Google plus or a minus?

2 months have passed since Google’s latest social media re-incarnation, so I thought it might be interesting to see where they’re at, and a look at what’s next.

Firstly, they’ve had quite a start, reaching 25m users quicker than their friends at Facebook and Twitter did. It’s taken 1 month to reach such mass, whereas it took Facebook almost 3 years. A false number perhaps as social media was at a very different stage in its lifecycle back then, but a positive for Google all the same.

The other key plus for me is around functionality, ‘Circles’ allow users to organize connections in to pots, so you can have ‘close friends’, ‘family’, ‘work’ and so on – which gives the service a lot of flexibility. This is crucial for Google+ on-going success as Facebook isn’t as flexible in this regard. Interestingly, Facebook have tweaked the site recently (you can manage privacy on individual posts now), and expect more to come as they track the progress of Google+ and manage privacy concerns over time.

On the negative side, that 25m+ audience is jam packed full of nerds… perhaps unsurprisingly it’s over-indexing on early adopter Engineers, Software professionals and most importantly – men. The site currently has 70% men, 30% women which is the total reverse of the rest of the social network sphere, where 60/40 women to men is far more commonplace (Twitter has the highest ratio of women to men with 64/36% women to men, Pew Research Study).

The key step now is how they take the service in to the public mainstream and your network of friends, celebrity, sport, news etc. Basically, Google+ needs to step in to the world of your average Joe on the street, who with 2-3 social profiles already may think they simply don’t need yet another service in their lives.

The most concerning stat for Google HQ from the first two months might just be the active user base, statistics show that 83% of the base are inactive, which is higher than Twitter (which is saying something). So they’ve seen a very high take up rate, but now people are inactive and deciding where this actually fits with their other networks.

Another factor is that they’ve not launched business profiles yet, which will inevitably have an impact in terms of buzz around the service – expect that to come in the next couple of months. However, I’m not convinced that’s going to see a new swathe of engaged users arrive and stay.

Google+ will need to find its place in the social world soon enough; but personally I fear that your regular Jane doesn’t have time for another social network, so there’s a lot more work to be done to change pretty entrenched behaviour amongst that group.

The other concern for me is that Google just doesn’t feel inherently social.... you go to them for something different – and social isn’t it. Only time will tell.

Thanks

Nic

 *Bime Analytics Research

303 asks IKEA to pay rent in WA and SA

303 and IKEA has launched the 2012 catalogue campaign in WA and SA, the catalogue is a key element in the brands armoury and 303 have taken a totally fresh approach to the launch. 

The people of WA and SA can earn rent from IKEA just for keeping the catalogue in their home. By signing up, users are able to receive monthly rent cheques via email.

Nigel Richardson, Marketing Manager of IKEA (WA & SA): "The annual catalogue launch is the pivotal point in the year for IKEA and is key to our marketing program. Historically, the focus is on new products and the campaign runs for just a few weeks. We wanted to focus on the inspiration that comes from the catalogue and encourage people to use it throughout the year. The international theme for the 2012 catalogue is 'create space'. That was the brief for 303. We are excited by the concept and the collaborative process of developing this with 303 has been an open and rewarding one."

Sydney-based Simon Langley, ECD at 303: "The IKEA catalogue is an institution. People anticipate its arrival, get excited about it, read it and then it put it on the shelf. We want it to have pride of place. But, with living costs increasing we figured it only fair that IKEA should pay their way. This led us to the idea of IKEA paying people to keep the catalogue in their homes by renting the space it occupies"

To find out all about the campaign, and to start earning rent, go here!

Cheers

Making the New, Old Again

We are all aware of how saturated the globe is now with new technology.
You are even likely to see grandma’s walking around typing an SMS these days.

The convenience that this technology offers us makes it an easy choice, hence its growth as the preferred means of communication.

It could be easily assumed, therefore, that we as consumers prefer everything to be on a screen.

But there is an opposing force, which is driving consumer desire. As technology changes so rapidly there is a longing for how things used to be.

Nostalgia for the more tangible, personal, and authentic ways of the old days reinvented in modern times

So we have a desire for convenience.
Clashing with a desire for engagement.

What if advertising could bring these two ideas together?
If our campaigns don’t just focus on the digital space, but use this as a platform for collaborative projects that the audience can then translate into their own world.

A nice example was executed for the Swedish postal service last Christmas.
The insight being that people still prefer to receive a traditional Christmas card, even though online e-cards were increasing in popularity for the givers.

The creative execution, ‘Living Christmas Cards’, allowed personalised ‘one-off’ cards to be created and ordered online and then mailed to the recipients home as a hard-copy, similar to a post-card.



Another proof of the pudding is the campaign involving the use of iPhones to catch ‘invisible’ butterflies out in the ‘real world’.



Multi-dimensional campaigns that weave their way into peoples lives both on and off-line.

Thanks

Cassie