Excerpts from Mr Youth’s Class of 2015 New College Orientation

Don’t think of Back-to-School as just August and September. Recognize that the journey begins with college acceptance and runs through the first days on campus. The conversation and underlying student need-states shift throughout the journey, reflecting a variety of offline events and key back-to-school milestones. Building programs that deliver on core needs is only powerful when executed at the precise time the corresponding conversation is taking place.

Providing a tool for students to find the perfect roommate in August is destined to fail because it doesn’t take into account that roommate seeking takes place May through July.

Design a program that solves a student need during its respective timeframe within the journey.This provides the relevance and value add needed to achieve traction and virality across the incoming class.

Download the full report at Mr Youth

Excerpts from Bazaarvoice’s Conversation Index Vol. 3

One way to cull out product suggestions is to look at pivot language within user-generated content. Pivot language describes a word or phrase that marks a transition in tone or sentiment, especially when discussing the features or aspects of a product.

We analyzed more than six million pieces of user-generated content to quantify the amazing frequency of this highlyactionable feedback. The most common pivot words are “however,” “wish,” and “although.”

Examples include:

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Design feedback discovery and action into business processes

User-generated content gives brands, for the first time ever, direct insights into the experiences consumers have with their products. Mine for pivot language routinely, and distribute the results to product teams regularly to improve development and decrease time to market. Most important, use pivot language and average ratings to quickly uncover potential issues with new products upon launch.

Download the full Index at Bazaarvoice

An excerpt from Nielsen’s report, The Global, Socially Conscious Consumer

When it comes to advertising and recommendations, socially conscious consumers trust recommendations from people they know (95%), while also looking for opinions and information posted by other consumers online (76%), slightly more so than the global online survey average (92% and 70%, respectively). Among paid, third-party advertising channels, socially-conscious consumers most trust outdoor, TV and print media, though they tend to be more trusting of advertising across channels.

This survey confirmed the importance of social media in cause marketing. Socially-conscious consumers are more likely than consumers overall to trust ads found on social networks and they were also more likely than total respondents (59% vs. 46%) to say they use social media when making a purchase decision.

Download the full report at Nielsen.

Excerpts from Mom Central’s full report.

Retail trends come and go, but the recent collision of a still-struggling economy and proliferation of mobile apps lays the groundwork for Moms to explore new high-tech ways to save money for their families. In the first installment of our series on Mom Retail Trends, we look at Moms’ attitudes toward Quick Response (QR) Codes. From our recent survey of 1,000 Moms, we’ve highlighted the Top 5 insights emerging about Moms and their embracing of QR codes.

Moms Seek QR Code Access Via Smartphones

Of the moms who own Smartphones (over 64%), 56% say they have downloaded a QR reader to their phone and 87% saying they have activated a QR code via their phone.

Moms Want QR Codes to Serve Up Deals & Discounts

For 92% of Moms, discounts and coupons provide the chief reason to activate a QR code, and 75% of Moms activate one looking for special offers. In an economy still waiting for recovery, Moms continue to seek out new avenues to streamline household costs.

Moms Activate Offline QR Codes

The majority of Moms activate codes via magazines (73%), in-store retail promotions (65%), on products (61%), direct mail pieces (30%), and business cards (22%). Thus, despite Moms’ rapid embrace of social media and online sources, they access information related to QR codes from decidedly offline outlets.

Moms Need Clearer Reasons to Activate QR codes

Nearly 60% of Moms have activated a code without knowing exactly what it would offer, and 36% did so out of curiosity. However, 92% of Moms say they remain more likely to use a code if they know where it will take them or what it will offer. Despite their recent entrance into the Mom space, most Moms seem willing to give QR codes a chance.

Intrigue But Lack of Regular Use

Over 50% of Moms find QR codes interesting – they love to discover what they offer – and more than 40% say QR codes remain a useful way to get product information. Yet 18% of Moms believe QR codes are a waste of time and don’t offer anything useful, and 28% view them as a marketing ploy.

Read more about mom marketing trends at Mom Central’s blog

The Parenting Group and Edelman conducted two national surveys of fathers. While the research supports the more significant role that today’s generation of fathers play in childcare and household responsibilities versus their own fathers’ generation, the surveys also identified several emerging patterns of behavior among the next generation of millennial fathers and first-time dads*.

Image Credit: Ad Age

Other findings include:

1 in 4 dads don’t seek out parenting advice from anyone or anywhere.

