1. Game of Thrones breaks GetGlue. HBO kicked off the month by flexing their social muscles for the premiere of Game of Thrones Season 2. There was so much activity that the show drove multiple worldwide trending topics on Twitter and for crashing GetGlue’s servers (momentarily) on premiere night.
2. Psych-ed to hit 100K. While networks typically focus their marketing efforts on premieres, USA Network’s hit show Psych had thousands of reasons to cheer for the finale of Season 6 as they passed 100K Twitter followers. To share their appreciation, USA Network (a 360i client) and the cast of Psych produced personal and sincere thank you messages that were shared via @Psych_USA.
3. NBC & the first digital Olympic Games. 360i client NBC Sports excited millions of fans when they confirmed that London 2012 will indeed be the first-ever digital Olympic Games by announcing that the network will be live-streaming all 32 events from London and connecting fans to the action via social media.
4. Social takes center stage at BET Upfront. BET’s social presences have consistently stood out among their entertainment peers. Take for example @106andpark which, with 4MM followers, is a social TV powerhouse on Twitter. To further draw attention to their success, BET put social front and center at their upfront and took time to discuss their goal to provide the best digital environment possible to their viewers.
5. Digital Content NewFronts step up their game. New York City recently hosted the first-ever Digital Content NewFronts where video distributors like Hulu, Yahoo!, AOL and Google could court advertisers with TV network tradition. For more information, read 360i’s complete round-up.
6. MTV gamifies Election 2012. The upcoming presidential election has emerged as a focal point in the world of social TV. MTV recently launched “Fantasy Election ’12″ — that’s right, MTV is gamifying the election. Young voters can even draft politicians and earn points from their integrity and transparency.
7. A presidential ‘Slow Jam’ for the ages. In April, Jimmy Fallon and President Obama racked up viral video magic when they “slow jammed the news.” It was a digital sign of the times as the President took part in a popular web meme as a guest on one of the most social shows on television.
8. Bravo breaks 1MM fans on Google+. Finally, we offer an excited shout-out to the Bravo Google+ community, which recently surpassed the 1MM fan mark. Bravo, a 360i client, is currently the #14 most popular brand page on Google+ and the #2 most popular TV network.

Contributors: Steven Avalos, Jeremy Elias, Emily Garvey, Danielle Johnsen, Stephen Schutzman and Tatiana Urriaga.

Recent research shows that consumers would rather receive marketing messages from bloggers or influencers that they are familiar with than a celebrity. Moreover, this preference ultimately affects their purchasing behavior (53% of female readers have bought a product based on a recommendation from a blogger).

Cool Whip is using real moms as part of its latest campaign that puts bloggers front and center.

A few years ago, most PR agencies caught on to the fact that the approval of bloggers is vital to building brand support. If they can earn blogger support, they can “borrow influence” from them to indirectly tell their brand story to readers. Until very recently, the relationship between borrowed influence and advertising was less established. We haven’t trusted that the bloggers we rely on to serve our news could also be relatable as spokespeople and “models” for our brands. It’s time to start blurring these lines and taking borrowed influence to new places.

In order to know which campaigns are best suited to elevate bloggers to a more central role, it is important for marketers to work with agencies that are not only intimately familiar with the blogosphere, but also have the creative engines in place to generate fresh, new programs. In her blog post, Schwab points out that “PR departments are not set up to develop advertising or integrated marketing campaigns,” presumably because they have not executed campaigns in those spheres.

Schwab points to a recent COOL WHIP (360i client) advertising campaign as an example of blogger integration done right. The campaign made four real moms the face of print and online advertisements for the brand – and did so at several different touch-points along the way. The desserts featured in the advertisements were inspired by the bloggers. They were the first to announce the campaign’s launch and their sites were featured within the copy of each ad. Within Twitter and Facebook, the bloggers helped to create a reciprocal dialogue with the brand, driving readers to the COOL WHIP page while community managers drove back to their sites. Lastly, as part of the agreement with our COOL WHIP Moms, they post monthly articles that speak to the larger campaign message: “What You Add Makes It.”

