If we can’t protect our privacy, who will?

Advertising is powerful. We are confronted with hundreds upon hundreds of advertisements each day. Technology has enabled advertisements and marketing to expand and integrate further into our personal lives. We are now linked to social media platforms that increase avenues of communication between businesses and ourselves. As consumers, we receive messages and information at the click of a mouse. It flows continuously. While this might make us a more informed shopper and consumer in regards to the product, the ethical risks associated with traditional media marketing parallel the risks associated with social media marketing. Marketing generates revenue, and while this is essential for a healthy economy, it is necessary that it be done in a way that is ethical and respects the privacy of the consumer.

 

With money comes power, and power can sometimes generate abuse. In order to maintain consumers willingness to pay it is necessary that businesses remain transparent and moral in their decisions. Big business needs to reflect the needs and wants of the consumer. Part of doing this is ensuring that they produce content respectful and sensitive to the world separate from driving profit. A few weeks ago I posted about a couple of unethical Tweets generated by Urban Outfitters and Gap. They were using Hurricane Sandy to solicit online and in store sales. Social media platforms are remarkable because of their expansive and instantaneous reach. Urban Outfitters and Gap faced huge consumer lash back due to these tweets. They had generalized a horrific event and attempted to exploit it for their own gain. Many large companies who are active on social media utilize humor and banter in order to engage their audiences. It is necessary though for big business to value the marketing power of social media to the same extent that they value traditional marketing methods. While humor and banter is appropriate in many cases, large companies must not be casual in regards to content that they post. They must approach content in an ethical manner, one that prioritizes societies wellness over their personal wellness.

 

In regards to privacy, ethics now plays a stronger role than ever. In the grand scheme of the Internet, there is very little consumer privacy. While the information collected about us is not being collected on an individual basis (unless you ticked off the CIA), the fact remains that information you once considered private is private no more. In very basic terms, we as Internet users are clumped together by categories and then separated and identified by different logarithms and codes. We are then bombarded with content that correlates with our browsing history, visited products and pages. While this is useful as a consumer, and profitable for business, it can be concerning as a citizen. The fact that any information we proved to a site can be bought and shared without our knowledge is invasive and exploitive. It is my opinion that soon there will be a repurposing of privacy rights so that they reflect the reality of the digital age. The collection and exploitation of our information limits the control of the individual and feeds the power of large corporations. It is necessary for companies like Facebook, who amass consumer information, to remain ethical in their business choices. If we cannot protect our personal data, who will?

For a further look into internet privacy, check out the Ted Talk below.

Powerful Digital Marketing

It is the classic American story; an individual utilizing their inner strength and ability to climb out of the cycle of poverty. This advertisement by Duracell tells the story of all-pro line back Patrick Willis. Patrick Willis lived on a trailer park in Bruceton, Tennessee until leaving home at the age of 17. He grew up in an abusive household and spent the majority of his youth working in cotton fields. This commercial is a reenactment of his rise to success. It is an example of powerful digital marketing because it engages the viewers emotions. We are presented with a child who has nothing, and we watch him evolve into a NFL legend. He is able to reach success not because of others, but because of his own inner strength and determination to fight past the limitations of his environment. It is revealed only at the end that this is a Duracell commercial. Duracell’s classic slogan, “Trust the power within,” appears on the screen before the commercial ends. As the viewers, we feel inspired by Willis’ rise to success. Duracell creates a lasting impression because of how it creates a nice correlation between this athletes inner strength and the strength of Duracells batteries  By provoking our emotions, Duracell has successfully produced consumer engagement.

From the moment this video begins, you are entranced by Van Dammes sculpted face, steely gaze, and calm narration. The close up of his face builds intrigue because it prevents the viewer from understanding the full context of the advertisement.   As the camera pans away from Dammes, we see that he is positioned in between two massive Volvo cargo trucks. The narration ends, Enya begins to play, and Dammes falls into the splits between the two trucks as they separate from one another. Volvo trucks precision driving capabilities is something that few have to concern themselves with, but Volvo managed to reach the general masses by combining visual beauty with an awe worthy human feat. It has strong content because it combines a story with elements of surprise, shock, amazement, and beauty. It is powerful digital marketing at its finest.

