Recent Endorsements

You've left us really enthused about the whole digital dimension and we're looking forward to developing our plan with your support.
Simon Beardow - Deputy Director, British Council, Vietnam

Thursday 6 January 2011

Sharing in 2010

Providing referral tools on a site, is an important marketing element that no marketer or online publisher should ignore.

There are several free options and one of the best is AddThis.  One billion users monthly are reached through this sharing platform and, according to their media, AddThis is installed on more than  7 million domains.  That is a lot of exposure.


I have used AddThis on one of my own sites and the results (above chart ) mirror those of the infographic produced by the company.

Email is the most prevalent use, with Facebook close behind and Twitter catching up fast.

Here is the AddThis breakdown of sharing statistics for 2010:




Wednesday 5 January 2011

New Merchandise in TheDigitalConsultant Store

Some new designs on the subject of Digital Downtime -  something we all need from time to time!
The "Non Mouse" Mousepad!


What If Ignorance Is Really Bliss?
What If Ignorance Is Bliss?
......and one of our shopper's favourites,  "I'm as Social as it gets"

I'm As Social As It Gets

All available from thedigitalconsultant online store.

Sunday 2 January 2011

2011 Crystal Ball Gazing

The reality is that there will be so much happening in 2011 and at a faster pace than ever before.

Top picks:


3D-enabled television sets will contiue to be pushed by manufacturers but the 'imminent 3D revolution' will remain on the horizon

Gaming will continue to grow with Sony's Move and Microsoft's Kinect motion control gazumping the older platforms

Home computer and television convergence will continue with Apple and Google leading the way

Rupert Murdoch's content paywall will make more profit but continue to shed publication subscribers

iPad2 will be released with mounted cameras and Face-time video-callingsoftware

Devices that can anticipate our needs by using intelligent accelerometers and provide personalised content, advice or services, will become more prevalent

A bigger Cloud and smaller devices with solid state hard drives

There will be more Android, Nokia, Apple, Blackberry and Windows Apps than ever before, generating close to $10 billion of revenue in 2011

And here are the predictions from a variety of digital pundits:

Social Media

Gary Halliwell of Venturebeat:
  • Social customer service will drive revenue
    Smart companies will do more of this in 2011.

  • Social marketing will move beyond Facebook and LinkedIn
    In our connected world of Tweets, blogs, emails and posts, this information transmission is captured in electronic form, and what we know as “word-of-mouth” in face to face interaction has become “word-of-digital”, and it’s incredibly track-able and useful.

  • Socially adept companies will align the needs of employees and customers
    In 2011, we’ll see more companies embrace Zappos’ approach to social as integral, and large corporations relying on their inertia will feel the hot breath of excitement from fully motivated competition.

  • Millennials will take another step forward into the breach
    The shift to greater social connectedness will continue to move forward in 2011

  • Social will penetrate deeper into company structures
    Not surprisingly, marketing decision makers had the heaviest use of social media. This is a trend that will hopefully reverse, as more CEOs see the power of social media to network and to amplify their thought leadership

  • Go live or go home
    Going “real time” means preparing an organization to react to what’s happening in their world, cohesively and adeptly. It requires planning for the future with room for ambiguity and change, and the flexibility to react from the top to the bottom of a company.
New Products




DigitalTrends predictions for products and trends to be seen in Las Vegas this year include:
  • Unfinished tablets
  • iPad accessories
  • 3D content
  • Superphones
  • AMD Fusion
  • Intel Sandy Bridge
  • Smart TVs
  • Automotive media extravaganzas
  • Next-generation e-readers
  • All-in-one PCs as an art form
E Marketing

Predictions from EMarketer.com
  • Apps invade all platforms - mobile, desktop, tv

  • Content consumption convergence - consumers engage seamlessly with content across multiple platforms

  • Location, location, location - mobile social network usage will more than double by 2015 and location based services have yet to reach the mainstream

  • Social gets its share of marketing dollars -  4 out of 5 marketers will use social media tools in 2011and changing consumer usage patterns will make social media a must. 80% of companies are planning increased spending in this area in 2011. Traditional advertising spend is falling as budget is funnelled to social media. Return On Investment remains difficult to quantify.

