[Guest Post] YuMe on Mobile Video Advertising Technology

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May 17, 2012

Smartphone penetration is currently at 53% compared to last March when it was recorded at 39%. This resulted in smartphone penetration growth of 24% over the last 14 months. People are now spending on average of 84 minutes a day on their phone and are no longer just texting and calling. There is a whole new wave of activity around people watching video and using social media and mobile applications, which presents new opportunities for customer engagement and understanding. Research from a recent Nielson study suggests that people are now viewing more video on their Mobile/Tablet device compared to PC on a monthly basis.  Looking at a study of what people are doing whilst they are on their phone or tablet it was found that TV and being in bed indexes high.

 YuMe Logo

YuMe is a Video advertising network; the largest pure play video network in the US across Connected television, Online and Mobile. They are currently achieving 2 billion impressions a month and some of their publishers include MSN, FOX News and CNN. YuMe broke into the European Marketplace through an acquisition of a company called Appealing Media, that has been established for 2 years and specialize in Mobile Pre Roll Video. YuMe’s Current reach is 1 billion display impressions across Europe and 30 million Videos. In the UK the current reach is 500 million display impressions and 20 million Videos. Some of YuMe’s Publishers include Top Gear, ITN, ESPN, GOAL.com and Shazam. YuMe have just moved into the Connected TV audience in the UK becoming Samsung’s exclusive Partner and having inventory on LG smart TVs achieving 5 million banner to video impressions a month.

 

YuMe has the largest offering of Mobile Ad Formats available through any mobile network; from the Market leading Interactive Pre Roll to Banner to Video and everything from Rich Media Expandable Banner.  We specialize in video advertising across three screens, Mobile, Online and Connected TV.  YuMe’s network runs multiple ad formats in the same content environments, delivering a 70% unique network across publishers like Top Gear, ESPN, ITN, Bauer and IPC (over 125 publishers in the YuMe Network).

 

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Smart TV’s – The Potential is There But Adoption is Slow

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May 15, 2012

We have been told that 2012 is the year of internet enabled TVs. However, recent statistics from Kantar Media have shown that fewer than 10% of TV owners have actually used their TV to go online. It’s surprising – and disappointing – that despite the excitement around smart TVs, viewers are not using them to their full potential. The traditional functionality of TVs, such as a large screen, crisp image and so on, is still the driving factor behind use of the devices.

 Samsung Smart TV Logo

These figures prove that there’s still a sizeable job to do when it comes to educating consumers about smart TVs. Of course, it’s not that viewers aren’t interested in the additional functions their TV set can now offer, and the fact they now have complete control over what they watch, when they want to watch it. It’s just that, in most cases, they don’t know that these options are now available to them, or assume they will be too complicated to use.

 

Agencies are looking to test highly targeted advertising based on users’ viewing patterns – and connected TVs have huge potential for real time, personalised and creative messaging. However, if users aren’t using the devices while connected online then it could be a false start for advertising opportunities in this new arena. We are confident that consumers will get there eventually, but it does appear that mass adoption of internet enabled TVs could be slower than predicted.

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[Trend of the Week] – 5 reasons to get excited about Crowdfunding

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May 14, 2012

Welcome again to the second instalment of Trend of the Week. This week we’ll be looking at one of the hottest topics in creative circles – crowdfunding.

At its simplest, crowdfunding is about small businesses/projects replacing large VC investment with a larger number of small donations made online by strangers. Interest in the business model has been growing steadily for a while now and the word ‘crowdfunding’ was nominated for inclusion in the American edition of the English Oxford Diction in the summer last year.

Crowdfunding

There are already a huge number of crowdfunding sites out there. Kickstarter.com is the biggest site, but tens of specialist sites have started popping up for every creative area – CrowdRise, and Feed the Muse for music, 8-Bit Funding for games and www.authr.com for books, to name but a few.

Indeed, scarcely a week seems to go by without another crowdfunding platform launching.  This week was no exception with the news that crowdfunding site Flattr has partnered with Dailymotion to push crowdfunding for video projects.

Flattr is an interesting crowdfunding site in that it lets users sign up and set a personal monthly donation amount. Every time you click that little green button, the click gets logged. At the end of the month, your donation gets split between all the sites you clicked on. They might receive a few pence or a pound from you, depending on your number of clicks.