In September 2010, Estee Lauder became one of the first brands to feature bloggers in advertising campaigns, supporting the brand’s breast cancer awareness campaign. Visually, the images were powerful, printed on life-size in-store displays and depicting “everyday” women, shot from the waste up and covered by their own arms. Because the campaign was relatable to each of the women featured in it, they were able to support it through their personal blogs.

As another example, Calypso St. Barth is currently running a multi-platform advertising campaign called “Generations of Style” and featuring bloggers, Pinterest influencers and lifestyle experts with online followings. I like this campaign because the influencers are given actual ad space to share their voice to talk about family and careers in a way that makes the brand approachable.

Best Practices for Borrowed Influence in Integrated Campaigns

• Value the value exchange. Strong relationships with online influencers have taught us what works and what doesn’t in terms of compensation. Even if payment isn’t an option, there should be a value exchange in place that benefits both the brand and the blogger fairly. Know your audience of influencers and what they will find most valuable.
• Do your homework. As with all of the campaigns mentioned, make sure the influencers you use feel connected to your brand and your campaign message. For our COOL WHIP campaign, using a blogger who never mentions food on her blog would not have been authentic and we felt it was important to choose women who regularly make the extra effort for their families to “make something special.”
• Don’t neglect the quality of your campaign. If you plan to use photo or video, make sure that your influencer is comfortable in front of the camera. Confidence under pressure and the ability to have fun will go a long way.

As part of Coca-Cola and American Idol’s ‘Perfect Harmony’ program – in which fans can help singer Jason Derulo pen his next big hit – the brand has picked a handful of teens to participate in a live chat on the Coca-Cola Google+ page. You can watch the chat LIVE tonight at 7 p.m. EST, as Jason answers fan questions and takes live ones from the Coca-Cola community.

Image via College Candy

Coca-Cola hosted its first Google+ hangout in February. The broadcast featured archivists from the brand who fielded questions from the Coca-Cola archives. The brand, which touts one of the largest corporate presences on Facebook, has more than half a million fans on Google+.

Earlier this month, Google rolled out its ‘Hangouts on Air’ feature to all Google+ users. This update allows any G+ member to publicly broadcast a hangout for their network to see – either within the Google+ stream, from a website or from a YouTube channel.

Microsoft has had the jump on Google for quite some time now when it comes to privileged social data, winning both the Twitter fire-hose deal and enjoying a cozy relationship with Facebook. And with Tweet and Like counts clearly poised to be the new relevancy king-maker signals, the most surprising thing about yesterday’s announcement is that it took so long.

In fact, a week prior to the announcement, it appeared Microsoft took a step backwards, reverting to an old familiar top-ten look for results. This turned out to be clean-up in preparation for pop-out panels, which allow for enhanced results and apps, and a right-rail for social. In this new scheme, the pop-out panels can provide shopping or reservation apps right on location to satisfy the user onsite.

Top Changes

Significant changes to the platform include the addition of “snapshot” and “social” bars to SERPs. Natural search links will remain on the left side of the page, similar to what was rolled out in last week’s UI Update. This section will still include the “gutter” at the far left of the screen.

The snapshot bar will be immediately to the right of natural links and will leverage APIs to populate data related to your search. The social bar on the far right will house social networks that the searcher opts-in to connect to (i.e. – Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Foursquare, and LinkedIn). This bar will take information from these services and display content relevant to the search query. The bar is divided into three sections: People Who Might Know (it will take info from your friends and say how it matches your query), People Who Know (will leverage experts specializing in the query area that may or may not be a direct social connection to the searcher), and Activity (shows curated posts from your social network).

