"Explore the world through someone else's eyes"... and no I'm not referring to a warg.

Last month I wrote a post about a few of Twitter's aggressive growth initiatives. Today, I share with you their newest one, Periscope.

Launched just two days ago, Periscope is Twitter's response to Meerkat, a live-streaming video app.  Although it is only available on iOS devices, the product has attracted the attention of many users and brands.

What is Periscope?  It is a platform for streaming live video from your iPhone from anywhere in the world (that has a connection). Just download the app from the Apple store, log in, enable the camera and become a broadcaster.  Not in the mood to be famous yet?  Well, you can always watch other peoples' videos instead.  The popularity of live-streaming videos is the idea of discovering the world through someone else's eyes.  As described by the creators of Periscope, " a picture may be worth a thousand words, but live video can take you someplace and show you around." As with Twitter, this app allows you to follow people and be alerted of their new broadcasts.  You also have the option to browse around for something that catches your eyes.  And if you don't have enough time to watch the entire video, you can always save it and watch it later.

 And the most loved feature of Periscope... the hearts that you can give to the videos you like or love.  Similar to a "like" button, this feature lets you send a heart or even many hearts to the broadcaster of your choice and with enough hearts, this person can be featured as a "most loved".

The product has already gained some early adopters.  Adweek, shared information on how 4 brands are already using the Periscope app.

Spotify, a music-streaming service posted a behind-the-scenes video with Conor O'Brien from the band Villagers.

"During the live stream, 382 viewers tuned into the live stream, racking up 1,534 hearts—the equivalent of "liking" something on Facebook.  As of 6 p.m. last night, the video had been replayed 99 times and received 255 hearts."

 

The brand used the app to create a short video titled "Stop by to say what's up."

"The short clip showed a girl spelling out the word "Swag" on a chalkboard with a table full of branded T-shirts and hats in front of it."

 

Red Bull, known for their sense of adventure and risk, always open to trying new things, experimented with Periscope during Miami Music Week this weekend. 

"The brand will live stream events happening at its Red Bull Guest House. Social content will also be pushed out via Twitter and Snapchat."

And the fourth brand, DKNY, gave viewers a look into its fashion closet last week, shortly after announcing it had opened an account via Twitter.

"Fashion brands already regularly employ Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to give folks a peek into its world, so it's likely that fashion-minded marketers will embrace Periscope."

Are you willing to give Periscope a try?

You will be missed GigaOm!

This past Monday, GigaOm announced that all operations have ceased.  A tech news powerhouse, GigaOm is a global voice on emerging technologies.  Founded in 2006 by tech blogger Om Malik, the company started out as a side project growing to a company valuation of $30 million in just six years and then shut down in the past two days.  Here's what they had to say to their readers:

What happened?  Was it because they decided to move to a subscription base revenue model in 2008, was it because other blogs like Reddit, Mashable, TechCrunch and Business Insider were ahead or was it because the company was mismanaged?  It could be for any of these reasons, all of these reasons or none of these reasons.  A lot of writers have shared their opinion, what's yours?

Tech Blog GigaOm Abruptly Shuts Down by NYTimes

GigaOm Was Universally Respected. Too Bad Respect Doesn’t Pay the Bills by Slate

Farewell, GigaOm: Tech news powerhouse shutting down by Mashable

GigaOm And The Death Of Editorial by Forbes

Pioneering tech blog Gigaom shuts down after running out of money by The Verge

And the last writer who shared his thoughts on the subject matter, founder Om Malik.  Although this blog post doesn't share any details on what he thinks caused this, it definitely demonstrates his passion and commitment to the company.

Saving Google+

Google+ was first launched in June 2011 as a response to Facebook’s growing members.  On the surface, it seems exactly like Facebook: you can share updates with friends, receive and follow your friends’ activity feeds, chat and even group your friends based on your relationships with them.

After almost 4 years, Google+ has not been as successful as they had hoped.  Although Google claims that they have 300 million active users, most people I know don’t use the service and maybe even some who work at Google will confirm it is a “failed” product.  Is Google being truthful about their statistics or are they being sneaky about their criteria for a Google Plus user?

In a recent CNN article, Google’s product chief Sundar Pichai stated that Google+ will be re-branded.  Although the number of users is billions less than Facebook, the investment was too big for Google to dump (it's a sunk cost!) so they are going to leverage the successful features.

Google+ has had success with the “Hangout” and “Photo” features.  I have used Google Hangout and found it to be very useful for video conferencing for group projects and you can also have a lot of fun with the photo taking feature in Hangout.  These features will continue to exist as products,  just re-organized differently.  The social feed aspect will move into a new service called “streams” and allow users to post to Google+.

