How important is political presence online?

With the London Mayoral Elections coming up next week as well as the controversial US Democratic primaries, it seems rather fitting to consider the role that new media currently plays in politics.  As Ken, Boris and Brian stride onwards with their UK campaign trail in the build-up to next Thursday’s vote, just what kind of presence are they creating within the online community?  Moreover, how important is political status on the web?

Each London Mayoral candidate has cultivated a different strategy to make the most of the surge in social networking and video sharing.  Ken Livingstone has hired the US company behind Barack Obama’s election campaign, Blue State Digital, to help him remain in office for a third term, hoping that similar success will accompany the choice.  It looks as if he has been making the most of the generally less than courteous code of behaviour that prevails online allowing for more aggressive tactics (he recently used a YouTube video to hit back at Johnson’s first part election broadcast).  The promises of information direct from the campaign team to Labour bloggers, interviews with Ken and online ads have created a strong individualist voice. 

Johnson has not only used the web to get people to sign up to ‘Team Boris’, but also hired a search optimization firm to bring his site up high in Google rankings under the term “London mayor” whereas the other two candidates have both bought ads on Google.  This handy web tactic certainly shows a savvy awareness of online politics.

Liberal Democrat Brian Paddick’s online presence was established before the election as he is a dedicated blogger himself. He is keen to discuss issues online and has also sourced the US, employing liberal blogger Jerome Armstrong to help put together Democrat Howard Dean’s original 2004 campaign. 

The way the London race for mayor is being played out online reflects the wider significance of UK political online status.  A recent article by NMA [“Site Inspection”, NMA, 17.04.08] dedicated to analysing each mayoral candidate’s website underlines their prominence as central points of access for British people to the candidates themselves and their manifestos.  These websites count for a great deal in influencing party perception.

This awareness does not seem to extend to the larger political parties’ online presence. Unfortunately, the official websites of the principal parties – Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat – receive less traffic than the most popular political blogs and far less than the extreme right British National Party.  There remains a serious lack of involvement beyond signing up for email distribution lists.  At present, more fervour may be found in the blogosphere.  Authentic “civilian journalism” has certainly been slower to emerge in Britain than America.  Its main political blogs are written mostly by former party members and reputable journalists and there is, moreover, a tone of meekness to many of them compared to the US, where the blogosphere’s criticism is closely felt by movers and shakers.  British political parties are far behind in their online presence and are missing out on the internet’s power to inform and persuade. Given the increasing importance of the web in our everyday lives, surely it’s time they catch up.

More optimistically, one field where the UK is in fact succeeding is in the utilization of the internet by the Government, as opposed to the parties, to involve citizens and enhance policy-making.  Their website has provided a petition-making and signing service since 2006. Foreign Secretary David Miliband states that he looks forward to the internet allowing people power over public services and not merely access to them, and there is vague talk of “Public Services 2.0”.  Web leaders maintain that UK politics could be using the internet to greater lengths.

The UK must further realise the full capabilities of the web in ways demonstrated by the most forward-thinking areas of Europe and, indeed, America. Take, for instance, the US Presidential Election’s incredible online support.  Time Magazine call it “the biggest technological shift in national politics since the rise of television” [Time Magazine, 17.04.08].  For millions of US citizens, the Internet has transformed presidential politics into a fully interactive event, donating money instantly and volunteering from afar.  The problems of geography have been quickly overcome by the immediacy and centralisation that accompanies online presence.  The Democrats have used these with very impressive results.  Hillary Clinton drew 200,000 new donors in February mostly through online means, which saved her campaign from bankruptcy.  Not only has Barack Obama assembled a troop of 750,000 supporters who have signed to his website and taken part in 30,000 offline events, but his online fund-raising soared above $100m from January to March.  His YouTube videos have been watched over 37 million times.  Unfortunately, having initially planned an internet campaign that never got off the ground, McCain’s online presence is somewhat flagging - a particularly tough blow to take seeing as Republicans were once well in the lead in advanced TV technology.

