It’s official. Chatroulette is the hottest thang on the web right now! The buzz machine has rapidly filtered through to the mainstream media, who seem to have found a (temporary?) alternative to the Twitter hype. comScore data tells us Chatroulette’s user base increased 900% to almost a million US users in February. Whoa! And as we all know, where people go, marketers follow. We’ve already seen brands such as FCUK & Sunny Queen Eggs enter the fray. To which I say… ho hum! Just because a service achieves instant popularity, doesn’t mean that marketers should jump in blindly. In fact, I can think of a bunch of reasons why marketers should stay the hell away from Chatroulette…

1. Chatroulette is seedy

Really seedy! If there’s one warning that continues to emerge from people trialling Chatroulette, it’s to prepare yourself for what you’re going to see… cocks. And a lot of them. Informal research revealed a 14% skew towards perverts and masturbators. Anecdotally, some claim it is much higher. Regardless, it’s an environment few brands would want to be associated with. In fact, the only industry that should be gravitating towards Chatroulette right now is XXX. Stick a pornstar in front of the webcam and watch the perverts flock to their webcams…!

2. Chatroulette is random

By nature, Chatroulette is random. Completely random. Which is of course the novelty of the whole thing – connect with a complete stranger and see what happens. Which is exactly what makes it a disaster for marketers. The point of any marketing campaign is to connect and communicate with a defined audience. Yet the random factor makes it impossible to achieve that simple goal. Businesses can’t select who they communicate with. And more importantly, customers can’t connect with brands if they want to (I’m highly doubtful they would want to in this environment anyway). So what are we left with? A brand searching randomly/aimlessly for people to speak to. Sounds kinda like advertising to me…

3. Chatroulette is private

Unlike Twitter, Chatroulette is a private environment. Chat sessions are a one-to-one experience, as opposed to the one-to-many format that Twitter and Facebook embrace. This is a significant difference. Brands can’t (and shouldn’t) penetrate private communication channels. You don’t see brands trying to invade private conversations on traditional instant messaging services such as MSN or Yahoo Messenger. Nor do we attempt to infiltrate private telephone conversations (although we do try to create new ones via telemarketing). So why should Chatroulette be any different?

4. Chatroulette fails to offer any tangible benefit

As far as I’m concerned, there is next to no benefit for brands participating on Chatroulette. We already know it’s untargeted. Furthermore, it’s lacks a registration process. The implication for brands is the absence of a branded profile, such as you might see in Twitter or Facebook. So we have no profile (and therefore no crawlable links), no history & no ability to generate real web traffic. Just random interactions with strangers. Heck… even if you do create a positive experience, there’s still no word-of-mouth benefit because the interaction is private. The sharing element that makes other social environments so appealing to marketers is absent as well. All we’re left with is that fuzzy fallback position that display advertisers love - branding… ewww!

Getting past the ‘shiny new toy’ syndrome

Chatroulette is hot. But so what… Just because something achieves fad status, doesn’t necessarily make it an effective marketing tool/channel. Being the first to implement a campaign on a new service is not a marketing goal. Nor is making your agency look “cool”… at least not for your clients (who are the one paying the bills after all). The rush of brands towards Chatroulette was entirely predictable, yet ill-advised in my opinion. Yes… marketing on the web will always entail an element of innovation and experimentation. But that doesn’t mean innovation for the sake of it. If you can’t see a tangible goal at the end of it, what exactly are you trying to achieve…?

Last week I wrote about how a number of Australian sports organisations were using real-time data to deliver awesome digital experiences. But while the sports industry is leading the way, there are countless others that could be harnessing the demand for real-time information. And make no mistake, the web is going real-time. Twitter started the trend, and now the mobile web is launching it into full flight. I’m no Apple fanboy, but iPhone has quite literally changed consumer behaviour by introducing the mobile web to the masses. Last week a study from Ruder Finn emerged analysing the usage patterns and needs of mobile Internet users. And unsurprisingly, real-time information was at identified as a primary need of mobile Internet users. The rise and rise of the mobile web was further compounded by wi-fi provider JiWire, who recently revealed that 56% of their connections were made via mobile handsets! And when consumer trends emerge, businesses follow. So I thought it’d be fun to take a look at the businesses that have taken the early lead in the real-time race, and those that are lagging behind…

The winners

To start off with, let’s take a look at the businesses that have emerged as innovators in the delivery of real-time information via mobile interfaces. The results may surprise you:

• The Banks: Yes… public enemy number one! But as much as I hate the banks for being evil mofo’s, the Commonwealth bank iPhone app is the most used on my phone. Mobile banking is simply brilliant, allowing me immediate access to my financial information. Along with Commonwealth Bank, Westpac & St George are also aboard the real-time train.
• Public transport: Another curse of my existence! Yet despite my loathing of public transport, tramTracker is my second most used mobile application. Access to real-time data allows me to determine how far away the next tram is, and whether it’s worth sticking around for it. Wonderfully useful! MetLink also provide an iPhone application with similar capabilities.
• Qantas: Finally, a brand I don’t hate…! While I don’t use this application often, it’s one of my favourites from a conceptual basis. The Qantas application feeds real-time flight information directly into your iPhone. Anyone who’s ever picked up a friend or family member from the airport should recognise the benefit immediately.
• eBay: I’m not a compulsive Ebayer, but I have lost an auction because I wasn’t online when the final hammer went down. It sucks! So this one earns an obvious gong for allowing members to transact anywhere, any time.
• NRMA: This strays somewhat from the transmission of real-time information, but still falls under the category of real-time access to corporate services. NRMA’s Roadside Assist application enables members to request assistance directly from their iPhone. A service assistant is sent out based upon the GPS coordinates sent via the device. How cool is that? After being stranded by my car recently, this one really appeals to me.

Others organisations earning credit for delivering quality real-time mobile experiences include the Yellow Pages, Domain, Lonely Planet, Domino’s, Amazon, Haymes Paint, Nova Radio & The Age.

And now for the fun part… the hall of shame…

The losers

So we’ve identified the winners, but what about the laggards? Here’s a list of industries that are clearly missing the boat when it comes to real-time data delivery to their customers:

• Taxis: Ever had problems hailing a cab? Of course you have! I understand it’s a massive logistical exercise, but imagine if all cabs were equipped with GPS to enable customers to locate a nearby cab. And imagine if you could hail a cab directly from your phone with your exact GPS coordinates. Win!
• The stock market: I don’t play the stocks, but I appreciate just how important real-time information is to the industry. Which is why it was a shock to see organisations such as E*trade and IG markets lack a mobile presence. Particularly when their quality web interfaces are built upon the delivery of real-time data.
• Household utilities: Of all the Australian utility providers, only AGL has an iPhone application, which fails to provide any meaningful real-time information. But wouldn’t it be cool if you could track your usage and bills in real-time. With the Victorian government pushing the ‘Target 155‘ message, it seems particularly relevant to the water industry. You want us to save water? Well give us the tools…
• Real estate: Domain does a reasonable job of enabling users to browse for properties via their phone. But what if it fed real-time data to buyers? Alerts could advise users when properties in their preferred area/s sell and the sale price. Of course, this is little more than a pipedream as the real estate industry deliberately withholds sales data in order to deceive their customers. Thus the provision of an application that may actually help buyers make a better decision is completely ludicrous. I guess the best we can hope for is real-time push notifications when a new property is listed in a preferred suburb.
• Top-up subscription services: There are a bunch of subscription services that require customers to continually top up their credit. Prepaid phones plans are one example. Tollways such as Melbourne’s CityLink are another. As is the incoming (and infamous) Myki public transportation system. Each could benefit from the delivery of real-time alerts once a customer’s account is close to expiring.

Got any others to add to the winners or losers list? Well don’t just sit there… add them via the comments!

A couple of weeks ago I had a bit of a crack at AIMIA over their nominees for this year’s digital awards. However, one nomination I think they got 100% right was the AFL. In fact, the Australian sporting industry in general is leading the way in the development of innovative digital products and experiences (along with the not-for-profit sector). I’ve already spoken at length about excellent work the Essendon Fooball Club is doing in the digital realm. But many sporting organisations are also harnessing a massive demand for real-time information, and delivering digital products to meet those needs. So today I thought I’d shine the light on a number of the best local examples…

Herald Sun – Super Coach

Fantasy sport is hardly a new concept. Heck… I was playing AFL Dream Team back in high school, which was over a decade ago! Yet the online platform upon which the game operates is relatively innovative (albeit probably modelled off international versions). In particular, the Herald Sun has introduced a greater real-time emphasis over the past couple of years. Whereas once you had to wait for the conclusion on the round to determine your team’s score (and that of your opponent), you can now login after each game to assess the individual performance/score of each player. A range of head-to-head interfaces allow you to compare progress against that of your opponent. And if you’re super keen, you can check progress scores of other teams in your league in near real-time.