If things go well for Flattr, expect a buy out from Facebook and a “Really Like” button to be cropping up across the web in the near future…

 

5 Reasons why we should be excited about Crowdfunding:

1)      Crowdfunding means more innovative content and products for everyone – Sites such as Kickstarter have meant that projects that would never get off the ground are becoming realities. The Pebble Watch Kickstarter project was looking for $100,000 of funding, but has thus far accumulated a staggering $8,211,694!

 

2)      Fans can vote with their wallets – TV shows fail to get renewed, bands get dropped by their labels and sequels get cancelled… instead of just bitching about it on forums, crowdfunding gives fans the opportunity to do something about it. Imagine a world where Firefly gets dropped by Fox and its 4 million fans all respond by pre-ordering the box set for the next season. That’s a production no brainer.

 

3)      A Crowdfunded TV station? – The announcement that Channel 4 will be launching ‘4seven’ a catch-up station where the programming is decided based on social buzz around existing Channel 4 shows. The jury remains out on Zeebox’s impact on viewing figures, however Sky are certainly backing their newest social acquisition with a large marketing push. Is it so unlikely that we could see this social popularity contest taken one step further sometime in the near future?

 

4)      Crowdfunding doesn’t mean an end for old funding models - The rise of crowdfunding certainly doesn’t mean an end for the role of the programming commissioners or A&R men at record labels. There’s a reason that people “get lucky” consistently and social buzz isn’t always the best indicator of imminent quality content. How many times have fans been sourly disappointed with much-anticipated films – Super 8 anyone?!? The most exciting thing about crowdfunding is that it represents entirely new money into the creative world. This means more content for everyone which can only be a good thing.

 

5)      Crowdfunding isn’t going away - The economic climate means that crowdfunding or micro-investment offers a great option for both funders and people with great ideas. Declining government investment in art means that competition for public budgets will only increase in coming years. A poor economic outlook and low interest rates also mean people are looking for other ways to invest their money. Indeed, earlier this month Obama signed the “Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act” into law designed to allow and encourage businesses to raise up to $1m from small investments through crowdfunding. If the president of the biggest economy in the world’s stamp of approval isn’t a sign of a bright future, I don’t know what is!

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Google Penguin

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May 11, 2012

Once again Google has unleashed its power across the internet – and this time, it’s getting aggressive, in the form of the Penguin Update.

Google's New Update: Penguin

The focus is almost in reverse from what we have come to expect from algorithm updates.  Over the last year, the refinement of the Panda update has further promoted and rewarded the use of non-duplicate high quality content. However, Penguin is not about reward – it’s here to punish those who Google think have been badly behaved.

 

Penguin is designed to improve organic search results by penalising the unpleasant practices of black hat, spammer SEO companies and individuals who have been manipulating search results for years. So, if you have been buying links through link farms, spamming blog comments or forum signatures, you will feel the sharp end of Penguin’s beak.

 

Businesses may come to realise the harsh truth that their SEO consultants have been up to no good. If search engine results start to drop and organic traffic disappears, chances are that Penguin has arrived to remove the previous reward gained from dubious methods.

 

It is still early days for meaningful analysis and at the moment it’s worth just keeping an eye on search engine results while the dust settles. However, there are a few simple ways to ensure you stay on the right side of Google updates – such as making quality content which promotes user engagement and innovate, rather than automate with link building strategies.

 

The simplest way to stay on the right side of Google is to consider a move away from using a ‘link building strategy’.  Concentrate on simply creating the kind of user experience which human beings like to share and you will be rewarded.

For a brilliant video on the topic, check out this SEOmoz Whiteboard Friday Video: http://www.seomoz.org/blog/the-penguin-update-whiteboard-friday

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Pretty in Print: Press Update

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May 11, 2012

Media experts have for the last 10 years speculated on print’s demise.  Print advertising spend is predicted to continue on its downward trend and circulations have  dropped by an average of 7.4 % in the last year alone.  It’s fair to say that such decline, plus the reality of a double dip recession, has not left the press market in a healthy place.

What is the future for print?

That said, there has been a glimmer of hope of late, with new titles and rumours of launches doing the rounds of the media landscape..