Quite clearly, the key for political success in an online arena is interactivity.  While politics is by nature an active entity, it can only be a waste of the communicative prospects of the technology at hand for a political party merely to provide information.  With many of the London mayoral candidates following in the footsteps of US online success and moving into MySpace, Facebook and YouTube, they are solidifying their presence and allowing people to view them beyond their status as figures of political ideology and more as individuals responding to their nation.  Only time will tell whose hard work will pay off next Thursday.

Justin Drummond,

Chief Executive - Media Corporation plc

Breakfast with Gen-Y

Having breakfast with a bunch of Gen-y's/boomer’s kids/twenty-something’s on Sunday afternoon (more of a 'Lekfast' than a 'brunch' as they woke just before Eastenders started..) provided first hand insight into the relationship that this group have with their mobile phones

No sooner had they washed down their bacon sarnies with coffee were they flicking through the photos they had taken (using their camera-phones of course) of the previous nights drink fueled events. A fast paced thumb controlled editorial ensued and those that made the grade were uploaded, tagged and were commented on by their friends (also having ‘Lekfast’ no doubt) on Facebook before I could finish my pancakes.

Why not send by MMS you ask? Too expensive of course. So a quick connection to a PC and a few clicks of the mouse swiftly solves the distribution problem for our twenty-something’s.

Mobile appears to be becoming more and more enmeshed in the online lives of young people. They are finding ways to circumvent mobile operator costs yet still enjoy the fun of sharing moments. Once these costs have been eliminated by 'true' flat rate data plans then the marriage between the internet and mobile will be consumated by millions of young consumers seeing no distinction between their PC/Laptop and their mobile phone. They will simply be devices that allow them to manage their digital lifestyle 24/7.

From a planning perspective then, things are set to become a whole lot more complex as we will have a single media accessed by different mediums at different times of the day but these mediums will be interdependent. This will offer up some exciting opportunities for real brand engagement but planners will really be earning their keep when mobile media becomes mass market. And the lazy hung-over uploading of photos from mobile memory cards to Facebook is just the beginning of the mobile revolution. I hope I get the same opportunity to share breakfast on a Sunday with Gen-Z’s (born 2000 onwards) in ten years time as I am confident that I'll choke on my pancakes when I witness how they use their mobile phones after a night out on the tiles.  

Blogging – a corporate dilemma

The world of blogging – known as the ‘blogosphere’ – has become a huge part of many peoples’ internet experience since the first examples of web-based journals appeared in the early 1990s. The name ‘weblog’ was introduced by American writer Jorn Barger in 1997, and shortened to ‘blog’ two years later. Early blogs took the form of manually updated website components. As the trend grew, specialist companies were set up to simplify the process and bring blogging functionality to a wider spectrum of web users. Now  the blogosphere is a huge, diverse and multi-faceted community which has helped to change the way information is disseminated, and provides exciting opportunities for advertising and corporate communication.

Blogging has evolved from its original role of self expression to become a fruitful method of accruing income, achieving acclaim and attracting attention. Few areas are unrepresented by the weblog community. The entertainment world is critiqued by such high-profile bloggers as Perez Hilton (whose site attracts over 10 million unique page views per month, amassing a fortune of around $11 million for its owner Mario Lavandeira) while blogs like The Huffington Post provide political analysis and opinion.

To advertisers, the blogosphere brings a wealth of ready-made targeted audiences. For example a blog focused on technology provides marketers with a group of users who will be likely to click on their ads due to their interest in the topic. This cuts out vast swathes of the web population upon whom technological advertising would have had little impact, and offers advertisers the potential for higher take-up rates on campaigns. The Blogads network links advertisers to relevant blogs, and works under the edict that “you need to impress 100,000 opinion makers… not pester 100,000,000 nobodies.”

