What is the cost of your conversation?

The past 9 weeks of blogging have revealed to me the power of digital communications, not only as an advertising and marketing tool, but also as a resource for global conversation, regardless of whether you are a brand, an academic or just someone who wants to voice their opinion. 

Of all the topics covered, interactivity was something that particularly interested me, as it allowed consumers to become incredibly involved in a brand. In a previous post, I discussed the ways in which advertisers have utilised interactive 3D billboards and touch-screens in outdoor advertising to communicate and engage with consumers, however, for my final blog post I want to investigate how online interactivity has contributed to transmedia story telling- something that Vitter describes as “a shift from the traditional linear story,” of watching a movie, “to a more complex, multi-dimensional story world” (2010).  A world in which online communication has allowed the emergence of a plethora of para texts, described by Hardy (2011, p.8) as “reversionings..social media texts... and the making of documentaries”, which represent the complex structure of storytelling orbiting the “mega text” at the source. I want to to question the ways in which advertisers have infiltrated this realm and what this means for traditional advertising space.

Cultural convergence, as suggested by Henry Jenkins (2006) has facilitated such transmedia story telling, allowing “the flow of content across multi-media platforms” and “the co-operation between multiple media audiences...in search of entertainment experiences”.  Cultural convergence has enabled communities to interact globally, building a web of media texts and information surrounding a brand, to create a “collective intelligence” (Jenkins 2006). The key to transmedia storytelling is the connection amongst fans and the way in which audiences consume media texts, which is very social and lends itself to a social marketing strategy. Long (2007) describes the online nature of transmedia storytelling as “a complex web of interconnectedness... In transmedia storytelling, this concept is made explicit... Transmedia stories build narrative references...which makes up the transmedia story”.

Within this context, interactivity, has been described as a “high-tech...communication concept”, which has been allowed to flourish and since become a lucrative marketing tool for advertising to directly communicate and engage consumers (Jensen 2003).

Hardy (2011) puts transmedia storytelling into the context of the advertising and marketing industry with the example of HBO’s strategic marketing of ‘True Blood’, a popular Vampire drama.

A traditional marketing model incorporates three main elements of media; Paid media, which is purchased; Owned media, comprising of websites or buildings that can be utilised for advertising and Earned media, which encompasses organically generated conversation about the brand, be that in newspapers, television or through online digital communication (Scissors and Baron 2002). But are these categories as distinct as they seem? Schultz suggests that “Online media [are now blending] more editorial content with advertisements” (2000)

(Banner Corporation 2011)

What happens when advertisers infiltrate the textual media space that is predominantly owned by the consumers and the audience? Jenkins stated that “where old and new media collide, where grassroots and corporate media intersect...the power of the media producers and the media consumers.. is unpredictable” (2006, p.6). What happens when what is earned can be paid for, and what is paid for can be earned? According to Hardy (2011) the lines of corporate controlled communication and transmedia storytelling have become blurred.

True Blood enlisted the help of Campfire, a specialist guerilla marketing agency, in a campaign described as “groundbreaking” (Young 2010). They systematically infiltrated the “earned” space of their consumers to integrate the True Blood brand and story into reality.

The following video explains exactly how they did it.  

The highlights of the campaign featured:

• A microsite for the activities and stories of TrueBlood fans and bloggers- Bloodycopy.com

• Six mini-episodes posted on Yahoo TV, HBO.com and the True Blood Facebook webpage.

• Faux transmedia story telling with fake street teams to petition for and against Vampires, and websites such as The American Vampire League.

• The True Blood faux drink, which was advertised with strap-lines such as “Real Blood is for suckers” and “All Flavour no bite” -marketed as a product for the vampires of the world.

(See Appendix1.2)

• And a series series of fake ads produced by real brands such as Mini, Gillette and Ecko.

(See Appendix1.1,1.3,1.4)

(Hardy 2011)

Greg Hale, a partner at Campfire said, “We built this on solid storytelling and the idea of immersing people in this world” (Hardy 2011, p.11). I question if Campfire immersed consumers in the world of vampires or forced the world of vampires upon the real world? 

