Grounded In Reality

I had the opportunity to attend a discussion this week about the effects of social media on the political and cause landscape. Jeff Berman, SVP of Public Affairs for MySpace, led the session and talked about the evolution of social networks as mobilization platforms.

I haven’t kept up with Myspace lately, so I was pleased to see that the site is doing more than being hacked. Myspace Impact, the site’s hub for social and civic engagement, is empowering users to locate volunteer opportunities, contribute to charities, and register to vote. Its coolest offering by far is the “Presidential Dialogue Series” where users can engage with candidates in real-time via live webcast and Myspace IM. They just announced the next series event featuring Senator John McCain. On December 3rd, the event will be streamed live on Myspace.com and simulcast on MTV and Chooseorlose.com.

This live interaction is taking YouTube’s video Q&A format to the next level. It’s also feeding Gen Y’s desire for open access and personalized experiences. Jeff shared some interesting stats that speak to Gen Y’s strong sense of civic duty:

-61% of 25 year olds feel personally responsible for making a difference in the world
-78% believe companies have the responsibility to join them in that effort
-Price being equal, 89% are likely to switch brand allegiance based on commitment to shared causes

Compared to average internet users, Myspace users are:

-Twice as likely to interact with a public official/candidate
-45% more likely to research politics and campaign information
-59% more likely to view online videos
[Cone/AMP Research: Oct 2006]

These stats aren’t surprising. What remains to be seen is how this surge of online rallying will impact voter turnout.

NY Times posted an article on Sunday called ”Grade-school Girls, Grown-up Gossip“ taht that discussed the influx (and ease) on information available to the children growing up during this Internet Age.

Although the article is predominately focused on how these tweens view the actions of celebrities, there are some facts:

According to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, the death of Anna Nicole Smith, on Feb. 8, constituted 9 percent of news coverage the week she died (she died midweek). That same week, 8 percent was devoted to the 2008 campaign and 3 percent to the Super Bowl. Pew also found that in the two days following Ms. Smith’s death, “nearly a quarter of the news from all sectors (24 percent) was devoted to this story, and fully half of cable news.”

One of the worst examples of this is that when Anna Nicole’s name is mentioned above, the NYTimes links back to ALL the coverage they produced, obviously contributing significantly to the Pew research.

With that kind of saturation, how is a kid NOT supposed to read about Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton?!?!

MySpace is in the news again.  The company announced today it will provide data on registered sex offenders who use the site to eight state attorneys general.  It will be interesting to hear what’s reported.  This will surely fuel further debate about teen use of the site and access in public places like schools and libraries.

AP published an interesting article about new social networking sites that target Hispanic youth - a group that’s heavily online (67% of 18-27 year olds) and coveted by marketers. 

These social networks include:

• ElHood.com: bilingual site featuring the latest in Latin music
• Quepasa.com : robust online community featuring news, entertainment, shopping and more
• MiGente.com : site targeting English-speaking Latinos with news, online dating, Monster job searches and professional networking
• Hi5.com : global social networking site available in multiple languages
• Vostu.com : a new alternative to Facebook.com targeting Hispanic high school and college students.

Additionally, MySpace launched a Spanish-language site for U.S. Hispanics and a pan-regional site for Latin Americans.  One of the big questions is - can these smaller social networks compete with the MySpace giant?  Many experts say yes, and I tend to agree.  The Hispanic market is largely untapped, and many of these smaller sites will succeed by focusing on a niche segment of that market.

These emerging social networks present tremendous opportunity for companies trying to connect with young, Hispanic customers in a meaningful way.  And for now, the cost of entry is really low compared to MySpace and Facebook, whose advertising and sponsorship deals have shot through the roof.

I’ve been reading a lot lately about social shopping.  What is it?  It’s basically the marriage of shopping and social networking, and it’s getting a big lift from mobile, IM and other emerging digital media technologies.

For teens, in particular, shopping has always been a social activity, and now they have plenty of channels to connect online.  Online communities are popping up right and left that let teens recommend and discover products, build and share shopping lists, create profiles, post photos, tag great finds and more.  Here are some of my favorites:

Kaboodle - You can collect information from anywhere on the Web, put it into a Kaboodle list that you can share with others, and discover other interesting lists from like-minded “Kaboodlers.”  You can also invite friends to help you research, plan and decide what to buy.  I’ve been looking for a new bag, and I like the Lilu Deerie Me Tote recommended by acceptnosubstitute87.  Kaboodle also has a cool poll feature called “Help Me Choose.”

