All the predictions contained within this document, are my own ‘gazing out of window’ thoughts. Some of them may well be in

development. Some of them may have been blogged about before. Some may never come true. But that’s the beauty of predictions.

It is my opinion that at some point in the past, the present or the

future, these will be considered, developed, or realized. Some present great opportunities for brands and consumers. Some scare the pants of me and I hope never happen. But better to have open

ears and eyes, than shut ones.

Social Media & Marketing Predictions 2012 and beyondJez Jowett (@Jezmond)Global Digital Director @ Havas Sports & Entertainment (+ CakeGroup)

All of these may actually become irrelevant if Nostradamus' prophecies about the end of the world and Mayan Calendar happens on 21 December 2012, as speculated. Rather than worry about doom and gloom,

I’ve always preferred to be optimistic, happy and have an opinion, to stimulate conversation and learn more.

Social Ones

Sport Ones

Digital Ones

Event Ones

PR Ones

Content Ones

After heavy flirting with social media in 2011, brands will go beyond merely looking at Likes and Fans, and start caring and measuring engagement and community building

The value of a meaningful relationship will be properly appreciated to build strong communities, CRM programs, loyalty and integrated transactions

To prove the effectiveness of social media campaigns, brands will develop more sophisticated measurement algorithms to prove the ROI, more commonly to be known as ROSS (return on social spend)

By the end of 2012, successful brands in social media will have focused more upon increasing their levels of engagement with fans, than the number of fans

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/owenwbrown/4857593259/

Social Media Effectiveness ‘Beyond Fans and Likes’

Social Media Ones

•Brands will commit to their social presence with dedicated teams, processes, resources and guidelines. Every company will have a Social Media Director. •There will be a SM strategy aligned for all stakeholders, not just for tactical campaigns. No longer here today and gone tomorrow, but always on, listening and responding.

•Especially at the weekends and when people are social.

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/dm74/3312147063/

Social Media Strategy, not just tactics Social Media

Ones

Cyber PR will become more challenging across online influencers who traditionally would blog or tweet about a campaign for free. This will change in 2012. The world’s first million dollar blogger will be created

Already in LATAM, and especially in Mexico, it is not un-common for a blogger to request $15,000 for a Tweet or blog post mentioning or linking to a brand. This emerging trend will spread across the globe

Accessing a blogger, will in some instances require contacting a blog management agency. Blog networks will manage the syndication of posts across a diverse range of interests and passions

Million Dollars Bloggers

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/suzanneandsimon/1746100681/

Social Media Ones

•More data, more sources, more often, more interests and likes, will require tighten filtering. Not enough time in the day to read even a half of those you follow.

•Aggregators of information, and curated content, will charge subscriptions.

•A service will be launched to have your own Social PA ( I-Google in person). Your PA for info, to avoid info meltdown.

Digital Concierge - Your own Social PA

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/eshutt/3371608268/

Social Media Ones

• It will go beyond purely finding a job.

• It will establish itself as the business community of choice, for SME’s to major corporations.

• One company on Linkedin will become the golden child proving the opportunity and success with this platform.

Linkedin domination- The No 1 B2B social network

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/coletivomambembe/4305859251/

Social Media Ones

2012 release of brand pages, and synchronization of search and marketing opportunities will tip Google+ into the mainstream, beyond the current early adopters.

Acquisition strategy by Google will see Google+ make up ground on Facebook, but the market share will only impact APAC and BRIC where Facebook remains vulnerable.

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/timsnell/2425782551/

Google + for brands (Not quite Facebook yet)

Social Media Ones

The Social Olympics 2012

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/31808226@N05/6130296771/

London 2012 will be swamped in social media

More Tweets, shares, Likes, posts, comments, views will take place in 1 month, than ever before

News, scandals, records & exclusives will all be read on Twitter first. Then on the news channels and papers. Footage we aren’t supposed to see, we will. Thanks to Facebook, bit.ly and YouTube

There will be more Likes and friends for London 2012 than any other sporting event, ever. It will remain one of the top 5 trending topics in Twitter globally, for 1 month

During the 100m final there will be more messages, images and videos shared via social media, than at any other time since the dawn of the world wide web

Sport Ones

Sport & Technology

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/pe5pe/3242342574

Sport will continue to become more scientific, and technology will bring the most dramatic imagery and revelations to both big screen and little screen

Enjoyment of sport, even from an armchair, will become a thrilling experience. No longer a lean back and enjoy, but lean forward and immersion

Sports cam technology will bring footage to our screens that we’ve never seen before. From 3D to 4D; slow motion to split screen; helmet cam to ball cam; adrenalin sensors to heart monitors…

Sport Ones

Sports Subscriptions

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/mikecogh/6123331851/

Sports federations will face a huge challenge in 2012:

“How to evolve their (traditional) broadcasting rights package, when many of their audience are no longer tuning into traditional broadcast channel, and in some countries don’t even own a TV anymore?”

