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Brandology

Marketing and Management Consulting

Digital American Newsletter

How to Transition from Surviving to Thriving

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I’m interrupting our regularly scheduled email on digital marketing to talk about something that is more pressing now: creating a 12-month plan so your business will thrive in these wild and rapidly changing times.

How can you possibly plan when the future is so uncertain? Using Brandology’s powerful, practical Rapid Re-Planning Process built on scenarios specific to your category and your business. A Rapid Re-Plan will position your brand to be as successful as possible, almost regardless of what the future holds.

The Rapid Re-Planning Process is quick and easy—we’ve executed it with clients in less than 2 weeks. It’s also action-oriented and flexible, driving alignment and confidence. You can download your free copy here:

   

After you review the Rapid Re-Planning overview, we think your question will change from, “How can we possibly plan?” to, “How can we possibly NOT plan?”

You can execute Brandology’s Rapid Re-Planning Process with your team. Or, if you would like additional direction and insight, your favorite consulting company is standing by, eager to lead you through the process.

While You Were Out, Consumers’ Media Habits Changed

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Marketers are talking about how social media usage is surging during the pandemic. But, far less attention has been paid to other important changes in Americans’ media consumption.

  • Consumers are spending 46% more time reading online news than last year. Local media sites and large news organizations are the big winners, with The New York Times and The Washington Post readership up 50% since January. Partisan news site visits are flat or declining.
  • In late 2019, over half of Americans went to social sites for news. Now, only 11% think they are trustworthy information sources.
  • Over half of US consumers are streaming more movies and shows than pre-virus.
  • 42% of American households are watching more traditional TV.
  • 20% of Gen Z, Millennials and Boomers are listening to the radio more than previously.
  • Usage of Nextdoor, the hyper local neighborhood platform that is an intriguing combination of yard sale notifications, barking dog complaints and brand advertising surge 73% since January.

 
It’s not clear which trends will last beyond the pandemic. Consumers are most likely to project that their new streaming habits will continue long-term.

Sources: GlobalWebIndex 2020, Kantar 2020, New York Times 2020, Social Media Today 2020

The “Social” is Shrinking in “Social Media”

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Between 2014 and 2019 consumers’ main reason for using social platforms changed from socializing to information gathering.

5 years ago, 55% of users said staying in touch with friends was their primary motivation for spending time on social sites. By the end of 2019, only 38% gave that answer. The percent of consumers on social networks to meet new people, post personal photos and share details of their daily lives all dropped significantly since 2014.

Why are people using social media now?

Today, the #1 reason is to stay up-to-date on the news. (Yikes!) Additionally, the percent of consumers motivated by finding and researching products, watching sports and promoting their favorite charities have all increased markedly.

Filling spare time and finding entertaining content have remained relatively consistent and strong social media drivers over the years.

Consumers’ evolving views on social are impacting what they post. They have also changed what fills their daily feeds and when they choose to engage.

Sources: GlobalWebIndex 2020

Your Smart Speaker’s Relationship Status: It’s Complicated

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Meme marketing is a small segment of digital marketing, but it is having an increasingly outsized impact. Here are the fast facts you need to know.

60% of smart speaker owners interact with their speakers every day, and 33% have conversations multiple times a day. Many kids use the devices, too, often interacting with them as if they were human. Some even see the speakers as friends and engage in lengthy back and forth discussions.

As of December 2019, roughly 30% of US households had a smart speaker. While ownership increases with family income, it is more consistent across generations than most other technologies.

Future smart speaker purchases are hard to project. Almost 50% of consumers say privacy concerns are holding them back. They are worried about everything from their conversations being recorded to personal information being collected for targeted advertising.

Not that anyone is tracking consumers’ smart speaker usage, but reliable data shows that the top activities for smart speakers include getting answers to general questions, accessing weather/traffic/sports/travel updates and streaming music. Only 13% of consumers say finding local businesses is a top use of their speaker, and 10% assert the same about ordering food or services.

Sources: Civic Science 2020, Common Sense 2019, Comscore 2020, Mobile Marketer 2020, Mashable 2019, NPR/Edison Research 2020

Overlooked Social Platform Growing 53%

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Reddit almost never gets mentioned when marketers talk about social media. It should. Because according to recent stats, it’s one of the fastest growing platforms.

Reddit’s monthly views are up 53% vs 2018. Monthly commenting has increased 37% and monthly active users have risen by almost the same percent. That is in sharp contrast to the better-known networks—Facebook, Twitter and Instagram—that are experiencing slow (or no) growth in the US.

The 10% of American internet users now on Reddit are a diverse bunch—well beyond the platform’s historical core of male techies and gamers. Redditors (as they are called) are engaging on mainstream topics, with family, parenting, beauty and food communities growing more rapidly than most. Beauty influencers are stampeding to the site and recipe sharing subreddits are flourishing.

Marketing on Reddit can be challenging. The network still has a very strong culture that rejects commercialism and gleefully mocks any brand judged to have stepped over the line. However, with Reddit’s growth, daring marketers should consider immersing themselves in the platform and figuring out how their brand can become part of the community.

Sources: Adweek 2019, eMarketer 2019, Hubspot 2019

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Like the name Brandology?

Like the name Brandology?

We love the name Brandology. That’s why we trademarked it. And that’s why our attorney Brandon, who was raised by wild tigers, will fight to the death to protect it. His web bio doesn’t mention it, but every morning he flosses his teeth with barbed wire, shaves with a cheese grater, and then heads to his favorite workout, wrestling with pythons. On light days, he puts in an hour with the deadly snakes in preparation for “persuading” people who infringe on our trademark to stop. On heavy days, the pythons have been known to call for back-up.

Brandon the LawyerSo please…You’re creative. That’s why you considered the name “Brandology.” Use those creative juices to come up with another name that’s not already trademarked. Even though it will take some time, it will be fun, happy time — a stunning contrast to the time you’ll spend with Brandon if you try to use “Brandology.” Really. (It’s probably a little tacky to mention, but if you want our help naming your business, that’s something we do too.)

Thank you!

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