This campaign used a multimedia cross platform strategy to integrate advertising and marketing into the daily lives of the consumer and created their own transmedia stories through the creation of affiliated groups. It was no longer clear what was marketing communications and what was storytelling and brand interaction.

This lead to HBO gaining control over all three forms of advertising, paid, owned and earned, which I found quite concerning. Where has the line between commercially generated communication and real audience interactivity gone? By intruding upon the media space that audiences feel they have ownership over, will there be negative repercussions for brands? Fans of the show have already proven that such advertising infiltrations fuel the distrustful image of advertising, with complaints over the ambiguity of the marketing postings, under pseudo personality of Vampire blogger on the True Blood blog (Hardy 2011). 

Some advertisers see this strategy of advertising as an innovative way to integrate ‘the message’ into the lives of the audience to guarantee interaction with the brand, however the effectiveness of this strategy relies upon the acceptance brands. If not, this may not only impact the brand, but also ruin the conversation and buzz that is organically created surrounding a show like True Blood. 

The question is, is conversation something that can be bought and created? Time will tell if this form advertising becomes successful.  

Appendix

1.1

1.2

1.3

1.4

Bibliography 

Banner Corporation plc, 2010. Paid, Earned, Owned Model.

Campfire, 2011. True Blood by Campfire. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE0Z_MP7bBA [Accessed 20 April]

Creative Review, 2011. Ecko True Blood Advert. http://www.creativereview.co.uk/images/uploads/2009/06/hbo3_0.jpg [Accessed 20 April]

Facebook., 2011. Statistics.  Available from: http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics [Accessed 21 April]

Imagine Publishing, 2011. Gillette True Blood Advert. Available from: http://www.scifinow.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/hbo4_0.jpg [Accessed 17 April]

Hardy, J., 2011. Mapping Commercial Intertextuality: HBO’s True Blood. The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 17 (1), 7-17.

Jenkins,H., 2006. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York University Press: New York.

Jensen,J., 2003. ‘Interactivity’. Nordicom Review, 19(1), 185-204.Available from: http://www.nordicom.gu.se/common/publ_pdf/38_jensen.pdf [Accessed

 25 April]

Long,G,A., 2007. Transmedia Storytelling Business, Aesthetics and Production at the Jim Henson Company. America: MIT. Available from: http://cms.mit.edu/research/theses/GeoffreyLong2007.pdf. [Accessed 20 April]

Media Shots, 2010. Interview with Henry Jenkins. Available from: http://www.mediashots.org/blog/?p=230 [Accessed 20 April]

FX and 20th Century Fox, 2011. Mini Advert. Available from: http://community.fxuk.com/forums/p/25188/122961.aspx [Accessed 17 April]

Schultz,T., 2000. Mass Media and The Concept of Interactivity: An Exploratory Study Of Online Forums and Reader Email, 22 (2), 205-221.

Scissors. J.Z. and Baron. R.B., 2002. Media Planning. London: McGraw-Hill. 

HBO, 2011. True blood Juice Advert. Available from: http://www.TruBeverage.com/ [Accessed 16 April]

Young,A., 2010. 'Dexter' vs. 'True Blood': The Battle of Two Killer Media Plans. The Guardian. Available from: http://adage.com/article/mediaworks/dexter-true-blood-battle-killer-media-plans/144011/ [Accessed 20 April]

Vitter,L., 2011. Transmedia Storytelling. Available from: http://www.nmincite.com/?p=4002 [Accessed 25 April]

What Is Data Mining?

It is isn’t new and is something that has been around in the world of business for many years, however, data mining itself has had a ‘brand refresh’ in recent years, tracking online consumer use, with terms such as data profiling and dataveillance now in common use.

According to the Financial Times Data Mining is:

“[The analysis of] large amounts of data about customers held on a computer in order to get information about them that is not immediately available or obvious.”

Data mining has become a tool that is widely used within the marketing and advertising sector, with a keen focus on retail and the consumer environment. It has been given increasing emphasis in the role of strategy development within advertising and marketing campaigns, mainly due to the wealth of information that it can now provide for companies. The increasing rise of the digital world, with daily activities such as shopping and socialising now moving online in the form of online shops, newspapers and social networking sites, activities have now become more easy to track.

