How Nestlé dealt with a social media campaign by Greenpeace against its KitKat bar brand
By early this year, Mr Blackshaw had set up a “digital acceleration team” as part of Nestlé’s efforts to monitor social media sentiment 24 hours a day. When the team sees problems, the communications unit co-ordinates the company’s engagement with the relevant parties, such as suppliers, campaigners, governments and consumers. In addition, Nestlé executives from across the globe visit the digital acceleration team centre at the headquarters in Switzerland, to learn about managing social media communications and digital marketing.
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Tuesday, December 4, 2012
The World in 2013 - Media Pressures
Time for repentance and new ideas
Two commercial sectors, meanwhile, will have much to cheer in 2013. Television advertising, long predicted to evaporate in a multichannel, digital environment, looks strong. BSkyB will compete with the BBC to export television across the globe. Commercial broadcasters are searching for another “Downton Abbey”, a thoroughly British costume drama actually made as an American co-production. Even as Downton’s last swish of silk disappears, advertisers will pursue its audience of prosperous female viewers.
The new golden age of radio will continue with a revived commercial side likely to make still more money in 2013. Capital Radio, headed by Stephen Miron, is creating young bands and hosting big concerts, as well as playing noisy tracks to cabbies and teenagers. Mr Miron has shown that a well-targeted station with attractive add-ons can win listeners. The proliferation of whizzy digital devices is good for radio. Fresh ideas and some commercial innovation are even better.
Two commercial sectors, meanwhile, will have much to cheer in 2013. Television advertising, long predicted to evaporate in a multichannel, digital environment, looks strong. BSkyB will compete with the BBC to export television across the globe. Commercial broadcasters are searching for another “Downton Abbey”, a thoroughly British costume drama actually made as an American co-production. Even as Downton’s last swish of silk disappears, advertisers will pursue its audience of prosperous female viewers.
The new golden age of radio will continue with a revived commercial side likely to make still more money in 2013. Capital Radio, headed by Stephen Miron, is creating young bands and hosting big concerts, as well as playing noisy tracks to cabbies and teenagers. Mr Miron has shown that a well-targeted station with attractive add-ons can win listeners. The proliferation of whizzy digital devices is good for radio. Fresh ideas and some commercial innovation are even better.
OMG! Texting turns twenty
Happy bday txt msg! :D
ON DECEMBER 3rd 1992 a young Vodafone engineer wished his boss "Merry Christmas" by SMS (short message service). This is widely regarded as the first ever text. (Tapping out 07734 on a calculator, turning it upside down and handing it to someone does not count.) Since then, texting has become a global phenomenon, growing particularly rapidly in the early-noughties when America finally embraced the medium and Chinese mobile subscriptions took off. According to Portio Research, a market-research firm, 7.8 trillion text messages were sent in 2011 and the number is expected to increase. The growth of social networks in recent years such as Facebook and Twitter (based on the SMS format) and services such as BlackBerry Messenger and WhatsApp (which offer free or cheap texts) are seen to herald the death of SMS. Portio predicts a decline in texting around 2016 as the mobile market reaches saturation and rival systems become more popular. Yet for the moment, people's thumbs continue to peck at the fingerpad to send texts, as the number of mobile subscribers worldwide continues to grow.
ON DECEMBER 3rd 1992 a young Vodafone engineer wished his boss "Merry Christmas" by SMS (short message service). This is widely regarded as the first ever text. (Tapping out 07734 on a calculator, turning it upside down and handing it to someone does not count.) Since then, texting has become a global phenomenon, growing particularly rapidly in the early-noughties when America finally embraced the medium and Chinese mobile subscriptions took off. According to Portio Research, a market-research firm, 7.8 trillion text messages were sent in 2011 and the number is expected to increase. The growth of social networks in recent years such as Facebook and Twitter (based on the SMS format) and services such as BlackBerry Messenger and WhatsApp (which offer free or cheap texts) are seen to herald the death of SMS. Portio predicts a decline in texting around 2016 as the mobile market reaches saturation and rival systems become more popular. Yet for the moment, people's thumbs continue to peck at the fingerpad to send texts, as the number of mobile subscribers worldwide continues to grow.