Bing’s new Search Page Layout

Bing’s social inclusion intensifies the war over where discussions live. While Google had to invent their own new place for this integration, Bing is able to tap existing Facebook communities, which may provide a far easier transition.

What does this mean?

With this update, Bing is aiming to crack social-network searching. The right hand side of the screen is the most important part of this update. Bing is trying to out-social Google and combat Search Plus Your World by leveraging its exclusive partnership with Facebook and the APIs from partners (LinkedIn, Twitter) and competitors. While Bing describes this update, which lives under the slogan, “stop searching and start doing”, as the social crux necessary to deliver people information they trust, the changes are more likely an attempt to take what people love most about social and apply it to search in order to grow market share and differentiate itself from Google.

Ads on the right hand rail are likely going to get some (unwelcome) company. Details are still forthcoming, but the thought is that rail ads will be in the snapshot area. The ads will likely be above the content populated by “snapshot”, but they could also be below the content. In addition, contextual pop-ups from the natural bar or the social bar could cover the ads (for example, the screenshot above shows Sara Davis’s Facebook info covering an Orbitz ad).

Recommendations

Keep a closer eye on performance of ads in positions that appear in the right rail. Given that this area is about to get more crowded, your ad could be lost in the content or be completely covered. If that happens, ads not in top position and could see lower CTRs.

Maintain a strong presence in social. The “People Who Might Know” section in the social bar is going to be a great opportunity for brands that have an active social presence. Social posts that relate to search topics will be more likely to show up in the Social bar if the brand’s community is active and engaged. This means that brands should create a social presence that provides value to their community. As a consequence, social advertising and community efforts will need to increasingly focus on engaging users, not just acquiring fans.

Let us know what you think of these changes in the comments below!

– By Mike Levin and Kenny Hamner

About the Digital Content NewFronts

The DCNF mission statement, according to its site, is to “to shape a new and practical marketplace for connecting the wealth of native digital content with brand marketers and their media and marketing agencies.”

What is compelling about this mission is the emphasis on “native” digital content. It’s a subtle, but important distinction – and one that speaks to the creative voices involved in this exchange. This is not an event focused on drumming up interest in repurposed TV content; rather, its focus is on content designed for digital consumption.

We’ve yet to fully create the DCNF’s mission of a “practical marketplace,” though it was made clear last week that we have witnessed a palpable shift in our industry. While the concept of NewFronts dates back to 2008, there was something profoundly different this time around. The scope, scale and showmanship of these NewFronts seem to have finally caught the attention of big brand marketers. It was more than an event this time – it was an exciting experience of which brands wanted to be a part.

Key themes from DCNF 2012

1. Creating a scarcity model: Part of what drives the “practical marketplace” of the Upfronts we are trying to replicate is the urgency behind securing TV inventory. Our discussions with Google regarding YouTube’s Mom Channel revealed it was already sold out into the fall. Is this scarcity intentional? It could be. Digital is facing the unique challenge of a need to convey vast, quality content coupled with the need to preserve the economics of a “buy now” Upfront marketplace.
2. Programmatic content will emulate TV: Organizationally speaking, much of the content unveiled at the NewFronts was organized into “channels.” The formats were largely episodic or series-oriented, hinting that we’re trying to obtain regular viewership. And, much like we see with TV, we’ll likely see a phase of content shake-outs, where viewership will dictate which programming series will continue.
3. Publishers as distributors: YouTube and Hulu in particular made references to wanting to be “what cable was for broadcast” or “what Sundance was for independent films.” They reiterated their belief in a “four-screen strategy,” where digital content does not replace TV but rather builds onto it.
4. Involvement of the traditional players was critical: Whereas digital used to borrow the Upfronts stage to showcase repurposed TV content on the web, we experienced a role reversal during the NewFronts. For instance, NBCUniversal, whose roots are predominately TV-oriented (Bravo, E!, and others) held its own event during the NewFronts. The visible attendance of traditional brand marketers and agencies at DCNF affirmed that this is more than a digital land grab; it’s a legitimate evolution of our industry.

