An article by Mashable’s, Todd Wasserman, recently caught my eye (pun intended). According to the article, the ANAR Foundation (Aid to Children and Adolescents at Risk), recently created a billboard that will allow people to view the same billboard but see a completely different message based on your visual vantage point.
“The feat is achieved by use of lenticular printing, which allows different images to be seen depending on the vantage point. In this case, if the billboard is seen by children under 1.3 meters (about 4 feet 3 inches), then the message, “If somebody hurts you, phone us and we’ll help you” appears along with a phone number for the ANAR Foundation (Aid to Children and Adolescents at Risk). There’s also a message just for adults, a warning saying, “Sometimes child abuse is only visible to the child suffering it” (Wasserman, 2013).
The potential benefits of this emerging media is just now being realized and I would not be surprised if we see a resurgence in the popularity of roadside billboards in the near future.
Condensed Version Please? I Don’t Have All Minute!
Let’s face it, consumers are “time-compressed” nowadays. Many consumers belong to several different social media sites and desire a way to catch up on all the days events without spending too much time searching through endless amounts of information. High quality information provided in a condensed manner will result in very satisfied web surfer.
So, How Do I Get Their Attention?
Example: I’m am an office worker and I get a :30 minute lunch break. During my lunch break, I want to get a mental break from work by catching-up on as much news and social media content that I can in the time allotted. How are you, as a marketer, going to capture my attention so that I feel that I have used my free time efficiently?
More content, less fluff!
Vendor Seek gives a great breakdown of how to gain the attention of your audience:
Making advertising relatable
Your ads should feature situations they can relate to, people who look and act like them, and realistic and desirable outcomes.
Making advertisements pleasurable
People find humor pleasurable; everyone likes to laugh. Advertisers think of clever ways to integrate humor with their products and services. Again, not everyone will share the same sentiments regarding what is funny. Know your target market. There may be certain scenarios they would consider funny based on their likenesses.
Making advertisements surprising
Eccentricity is closely related to the concept of novelty. ‘Strange’ is also ‘new’ to most. In advertising, we attempt to orchestrate novel and riveting images to demand attention. The element of surprise captivates consumer attention, and keeps their attention long enough until the ad features hosted services and products.
Combine the three tips above with an engaging message and you’ve got yourself the start of something wonderful!
Look To Kmart
Kmart just stepped out with a new marketing message that is relatable, humorous, and eccentric and is relayed in a message :36 seconds long.
That leaves the average worker another 29 minutes and :24 seconds to spare.
Check out Kmart’s Ship My Pants Commercial:
I Work Better When I Surf The Internet. Really!
Give them an excuse and they will use it! “Good news for web surfing junkies. And their bosses. New research has revealed that workers who surf the net on their lunch break are likely to be more productive in the afternoon than peers who rested away from their computer screens. The study, “Impact of Cyberloafing on Psychological Engagement,” by Don J.Q. Chen and Vivien K.G Lim of the National University of Singapore, was presented last week in San Antonio, Texas, at the annual meeting of the Academy of Management”- The Periscope Post
Lastly, If All Else Fails, Remember to Kiss It!
Remember, in today’s internet jungle, you need to grab the consumer attention for as long as you can. This is where I recommend that marketing strategists utilize the K.I.S.S concept: keep it simple, stupid! Media offered in the form of a short, sweet, entertaining message will most likely grab the attention of the consumer, at least for a few seconds. And, if you’re message is good, that’s all you’ll need.
Honorable mentions:
What the fluff [image]: www.ashtarcommandcrew.net
The Periscope Post: http://www.periscopepost.com/2011/08/the-benefits-of-cyberloafing-lunch-break-web-surfing-refreshes-workers-boosts-their-productivity/
Are Electronic Tattoo Sensors The Future of Media?
Skin signals: This device, applied directly to the skin, can record useful medical information.
Thanks to the creative genius of John Rogers, new electronic sensors that resembles a small tattoo could help monitor health during normal daily activities. The sensor, printed directly onto the skin, can last up to two weeks and can record and transmit vital medical information between you and your doctor. “Taking advantage of recent advances in flexible electronics, researchers have devised a way to “print” devices directly onto the skin so people can wear them for an extended period while performing normal daily activities. Such systems could be used to track health and monitor healing near the skin’s surface, as in the case of surgical wounds.”
Imagine the implications this could have on emerging media. As a marketing professional, I am excited at the prospect this new technology could hold for all aspects of marketing media. One example of how this information could be used is in the area of market research. Market research professionals could utilize the tattoo sensor when researching markets for new brand introductions. Using the sensor, market research volunteers could collect data, such as weekly buying habits and brand choices, and the data collected could be sent back wirelessly via strategically located vendor kiosks. Of course, this is just one example of the many marketing uses I can think of. I believe the potential for this technology will only be limited by ones imagination.
“Rogers says his lab is now focused on developing and refining wireless power sources and communication systems that could be integrated into the system. He says the technology could potentially be commercialized by MC10 (see “Making Stretchable Electronics”), a company he cofounded in 2008. If things go as planned, says Rogers, in about a year and half the company will be developing more sophisticated systems “that really do begin to look like the ones that we’re publishing on now.”
Emerging: coming to maturity; coming into existence; being born or beginning; yet to be or coming
Media: the means of communication, as radio and television, newspapers, and magazines, that reach or influence people widely
So, it can be concluded that emerging media is forthcoming communications.
Is it media that hasn’t yet been invented? Is it current media that is still in a state of evolving?
The answer is Yes! It is all the above and then some.
“The most commonly applied ‘shorthand description’ of emerging media is that it is communications – of all types – based on digital technologies, and increasingly with interactive components. Among definitions designed to transcend user jargon, is that offered by Neuman (1991) more than a decade ago. He argued that what we define as emerging media will a) alter the influence of distance, b) increase the volume and speed of communications, c) enable interactive communications and d) permit the merging of media forms” – American Journal of Business
Google Glass is the prefect example of emerging media:
What is Google Glass?
“The core of Google Glass is its tiny prism display which sits not in your eyeline, but a little above it. You can see what is on the display by glancing up. The glasses also have an embedded camera, microphone, GPS and, reportedly, use bone induction to give you sound.
Voice control is used to control the device; you say ‘ok glass’ to get a range of options including taking pictures, videos, send messages using speech to text, ‘hang out’ with people or get directions to somewhere. You access these options by saying them out loud.
Most of this functionality is self explanatory; hang out is Google’s video conferencing technology and allows you to talk to a people over web cam, and stream them what you are seeing and the directions use Google Maps and the inbuilt GPS to help you find your way.
The results are displayed on the prism – essentially putting data into your view like a head up display (HUD). It’s potentially incredibly handy. Also rather nifty is the potential for automatic voice and speech recognition – and Google has given its Glass project a big boost by snapping up specialists DNNresearch.” Tech Radar
Think of emerging media as the cool stuff that Science Fiction writers and readers could once only dream of but is now on the brink of reality.
Two and a Half Cents 