 

We saw the official launch of aMuse and the demi-launch of Scout, both free distributed weekly titles trying to capitalise on the success seen by Shortlist and Stylist, and to a lesser degree Sport Magazine and City AM (who are increasing their circulation by 30% in May to 130,000 copies).  The free model is certainly proving to be an attractive way of launching titles.

 

Also rumoured is the pending launch of a new Sunday tabloid chasing the 800,000 lost copy sales from lapsed Sunday tabloid readers who are still in limbo after the Sun on Sunday failed to regain their loyalty. Sue Douglas, the former Sunday Express editor, has joined forces in this venture with ex-ITV executive Rupert Howell as they try to raise funding to back the launch.

 

Another new title that is about to launch is the bizarrely titled Wonderpedia, a men’s magazine from Bauer which will try to capitalise on the success of Conde Nast’s (re)launched Wired Magazine.  The magazine will attempt to tap into the mindset that “curiosity is hardbaked into all of us”. This, coupled with the launch of LandScape in April, is another example of publishers who were previously better known for closing titles cautiously dipping their toes back into the water with new launches.

 

This proves that despite all the gloom, there is a sense of confidence returning in the print market.  We would even go one step further and say that unlike outdoor, newspapers and magazines can play to their strengths and print less pages whilst keeping the ad yield up.  As long as the readers don’t feel short changed by this everyone is a winner.

 

Strong brands with well managed pagination models along combined with a robust advertising yield policy can result in profitable print business.  A good thing for us all.

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Is cash still king? MasterCard’s PayPass

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May 11, 2012

Mobile payment technology took another stride forward recently, when MasterCard announced the launch of a new digital wallet service.

NFC MasterCard Technology

PayPass, which MasterCard claims will offer consumers and merchants a “faster and easier” payment system, will debut in the UK, US, Canada and Australia in Q3, with a further global roll-out planned for 2013. The service will include in-store contactless payment technology and a mobile and online checkout button, which brands can use on their e-commerce websites.

 

Mobile commerce is rapidly moving into the mainstream of everyday life, with major retailers reporting growth of sales through mobile. In 2011, eBay generated about $4 billion through its mobile proposition, with vehicles and fashion proving the most popular product categories (in the UK) for purchases via eBay mobile.

 

Several companies have unveiled “wallet” services, most recently O2, which launched its product last month. MasterCard claims partners will be able to integrate their wallets into the PayPass infrastructure, with the aim of providing a single platform for new payment technology. The brand is also encouraging the developer community to create new payment technologies using PayPass, which it eventually hopes to develop as the ‘app store’ of the payment industry.

 

MasterCard has immediately recognised that success of its service very much depends on the user-friendliness of the product. As Marion King, MasterCard UK and Ireland president, said: “The current situation with digital wallets can be confusing for consumers, with lots of cards and mechanisms, and so we want to join it up and open up the eco-system. It is essential we make digital payment as easy as ‘chip and pin’.“

 

According to King, the service will be marketed around the concept of simplicity and consistency. PayPass will be promoted with a combination of marketing from MasterCard, as well as by partner retailers and banks, including American Airlines and Barnes & Noble, while in the UK, PayPass services will be rolled out by Metro Bank.

 

There are three key components in the rise of contactless mobile payments. Connected handset penetration among the population is already above 45% and rising.  And, trust among users is evident by the sheer volume of mobile transactions – from 99 pence apps through to high-end furniture from John Lewis. Now, it appears the final piece of the jigsaw is in place: simple, secure, contactless payment platforms. Soon your wallet won’t be burning a hole in your pocket; it’ll be part of your phone.

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ITV – Buy TV?

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May 11, 2012

There were some interesting financial results from ITV this week.

ITV Site

An interim management statement announced healthy results from the broadcaster for Q1 2012, and led to a share price jump of 2% – maybe more of a shuffle forward  than a giant leap, but a good result nonetheless.  Revenues in total were up 13% and Chief Exec Adam Crozier’s statement confidently talked up the remainder of the year.

 

There is no doubt that ITV is expecting great things from Euro 2012.  Their statement claimed that June spot ad revenues are expected to be up between 12 and 17 per cent.  This is curious for two reasons.  One is that the official booking deadline for June was early in April, and so they should already know the June revenue figure to a reasonably accurate degree.  The other is that they have surely heard of Roy Hodgson.