4 changes we hope to see at DCNF 2013

If the DCNF format is to be an evergreen fixture in how digital does business, we recommend some subtle changes and enhancements that will create an even more impactful event next year.

1. Consider a “placeless” NewFront: With a few exceptions, much of the NewFront coverage was rooted in still images and text write-ups just like this one. In doing so, those who were unable to attend in person missed out on some of most transformative moments in programming content history. We could have created a much more immersive and centralized experiences by streaming the event live to the entire industry.
2. Showcase the content: While an element of sales pitch was to be expected at the NewFronts, the tradeoff seemed to be having less time to engage with the content. Since one of the running themes throughout the event was how digital video is propelled by mobile/iBook technology, attendees would have benefited see the translation of content onto those digital devices.
3. Consolidate the event: Collapsing the event into a more contained series would not only compel more participation outside of New York, but would also elevate the focus on the events. When the traditional teams head to the network Upfronts in two weeks, it is generally understood that they will be out of commission. Digital stakeholders should have parallel ability to prioritize.
4. Follow our own best practices: Google announced at the BrandCast event that they will invest $200 million in marketing funds to promote all of the new content being created. Granted, they are paying this marketing budget to themselves (all will reside within the Google Display Network). Still, I applaud them for acknowledging how critical this aspect is for us on the buying side. We are all marketers – we should believe in the power of advertising to establish the “brands” of these new channels.

What the ‘New Front Frontier’ means for marketers

In both the short- and long-term sense, there are some key implications for marketers.

Short term implications:

• Prioritize audiences. Much like the TV world, audiences will dictate the shelf life of inventory. If you are after the coveted Millennial or Moms sectors, initiate a dialog with your agencies and sales teams now to begin exploring integration ideas.
• Define the rules of engagement. One item resonated in our discussions with the platforms was that the landscape still presents a substantial amount of unchartered territory for everyone. There is a high degree of openness, yielding a first-mover advantage to those who help establish the video landscape’s architecture.
• Subscribe to content. In order to fully grasp the quality and breadth of content being pushed into the Digital space, it behooves us all to familiarize with what is available. Some places to start include Yahoo! Screen, YouTube Channels, AOL.On and Hulu Originals.

Long term implications:

• Expand thinking on creative formats. A logical evolution we’ll likely see as a result of this surge in digital content is a willingness to incorporate more integrated ad formats such as branded entertainment. Over time, we will need to work more closely with the creators in this newly defined space to ensure that we innovate responsibly and with the end user in mind.
• Define the practice. DCNF 2012 gathered one of the most diverse attendee crowds this industry has ever seen. It’s unclear where whether or not it this practice will be absorbed into an existing scope of service or become a specialized operation. Staying nimble as we assess the core capabilities required to execute will be a key advantage for brands moving forward.

As a closing thought, it’s impossible to discuss the NewFronts without diving into the topic of the star power present at the event. Was this a point of validation or just an act of showmanship? Perhaps it was a bit of both. Many of the comments from the creative talent voiced a similar theme, which is that they didn’t know how their content would have turned out if they had sought to introduce it via the broadcast realm. That’s a very powerful statement. There is no rigid “formula” yet for a successful digital series, and creators can benefit from the lack of boundaries. Moreover, we as marketers will benefit from being given a new ad space into which we can carve our brands.

*****

Appendix: The content that caught our eye

Wigs – YouTube: Created by filmmakers Jon Avnet (Black Swan, Risky Business) and Rodrigo Garcia (Albert Nobbs, In Treatment), Wigs is a new YouTube channel that produces high-end, original scripted series, short films and documentaries — all of which star female leads.

Little Women, Big Cars – AOL On: Little Women Big Cars is a weekly series centering around four devoted New Jersey soccer moms struggling to balance their busy schedules, family lives and sanity.

