Go Micro: How the Rise of Micro Businesses and Intimate Platforms Will Shape Brands in 2014

Go Micro

© 2011 Inferno Ltd | Internal Confidential

Go Micro
2014 will be the year when everything seems a little bit smaller than it used to be,
as markets of one become the norm. The explosion of data, coupled with the
increasing ability to sell, manufacture and deliver on a much smaller scale will
drive more intimate relationships between buyer and seller – and an expectation
of more personalized, one-on-one experiences.
We‟ve already seen micro businesses boom over the past twelve months, as the
internet continues to breed entrepreneurs and platforms such as Airbnb and Etsy
go from specialist interests of the few to the mainstream go-to sites of the
masses. And 2014 will see this continue – as people continue to become both the
retailer and the consumer simultaneously and interchangeably.
Furthermore, ongoing fears about privacy are ensuring that communications are
going micro, too. More and more of us are being driven toward more intimate
social platforms, demonstrated by the booming popularity of SnapChat and the
recent addition of a private messaging functionality within Instagram.


Go Micro
So what does this mean for brands? Well, they‟ll not only be competing with
niche services and products, but they‟ll be competing will smaller, more
intimate forms of communications as well. Brands will be forced to find ways
to engage their audience with more layered, highly targeted and contextually
rich content, while balancing entertainment with utility.
To fuel this, brands will require a wider range of micro campaigns to engage
smaller groups, creating swarms of relevant content to generate the macro
results needed.

Moreover, will people want to connect with brands on intimate networks such
as WhatsApp? Will brands have to become more „human‟ and speak through
multiple voices (with real names and identities) rather than through one big
brand voice?
In 2014 we‟ll start to see the beginnings of more micro conversations vs. one
macro conversation – a game of quality over quantity.


Datification


Datification
In 2014 gamification as it
currently stands will give way
to a new evolved world of
datification.
Wearable tech will unleash a
new wealth of data that will
make achievements more
meaningful, because they will
be based on genuine real
world behaviour and data.
Our self, our identity, will be
quantified based on what we
have actually done, not what
we claim to have done, which
will be inherently more
satisfying.

An example of this is Zimride,
an online service that brings
together drivers and
commuters looking for rides.
The more drivers arrive to
destination on time, the
higher their public score and
the higher their feeling of
satisfaction and self worth.
It‟s not a far stretch to see
this concept applied to other
aspects of life through
wearable tech. The „wear it
and forget about it‟ nature of
these devices makes it easy
and frictionless to participate
in a big game of
„quantification‟ of what we‟re
good at and what we need to

Datification
Brands will need to therefore understand what aspect of their product or
service experience constitutes a part of their audience‟s identity. What is it
about using the product and service that someone would want to „brag‟
about? While before this would have had to rely on apps to track, now it can
be ubiquitous and seamless.
Car manufacturers could reward driving style and routes (not just through
GPS, but through how we drive as tracked by an accelerometer on our
smartwatch), a fashion brand could reward their audience based on the
clubs they visit and whether they go there and dance, or just sit around, and
a sports brand could challenge you to move more than your favourite athlete
on any given day.
Take this into entertainment and the possibilities are endless. Movies could
continue after they have ended, by developing a follow up narrative that
takes shape based on what route we decide to take back home from the
cinema. Tracked via wearable device, then beamed via Bluetooth to our
Xbox when we get home, ready to unlock hidden video content.
A brand „datification‟ ecosystem will be 2014‟s award winning mobile

Don’t take away my
serendipity


Don‟t take away my serendipity
Data has been leveraged in a
myriad of ways and is widely
hyped as the next frontier of
competitive advantage for
brands.
Yet, will this irritate people?
Will the ultra predictive and
real-time nature of many
algorithms lead us into a
sense of disappointment that
serendipity doesn‟t exist
anymore, that the joy of
discovery is gone?


Music affecionados across
the world are already
lamenting the loss of the thrill
of the hunt for new
music…it‟s all just a
hyperpersonalised click away
on Spotify now.

Will online fashion retailers
be next – taking away the
suspense of finding the
perfect dress by slapping the
algorithmically ideal solution
on your personal homepage
as soon as you log in?

Don‟t take away my serendipity
2014 will be the year when we learn to tread this line carefully.
Forward thinking brands will leverage data to their advantage, but the way this will
come to life in the eyes of consumers will become an art. Numerous studies show how
we are willing to give away data about ourselves, as long as what we get back from
brands is of high enough value. Therefore the challenge won‟t be not to freak people
out, but to make it feel like there is no machine making decisions on their behalf.
For example, new digital retailers will differentiate themselves from the Amazon in your
face blatant recommendation model by making the use of data subtle, yet exciting and
immersive. Touch first tablet solutions will enable more sensorial experiences that will
re-create the thrill of a real world shopping experience, with data led nudges feeling
like the equivalent of suggestions from a good friend, rather than a cold machine.
Yes, we all know we‟re being tracked, but as long as it feels good and we have a
chance to discover things ourselves and feel that thrill of serendipity, it‟s ok. We crave
it as human beings.