Consumer’s participation in the digital world has made it easier for companies to build a detailed consumer profile through consumer’s online activities and therefore, create a tailored online and offline experience for the consumer. The use of online cookies have enabled companies to track specific online movements of consumers and have become a lucrative tool in the statistics industry.

Companies’ use of data mining can be viewed as beneficial for both the consumer and the company. The company gains ethnographic information about consumers, on a large scale, which can be analysed to improve products, services, positioning and commerce strategies for the company, which in turn makes the company more successful and drives profits. When companies improve their products and services by (for example) creating a tailored online shopping interface, or making product suggestions and alternatives based on the previous tracked shopping on the website, this is beneficial for the consumer, as they received a better and more positive experience with the brand. 

However, I recently read an article about that detailed the mining of data from social networking sites, online blogs and other social networking platforms. It suggested that companies are now creating an online profile for each individual consumer, monitoring social networking profiles, usage, blogs, online comments and online consumption patterns to build a profile of a consumer and sold to companies.

This made me question, do we, as consumers have a choice about the information gained by our use of websites such as Facebook and Amazon?

The pressure to conform to social norms, and the social networking movement have amde the option of not having a social networking profile near impossible. Consumers don’t want to get left behind in the online boom, and it seems that if you want to be part of this social drive Facebook is an absolute essential. However, when consumers opt into using social networking sites they are opening their lives to companies. 

We have no choice but to use these sites to keep up with social norms, therefore, is it right that consumers have no choice in whether they want such information to be gathered about them when using such sites? Is our privacy the price of free?

When we sign up to use “free” internet services such as Google, Hotmail, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and many more, are we paying with our privacy? And what effect does this really have on our lives?

An article published by O’Reilly Media proposed the negative effects of the use of data mining and the real value of online free. It was suggested that data mining is used by credit card companies and as claimed by the aforementioned Mashable article, can actually affect the credit that you can get. When data profiling is used, companies “treat all consumers as examples of a pattern and not individuals”.

The regulation of such marketing tools is important, but however, increasingly difficult due to the ambiguous nature of online. 

The UK have however, made some attempt at regulation with the Freedom of Information Act (2000), the Data Protection Act (1998) and now with the expansion of the CAP code to online marketing communications. 

Without sounding too negative about the use of data mining within marketing, Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Campaign is a brilliant example of the integration of data mining both offline and online to create a a successful multi platform campaign. 

The company created an online campaign via Facebook, which created a Facebook app, which invited target consumers via their online profiles. 

The event held 14 nightlife swaps around the world on one night, all sponsored by Smirnoff. The following link provides videos and pictures of the nights. 

https://www.smirnoff.com/index.aspx?LangType=2057&smf_c=GB 

The Role of Digital Communication in Activism

“Activists work to improve the lives of the people, communities and societies that make up our world...activism is not only about politics or protest...[it is] about knowing that you are responsible for the world around you, and that the skills you possess can and must be brought forward to help communities around the world” (Global pact 2011)

The traditional image of an activist fighting on the front line of justice is no more, a modern activist’s main tool is now his computer and his ability to use this communicate and bring people together for the same cause- Activism has now gone digital. 

Henry Jenkins talks about the convergence of culture and how the internet is blurring the lines of distinction between cultures, which is ultimately creating Americanisation and a mono-culture (2006). The same theory can be employed when considering the use of the internet to ignite communication amongst differing social groups and global activism. Mary Joyce defines digital activism as; “The action of using digital technology for political and social change”. The Meta-Activism project will act as “a central location for people interested in building a body of knowledge about the fundamental mechanics of digital activism”(Readwriteweb 2011)

Joyce defines the two key elements that make digital activity platforms successful are the scale, in terms of how many people it can reach and the “use neutrality” which indicates the ease of use of the interface to make it openly accessible for the majority. That is why social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are good platforms to use, however, they are not the only way in which groups can form and communicate. 