AFL – Game Day

The AFL’s Game Day application was nominated by AIMIA in the Best Sports category. The Game Day application provides a rich interface for fans to follow the progress of live games. The focal point of the application is a ground map that tracks player and ball movement in real time (updating each 30-60 seconds). Notations are made with each possession so that users can get a sense of the flow of play. For example, one notation might report that Jobe Watson won a contested possession and delivered a short kick to Michael Hurley. The ground map is supplemented by a range of complimentary multimedia options, including live radio feeds and video highlights. Furthermore, the application provides real time game statistics, and even integrates live Super Coach scoring for those who simply have to know how their star players are performing in real time!

Football Australia – World Cup 2018

Switching to the football code of the round variety, Football Australia have developed one of the most awesome cause related projects outside of the not-for-profit sector. The ‘Come Play‘ project has been built specifically to generate support for Australia’s bid to host the 2018-2022 soccer World Cup. And a mighty fine job they are doing too, with an army of over 50,000+ people joining the cause. Participants can lend their support in a wide range of ways including uploading videos, recruiting friends, playing online games, uploading photos, contributing content and even writing a poem! The aim of each action is to prove to FIFA how passionate Australians are about hosting the World Cup.  While no aggregate count of actions taken on the site is available, it seems to be in the range of hundreds of thousands.

Cric Info iPhone Application

This one technically isn’t an Australian product, as the application is owned by ESPN, but it is nevertheless serving Australian sports fans well. The core component is of the iPhone application is real time information about matches in progress around the globe. Scorecards can be viewed, along with ball-by-ball commentary of the match. I’d love to see video highlights here as well, but I suspect Cric Info is restricted by broadcast agreements. They do have an agreement with Getty Images to display photo imagery from featured matches, but it’s not quite the same thing. The real time component is supported by a news feed which provides traditional stories such as match summaries and player profiles. Finally, the application also integrates podcasts from cricket commentators and personalities such as Tony Greig and Geoff Boycott.

SBS Tour Tracker

I’m not big on cycling personally, but I have to admit that SBS did a mighty fine job in developing their Tour Tracker application to support the Tour de France last year. They produced an application that arguably provided a better user experience than watching the telecast on television. If they chose to, users could simply watch live action via the interface and enjoy the SBS commentary. However, a range of interactive options were provided to deliver a deeper experience. Users could nominate their favourite riders, and then track their progress via interactive maps. I believe you could also watch vision of specific riders, although I’m not entirely sure of this as I didn’t use this application in a whole lot of depth. What I liked best was the integration of live chat to connect users of the application. This is a huge area of potential for sporting organisations and something I’d love to see sporting venues embrace in the future. People viewing a sporting contest love discussing the events as they unfold, so it makes sense to connect fans and aggregate this discussion.

NRL – Game Analyser

The NRL Game Analyser application is a cool video based tool that allows fans to watch and deconstruct recent games. Full match replies can be viewed or the user can isolate key moments in the match to watch. Included amongst the key moments are scoring plays, big hits, errors, line breaks, penalties and more. The timeline interface allows users to fast forward straight to the “highlights”. I have to say this is a superior experience to the AFL, which do offer full game replays, but offer no way to break the game down, aside from a predetermined highlights package.  The only downside of the tool is that footage generally isn’t available for up to 24 hours after the game. I suspect this is because there is manual work required in tagging specific pieces of play accordingly (such as a big hit). The question is whether this costs the NRL users, as many of the hardcore fans will have already caught highlights packages via traditional media.

Australian Open iPhone Application

The Australian Open tennis recently concluded, which is a shame for all those taking advantage of the nifty iPhone application that supported the event. The application adopted a Facebook like interface, allowing users to access a wide range of relevant information including live scoring, live radio streaming, schedules of play, draws, player bios, maps, photos and more. I love this application because it has been built specifically for mobile consumption. Purpose built mobile applications are an area many of the other key sporting bodies such as the AFL and NRL need to play catch up. While the AFL did release an official iPhone application for the 2009 finals, they still lack a mobile presence beyond this, and may see the opportunity eroding as unofficial sources capitalise on their absence.

Unfair advantage?

There’s no question that many of the sporting bodies listed above are in an extremely advantageous position when it comes to digital innovation. Firstly, the value of modern broadcast agreements means they have deep pockets to invest in the digital channel. Secondly, they experience a demand for content that other businesses would die for. Yet the Australian not-for-profit sector has shown that you don’t need to be cashed up to deliver innovation. Let’s hope the rest of Australia will follow their lead…

So last week AIMIA (Australia’s leading digital industry body) announced the finalists for their 16th awards, perceived by many as the most illustrious in the industry. I’ve always considered industry awards to be a bit of a wank, proving only what a narcissistic bunch we marketers truly are. But nevertheless, I was keen to head on over there to view the work judged to be the best our country had to offer. And my initial reaction? Disappointment. Not in the quality of work selected, as much of it is excellent at face value. But therein also lies the problem. Face value. It seems as if it’s all we’re judging upon here. Flashturbation was a word that quickly came to mind when viewing some of the nominees. Which left me wondering… why aren’t our premier awards based upon actual results rather than creative execution? This is not advertising. Digital is THE accountable medium right? So shouldn’t we practice what we preach and reward work based upon real tangible outcomes…?