With more and more fans watching mainstream and niche sports on the web; on social networks; on mobile devices, successful federations will embrace the opportunity

The ability to watch catch up and real time sporting events, will increasingly be consumed on Facebook and YouTube. Social media subscription packages will provide new revenue streams and help reach and engage with young and new fans

Sport Ones

Federations, athletes, brands and celebrities will embrace the new digital and social landscape with more confidence

Those that are un-prepared, under resourced and schizophrenic will continue to fear the new world of communities and communications

Athletes will be seen to check-in, update, upload and respond pre, after and even sometimes during a sporting event. Digital devices and applications will relay a kaleidoscope of information about the athlete, in real time, direct to fans and desktops

The ability for a fan to get closer to their hero, will present an enormous opportunity for communities and brands

Confidence not fear

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/caguard/6094723130/

Sport Ones

Predictive Filtering & Smart Suggestions

• Behavioral diagnostics (geo location, most active time period, what you respond to, why, what you share and like, etc) will all create a positive big brother effect.

• Not spying for the good of the corporation, but spying, cataloguing and suggesting for the benefit of you, and others. Stream management filters. A social media PA to manage your preferences and info streams to restrict info overload. Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commons

http://www.flickr.com/photos/roberto8080/4085739810/

Digital Ones

Google Goggles, layers and AR

• We’ll hold up a device, and it will layer information (with drop down filters) onto the screen. Every thing within the zoom will have a story to tell.

• Architects will have to become story tellers, thinking about the story they tell about their creation.

• Wikipedia will allow others to modify and edit the information, crowd sourced and voted upon. Joke versions will thrive. Mickypedia.

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/sndrv/4519088620/

Digital Ones

2 screens, 2 phones, 2 pads

• Everything we watch or listen to, will have an additional interactive feature.

• Ability to connect with others, discuss, share, comment, adapt, or dive deeper into the storyline.

• We’ll process more information and interact with more comment.. But they’ll be a backlash. We’ll switch the second screen off, and veg out alone. Retro TV’s (but with digital) will have a comeback.

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/dpstyles/5358029811/

Digital Ones

• 2012 will be quoted as the year of mobile.

• So will 2013, 2014, 2015. to infinity.

• By 2016 we’ll have mobiles phones integrated into what ever device, handset, notepad or object we want.

• Someone will put the technology into our hand. Physically. I’ll touch the palm of my hand to make a call, and hold my hand up to my ear to speak.

• I’ll get laughed at, at first. Pranav Mistry won’t.

The year of mobile, again and again

Thanks to http://adharane.wordpress.com/2011/04/03/pranav-mistrys-sixth-sense/

Digital Ones

•Groupon with a CSR angle.

•Buy more together, save the world together.

•Select the priorities that you and the community want to fix first.

Social Commerce and Social Shopping (With CSR)

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/diloz/6064331968/

Digital Ones

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/brook/33496825/

Digital Amnesty Day

1 day a year, everything will shut down, almost. Companies will ask all their staff to ‘switch off and unplug for 24 hours’.

At first employees will be scared and confused. They will scratch their heads wondering how they can perform their job or task, without a digital connection.

After 3 hours a smile will spread across their faces. It will be a beautiful day or real relationships and friendships the old fashioned way, face to face. We will re-discover social skills, beyond Facebook. We will put into perspective the role of digital. It will become a yearly event.

Digital Ones

• Picture recognition on all mobiles will recognize the item, our location, and nearest stockists.

• If we share it and like it, we’ll get it cheaper. If we get snapped wearing the item by others, the wearer will receive some additional benefit.

• Everyone will potentially become a walking advert and sales lead for a store. Fashionista’s will make a living out of dressing up, hanging out, to be snapped and rewarded.

Snap and Shop

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/15693951@N00/3303758453/

Digital Ones

• They’ll be everywhere. Virtual storage devices in the sky and on the streets. Upload and download zones, sponsored by brands, will pop up.

• We’ll have a coffee, take a rest, watch a movie, whilst

we re-charge and our data syncs. Recharge zones will exist for everything. But…. a cloud will get hacked.