Facebook’s youth nature and vast student population meant that it was an effective platform used by activists of the recent student protests in London, to rally support. This digital platform provided access to thousands of students and provided an interface which facilitated discussion and communication. A group was set up called;  “Students against UK top up fees reaching £7,500 per year”, which received 202, 535 likes. The online conversation then moved offline with the organised Millbank protest, where thousands of students joined to together to march together against one cause. I was there that day to represent my disapproval of the inflation student fees, but was saddened by the negative effect that activism can create by the uncontrollable and violent few (BBC 2011)

Digital activism has widened the conversation and created a global scale of communication between people with the same agenda, wether that be political or social. It has facilitated the rapid diffusion of ideas, opinions and actions, building solidarity amongst  groups of people cross culturally. It has given those who previously felt as though their view was worthless a voice in the vast media landscape.

I think that both digital activism and traditional activism can work together to bring people together and provoke action. An example of such is when Green Peace took over the Stena Don oil rig. Green Peace have launched a campaign called Go Beyond Oil which was started after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and highlights the fact that oil companies are drilling deeper and deeper in the pursuit of oil. 

Green peace out ran the Danish navy and took over the rig for 40 hours every hour of which was documented by Lisa Vickers. The charity used a multitude social networking platform through which to communicate to their audience. She sent live video feeds from the rig, took pictures, publishing these via Flickr, Twitter and Facebook, she also continuously blogged about her experience. The following videos were posted on Youtube to show their experiences.

Many people think about digital activism as a tool to ignite support for a certain campaign before it has even started and this is true,  it provides a brilliant platform for conversation and debate, however, Green Peace has shown that the role of digital communications doesn’t have to stop there. Digital communication can be an ongoing medium of communication and support for digital activists, pre-campaign, during the campaign and provides a lasting legacy to spark an ongoing conversation.

I Spy with My Googly Eye

I found our lecture this week about privacy issues very interesting as online privacy is something that affects pretty much all of us. We all use the internet now and share information about ourselves across the web every day in the form of emails, Facebook posts, blogs and Tweets. With the realm of the digital age removing the physical barriers we uphold to the public, what is privacy anymore??-It’s not a closed door or shut curtains, it’s not a locked diary under your bed, the word ‘privacy’ means something completely different now. 

Privacy is defined by Alan Westin 2003 as “the claim of an individual to determine what information about himself or herself should be known to others” and by Burgoon et al. as ‘‘the ability to control and limit physical, interactional, psychological and informational access to the self or one’s group’’ . This is one of the problems of the law a regulation of online privacy. It is not so easily defined. 

The UK go some way to provide legislation to protect the consumer with the following bodies providing rules and regulations on the subject:

• The Data Protection Act 1998.
• Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003
• Information Commissioners' Office (ICO, 2010)
• Freedom of Information Act 2000
• Proposed: Digital Economy Bill (2009, 2010, 2011…?)

Back in 2007 The Telegraph reported on the privacy scandal that erupted around Google. It was reported that whilst taking photos for their street view maps online, Google were obtaining information from unsecured networks in local areas. Google were under investigation for breech of privacy in a number of countries, but were ‘let off’ in a good faith gesture as Google claimed the data was collected inadvertently.

Now in 2011, in an interesting move, Google have created Google Dashboard to make the information they store about you, (the Google consumer), more transparent. Google Dash board allows you to see the information that Google stores about you all in one place. It is a record of the consumer’s usage of all Google products, whether that be Gmail, YouTube, Google maps etc. The following is a video that Google have distributed to explain how this new tool will work and will probably be able to give you a better explanation than I can.

I think that it is a good thing that Google are becoming more transparent, it is important that as consumers we trust the service providers of the products we use with the information we give them. Consumers are often suspicious about the information they provide large corporations such as Google Facebook and Yahoo with, therefore, I think that is a good thing that a large corporation within the sector is taking steps towards a more open a honest approach. I think that Google have to improve their reputation for ethical data handling and this is a step towards doing that. Hopefully other conglomerates within this sector will follow their lead.

However, it doesn’t get away from the fact that Google is a free service. This means that the site is in high demands of advertisers who want space on the search engine and high listed searches, they also want the market research that Google products can provide about certain consumers. Therefore, Google are in a difficult situation as they need to make money, but they also need to provide their consumers with a trustworthy reputation. 

