10 trends in advertising and pr

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10�Trendsin�AdverTising�And�Pr

Marian SalzmanMichigan State University

March 2012

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Why�Trends?Why�do�we�look�at�trends�when

creating�actionable�and�insightfulstrategies�for�industries�and�brands?�

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Why�Trends?Why�do�we�look�at�trends�when

creating�actionable�and�insightfulstrategies�for�industries�and�brands?��

•To identify the forces driving the future and plan forlong-term success.

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Why�Trends?Why�do�we�look�at�trends�when

creating�actionable�and�insightfulstrategies�for�industries�and�brands?��

•To identify the forces driving the future and plan for long-term success.

•To discover unexpected opportunities that helptransform brands and businesses.

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Why�Trends?Why�do�we�look�at�trends�when

creating�actionable�and�insightfulstrategies�for�industries�and�brands?��

•To identify the forces driving the future and plan for long-term success.

•To discover unexpected opportunities that help transformbrands and businesses.

•To move ahead of the curve and stay there.

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Learning�to�spot�Trends

It means tracking

people

socialmomentum

companiesradical

breakthroughs

brandseconomies

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Being�a�successful�Trendspotter

The qualities of a good trendspotter apply to any activitiesinvolving groups of people over time—B2C, B2B, sports,education, art, healthcare, travel …

All-around awareness:Trendspotters cultivate a “radar”that picks up things near and far,from global to local. Smartretailers do this instinctively bynoticing the different types ofcustomers coming in, how theyspend, what they talk about andwhat competitors are doing.

Curiosity: Insatiable interest in what people are or aren’tdoing and a desire to find outwhy is essential for atrendspotter.

A way of being: Trendspotters aren’t just people who appear in the media and on stage; they’re also smart businesspeople whoconsistently tune in to their market.

Contexts: Nothinghappens in isolation—trendspotters relate whatthey observe not only tothe immediate context butalso to other contexts thatmight be relevant (e.g.,what’s in the local news,changes in school rolls,outdoor activities that aregetting popular, etc.).

Future-ready: Alwaysthinking about the futureimplications of currenttrends: How do I factorwhat’s happening nowinto the future I’mplanning for?

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Trendspotting

•We are all hardwired to seek patterns in what we observe and touse them to make predictions about the future.

•Trendspotting aims to find patterns and connections across lesssharply defined fields of human behavior—it deals with manymore variables where information is fuzzier.

•Trendspotting draws on a range of disciplines: business, history,marketing, psychology, sociology, statistics.

•News, journals, popular culture, social media and conversationsall provide raw material for trendspotting.

The point is not to make precise predictions but rather to spot currents that will flow into the future and helpshape it.

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Local�is�thenew�global3.

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Humans + Technology => Trends

“First we shape our tools; thereafter they shape us.”

•Virtually every twist and turn in human history has beeninfluenced and shaped by some form of technology.

•Every technology—from hand axes, weaving and wheels throughgunpowder and sails, to internal combustion and microchips—has driven social trends.

•Now, above all, it’s digital technology that’s involved somehow,somewhere in many of the trends we have flagged for 2012.

This�is�what’s�instore�for�advertisingand�public�relationsin�the�near�future...

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Pr�Becoming�aHybrid�discipline1.

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1. Pr�Becoming�a�Hybrid�discipline

•PR people’s jobs are a lot more varied than they used to be.PR works through the media, which is morphing like CGI gonecrazy, faster than many old hands can track.

•It’s vital to be interesting and relevant, to attract and holdattention. Our agency likes to say, “Don’t be in the news; bethe news.”

•The future of PR belongs to a new breed that can blend theskills of perception engineer, content provider, media relationsguru, transparency expert and CSR gospel preacher.

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•Red Bull Media House: Creative cross-media edgy news all thetime, with a winning F1 racing team, stunt-flying aircraft andsnowboarding in the amazing The Art of Flight.

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Play�Me,Then�Pay�Me2.

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2.�Play�Me,�Then�Pay�Me

•PR people have to turn clunky technical jargon into wordsthat anyone can understand—words that create impact.

•One phrase we’re increasingly hearing from our clients is“contingency element compensation,” meaning part of whatthey pay is based on our achieving measurable results.

•Lawyers call it “No win, no fee.” We’re calling it “Play me,then pay me.”

•It’s not yet the norm, but agencies that can offer it, deliverresults and still make money will be in the running in the future.

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•@erwwpr: We use the money we would have spent on pitchesto pay a new client’s first month or two of fees.

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Pr�Turning�Hopeful3.

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3. Pr�Turning�Hopeful

•In this anxious, snarly, angry national atmosphere, who wouldbet against the old maxims “Bad news sells” and “No news isgood news”?

•But dwelling on the downside too long is bad for health and badfor business—and it’s not the American way.

