Are we no longer in the Information Age?
What about the Age of Transparency? (Well, guess it can coinside.)
Okay, online and mobile video usage is on the rise.
And, as more people watch video online, their online devices are being more and more used for entertainment purposes — not news and stuff like that, according to a June 28, 2008, eMarketer story:
- “Key research from Deloitte Development signifies the shift away from TV to the Internet, with 69% of respondents in the firm’s second annual ‘The State of the Media Democracy’ survey saying their computer has become more of an entertainment device than their TV.” That same Deloitte study also found that 36% of all respondents use their “cellphone as an entertainment device.”
And, according to MediaPost’s Research Brief blog (July 16, 2008):
- “Total hours with video-based entertainment on all platforms is forecasted to expand nearly 35% to about 8 hours (in 2013) on average, as consumers use more screens in more places and video becomes ubiquitous on every screen at home and work and on-the-go.”
What does that say about us?
Are we looking to be passive and not active in our free (and even working) time?
Are we looking for more escapism through whatever fantasy or reality we can see on video?
Are we getting fat and lazy, and society will collapse because we’re too busy watching the boob-tube — no matter its platform?
I don’t know the answers (though the pessimist in me doesn’t like this trend, as you can tell by the image).
What it does mean to me — professionally — is that communicators and marketers need to keep an eye on where our audience members are and what they are doing. We have to be communicating with them more so then to them — and in a way that it connects to their interests and lifestyles.
Look at what Southwest Airlines is doing:
According to a June 26, 2008, MediaPost Marketing Daily story, Southwest Airlines “has signed on to sponsor the Midnight Gaming Championship (MGC) 2008 video gaming season to capture mindshare from tomorrow’s professionals, now ages 16 through 25….The marketing message tied to the sponsorship focuses on educating consumers about several Southwest services such as the downloadable computer desktop widget ‘Ding’ that offers exclusive fares on flights; along with the company’s weekly email, Click ‘n’ Save, that reaches 6.9 million subscribers; and Rapid Rewards.”
Southwest Airlines is marketing its services that are tied to the interests and habits of its targeted 16-25 years of age demographics. There’s a connection between what Southwest is pushing and its audiences’ habits.
No matter where society — or your audience — is going or doing, communicators need to develop some level of connection with them. That connection can be in conversations or creating tools, services and experiences that complement your company, products or services — all the while being part of your customers and prospects’ interests and lifestyle habits.
Marketing=Connection. It’s as simple, and as entertaining as that.
-Mike
(For a related take on the “Age of Entertainment,” see my other recent column at TalentZoo.)
