generations in business communications.
I mean really – do these people have no common sense or professionalism at all. Teachers should be nipping this bad-habit in the bud in junior high and high school. I think this post will be the only times that I will actually be able to get away with using IM speak in correspondence, and it’s simply to make a point. Do these people just not realize how unprofessional and uneducated they sound when they speak and write like this. Every company that I have ever worked for insisted that even company acronyms were not used in professional communications because they are easily lost in translation in regards to new employees, other businesses, and consumers.
How does 4649 equal “please to meet you”? Being a Gen X’er, you’d think I’d be some what up on the IM lingo. But unfortunately for me, I went to this wonderful think called school, where I was taught to speak like a human and not a moron. I guess I was wrong in assuming this whole “school thing” is available to the younger generations. Or maybe schools just added IM speak to the curriculum. And alluding to a quote from a previous post, I have the luxury or criticizing the younger generations because I have yet to raise any of them.
Well my attempts to use IM speak in this post was truly pathetic, and I’m surprisingly OK with that. On a personal level, I find this ‘speak’ to be obnoxious. However, it is also apparent that this dialect is a huge aspect of reaching the younger generations. Marketers are using this ‘speak’ in several of their new and traditional marketing efforts alike if they are targeting teenagers. As such, learning IM speak seems to be another one of those necessary evils of my career choice. So if you’re as IM speak dysfunctional as I am, read up on teen talk and the ever evolving list of digital lingo: especially if you’re a parent.
Ultimately, IM Speak has its time and place. But I think the collectively this speak should be limited to certain occassions and applications. If you’re marketing to teenagers, or teenagers are instant messaging on their personal applications – IM Away. However, the existance of this shorthand shouldn’t mean that it appears in business communications or any other type of formal correspondance. On a cultural whole, technology has enabled us to save time by revolutionizing the way we communicate through new media. Since communication is now easier and more accessable than ever we should at least have the time to speak to one another in English.
CUL8R,
Arin
e-volution November 23, 2008
Posted by airyrae in e-volution.Tags: evolution, generation gap, new diversity training, technology
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“Before you go and criticize the younger generation, just remember who raised them”
Unknown
I watched this very interesting feature on CBS news tonight about how technology is causing more than just a generational gap. Some scientists are saying that technology is actually causing humans to evolve. Apparently the younger, wired-generations, are failing to develop the normal people skills that are necessary to physically interact with other people in a business setting. Technology utilizes different parts of our brains than traditional activities; which is causing younger generations to be unable to acceptably communicate with others on a personal basis (that is with out technology). Younger generations would rather text someone than actually talk face-to-face with them.
At any rate, researchers are actually finding that Generation Y’s brains seem to be functioning differently from other ‘unplugged’ generations. The evolution that technology is causing is also making several companies to incorporate the needs and functionality of younger generations into their business policies. Ernst & Young adopted a policy that allows employees to listen to their MP3 players in the work place and is also attempting to bridge the generational gap though diversity training.
As such it is clear that technology not only changes our life but also our brains and ability to socially interact with each other. The capabilities of cell phones and the fact that we’re buying our children these gadgets earlier and earlier only complicate the situation. Whether the human technolution is a good or bad thing is yet to be decided. However, it would seem that evolution through technology is inevitable for the American culture.
Think ahead to when Generation Y is the oldest generation of consumers in the United States. The ways in which technology has influenced Generation Y will seem marginal compared to that of generations yet to come. So until this technolution we’re experiencing is complete, more and more companies will have to implement generational dynamics into their annual training efforts: and schedule a face-to-face meeting with each new employee to introduce concepts like … meeting face-to-face.
Till next time,
Arin
