Intimate Online Sharing: Bunnies, Bras and Brands

(VOTE HERE - panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/6804)

Speakers: Paul Murray, Creative Director and Carol Setter, PhD, SVP Strategy (WhittmanHart)

It is conventional wisdom that some questions are better left unasked. This is even truer when the risk of a slap in the face may be involved. And yet, the most intimate of information is often unabashedly offered up online. In January, 2010, thousands of women on Facebook filled their status updates with descriptions of the bras they were wearing. In this viral phenomenon, scores of women cast aside timidity and openly shared the color of their undergarments. Facebook acted as an intermediary between question and answer, a buffer between people and shyness. Since one of our key clients is an iconic lingerie retailer, we began to ponder how seemingly inanimate objects might act as confidants and whether women – and men – might reveal even more intimate data using such digital intermediaries. The results could inform marketing initiatives, product evolution and website design. The key? Bunnies. Nano:ztags bunnies are programmable RFID-enabled cartoonish figurines that, aside from cutely reading the news or playing music, act as interactive hubs for sharing information online. (read about bunnies: www.violet.net) A test group will gear up with these little guys. We’ll ask questions regarding the relationship between undergarment (and other) choices, usage and mood. They’ll answer with bunnies. What these women and men share, we’ll share with you. Bunnies could change the way that people live. We want to follow them down the rabbit hole, and show you where we end up. 

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Those involved with putting our session together have kindly shared some of their other favorites.

Paul Murray

Evil and UnDead: The Hottest Thing in Pop
I really love campfire’s work, and the free bucket of zombie flesh sounds pretty interesting.

Big Spaceship, Whiskey and Improving Your Efficiency
Sounds tongue-in-cheek, but I’m very interested in their culture, and a big believer in whisky.

Game On: 7 Design Patterns For User Engagement
Google’s people are always brilliant and I’ve been watching Zynga like a hawk.

A Guide To Long-Term Perspective On Trends
I think psfk is the bomb, and use it daily to inform my work.

Stephanie Critchfield

A Guide To Long-Term Perspective on Trends
Paul and I have similar taste! Kyle is fascinating to read and has a great human perspective on trends.

The Art & Science of Influential Web Content
Colleen Jones is expert at her craft – designing compelling content. And when it comes to social marketing today, little is more important.

Why Doesn’t This TV Have a Pause Button?
Love the concept of this session – What does it mean not to remember a world before 3G? Interesting topic with not near enough purposeful dialouge.

Ladies Claim Digital Strategy is the New Creativity
Very smart, successful (and sassy) women talking digital strategy. Fully expect this will be a great session if it makes it in.

Just ‘Cause: Can Technology Make Brand Irrelevant?
Presented by the National Wildlife Federation – the battle of Cause vs Brand. Love this idea, presented by a terrific organization.

Max Weinstein-Bacal

Online Mom Communities = Hotbed of Local Influencers

Social Media FAIL: Lessons From the Dark Side

Mobile+Location: There’s More Than Just Foursquare

Evolve or Die: The Future of Agencies

Building the Digital Restaurant

A few others we like that have been shared with us:

Is Facebook Skynet? (see also related video – http://youtu.be/o3wA8GwMKzg)

Advanced Integrations of Social Media Analytics

Startups, Bacon and Speed Iteration

Having worked alongside large brands and inside of small businesses, exchange of knowledge would be beneficial on both sides. However, I do have a soft spot for the small business. And, when it comes to digital marketing, there is much to be gleaned from how they do it.

Disclaimer: When I speak of small businesses – I’m speaking of those small, scrappy companies (product or service oriented) that value digital marketing and do all they can do with it. I am also not suggesting that some big companies aren’t grasping some of these principles (see: Dominos, Delta).

1. Agility Leads to Creativity

Agility is defined as “having quick, resourceful and adaptable character.” This is something small businesses have in bucket loads, adapting constantly to the changing needs of the business, the industry and their customers. A constant state of adaptability breeds creativity; being unencumbered by process and procedure and the opinions of many frees the way to swiftness and creative thinking. As the old adage goes, “too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the soup.” It’s where problem solving turns into original ideas. Innovations like online reviews were developed in small business (notably popularized by Amazon.com). Only in the past couple of years have risk-adverse big brands taken to online reviews. And that’s not an insignificant gap, considering the research available today that shows the important role online reviews play in buying decisions for web-connected consumers (see: 84% of Americans say online customer evaluations influence their decisions about whether to purchase products or services. Online Research Corporation)

Take Away: Innovation breeds in small groups. In large companies, task forces could be used to accomplish a similar purpose.

