#DigitalDip
Taking a Quick Dip Into Digital with Sarah Frohman
Club Snapchat
Snapchat’s Discover feature is just as exclusive as an NYC club. Not even the best fake ID can get any old publisher in! In other words, Snapchat wants their Discover feature to really strike a chord with Millennials so that the platform can compete in the news arena. Yahoo and Warner were simply not cutting it, so BuzzFeed and iHeartRadio have taken their places. Seems like Snapchat is really cracking down on who is hot and who is not!
To read more, visit: http://recode.net/2015/07/27/buzzfeed-iheartradio-join-snapchats-list-of-publishers/
The Red Carpet...with a screen and pixels
Variety conducted a survey that pitted Hollywood’s top 10 against YouTube’s top 10 in terms of approachability, authenticity, and other criteria having to do with overall influence. The point? To determine which set of stars has more influence on today’s teens.
And the Emmy/Oscar/Grammy goes to…. YOUTUBE! 8 of the top ten spots on Variety’s list went to YouTube stars (like KSI, PewDiePie, and Jenna Marbles). So, why is this important? Well, YouTube is an entirely digital platform, so you tell me why this is important!
To read more, visit: http://variety.com/2015/digital/news/youtubers-teen-survey-ksi-pewdiepie-1201544882/
Start-ups going down
Many young employees (cough, cough, Millennials) are reporting that heading to a start-up and expecting to make it big may be too much of a leap of faith. Over the past few years, the media hasn’t acknowledged all of the start-ups that haven’t, you know, “started up.” In other words, we only hear about Facebook or a cool new app that succeeded, and not about the failures.
This is good news for NBCU. Why? We can probably assume that with start-ups getting a bit of a bad rep, young techies will have to look beyond Silicon Valley if they want a job…
To read more, visit: http://techcrunch.com/2015/07/25/startups-and-the-big-lie/
From your garage to your pocket?
The 2016 Honda Accord will be the first Honda model to include Google’s Android Auto and Apple’s CarPlay (basically, the car’s systems will be run using Google and Apple software). People don’t necessarily think of a car as a digital platform like a phone or a tablet, but as the auto industry goes more and more digital, who knows what will happen. Maybe digital ad sales will extend its reach into cars! Will we soon see gas stations and coffee shops advertising on our navigation systems? Cars might just be our next digital accessory!
To read more, visit: http://recode.net/2015/07/23/honda-touts-silicon-valley-chops-says-carplay-and-android-auto-are-coming-to-2016-accord/
Standing ovation
YouTube is honing in on vertical video (cue the standing ovation). Why? Because of their “top three priorities: mobile, mobile, and mobile.” It is most natural to hold a mobile device vertically, so why is it that many mobile videos require users to rotate horizontally in order to get a full-screen experience? YouTube says “this is a big deal” and is getting in on the vertical revolution that Snapchat is pioneering.
Oh, there’s more. YouTube is also focusing on compiling “suggested videos” lists on mobile, based on channel subscriptions and viewing history in order to keep people YouTube-ing for longer amounts of time. And yes, I just made YouTube a verb.
To read more, visit: http://adage.com/article/digital/youtube-debuts-mobile-redesign-vidcon/299662/ and http://digiday.com/platforms/vertical-videos-now-play-full-screen-youtubes-apps/
Beyond the click-through
Guthy-Renker’s Proactiv clears up way more than just your skin. Their recent Facebook campaign taught marketers that it isn’t always fair to credit online sales to “last-click attribution” (the idea that credit for a sale belongs to the last thing a person saw or heard).
In a study of 12,000 Proactiv purchases tracked back to online ads, Atlas Solutions found that an ad doesn’t necessarily have to result in an immediate “click” to be effective.
So why is this significant? Instead of trying to entice consumers to click ASAP, advertisers should refocus and try to find the best way to make an ad have a lasting impression that will convince the consumer to search for the brand at a later date. Let the ad tell a story!
To read more, visit: http://adage.com/article/ad-age-on-campus/facebook-proactiv-find-display-ads-precede-search-clicks/299663/
The digital flu
Have no fear, F.Lux technology company has created a software that will alter the color of your screen to adapt to the time of day in order to mitigate the negative health effects that staring at a bright screen can have.
Since this is the #DigitalDip and not the #ScienceScoop, I’ll stick to the basics: the blinding blue light that emanates from your screen triggers your brain to stop producing melatonin (the sleep hormone) because you are tricked into thinking that it is always daytime (even at 10PM). Bottom line: invest in this technology, your brain will thank you, and you may even find yourself more awake during your 9AM meeting.
To read more, visit: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/does-blue-light-ruin-sleep-we-ask-an-expert/ and https://justgetflux.com/
Extreme Makeover: Brand Edition
Here are a few ways that brands are revamping themselves in order to ignite a spark:
1. Hotels – Hotels are looking to cater more to the US’s largest population: the Millennials. Shocker. They are changing décor, adding services and yoga classes, but most importantly, they are #dipping into digital with social media, apps to allow for check-in, using smartphones as room keys, and more.