This is only one example of a number of internet services that collects information about consumers.

Looking at this from an advertising and marketing perspective, sites like Google are a gold mine for useful information, at a cost, and can provide ethnographic insights for which advertisers can base a campaign. Data collection via the internet is recordable and traceable, therefore, the more ‘free’ services you use the more information companies are gaining about your everyday lives.Another advantage for these ‘free’ services is that it has provided another channel for which advertisers can target consumers. 

In conclusion, even though there have been many laws that try to regulate the system to protect consumer’s privacy, I think that the internet is so vast and regularly used that it is ‘unregulateable.’(if that makes sense). Consumers have access to all of these free products but as the old saying goes “you don’t get a free lunch” and the price of a search engine may well be your privacy. 

Product Placement hits the UK

This week the introduction of product placement in UK television programmes has created a storm in the advertising industry. Since February the 28th, broadcasters can now charge brands for the placement of their products in certain television programmes.

According to Ofcom (2011), the UK broadcasting regulator, product placement is subject to certain rules. It will be allowed on all commercial channels, excluding the government funded BBC channels. It will be allowed in films, soaps, entertainment and sports programmes, but will not be allowed in children’s, news, current affairs, religious and consumer advice programmes. There are also restrictions on what exactly is allowed to be broadcast, therefore, the usual no tobacco, alcohol, escort services or gambling products. But more surprisingly no foods that are high in sugar, salt or fat and also prescribed medicines and baby milk?!  So that means that companies such as Pizza Hut and Cow and Gate baby milk are out of the running for a spot in UK programmes.

Ofcom (2011) have taken the following measures, placing the 'P' symbol before and after any shows that feature product placement. I can see that Ofcom are trying to make the process as regulated and transparent as possible, but I think that this symbol may run the risk of insulting the intelligence of the audience. 

Product placement has been something that has been apparent in the US since the 1980’s  with many companies vying for a placement in the latest soap or blockbuster movie. UK audiences will be familiar with the burred red smudges that have the Coca Cola logo hidden behind them on American Idol and many other programmes that have been exported from the US featuring product placement.

The first company and programme in the UK to adopt this unique partnership is Nescafe and ‘This Morning’. According to a recent report in Brand Republic, Mindshare valued the deal at £100,000. It is also reported that ITV have confirmed this is the first of many more to product placements to come. They also clarified that editorial content will come before any product placement and will only be used where appropriate. 

Product placement now provides another channel for advertisers to communicate to thier target audience, but is this a good or bad thing?

Some people may view the new rules on product placement as a bad thing. People have complained that they would feel bombarded. However, isn’t the sight of brands on television a reflection of our everyday lives in which brands play a massive part? And aren't brands already featuring on TV in the form of advertisements?

Product placement may have a positive effect on modern popular culture. Brands can now use this medium to affiliate themselves with a programme and all that the programme stands for. It can use the programme to communicate key brand values and an identity. The brand will also gain new heights of exposure and grasps that audience’s attention in a way that an advert cannot guarantee. For example an avid soap fan will sit down and watch a programme, this programme will have their full attention therefore, it gives the brand a prime opportunity to target the audience when they are fully engaged with the advertising medium. In comparison to a TV advert, where the audience may get up a make a cup of tea or when an advert flies past on bus. Also with the increase of ondemand services with SKy plus and internet streaming, adverts are being cut out of the viewing habits of many consumers, therefore, product placement is a positive step for advertisers as it has provided a new medium in which an advertiser can gain the attention of the audience. 

The use of product placement is not only a positive step for advertisers, but broadcasters alike as well as audiences. Advertisers are happy because they get the direct exposure of a brand’s product with a specifically targeted audience. Broadcasters are happy because they are paid for this exposure, which means that the broadcasting industry will generate more revenue. As broadcasters are generating more revenue hopefully, this means that the services and programmes that they are able to offer will improve.

T&T Advertising reported that the ISBA (the voice of British advertisers) stated that the current use of unpaid product placement serves both industries well, channels seek brands to include the programme and brands get the exposure they need without paying for it. They suggest that the new paid system will increase advertising costs for brands and agencies alike. 

