Will you give Vero a chance?

Vero

This past week, a new social media app made some noise called Vero.  I know what you are thinking…do we need another app to consume our daily lives?  Maybe we do, maybe we don’t.  Are you tired of using the same social media platforms?  This might be of interest for you.  It has a very clean and polished looking interface.  While Facebook has had a 10+ year run and Instagram just behind it with 8, competition always helps improve the existing products.  Here are few reasons why you might want to give Vero a chance.

Select which audience you want to share your posts with.
Select which audience you want to share your posts with.

Chronological Feed

This is probably the biggest request many users wanted back.  Facebook who also owns Instagram added algorithms to their feed a few years ago on the basis that your post would show up at the top of your app based on engagement (likes, comments).  And while some like to live in the dark and just creep away, others just want to see the posts arrive in traditional style, from newest post to oldest.  Vero brings that back.

Vero provides you with your own stats usage.
Vero provides you with your own stats usage.

Vero gives you multiple options

Some of the most frustrating parts of an app like Instagram is that it is a link less application (only to be seen in the bio section).  Vero incorporates weblink sharing including recommendations for movies, books and music.  They let you buy stuff without leaving the app.  Also, when it comes to viewing Instagram images, you have to hold your fingers to do a pinch zoom…with Vero you can simply zoom in once and it will hold your zoom for as long as you like.  This little small practice is a welcome addition for the user.

Vero provides a clean and polished interface.
Vero provides a clean and polished interface.

Ad Free

Say goodbye to sponsored posts and content that you never wanted to see in the first place.  Probably one of the highlights of Vero is that they don’t want to fill your feed with advertisements that you know you are going to scroll past anyways.   This is going to be a huge sell among users who are tired of seeing ads.  This is especially evident on YouTube where you have to wait a few seconds before you can view your desired content.  I wonder how Vero is going to make their revenues though lol.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it, Vero has entered the social media game in a big way.  They originally launched three years ago, but the owner behind the app is billionaire Ayman Hariri and he is looking to make a huge splash.  Time will tell how Vero fares with social media users.

Personally, I am all in favour of new competition entering the marketplace, if they have a purpose and are different from their counterparts.  But I won’t jump on it until I know my own circle of friends start to download the app.   Will Vero sway people who have grown tired of the FB, IG’s and Snaps of the world? We will see if people will catch on with this app.

Online Survey: Shoe Industry using Celebrities vs. Athletes

Sneaker companies historically have signed athletes to endorsement deals, including the creation of their own signature line.  The most recognized shoe pitchman in the industry’s history is Michael Jordan, a winner both on the court and at retail.  Despite being retired, he is a prime example of an athlete endorser continuing to sell well thanks in large part to his image and nostalgia factors.   The challenge today is to keep his Jordan Brand relevant to new customers who recognize him more for a crying meme than his legendary accomplishments.

Generally, when a shoe product launch rolls out, within 6-8 months the sneaker becomes discounted and loses its appeal.  The new marketing approach these days is utilizing non-athletes from different entertainment genres to use their social influence and appeal to move product.  Recent success stories such as Kanye West, Drake, The Rock and Kevin Hart have demonstrated their star power with sneaker apparel selling out at record numbers.  There is a new influence shift in how shoes are marketed, advertised and endorsed.

Executive Summary

An Internet Marketing Research study was conducted to determine who the next celebrity should be chosen for shoe marketers to drive new business for upcoming sneaker releases.  The study also gathered sentiment from respondents to find out whether a celebrity or an athlete played a role in the consumer’s purchase decision.  From March 1 to April 1, 2017, an online survey was sent to 58 participants via Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and SMS/text message formats.

In total 15 questions were prepared, focusing on consumer purchase habits, product pricing and who the next celebrity should be chosen to sell their own shoe.  Through a series of more qualitative questioning and less quantitative thinking, it was determined that actor Mark Wahlberg would be the next ideal candidate for a shoe company to invest marketing dollars for a future shoe release.  He was likely selected based on his well known fashion style habits, constantly color coordinating outfits with his footwear.   The secondary question that this research study wanted to find out revealed that 59% of respondents said that it did not matter if a celebrity or athlete was promoting the product, they were viewed as the same influential marketer regardless.  Consumers also stated that a celebrity endorsed shoe should not cost more than an athlete endorsed shoe, which is the current trend in today’s marketplace.

