Derek E. Baird :: Barking Robot

Trend Watch: YouTube Beats out Facebook as Top Youth Social Media Brand

A new Harris poll says that YouTube is the top social media brand among America's youth.

The video site beat Facebook as Social Media Brand of the Year in the 13- to 24-year-old age range, according to the 2012 Harris Poll Youth EquiTrend study.

In terms of YouTube’s popularity, other studies have shown that more than 2 billion videos are played every day on the vide-sharing site and that YouTube mobile receives more than 100 million views daily.

The study sought to benchmark the brands that America’s youth prefers by evaluating familiarity, quality, and purchase consideration. More than 5,000 Americans, ages eight to 24, took part in the study. [Via PR Daily]

Related: YouTube Pictures Teachers and Students Using More Video in the Classroom

Sneak Leak: Is Pottermore a Social Network for Harry Potter Fans?

Looks like someone over on Team Pottermore forgot to lock down the assets for the widely anticipated website featuring the world of Harry Potter. This picture has been making the rounds on Twitter all morning.

The only hint from the official Pottermore.com page is: "Pottermore is a free website that builds an exciting online experience around the reading of the Harry Potter books."

So what do you think? What features do you hope the Pottermore site has? Is this something you're anxioius to join and participate? Do you think this screenshot is legit? Or a crafty plan to distract everyone until the launch in October?

Let me know in the comments!

View LARGE | via assets.pottermore.com

Study: One in Four Young Adults Say the Education System Has Little to No Understanding of Their Values and Goals

As part of its commitment to education, Viacom partnered with The Associated Press to conduct "Young Adults' Perspectives on American Education 2011," a groundbreaking study based on a combination of peer-to-peer interviews and a large-scale poll of more than 1,100 American 18-24 year-olds.

Viacom and The Associated Press approached the study by looking at 18-24 year-olds as "core consumers of education" and evaluating how the education system is meeting their needs.  

According to the study, young adults are optimistic that high schools and colleges can prepare them for the working world, but also feel these institutions aren't adapting quickly enough to meet students' changing needs.

As a result, more and more 18-24 year-olds are taking a less traditional approach to higher education, via self-directed curricula, internships and self-teaching.

Recognizing the important role young people can and should play in reaching their goals, Viacom launched Get Schooled, which provides the tools and guidance young adults need to succeed in today's competitive environment.

The full "Young Adults' Perspectives on American Education 2011" study is available on the Get Schooled website at www.getschooled.com or on the Get Schooled Facebook Page.

According to the study, students are increasingly creating individual, self-tailored curricula by cherry picking schools and courses. They're also taking longer to graduate because they feel that, by combining school with work and internships, they stand a greater chance of finding a desirable job.

Young adults are relying more on themselves, their families and friends and less on community or religious organizations and high school counselors when it comes to education decisions.

Detailed findings from the study include:

• Overall, 27 percent of young adults say the education system has little to no understanding of their values and goals. More than a third (36 percent) report it is ambivalent to their values and goals.

• Only 37 percent say the education system mostly or completely understands them.

• Among those surveyed with a high school diploma, but no college experience, 33 percent say the education system has little to no understanding of their values and goals.  

How College Leads to a Better Life is Unclear

The most consistent theme among those interviewed – from those with no college experience to those with bachelor degrees – is that college should prepare one to join the workforce.

But today's pragmatic, goal-oriented young adults are unsure that the education product being offered to them will deliver the job or career that they want.

• More than half of young adults say it's more worth the money to get "an education that is focused on success in the world."

• In fact, 28 percent of those who have attended college say college doesn't adequately prepare you for the workforce, while almost twice as many young adults (55 percent) say high school doesn't prepare you for the workforce.

• Thirty-one percent say college doesn't provide enough practical skills to survive as an adult and 51 percent say the same about high school.