2. Relationships with Customers Are Defining

Generally speaking at least, a dissatisfied customer of a large brand will do little immediate or lasting damage. However, flip that to a small business and even a single dissatisfied customer can mean failure. Always on alert, small businesses begin to anticipate problems, react quickly and respond with a personal effort. Soon, relationships with customers begin to define the business. Ways to improve the interactions between company and customer become more important. It drives choices about website functionality or even the messages that are communicated through digital channels. Call it research without the research.

Take Away: Customer relationships should play a role in informing digital marketing decisions. Seems simple enough; maybe even words wasted on large firms who hire research companies to do just this kind of intelligence. But it’s not the same as the intimate learnings taken by small businesses in their interactions with customers. Big brands can supplement their research by using feet on the ground and social listening – to push towards innovation rather than status quo.

3. Digital Marketing is About Experience Not Flare

Sure, small businesses love some creative oomph, lots of buzz or a viral campaign that takes off. And it definitely happens. But, digital marketing for these companies, particularly when it comes to website design, is driven by usability. The easier it is for a person to use their site, or to develop a connection with the company, the more likely they are to buy and to recommend. So every effort is made to break down barriers to purchase. This happens with more consistently at small companies. Largely because site revamps are dramatically expensive and cumbersome for large brands. Fnctionality and upgrades then to feel grafted on. Small businesses also tend to view usability not just from a functional angle, but from a social one; “Social Usability.”  This is particularly important when it comes to ecommerce. In fact, I spoke about this in some detail in a recent blog post about Social Commerce. Creating a user experiences that values UX in equal measure to social context is the future of online shopping. And it’s small businesses that are capturing it first.

Take Away: Large companies can create micro experiences (microsites, social integration and experiences, etc). And focusing efforts on where the most drive-to-purchase value is will drive business. Big biz –  take a note from Delta’s playbook: fans can now book flights directly from Facebook. See below.

Today, I stumbled on an AdWeek article that discussed the role of online reviews today. For me, the conclusion is known, but not always spoken out loud. Maybe it’ll seem that way to you too. Here it is: when we seek recommendations from friends, family and colleagues – and get them – we STILL turn to online reviews to either confirm or rebut them. That means that when it comes to brand reputation, while Word-of-Mouth is clearly important, it’s not the Holy Grail. Rather, online reviews are.

I’ll turn to my own behavior. And yes, I realize I’m a “marketer,” but I’m also a consumer who uses the Web. I recently bought a pair of running shoes. And I did exactly what the AdWeek article suggests – I asked for recommendations from my running and triathlete friends. Then, I took those recommendations online to get some supporting information. In the end, I selected a shoe that was primarily a result of the reviews I read online. From Zappos.com to be exact. Now, they carry several brands, so I’ll use another example too. I also bought a few items from JCrew.com recently. The reviews on that site helped me pick a flattering style and appropriate sizes. Without reviews, I can imagine that I would have gotten a piece that disappointed me. It may also have affected my future purchases if the results didn’t marry up with my expectations. And that is a very important value of online reviews – establishing expectations.

So some of you might be thinking “But most brands DO have online reviews on their site.” Certainly, many that come to mind do: Target, The Home Depot, Best Buy, Pottery Barn, Gap, and on and on. While there are a few stragglers, more the point I’m trying to make is that simply having the ability to make a review on your site isn’t enough. You have to nurture reviews to make them a comprehensive part of your site. If only a fraction of your inventory online has a review against it, it doesn’t serve its ultimate purpose. Retailers have to actively solicit reviews a part of the fabric of their customer service practice. Ask for them, ask for them again. And react to unfavorable reviews, not by removing them, but by determining if there is a way to improve your product or service. Or even, if appropriate, to dialogue with that customer directly.

Pottery Barn does a terrific job with reviews. Navigating to even the most random of products – a small bedside clock, for instance – gave me seven reviews – and helpful ones at that. Pretty impressive.

(Click the image to enlarge to full size)

The lesson is this: reviews matter – more than you think. Having a strategy for how reviews fit into your ecommerce experience will empower users and foster a sense of community. These are  both qualities that embody social marketing. Online reviews ladder up to the idea of engaging with an audience, even if the finished result is a one-way communication.