Recommendations suggested were a focus group study to gather additional information and identify micro and macro key influencers through conversational and influencer listening sessions.  Overall, the survey helped gain valuable insight for shoe marketers to understand which celebrity to invest in and to also better understand consumer purchasing patterns.

Defining the Problem

  • Identify the next celebrity who is influential enough for a shoe company to invest in
  • Examine whether a celebrity/athlete endorsement has any affect on a consumer purchasing decision

Stakeholders involved:

  • Customers – They are the primary target audience to purchase the product
  • Athletes – Original primary endorser, additional income stream affected
  • Celebrities – The new social influencer in the shoe industry, new income stream possibility
  • Fashionistas/Bloggers – Looking for additional content to publish, discuss, curate and create engagement
  • Shoe companies – Creator of the product, looking to generate sales / profit
  • Sneaker retailers – They are carrying the product and provide showroom to the product

Research Design

  • Online survey produced via Google Forms – https://goo.gl/forms/6ICsX0PyqLCYsHFO2
  • 58 people participated (43 Male, 14 Female, 1 undeclared)
  • 15 total questions
  • 10 Qualitative questions / 5 Quantitative questions

Fielding

The survey was dispersed through the following portals from March 1, 2017 – April 1, 2017:

  • Friends & family
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Text message (SMS)

Selected Data Analysis

Some interesting consumer insights here is that the second highest percentage result was 57% stated that they purchase shoes from outlet stores.  This confirms that consumers are willing to wait for a shoe release to drop in price – even if that means waiting for an out of season product to be sent to the outlet shops for a discounted price.

Nearly 30% and 25% polled that style and comfort are instrumental factors over performance (3%) and price (4%).  The consumer values more visual aesthetics over the actual performance features the shoe can offer.

From a visual communications standpoint, 75% of respondents preferred Instagram as their main social channel for shoe information.  Marketers do an excellent job with image composition (i.e. knolling shot) that promote and create interest for product releases.  Facebook scored higher by 4% over blog sites, but the reality is that those posted links are most likely being shared from blog articles, which provide more in-depth production information.

Continue reading “Online Survey: Shoe Industry using Celebrities vs. Athletes”

Using Sysomos to find social data…like Beyoncé’s Pregnancy

Beyoncé's second Pregnancy
Beyoncé’s second Pregnancy announced on Instagram

When Beyoncé makes an announcement…

Beyoncé is one of the world’s most famous celebrities in the world.  Entertainer extraordinaire.  22x Grammy award winner.  Fashionista. When she makes any announcement, her audience and news outlets report it.   The Queen B has been known to do things differently like her self-titled 2013 album released without any marketing promotion.

In a previous era where stars would send out a press release through their publicists, Beyoncé took to her Instagram account to share some exciting news.  On February 1st, 2017, she addressed her 96.9 million and counting followers that she and husband JAY Z were expecting twins.   Using a social media analytics platform like Sysomos, you are able to find out various forms of data on what Beyoncé’s audience are talking about.

Sysomos is Insights-Driven

Sysomos is a Toronto based company with their MAP (Media Analysis Platform) being their bread and butter for gathering social media generated content.    It is a very powerful tool for measuring analytics and social engagement.

Some of the benefits that  Sysomos is a great resource of information for Digital Marketers:

  • Analytics
  • Boolean
  • Buzz Graph
  • Competitive Analysis
  • Gender
  • Geography
  • Keyword Analysis
  • Most Re-Tweeted
  • Selected Date Range
  • Sentiment
  • Share of Voice
  • Social Influence
  • Social Media Monitoring
  • Social Trends
  • Web analytics
  • Word Cloud

Sysomos is a great social media analytics tool for a variety of reasons.   A lot of businesses are using this platform to find out audience insights.  While this platform is subscription based, Sysomos is highly recommended for the variety of data it can populate.  Compiling social media data for reporting is simple to perform.  Recently my group did a sample crawl presentation on Beyoncé.  We focused on what her audience’s sentiment was, who the top influencers were talking about the pregnancy announcement and more.