Young Adults' Perspectives on American Education 2011

Trend Watch: Gen Y Affluents

Digital media is trouncing traditional channels with Gen Y, the largest U.S. consumer group. Deft marketers are recognizing the value of investing in their own sites, social media platforms, and mobile apps.

“It’s the ‘end of the beginning’ of a dramatic shift in ad-spending from traditional formats to digital. Power will shift as brands cultivate authentic relationships via social media, creating cohorts whose size dwarfs media brands’ subscriber bases.” ~L2 Founder and NYU Professor Scott Galloway

L2 surveyed nearly 1000 high-achieving and high-earning Gen Y adults for this study. Refined to a panel of 535, on average this sample set is on a trajectory to earn more than $80,000 in the short-term and double their income within the next five years.

Gen Y Affluents: Media Survey

KEY FINDINGS:

• Facebook, hands down: 81 percent of millennial use Facebook every day—nearly twice as many as watch TV or read newspaper content.

• Blogs scale the gates of the fourth estate: 45 percent read blogs every day, as many as those reading newspaper content.

• News brands thrive—it’s paper that’s dying: Nearly half read a newspaper every day, but 79 percent access that content digitally on a daily basis.

• Digital killed the TV set: 42 percent watch TV shows online; 27 percent watch movies online.

• The upwardly mobile go mobile: 25 percent use mobile to access social media, and one in eight watched a video on mobile in the past 24 hours.

• Digital branding is paramount: 63 percent use social media to engage with brands, and more than 50 percent say that Facebook, blogs, and brand videos affect their opinions about products.

• Websites are flagships, too: Websites are as influential as physical stores in shaping Gen Y sentiment, second only to friends’ opinions.

Land of Nod Teams with the No Kid Hungry Campaign

Kid retailer The Land of Nod has has teamed up with the No Hungry Kid campaign, a program of Share Our Strength, dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America by 2015.

There's been lots of chatter about how well Millennials respond to cause marketing campaigns. In many regards this generation expects corporations to "do well and do good." Since many of them are full swing in the baby and childhood rearing stage of their lives, hopefully this collaboration will resonate with Millennials and their pocketbooks.

The Land of Nod, part of the Crate and Barrel family of stores, has set up a dedicated microsite to educate their customers on the facts on childhood hunger in America. In addition, they have several products that they will give 5% of the proceeds from the purchase to No Kid Hungry.

To make it even easier for people to get involved, The Land of Nod has made it possible to donate to No Kid Hungry via SMS. You can make a $10.00 donation now by texting "NOD" to 20222.

While some may see this as yet another exercise in slacktivism, the sad truth is that nearly 17 million American kids don't have enough to eat. So if this pro-social campaign makes it easier for people to donate, then I'm all for it--kudos to The Land of Nod!

 

The No Kid Hungry Campaign operates on four key points:

* Creating public-private partnerships at the state level to break down barriers that prevent kids from accessing the food they need.

* Feeding hungry kids where they live, learn, and play. In 2009, thanks to a lot of team work, we helped provide 4.5 million more meals to needy children.

* Educating children and families about nutrition and healthy eating. Through Share Our Strength’s Operation Frontline®, we have reached nearly 60,000 families, spreading knowledge on how to budget for groceries and cook great tasting and nutritious foods.

* Building awareness of the childhood hunger crisis and a drive for change among all Americans. Using as many channels as possible we are making No Kid Hungry a shared national priority.

• Connect with No Kid Hungry on Twitter and Facebook

• Connect with Land of Nod on Twitter and Facebook

Mr. President, sign my iPad

At a rally in Seattle on Thursday, Sylvester Cann decided, like many, to ask the president for his signature. Unlike hundreds of other clamoring supporters, Cann asked President Obama to go digital.

He asked him to sign his iPad. Using the Adobe Ideas app, Cann scrawled "Mr. President, sign my iPad" onto his screen.

Obama obliged.

