Lately I've been on a information rampage, sucking up WAY over my daily intake. As I'm on the greatest advertising and media knowledge hunt right now, lately I've discovered lots, feeding my curiosity and creative analysis skill. So below is a round up of some impactful trends changing the landscape of mass communication- specifically brand relationships with consumers, advertising approaches, and the reshaping of the industry by emerging technology.
Think the latest Burger King proposal to McDonalds, augmented reality and the value of social media...
Think the latest Burger King proposal to McDonalds, augmented reality and the value of social media...
The latest trends reshaping advertising in no particular order are:
#1. Snap Chat is REALLY connecting brands to consumers
It's now very common to see brands on SnapChat, and is especially good for instant, direct broadcasting. It also maintains consumer choice and discretion to absorb such information. For example, find fashion brands ASOS and Nelly showcasing their latest seasons, BBC news and CNN providing news as it breaks, as well as Taco Bell teasing those tastebuds to get you driving to your nearest outlet for a Mexican pick-me-up. Brands are also using it in creative ways in advertising, such as WWF's #LastSelfie campaign to raise awareness of endangered species through the platforms quickly disappearing image quality. Users can tailor their account by opting to follow brands they're interested in.
#2. The healthcare and pharma industry is evolving closely with technologies, so I guess the way we advertise has to, too
The paradigm in health is shifting. It's about giving the power to individuals to help themselves and receive more reliable information, more instantly, track trends, stick to regimes and thus (hopefully) distribute national resources more efficiently. E.g. Wearable Technology by Google Glass opening up communication channels between parties, providing higher levels of support to patients and making doctors more productive with their time. Wearables are even becoming MORE wearable fusing with fashion, inserting seamlessly into your everyday attire. You would've even know!
See this info graphic forecasting the future of medicine:
Apps seem particularly integral to this movement, such as 'HealthTap' and 'Doctor On Demand.' No more waiting around in clinics or weeks for a result!
Advertising in this field is not the traditional sort either. It's less about selling and more about solving. Healthcare ads seek to effect and inform consumer minds/behaviour to better their lives. How can this stay current? Well like with everything else, new methods and mediums are being employed to connect to the needs of individuals. VR was used by Publicis LifeBrands Resolute in 'This Is Stroke' to highlight the painful reality of stroke sufferers. It used an immersive experience for the general public to sample, spreading awareness of this condition.
Health advertising has to speak the truth, producing creative communications with purpose, rigorous research backing and responsibility. After all, it's people's lives in their hands!
#3. Media companies are getting more creative by the minute
AdAge say 2015 is 'the year of media and creative agency integration' and that marketing is beyond purely 'where to buy.' Nowadays it's 'about their customer's entire journey as [content] extends across paid, earned and owned channels. This is more than media strategy.' In summary, 'creative instinct is vital in determining when to put away the spreadsheets and take a calculated risk to achieve it.' Media agencies are increasingly scooping up those creative minds from other companies.
Studies also suggest that media agencies may soon be the go-to for campaign creation and managing of brands' social media presence. Other than my own interviewing experience and industry news, this Hootsuite blog entry talks of an emerging trend whereby brands are creating their own content and outsourcing to the strategic, creative minds of those in media- those who know how to best distribute content. The structure is changing. So, instead of brands assigning one company with their print needs, another with their digital, another with content, and yet another with the marketing of it, media might be cutting out the middle men. Read why CampaignLive think now is the best time to be at a media agency.
#4. 'Let's get digital, digital...' who makes print anymore?
As you all know now, you can't hide in your cheque-books and cling on to 'chip and pin' for much longer. We are in the Apple Pay era. No one (exaggeration, hehe) uses hard stuff anymore, and every things seems to live up in the cloud...wherever that may be. So you either resist or join 'em, and media is pushing the frontiers of information consumption and distribution. Whether it's DOOH (digital out of home), publicity stunts in central city spaces backed by a shareable hashtag, or generated by your favourite apps, advertising IS DIGITAL. It's getting clever and integrating further into our lives, that soon enough we probably won't be able to figure out what's real or not. For example:
Shazam is growing more interactive by the second. It's already one of the best inventions since sliced bread- you raise your phone to audio and the app detects the song. It's not just about the music anymore. NOW it takes you to a landing page where you are greeted with a full experience for a product. It's especially good with new car model releases, providing a 360 virtual tour, driving traffic to their website and hitting consumers left, right and centre. It contains all the information you could possibly need in dynamic ways, preventing the need to scour black and white home pages of nothingness. It's very responsive, user friendly and effective on the mobile ecosystem.
Shazam's simple straight-to-purchase mechanism makes music acquiring super efficient, similar to Pinterest's latest evolution to providing this same function from user's pins.
There's even an advertising solution for advertising problems! Take the D&AD new 'ad block' that swaps boring, compulsory video ads for the best online content around! It sucks the angst out of wasting those 30 seconds of your life by replacing the 'advertising.'
And lastly there's this 4D experiential bundle of AWESOMENESS with Volkswagon, from the ingenious minds of those at Ogilvy Beijing. The ad's moral is 'don't text and drive,' and if this doesn't get your attention just before tucking into a yummy film, then I don't know what will. It's impactful, original and will imprint in our memories for a long time to come. This is a great example of when the message matches the mechanism!
DEFINITELY take 1:24 mins out of your day to watch this spot:
#5. Social Media is a WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER. More brands are beginning to notice this as an investment
As Social@Ogilvy states: "The best social media campaigns are not social media campaigns; they are good PR campaigns, good company spokespeople, good advertising campaigns, good events and, even, good products. The best ways to get people talking on social media are to go outside of social media. You need 360 executions that are designed with a social media insight and a social idea at their core. This we call “social by design."
As Social@Ogilvy states: "The best social media campaigns are not social media campaigns; they are good PR campaigns, good company spokespeople, good advertising campaigns, good events and, even, good products. The best ways to get people talking on social media are to go outside of social media. You need 360 executions that are designed with a social media insight and a social idea at their core. This we call “social by design."
This is the starting point for my rant. Basically social is the glue between all the mediums of a campaign. It gives consumers the chance to use their vote and voice instantly, and in turn, make brands improve their game. Advertising is no longer a one-sided ordeal- consumers are centre-focus and their opinions are key. Consumers are more powerful then ever and more savvy than ever- especially the younger audiences of Millennials, Gen Ys and Gen Xs who are ON IT.
Jon Jackson the Global Creative Director of Huge says: "People don't have as much room for bullshit in their lives anymore. With social and political issues top-of-mind for so many right now, we'll need to employ a greater sense of empathy and understanding in everything we do."
BEST OF LATE:
#McWhopper. WOW. Burger King's strategy did good. To represent National Peace day for @PeaceOneDay, BK offered a one-day alliance between their key competitor McDonalds. As two of the most influential brands out there today, they have the power to encourage truce calling all around the globe. The #McWhopper campaign consists of a composite burger from the best parts of a McDonald's Big Mac and BK's Whooper. Besides this, they've created a pop-up store in Atlanta- the spot in-between the locations of the two companies' US HQs. This is further embellished by a conglomerate staff uniform and special packaging. WOW number 2! The strategy on this is fabulous, backed by the superlative message to '#SettleTheBeef with beef.' It went viral instantly. You go Y&R NZ- Ogilvy would be proud!
Oh by the way, McDonalds said no, sad face...
(Image source: BusinessInsider, Aug 26 2015)
