360DigitalInfluence

In her hit single ‘Single Ladies’, Beyonce says, “if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it”. If only it was that simple. For decades, brands have been trying to ‘put a ring on’ teens. However, few have succeeded in gaining teens’ commitment; they are arguably the most non-committal group of consumers out there. This digitally sophisticated generation is increasingly savvy, wary and fickle. However, with huge spending power, teenagers are the consumers of today and of the future. This has resulted in many brands ‘fishing where the fish are’, upping their online presence with YouTube videos, Facebook profiles and multiple digital campaigns. Still, few have been successful in capturing the hearts (and wallets) of this highly sought after group.

According to the Oxford dictionary, ‘Influence’ is defined as ‘The power or ability to affect someone’s beliefs or actions.’ In order to successfully influence someone, it is essential to gain their respect and trust by actively demonstrating you are interested in them and understand them. In the case of most brands, this merely equates to jumping on the latest digital bandwagon. For example, getting onto Twitter just because ‘every other teen is ‘Tweeting’ these days’. Hanging out in teenage hotspots is one thing, but if a brand doesn’t understand teens’ needs and motivations for being there in the first place, success will merely boil down to luck. It’s no wonder so few brands have succeeded with this challenging group of consumers.

In 2009, Ogilvy Malaysia set out to better understand and effectively influence this elusive group, by conducting research specifically to uncover the role of technology in the life of 15-18 year old Malaysian teens.

3 key discoveries were made:

Firstly, the basic needs of teens have largely remained the same throughout the years.

The 5 basic needs of teenagers have been identified as the need for Self-Expression, 24/7 Communication with Peers, Privacy , Self-Achievement and a Sense of Belonging. All these needs are manifestations of a deeper need for Identity Discovery and Development.

A child’s identity is shaped solely by his or her parents. Upon reaching early teenage years, the need to discover and define one’s self emerges . In helping teens discover who they really are, the opinion of peers take precedence over those of their parents. It becomes exceedingly important for teens to belong and be accepted by their peer groups, to ensure they are not perceived as inadequate. This explains certain cult-like tendencies, such as worshipping the same movie stars, wearing the same clothes and rebelling against traditional authority.

The second discovery is that these digital natives cannot imagine life without technology.

Having grown up in a digital world, this generation lives and breathes technology. Perpetually online and connected 24/7, a 16 year old said “The Internet is like oxygen, when my computer doesn’t work I feel like my world has ended.” (Source: Ogilvy Malaysia 2009 research: ‘The Transitory World of Gen C Teens’). Almost half of Malaysian teens interviewed feel more comfortable expressing themselves on MSN instead of in person , and more than half feel naked without their mobile phone (Source: Ogilvy Malaysia 2009 research: ‘The Transitory World of Gen C Teens’) Technology has become a key part of their lifestyle, integrated in just about everything they do.

Finally, most importantly, a new ‘Transitory World’ has emerged as a result of technology.
For the generations of teenagers who had to discover and develop their identity without the benefits of technology, the process of identity discovery and development was a difficult one, often resulting in high social anxiety for fear of ridicule and rejection.

Thanks to technology, a whole new world has emerged for the teens of today, making this process significantly less painful and intimidating. Located in between their private and public worlds, the ‘Transitory World’ is an experimental buffer zone where teens are able to freely explore, express and experiment with the formulation of their identity before taking the giant leap of showcasing this identity in the public world.

Ubiquitous technological platforms such as mobile phones, social networking sites (SNS), instant messengers (IM) and blogs reside in the ‘Transitory World’. The fast, fluid nature of these tech-platforms assist teens in exploring and defining their identity with immediate affirmation.

SNS and blogs provide teens the canvas to easily create material that can be interacted with, commented on and changed quickly. Teens are able to update their online profile and blogs and receive almost instantaneous comments and feedback from friends. Different groupings on IM and private SNS groups help to further reinforce and establish existing peer groups. Mobile phones allow them to constantly keep their friends in the loop, strengthening their sense of belonging. The ‘Transitory World’ helps mitigate the anxiety, embarrassment, and humiliation teens often experienced during the crucial transition from their private world to the public world.