When to keep corporate culture and current events separate

The average number of Instagram likes per day is 1.2 billion. The average number of Tweets sent per day is 500 million. 757 million people use Facebook on a daily basis. Social media’s massive scale and constant stream of information provides great opportunity as well as great risk for today’s businesses. The direct access to consumers that brands gain through social media is unprecedented. As the methods of reaching and targeting consumers continue to evolve, tradtional marketing ethics must apply and adjust. The biggest concern I face regarding social media ethics is when brands choose to solicit themselves by exploiting others suffering in times of crisis. One politically or socially inappropriate tweet can change the entire way in which a company is percieved.  An example of this is from 2012 when Urban Outfitters decided to release a tweet regarding Hurricane Sandy. During the storm, (@UrbanOutfitters) tweeted: “This storm blows (but free shipping doesn’t)! Today only…bit.ly/S8fADV #frankenstorm #ALLSOGGY”

Other large retailers like American Apparel, The Gap, and Sears, generated their own versions of Sandy storm sales as well.

The consumer backlash was immediate. These companys had belitted a national crisis by using the Sandy storm as a vehicle for promoting their brand. Their lacking sensitivity further justified the stigma against corporate culture. Social media gives corporate culture a voice and an opportunity for consumers to respond to it. If companies are not able to decipher what content is ethically appropriate, then their whole world has the potential to crash and burn.

2014 Content Marketing Trends

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and it plays an essential role in businesses online visibility. As defined by The Oxford Dictionary, SEO is “the process of maximizing the number of visitors to a particular website by ensuring that the site appears high on the list of results returned by a search engine.” SEO is typically recognized as producing “organic” (unpaid) results. With the constant evolution of search engines, businesses have begun hiring individuals who work to ensure that the company’s online presence is up to date with the latest search engine software and that quality content is being created on a frequent basis. This is called content marketing and it works to ensure that a business meets search engine standards, avoids falling on page ranks, and avoids penalization. Basically, content marketing determines the success of a company’s online visibility. In a Huffington post article written by Jonathan Long, he identifies some of the pro’s and con’s of SEO. The pro’s include natural exposure and credibility, large ROI potential, and exposure on several search engines. The con’s include Quality SEO takes time, high competition, and susceptibility to algorithm updates.

When examining the latest trends in SEO and content marketing, I turned to the Content Marketing Institute. The first shift they identified is the trend towards having organizational roles  dedicated to delivering results based off of a well thought out online content strategy.

The second trend is that having responsive designs are going to be a “must have.” This means that content is fully functional on every screen size and platform.

The third is that link learning will eventually trump link building. This means that content marketers will one in a while have to generate time-consuming “big content,” that will require the same time and budget as creating 100 smaller pieces of content.

The fourth is that marketers will be able to create online content for highly targeted segments of their audience.

The fifth is that you will need  to start thinking like a journalist and achieve the results of a marketer. Analyze your metrics, talk to your customers, ask members of your sales team about the most popular non-product-related questions they’re getting so that you can understand what influences people to act.

In conclusion, quality  search engine optimization and content marketing can be very instrumental in a company’s success. SEO takes time and is laborious, but can deliver a solid return in the long run. It is important to remain patient with the process as shortcuts put websites in danger of penalty. 

