Participationactivated

2015The Process of Turning Engagement into Performance

2015 themesThe digital ecosystem has deeply splintered. People move quickly and seam-lessly across channels and screens, only stopping for rich, relevant, highly per-sonalized experiences. In 2015 and beyond, how will digital continue to help consumers make decisions? And how can brands engage people via compel-ling content, integrated media and smarter analytics to activate participation - shares, clicks, actions, leads and sales?

2015 will bring a host of exciting new opportunities which we explore in this report...

In 2014, we witnessed the exponential acceleration of the Peer-to-Peer Economy. Wheth-er through Airbnb, Uber or Taskrabbit, people have become exceedingly comfortable renting/utilizing goods/services that are privately owned or shared. Airbnb has grown 750% since 2009 to a $10B valuation (Venturebeat, 2014). Uber is launching in a new city every day. Despite strong opposition from government and industry (e.g. hotels, taxis), these peer-to-peer services aren’t going anywhere because people love them. The power of the Peer-to-Peer Economy is the ability for consumers with needs to, in-the-moment, find peers who are willing to provide services - just-in-time - without any wasted energy or excess costs.

What can average brands (non-peer) learn from the peer-to-peer trend? The key is to em-brace - in your product/service positioning, advertising and consumer experiences - the things that people love about peer-to-peer. In 2015, savvy brands will strive to deliver hyper-relevant experiences by leveraging data to (1) understand and (2) cater to people with pressing needs:

Instant GratificationPeer-to-peer strives on providing people exactly what they need, when they need it. For brands to deliver instant gratification, the key is contextually relevant, in-the-moment, personal communications with clear value (e.g. a location-based of-fer communicated exactly when a person needs it).

Personalization EngineDeliver custom experiences utilizing a connected data infrastructure, CRM integra-tion and real-time messaging capabilities

Predictive AnalyticsExtract info from data and use it to predict needs. This includes leveraging media mix modeling, algorithm-based decision making and integrated media planning.

momentary marketingCreating experiences that cater to people with specific needs, in-the-moment

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Search has exploded well beyond the traditional Google desktop search page. Today, consumers engage with brands wherever and whenever they want, using a variety of in-puts. Constant connections via mobile drive the way we search, discover and evaluate - often without having said or typed. Where and how people search is quickly evolving, and “search marketing” in 2015 now includes strategies for social, YouTube and video, Amazon, PLAs and CSEs, native ads, TV, wearables, apps, maps, review sites, directories and in-car navigation systems.

Keywords have always been one of the best ways to determine consumer intent. When a person searches for “keyword,” brands catch a very revealing glimpse into that person’s needs, and we deliver paid or organic experiences to cater to it. As we move beyond key-words, intent can still be derived from context:

Audience BuyingSearch ad buying is becoming more focused on audiences. We can now engage today’s “searcher” based on contextual inputs like time, device, geo, demographics, interests, behavior and prior brand interaction - even if they never use a keyword.

Enriched Content70% of people prefer to learn about products through content rather than tradi-tional ads (Business Intelligence, April 2014). Naturally enhance user experience through functional organic, native ad placements. Create and optimize content for visibility in search, social and beyond.

Expanded ReachReach today’s “searcher” well beyond the traditional SERP, including through PLAs and CSEs while managing budget fluidly with paid search. Engage on Amazon Search and YouTube. Increase brand awareness via social, video and display - across all screens and devices.

death of keywordsEngaging “searchers” based on context, as they leave simple search language behind

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Curation is powerful. Trunk Club has succeeded in hand-selecting clothing from 50+ brands based on style and fit, and delivering to customers’ doors. TED curates speakers, giving viewers access to intellect they may never have discovered otherwise - and keep-ing them coming back for more. Brands like Netflix and Amazon have strived on curated recommendations, often sourced from the masses.

Through curation, many brands have developed ongoing relationships with customers. And when people have an ongoing relationship with, say, Amazon Prime, they get in the habit of always buying from Amazon, even when Amazon is “increasingly . . . not where the lowest prices are to be found” (Internet Retailer, Nov. 2014). Incorporate curation into your marketing strategies in 2015:

People-Powered ContentLeverage customer data - reviews, likes, clicks, conversions - to create curated land-ing page/content experiences (e.g. group/move products on landing pages based on popularity). Engage targeted audiences, demographics or geos with more cus-tom experiences.

Curated SpacesSeamlessly entwine your content into already curated spaces. This includes new Pin-terest Promoted Pins (which appear on boards in 32 different Pinterest categories (e.g. Travel, Women’s Fashion)) or Yahoo! Stream Ads, which appear in personalized Yahoo! content streams. Build links and other content into curated organic spaces.

Influencer PartnershipsPartner with bloggers and other influencers who curate products for their audienc-es, and get their recommendation.

CURATED EXPERIENCESEmbracing the power of curation to foster ongoing relationships

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For more information on activating participation in 2015, please contact us today