The ‘Transitory World’ is a fertile, safe-haven, where teens are receptive and open-minded. As it is still relatively untapped and uninhabited by brands, there is a huge opportunity for first-movers to greatly influence and impact teenagers. To do this, brands firstly need to realize the existence of such a world. They also need to understand how to best use technology to assist teens in meeting their basic needs, using the right technology platforms to meet their different needs.

By navigating and optimizing the ‘Transitory World’, brands will be finally be able to engage, influence and ‘put a ring’ on this highly prized group of consumers.

I want to be a blogger. Well, at least it’ll get me on (online) TV for a day…

While bloggers in Malaysia continue to get the attention of marketers, they further grabbed the limelight when Nuffnang and Hitz.fm recently aired Project Alpha, Malaysia’s first online TV show about bloggers.

Hosted by TV host/scriptwriter/producer Jojo Struys, who is also a blogger herself, Project Alpha is a fast paced, fast cut, lifestyle-driven show that features the daily lives of seven popular bloggers in the country — a high-powered working Mum, two shopaholics, a full-time accountant by day who is a powerful entertainment blogger by night, a daredevil personality who is always seeking the next adrenalin rush, and a travel writer who practically lives out of her suitcase.

These influencers are: Budiey Isma, Kenny Sia, Redmummy.com, Audrey Ooi/Fourfeetnine, Nicole Tan/Nicolekiss, Poh Huai Bin/Sixthseal, and Ahmad Nazuwan/Beautiful Nara.

There are seven episodes, each giving a three-minute sneak peek into Malaysia’s top bloggers, how they live, what makes them tick and from where they get their inspiration to keep their readers/followers captivated. The first episode went on air on 18 September 2009 and will be aired daily for seven weeks.

With Project Alpha, it is hoped that people from all walks of life will start their own blogs to share their passion and interests with the world.

Are you inspired yet, to start your own blog? Maybe it’s time to start one and who knows, you might be featured in the next season of Project Alpha! In addition, you’ll get to enter the Project Alpha Blog Contest and win yourself the grand prize – a date with Jojo Struys to Chelsea and watch an English Premier League game!

I have always wondered if we are “overdoing” social media, with everyone wanting to jump on the bandwagon without a proper strategy, and wanting to start a Facebook page for the sake of having one.

Hence, when I had the privilege of listening to Pete Teo, Malaysia’s very own multi-award winning singer/songwriter/film producer, at the Social Media Club (Malaysia chapter) inaugural event last week, I really wished I could put him in front of many people and hear it from him straight!

Teo, famous for his anti-racism music video Malaysian Artistes For Unity that became a popular national culture phenomenon last year, recently produced the 15Malaysia project, which also instantly became a hit. The 15Malaysia website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were primary channels for publicity, in addition to print media.

15Malaysia is a short film project consisting of 15 short films made by 15 Malaysian filmmakers. These films deal with socio-political issues in Malaysia and feature some of actors, musicians and top political leaders.

When the project was launched on Facebook on 17 August 2009, it reached 10,000 fans within an hour. Today, it has 86,852 fans on Facebook, 1,488 followers on Twitter, and 366,363 video files downloaded from the 15Malaysia website … and still counting. (The tremendous amount of traffic has busted four servers and Teo has also received a lot of help from the public through his SOS tweets.)

While he has successfully made use of social media to promote the 15Malaysia project (which has just received an invitation to screen all 15 films at the Golden Horse Film Festival in Taipei this November), Teo said that it’s not about the tools. Social media is only a tool and is as good as it gets if you do not engage people in an emotional way. He aptly stated that, “You cannot ‘formulate’ your way into this (social media success).”

Think before you jump. The important questions: What are you trying to sell? What is your message? How does your project engage the public and what value are you offering to the community?

The most recent statistics from comScore show that a bank, Maybank, dominates Malaysia’s Internet. Clearly they have understood the Internet (Or people in Malaysia are really desperate for loans!). Nearly one in three Malaysians online visited Maybank’s site in June.

As you can see from the below listing, Maybank beat out numerous media properties, so people must be visiting their bank more frequently than they check the news.