COMMUNICATIONS TRENDS

Marketing, advertising and public relations professionals alike are beginning to explore trends that will help them navigate their designated industry and will ultimately translate into happier clients and consumers. Thanks to social media and 24 hour cable television, news travels at the speed of light. It is challenging to keep up with new innovations and tools to send your business into the future, but with the help of professionals in the field we get a look at some of the top trends shifting our business . From privacy to control. Privacy regulation is an ongoing issue in the digital world. In order to navigate these rocky waters better, marketing professionals should focus on offering more customer control of any messaging being delivered online. Make it about the customer and soon you will garner more trust from your targeted publics. From reach to relevancy. Keep your content relevant instead of exhausting your resources to reach a wider audience. Consistent messaging over a longer period of time is likely to grow your audience, as opposed to ad hoc messages that confuse your audience ultimately losing their attention and buy-in to your cause. From big data to GOOD data. Try to figure out the difference between casual online behavior and the consumers true intent. While algorithmic data can offer you diverse information about your audience and their online behavior, it doesnt provide any qualitative research that helps the marketing professional better understand what makes their audience tick.From privacy to control. Privacy has been a long-standing concern getting a flurry of attention with every marketing tech innovation. Predictably, each advance saw a commensurate consumer knee jerk privacy reaction demanding "opt-out" capabilities. Young consumers think privacy is about control and older consumers are adjusting their privacy expectations to function in the digital world. The astute marketer will therefore begin to shift focus from privacy to enabling consumer control of messaging thus moving up consumers' value chain. As an added bonus if we make this sentiment shift, it may help our industry safely navigate our way through the rocky privacy regulatory waters ahead. From reach to relevancy.Platforms are miracles of marketing efficiency; achieving scale better than ever before. Yet, in the rush to reach large audiences, achieving quality engagement sustainable over time is another matter. Brands can create platform-based promotions but the herky jerky nature of fragmented platforms tend to exhaust corporate marketing resources across a multitude of functions including measurement, technology and budgets. Shifting the focus from reach to relevancy means we can now pay serious attention to the practical application of brand authenticity beyond "sentiment analysis" platforms; learning to weave relevancy into the very fabric of the user's online experience. From big data to GOOD data.Another impact of platforms on the marketing landscape is the near slavish worship of big data with little understanding that : "There's big data and then there's bad big data" (a phrase I gratefully attribute to Robert Chang - our advisor from Mogility Capital). Data has always been the lifeblood of marketing but now the very nature of data quality is undergoing a radical change. . There's no doubt that increasingly these algorithmic hiccups drive consumers to opt out because they understand the danger of platforms misinterpreting their casual online behavior as a true intent. From push to pull.This sentiment shift is a long time coming. For years, the tension between innovative "push" marketing and consumers' increasing privacy concerns has been a delicate line seasoned marketers are long accustomed to walking. But with heavy-handed, push platforms, the inflection point is close at hand where consumers may fall off the "creepy cliff" as they are subjected to more invasive and pervasive ads. The irony is that this loss of control is in juxtaposition to consumers' increasing expectation of control with their smart phones, smart homes and Apple everything. This cognitive dissonance explains the grim trust gap stats in online marketing: 71% of consumers don't trust text on mobile phones and 67% of consumers don't trust online banner ads By balancing the intensely push ad world with an appropriate counter balance of consumer pull, marketers are ready to embrace a new model of consumer engagement that is productive. From platform-powered marketing to people-powered marketing. For the last few years marketing's focus has been a frothy, tech dominated conversation is losing sight of the fact that marketing is a people powered discipline affecting real consumers. You simply can't platform your way into great marketing because platforms can't yet create algorithms nuanced enough to predict the human element. With the bloom off the social media rose, people like Mark Cuban are asking tough questions in reaction to the rosy marketing conversations that has been framed, to date, by platforms anxious to demonstrate efficacy. Optimistically, I think this will be the year that marketers not technologists - will lead the conversation about what works and why. That's a sentiment shift we can all celebrate. DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MARKETING TRENDS FOR 2013 (IMEDIA CONNECTION) Social Media Marketing. Gingerich argues that this will become a top priority for marketing at all levels, international to small business. Gamification. This is an area that is growing in popularity as more companies learn the benefits of online contests and promotions that reward consumers for their participation.