POWER OF
FRAGMENTED
AUDIENCES


POWER OF FRAGMENTED AUDIENCES
The traditional world of TV has been turned upside down. The
experience of watching TV is no longer a one-way flow;
broadcast content is not just created by TV companies; and
viewers have the power to watch what they want, when they
want and where they want. In a sector where money follows
eyeballs, brands and agencies need to understand the change
in behaviours and develop tailored and appropriate messages
to gain cut through with the audience and command strong ROI
In 2013, we don‟t just watch TV - we stream, we mirror, we
time-shift, we binge and we second-screen. The upside for
viewers is a better experience of stories – access to much
more content than ever before and the ability to enjoy
uninterrupted, unadulterated viewing. This poses some
interesting challenges and opportunities for brands and
agencies in 2014, where, rightly or wrongly, the TV ad is often
at the centre of comms strategy

The balance of power sits with viewers who can change
channel, skip through ads or turn their attention to another
screen - so we must compel attention.
Sky‟s new AdSmart service provides opportunities for levels
of personalisation that we are more used to seeing in
digital, with „push‟ messages targeted at households
defined by consumer data and location.
2014 should see a change in the way creative agencies
approach TV adverts for brands, with opportunities for
multiple executions to talk to different audiences.
And this may also challenge how media is bought - the
promise of a more sophisticated way to target audiences is
likely to command premium spend, but should achieve
greater ROI. An interesting innovation in „push‟ ads that
may see bigger budgets returning to TV.


2014 should also see „pull‟ ads evolving to tell stories across
platforms. The priority should be developing content that people
want to watch and share, with minimal supporting brand
messages.
The line between advertising and entertainment is starting to blur.
Brands such as Red Bull are successfully moving into branded
content space, which credibly provides entertainment, and
definitely is not using the space to sell. Others such as Tippex and
Burger King are cleverly using digital platforms with multiple
executions that tempt the viewer to interact and engage.
As devices get smarter and the data is amalgamated into
something useful and meaningful, the role of the traditional TV ad
will be challenged. Opportunities for deeper brand experiences,
and as a result, better levels of engagement will be there for the
taking.
2014 could be an exciting time for brands and agencies to be
brave and tell complete stories that fit the behaviours of the
audience, rather than the behaviours of the industry.

CURRENCY SET FREE


CURRENCY SET FREE
In a year dominated by BitCoin (The share prices! The drugs! China!), it became
ever more difficult to decide if the crypto currency was the way of the future or a
passing fad. The debate will undoubtedly continue to rage without direction or real
meaning well into 2014, but that‟s not the bit that piqued our interest. Regardless of
your opinion on BitCoin, what it represents on a bigger scale is its most potent power
– and the most interesting argument we‟ve yet to see come to the fore.

In a world where trust of banks is at an all time low and stockbrokers are seen to
have broken the economy, BitCoin shows the potential for alternative ways of trading
to move from niche pursuits for computer geeks into the mainstream. Couple this
with the ongoing diversification and proliferation of virtual wallets and online payment
platforms, including the hype over the past twelve months around products such as
Coin, and it‟s certain that there‟s something interesting happening in the way that we
all pay. BitCoin is just the tip of the economic iceberg – the poster child for rejection
of mainstream money, if you will.


CURRENCY SET FREE
But what does this means for marketers? Well, we think the future of money may
well be held in brands‟ hands. After all, pound coins are little more than a promise
and the rejection of traditional institutions provides an opportunity for brands to
create their own means of trading. We‟ve already seen this on a small scale, with
Nike accepting sweat for discounts and Vodafone substituting change for phone
credits with their Fakka campaign. However, we believe that 2014 will be the year
when this kind of activity goes mainstream.
The tech giants known fondly as GAFA (Google, Apple,
Facebook and Amazon) are already starting to build “vertical
stacks” – brand ecosystems that can give users whatever
they need, be it hardware, operating system or content.
Recently, this has started to expand into payment, with
Facebook Credits, Amazon Coins and Google Wallet. Next
year will be the time when this really starts to take off,
becoming a more mainstream way for brands to behave. In
the future, brands will have to think like banks, moving away
from vouchers into meaningful, powerful new ways of
payment.

Go Micro: How the Rise of Micro Businesses and Intimate Platforms Will Shape Brands in 2014

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