Ian Smith
Director, Engagement Marketing
mOcean
Los Angeles
www.mocean.tv
STRENGTHS: “Mobile and social will take center stage in digital marketing plans for brands. It was once considered a ‘nice-to-have,’ depending how much money was in the annual marketing budget, but will now become a ‘must have’ as brands see their core consumer base become increasingly more millennial.”
WEAKNESSES: “Understanding how mobile and social strategies ‘move the needle’ and perceived success will continue to hinder how far a brand can go with a solid mobile and social strategy. Traditional ways to measure success — i.e. buying a TV spot and knowing how many consumers will see that ad upfront, etc — can't be used when determining the success of new digital media — there are too many new factors at play, such as reach, engagement, and influence, etc.”
OPPORTUNITIES: “Knowing that audiences are engaged most socially (and on mobile) through great content, brands now have the opportunity to tell their story in a new and original way. Creatively, this allows a company to differentiate itself from its competitors, driving more engagement, more influence and ultimately, more sales. For agencies and production companies, it means that we can refresh the same-old-thing we've always been doing, attract new creative talent and produce even more work.”
Need Brands' Website, developed by mOcean, for actresses/ celebrity moms Tia and Tamera.
THREATS: “As digital media strategies evolve into this new way of thinking, brands are going to enter a crowded and ‘noisy’ media landscape. This will require them to not only make content captivating and engaging, but most importantly, it must be strategically focused to hit target demographics at the right time, on the right platform and in the most appropriate location. It's the only way they'll cut through the clutter.”
OUTLOOK FOR 2014: “2014 will see a more widespread adoption of content marketing for the social audience. Brands will begin to invest in original ways to tell their story outside of the traditional :30 spot and banner ad, giving publishers, networks and agencies incentive to develop a new type of creative approach to reach consumers.”