Joyce Schwarz writes about the brave new world where "pro-sumers" control the media.
Editor's note: In part one Schwarz discussed how PSPcasting may signal a tipping point in the evolution of citizen's media. Today, Schwarz concludes by examining other next-generation media developments.
Reception of next-generation media has gotten a boost from a number of recent developments: Google's video storage and search announcement, Yahoo’s 360 social networking and blogging service, and MSN's Messenger ads.
Beyond those and other mainstream media announcements are the forecasts by entrepreneurs like Gordon Lee, CEO, American IDC who says he filed the first patent for VOD back in 1989. At my panel at Digital Hollywood, Lee announced a Video Juke Box service that enables users to pull up IP video and ‘broadcast’ custom online TV-type shows. He reports already signing up Soccer Matches from Mexico and South America. Like many next-generation media moguls, Lee promises to augment his new media messaging with upgrades like VoIP bundling and SMS interactions from other providers like Kiwi Systems and SmartEntGroup.com.
So what’s really happening? One sure trend is horizontal programming and the launch of video and vertical search. Localized delivery systems empowered by personal profiling and the growth of opt-in niche databases means a closer match for marketers for delivering targeted and customized messages on the fly. New technology and access to worldwide audiences are ushering in even bigger changes for marketers and media-makers.
Maze of Citizen’s Media
A vast maze of Citizen Journalism or user-generated media is blanketing the web and edging into broadband and VOD delivery options. Over at Typepad.com they’re said to be signing up 5,000 new bloggers daily. The addition of PSPcasting and the buzz of innovative pro-sumer (consumers who not only consume media but also produce it) programming, from “picturephoning” to Norwegian TV’s national program Svisj -- where viewers are sending video clips from mobiles to the studio -- is precursor to next-gen content delivery. Gunnar Garfors, director of mobile services at NRK, Division of Developments says that NRK is considering extending the technology to entertainment, sports and news programming. “This means that we have thousands of latent video reporters all over the world,” he explains.
As I’m writing this story, the opportunities continue to expand for videographers. Former Vice President Al Gore’s youth-oriented TV Network called Current.tv, set to launch August 1, will focus on short-form video content (15 second to five minute segments) contributed by viewers. No mention whether it will be sponsored by an advertiser or also have an accompanying blog.
227 billion images
It used to be that one-picture told a 1,000 words but now ubiquitous imaging promises much more. InfoTrends/CAP Ventures projects that the number of images captured on camera phones will reach 227 billion by 2009 exceeding the number of photos taken on digital still cameras and film cameras combined. Some experts believe that mobile imaging and developments like PSPcasting will impact media with the power that email had on document communications in the '90s.
Media reporting on blog content (which many times starts with an excerpt or link to an offline news story) is going mainstream according to Online Journalism Review (OJR) writer Mark Glaser who points to CNN’s “Inside the Blogs” segment and Slate's "Today's Blogs" (also launched in February) as “windows into a world that is new to so many people." Glaser notes that new blogging search and aggregators are evolving ranging from Technorati that watches an unfathomable 7 million blogs to Daypop, Political Wire, Memorandum and even newer efforts like Findory that features headlines and blurbs.
Beyond blogs
The Cyberjournlist.net site brought to us by the Media Center at the American Press Institute chronicles a Citizen’s Media Initiative list if you need more insight into options out there. The Media Center Tsunami Initiative reports it has already served up 2 million videos. Glaser at OJR recently focused on how to succeed as a Citizen’s Media Editor (CME) highlighting the range of efforts from the much-acclaimed Korean OhMyNews.com to MSNBC’s Citizen Journalist section to the rise of newspaper sections such as the one in the Ventura County Star.
After talking to Glaser via phone I found the Buffton Today site and newspaper in South Carolina which is user-generated from the get-go including free classifieds. There, everyone gets a blog --not just the staffers but also everyone in the community -- everyone gets a photo gallery, and can contribute to a community calendar and even a community cookbook.
New new advertising
Making money from all this new content is the new, new challenge. Bloggers advise marketers to remember that conversations are two-way and most advertising is one-way -- and, all too often in-your-face. Blogging ad delivery networks proliferate by the week. But even newer is to face the challenge of how the Open Source Movement can be applied to marketing. Take a look at Openad.net, which is moving to a subscription-based service starting May 2005. The new system will allow subscribers (no fee set yet) to access the OpenShow, which features consumer-generated ads and films, and an ideas gallery consisting of 14 categories of generic (unbranded) advertising, design and marketing services or concepts. OpenAd proclaims it is a global platform for the buying and selling of advertising, design and marketing services while enabling a direct connection between the creators and buyers.
Levis' story
According to Gawker, Levis is looking to capitalize on the coolness of blogging by featuring bloggers in their next ad campaign, slated to be titled “A Style for Every Story,” with word on the street promising $10K for lucky bloggers chosen. No mention of whether they will have an online blog of their own like Nike, General Motors and others.
Some observers believe that the love affair between brands and Mass Media is wavering with word-of-mouth, blogs and the Open Source Movement offering alternatives, along with more traditional options such as branded content and the PBS, ever-welcome sponsorship and underwriting model.
Sometimes community is the brand such as in Russia where The Lomographic Society evolved inspired by a small Russian Camera called the Lomo Kompakt Automat. Online there is a Lomo-home website along with print, media, global events and competitions, many of which center around the theme, "don’t think, just shoot.” It's a modern digital and social community associated with an analog product -- how novel.
For those of you who want to venture into the area of augmenting reality with your marketing, take a look at dogvertising, where a gadget of ultra-bright LEDs attaches to Fido’s tail and uses persistence of vision to display programmed messages not unlike some mobile phones air-texting services.
Forecasting that the dog days of interactive advertising are still ahead of us, Joyce A. Schwarz is an author, brand strategist and collaborates with venture firms, start-ups and mainstream media to introduce new products and services. She heads JCOM, a Marina Del Rey, based consulting service and can be reached at joycecom@aol.com. She just registered the blog name Hollywood2020 to forecast the future of next-gen entertainment. To be notified of the launches please email her at joycecom@aol.com.