We even argue about who “owns” it. Is it the PR firm or the digital agency? Even when we know that for years we’ve shared duties (such as traditional agencies taking on PR practices for clients, or PR firms designing websites). While we bicker, specialty shops are springing up, intently focused on securing the business we fight over.

In fact, a recent article in WSJ.com quoted a Domino’s Pizza spokesperson as saying “A lot of companies right now that specialize in PR or advertising are trying to do this on the side….”

“On the side?” Yeah. That’s what she said. The kind of firm Domino’s chose? A specialty shop. A sign? You betcha. It’s time to buckle down and get this right. Social marketing may be exciting, and perhaps a little intimidating, but it’s still marketing. And it’s attached to digital. At WhittmanHart, social (in some form) is a part of many of our client relationships; the two aren’t easily separated.

Agencies Need to Be Leaders

Unbelievably, I still hear “What should I do with Facebook?” Why is that? With most other initiatives, the need begets the channel. Yet for some reason, giddiness and maybe even fear of missing out on an opportunity prompts brands to think about moving into Social without really understanding why.  It’s our job to hit the reset button and ask the right questions.

And let’s remember why social marketing has become so important so quickly. The fabric of the consumer-marketer relationship has been altered. Social marketing has become a way to infuse a brand into a buyers life – to channel desire, to add value, to add convenience. These relationships have the potential to improve the longevity and lifetime value of a customer, to evolve products and services and to extend awareness through community. 

Now, I’m not saying that everyone is doing this wrong. What I’m saying is that collectively, we have some work to do. Agencies exist to be expert at our craft. We make educated and strategic recommendations, execute creatively and prove our strength through measurement. Most importantly, our recommendations are typically based on how they fit into a total brand strategy – we compile an understanding of what programs are already running and why. This means that our executions ladder up to the brand’s overarching attributes in order to best meet objectives. Social marketing shouldn’t be treated any differently.

That being said, there is certainly a place for “playing around.” In fact, I’d go so far as to say that I encourage it, particularly with new trends – sampling the waters, having test budgets, etc. But, broadly, the time has come for agencies to get serious about how we use the many pieces that make up Social Marketing.

Retailers have made big strides in improving experience – mostly in the area of functionality and enabling purchase. And this is completely appropriate, since people rate User Experience elements higher than most when it comes to ecommerce site expectations. (eMarketer.com) 

But, what I’m talking about isn’t so much about function. It’s socializing ecommerce. We’re seeing glimmers of this idea with social marketing becoming a common extension of back-to-school programs and in day-to-day brand marketing. And also with efforts to indentify and speak directly to online influencers.  However, what I’m talking about takes this a step further. 

Note: This might not apply in every way to all retailers, but it certainly does for categories like home improvement and fashion.

While our buying patterns have shifted – perhaps we are more contemplative about our purchases and more loyal to transparent brands – human behavior, in general, remains intact. So, just as online reviews and Googling have become an imperative part of making prudent final decisions on a product, we are still guided by our behavior. And for many, shopping is social. This is at least part of why the Shopping Mall was created. It’s the experience. We share. We ask our friends for opinions. And, we take joy in our purchases (and the result of those purchases). For example, we complete a landscaping project in our back yard and post the pictures on Facebook. Or, get the perfect dress for an event with the help of a consultant and friends and get loads of compliments.

How can brands exploit these intrinsic behaviors?

Use Customer Service

Companies like Zappos (yes, another person gushing about Zappos) understand the important role customer service plays in the experience. In fact, as we all know, it is their guiding principle. The spirit of their thinking is brick-and-mortar, not click-and-buy. What will the customer want to see (various angles, videos, how the shoe looks on the foot)? What will make them feel good about their purchase (shipping and return policy, access to friendly representatives)? How do they embrace you as a friend (review the product, give the company feedback)? Most important, they’ve made shopping with them feel good because they’re likeable and they’ve paid attention to what you want.

Determine Social Factors for Your Product

For instance, what makes your customers excited about your products? Turn that excitement into a way to guide the buying process. For example, SwimOutlet.com knows their products are very personal. They also know that people get excited when they find something that improves their performance. So, they make on-site reviews a giant part of their effort. Yes, reviews. Around forever, they play a big role in satisfying the human need to make an informed purchase. I’m a SwimOutlet.com customer. With each purchase, I’ve used their on-site reviews to guide my decision. After a few weeks, I’m always asked to come back to the site and review the product; and again if I haven’t done it after the first request. It’s not pushy. Rather, it’s done in the spirit of giving back to the community; a smart and very profitable gesture.

