Lean Forward and Lean Back: Using mobile in two ways. And the new 'first screen'

There's been a lot of talk about engagement via mobile in the advertising and marketing circles, but the overwhelming agreement is that mobile is clearly emerging worldwide as the new 'first' screen – or the device of primary engagement.

That does not mean that TV is dying. TV is and will be still around – because it's still about lean-back entertainment and mute consumption. Mobile is about here and now, about participation and most often about lean-forward. Although there's a lot of lean-back consumption happening as well on smartphones that allow for enhanced viewing on large screens and better definitions. 

Mike Parker, Chief Digital Officer at McCann Worldgroup says "Our recent Truth about Shopping study, that we presented at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona identified that there are really two 'mobile worlds' emerging.  One is about browsing and discovery – Pinterest, instagram are becoming the new 'window shopping' and catalog browsing.   Were as the other is about mobile on the go, or about action and utility – which e is so much more about doing things, performing tasks, getting business done." 

From an agency point of view, Parker adds "One thing is clear, that our clients are very aware of this shift to mobile usage and are asking questions about where and how to engage consumers in mobile.   We need to ensure that we have the knowledge to be able to incorporate mobile thinking on our strategies and work.  I believe strongly that it wont be long before the small screen is the main screeen, and all of the work we develop for our clients will need to be thought about in terms of displaying on small screens first…"

Here in the Middle East, this should be no surprise at all, because we have really high rates of smartphone adoption, and there are nearly two handsets in each pocket in some countries like the UAE!
There's a study that's bee done for the US market by Millard Brown that shows mobile emerging as the clear new first screen (no pun intended). The study reveals that Americans now spend 151 minutes per day on smartphones, next to 147 in front of TVs. But the numbers are even greater elsewhere. In China, consumers spend a whopping 170 minutes a day buried in smartphones, nearly double their TV watching time.

Users in Indonesia, the Philippines, Brazil and Vietnam also spend more total screen minutes on average than the U.S., predominately on mobile.The firm surveyed more than 12,000 mobile users, between the ages of 16 and 44, in 30 different countries, polling consumption of ads over TVs, laptops, smartphones and tablets. 

AdAge, covering the report tells us "According to the findings, the smartphone has emerged as the primary screen worldwide, but the firm also found users are watching multiple screens simultaneously, a global trend that is most-pronounced in China.

"It's still a recent phenomenon that people are tethered to their phones while watching TV," said Joline McGoldrick, research director at Millward Brown. "Their default is to type something into their smartphone."

The agency classifies simultaneous screen time into two key buckets: "stacking," when the consumed content is unrelated (mindlessly surfacing Facebook during a favorite show); and "meshing," when the content synchs up (searching for an actress in the show).
Across the globe, particularly in Asia, consumers prove much more willing to "mesh" than they do in the US. Only 30% of American screen time is spent soaking in related content. The rates in China, Japan, Indonesia and South Korea are all higher. Sixty percent of Thai users spend their screen time "meshing."

Ad Age also tells us that, in the report we discover that outside the US, consumers are also much more amenable to ads on their devices. Asian smartphone owners responded far more favorably to ads than counterparts in the US; and they were more attentive to ads splashing across their phones. When it comes to mobile ads, global smartphone users are also noticeably open to watching short videos. "Mobile video is just completely poised to explode," Ms. McGoldrick said. The agency's data, she noted, is "showing that other markets are utilizing micro-video more effectively."

Despite the rise in mobile screen time in the U.S., ad spending has failed to catch up. Smartphones and tablets claim around 44% of daily screen time in the U.S. But media spending for the two devices reaches just $18.9 billion, well short of the roughly $70 billion spent on television, according to eMarketer. (Millward Brown does not track global media spending across each device.). 

Reposted on BestinMe.com

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Facebook: Organic reach for Brands is Way Down

Ever since Facebook changed the rules of brands engaging on the platform "to improve the user experience" brands – big and small across the world – are facing substantial declines in organic reach. It's simple. Facebook wants brands to put their money where their social mouth is. The decline is around 50% of what it used to be. That's a lot.

A study from Ogilvy (done a few useful months after the October 2013 change) shows that for larger brands with over 500k Likes, the decline is down to around 2% of all reach for February 2014. These large on-Facebook brands were pulling in above 4% before the platform made changes. So, the newsfeed algorithm change sends a clear message to brands on Facebook – start to pay for engagement and reach.

The changes don't target large Like or fan based brands alone. The organic reach decline is across both large and small fan based brands. So, Facebook's message about "improving user experience overall" is size neutral. 

A company called Sim Partners who provide social marketing solutions saw this affect them hugely. The extent of the decline prompted them to protest. "“We used Facebook advertising to help promote our page and content, but when we turned the ad campaign off, we saw a significant decrease in organic traffic to our page,” says Hawkinson, a partner at the company. “A small drop in organic traffic was expected with the loss of the ad promotions, but we experienced drops between 69% and 83%, numbers which are astounding.” a spokesman said on mashable.