  • Targeting audiences vs content -  Audience segmentation and targeting will remain key factors driving the shift to digital marketing

  • Online privacy debate heats up -  50% of users remain concerned about privacy issues. More people trust the government than advertisers, but most don't trust either.


Click Here's 2011 Digital Trends:
  • Digital will be everywhere in 2011
    In 2011, we’ll see digital engagement as an everywhere medium

  • The brand web site is under threat from social media
    Despite the rise in buzz around Facebook pages, brand websites are every bit as relevant as they’ve ever been. They remain the only true digital channel that can be completely and wholly owned by you, the brand

  • The jury is out as to who will win the HMTL5 vs Flash battle
    Should we continue to invest in Flash and business as usual, or do we abandon the platform altogether and fix our sights on the promise of HTML5

  • Mobile Advertising
    In 2011, mobile advertising will provide more opportunities for advertisers with rich technology, a unique daypart, more customization and more tracking.

  • User Generated Content and the emerging power of the status update
    Brands need to focus more on building an advocate base through the delivery of a consistent brand message

  • There will be more fun and games
    Consider how multitouch and mobile apps transformed the mobile device into an opportunity for meaningful engagement with audiences away from computers and TV screens. GPS functionality transformed social networks into a local experience. Even the humble webcam has evolved well beyond its original function as it has been repurposed to serve up face recognition and augmented reality experiences. The Kinect’s technology is positioned to lead a transformation of similar magnitude

  • The constant evolution of Search Engine Marketing
    First and foremost in 2011 will be the necessity to build a website that lends itself to successful search engine indexing and that, with the all-important keyword-rich content and linking efforts, can return high rankings on SERPs

  • The future of shopping is social
    Recommendation engines and group buying sites are becoming increasing popular and integrated into social networks such as Facebook. You may not even recognize them, but these shopping tools are showing up all over the place and will give shoppers a lot of power in 2011.

  • The Rise of the Demand-side platform
     Marketers will look to DSPs to expand their product offerings and become much more than a technology company that merely lends out its bidding platform. In 2011, look for these companies to go to market with turnkey and unique products that will further drive efficiency and attract large marketers

  • It will be the year of the mobile website
    In 2011, the net result of the increase in smart phones will be a drastic increase in mobile web usage and more brands will begin to create mobile websites instead of applications
Meeting and Events

2011 will mark significant change for the global meetings and events industry, driven in part by the ongoing adoption of mobile, the increase in popularity of social networks and the pressure to make meetings and events more transparent, predictable and aligned to the business - Certain Software
  • More and more events will be organised and managed via handheld devices
  • Smart phones and social networks will provide expanded ways to engage attendees
 
 
PaidContent
  • It Will Be The Year Of ‘Interactive TV’
    Growing broadband penetration and a face-off in the booming race among over-the-top box maker - Robert Andrews

  • Netflix Will Be Acquired
    Think of what iTunes is for Apple—that’s what Neflix could be for its acquirer - Andrew Wallenstein

  • The ‘Ad Network’ Name Will R.I.P.
    The term “ad network” will fall even further into disuse by ad-tech firms - David Kaplan

  • Local Deals And Check-Ins Will Converge
    Would it really be that much of a surprise to see, for example, a Groupon or LivingSocial deal at a nearby hair salon when you load a check-in app on your phone?  - Amanda Natividad

  • The E-Reader Will Reach Critical Mass
    This is the year the standalone e-reader shifted from luxury to near-commodity, from a $250-$350 planned purchase to a $140-and-below basic buy. - Staci D. Kramer

  • We’ll Finally See Some Big Name Digital Media IPOs
    The year will be then capped off by a record-breaking filing from Facebook, which will value the company at a staggering $100 billion - Joseph Tartakoff

  • Microsoft Will Keep Trying In Mobile With Limited Success
    In the year ahead, we will see more attempts by Microsoft to take that new OS, put it in more devices—and, yes, roll them out to more carriers and other retail channels. - Ingrid Lunden

  • Google Will Win Its Intellectual Property Lawsuits
    On its own, Google has been footing a big chunk of Silicon Valley’s legal bill for several years now. The company has created important case law that benefits its competitors too - Joe Mullin
JWT
Ann Mack, Global Director of Trendspotting for J Walter Thomson (JWT) 2011 “watch” list.



 Happy New Year to all readers of The DigitalConsultant. May your 2011 be a social and profitable one!

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