Leverage Community

Sure, this means initiatives like Facebook and Twitter. But it also means using your site experience (where people purchase). Lowes understands that in their business, people thrive on inspiration and community as a confidence builder to purchase. So, they developed LowesCreativeIdeas.com, where people can get “How-Tos” and share projects. Now, it’s on the right track, but it does have a disconnected feeling from the buying experience. In my mind, the evolution of this concept would integrate experiences with shopping. And this is certainly where it gets tricky.

Engage with Your Audience

While not a retailer themselves, ShopStyle.com has a concept that retailers could learn from. They call themselves “the online equivalent of browsing the aisles of the world’s most fabulous store.” And they embody the notion of bringing the physical shopping experience online. ShopStyle.com is highlighted by their community – a group of people who assemble “stylebooks” that are shared with users. With each assembled outfit, the user can click an item to navigate to purchase options. And these community members can be “followed.” It’s not unusual for a single member to have hundreds of followers. Fashion, in fact, tends to be the most evolved of categories since, fundamentally, it’s such a social thing. I would imagine a lot of idea sharing could happen between fashion and seemingly disconnected categories like electronics and house wares. 

Of course, these ideas are nothing particularly new. But it does capture how important is to be thinking about the impact of the Web combined with our social expectations. Smart retailers will do more than react to immediate demands, they will evolve.

It’s a smart play. And, it’s a sensible opportunity for advertisers; one that rewards the community. In fact, in my opinion, this makes a heck of a lot more sense than sponsored tweets and trends.

As an active Twitterer, I’m actually excited about this. It’s a little “Woot-ish.” And that’s a good thing. If they do this the way users are likely expecting (at the time of this post, they already have well over 15,000 followers – with just ONE tweet), then it has all the right pieces and parts. It’s community driven. It’s exclusive. It’s limited- time. And, on the advertiser side, they have control over the deals and access to a passionate community. 

At least at first thought, the only way I see this flopping is if Twitter takes on crappy offers. But, they are asking for ideas for how they decide on offers.

Read more: 

• Twitter.com – FAQ on Early Bird
• InformationWeek.com – Twitter Launches Early Bird Ads
• PCWorld – Twitter Takes You Shopping 
• PCMagazine – Twitter Launches Ad-Supported ‘Earlybird’ Deals Site 
• New York Times (blog) - Twitter Gets Into E-Commerce

As of today, I’m one of the thousands of followers looking forward to seeing where this goes …

Enjoy! (Links take you to Amazon). And, if you’ve read any of these books – or plan to – please report back; I’d love to here your thoughts.

Carol Setter

I just recently read How Brands Become Icons: The Principles of Cultural Branding by Douglas B. Holt. Now I’m reading a very interesting book,  The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr

Chip Weinstein

It’s old school, but Where the Suckers Moon: The Life and Death of an Advertising Campaign by Randall Rothenberg is still the greatest look at a pitch from the inside. And the author now runs the IAB. 

Sheree Hill

• Things I have learned in my life so far by Stefan Sagmeister, Daniel Nettle, Steven Heller, and Nancy Spector. Slickest packed design diary ever published. Inspiring, beautiful, poignant.
• Then We Set His Hair on Fire: Insights and Accidents from a Hall of Fame Career in Advertising by Phil Dusenberry. Old school ad man, interesting in how advertising used to work, insights into big ideas
• Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing with Our Organizations by Clay Shirky. Most of the content is obvious, but an interesting read on social, forming groups and the internet.
• The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs. Not a business book per se but very interesting read on city planning.

Zac Rybacki

A few months ago, I read The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande. While it deals mainly the complex nature of modern medicine he makes great analogies to other very complex environments like high rise construction. Very easy to relate back to our business and in my opinion a great read for all project managers. 

Todd Levy

I would definitely recommend Rework by Jason Fried, and David Heinemeier Hansson from (Chicago’s own) 37signals.  Here’s a quick review from Seth Godin…

“This book will make you uncomfortable.
Depending on what you do all day, it might make you extremely uncomfortable.
That’s a very good thing, because you deserve it. We all do.”

 Also, a great customer service book is Zingerman’s Guide to Giving Great Service by Ari Weinzweig.