Ogilvy Social feel that organic reach still has its place on Facebook, but feel that it will be around and keep its place for a "few months to a year".  This is not going to drive brands away from Facebook, but simply up the ante on increasing their media spends on the platform. Most brands engaging on Facebook here in the region provide very little media (spend) support on Facebook. They're going to have to come to the table with fatter wallets now. Not sure they'll "Like" that.

also posted on the digital marketing blog on bestinme.com

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How brands balance in-house and outsourcing

There's a new trend that's seeing brands and marketers in this region seriously considering building in-house marketing capabilities rather than outsource. This is a key decision faced by brands – and finding the right balance – or making the right "smart sourcing" decision is key.

The digital marketplace is shifting, and increasingly, at least here in the Middle East, top marketing talent is becoming hard to find. Advertising and marketing agencies find it difficult to source talent that can help their clients' marketing functions, because the days of the 'all-round' marketer is long gone. Specializations have led to complexity. And while, within agencies and agency groups, there is a possession struggle as to who should be doing what, client-side marketers are opting for certain functions to be brought in house.

Most of these functions are "owned media" related – meaning, when it comes to some areas of content and brand driven PR, many marketers are bringing functions in. These can be in the areas of social media – every day content management being a key area. Other functions are SEO, Data and Analytics. Large brands are finding this an easy way to balance their spends, and also finding it relevant to bring these every day, Always-On functions home.

In a research done by eConsultancy, figures indicate that around 45% of respondents feel that more functions would come in-house than be farmed out to agencies and specialist consultants. P&G is  is leading the social newsroom concept driven by P&G boss Marc Pritchard, who believes that brand/agency teams today need to be more reactive and have a "newsroom mentality", to capitalize on the opportunities in today's digitally-enabled world. This is mostly an in-house act. You really can't newsroom out of an agency located somewhere else when the action is happening within the house.

We're not sure how this dynamic will affect this region, or when it might just quickly change, but for now, brands are becoming self reliant on some specialized marketing functions – and the success of this strategy really depends on the functions. Unless you are a huge brand with huge advertising bills to pay, you wouldn't really jump out and hire a creative director. That's your agency remit. But surely, when it comes to stand-alone analytics or social, you could find a balance.

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Dubai Taxis will offer free wi-fi by end-2014 as part of "Smart City" move

In a report in The National today, we're thrilled to read that all Dubai taxis will offer free wi-fi as part of the Dubai Smart City move. Already certain parts of Dubai have free wi-fi as in Downtown Dubai.

This is really putting Dubai on the smart map of the world. A city that's aiming to wow the world with Expo2020 is certainly making the right moves towards total connectivity for all. Having free wi wi-fi in public transportation is a key step towards enabling all Dubai  residents to stay connected. Amongst other connected devices will be traffic lights that could speak to each other and ease traffic jams.

The report says "People will be able to connect their smartphones, tablets or laptops and surf the internet as soon as they enter the taxi, said a Road and Transport Authority (RTA) official. The service is already available in 155 Hala Taxis across the city."

"It comes off the back of new initiatives recently launched, among them Wi-Fi services on intercity buses and internet connected bus shelters to help to achieve the government’s plans to become a fully fledged smart city in time for Dubai Expo 2020, where the aim is to connect the city’s infrastructure to the internet and make it more accessible to its citizens via smartphones and other smart devices."
Last year, more than 440 million passengers used public transport in Dubai, which includes buses, water taxis and the metro, up from 367 million in 2012. Every day, more than 1.3 million people use public transport in the city.

Here is the full article in the National.

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Facebook Paper for the Middle East region? And on Android? Not just yet!

Of course you've heard of Facebook Paper. Yes it's a great new app on the iPhone platform. No, you can't download it for your Android phones – because there isn't a version yet (and no immediate plans for one either). And hear, hear friends in the Middle East – or anywhere outside America – it is a US-only app.

So much for Facebook being the world's biggest social platform. The January launched Facebook Paper is a beta version of sorts created and developed for a test phase. Already the feedback is hugely positive (sites like The Verge, who called it, “The Best Facebook App Ever” and Tech Crunch, who said it, “might just be the Facebook of the future.” ). According to a paper released by UPG MediaLabs, it is intended "to give Facebook users a Facebook Home type interface to marry trending, sharable content with a well-designed social homepage; a one-stop-social-shop, as it were."

From what we are reading on blogs, the user experience perspective was prime focus for the small Facebook Creative Labs team that developed Paper. The easy to adapt to flip and scroll motions are very similar to what users interface on already-successful apps like Flipboard and The New York Times. The news flows are seamless, and the design is consistently good throughout all phases of use.

But let's focus on what it is: It is a news app. It is from Facebook. So, you are accepting the premise that news from social is news after all. And news packaging is important. And you have to accept that if you live outside the great big United States – it is not for you. Or if you just bought into a Samsung phone – bad luck. Try BBC.

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Super Personalization is big for 2014

Personalization is going to be big in 2014 – but in ways more than we can imagine, or control. It's not really about how we personalize our own experiences with control in our hands – it is more about how the already 'personalized' seeks us out and bespokes the experience for us. Its about hyper targeted experiences.