Social Media MarketingSocial media marketing gained an exceptional amount of steam in 2012, as parties ranging in size from international brands to local businesses jockeyed to start (or grow) their efforts and presence here. As 2013 looms, social media marketing is set to become a top priority marketing tactic. No longer a nominal experiment, businesses recognize that social networks are where their targeted customers are spending huge amounts of time. With this knowledge, prepare to see marketers shift their dollars to the social arena. A key point for businesses will be to rise above the clutter, and savvy marketers will use a mix of content, engagement, and promotions to grab the attention of consumers and extend the reach of their communities.Marketing Shift to ConsumersWith rise of social media and the changes in search engine ranking algorithms, the shift from link building to content marketing will grow. Digital marketers have said that "content is king" for what seems like ages, but a new trend is emerging where both king and queen tango and the queen is consumer engagement multiplication. Great content is always necessary, but the need and potential of engaging consumer messengers moves to the forefront in the year ahead. Consumer messengers are influencers who have the ability through their social sharing to take content messages to their own networks and to the masses, greatly extending and multiplying the reach of brand marketing efforts. Consumers who share great content will be a defining marketing conduit in 2013.GamificationThe rise of gamification will expand as consumers respond to promotions that reward them for participation and sharing. Gaming isnt new, of course, and its been an end in itself where in-game purchases are made of marketed products. In 2013, though, game strategies will extend further into the mainstream marketing sector as a significant strategy within social marketing, not just within the game industry. Tools for social networks that have a game component - and that incentivize social sharing as part of the promotions - have proven successful, and well see more growth in that field. Related as it is to the shift toward content marketing through consumers, gamification is another valuable way to kick-start the sharing process and extends to find new customers.Cross-Social Network PromotionsSocial marketing promotions will reach across platforms, bringing two or more social networks into play during a promotion. Instead of relying just on Facebook, promotions will grow by incorporating additional social networks intertwined in a promotion. Were already seeing promotions that are based on a Facebook page, but require a Pinterest, Twitter, or Instagram-integrated component as part of the entry and participation process. Businesses will continue to leverage their strength on one social platform to extend their reach on others.

Rise of SoLoMoSoLoMo, the intersection of social, local, and mobile marketing efforts, will hit the mainstream. Marketers recognize the time spent on social networks, and theyll reach out through these platforms to mobile users to engage them with location-based specials. Additionally, local stores will offer incentives to nearby mobile users to draw them into the store. While in-store, businesses can utilize QR codes and signage to drive users to their social sites for further connection. SoLoMo will capitalize on the rise of smartphone use to pull together social and local initiatives, offering a more personalized and localized experience that can build greater customer loyalty.THE CANT-MISS SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS (FAST COMPANY) Mobile social media usage continues to soar. In September Facebook noted in their quarterly SEC filing that the number of mobile Internet users is set to pass the number of wired Internet users by 2015 in the U.S. This means that social networks will have to put more effort into differentiating their online vs. mobile platforms. Social advertising grows and evolved. Traditional banner and interruption ads will be on the decline next year as more and more companies are seeing the benefit in developing more mobile advertisements. Options like Promoted Tweets and Sponsored Stories offered by social media platforms are gaining are popularity and advertising professionals will soon see a major innovative shift. International and niche social networks experience dramatic growth. International social media users continue to increase at rates faster than that of North America. The prepared professional will be ready to keep up with social platforms across the multitude of platforms developing all over the world.4 TRENDS AFFECTING PR DEPARTMENTS The internet is killing the expert. Anyone with an internet connection can declare themselves an expert. Freelancers are taking over traditional media. More than 70 percent of magazine content is produced by freelancers, who may be harder to connect with than traditional staffers. Consumers are growing skeptical of statistics. With the popularity of visuals, there has been a plethora of branded statistics. 1. The Internet is killing the expert.

Leveraging experts has always been a proven way to garner earned media coverage for clients. Experts are trusted resources that can organically land media placements while seamlessly plugging brands into the segment. Now that anyone with an Internet connection can share their expertise with the world, the once trusted expert is becoming harder to find.

Consumers are realizing that anyone can declare himself or herself an expert, making it more challenging to prove someones credibility. In fact, some experts are beginning to question their own credibility, proving that were all just learning as we go. Luckily, the lessons are the most interesting part.

2. Freelancers are taking over traditional media.

The Internet shook the traditional media world around the time the economy collapsed, driving major layoffs across publications. In the first six years of the millennium the number of freelance writers has increased more than 300 percent with no signs of slowing down, freelancers produce more than 70 percent of magazine content.

Not only are PR professionals challenged to seek out relationships with freelance writers, but also they are forced to create story angles that publications will buy.

3. Consumers are growing skeptical of statistics.

The growing use of visuals in social media marketing, along with the realization that data visualization is a powerful way to break through the clutter and drive consumers to action, has inspired brands to find new ways to use data in their marketing efforts. The result is a plethora of branded statistics.

Companies such as PayScale, OK Cupid, and BirchBox are finding innovative ways to tap useful statistics to increase search engine optimization, drive buzz, and position themselves as experts in their field.

For example, PayScale avoids stats that say 98 percent of top executives use PayScale. Instead, its releasing quality stats about the state of the workforce and, in turn, making itself a leader in the field.

4. Content curation puts the success of a brand into the hands of the consumer.

Thanks to social media and the growing popularity of content curation, everyday consumers are becoming powerful influencers. Every brand wants a viral video or a social media campaign that drives major buzz, but few brands realize what it takes.