Kevin French

I can vouch for Rework.  Very good read.  I also just read Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose from the CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh.  It’s all about being in the business of customer service and gives a good perspective on business in general and client services.

Paul Murray

I’ll second Rework, still relevant and a fantastic book. Also, I think Seth Godin’s Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? is well worth mentioning.

Joe Mastrangelo

Check out these books:

• The Rule of Three: Surviving and Thriving in Competitive Markets by Jagdish Sheth and Rajendra Sisodia
• Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time by Howard Schultz and Dori Jones Yang
• The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz (not business but a great book)

Brian Addison

A few I like are …

• Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
• Perfect Pitch: The Art of Selling Ideas and Winning New Business by Jon Steel
• Zag: The Number One Strategy of High-Performance Brands by Marty Neumeier

It’s a rumor hard to dispel when Google themself has publically “declared war” on their collective social efforts. Google’s Joseph Smarr, who was tapped to lead this effort said “Google’s decided that social is one of its big focuses for 2010, and it’s very natural, as the Web is going social.”

Wait, doesn’t Google already have a social network? Uh, yeah. Okurt. This was their attempt back in 2004. It never really took off in the US, but Brazil loves it.  If Google Me is for real, then it will have to outdo that attempt.  

All of this said, if Google Me does surface as reality, I’m skeptical. Perhaps it was the sizzle and fizzle of Google Buzz, but I’m not holding my breath. It isn’t the privacy debacle that put me off; it just didn’t work for me. And it took no time at all to discover it wasn’t going to. It was too closely tied to Google itself, requiring a Google email address or ID.

To boot, one can’t ignore the obvious and continued success of Facebook.com. Despite their own privacy issues, they are thriving. There are few people I interact with on a daily basis that don’t have an account – which they use with frequency. (well, not my mom who, regrettably, cannot even find the address bar in a browser window)

Wired.com has a great article on this topic.  

A Google Facebook clone that runs on open standards including XMPP and the portable OpenID system — which lets people use one trusted password on multiple sites (including Gmail) — might be enough, over time, to steal users from Facebook. It would let you bring all of your personal data with you when you leave a network with just a few clicks, porting it to a new service in minutes without losing anything and let you maintain one profile for multiple services. Both of these are impossible with Facebook.

“The only way Google could put a dent into Facebook is to go after it the same way it’s gone after Microsoft — open and free with no centralized data collection and a decision that it doesn’t have to own your data,” suggested Wired.com staff writer Ryan Singel as we discussed this issue. “Sure, Google will closely tie in a bunch of its own products, but it can’t go the Buzz way and require you to have a Google ID or Gmail address.”

 Openness of the platform may in fact determine its success. And so, we wait.

For much of the life of the web, the footer has largely been an afterthought, usually containing only a small number of simple elements: a copyright statement, security and privacy statements, and maybe some utility links. That’s about it.

Traditional style footer on www.ford.com (as of Feb. 04, 2010)

Designers have generally given little attention to this seemingly insignificant element. And why would they? The prevailing assumption was that users don’t scroll, so let’s keep everything important at the top of the page. The footer could be an afterthought because no one would look at it anyway.

But based on some compelling research, users’ true habits have proven to the contrary – people are in fact scrolling and the myth of the fold is finally coming undone. Armed with this knowledge, the footer has been undergoing an evolution and designers are giving the lowest page element some love.

Over the last couple of years we’ve seen the rise of the Fat Footer, or as I prefer to call them, “Super Footers,” a name that’s not just less insulting, but downright impressive.

Fat footers, as their name implies, are just larger footers that make room for an increased and varied array of elements. These have come to include, among others: redundant navigation, site maps, searches, featured content, social sharing elements, and contact info and forms.

Examples of Fat Footers

Fat footer on www.comedycentral.com (as of Feb. 04, 2010)

Fat footer on www.ea.com (as of Feb. 04, 2010)

Benefits of Fat Footers

So what is the big deal?

We reached out to user experience specialist Kara McCain of Nielsen Norman Group to get her take, and this is what she had to say:

“It’s basically about predicting a user’s next need(s), keeping them moving throughout the site by helping them find the most relevant information and completing their tasks when they get down to that part of the page (rather than just slapping your copyright information and privacy policy down there and calling it a day). ”

— Kara McCain, User Experience Specialist at Nielsen Norman Group

Fat footers provide added utility and usability in a somewhat surprising place by keeping users moving through a site with two main benefits: second chances and additional considerations.