 Today, with advances in technology – products, brands, experiences, shopping sites, social media posts are able to configure what we like and want and deliver them to us – often without even being asked.

This is a interweb culture change for the year – and we will see lots more of this. We are constantly seeking experiences online that we can wholeheartedly relate to and make our own – but guess what, they are already there and seeking us out. 2014 will be the year of the algorithim. This will be about how today's brands doing business online – and not just ecommerce – will find us in ready states because they know and can deliver on what we seek, what we find.

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New Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's letter to employees

With Bill Gates stepping out of the Window(s), India born Satya Nadella takes over the mouse control at Microsoft. Following is the text of Microsoft's new CEO Satya Nadella's letter to employees.

Today is a very humbling day for me. It reminds me of my very first day at Microsoft, 22 years ago. Like you, I had a choice about where to come to work. I came here because I believedMicrosoft was the best company in the world. I saw then how clearly we empower people to do magical things with our creations and ultimately make the world a better place. I knew there was no better company to join if I wanted to make a difference. This is the very same inspiration that continues to drive me today.

It is an incredible honor for me to lead and serve this great company of ours. Steve and Bill have taken it from an idea to one of the greatest and most universally admired companies in the world. I've been fortunate to work closely with both Bill and Steve in my different roles at Microsoft, and as I step in as CEO, I've asked Bill to devote additional time to the company, focused on technology and products. I'm also looking forward to working with John Thompson as our new Chairman of the Board.

While we have seen great success, we are hungry to do more. Our industry does not respect tradition — it only respects innovation. This is a critical time for the industry and for Microsoft. Make no mistake, we are headed for greater places — as technology evolves and we evolve with and ahead of it. Our job is to ensure that Microsoft thrives in a mobile and cloud-first world.

As we start a new phase of our journey together, I wanted to share some background on myself and what inspires and motivates me.

Who am I?

I am 46. I've been married for 22 years and we have 3 kids. And like anyone else, a lot of what I do and how I think has been shaped by my family and my overall life experiences. Many who know me say I am also defined by my curiosity and thirst for learning. I buy more books than I can finish. I sign up for more online courses than I can complete. I fundamentally believe that if you are not learning new things, you stop doing great and useful things. So family, curiosity and hunger for knowledge all define me.

Why am I here?

I am here for the same reason I think most people join Microsoft — to change the world through technology that empowers people to do amazing things. I know it can sound hyperbolic — and yet it's true. We have done it, we're doing it today, and we are the team that will do it again.

I believe over the next decade computing will become even more ubiquitous and intelligence will become ambient. The coevolution of software and new hardware form factors will intermediate and digitize — many of the things we do and experience in business, life and our world. This will be made possible by an ever-growing network of connected devices, incredible computing capacity from the cloud, insights from big data, and intelligence from machine learning.

This is a software-powered world.

It will better connect us to our friends and families and help us see, express, and share our world in ways never before possible. It will enable businesses to engage customers in more meaningful ways.

I am here because we have unparalleled capability to make an impact.

Why are we here?

In our early history, our mission was about the PC on every desk and home, a goal we have mostly achieved in the developed world. Today we're focused on a broader range of devices. While the deal is not yet complete, we will welcome to our family Nokia devices and services and the new mobile capabilities they bring us.

As we look forward, we must zero in on what Microsoft can uniquely contribute to the world. The opportunity ahead will require us to reimagine a lot of what we have done in the past for a mobile and cloud-first world, and do new things.

We are the only ones who can harness the power of software and deliver it through devices and services that truly empower every individual and every organization. We are the only company with history and continued focus in building platforms and ecosystems that create broad opportunity.

Qi Lu captured it well in a recent meeting when he said that Microsoft uniquely empowers people to "do more." This doesn't mean that we need to do more things, but that the work we do empowers the world to do more of what they care about — get stuff done, have fun, communicate and accomplish great things. This is the core of who we are, and driving this core value in all that we do — be it the cloud or device experiences — is why we are here.

What do we do next?

To paraphrase a quote from Oscar Wilde — we need to believe in the impossible and remove the improbable.

This starts with clarity of purpose and sense of mission that will lead us to imagine the impossible and deliver it. We need to prioritize innovation that is centered on our core value of empowering users and organizations to "do more." We have picked a set of high-value activities as part of our One Microsoft strategy. And with every service and device launch going forward we need to bring more innovation to bear around these scenarios.

Next, every one of us needs to do our best work, lead and help drive cultural change. We sometimes underestimate what we each can do to make things happen and overestimate what others need to do to move us forward. We must change this.

Finally, I truly believe that each of us must find meaning in our work. The best work happens when you know that it's not just work, but something that will improve other people's lives. This is the opportunity that drives each of us at this company.

Many companies aspire to change the world. But very few have all the elements required: talent, resources, and perseverance. Microsoft has proven that it has all three in abundance. And as the new CEO, I can't ask for a better foundation.

Let's build on this foundation together.

Satya

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