While the greatest number of respondents (35 percent) admitted to turning to their wives/partners for the majority of the childcare advice, 27 percent say that they don’t seek out advice – they just go with their instinct when it comes to raising kids. Only 4 percent seek advice from their own fathers.

The exception to the rule: First-time dads, who are more likely to seek outside help from their wives, family members and blogs than any other group – only 9 percent trust their own parenting instincts.

When it comes to making brand decisions, dads behave much differently – 59 percent of dads say they use 4 or more sources of information to help them make purchase decisions, compared with only 44 percent of moms.

First-time dads are more likely than older dads to share information about their family via social media

• 42 percent post family-related status updates on a daily basis
• 56 percent posting family photos at least a few times a week
• 21 percent posting videos at least a few times a week.

Millennial dads are also more likely to have more online friends than millennial moms – dads report an average of 96 online friends, but moms only have 70.

“Dads’ role and voice needs to be taken seriously. Long gone are the days when dad’s primary responsibility was financial security and disciplining their children,” said Missy Maher, Edelman’s Director of Mom Foresight. “Dads today demand work-life balance and play a larger role at home by choice. In fact, more than 50 percent of both moms and dads agree that moms and dads roles are defined – it’s about being a parent. Marketers in particular need to think about how dads are impacting and influencing decisions when it comes to their families and the brands they are choosing.”

*First-time dads are defined as fathers whose oldest child is under 2 years old.

See more findings at Edelman

Monumental shifts in the reputation landscape today are transforming how and what companies communicate. Radical changes caused by the Internet, globalization, NGOs/third parties, diminishing returns on traditional media, a more demanding general public and increasing social activism have created a new dynamic where the company behind the brand is becoming as or more important than individual brands themselves.

Weber Shandwick and its research arm, KRC Research, conducted  an online survey among both consumers and executives to answer the  frequently-raised question from corporate officers about how brand and reputation are evolving in this new see-thru, nowhere to hide world.

Products Drive Discussion, with Reputation Close Behind

Weber Shandwick wanted to answer two questions about the relationship  between the brand and corporate reputation. First, what do consumers  need to know about a company that makes it worth their hard-earned dollars?  Second, for executives charged with building and maintaining their company’s hard-won reputation, what needs to be communicated to ensure that their reputation resonates and remains unassailable? The answers to these questions are revealed in the next chart.

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Consumers Shape Reputation Instantly

What sources move consumers? Not surprisingly, word of mouth is the leading influence (88%) when it comes to impacting consumers’ opinion of a company, whether its genesis is online or offline. Conversations where company likes and dislikes are discussed are no longer out of the ordinary for the general public. What is noteworthy is the power of online reviews (83%) and online search results (81%) in determining what people say about companies and the brands they make.

Online reviews are nearly as important as word of mouth in determining perceptions and impacting public opinion. There is no doubt that user-generated online reviews such as those found on recommendation sites (such as amazon.com, TripAdvisor or Yelp in the U.S. and U.K., TaoBao, Ctrip and Dianping in China, and Buscapé and ReclameAQUI in Brazil) have fast-become omnipotent arbiters of brand trust and company assurance.

In Closing

Corporate reputation and brand reputation are now nearly indivisible. The importance of a firm’s reputation matters more than ever and is unified with the reputation of product brands to create one powerful enterprise brand. Consumers want assurance that their well-earned dollars, yuan, pounds or reais are spent on products produced by companies that share their values. They have higher expectations for the companies and the brands they like and are not hesitant to turn their backs when they are disappointed or fooled.

Read the full report at Weber Shandwick.

Insights from Edelman’s full Marketing to the Modern Family study.

The essence of parenting hasn’t changed – but the definition of who qualifies as a parent, and the day-to-day role of a parent, is rapidly evolving. More than ever, parents are taking to blogs and online communities to voice opinions, seek counsel, and share experiences with other parents. All of that information, and the access it affords to parents – and the families they are part of – provides brands and other organizations with considerations and avenues to reach the family of today.

“Marketing to the Modern Family” was conducted in 2011 to explore these changing trends. Working with StrategyOne, a research arm of Edelman, we partnered with a panel of experts who represented the Modern Family, including moms, dads, multicultural and GLBT parents, and grandparents with different knowledge areas (finance, wellness, technology). These experts informed a survey that was fielded to moms, dads, grandparents, and multicultural and GLBT families.