The future of product placement in the UK...

Well paid product placement has been successful in the US for many years now co-existing with spot advertising happily, but time will tell if product placement in UK market will be an effective form of advertising for brands and advertising agencies alike. 

A Seamless Brand Experience

Many brands aspire to be it, few brands get it right and those that do are some of the most successful brands in the world...all brands are in search of a ‘seamless brand experience’ for the consumer...but what exactly is it?

According to Gair Maxwell's blog a ‘seamless brand’ means, “To make and keep a promise that matters.” He talks about how making the promise relates to sales, marketing and spreading the message, keeping that promise is the execution of the ideas on a operational level and the fact that it matters is the differentiator of the brand. 

I think that it is important to ensure that a brand firstly sets out what they stand for and what their identity and personality is. This is the main focus and how they differentiate themselves within their market. This can then be followed by consistent communications across all marketing and promotional activities and in everything that they do and say, whether this be the bags used in store or in the form of apps or their website.

I am most interested in how a brand can integrate themselves through digital communications. I recently found a journal that I felt explained perfectly what a seamless brand means in the digital environment. 

“A range of new marketing mediums can be leveraged to keep people tuned in and seamlessly integrate brands into their everyday lives” (Ken Martin and Ivan Todorov 2010)

Martin and Todorov (2010) talked about how brands need to think of new and innovative ways to communicate with their audiences in a market that is becoming evermore crowded . The brand needs to find specific ‘touch points’ at which they can communicate directly with the consumer, this type of brand interaction will then form a regular and prolonged relationship with the brand.

Mike Crossman from EMC gave us a lecture this week about the seamless brand experience, where he posed the following questions that, as fledgling advertisers, we should take into consideration.

• How do you create resonance?

• How do you get the consumer to remember your brand?

• What is emotional connection I can create through the use of digital communication?

One such example of a brand that has created a new digital platform to provide a seamless brand experience is Rimmel. 

Rimmel’s target consumer is 16-34 year olds, their personality is fun young and rebellious, with their colourful product range and recent advertising campaigns reflecting this. The company has used many young and popular models as part of their campaigns like Kate Moss, Lily Cole, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and their most recent signing, Zoey Deschanel. 

 NewMediaAge recently reported that Rimmel have relaunched their website as a platform to encourage their young consumers to communicate with each other about the brand. 

The new website provides the following features.

• Celebrity make-up artist tutorials so that consumers can recreate the look themselves with their own Rimmel products.
• It also includes different features such as a weekly style guide and best looks.
• Consumers get the chance to register on the website, this means that they then can create a profile and take part in something called the ‘Make-Up Bag’ that allows consumers to pick their favourite products and rate them, upload photos of different looks and blog about their experiences, they can also invite friends to the make up bag and interact with each other about fashion and the brand.
• The site also shows the models and what looks they have created and how consumers can create the look themselves.

I think that this is an innovative way to place the brand at the epicentre of conversations that occur with young teenage girls anyway. As the Facebook and Twitter phenomenon shows, many young people enjoy the use of digital communication to interact with their peers, therefore, Rimmel’s new website is like an online magazine that allows the brand to resonate with the target consumer.

The ‘Make up bag’ feature on the website allows the consumer to sign up and then tell their friends, this helps to make the website memorable as they need to pass on their experience of the website to their friends.

The ‘looks section’ that shows pictures of other girls’ outfits allows consumers to create an affiliation with brand as they can relate to one another, be that through conversation or the style tips they are giving one another. All of the features on the website have been designed to interact with the consumer at every opportunity, sending out the same message “We are a brand that is young, fashion forward and popular.” 

This digital communication has allowed the brand to effortlessly depicted that they are fashion forward and that make-up is a part of fashion, which is a part of consumer’s lives. I also like the way in which the brand has attempted to make their own forum and discussion without the use of Facebook, which so many brands are using a wagon for social interaction with the brand now days.  

It’s all in the detail and Rimmel have thought about the ways in which their consumers, in particular now interact with each other and use it to their advantage. Now all that is left to see is if their digital communication efforts prove to be a successful integration of the brand with their consumer’s daily lives. 