•We’re finding plenty of citizens, journalists and brandsresponding to stories of hope that raise spirits and spreadsmiles (without being cheesy).

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•Pittsburgh 2012: Euro RSCG’s third-annual One Young Worldsummit will gather brands, global figures and promising youngleaders from around the world.

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Playing�theright�games4.

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4. Playing�the�right�games

•Gaming is the fastest-growing media around, played by 72 percent of American households.

•Clearly, something about games attracts and holdsattention—which is why brands and marketers are lookingto apply some of those playful hooks in their work.

•The clunky term is “gamification,” which means findingways of making non-games fun and engaging.

•Look for social games and video gaming to continue to beanother way to reach consumers.

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•The Nike+ tag running app: Whoever runs the slowest or theshortest distance, or starts running latest in the day, isdesignated “It.”

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stories�That�echo5.

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5. stories�That�echo

•Thanks to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube (to name butthree), virtually anyone with a catchy idea can go viral andbe famous for a day or two—until the next idea comes along.

•This raises the bar for PR. If some random person fromwherever can score for free, then paid professionals shouldbe able to outperform the amateurs over time.

•Now more than ever, PR is looking to find or create storiesthat continue to resonate in the media for weeks, monthsand more.

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•Campaign Money Watch: This nonprofit, nonpartisanorganization is increasingly on-trend as Americans wonder aboutthe influence of big money and special interests in politics.

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Online�videoLeveling�the�Field6.

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6. Online�video�Leveling�the�Field

•Media companies used to “own” the attention of viewers andreaders, and sell it to brand advertisers who spent big bucks oncreating punchy ads and/or buying lots of media exposure.

•Then came DVRs, allowing consumers to skip ads, and theInternet, opening them to a world of alternatives to owned media.

•Now YouTube standards rule and buying power counts for muchless (attention goes quickly to whatever is entertaining and/oramazing and/or original and/or touching).

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•Viral sensations: Invisible Children (showing how digitalsuccess can be a double-edged sword) and the Dollar Shave Club (its online launch ad cost $4,500 to make, and it’s gotalmost 3 million hits).

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Long�LiveBrand�Heritage7.

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7. Long�Live�Brand�Heritage

•What hope is there for old brands when new ones spring upfast and hog attention? Since the Fortune 500 started in 1955,62 companies have appeared every year—while 1,952 cameand went.

•Who cares about a brand that has been going 60 years if theonly people who use it are as old as the brand itself?

•Brand heritage is only worth anything when it’s the backdropfor products that are relevant now.

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•Oreo: Nabisco’s cross-platform campaign celebrating 100 yearsof the brand playfully invites consumers to “Celebrate the kid inside.”

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Play�with�Me8.

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8. Play�with�Me

•Interactive advertising beats plain “Look at this” advertisingevery time, right?

•Right, but only if it’s offering something to make the interactionworthwhile; otherwise it’s an even bigger waste of time and attention.

•The more people use mobile devices, the less time and attentionthey have for “Look at this”—but the more opportunities advertisingwill have to play with them.

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•Orbitz Traveler Update: Its projected movie “billboards” featurecharacters responding to someone standing and looking.

•vitaminwater: The brand’s “Alternative Energy Source”campaign at bus shelter displays has battery-powered USBports that let people charge devices.

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Big�going�Local9.

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9. Big�going�Local

•We’re all used to local businesses advertising their serviceslocally, on their home turf.

•And we’re used to big brands doing national ads with space forlocal dealers to add their details.

•Now, thanks to interactive media, the distinction among local,national and global is blurring; marketers can get globalexposure while riding the vibrancy of local events.

•Caveat: Brand values had better be aligned with the values ofthe event.

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•Ben & Jerry’s: See the company’s support for the Occupy WallStreet movement.

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A�differentgender�sensitivity10.

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10. A�different�gender�sensitivity

•It’s not exactly Isaac Newton, but there is certainly an oppositereaction to gender blurring and gender sensitivity.

•The safe route for advertising for most brands is straight-down-the-line balance in their portrayal of women.

•There is a naughty space opening up for brands that want tocreate a little edge by flouting the norms of gender respect andinclusivity—risky but rewarding for some.

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•Dr Pepper Ten: The brand’s “It’s not for women” ads featuremacho scenes and a tough guy saying, “Hey, ladies. Enjoyingthe film? Of course not. Because this is our movie, and this isour soda. You can keep the romantic comedies and lady drinks.We’re good.”

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so�what?

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•It’s a great time for inventive, creative, original thinkers anddoers to work in advertising and PR.

•The industry doesn’t have the martini-fueled glamour of MadMen’s Madison Avenue and their smoke-and-mirrors tricks.

•It does offer a huge and growing scope for getting insidebrands and businesses and consumers.

•Instead of being an optional add-on for businesses,advertising and PR will increasingly become an integral partof the products and services they provide.

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#thankyou

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