In addition to these changes, a recent Mashable article shares information about a new version of Google Contacts that aims to combine users' Gmail and Google+ connections in one place to create a more streamlined experience.  "The new Google Contacts comes with a fresh look and feel, and conveniently pools together all your contacts, circles, and the people you talk to most in Gmail," Google writes in a blog post.  "The new Contacts ensures that the info you see is still accurate and ready to use by blending your contact’s Google profile information with the stuff you already have."

Contacts will be rolling out to Gmail users "over the next few weeks."

Successful Strategies for Email Marketing

According to a Forrester Research report, 42% of US online adults delete most email advertising without reading it, down from 44% in 2012 and 59% in 2010. The percentage of consumers agreeing that they receive too many email offers and promotions fell by 1% from 2012 and down 10% from 2010.  What does this mean?  We are doing a better job at email marketing but we can do much better.

Email marketing is huge and will continue to be for many years to come so it needs to become smarter. Businesses need to become extremely clever about what types of email content they provide and how they promote it.  Businesses are realizing that the key is sending BETTER emails (not more emails) that create value.

Grow email list 

Your email list is one of your most valuable marketing resources.  If you want your list to have an even bigger impact, make it easy for people to sign up and give people a compelling reason to sign up.  Most major email service providers will have an app that allows you to collect emails right from within your Facebook page. As always, it’s a good idea to offer something of value here rather than just asking your fans to sign up for your list. 

With it getting harder and harder to reach fans on Facebook without using paid advertising, many are finding great success distributing free offers using Twitter.  There are tons of tweet schedulers out there like Hootsuite and SocialOomph which allows you to set the times, frequency and campaign duration as well as recycles the tweets for later use. 

 

Increase email open rates
Your open rate is one of the best metrics for measuring the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts.  The more people you get to open your emails, the more opportunities you’ll have to drive business results.  Focus on sending emails that your audience will thank you for.  Create the best email subject line that catches your reader’s attention and lets them know why they should click to open.

Average open rates vary from industry to industry. If you’re not sure how your open rate compares to other businesses, check out the Comparison by Industry Chart.

Enhance engagement

One of the best ways to measure engagement is to look at your click-through rates.  Click-through rates show you how many subscribers are engaging with your content and taking a desired action by clicking on links within your email.  Keep your message as focused as possible, with one clear call to action that you want them to take.

 

Compel the customer to act
Take some time to look through your reports to see which links are getting the most attention. This is a great way to see what your readers are most interested in. Create separate email lists for people who click on a particular link and follow up with a more targeted email.

Determine goals and boost results
The goal will be a direct response — to drive sales, generate reservations, or bring more people into your store or office. In other cases, the goal will be focused on the long-term — to generate awareness, improve loyalty, or increase referrals.

Measure results
Pay attention to how many of the people who redeemed the offer are existing customers, and which are new to your business.

Twitter's been a busy bird

Twitter has taken an aggressive approach with growth this year.  In the last few weeks, they have rolled out group direct messages and native video sharing, entered into a deal with Google search results, launched Curator, and just today, announced the purchase of Niche.  The acquisition price has not been officially announced but a report estimated $30 million.

Niche is a service that connects top social media users with brands.  The New York based start-up helps creatives make money by matching them up with advertisers and brands.  Niche also offers free analytic tools to creatives so they can see what is and isn’t working, while allowing brands to browse leader boards and collaborate with top creators on marketing campaigns.  It’s all about big data and analytic.

The director of product management at Twitter, Baljeet Singh revealed in his post that over the past year “Niche has been a key partner to Twitter and Vine” and that “the company has helped fuel the creator economy by developing leading technology, consisting of free, cross-platform analytics, as well as connecting the creative community directly with the world’s biggest brands."

What does this mean for Twitter?  This move means that they are now the owner of a social media talent agency. Twitter can now tap into a revenue stream it wasn’t previously partaking in.   

What does this mean for Niche?  "More tools, more platforms, and even more opportunities to team up with the best advertisers in the world."

Fashion Week Meets Virtual Reality

New York Fashion Week which started last week Thursday will be held through February 19th with over 200 designers participating.  Labels such as Alexander Wang, Diane Von Furstenberg, Rebecca Minkoff, Tory Burch and Zac Posen previewed their Autumn/Winter 2015 collection.  For the first time ever, Fashion Week meets virtual reality on the runway.  

TOPSHOP collaborated with Inition, a 3D agency to create a live streaming runway show experience which began today at 3pm and runs through February 18^th.  Using the Oculus Rift, Topshop fans were able to experience what it’s like to be on the front row of the show at the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall through live streamed HD footage, 360-degree photography, tweets and animation.  The technology allowed fans on Oxford Street to immerse in the experience with a great sense of presence.

Four women who won the TOPSHOP competition were the first “guests” at the virtual show.  They placed the headset/googles on and the screens went into full effect displaying what was being streamed into the googles.

TOPSHOP competition winners

The live show was filmed by two HD cameras with a total of over three dozen lenses.  Those wearing the headset were able to see the live catwalk, as well as the celebrities they were sitting “next to”.  Turn around and they were able to see a second virtual screen that allowed them to view into the backstage where models were getting ready.