Businesses and brands have caught on to the benefits of blogging. It is a way to establish and cultivate relationships with clients, address issues and conduct market research. Consumers will often respect a brand which responds to criticism more than one which remains silent. Microsoft UK’s Nick Barley says “Every big corporation is often accused of being faceless. Blogging allows us to show our human face and engage with people on a one-to-one basis… It demonstrates that we listen.” Microsoft is just one of the many corporations whose foray into blogging has enjoyed a high success rate and has strengthened the profile of the brand. For smaller companies, blogs can act as a method of promotion which is cheaper than more traditional marketing tools.

But blogging is an area into which corporate leaders should tread with caution. The very basis the weblog has its roots in the outskirts of the established media. By and large it is a way for personal voices to be heard, which can at times be incongruous with the reputation that companies want to preserve. The colloquial nature of weblogs is not suitable for every brand. Rafael Behr, former online editor of The Observer believes that “The nature of blogging aspires to be anti-authority. If you want to blog and you’re and established brand, then it is a contradiction.”

Corporate bloggers should recognise the importance of honesty and transparency. Several brands have been accused of exploiting blogging in an underhand manner. If discovered, such blunders can be embarrassing and highly damaging for the companies in question. As part of a marketing drive for milk drink Raging Cow in 2003, Dr Pepper/Seven Up briefed bloggers about the product and asked them to post about it without mentioning their contact with the company. This led to bloggers boycotting Raging Cow. In 2004 Mazda created a blog apparently written by a 22-year-old member of the public who posted links to videos featuring the Mazda 3. The professionalism of the videos aroused suspicion and the saga was exposed. As of 28th May, the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations Act 2008 will make it illegal for companies to create fake blogs to pose as consumers.

To blog or not to blog is a question which can only be answered by individual companies, taking reputation, image and intentions into consideration. For some corporations it can be the wrong move but for others it proves to be an extremely useful tool for marketing and public relations. In other words, it’s up to you.

Justin Drummond,

Chief Executive - Media Corporation plc

Will SMS reach lead to the return of the star copywriter?

Last week I had the pleasure of judging at a global creative awards event. As I walked around admiring the sea of advertising entries on display, there was no doubt that visual imagery was the weapon of choice in the fight to attract ever shortening attention spans. However, amongst the white water of the incredible retouched images, it was the copy that stood out as the glistening rocks demanding undivided attention. I found myself clinging to the head and punch lines, admiring how the writers managed to stir an instant emotional response, add a fresh perspective and draw me into the pithy body copy with a scarcity of words. In what appeared to be a visually saturated globe, copy was working harder than ever with less space and time to deliver the goods. It was clear that copywriting talent was thriving despite the current emphasis on art direction.

These are the same writers, who when they discover that in the UK alone consumers sent over 56 billion text messages and 448 million picture messages last year, will realise that mobile is a platform where their craft can shine brightly. Who better to write a 160 character text message than a writer who delivers two words for a 48 sheet poster. What better skill is there to deliver a picture message than that of a creative team who know how to telegraph a print execution in seconds. More interestingly, it is the younger creative teams, who are honing their craft on print and posters, who are best placed to exploit the mobile medium rather than their TV or digitally focused peers. Aerodeon's latest research shows it is the static elements of mobile marketing, SMS and MMS, that consumers are most willing to accept as advertising messages, something these young teams understand all too well.

So will we see the next William Bernbach, Mary Wells Lawrence or David Abbot come from mobile copywriting? The judging panel I sat on reviewed the mobile marketing entries and a shared observation of three global advertising executives was that SMS and MMS reach was so significant that they couldn't understand why agencies were not doing more to exploit the medium. Given that young creative teams are generally working on static media, that mobile plays a significant part in their lives and that their is little advertising noise in the medium, I suspect it won't be too long before we see the return of the star writer.

Universal Search

In March last year when Google launched its new Universal Search feature, it was with less of a bang and more of a whimper. Yet despite Google’s changing interface, it is only in the last month that there has been any real shouting about it.

Universal Search is the integration of vertical searches (images, movies, news, books etc) and content rich media into a normal Google search. Marissa Mayer, VP Search Products & User Experience at Google, uses ‘Steve Jobs’ as an example. When this search term is entered, Google will throw back images, news and video results as well as the usual links.