Check out the YouTube video of the electronic signing.

via latimesblogs.latimes.com

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone On The Next Wave of Social Networks

Three years ago, Twitter was barely known outside the geeky confines of San Francisco. Today, it's a marketer's dream: a free service with an audience of nearly 125 million people, who use it to keep tabs on friends, celebrities — and their favorite companies.

Co-founder Biz Stone explains what's happening, where it's headed, and how entrepreneurs can take advantage. He recently spoke with Inc. senior writer Max Chafkin.

via www.inc.com

How Angry Birds Became a Hit [VIDEO]

I'm totally addicited. I have dreams about Angry Birds. I tweet about Angry Birds. I have opinions on which cartoon birds I like (those awesome yellow birds) and which ones I don't (those tucan-ish birds).

For those of you living in a cave, Angry Birds is the addictive game that has become the top iPhone app in the world.

The game has over 7 million downloads and is poised to be the next big entertainment franchise. Think Sponge Bob. Mark my words, Angry Birds is going to be huge.

 

via gigaom.com

Does Dr. Drew offer Angry Bird rehab yet?

 

Trend Watch: Social Media in the UK 2010 [Video]

 

This is a little video produced by Ireland-based PR firm Simply Zesty that explores the state of social media in the UK.

The video includes some interesting social media stats and other demographic information, including: 85% percent of the UK population is online and they spend over 6 hours on social media sites every month, nearly 60% of them read blogs and 64% have their own profile on a social network.

U Rock: Disney's Kid UGC Mashup Contest is Back!

U Rock, the popular user-generated content (UGC) summer promotion sponsored by Disney, is back for its third summer!

The contest gives fans the opportunity to create their own music video mash-up set to songs from popular Disney artists and post their original videos on the U Rock site.

The most popular U Rock video finalists, voted on by fans, will win amazing prizes like the chance to meet the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato.  

You can get more information, including the scoop on all the cool prizes & the rules, over on the official U Rock page.

Unleash Your Kids' Creativity with Disney Create

Create is an entertainment portal on Disney.com, the No. 1 ranked community-family and parenting destination on the Web.

The Create portal features a set of creativity tools that offer an entirely new way to interact with Disney characters and stories.

For the first time, guests have access to rich Disney character art and graphics to design their own works of art then share them with other guests online.

Create builds on the vision created long ago by Walt Disney, “A focus on creativity and engaging the imagination of the guest.”

Since it’s launch, more than 1.2 million original pieces of user-generated kid content have been created within Disney.com/Create!

Apps

• Create Apps allow children to design artwork, comic books, music videos, animated pets and more, all using Disney characters and graphics. 

Comic Creator

• Craft a comic book using favorite Disney characters.  Guests lay out pages using fun and wacky graphics, text and images to create their own rich narrative.

Digital Painter

• Paint like a master artist, right in your browser, using tools, textures, and fun pens.  Create a masterpiece that can be shared for everyone to see!

Animods

• Illustrate an animated online pet that can be individually styled and customized.  Kids choose from a number of different animals, each with its own collection of pre-set animations, interactions, and accessories. 

Photo Mashup

• Combine photos of favorite Disney stars with hip stickers and cool gear to create personalized images for use on a computer desktop, phone, inside a school locker, or any other fun application guests can dream up.

Music Slideshow

• Compose a harmonious mix of images, text, and sound.  Guests create their own music videos using photos of Disney stars, their own text, and a choice of songs from artists such as Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers.

Group Wall

• An innovative new community gallery called the “Group Wall” will launch on Disney.com Create.  The first Group Wall theme is a “Tribute to Mickey” and will build a dynamic mosaic portrait of Mickey Mouse with user-generated content. 

My Portfolio

• Create an online art portfolio on Disney.com to share with friends, filling it with creations from all of the Create activities – digital paintings, comic-books, pets and more.

Global Youth: HP Partners With China's Communist Youth League

Hewlett-Packard is finding unusual comrades -- members of China's Communist Youth League -- to help expand its business in rural China.

