25 years of the Commercial Internet
Part 5: The Remix Years 2010-2015
Although this time has yet to pass, it’s clear that the next five years will see a great shift towards innovative media. Soon, (if not already) the amount of content on the web generated by individuals will vastly outnumber that which is created by organizations, corporations and governments. With this as the new norm, “social media” may actually cease to exist in the popular lexicon and be replaced or absorbed into every day language through new labels for specific behaviours. It’s already happening: “I’ll Facebook you tonight”, “Tweet me when the movie is over” or “Google it”. When these brand names are used as verbs, it’s no longer about technology or being part of a new movement. It’s something you simply do.
The APIs (Application Programing Interface) for leading publishing sites sites will continue to allow content to be remixed and mashed up into other sites and applications. Established publishers like the New York Times, CNN, the CBC and the BBC may decide to produce less content inhouse and explore the notion of remixing outside content for their own offerings.
API mash-ups will be the norm. How could this work for advertisers?
Each program (or campaign) acts like a mini social network spread across multiple platforms (Facebook, Twitter etc). Each platform gives the user a chance to view and interact with the content, thereby generating word-of-mouth within the user’s personal social network. This radical decentralization, remixing and re-telling of a campaign will spawn creative ideas that Cannes won’t even have Lions for. Sure, some of these mash-ups already exist, but I think we can expect this to improve beyond the current Frankenstein model to very sexy component-based campaign systems.
For example: User Generated Content from platforms like foursquare.com will be remixed with photos from Flickr and Google, videos from Youtube, perhaps fan page content from Facebook and consumer reviews from Amazon; combined with GPS and other metadata, all front-ended by an augmented reality engine on your mobile device.
The brand agency by 2015 as I see it:
- We will see the 80/20 rule flip to 20/80. In other words, the spend for a campaign will change from an 80% media / 20% creative to 20% media / 80% creative.
- We will see a shift away from data-informed insights, replacing opinion-driven decision making. Big ideas will be a collaboration from all stakeholders on the agency, client and consumer sides.
- Agencies of tomorrow will be curators for communication of sorts . We’ll move from the agency-client model to an agency-consumer-client model. Agencies will create messages, utilities, applications, conversations and experiences that consumers will find useful enough to remix and share, leading to further credibility and awareness for the client.
- The agency will act as the purveyor of brand ideas and as guardians of brand behaviour. Stronger relationships between advertising, digital and public relation agencies will create more flexibility and better response to clients’ needs. When this is done, clients will be more responsive to agency recommendations. Given this new direction, agencies of 2010-2015 will begin to look more like consultants. They will advise brands in customer engagement, build community around products/services, and enable advocates to carry the brand message broadly.
- Trust is the biggest variable. By 2015 the best of us left will be the ones who balanced consumer needs and motivations with client needs and motivation.
How?
Big agency’s 2015 deliverables will be insights, innovation and creative.
If that is adopted all else will follow.
The Crystal Ball
Since this is all speculation, allow me to indulge in some ideas from the fringe that may or may not have significant impact in the world over the next five years. There is little doubt that the U.S. elections slated for 2012 will see social media amplified and incorporated in unprecedented ways, but what about social media for other social causes?
In Social Justice
- Combine the proliferation of Wi-Fi and 3G networks with very cheap video/picture-enabled tools like mobile phones and Flip Camcorders
, would it be possible for NGOs to air-drop tens of thousands of devices throughout unstable regions of the world? Would the West be able to ignore thousands of videos and photos uploaded to YouTube and Flickr? Could visual knowledge prevent a situation like the 1994 genocide in Rwanda or the conflicts and crimes against humanity that continue to this day?
In Medical Research
- Will the world’s medical researchers be able to explore beyond their patent-hungry pharma employers and work with charity foundations towards a cure? What if researchers shared their data and research on a wiki or developed their own mass collaboration tool? Could the cure for cancer be found? How about aids? Or heart disease? What if the same model was applied to the development of new energy sources like it was with the hydrogen car in Holland?
In Global Warming
- Beyond 2015, we may be looking at a world much different than what we’re used to today. What happens when we reach peak oil? What happens if the planes are grounded and gas hits $40-$50 a gallon? Will innovative and immersive media be the only affordable way to explore the world we currently take for granted?
Questions of radical trust indeed, and a possible future where digital media is not about the latest app for your iPhone or Twitter client, but rather it’s about remaining connected to loved ones across town and around the world.
Check out the other posts from this series.
25 years of the Commercial Internet 1990-2015
1990-1995 – The Brochureware Years
1995-2000 – The e-Commerce Years
2000-2005 – The Advertising Years
2005-2010 – Web 2.0 and The Social Media Years
2010-2015 – The Remix Years
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12 Responses to “The Remix Years 2010-2015”
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January 7th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
Great insights.
I certainly hope that scientific research industry starts collaborating just as you have mentioned. The next years to come have to be more about we and not I as in previous generations.
Thanks for sharing,
Alex “we” Ikonn
January 7th, 2010 at 5:06 pm
Great pos! RT @CollinDouma: WIll social media solve global warming? Cure Cancer? Lofty predictions in http://bit.ly/5N1KYP
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
January 7th, 2010 at 5:55 pm
Thanks Alex.
Thanks again
We can only hope. I never though of it as a Generational issue, but that is a great point. The excuses for lack of progress are getting weaker, who ever is making them
Coll(we)in
January 7th, 2010 at 7:20 pm
The next 5 years of branding will look like this: http://bit.ly/5N1KYP according to @collindouma
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
January 7th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
The next 5 years of branding will look like this: http://bit.ly/5N1KYP according to @collindouma ^KP #fb
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
January 7th, 2010 at 9:52 pm
Very thought provoking. RT @KirkPhillips: The next 5 years of branding will look like this: http://bit.ly/5N1KYP according to @collindouma
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
January 7th, 2010 at 11:36 pm
The Remix Years 2010-2015 – http://ow.ly/U4Oo #socialmedia #branding
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
January 8th, 2010 at 11:39 am
. @CollinDouma You’re welcome. (smile) Loved Radical Trust post on the brand agency of 2015. http://budurl.com/gthg
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
January 8th, 2010 at 12:04 pm
Thanks Chum! RT @alanchumley: interesting posit on what the brand agency might look like by 2015 – Radical Trust post: http://bit.ly/5N1KYP
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
January 9th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
The next 5 years of branding will look like this: http://bit.ly/5N1KYP according to @collindouma RT@KirkPhillips
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
January 18th, 2010 at 9:10 am
Some interesting insights.
You write ‘Agencies will create messages, utilities, applications, conversations and experiences that consumers will find useful . . ‘
What of the media, in all of this?
January 18th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
Kumar…
What of the media indeed! The media will be the delivery mechanism and that is still required. However… the purchased media will not be the limit, rather the enabler of the message in earned media.