Storage Clouds

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/theaucitron/5810163712/

Digital Ones

Location Based Entertainment (LBE)

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/da_belkin/6462640765/

Sporting venues and stadiums are the second most checked-in places worldwide. The most popular checked-in places are airports

Brands, sponsors and rights holders will leverage this opportunity to geo target fans with compelling and shareable content and promotional messages. Having identified a physical fan, data will provide an on-going and customized relationship back to their home

2012 will see a huge increase in the connections between these attending fans, virtual fans and brand messages. 2012 will become the year of social currency – more shareable, more entertaining and more personalized

Event Ones

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/zoetnet/4212133196/

Live events get greener

Stronger corporate social responsibility, combined with increased consumer awareness of recycling and the need for a cleaner environment, will result in more environmentally friendly events.

Sponsors will require event producers to have committed to make the event as carbon neutral as possible. Sponsors will consider this ‘green score’ just as much as the number of attendees and media value.

Recycling will have high visibility at each event and be a creative and entertaining activity that attendees warmly embrace.

Event Ones

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/vdrg/5458584580/

Pop Up Events and Experiences

Whilst large scale events will remain a key feature of a brand’s yearly outdoor calendar, increasingly brands will take to the streets, beaches and parks with impromptu pop up events.

There will be equal investment in large scale one offs with small socially promoted flash mobs.

Mystery and intrigue will be created in the run up to a pop up event, but only announced in the last 48 hours through social media.

Event Ones

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/9382228@N08/4836210531/

PR and the role of Influencers

Influencer marketing will not just mean inviting a high profile celebrity to an event. Much of the influencer engagement and marketing will take place online.

Influencer identification tools will enable the PR industry to more accurately identify and engage with powerful online advocates. These influencers will be leveraged to not online feature and talk about a campaign, but to be involve din the planning, ideation and evolution of a campaign.

Each agency will create their own rating system to identify the most important influencers pertinent to their objectives

PR Ones

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/42931449@N07/6088751332/

PR in the media and marketing mix

There will be a continued integration of PR in the marketing, advertising and customer service mix.

Every campaign will have a strong role for PR and this will lead to a stronger and more strategic place for PR professionals around an integrated planning table. Silo’s will continue to be broken down.

Earned media, paid media, owned media and shared media will become standard categories for all PR professionals to consider how they plan and integrate campaigns.

Developing relationships with bloggers in ‘earned media’ will no longer be a speciality of a digital team or agency. All PR agencies will offer this outreach.

PR Ones

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/cambodia4kidsorg/3290848259/

PR accountability

PR will become more accountable and more accurate in measuring the ROI.

Traditional media monitoring agencies will integrate buzz monitoring services and metrics to provide more accurate qualative and quantative results.

Every PR agency will provide as part of a campaign evaluation : reach, sentiment, influencer analysis and equivalent media value (through an updated media evaluation tool).

Accountability and campaign evaluation will become more accurate and enable more accurate campaign planning and re-optimization. Clients will request greater accountability and performance related pricing models.

PR Ones

Campaigns will be created in days and weeks, not months or years. Real time listening, creation, and distribution will mean a trending topic is acted upon, to create the long tail effect of relevance, overnight

Traditional production and content costs will go down, but licensing costs will go up, benefiting bedroom content creators

A fan at a sporting event will get rich quick, over the course of the weekend, at the press of a button. His unique content will be viewed (YouTube giving him advertising revenue for his page), licensed (broadcast revenue) and used without permission, winning a liable case

Agile content : more relevant, less costly

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/walmartcorporate/5793422190/

Content Ones

Fan Sourced Singles

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/mwiththeat/3712998374/

Artists are increasingly asking their fans to not only suggest or create their album artwork, but to contribute to the actual audio that is released on the single or album.

During 2012 we predict an increase in fan sourced audio. More and more fans will contribute to the official release, making the list of credits read like a who’s who of the ultimate fan club.

Brands and artists will embrace this collaborative opportunity. A fan will be supersaulted from his bedroom to the 02 or Wembley stage. Royalties will take this fan from a 1 bedroom apartment, to a beach front bungalow.

Content Ones

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/ibikefresno/5892802181/

Infographics and story telling through imagery

2011 saw an explosion in the use of Infographics to decipher an analytical story. More than 500,000 Infographics were created. 2012 will continue this trend, but with the addition of video Infographics.

Infographics will evolve with he ability to click through multiple layers of content, creating a rabbit hole of data visualization.

Agencies will create presentations leveraging these new formats. PowerPoint presentations will reduce in the number of slides, with more and more information being displayed creatively on one slide.

Content Ones

Thanks to Flickr.com- creative commonshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/sanjoselibrary/2944498979/

Personalized Content

Content will be more customized for each target audience based upon location, profile, interests and their networks.

Smart filtering and customization will make content more shareable and rewarding. Sharing content across a consumer’s peer groups, will provide another layer of rewards for the consumer. Great content will continue to be viral and shareable.

An increase in mobile content, delivered direct to a consumer’s handset will create connections all through the day, the night, and weekend.

Content Ones