Internet Traffic - Video Takes Over
On November 23rd Psy, a South Korean pop star, claimed the title for the most-watched online video
His goofy, rodeo-dancing “Gangnam Style” clip was viewed more than 805m times, surpassing Justin Bieber’s “Baby”. Psy’s sudden success underscores a broader trend: video has become the dominant form of (fixed-access) online content. Three years ago audiovisual entertainment was less than 30% of peak-time internet traffic in North America. That share has since doubled, says Sandvine, a consultancy. Web-browsing’s share has shrunk by two-thirds. Netflix accounts for a third of American peak-time traffic. YouTube is the world’s biggest purveyor of online videos, not all of them filmed in Seoul.
His goofy, rodeo-dancing “Gangnam Style” clip was viewed more than 805m times, surpassing Justin Bieber’s “Baby”. Psy’s sudden success underscores a broader trend: video has become the dominant form of (fixed-access) online content. Three years ago audiovisual entertainment was less than 30% of peak-time internet traffic in North America. That share has since doubled, says Sandvine, a consultancy. Web-browsing’s share has shrunk by two-thirds. Netflix accounts for a third of American peak-time traffic. YouTube is the world’s biggest purveyor of online videos, not all of them filmed in Seoul.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Authenticity is crucial when it comes to content
If brands believe in the advertising content they're creating, ensure that it both holds its own among other entertainment and is culturally credible, then the sky's the limit
Branded content has a long and esteemed history. In simple terms, many of history's renowned "creatives", such as Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Shakespeare, all took commissions for "branded content". The great and the good have always wanted to be associated with the work produced by the most innovative artists. Today, brands are increasingly playing the role of patron. Brands have a well-established and accepted role in the music industry, but this is spreading to film, theatre, comedy, sport, art, television drama, space travel – the list goes on. Even Tesco has its own Youtube channel.
Branded content has a long and esteemed history. In simple terms, many of history's renowned "creatives", such as Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Shakespeare, all took commissions for "branded content". The great and the good have always wanted to be associated with the work produced by the most innovative artists. Today, brands are increasingly playing the role of patron. Brands have a well-established and accepted role in the music industry, but this is spreading to film, theatre, comedy, sport, art, television drama, space travel – the list goes on. Even Tesco has its own Youtube channel.
DVR Use One Factor in Networks’ Low Ratings
If you ask several of the top programmers in network television what is going wrong with their ratings this season, they offer a litany of answers: jarring schedule disruptions from debates, election night and Hurricane Sandy, for instance, as well as the ever-increasing defections toward delayed viewing and away from the nightly schedules that have defined network prime time since the days of radio.
“The point the networks make is that the DVR is revolutionizing viewing,” said Brad Adgate, director of research for Horizon Media, a media buying company. “But that is masking the fact that the new shows they put on this fall just aren’t that good. There are better shows on cable.”
“The point the networks make is that the DVR is revolutionizing viewing,” said Brad Adgate, director of research for Horizon Media, a media buying company. “But that is masking the fact that the new shows they put on this fall just aren’t that good. There are better shows on cable.”
Nordic giant Schibsted wants to be world's No 1 for online classifieds
Norwegians reckon the online free ad market is up for grabs
Le Bon Coin's revenue stream is made of three parts: premium services (you pay to add a picture, a better ranking, tracking on your ad); fees coming from the growing number professionals who flock to LBC (many car dealerships put their entire inventory here); and advertising for which the primary sectors are banking and insurance, services such as mobile phone carriers or pay-TV, and automobile. Although details are scarce, LBC seems to have given up the usual banner sales, focusing instead on segmented yearly deals: A brand will target a specific demographic and LBC will deliver, for half a million or a million euros per annum.