If you walked into any digital marketing pitch today, I’d bet that 10 out of 10 would emphasise accountability as a core theme (if not the primary theme). It’s the ace in our sleeve and what we’ve built our industry upon. Heck, I’ve seen John Butterworth (CEO of AIMIA) speak on a number of occasions and accountability has been has been a strong theme within AIMIA’s own propaganda.

So if we as an industry sell ourself based upon accountability, why is it that we mimic the traditional advertising awards structure by rewarding creativity over real results? Only one of the 25 AIMIA awards places any real emphasis on the actual outcome (The Effectiveness Award). The remainder are judged on a set of criteria heavily weighted towards elements such as design, visual impact and technical expertise.

Shouldn’t it be the other way around?!? Shouldn’t we have one creative award, with the remainder based upon tangible results?

Don’t get me wrong. Amongst the nominees there are some wonderfully creative sites that utilise digital technologies to deliver a key message. A few of my favourites are:

• ABC Black Saturday site: The ABC produced a stunning micro site to commemorate the Black Saturday bushfires. A mixture of photo, audio, video and map content is used highly effectively to retell over 200 chilling stories. It’s almost impossible not to become immersed in this site.
• FBI Radio’s Ask Richard campaign: Like Tourism Qld’s ‘Best Job’ campaign, this beautifully cheeky stunt is probably closer to PR than digital. But nevertheless, it shows how extraordinary things can be achieved with the most basic of digital tools (thereby making a mockery of AIMIA’s criteria relating to design, visuals & technical innovation).
• Greenpeace’s Action-Pact campaign: Follows a strong tradition of Australian not-for-profits using digital channels successfully to create awareness and support for a specific cause.

What I like best about these campaigns is that they utilise the digital channel to enhance a strong message. They don’t introduce interactive elements for the sake of “creativity/user engagement”. They use appropriate technologies for their message, and nothing more.

Conversely, there are clearly a number of AIMIA nominees who in my opinion are guilty of creativity for the sake of creativity:

• The Shapeshifter site: I couldn’t even figure out what to do here to begin with. I’m not sure how this could have passed through the usability criteria with core navigation hidden from users? It took me minutes to understand how to use this page.
• 26000 vodka: I was baffled by this site. Key messages were hard to find and I’m still struggling to understand the purpose of the questions users are asked to answer. Flashturbation.
• Tic Tac iPhone App: Quite possibly the most inane iPhone app ever. Its sole purpose is to allow you to “shake” a virtual packet of Tic Tacs. This seems to be taking advantage of the iPhone’s motion sensor purely for the sake of it. I can’t see what possible business objective this may fulfill.

Isn’t it time we grew up and moved beyond rewarding the “best” creative idea? We all know it doesn’t necessarily lead to the best outcome for the client. How many times have you laughed at a TV ad, yet failed to recall the product/brand? The same goes for the web. I was reading Capgemini’s Cars Online 09/10 Report just yesterday and it revealed dynamic graphics to be amongst the least important online features for consumers when buying a car. And that’s for the auto industry – one of the highest involvement industries on the planet, where product aesthetics contribute significantly to purchase decisions. If consumers don’t care about dynamic graphics and interactivity when browsing for auto information, are they really going to be impressed by them for other lower involvement products?

Advertising (presumably) rewards creativity because they can’t measure results. At least not accurately. But we can… as we’ve been telling anyone who will listen for over a decade. The way I see it, if you want the glory and prestige of industry awards in the digital arena, you should put your money where your mouth is and reveal the real results.

Until we do, I’m afraid that our industry is a walking contradiction.

Are you sick of hearing your friends same old travel stories? Well… next time they launch into a tired old tale you’ve heard 50 times, point them in the direction of Way2go and ask them to tell someone who cares. Way2go is a new niche user generated site/magazine for the traveler community, and is backed by NRMA Motoring & Services. Rather than relying on journalists to produce tales of travel, the Way2go team have handed all writing responsiblities over to the masses. Today I have the exclusive opportunity of speaking with Shane McClelland, General Manager of Corporate Communications at NRMA, about this ambitious new project.