Despite a cacophony of protest in certain corners, it seems obvious that Google has created this simply in order to help users find what they are looking for. The many vertical search streams that Google offers are largely and surprisingly unused. Even Google image search only receives roughly 6% of searches. Other searches in streams like ‘finance’ or even ‘news’ receive only a fraction of a percent.

These are useful search tools so why aren’t we using them? What users want is usability and breadth of information. We rely on the search results page to show us a snapshot of the information available to us. Like vertical search filtering, universal search helps users to locate the information they require.

Many critics have been marketers concerned with ComScores recent analysis of the impact of universal search on advertising. Their figures released in March showed that the number of clicks on AdWords reduced from 17% to 14% when universal search results where present.

Obviously this threat to lucrative advertising space seems not only to short Google out of revenue but also advertisers out of customers.  However, the reality is that this threat to profitability is only surface deep.

It is up to Google to provide relevant and useful search information. If the user experience is not there, then their main function - that of a search engine - fails. So while advertising on Google is a key strategy to almost all online campaigns, it can only ever be useful as long as users see Google as the most useful search engine. It is forward thinking strategies such as these that have made Google the powerhouse it is today. For Google not to adapt to Web 2.0 would certainly sabotage this position.

However the main reason that we should not be manning panic stations is that while the click through rates are lower on pages that show Universal Search results, the conversion rates are higher. Since conversions are what we are ultimately after, how can we possibly be concerned with paying less money for more converted customers?  That the conversion rate is higher shows that users are finding what they are looking for.

So as the shouting dies down, we may find that online advertising is not so greatly changed by Universal Search, and the changes we do see are in fact for the better.

Justin Drummond,
Chief Executive - Media Corporation plc

Text-Me Mr Ad-Man

I'm privy to lots of original research that exposes consumer’s mobile media habits and there are always a few left field findings that take me by surprise time-and-time again.

I think I've seen enough data now to understand that consumers want a very different advertising experience on their mobile handsets to the one they are familiar with on the fixed web. And consumer desire for new experiences is particularly strong when discussing what happens after they click on a mobile internet ad.

On the web, it is universally accepted that when we click on an ad link we should be taken to a web site of some description but recent research suggests that there is a significant group of consumers who don’t necessarily want this to happen on the mobile web. In fact, many want to receive a text message and what is fascinating is that this group are not forcing the fixed web ad process on mobile. No, they are expressing a desire for an advertising experience that is most convenient to them - one that suits their lifestyle on the go.

Why would consumers want to get a text message in response to a banner click? After all, you wouldn't want an email to be sent to your inbox in response to clicking a web banner ad. But like all paradoxical consumer behaviour I think there are sound reasons to explain this group’s preference. I think consumers see text/sms as a way to bookmark, easily, their mobile web experiences. Mobile handset software designers are not known for user friendly interface design and the method to bookmark on the mobile web is about as clumsy as can be; for the average consumer it’s a pain to search, find and retrieve saved pages. So getting a text, that can be stored, is a little like a bookmark that can be viewed time and time again. Our research also shows that wap links that are held in an SMS inbox are visited far more often than those that are ‘officially’ bookmarked; this finding neatly supports my text bookmark assumption. We also know that most consumers spend only a few minutes on each of their mobile web sessions so perhaps they simply don't have the time to look at what is behind the ad - which in most cases will be a comprehensive WAP site. So getting an SMS following an ad-click allows consumers to store the experience and come back to it later. This isn't often necessary on the fixed web as browsing sessions tend to be - on average - much longer and when it is necessary then bookmarking is a trivial task. But consumers are time pressured when browsing the mobile web so tagging and going back to a page resource is even more important when in 'mobile mode'

This of course is only one example of how mobile internet advertising might develop to distinguish itself from its fixed parent. And it is only possible because we (...well the mobile operator!) have the consumers mobile number and mobile operators are locking onto this advantage to help advertisers deliver laser targeted ads. I guess the analogy in the fixed web world is an ISP using its knowledge of consumer IP addresses to develop uniquely targeted commercial advertising models; they never did of course but the transient and impersonal nature of most IP addresses compared to the fixed and very personal mobile phone number should explain why this is so.