Le Bon Coin's revenue stream is made of three parts: premium services (you pay to add a picture, a better ranking, tracking on your ad); fees coming from the growing number professionals who flock to LBC (many car dealerships put their entire inventory here); and advertising for which the primary sectors are banking and insurance, services such as mobile phone carriers or pay-TV, and automobile. Although details are scarce, LBC seems to have given up the usual banner sales, focusing instead on segmented yearly deals: A brand will target a specific demographic and LBC will deliver, for half a million or a million euros per annum.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
The Economist 2012 Daily chart Advent calendar
A round-up of the year's most popular graphics and charts
WELCOME to our Daily chart Advent calendar, a collection of the 24 most popular maps, charts, data visualisations and interactive features published on our site this year. You'll find one behind each door, with a new door available to open every day until Christmas Eve, when our most popular infographic of 2012 will be revealed. There's also an entirely new graphic behind door number 25—a Christmas gift to all our readers who've been good this year.
Season's greetings from everyone at The Economist.
WELCOME to our Daily chart Advent calendar, a collection of the 24 most popular maps, charts, data visualisations and interactive features published on our site this year. You'll find one behind each door, with a new door available to open every day until Christmas Eve, when our most popular infographic of 2012 will be revealed. There's also an entirely new graphic behind door number 25—a Christmas gift to all our readers who've been good this year.
So bookmark this page, and visit us again
tomorrow to continue counting down the days.
Season's greetings from everyone at The Economist.
United Stations
Cross-border collaboration between TV companies and creatives is producing drama with global appeal
The worldwide dominance of US TV drama over the past 20 years has resulted in international audiences becoming familiar with and now even expecting the long-arc, box-set-friendly US format. Homeland was just as anticipated in Italy, Germany and Sweden as it was in the US. There is a growing taste for foreign drama in America too. Homeland was a remake of Israeli drama Hatufim; The Killing (as it is known in the UK – Forbrydelsen, or “The Crime”, is the Danish title) was remade with a Seattle setting. Other foreign-inspired shows are in the pipeline. “It’s a natural evolution,” says Balcer. “The proliferation of cable channels in the US has meant that there are so many hours to fill that; creative as US writers are, they can’t fill them all.”
The worldwide dominance of US TV drama over the past 20 years has resulted in international audiences becoming familiar with and now even expecting the long-arc, box-set-friendly US format. Homeland was just as anticipated in Italy, Germany and Sweden as it was in the US. There is a growing taste for foreign drama in America too. Homeland was a remake of Israeli drama Hatufim; The Killing (as it is known in the UK – Forbrydelsen, or “The Crime”, is the Danish title) was remade with a Seattle setting. Other foreign-inspired shows are in the pipeline. “It’s a natural evolution,” says Balcer. “The proliferation of cable channels in the US has meant that there are so many hours to fill that; creative as US writers are, they can’t fill them all.”
Simon Kuper - Brazil’s goal: a clean sheet
Hosting the World Cup and the Olympics is meant to showcase a transformation: Brazil is attacking corruption
However, it does depend what you count as corruption. Brasília’s stadium will have 70,000 seats. After 2014, it will become a white elephant, because no local team draws even 5,000 spectators. Several other stadiums under construction are equally pointless, says the Danish pressure group Play The Game. This squandering of public money has been shrouded with falsehoods by Rousseff’s government. Brazil’s sports ministry has forecast an economic boost worth more than $70bn from the World Cup – a claim that almost every sports economist would dismiss. Surely misleading your population is a form of corruption too?
However, it does depend what you count as corruption. Brasília’s stadium will have 70,000 seats. After 2014, it will become a white elephant, because no local team draws even 5,000 spectators. Several other stadiums under construction are equally pointless, says the Danish pressure group Play The Game. This squandering of public money has been shrouded with falsehoods by Rousseff’s government. Brazil’s sports ministry has forecast an economic boost worth more than $70bn from the World Cup – a claim that almost every sports economist would dismiss. Surely misleading your population is a form of corruption too?
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