Five Key Recommendations Resulting From the Study:

1. Join mom’s online conversation
   
   Consider this: 41% of moms say they are the sole decision maker for their family purchases. Plus, they are taking on more now than their moms did when growing up, including managing family finances and working full/part time. Converse with mom online and don’t just speak at her. Listen to mom voicing her frustrations; empathize with her – it will go a long way to gain brand loyalists.
2. Traditional has become tradition-all
   
   Mom blogs have long been a major target for brands. But today, more than just moms are writing blogs about parenting.  62% of moms and 54% of dads say parenting roles will be redefined from traditional “mom and dad.” This provides an opportunity to reevaluate your audience and see if dad or grandma has a role to play in the online conversation for your brand as well. Brands should also make their messages broader and be sensitive to non-traditional families. ConAgra brand Reddi-Wip (an Edelman client), recently partnered with parents and grandparents to celebrate multigenerational relationships in the modern family, thus reaching a variety of audiences during peak usage occasions.
3. Think outside your traditional target
   
   Dads are increasingly taking on more responsibility in the home than their fathers did in the past. 33% of dads say they take on role of a traditional mom. Use the 80/20 rule when it comes to brand messaging (80% targeted to your core audience (i.e., moms) and 20% targeted to outside your core audience.) Maybe mom is the core target, but dad should be considered an equal partner. There are several new dad initiatives happening in 2012 that deserve your attention – including the first of its kind Dad 2.0 Summit conference, which will bring together some of the most influential online voices in the dad space.
4. Adapt multi-channel marketing
   
   Given how media consumption is rapidly changing, brand messages have to be flexible enough to adapt. Use transmedia storytelling to bridge across new audiences and reach parents and other family members even further. In a world where half of moms “like” brands without doing a thing, engage in multiple channels to ensure message penetration. An advertising campaign can carry one message to your core audience, but make sure that message has many dimensions that can be carried through creative online content, search and social networks to reach all audiences.
5. Test and learn, mine data, and then optimize programs
   
   Members of the Modern Family are being influenced and are using media 24/7.  Digital represents a special opportunity for brands because of the ability to test and adapt on the fly. Tools like Salesforce’s new social hub for instance can provide a better understanding of customer data and help brands understand who is really influencing purchasing decisions. Adjust messaging to non-traditional audiences with a data driven approach.

Read more insights from the study on Edelman’s Slideshare page.

Excerpts from Bazaarvoice’s Conversation Index, Q3 2011.

Today, social gives consumers a direct link to brands. And brands recognize the huge responsibility that comes with this always-on, first-person input. As consumers convey exactly what they need and want, brands that take action will catapult beyond loyalty to real advocacy.

Social provides a window into your real-world customers. The data comes fast and furious, and capturing, analyzing – and, most important, acting on – these insights drives true, customer-centric change across companies, and even entire industries.

The Conversation Index takes 5.8 million data points – real input from consumers directly to our clients – and uncovers trends that help you get and stay ahead of what consumers really want.

Fully Mobile: Browsing is just the beginning

Our analysis of user-generated content for financial services firms uncovers another interesting note: Contrary to popular belief, older consumers participate online by writing reviews almost as

much as younger generations.

While most of review volume comes from younger clients – 25% of it from ages 25 to 34 – almost as many reviews come from their parents’ generation. 19% of reviews for financial services

products come from those ages 66 and older – proving that older folks are still socially savvy.

Janrain today released findings from their second Social Identity study conducted by Blue Research, showing that consumer frustration at being asked to register on a website continues to grow and almost eight in ten people want social login to be offered as an alternative. Janrain commissioned Blue Research for the study, which was conducted among a nationwide cross section of more than 600 consumers.

The research shows that marketers have a clear opportunity to increase conversion rates and online engagement by replacing traditional registration with social login. 86% of consumers are bothered by registering at a website and almost nine in ten will give false information or leave forms incomplete when creating a new account. Both of these results represent significant increases since the survey was first conducted in 2010.

Resistance to Traditional Registration Processes

• Four in five (86%) people are bothered by the need to create new accounts when registering on a website and will change their behavior as a result; this represents an increase of more than 10% over the 2010 findings
  • 54% may leave the site or not return
  • 26% go to a different site, if possible
  • 6% leave/avoid the site
  • 14% say they will complete the registration

Increased Brand Affinity in Fans of Social Login

77% believe social login is a good solution that should be offered, an increase of over 10% from the year prior (66% in 2010). Among that population…

Download the full report at Janrain.