The success of a brands content lies in the hands of their consumers. Companies are challenged to understand what drives consumers to share content and how they can create the content that consumers will organically want to share.TECHNOLOGIES OF THE FUTURE: 5 TRENDS New companies and applications will bring the long-held vision of the Internet of Things closer to reality. Visualization and analytics will help solve the challenges of big data Enterprises will deploy hybrid clouds and consumers will embrace personal clouds The battle over Internet censorship and control will reach new heights Researchers and companies will develop new tools and approaches to help unleash the power of multicore computing.

New companies and applications will bring the long-held vision of the Internet of Things closer to reality.Promising to be the most disruptive technology since the World Wide Web, the Internet of Things is predicted to result in up to 100 billion Internet-connected objects by 2020. Relying on embedded computing and sensors, and driven by smartphone and tablet adoption, IoT in 2013 will witness an explosion of new uses by consumers and enterprises alike. The public is captivated by the vision of being able to control everything in their homes and offices, from temperature, lighting and security to using devices to brew cups of coffee, program entertainment, check health records, and conduct a myriad of other tasks. Enterprises are also beginning to embrace IoT for tracking physical assets, managing customer relationships, and creating efficiencies in business operations and supply chains.Yet many technological hurdles must be passed before this vision becomes a reality. New types of sensors, new ways of connecting devices, and new strategies for embedded computing must be rolled out to bring IoTs vision to the forefront. Formerly known as machine-to-machine communication, IoT until recently has been the province of large companies such as Microsoft and Cisco seeking to stake their claims to the technology. However, with IoT perhaps the most talked about technology trend for 2013, the year ahead should see an explosion of startups, applications and research projects aimed at leveraging IoTs vast potential to change human lives.Enterprises are still in the early stages of implementing IoT solutions. A recent Forrester Research survey noted that 15 percent of surveyed companies currently have an IoT solution in place. However, 53 percent of companies surveyed said they planned to implement an IoT solution in the next 24 months, indicating that there is interest in a much more-connected future. Visualization and analytics will help solve the challenges of big data.Weve entered a data-driven era, in which data are continuously acquired for a variety of purposes. The ability to make timely decisions based on available data is crucial to business success, clinical treatments, cyber and national security, and disaster management. Additionally, the data generated from large-scale simulations, astronomical observatories, high-throughput experiments, or high-resolution sensors will help lead to new discoveries if scientists have adequate tools to extract knowledge from them.However, most data have become simply too large and often have too short a lifespan. Almost all fields of study and practice sooner or later will confront this big data problem. Government agencies and large corporations are launching research programs to address the challenges presented by big data. Visualization has been shown to be an effective tool not only for presenting essential information in vast amounts of data but also for driving complex analyses. Big data analytics and discovery present new research opportunities to the computer graphics and visualization community.

Enterprises will deploy hybrid clouds and consumers will embrace personal cloudsWith the growth of services exceeding predictions, cloud computing will gravitate even further into the enterprise with hybrid clouds. Consumers, meanwhile, will further embrace personal clouds. Cloud computing represents such an important technology shift that IEEE Computer Society has established a Special Technical Community on Cloud Computing. Members of the technical community foresee increased deployment of open source cloud management solutions such as OpenStack and CloudStack, although adoption will be slow. Cloud interoperability and standards will continue to advance, and cloud computing will continue to be driven by a desire for a more energy-saving green approach. Although adoption will remain brisk for software-as-a-service, enterprise enthusiasm for platform-as-a-service and infrastructure-as-a-service will be lackluster due to the necessity of their requiring IT department support. The battle over Internet censorship and control will reach new heights.Invented as a way to spread innovation and new ideas, the Internet has become a battleground for technical, social and political control. In 2013, expect to see these battles continuing, in the form of Internet filtering versus circumvention, surveillance versus anonymization, denial-of-service attacks and intrusion attempts versus protection mechanisms, and on- and offline persecution and defense of online activists.This year has seen several skirmishes involving control of the Internet, including the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA), which were shelved following protests by Wikipedia, Reddit, and other Internet presences. The debate is expected to heat up further in 2013 as the United Nations International Telecommunications Union considers assuming control of the Internet at the behest of Russia, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Those countries have submitted a proposal to the UN General Assembly for an International Code of Conduct for Information Security to establish government-led international norms and rules standardizing the behavior of countries concerning information and cyberspace.Other proposals suggest eliminating anonymization and moving the ICANN domain-name registration system from private to UN control. The US Senate and Congress have both passed resolutions opposing the proposed measures. The issue is expected to be debated at the World Conference on International Telecommunications now taking place in Dubai. Researchers and companies will develop new tools and approaches to help unleash the power of multicore computing.As we enter the parallel processing era, learning to interact with multicore technology is a critical priority. Applications that work well on 100 cores dont scale to 10,000 or larger, which is where the machines are going now. We dont have the tools or the basic techniques yet to understand how to use modern petaflop machines except for special cases. The technologys newness and complexity, combined with a dearth of well-accepted tools and training options, also make multicore processing a challenge for developers and computer architects.