12 Days of Christmas…12 top trends for 2011

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We thought you’d probably have all the French hens, lords a-leaping and flashy agency Christmas cards you need already.

So this year, to save you from tears (of boredom), we thought we’d give you something useful to put in your stocking.

Twelve genuinely useful and important trends, apps, websites and essential pieces of digital intelligence that will help you do business in 2011.

One: Facebook alternatives

Facebook recently hit the 500 million user mark, and it looks set to continue its success next year. But concerns about privacy, Facebook’s ownership and use of user data, and also a need to create more focused communities has led to the creation of what we think are two very strong contenders for the hit new social platforms of 2011.

Two: Cloud Computing

The somewhat esoteric language used about cloud computing may be why many people find a move to the cloud a little bit daunting. We’ve seen it described as “an evolutionary journey to a more dynamic and flexible IT infrastructure.”
It’s actually pretty simple stuff.

Three: Facebook Optimisation

There are three key ways you can connect with Facebook users. Using FBML, NFO and OpenGraph – on the page, in the news feed and across the web.

Four: the change from IPv4 to IPv6

The web is running out of addresses. Complete IPv4 address exhaustion looks likely in 2011 – 12 and will mean a move from IPv4 to IPv6. This will offer a unique IP address not only per user but an IP address per device, which could offer marketers some exciting new data sets about our users.  It also means organisations need to be prepared for the transition to ensure seamless reconfiguration.

Five: Google TV

In 2011 we will see wide scale adoption of internet TV services across a plethora of devices; TV, desktops, laptops, tablets, and smart phones.You will be able to watch streaming video content on your TV while controlling it with your phone/tablet, contributing live to shows with layered contextual Tweeting, voting, asking questions…and because it’s  ahead of the game in terms of its app and platform integration, we predict Google will be the clear market leader  by this time next year.

Six: Projection Mapping

Projection Mapping is going to be massive over the next 6-12 months as more brands use the technology to interact with their consumers. Cool examples we’ve seen range from education to advertising, for example, the History Channel projecting the history of a site onto the walls of the present-day building, BMW advertising their new car across Singapore’s CBD skyscrapers, and putting modesty aside, this little  installation we created for the Media Momentum awards.

Seven: location, location, location

In 2012, smart phones will eclipse PC sales, according to figures from Morgan Stanley. That means you need to be planning your mobile marketing strategy now. Location based services are maturing, and putting relevant and contextual information in your customer’s pocket is becoming an imperative.

Eight: Trends in design and UX: beyond the app

We believe the mobile experience will ultimately mean a return to the web, rather than flipping between a series of standalone apps, but meanwhile, apps will continue to be the flavour of the moment throughout 2011.  The challenge for designers and user experience professionals alike is to create interfaces that offer a unified experience regardless of what platform you access this content on. Read more, or have a look at some of our favourite apps of 2010.

Nine: Data protection and risk mitigation

Regardless of whether you thought the hit film The Social Network was sensationalist, inaccurate or plain dull, they did get one thing right: “Okay, let me tell you the difference between Facebook and everybody else – we don’t crash, ever!” says an angry Mark Zuckerberg (the character).

“If the servers are down for even a day our entire reputation is irreversibly destroyed.”

So how do you ensure that when you’re using third party sites like Facebook, Tumblr and the rest that when the site goes down, your data and community doesn’t go with it?

Ten: The Rise and Rise of Social Commerce

While sites like E-bay and Amazon have opened up a new, global marketplace to ordinary consumers, the simple fact is that simply buying online doesn’t fulfill many of the psychological quirks that makes us humans so interesting.  Social commerce goes beyond merely allowing consumers to make purchase where they happen to be already – i.e a social network.  We’re not satisfied by mere convenience: we’re social animals, and clever marketers need to use social influence heuristics to connect more deeply with consumers in a noisy marketplace.

Eleven: Geolocation – Take Two

Foursquare and Facebook Places have been much trumpeted, but we have still to see business really getting their money’s worth from using geolocation as a marketing tool. The buzz around Foursquare has certainly dropped in Australia, but 2011 is the year that will take it from buzzword to brilliance; rethinking how we use geolocation will give consumers exciting new interactions with brands that genuinely add value. Using geo-social tools for a clear purpose rather than the early race to claim pixel prizes offer a great opportunity to engage with consumers in exciting new ways.

Two different examples of how brands can use location services effectively are Find the mini, win the mini – a simple but effective geo-locational experience that combines geolocation, social networking and gaming. A less breathtaking but still solid piece of marketing using geo-social is Gap’s Foursquare and Loopt campaign. Simply by checking in to a Gap store you get a 25% discount. It’s combining word of mouth advertising (you’ve automatically told all your friends you’re getting a discount) with social proof  (my friend shopping at Gap means I’m more likely to shop at Gap)

Twelve: Integration Above All

We think the future of digital is local, social and mobile. Interact with consumers wherever they are, in a way that’s contextual and valuable to them, and that integrates with their lives, rather than disrupting them.

Marketing activity needs to be seamlessly integrated across all platforms, devices and technologies, and it needs to be flexible and agile enough to adapt quickly to changes in platforms and technology.  We don’t think a successful campaign needs to operate on all fronts just for the sake of covering the maximum possible touchpoints: thorough research will give you the insight you need to choose the right channels.

Integration means giving the customer a way of interacting with your brand in whatever way makes sense and is relevant to them. Your brand lives and dies by the consumer. Putting their experience at the heart of everything you do is critical.

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year from everyone at Reading Room!

Images from Mark Rigler_UK and justj0000lie on flickr