GPS for the Soul app – AOL (Arianna Huffington): Launching in June, and less rooted in the theme of web video that pervaded this event, this is an app that will measure your stress level and connect you to content (music, poetry, photos, etc) that you need to “restore your balance.”

Dancing with Myself – Yahoo! (debuts 2013): Scripted musical comedy series from the creators of the Broadway musical Rock of Ages. An irreverent series that gives homage to the after school specials of the 80s, and is fueled by music from that era.

Superfans – Yahoo!: Superfans examines the amazing, bizarre and emotional extremes that fans will go to in their daily lives—all in the name of fandom. From family rooms modeled after Lambeau Field to 64 years without missing a game at Fenway, Superfans is an entertaining mix of fanaticism and loyalty.

Image via CNET

Tumblr’s new ad products will live in the Radar and Spotlight sections of the platform – both are areas where Tumblr users already go to find new content. Radar rotates a brand’s content through Tumblr’s curation engine, which surfaces interesting content to members. Spotlight Sponsors will receive a prime spot above other spotlighted members.

The key to Tumblr’s announcement is not that marketers can finally buy advertising or that the ads are integrated into areas previously reserved for earned media. The thing that stands out is that Tumblr is not offering these placements to everyone. Brands must be approved by Tumblr in order to buy. While the specifics of the approval criteria are not yet clear, Tumblr has indicated that brands who buy will have to have shown that they understand the purpose of the platform and are already engaging with their followers in an authentic way. Tumblr has always been protective of their user base and doing business with brands who won’t disturb this experience is Tumblr’s compromise between revenue and control.

For marketers who are already investing in Tumblr, consider the goals for your community and how you can (or should) utilize these paid placements to drive towards those goals. For Radar, identify content with high engagement rates to feature. For Spotlight, determine why someone should follow your brand and how you can pay that off through your creative and what’s featured on your Tumblr.

Tumblr’s announcement reiterates and supports the story of the integration of paid and earned media. Paid media on social platforms should be used to build an audience or amplify content that is resonating with the audience. It should work hand in hand with earned efforts to engage a core audience and extend the reach of the brand through this audience. Brands who embrace this and align their KPIs with the success metrics of that platform (in Tumblr’s case – followers, likes and reblogs), will see success across both channels and on the platform as a whole.

Graphic via the Wall Street Journal

Although Facebook has built out a full suite of media opportunities to bolster its $3 billion-a-year ad business, Suzanne Vranica and Shayndi Raice of the WSJ argue that “some marketers … are wondering whether they’re getting their money’s worth.” It’s a fair question – especially given Facebook’s impending IPO purported to happen later this month. By the way, Facebook’s valuation is projected to be nearly $100 billion – or 33x the company’s ad revenue, according to Vranica and Raice.

Yet more than doubt, advertisers are experiencing a sense of confusion regarding how media impact within Facebook can and should be measured. The discussion and debate surrounding social media ROI is nothing new – it’s a topic we’ve been hearing about for years – but it does take on a different weight as brands continue to up their investment in Facebook.

For example, one marketer featured in the WSJ piece cites that while he is increasing his investment, he’s still unsure of if an ad on the platform will lead to an eventual sale. Some brands, like Ford, have conducted research to tie social investment to sales and found that Facebook media can in fact provide a boost to sales. There is widespread agreement that social media is effective in helping reach such goals; however, marketers continue to wonder to what degree social media is driving the sale.

But is this the right way to evaluate success on Facebook? As 360i President Sarah Hofstetter notes in the article, Facebook might not be the right platform for marketers who measure ROI as direct sales from the Web. “If the goal is to move the needle on brand health metrics, whether its awareness or engagement, then Facebook should be a key part of the marketing mix for most consumer brands,” she says.