ThisNext - I really like the layout and functionality of ThisNext, which spans a broader audience than just teens.  It’s described as a shopcasting network where you can recommend, share and discover great products.  Users create “shopcast lists” of products that are tagged and searchable on the site.  Shopcasts can be about activities (like travel or cooking) or things (like fashion or food) or lifestyle.  This month’s focus is, “It’s so easy being green.”  I found a great shopcast on “Green Goodies for the Design Set,” including an Edible Indoor Miniature Garden and Recycled Wrapper Wastebasket.

Stylehive - The Stylehive is a global, social bookmarking community focused entirely on products and shopping.  The site follows the latest trends, designers and fashions, and describes itself as a “community that is reshaping the world of retail, design and fashion by changing how we shop.”  More than other social shopping sites, many users are looking to make a name for themselves and gain influence in the fashion world.

Other sites to check out:

• Crowdstorm
• Hawkee
• StyleFeeder
• ShopWiki
• Etsy - for all things handmade
• FiveLimes - for sustainable, local, healthy shopping
• DealBundle
• MyPickList
• GoPowWow
• DesiresIn
• Wists

Personally, I see the value in online social shopping.  I love new stuff, but I really don’t like shopping in the traditional sense.  Malls make me crazy.  I’d rather have someone I trust show me the coolest new thing and where I can get it - quickly and easy.

There’s also a lot of opportunity for marketers in these communities, but at this point, only a handful have jumped on board.  A few companies are advertising on these sites, and some online retailers have formed affiliate relationships, paying a percentage for sales generated.  It would be cool to see a company more intimately involved in the community, either through starting a group, offering their own shopping/product experts or otherwise enhancing the user experience.  Companies should also start identifying the influencers in these communities and engaging them in product design and marketing efforts.

It’ll be interesting to follow these sites this holiday shopping season.

I want to give a big shout out to our favorite pint-sized wrecking crew – Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen – for creating a marketing executive’s dream demographic – the evolving female consumer TWEEN. The idea is to hook them when they’re young.

The recently coined “tween” demographic has been oft studied by many a guru, and now Bonne Bell cosmetics is featured in USA Today highlighting (or exploiting?) its marketing strategy – and then some. It isn’t stopping with the tweens – it’s going younger. Start ‘em off early with the flavored lip balm, ease ‘em into the fruity lip gloss, then throw in some sparkles, and next thing you know, they’re sportin’ full-on, cotton candy-colored pouts during recess. 

According to the article, the general strategy behind marketing to the tween set is simple, really:  

1. They’re spending power is phenomenal. (Thank you, parental units, for just giving away allowance. Now make ‘em earn it!)
2. They follow trends but need the ability to customize them. (i.e. they look for layers, different color ranges, etc.)
3. They revel in excess – as in 10 of everything.  According to the article, the average tween has 10 Bonne Bell Lip Smackers. (This doesn’t stop at 12 years-old or with Bonne Bell!  A lady’s lip potion (in any form) is a necessity – and one can NEVER have enough. Period.)
4. Apparently – the tween is environmentally aware. The point here is the new lot of tween consumers are socially conscious. (Nice green messaging!  I’ll fall for it, but I find it hard to believe that an average tween really cares if the products are tested on animals. But hey, if they do, that’s really cool, and I’m very supportive.)
5. Lastly, the tween is self-conscious, but likes attention. (Huh? I guess bright colors without the plumber’s butt is always a super solution.) 

There really isn’t anything new here – but the positioning of Bonne Bell is brilliant, and I applaud their PR team for orchestrating (or fielding) this opportunity and leveraging it the best way possible for the sake of a marketing trend.

However, it’s a bit scary to think about how far this strategy will evolve by the time I have a daughter. Is she going to come out of the womb clutching Bonne Bell’s Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker in her tiny hand, ready for her first tube of lipstick before solid foods?? Oh. Dear.

Mary Madden published a fascinating report for Pew Internet & American Life Project on “Social Media and Libraries.” What struck me the most is the portrait of today’s “wired” teen.

Consider the life of the teenager born in 1990 - the year that Tim Berners-Lee wrote the World Wide Web program and the PC was 15 years old:

- First Grade - Palm Pilot hit the market
- Fourth Grade - Sean Fanning created Napster
- Middle School - Wikipedia, iPods and Skype are introduced (can you imagine having Wikipedia in middle school?)
- High School - Podcasts, YouTube and MySpace arrive on the scene

Today’s teen grew up in a truly wired world, and they don’t know anything different. They get their information from many different non-traditional sources, and marketers must be comfortable with these channels to engage them in a relevant way. For example, the same report finds that more than half (55%) of online American youth ages 12-17 use online social networking sites. We’re talking to several clients right now about the right way to have a presence there.