What excites me then is what other possibilities might be around the corner when we discover the new ways consumers want to be communicated to over mobile. Twelve months ago I would never have guessed that any consumers wanted to see a text message in response to clicking a mobile ad. I expect - and hope - to be surprised again. Until that time, I'd be keen to hear the views of anyone reading this blog. All models and mechanics are fair game as we're at the dawn of a brand new medium. So come on…what do you think mobile advertising will look like when we're all heads down, face bathed in LCD light, on the train to work and school?

Phorm’s WebWise: An invasion of privacy?

Phorm’s recent backing by three hefty internet service providers has sparked fears over privacy issues on the web.  BT, Virgin secure them a slice of the expanding online advMedia and Carphone Warehouses’ Talk Talk broadband business, which together own 70% of the UK broadband market, signed up this February to a package that will doubtless ertising pie. 

Phorm’s recent backing by three hefty internet service providers has sparked fears over privacy issues on the web.  BT, Virgin Media and Carphone Warehouses’ Talk Talk broadband business, which together own 70% of the UK broadband market, signed up this February to a package that will doubtless secure them a slice of the expanding online advertising pie.  Fundamentally, Phorm’s service, WebWise, plans to track and record users’ browsing habits in order to target adverts more accurately.  The question is, does this count as an invasion of privacy? 

The core of Phorm’s package is its design. Significantly, it registers all of the websites someone visits within a browsing session as opposed to the content of a single web page.  It creates a user profile by filtering websites and matching keywords with the content of the web page.   By discovering individual patterns of behaviour, ISPs will gain the insight and power to place ads with more specific criteria and therefore pledge a greater success rate to their advertisers.  For instance, an Italian restaurant chain could stipulate that it wishes ads to reach only those customers who have first looked at the websites of Pizza Hut and Ask and searched for the term ‘restaurant italian’ in a search engine.  Different websites may hold registration details of their own users but are unlikely to know which other sites and services they utilise – such data is usually known only by the ISP. 

There are several legal concerns to consider, namely consent and interception.  According to the Foundation for Information and Policy Research (FIPR), Phorm contravenes the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA).  In their open letter to the Information Commissioner Richard Thomas, they argue that, to ensure compliance with RIPA, Phorm must secure the permission of web users. They will have to opt in to such a system, not simply opt out.  Moreover, website operators should also be consulted as the content on their pages is part of the tracing procedure.   

Top anti-malware firms like Trend Micro are also casting doubt on Phorm’s legitimacy, which holds particular weight as they have been linked to spyware in the past.  The Open Rights Group (ORG) mirrored these concerns stating that “Until we know exactly how Phorm works, and across whose networks our data will flow, speculation about the privacy implications will continue”.   

Meanwhile, over 5,000 people have signed a petition which claims that Phorm violates privacy and calls on Gordon Brown to review the country’s privacy laws.  A Home Office Report found that targeted online advertising services that were carried out “with the highest regard to the respect for the privacy of ISPs’ users and the protection of their personal data” were lawful as long as an ISP initially asked for the user’s consent.  The Information Commissioner’s Office has asked Phorm for the particulars of its technological functions and is due to make a report on the privacy aspect of the service soon.  

Alongside the legal question mark is an ethical unease.  Nerves are clearly touched among FIPR executives.  Treasurer Richard Clayton compared the “highly intrusive” system to the Post Office opening his letters to see what he’s interested in, merely so he can be sent a better class of “junk mail”.  Bloggers have been leaving angry comments on forums.  Some are disturbed by the idea of their behaviour being logged full-stop, fearing that the infrastructure is capable of more ominous applications.  Others are infuriated at their individual privacy being violated for the gain of big companies. 