Evaluating Facebook from the same exact lens as other media, while helpful in some cases, does not do justice to the unique opportunities available on the platform. Consider what media can do if it’s driving consumers to a flourishing community wherein advocacy and brand love truly thrive. It’s in these communities where customers can become loyal advocates – true fans and ambassadors of your brand – who can then share your brand story with their friends via word-of-mouth.

Factoring in a recent Nielsen study which found that nearly 2x as many people trust WOM over traditional paid advertising, the importance of paid and earned media integration within Facebook and other social platforms becomes clear. The interplay between paid and earned is completely unique and requires that marketers take a different approach than they would across other types of media. This is not only true for how they evaluate their investment (as noted above), but it’s also true when it comes to how they plan and execute their media programs.

For further information, read 360i’s report on Building an Integrated Paid & Earned Strategy.

Prior to 360i, Adam served as Executive Creative Director and Founding Partner at Saatchi & Saatchi in Stockholm, Sweden. He’s a highly-decorated creative who has garnered more than 50 international industry awards in his career, including several from the Cannes Lions, CLIOs, New York Festival Awards, FAB and Eurobest.

Across your entire portfolio, what work are you most proud of, and why?

AK: I’m most proud of my work for Ariel, a detergent brand within P&G Nordic. The campaign, called “The Ariel Fashion Shoot,” was a classic product demo remixed for the 2012 audience. The shoot was the world’s biggest product demo in detergent history – and it was completely transparent. This meant that people could – for the first time ever – see that Ariel’s new stain-fighting formula actually worked as well as the brand said it did, because we washed the clothes in front of a live audience of viewers.

But what makes the campaign truly innovative is that we invited consumers to take part in the demo themselves by allowing them to take aim at premium designer clothes and stain them. To pull this off, we custom-built an industrial robot and armed it with lingonberry jam (a Scandinavian staple), chocolate sauce and ketchup. Then, we connected it to Facebook.

The results exceeded our expectations, as post-campaign awareness for Ariel reached an all-time high. To me, this campaign was a fantastic example of how we used a relevant idea to fuel conversations online. With very little paid media, we were able to own conversations online regarding detergent – proving that if you’re relevant to the consumer and facilitate a worthwhile value exchange, brands can create exciting conversations around any topic – even something as commonplace as detergent.

Of course, I also credit P&G for being so committed to change the way their brand was communicating to its consumers and for understanding the difference between being simply ‘digital’ and being ‘social and participatory.’ It’s no surprise to me that the campaign was recently voted one of the Best Digital Ideas of 2011 by Adweek, and continues to garner accolades in several global awards programs.

What are the ingredients for great creative marketing in the digital age? How has that changed in the past five years?

AK: The three most important ingredients are actionable insights, a big idea and enough time to execute it properly. Having a big budget really won’t matter if you don’t have enough time to create a unique experience.

Content is not always king. Today’s consumers are bombarded with irrelevant, complicated and boring messaging all the time. And as we all know, just because technology has made it possible to make every idea social and participatory doesn’t mean that all ideas can or will offer engaging experiences on their own.

There’s a huge opportunity for brands that understand both creative technology and creative media to integrate seamlessly within a big idea. This is where I think agencies like 360i can push the industry forward, because not only do they have the tools and knowledge, but they also have the mandate from their clients. And right now, very few agencies can make the leap from classic storytelling towards more genuine and personalized storybuilding.

How do you view integration between online and offline? Can you provide some examples of success?

AK: One of the biggest misconceptions in our industry is that ‘integration’ means making the online and offline pieces of your program look the same. Of course the core brand voice and the DNA of the brand equity should be consistent across channels, but to engage people and cut through the clutter every idea must be tailored to the context. And that goes for content too. To me, total integration means being equally relevant both off- and online.

Why did you decide to join 360i?

AK: I joined 360i for several reasons: the fearless entrepreneurial spirit, the great vibe and the overall sense of ambition. The most important reason, however is that I saw a rare and fantastic opportunity to lead the creative team at a unique agency that works with some of the most world-renowned brands and has continually proven to be on the cutting edge of connecting with consumers in the digital age.