Disclaimer – I’ve not received a single penny for this post. I’m covering it as based on its relevance to digital media.

Q: Why has NRMA decided to launch the Way2go concept?

A: NRMA has been publishing its member magazine – Open Road – for more than 80 years. In recent years NRMA has expanded its portfolio of publications focusing on niche segments and now also publishes Australian Classic Cars and Australian Caravan & RV. Way2Go fits this strategy of developing publications that appeal to particular segments of our membership base and help to build communities around specific areas of interest. Real-life stories are the largest growth area both in magazines and TV programs.  The growth of blogs, MySpace and Facebook underpin this publishing concept.

Q: Do you see social networks such as Facebook as a competitive threat given that users have the ability to post travel photos, videos and stories?

A: We see social networks as a tool that we can use to help drive user generated content to the Way2Go web site. Way2Go will develop its own identity and style over time and is truly focused just on travel and those who have a passion for travel.

Q: Were there any hesitations launching the concept at this time given the state of the economy and the tourism market?

A: There are challenges to be faced; no question about it, with the current economic climate, and its impact on the travel industry however people are still interested in travel regardless of the economic climate. Way2Go is all about real travelers sharing their real travel experiences with others.

Q: How will Way2Go differ from TripAdvisor, Trav Buddy and other established (global) user driven travel sites?

A: Way2Go differs from the other travel sites in that it also has a printed magazine which includes more in-depth stories than those on the website. There are also opportunities for travelers to win prizes if their stories are published in the magazine. Way2Go will be a source of reliable, truthful, accurate, trustworthy advice and will not feature advertorial.

Q: Given that user generated content is almost exclusively the domain of the web, why was the decision made to take Way2go to the print market as well?

A: There are a number of real life magazines in the marketplace at the moment and they are quite successful. Current publications like That’s Life! magazine – with a distribution of 320,000 weekly – and Take Five magazine, – with a distribution of 250,000 weekly -demonstrate an appetite for reader-generated content. Way2Go is the travel equivalent of these magazines and unique in the travel magazine marketplace.

Q: User generated sites live and die by the quality and frequency of contributions. What plans are in place to foster contributions from the traveler community?

A: We will be leveraging our other titles, websites and staff to drive contributions to the Way2Go site. We are also looking at how we can leverage our associated travel businesses to encourage their customers to contribute content. We have also employed the services of a digital PR agency to drive travelers to our website.

Q: What are the goals in terms of user participation? How many stories, photos & videos are you hoping to receive in the first few months of operation?

It will take some time to get the website up and running, but we expect that number of contributions to increase as the magazine and site becomes better known.

Q: The site itself looks like it will be information rich if travelers adopt it (and free). What motivation will people have to subscribe to the hard copy publication?

A: The Way2Go magazine will feature more in-depth editorial content, prizes and puzzles.  It has a strong focus on entertainment and will be a good read for subscribers.

Q: User generated content is typically difficult to monetise (ala YouTube & Facebook). How does NRMA plan to generate revenue via the Way2go site?

The site will be monitised using a traditional online advertising model to generate income. We are able to sell packaged advertising across all our titles and website properties.

Q: Many travel sites include hotel info & reviews (often driving commissions and revenue). Are there any plans to introduce hotel reviews to Way2go?

Not at this stage however if members of the site post reviews of hotels, airlines and accommodation the site will carry them provided they are genuine user generated reviews.

And my thoughts on the concept…

I can’t wrap this up without having my own 2 cents on the topic. I’m thrilled an Australian organisation has the kahunas to launch a true user generated site. I know from experience just how hesitant most Aussie businesses are towards user generated content/social media projects. Indeed, I can’t think of too many advanced user generated sites that have hatched from our shores. So kudos to NRMA for having the courage to launch the project.

My main question for now is the business model itself, and the blending of new and old media. Is it a meatball sundae? Should a new media format (user generated content) be mixed with a traditional print media business model of subscriptions/advertising? I’m not sure… but Shane has managed to round up a few hundred pre-launch subscriptions already… so perhaps he knows a bit more about the game than me.

Aside from that, I wonder whether people will warm to the journalistic content format. When I look for user generated feedback online I generally seek weight of opinion. I want to know that a specific hotel has an average rating of 4 stars from 113 different people. To me, that gives it credibility. Way2go departs from this traditional style of quantifiable user feedback, relying instead on the power of stories. That’s not necessarily a bad thing… but they’re going to need some good story tellers.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Shane for his time and input. Way2go is a bold new project and it’s exciting to see big businesses that are willing to be innovative and take a risk. I’ll be watching Way2go closely over the coming months to see exactly how it evolves. Good luck Shane.