The year is ending and a new one begins. (Duh!) And, I love beginnings; albeit, change is scary. However, I’m looking at change, however scary, as a beginning, a continuous movement. Essentially, stagnant water begets mosquitoes and algae, but a moving stream is pure, life-affirming and drinkable. The stream continues to evolve the landscape but the still water evaporates.
A century ago, change didn’t happen as quickly and surefooted as it does today. Our culture is popping out “Pop-Rock candy” media sensations faster than Superman flew. Before you know it, in a year, they will be doing museum retrospectives on Katy Perry’s hair color change.
Regardless, nothing that I’m discussing is really new. It’s just become more prevalent to me in my line of work which is public relations. I see it every day, and I do mean every day, in the casual way consumers (and marketers, who are also consumers) walk, read and hold their devices, wear their clothes and buy their food.
Therefore, what is going to be big in media (not just digital, print or broadcast…but all media) as we close another year? Well, let me tell you… in no particular order:
- Website and blog video content. I’ve said this before and I will say it again, it’s the rise of the internet media star. Forget film actors, TV and music stars! With streaming video on your SmartTV, Google TV, Roku, YouTube, anyone and I mean anyone can become a multi-hyphenate if you will…just like J.Lo. She is the consummate actress-dancer-designer-judge-choreographer-songwriter-New Yorker-Latina-author-bootyshaker-mother, except you will become a media company. Unlike Lopez, who depended upon other media outlets to showcase her work, you showcase yours and others. You spread the wealth. You become a newsmagazine where you cook with a Jacques Pepin, design with Tim Gunn, expose your booty ala Kim Kardashian on the way to the Met Gala….and you will do this on your video which has been uploaded to your blog or website, creating a network with your content. (Much simpler than Oprah’s OWN). This will be promoted to other outlets by your publicist/social media strategist/ Director of Communications. So, yes, public relations is not obsolete….and I will keep my job as long as someone wants to be a brand or “it” girl/boy of the moment.
- Using the best social media platforms for you: Let’s face the fact that social media is not going to go away. It’s reality TV except on a phone. (Reality TV won’t be going away either, it will only get bigger…see above.) You need to use them. Twitter and Instagram are a must. Facebook is coming in third but then, it does own Instagram so by extension, Facebook is the dominate force. Vine is there with 6 second videos; commercials really. Pinterest allows you to create a design board, showcasing your personality and building a brand. LinkedIn (B2B). StumbleUpon. (Media). Ello. (Personality). Each one will be different than the other and you can find your audience using Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and two others. Me? I use LinkedIn and Google +. The latter is the one that has international reach and is a search engine. It will become bigger than Facebook.
- Niche personalities will become even bigger brand ambassadors than actor/actresses. First, they are cheaper. Secondly, they already are experts in their field with followers that are in the millions. Look at the comely surfer Anastasia Ashley who, with a 1.4 million followers has just announced a lingerie deal, modeling skivvies to the masses. She looks good in a bathing suit. Why not in panties? (What’s the difference? You wear one on the sand and the other in a bedroom?) If you want to become a brand, stay in the news, and stay relevant, then hire an experienced publicist. Even if they just focus on your tweets, and FB postings, you need them. You need to be creative, build a business, a following and someone needs to do it for you. Restaurateur, cookbook author, log cabin kitchen builder, no matter how much you idealize Jon Favreau’s “Chef”, it really doesn’t work like that. As much as I believe that a 12 year-old can “tweet” with the best of them, he can’t. He’s too interested in girls (or boys), music, film or…let’s admit it, himself, to build your brand identity. Hire a professional. One that you trust and keep them in the loop. They are only as good as you are and your own business.
- Marketing becomes even more relevant in niche media. Since, everyone if going to be a brand ambassador including the CEO of house-paint, it’s incredibly important to spread the word. Let’s pretend you are doing a “web-isode” promoting your cooking, and Cuisinart wants to give you a gift of silverware, a new line they’ve developed for tabletop, for you to use to your 100 YouTube fans. They just want you to eat with them…on your net show…and you do. Marketing 101. It’s become quite prevalent among the music marketers set. The marketing suits say, “Let’s pair Beyonce to Shakira, and then Rihanna to Shakira.” Beyonce and Rihanna become well-known to the Latin radio stations. In turn, Beyonce with Ri-Ri share pop and soul fan-base to Shakira, who is known in the English-speaking world, just hasn’t had a hit like Rihanna and Queen Bey. It’s the same premise. Cuisinart is trying to expand outside of the kitchen appliance world but they need to do that through people who will use it.
- Magazines using video in their content for tablets. I know that I’m behind the proverbial “8-ball” on this but as a subscriber to digital Vogue (yes, I read women’s fashion magazines), can I say, “Brilliant.” The first time I saw the Anna Wintour’s “73 Questions”, which by the way, has more views than Reese Witherspoon’s, was on my digital subscription of said magazine. The interesting thing about the use of video (see number one) is that it doesn’t cannibalize the print edition but enhances the tablet-version of the read. Blake Lively’s “73 Questions” was very promo-oriented as it showcased her lifestyle website and penchant for icing cupcakes. (Not very good.) Amy Adam’s has a treacly personality to begin with so a bevy of youthful ballerinas didn’t help but who knew that she was a dancer? Magazines needed to up the game plan and find new subscribers and readers. Using videos in the digital format is ingenious with using a quick paced, non-edit video. (You can watch them on YouTube without the subscription.) My favorite, besides Anna Wintour, is this month’s Sienna Miller who is very British and cheeky especially while eating a brownie. She was an actress portraying an actress, which said more about her than the “73 Questions” did about the others.
These are my observations. You can disagree. Here’s to a very bright and happy 2015 for everyone.