2. Forever 21 – This popular Millennial clothing brand is working with Instagram on a campaign called #F21ThreadScreen. Posting an Instagram with that hashtag will stream the photo onto a giant screen (in NYC, of course) that is made out of thread spools. Instagram + Cool Clothes = Lots of Attention (and money)!!!
3. Universal!!! – The U of NBCU is partaking in a digital casting call called "Star in Jem" on YouTube for the movie/TV series “Jem and the Holograms” (yes, that is that show from the 80s). The digital push will hopefully draw more attention to the movie, releasing this October.
To read more, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/o4zgn66 , http://tinyurl.com/qfhz9sg , http://tinyurl.com/qd2rpt7
The devil is in the data details
Data follows you everywhere. Did you go to the grocery store? Data knows. Did you take your dog to the groomer? Data knows. Did you tell your boss you were home sick but you actually went to the beach? Data knows.
This all seems obvious, because that’s what data is for, but I don’t think many of us realize that data is legitimately watching our every move. Both Apple and Google technology can track and record location, down to the precise minutes spent somewhere.
There is great advertising opportunity here, though. If your phone knows you go to the same grocery store every Sunday afternoon, maybe it can push you relevant coupons?
One thing is concerning, though. According to AdAge, advertiser cookie data is being harnessed by the government and used for surveillance. #Uncomfortable.
To read more, visit: http://adage.com/article/digital/google-maps-starts-showing-people/299635/ and http://adage.com/article/guest-columnists/advertisers-nsa-collect-data/299523/
Interested in reading previous #DigitalDips?
A take on the team
SPOTLIGHT ON: Ryan Mayrose
Bio: I’m originally from Staten Island, I have 3 brothers and a sister (I’m the middle child). There’s also about 50 cousins in my family, one of them works right here on our floor! These days, I live on Long Island with my girlfriend. I graduated from LaSalle University in Philly and was hired at NBC shortly after. I started as a TV Commercial Ops Coordinator for channels like Cloo and Universal HD. Then I moved over to Universal Sports Network where I was the only full-time Ops coordinator for a while. Great experience, but I was definitely glad to land this role and be a part of an awesome team! I’m a huge Mets, Jets & Knicks fan which means I’m used to a lot of sports disappointment. I enjoy going to the beach, listening to podcasts and playing softball on the weekends. My favorite band is Red Hot Chili Peppers and it’s hard to pick a favorite TV show or movie because I like a lot!
At which store would you like to max out your credit card and why? I’m very fond of Banana Republic, it makes up a good chunk of my wardrobe. But right now I get 5% cash back if I use my credit card at Kohl’s, so I would probably suck it up, max out at Kohl’s and get all them rewards points.
How would your parents describe you as a little kid? One night while I was doing homework, I tried to balance a pencil in between my nose and upper lip. My dad saw this and said to my mom: “He’s gonna be the dumb one, isn’t he?” (He was totally joking). But they would agree I was pretty goofy and really enjoyed playing with my siblings. They would probably tell you about how I had crazy hair and loved to nap when I was a baby. They also encouraged me to try different things like sports and musical theater. They went to most of my games and could share many stories they’re proud of.
Do you have a pet peeve? What is it? When people say “I could care less” instead of “I couldn’t care less”. The phrase is meant to emphasize how little you care. If you could care less, you would.
If you could win a “life-time supply” of anything, what would you want it to be? Sky miles. Free travel for life!
SPOTLIGHT ON: Erika Nathanson (honorary news ad ops intern)
Bio: My name is Erika Nathanson, I just recently turned 21 (WOO!) and I am from a very small town in North Jersey called Glen Rock. I am about to start my final year at West Chester University (in PA, not NY) and I am majoring in Communications and minoring in Geology (Yes, I study rocks). I am 100% devoted to my sorority, Alpha Phi. I have held many positions within this organization, but I wanted a bigger responsibility. So now I am the VP of Public Relations for all 10 sororities on campus (The Panhellenic Council). I love listening to country music, traveling and spending time outside.
At which store would you like to max out your credit card and why? It’s a store called Love Culture and I am overly obsessed. There is no store near where I live so I buy everything online. I wish I could have everything they sell!! It is so dangerous because they always have sales, and they do a very good job of making sure I know about every single one! Sales on accessories, site-wide sales or even having a sale on the sale items! I think its ok to buy more when these sales happen since my mom did teach me that sales are good. But realistically when my shopping cart total is $90+ of dresses, I know I have a problem.
How would your parents describe you as a little kid? Surprisingly, I was a painfully shy kid. I barely ever spoke and hid behind my mom. As I grew up I hated how scared and shy I was. So I forced myself to become more outgoing, and now I can’t shut up! When I tell people that I used to be shy, they think I’m joking!
Do you have a pet peeve? What is it? Ok, I cannot stand when people blow their noses while eating. Even if it is someone across the room of a restaurant. If I see or hear someone blowing their nose, I immediately lose my appetite.
If you could win a “life-time supply” of anything, what would you want it to be? Bobby pins and hair ties! (All the girls out there will understand)