From talking to the team here at 360i, I’m convinced that with my experience when it comes to building strong idea cultures and the 360i environment that thrives on disruptive ideas and innovation, we will continue to attract the very best people in the industry – and that our agency will be very different from traditional agencies. I don’t see how anyone could say no to an opportunity like that.

What’s more, the proliferation of consumer content on emerging platforms like Pinterest and Tumblr, and within social shopping sites like Polyvore, is changing the way designers view their brand identity. Labels previously exclusive and “closed” are becoming more open to sharing content across multiple social platforms.

Inspired by the SXSW panel entitled “Who Needs Fashion Cycle? I’ve Got Social Media,” this post outlines three key ways social media has disrupted the luxury fashion cycle as we know it, and what marketers in this space can do to get ahead of the trend to better reach their customers.

1. The real time web is speeding up the traditional fashion communications cycle, sparking consumer interest from the moment products hit the runway.
Ten years ago the fashion communication cycle was highly controlled. Fashion houses put on two major shows per year – private events for 1,000 to 2,000 industry insiders. Photographs from the shows did not reach the general public for six months, when they were seen in the pages of fashion glossies at the same time apparel was made available in stores. This communication flow aligned with the fashion operations cycle post-show, during which buyers and designers coordinated their orders and created the pieces over the next six months before going to market.

Enter social media via Style.com, bloggers and micro-sharing platforms like Instagram and Twitter. Once these real-time platforms were used in the front rows of designer shows, Fashion Week went from being a limited-audience occasion to a massive, consumer-facing event with couture images, trends and videos at the public’s fingertips.

Style.com garners 2.3 million users a month. Per Wikipedia, print rival InStyle has 1.7 million subscriptions.

Retailers like H&M and Zara have used this challenge to their advantage, creating on-trend pieces as quickly as possible to meet consumer demand in what’s known as “fast fashion.” Other fashion sites such as modaoperandi.com and Lyst.com are approaching this by creating a buyer commitment, pre-payment plans and item “watch-lists” to allow shoppers to receive their desired dream item a few weeks before it arrives in stores.

2. As consumer content proliferates across the web, some traditionally “closed” fashion brands are shifting their strategies from exclusivity to inclusivity.
While some might argue that the era of the “star designer” is over as the volume of fashion brand messages has exploded, the designers with the clearest, most distinctive brand vision will still be able to maintain a relevant presence in this new age of fashion communications where consumers have become a large part of a brand’s narrative. DKNY is one example of a brand that has found success in this regard, namely through its popular @DKNYPRGirl Twitter handle managed by the brand’s SVP of Global Communications Aliza Licht. Similarly, Oscar de la Renta’s PR team has launched a Tumblr community that gives fashion addicts a behind the scenes look at the fashion house.

Oscar de la Renta on Tumblr

However, while some may attempt to postpone influencer image sharing, fashion houses as a whole may need to begin to relinquish some control of their brand narratives and embrace the collective stories of consumers that have become a part of their digital brand identities via UGC. For example, the number of user-uploaded images posing with Louis Vuitton Damier purses is greater than the amount of content the house is able to create themselves. Moreover, a simple search for ‘Gucci’ within Pinterest yields thousands of results pinned by users – even though the brand does not have a page set up there. The consumer voice – louder than that of the brand – is proving to be a critical component to the brand’s identity.

3. Stylists are filling the increasingly important role as ‘curator,’ bridging the gap between online and in-store.
The digital ecosystems surrounding stylists are becoming increasingly diverse and, as a result, the industry expects their role to grow to be more important than ever before. Stylists will help bridge the gap between online and in-store now that trends are more readily accessible and brands can barely keep up with the demand for new styles. One way this occurs is through virtual reality styling events whereby shoppers use special apps to help make purchase decisions in-store. Stylists are also using the web to connect with shoppers in more traditional situations and give fashion counsel either in-store or online. Up-and-coming start-up Style for Hire offers such services.