The HP USVO "Creating a Better Life" contest, announced in December 2009, encouraged USVOs to submit plans on how IT can help their respective villages. The U.S. company received over 1,000 submissions and whittled the entries down to 100. Almost 59,000 USVOs and village residents cast online votes to name 30 finalists.

The "Creating a Better Life" program was hosted on a micro-site (cunguan.youth.cn/hp) on the Communist Youth League's web platform Youth.cn. That's a "major" show of government support for the contest, said Mr. Seow, because the Youth.cn site falls directly under the authority of China's Communist Party.

Some of the twenty-something USVOs who took part in the contest already have a relationship with HP. As college grads who mostly come from China's most sophisticated cities like Beijing, Shanghai and provincial capitals, many were already tech-savvy consumers, exactly the target market for HP's earlier three-year "My Computer, My Stage" program.

"My Computer, My Stage" was designed to show budding filmmakers, artists and musicians how much fun HP products could be in the pursuit of self-expression.

via adage.com

Infographic: How Women Use Social Media

Ethan Bloch over at Flowtown has created a great infographic that shows how women leverage the social Web, which sites they use, and how much/why they participate.

These most recent stats show that women are online and interacting on social sites just as much — if not, more — than their male counterparts. More than half of all American women engage in social media related activities at least once a week, and Millenials and Gen X women (not surprisingly) use it the most.

And while not part of this infographic, other research shows that a substantial number of women are accessing social media sites via their mobile phones.

One number that caught my attention: according to this research 56% women reported visiting MySpace at least once a week. If true, MySpace--long rumored to be on 'death watch' status-- may actually have (wait for it) a Second Life after all. *groan*

• Click here to see the full-sized version

LEGO's Social Media Strategy [VIDEO]

This is a video featuring Jake McKee (formally LEGO’s Global Community Relations Specialist) discussing how LEGO found, supported and incubated their biggest fans from around the world to help pull the company out of a pretty dark time to be back on top of the world, lead in part, by a strong social media strategy.

Jake McKee makes three really strong, but incredibly simple points:

1. Look beyond your target customers
2. Support existing fans
3. Find what works and replicate

1. Look beyond your target customers

Your target market isn’t always your biggest group of talkers. For years, LEGO was focused on kids — that is, until they realized adults had created their own community of enthusiasts.

When LEGO started connecting these talkers, not only did they increase their word of mouth, they immediately helped their bottom line. Whereas kids were spending $20 a year on LEGOs, these adults were spending around $1,000.

2. Support existing fans

Without LEGO’s knowledge, adult fans had already created an online LEGO community and marketplace. LEGO approached this group by offering support and resources in the form of an ambassador program.

By offering to support what these fans were already doing so well -instead of demanding ownership and control -LEGO was welcomed into the community.

3. Find what works and replicate

The enthusiasm of the adult fans helped teach LEGO how to gain more participation from their other fans- including kids. Jake says that when you find something that works with one fan group, try applying it to other groups of talkers.

Because the fundamentals of great communities are the same, strategies behind one fan community can often generate similar success for another community. (via Digital Buzz)

Related: LEGO Digital Box + Augmented Reality

How to Use Social Media to Reach Teen Influencers

A survey conducted by MyYearbook estimates about 80% of US teen Internet users visit social networking sites at least monthly, but it may seem difficult for marketers to reach them there when they’ve signed on mainly to chat with their friends and post personal updates.

The most influential users there care a lot about what their friends say, and are down on marketers. Just 5% trusted what they heard from ads most, and another 5% trusted information from companies.

Reaching teen influencers will mean taking advantage of earned-media opportunities and word-of-mouth that comes from highly trusted friends.

Influencers are more likely than other teens to recommend a variety of products to their friends.

The top 15% of teen social network users are 70% more likely to share purchase decision information with their friends.

via www.emarketer.com| Photo Credit: Derek Baird

Infographic: The Growth of GeoLocal and Location-based Services

via gigaom.com