How Mobile Phones are Helping to Lessen the ‘Digital Divide’ in Africa

The digital divide is described as the “haves and have nots”, which relates to the divide of people in the world who do and do not have access to digital technologies such as, the internet, computers and mobile phones (Stump et. al). The divide of access to such facilities is fundamentally associated with less economically developed countries and more economically developed countries.  

Imagine a world without your mobile phone, it is a world that many us could not even consider. As Western consumers, we take advantage of the increasing sophistication of mobile phone devices and have become evermore dependent upon them. Your phone is now a metamorphic contraption; waking you in the morning as your alarm clock, allowing you to check your emails whilst on the train, browse the web and check your Facebook. This may sound familiar for many people, as the phone represents constant connectivity to the wider world, both for business and social activities.These are processes that have become intertwined with the fabric of western life, however in places such as Africa the realm of ‘mobile’ has been relatively undiscovered... until now.

David Smith recently reported in an article called ‘Africa Calling’ that mobile phone uptake has soared with figures suggesting a 550% rise in the past five years. In developing countries subscriptions rose from 54m to almost 350m, with 48 out of every 100 people now subscribing, it is the quickest growth in the world. Such figures emphasise the speed at which the digital divide is lessing and it appears to be the mobile phone that is the device to thank (Guardian 2011).

Kateine Chronicle’s blog for the Guardian discussed the developments that mobile phones have brought to the world of farming and trade in Africa. Now nearly one in three people can make or receive a phone call, such facilities have been heralded as the phone revolution (Guardian 2011). This blog discusses some of the main advantages mobile phones have had for the rural farming community in Africa.

• Facilitating cash transfers with the help of the Me2U service, that provides a unique code to allow monetary transfers across thousands of miles.
• Communication with key trading subsidiaries in towns and cities lessening the isolation of living in more rural locations.
• Increasing accessibility and lack of dependence upon infrastructure.
• Enables a wider audience and the opportunity to gain the best price for their product. 

The World Wide Web is a foundation in Africa that helps to develop digital communications among rural communities. The project encourages entrepreneurial spirit and set up ‘labs’ that train communities to use digital communications in order to generate their own revenues or their businesses. For example, they have helped farmers with the use of mobile phones and other digital communications. 

Another element of the foundation means working closely with networks and phone manufacturers to develop mobile phones that provide content and interfaces that are relevant and usable to African communities. Unlike Japan, where ‘development’ means pushing technological boundaries and discovering new innovations in digital, such a word means something completely different in Africa, but is still just as profound. The mobile phone developments in Africa are, to me, more poignant because of the meaning they hold. Equality. Innovation should be something that is available for everyone and not just the select few.

The fast moving world of mobile communication in Africa has provided an opportunity for foreign brands to invest in the newly emerging African mobile phone market. Many mobile phone brands have noted the developments in Africa and are hoping to take advantage of such exponential growth in digital communications. One such brand is Vodaphone who reported that Africa has experienced a 30% growth in mobile phone uptake in recent years (Vodaphone 2011).

The Vodaphone group have teamed up with The World Wide Web foundation to provide rural communities with the means for communication. They have committed to funding 3 years of initial work with local organisations, with the aim to teach local businesses how to use technological communications effectively to generate and maximise business. This project can been seen an a multifaceted exercise, not only will this place the brand at the forefront of newly entering consumers, it also reflects their corporate social responsibility, as well as fuelling the mobile phone market which will increase their own business.

Their mission statement to African businesses:

 “We’ll help you harness communications technology to build your business in Africa, whatever business you’re in. Talk to us now about your business aspirations in Africa. Together we can make it happen.”

(The Vodaphone Group 2011)

Mobile phones have become the most widely used digital device, giving so many more people the opportunity to take advantage of the benefits digital communication offers.

I think that projects such as the Vodaphone/WWW partnership can only be a step in the right direction to minimize the ever growing digital gap. I think that as more people around the world begin to use mobile phones, it will become the most powerful means of communication and this is something that advertisers, globally, can capitalize upon. And on that cheery note I am signing off until next week.