The American Made Water Bottles

The first thing I noticed about my Liberty water bottle was the satisfying click it made as I replaced the cap. That initial click was the beginning of a long term relationship. I don’t typically carry water bottles around, but there was something different about this one. Its durability, functionality, and overall feel made drinking water almost enjoyable. The fact that it was made entirely of recycled materials was also appealing. With a little further digging, I discovered that this Yakima based water bottle company prioritizes sustainability and locally made goods. They emphasize that their products are “American Made,” in support of American job creation. Pretty swell, eh? I noticed that one of the tabs at the top of their homepage is titled “Sustainability Officer.” Liberty uses social media to enhance their brand by encouraging consumers to use Instagram and Facebook to demonstrate why they should be selected as an S.O. Participants are required to upload a photo of them practicing sustainable living within their own lives with the tag #SOliberty. Some examples include photos of service projects, commuting by bike, community involvement, and working for a greater cause. If you’re chosen as a Liberty Sustainability Officer, Liberty sends you 36 special edition, Made-In-America bottles for you to give to people in your community and continue to tell your story as an official Liberty S.O. 

The Sustainability Officer program is original because it generates word of mouth marketing while also encouraging ethical and sustainable lifestyles. Liberty also posts small Instagram contests in which followers can enter to win water bottles. Its most recent contest asked participants to describe their “dream date” in 30 words or less. The selected winner would win a set of 4 water bottles. 

The Hero Community

I have decided to buy a GoPro. I have been interested in buying an action camera for the last year but continue to spend my money on things of more immediate need or desire. With soccer ending, I now have plans to get back into mountaineering and backpacking. I figure that the functionality and compact design of the GoPro Hero 3 could prove to be pretty fun while I am pancaked to the side of a glacial wall or glacading through the snow valleys below . In my search for the best GoPro deal or bundle, I stumbled upon their Facebook website. It was immediately apparent that a large portion of its content is user submitted.

This “Photo of the Day,” is captioned with “Ready to paddle out into a beautiful golden sunrise in Rio de Janeiro by Bruno Bezerra.” GoPro succeeded in capturing a niche market and has since gained an expansive fan base. GoPro also excels because their product naturally stimulates social media engagement. The cameras serve as perfect compliments to varying social media and sharing platforms. Content is shared and distributed because of the users underlying desire to be appreciated and admired. The above photo is an example of a fans contribution to GoPro’s Facebook wall on April 9th. He has since received 2,500 likes on the photo. Fans remain engaged because of their desire to capture and share evidence of personal experiences.

GoPro has an advantage since their product alone generates the majority of social media engagement. In addition to the photo or video of the day, GoPro does daily gear giveaways where one lucky fan receives all of the GoPro products. They also use Instagram to utilize social media engagement. Followers are constantly using the GoPro hashtag in an effort to achieve social media fame. Will the purchase of a GoPro Hero prompt me to become an avid hashtagger? Who knows. But what I do know is that the first thing I am going to do when I join the Hero community is attach the camera to my dog.

 

 

A Pesky Habit

Two years ago I was introduced to the website Imgur. The image hosting hub describes itself as “the home to the web’s most popular image content, curated in real time by a dedicated community through commenting, voting and sharing.” After discovering that I preferred Imgur’s content format to Tumblr’s, I quickly became a regular browser. I check Imgur almost daily, sometimes two times during a slow day. Although I wouldn’t call myself a full-fledged “imgurarian,” since I still lack a username and password despite free signup. The sign up is daunting. I feel that by creating an Imgur identity, I would prompt my transformation from pesky habit indulger, to full fledged obsessor.  Due to my desire to limit screen time within my life, I will to stick to skimming through the most popular posts and remaining obtuse. I enjoy Imgur because it is weird and quirky. It is a world in which content creates personal identities and therefore it embraces unpredictability.  I also enjoy Imgur because it serves as a social newspaper. The majority of the posts are formatted into meme’s and gif’s in an effort to provide comical relief. Even so, the image’s contexts tend to refer to breaking news and information. If I don’t find the post sufficient, I’ll open up Google and dive a little deeper.  While Imgur encourages my screen dependency, I find that browsing it can be more stimulating than not. You can count on it being humorous, interesting, informative, occasionally creepy, and always, always weird.