 

But what’s interesting is the way that ITV has diversified revenue streams. Traditional spot advertising revenue in Q1 was down 1% to £362Million, while income from other sources – production, licensing, online and sponsorship was up 43% and accounted for some 44% of total revenue.  Successes from the production team – such as Titanic and Downton Abbey – have contributed, as has the increase in ad spend online and VOD.

 

The ongoing delays for You View will be costly to ITV.  And previous forays into the digital world such as the ill-fated and poorly-timed purchase of Friends Reunited were not great business successes.  But the new management team is making some interesting and innovative decisions.

 

Initiatives such as the newly launched Shazam-enabled ad breaks are a testament to the investment ITV is making in new technology and also a demonstration of their ability to capitalise on the phenomenal growth in dual screening.  Their sponsorship team is working hard to find a new Coronation St sponsor to replace Harvey’s – as Coro remains the biggest TV sponsorship property in the UK.

 

As the market leader operating in a heavily-regulated environment, ITV’s traditional advertising revenue will always mirror total TV ad spend, something that the broadcaster can have little or no influence over.  So the strategy of diversifying revenue and the focus on non-spot revenue is a sound one.  And good results from ITV lead to bigger production budgets for the future – so all in all this is good news for advertisers.

 

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London Likes? Dislikes? Follows? – Elects

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May 11, 2012

In a year of intense political and corporate scandal, both in the UK and abroad (DSK, the Euro, the London riots!), the London Mayor elections were surely expected to be the most actively participated to date.

The London Elections

Londoners had seen their streets burn and witnessed scenes which they believed were only possible in the politically unstable conflict zones of the Middle East.

 

Yes, election apathy has been a rising statistic ever since the high days of 1950 where 84% of us used our right to vote, reaching an all-time low of 59% in 2001, but there has been a post millennium rise, which has seen more voters take to the ballots (65% at last count), both nationally and for the London Mayor elections (although the record for the mayor elections is just 45%).

 

Now one could speculate that the rise in participation is a direct correlation with the new communications world, which gives more candidates the freedom to express their policies and opinions across more mediums, reaching even more people, how they want to be reached.  This is something that seemed to work for Obama, so surely what works in the US, can work anywhere?

 

Looking at the efforts from the main players shows that they recognised the benefits of the new mediums of communication. Along with leaflets which didn’t have the candidates’ names on them (Ken), and booklets received through the post late on the day of the elections, the internet and mobile were also used to varying degrees, though perhaps the biggest difference between the candidates could be found on Facebook, Twitter & YouTube.

 

While we know who ultimately won, how did their social campaigns fair, and did it matter?

 

First up Boris. He came into polling day with a buzzing community of 142k Facebook likes, 13k people ‘talking’ on Facebook, an army of 286k followers on Twitter, though only 52,232 views of his channel and manifesto video on YouTube, which balanced out more positive than negative with 176 likes to 131 dislikes. His tweets were always personal, and connected to relevant events such as St. Patrick’s Day and Vaisakhi. He also kept his tweets varied though limited in number, such that they stayed focussed and didn’t become spam. Facebook was similarly thorough, although his YouTube channel was fairly thin. Overall What’s Hot gives this campaign 8/10.

 

Ken’s stats were a comparably punitive 6,711 likes on Facebook, with 1.6k people talking there, only 24k Twitter followers, but a leading 91,322 channel views on YouTube. His Facebook page looked very lonely indeed, and exposed a man who clearly wasn’t at home on the social network, showing a low level of activity since becoming a member in 2009, and a sudden ramping of efforts in the run up to the elections. His twitter was run by a campaign team, so was not at all personal, and had far too many tweets (14 on 29th April) to engage with or to provide a focus on message. YouTube was where he won, although the numbers all-round showed a serious disinterest here. Ken sill loses marks for disabling comments and likes/dislikes, and for also producing a manifesto video that shared a near identical and hackneyed creative execution with Brian Paddick’s. Score 3/10.

 

So while What’s Hot’s social campaign scoring doesn’t completely reflect the closeness of the end result, what is clear is that social media is a powerful constructer of personality and image which are key attributes for an emotional bond.  So with 54% of Boris supporters giving “personality” as the reason (they like Boris or dislike Ken), and just 27% giving a “party” reason (they generally vote Tory or dislike Labour), social – while difficult to measure – is simply essential.

 

Another victory for emotional communications.

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