TOPSHOP has taken other initiatives in the past to incorporate technology and digital into fashion but this is the most immersed one yet.  With a focus on the customer and their experience, TOPSHOP managed to excite and entice the digital savvy customer within a retail environment.  This will only help them increase their already high level of brand recognition.  For fashionistas who are used to and expecting tangible products at TOPSHOP shops, there were a few selected pieces from the show that were available to be bought immediately.  The experience of instant gratification, the “I want now” customer was still satisfied.

In less than three months, you too will be able to access a virtual runway show.  From the comfort of your own home, you can watch Rebecca Minkoff’s Fall 2015 collection .  Her team used special cameras to film the show.  Once it has been put together, it will allow viewers a 360-dgree view of the event.  Fans will be able to experience the show from the photographer pit and runway, watching models on the catwalk, celebrities and flashing cameras.  It will be available on Oculus Rift, and for those of you who don’t own a pair and don’t want to dish out $200, you can also opt for Google’s $10 VR headset Cardboard.

Oculus

Cardboard

Mobile Advertising Gaining More Popularity

Last week, I wrote that 3 billion new internet users are "coming on-line."  Smartphones are leveling access to the internet and the implications of this are staggering.  A few months ago, Benedict Evans of Andreesen-Horowitz released a presentation called "Mobile is eating the world."  He refers to smartphones as "a pocket super computer."  The smartphone in your hand gives you more access to information than the most informed in the 1990's. 

Everyone is getting connected.  The percent of unconnected adults globally has been decreasing at rapid speed from 100% to 27% and will continue to do so as the cost of smart phones drop and new technologies bring internet access to rural and remote areas worldwide.

Android's mobile ad traffic exploded in 2014.  The company's share of mobile traffic increased by 25 percentage points according to a report from mobile ad platform Opera MediaWorks. There are two reasons for this growth: 1) the global migration to Android and 2) the introduction of more affordable smartphones.  By the end of 2014, Android dominated the low-end market in 2014.

The billions who are getting access to mobile and smart phones and connect to the internet will change the world.  They will now have access to the cloud and the world's information through search.  With access to technology, these new users will contribute to the world's innovation and also to the global economy.  If they are not your customers, they are your customer's customers.  How will your business capitalize on this opportunity?  Here are a few ideas:

Digital Stickers

The little images you can attach to chat app messages or on Facebook comments are increasingly being used by advertisers to get their brands in front of people.  During the last Super Bowl, Miller Light ran a campaign aimed at reaching the digitally-inclined in this new way.  They worked with a digital sticker agency, Swyft Media and created a free pack of 12 stickers that people can use with chat apps Kik and video-messaging app Paltalk, users can download for free and send to one another.

The digital stickers were a huge success with over 600,000 downloads and millions of sends.  A broader trend towards native advertising, these ads are cleverly disguised as content to make them pleasing and enticing to consumers.

Mobile Coupons

On February 28, 2015, a professor from New York University, Anindya Ghose, will present a paper on “Randomized Field Experiments in Mobile Marketing.”  The presentation will discuss the explosive growth of smart phones and location-based services, which has resulted in a the rise of mobile advertising, and the effectiveness of mobile marketing and promotions.

The paper focuses on 3 main concepts.  The first experiment measures the effectiveness of mobile coupons using data from a location based app for smartphones.  In a second large scale field study, the role of contextual crowdedness on the redemption rates of mobile coupons is examined.  In the third study, the researchers propose a new mobile advertising strategy that leverages full information on consumers' offline course.  "These studies causally show that mobile advertisements based on real-time static geographical location and contextual information can significantly increase consumers' likelihood of redeeming a Geo-targeted mobile coupon."

Personalized Ads

Personalized digital media companies, such as Catalina offers a mobile advertising platform that allows brands to deliver personalized ads based on purchasing behavior and tie their media buy back to in-store sales.  Personalized ads are more successful when brands are able to merge their own shopper data with media and household purchasing data from Nielsen and 4Info’s offline household database.

Apps

Apps will outperform traditional ads because consumers don’t perceive them as advertising, they welcome them for their functionality and thus don’t find them pushy. Apps are more attractive for marketers because they’re more cost-efficient than traditional ads, and sometimes create entirely new revenue streams.  Smartphone apps fall into five categories:  Games and entertainment, Social networks, Utilities, Discovery and Brands.

Marketers should create apps that add value to consumers’ lives and enhance long-term engagement with their brands. To do so, they need to develop apps that add convenience, offer unique value, provide social value, offer incentives, and entertain.

Know Your Customers

Better results will be achieved by communicating with consumers in a format that enhances their lives and offers value.  There may find new vehicles for achieving consumer engagement to ads, but for the time being, these are some of the best ways to win the hearts and minds of mobile consumers.