Second Chances: By providing redundant navigational links or a shallow site map, fat footers can give users a second chance to find the content they’re looking for.

A couple levels of navigation can be listed out in a fat footer without the same restrictions of vertical space that designers must adhere to in the header. This allows users a quick scan of the site without having to scroll back to the top to poke around the global navigation in a trial and error manner.

But, however useful they may be, fat footers should not be relied upon to make up for shortcomings in site architecture or navigation design.

Site navigation in the Fat footer on www.whitehouse.gov (as of Feb. 04, 2010)

Additional Considerations: The fat footer can be a great place to globally highlight featured content and additional resources (social networking, subscriptions, affiliate sites, etc…).

This can take the pressure off of more valuable page real-estate in the header or page body by either providing an alternate or redundant location for the this kind of content. For blogs, news, and e-commerce site, this can be particularly useful where users are scrolling down the page while scanning listings, reading an article, or exploring product details.

Featured content in the fat footer on www.h-d.com/darkcustom (as of Feb. 04, 2010)

Fat But Not Bloated

The footer may be getting fatter, but just like with mega-dropdowns, caution should be given so that it doesn’t also get bloated with too many unnecessary elements and links.  Basic design rules of clarity and scanability still apply. Keep enough breathing room between content and provide clear headers. If users have to work too hard to figure out what’s going on in the footer, it will likely be ignored just like most standard footers.

The example below from the (otherwise fantastic) Food Network site may be getting to the point of being too cluttered. The number of links are distracting, the headers are easily lost, and the carousel of affiliate sites is poorly integrated into the design.

Fat footer on www.foodnetwork.com (as of Feb. 04, 2010)

By cutting back on some of the links and cleaning up the design with a clear visual hierarchy, it’s possible these same elements could be reworked into a more coherent and useful presentation.

Creamycss.com on the other hand, has quite a lot going on in their fat footer: recent posts, an about paragraph, a list of links, and a carousel of recommended reading, but unlike the Food Network example, these elements have clear headers, good spacing, and use a harmonious color palette.

Fat footer on http://www.creamycss.com (as of Feb. 04, 2010)

Some Parting Thoughts on Fat Footers

A well-designed fat footer is great way to provide added utility to a site without cluttering the header or body.  Just be careful not to overdo it.

Beyond added utility; a fat footer can be a space for creative outlet as well. I’ll end this article with a few of the more creative ones out there.

Fat footer on www.vimeo.com (as of Feb. 04, 2010)

Fat footer on http://www.northern-classics.de (as of Feb. 04, 2010)

Fat footer on http://www.bristolarchiverecords.com (as of Feb. 04, 2010)

Fat footer on http://www.neatorama.com (as of Feb. 04, 2010)

As marketers we face an increasingly fractionalized frontier of audiences. However, with every new challenge there are tremendous opportunities to be realized. Here are some of the top digital trends we are experiencing that will only magnify in 2010.

1.     Mainstream Mobile Adoption: With the launch of the Google phone (Nexus One) and the increasing penetration of the Android mobile operating system, smart phones are increasingly becoming the majority handset device. This will enable even more Internet integration with location-aware and social-aware mobile apps. This should provide a richer platform for advertisers to conduct mobile digital marketing campaigns, which has been somewhat sporadic to this point.

For AM/PM this trend will enable increasingly relevant connections between the digital world and the physical world – between the digital campaign and the actual store. Examples already in the works include a 7/11 test of a new mobile couponing and survey mobile campaign being conducted in Sweden. Also, a third party has launched a “Find a 7/11” locator app for the iPhone platform here in the US.

2.     De-centralized Digital Campaigning: The US online spending universe decreased slightly during 2009 (-4.6% vs. YAG) but is expected to grow 5.5% in 2010. These numbers are based on marketers’ investments in more traditional online venues like search, display and classified (which saw the single largest decrease). What is not reflected in these numbers, and demonstrates how rapidly the online environment is evolving, are the significant investments marketers made in social media sites.

Increasingly marketers are moving away from single platform e-marketing (brand website and microsites) and including a number of e-marketing venues. Sites like YouTube, Flickr, Facebook and Twitter along with mobile phone apps now provide functionality like real-time reviews, discussions, content creation and sharing, events, promotions and the latest news. What is different is the attitude and tone required on the part of the marketer. These spaces demand transparency, energy and engagement. Consumer involvement has to be earned, not purchased. But if done right, they can result in tremendous consumer engagement.

