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IRL! Advertising is multi, multi, social.
Generation X — the first generation to grow up with PC — is plugged in and media-savvy. A new eMarketer report, “Gen X: Demographic Profile and Marketing Approaches” indicates that this group is as comfortable with digital as with traditional media. “To effectively engage with Gen X, brands need a strategy that incorporates multiple channels — including mobile, social and online video — with authentic, relevant messaging,” the report notes. Real life – in this case, mine – certainly suggests a future in which advertising is created in multi-screen, multi-touch format. And, in addition, influencers disseminate content that is personally significant. Perhaps you have had moments like these: Friday, 7:04 a.m. My Facebook News Feed says Cousin D, Friend A, and Friend J Like The StyleLiner. I thought to myself, “what is StyleLiner?” Friday, 8:26 a.m. I am reading New York magazine on the subway. I flip to a two-page spread and StyleLiner pops out of the page, just as the light and thinly printed word “ADVERTISEMENT” at the top of the page registers as branded content. StyleLiner founder Joey Wolffer has curated easily more than 400 words of content about New York’s Meatpacking District. I still don’t really know what StyleLiner is, but I now know a lot about my adjacent neighborhood. The ambient impact of seeing the StyleLiner through my social graph via Facebook and again while reading a traditional news format (or feed) on my morning commute reinforces the message that StyleLiner and shopping in the Meatpacking District are meaningful and of course, zeitgeist. The Custom Content Council reports that 68 percent of consumers value custom content because it’s tailored to their interests. They know it’s advertising but feel OK since it’s valuable to them. A local entrepreneur’s recommendation for a latte in the Meatpacking District? That’s valuable and useful! There are deals and new restaurants and other ways to spend time and money in my adjacent neighborhood, and I learned about all them through personally significant content distributed by influencers and professional tastemakers. Perhaps it was a unique moment of coincidence, or perhaps it was thoughtful strategy with a healthy dose of expert media planning. Did I mention that these local neighborhood recommendations were served on a PRICELESS MasterCard campaign in New York magazine? Paid ads serving up delicious custom content, delivered right to our doors. Now, that’s price worthy advertising. — Constance DeCherney, director of strategy, iCrossing Advertising in real life: multi-screen, multi-touch, and social