The rise of the social web has disrupted the fashion world in similar ways that it has impacted other industries. Consumers today engage in real time, and brands of all verticals and sizes are realizing that the pace of interaction and engagement demands a different approach. The challenge of keeping up with the real time environment is also an opportunity, as it provides a means through which brands can create meaningful and lasting relationships with consumers

Hulu ad unit for the Mini Roadster

The significance of this move is twofold:

1. Digital is setting itself up to play in the broadcast sandbox. Digital video companies are taking big leaps to structure their packages in a way that appeals to the broader landscape of “video” buyers. Hulu, and many others, are putting some serious skin in the game. This not only relates to their shift in a more buyer-friendly pricing model, but also in the expansion of content.

On Monday, the New York Times reported on Hulu’s plans to increase investment in original programming – content that will be pitched to the ad community today as part of the Digital Content NewFronts kick-off event in New York (see more coverage over on Adweek). Over the course of 13 days, in the closest resemblance to the broadcast upfronts that we as an industry have experienced to date, the leading powerhouses in the digital content space will showcase their programming line ups. The themes we should expect to see as the digital space tries to compete with its TV counterparts are an emphasis on content, quality and scalability.

2. We still have a long way to go towards standardization. The inconsistencies behind video pricing models and counting methodologies and the slow adoption of commonsense practices (standardized ad players, leveraging the interactivity of digital via ad choice features or charging only for completed ad views, to name a few) pinpoint a hurdle that is yet to be crossed. Google’s TrueView – announced as a test format on YouTube in late 2010 but only recently made official – adopted some of Hulu’s ad features by incorporating viewer choice into the ad experience. However, it also announced a unique “skip-ability” feature (user is permitted to skip an ad, after viewing for five seconds).

Updates like these shift power to the consumer – which might translate to higher receptivity to online advertising as a whole – but they also introduce more variation. If we truly are to compete with traditional TV environments for big budget ad dollars, it behooves all marketers work towards common formats, definitions and counting methods – the first step in an apples to apples comparison to the GRP. The collaborative spirit of the NewFronts is a sign of more unified digital industry that is approaching maturity.

While Hulu’s move to charge advertisers only for fully viewed ads signifies a step in the right direction, it feels somewhat overdue. The concept of a “makegood” has long existed in the TV world as a way to remedy situations where spots are disrupted or delivered incompletely. The creators of Hulu were the biggest powerhouses in the TV space when they launched the service, so it seems logical that this practice of charging for only completed views would carry forward into their digital venture. This is a critical adjustment that right-sets and, in a small but notable way, catches them up to TV.

As the industry strives to improve the way we buy video in ALL formats, the most positive outcome will occur by combining the strengths each channel has to offer.

So, what can TV bring to digital? The highly standardized nature of TV ad formats, counting methodologies and buying models (perhaps to a fault). Marketers should aspire to apply some of this sanity to the chaos of the digital space in a way that doesn’t stifle innovation or box them into antiquated practices and ratings systems.

And what can digital bring to TV? The flexibility, interactivity, trackability and more dynamic buying models associated with digital video ad formats. How can we break down the walls that exist amongst stakeholders in the TV ad space so that marketers can restore faith that the $64.8 billion that is projected to flow into this space in 2012 is truly driving value?

To be fair, there are some profoundly innovative technologies and execution platforms entering the broadcast realm – such as internet-enabled “ConnectedTV” or addressable TV via Set Top Box data – but the bulk of that billion dollar ad industry is still being monetized in traditional methods. It will take time before radical change is pervasive, but Hulu’s move is an indicator of the type of progress online video needs.

According to comScore, Hulu posted yet another record-breaking month for video ad views in March at 1.7 billion. Hulu also delivered the highest duration and frequency of video ads out of ten video ad properties surveyed.