Successful involvement in the social media space is still an unrealized opportunity for AM/PM. Other C-store retailers have begun their initial forays into social media (for example the WaWa Facebook fanpage and app) but so far none have achieved a defining success.

3.     Overcoming Online Overload: Consumers are dealing with such an influx of digital marketing messages that two trends are continuing. First, consumers are becoming more discerning about which subscriptions, friends and connections they are willing to maintain with people or companies. The second trend is that marketers are under increased pressure to provide real innovation, value or novelty in order to break through the morass of digital messages. One way consumers are determining value is by relying on popularity of other digital viewers to decide if something is valuable. For example, if a story has received a high number of electronic bookmarks on sites like Digg or if an app on iTunes has a high number of positive reviews. There are simply too many pieces of content to consume.

4.     Real-time Reviews: The ease at which reviews can be posted and read on sites like Yelp! and Twitter, which include pictures and maps, has meant that almost every dimension of the real world has an accompanying opinion. Recently Google has announced that it will launch a window sticker campaign that identifies popular retailers. Consumers can use their smart phone camera and a reader application to see what others have to say.

This is another demonstration of how the physical and digital worlds are starting to converge. And while campaigns like this are still relatively nascent, they will become increasingly common.

5 .     Ubiquitous Wi-Fi: It seemed like the presence of local wi-fi was going to be held under the control of cellular carriers requiring pretty stiff connection fees. But the high consumer demand and appreciation for free wi-fi has led many retailers, service companies and destinations offer wi-fi as a competitive way to attract and retain customers. For example, Google recently agreed to sponsor all wi-fi on Virgin America flights during the November and December holidays. Increasingly, mobile consumers plan their trips around free hot-spots including bookstores, airports, trains, airlines and common roadside stops. An example of this implementation is The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf chain which provides digital info signage that features a code for free logins on their in-store broadband network.

6.     The Great Recession Reconsideration: The digital realm, like everything else, has changed with the current economic climate. As consumers have had to decide what expenses they can keep and others they can do without, online access and the cellular phone have risen to the top of the “must have” list. Essentially these two items equate to access to the larger world. If one is to find a new place to live, another job, a mate, a cheaper car it is most likely to be found online. And as Americans have had to relocate to stay afloat, social networks have provided the tethers that keep friends and colleagues connected.

What we are seeing is an escalation of adoption in digital habits fueled by the recession’s change in priorities. As Americans eventually recover economically, these habits will be entrenched as an even greater reliance on digital access and services.

7.    The Great Recession Re-investment: Marketers have also had to reconcile marketing needs with decreasing budgets and digital is still one of the few measurable marketing investments that reach a broad audience. As such it has become one of the chief survivors of the recession and continues to be a venue of choice when other options are deemed to expensive or inconclusive.

8. Video victorious: The advances in compression and bandwidth have made video increasingly the most popular and fastest growing piece of content on the web. YouTube continues to be the most popular source for consumer generated content but now the professionals have gotten involved with free viewing sites of popular TV shows on Hulu and Crackle. Also expanding is the use of video in digital advertising. Streaming, full motion interactive placements are increasing. These are more than simple TV spots compressed down but unique video creations designed for interactive engagement.

This offers AM/PM a chance to engage on a whole other level with its consumers. Especially to the degree that many AM/PM consumers are probably equipped with their own mobile video devices. Which leads us to the next trend.

9. Collaborative branding: Now that consumers have been empowered with their own platforms the broadcast and share their own self-created content, we increasingly find them involved in brand communications. This has taken on the form of consumer reviews, praise or criticism. It involves remixes or original ad creation. Wisely some brands have chosen the get ahead of the curve and become collaborators with consumers rather than ignore or disdain this type of content.

A great example is Coke, which got the entire worldwide social web involved in defining what is happiness, this years Coke brand initiative.

9.     Whatever was before is not what will be

The most important element of any company’s digital marketing approach is flexibility. The degree of change in the digital world has meant that opportunities are available to the brand best positioned to realize them quickly. The best investments are in original content that can be shared and redistributed. The most effective strategy is understanding what is the secret truth that your most ardent supporters understand about your brand, product or service.

This is exactly the kind of bold thinking that led the Charmin team to develop the “Sit or Squat” mobile/social campaign that allows anyone anywhere to find a clean, public restroom (http://www.sitorsquat.com/sitorsquat/home/map).