However, numerous bloggers have been defending Phorm.  They acknowledge that advertising essentially funds content on the internet.  Indeed, it is somewhat naive to expect free access to substance and innovation without a financial buttress.  So if advertising is a necessary feature of the online arena, why shouldn’t those adverts be tailored to their audience?  Surely it is akin to having a personal shopping assistant offering you things you might actually want and bypassing things you dislike. 

Phorm has said that a decision over open consent had not been taken and would remain at the discretion of the ISPs.  In their defence, they have stated their belief of compliance with RIPA and the Data Protection Act insisting that customer’s identities are in no danger of being revealed, as each user is assigned a random number when they go online and a product category-based profile is compiled.  Moreover, there is no issue over data storage as any information collected about searches and specific sites visited is immediately deleted.   

This declaration has been backed up by two independent auditors of the company - 80/20 Thinking and Ernst & Young.  In fact, Phorm are so confident that they are a victim of spurious propaganda that chairman Kent Ertugrul invited the most technologically savvy representatives of the privacy community to form an inspection committee to regularly spot check what they do.  Furthermore, he refutes accusations that the company used to be involved in the spyware industry by insisting that their contribution was only to adware and that they chose to leave the business because of its dubious procedures. 

Whatever the justification, these doubts over privacy infringement are beginning to form a tangible presence in the market, as the drop in Phorm shares proves.  It would appear that confidence needs to be restored in the firm if they are to succeed. Perhaps it will in fact take a court hearing to determine once and for all whether Phorm’s WebWise is welcome. 

Justin Drummond, 

Chief Executive - Media Corporation plc

Justin Drummond founded Media Corp in February 2000, six years after his first marketing business was established. Justin saw Media Corp listed on the London Stock Exchange just a year after its formation, via the reverse takeover of Chrome Technology plc in May 2001. Justin has overseen the rapid growth of Media Corp and was instrumental in the £14 Million institutional placing in March 2005 and the acquisitions of both Eyeconomy Limited, a leading digital agency, and Search Focus Limited, a specialist in sector specific search technology and marketing.  77 Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4V 4AY. Media Corporation plc is registered in England. Company Number: 04058698 

Listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange, Media Corp is a leading internet media and advertising group focused on website publishing and online advertising.

The Group has two principal divisions:

Website Publishing - Media Corp has a diverse publishing division specialising in online media. Our impressive portfolio of websites includes a number of market leading sites including www.gambling.com, www.onthebox.com,  www.sport.co.uk, www.creditcardexpert.co.uk and www.flightcomparison.co.uk.

Online Advertising - Formed in 1996, Eyeconomy|NASH specialises in mass reach campaigns to over 30 Million unique consumers per month via its own proprietary ad-serving and tracking technology for clients including AOL, Dell and American Express.

www.eyeconomy.co.uk

www.mediacorpplc.com 

Phone-jacking moves to voice and advertising

I have just received a new gadget in the post, a MobiJack, that allows you to activate the loudspeaker feature on another mobile device and announce a voice message. The craze for mobi-jacking has already swept across Japan and other parts of Asia and UK operators are now receiving reports of mobi-jacking incidents in London, Leeds, Manchester and Newbury.

So the next time you see a menacing group of youths mingling around a shopping mall, railway terminal or street corner, check for the mass laughter first, as they manage to announce at full volume various expletives on the handsets of innocent shoppers and commuters. Mobi-jacking is rapidly becoming a favourite after-school past-time and local authorities are at a loss as to how to stop the craze as the MobiJack device works within 100m of any cell.

Always quick to jump on a trend, the leading mobile advertising agencies in Japan are now recruiting mobi-jackers to spot trend setters and opinion formers at major destinations and to activate brand messages on their phones. A commuter dressed in fashionable labels could suddenly hear their phone belt out 'I love OnaToko' to all those within earshot. Is this a future media channel for UK advertisers?

I put this question to futurologist Mike Casey from MEIT, who clearly pointed out that disruptive technologies such as MobiJack appeal to the highly influential youth market and therefore have a clear chance of acceptance among the early majority and should not be ignored by marketers, however, he was equally cautious as technology now develops at such a fast pace, this just may be a one-day wonder.