Mediaboss Marketing

Samsung is on the hunt for its next social star. Partnering with local content creator SGAG, the brand has launched a social contest titled "#SlayIt". From now until 18 April, Samsung is calling on aspiring content creators to submit a one-minute audition video. After entries close, 12 finalists will compete in a four-week long contest, taking on a different content creation challenge every week with Samsung's Galaxy S21+ 5G. At the end of the four weeks, the top content creator will win SG$10,000 cash and a new Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G, according to Samsung's website.

In a conversation withMARKETING-INTERACTIVE,Lynn Chong, head of brand marketing, IT and mobile at Samsung Electronics Singapore said the campaign was inspired by apoll done by Guardianwhich showed that one of the top aspiration of young people was to get famous. "Combine that [insight] with the potential and wild popularity of social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTok and you have a trending social attitude that cannot be ignored. We see that here in Singapore where there are more content creators emerging every day with something fun, funny, or passionate to say," she added. Chong took on her role in February, where she now leadsa team to drive integrated brand marketing campaigns and initiatives for Samsung's smartphones, tablets and wearables in Singapore.She reports to Sarah Chua, vice-president, IT and mobile, Samsung Electronics Singapore.

Commenting on its partnership with SGAG, Chong said Samsung chose to work with SGAG as the team created a unique identity for itself in Singapores social media space with its type of content and a brand of humour that balances broad base appeal with authentic feel and flavour. SGAG will also be managing the social star search from call-for-entries to issuing challenges to the finalists.To promote the contest,SGAG will be putting out social media posts on its own Facebook and Instagram channels, as well as the social media channels of SGAG's KOLs Zina, Brightman, and Syafiqa. Promotional content will also be posted via SGAG's parent company, Hepmil Creators Network, creators TikTok and Instagram stories. Meanwhile,

Samsung will be further supplementing the promotion through video ads, radio ads, display banners, and social media postings on its channels.Samsung will also be amplifying the contest, having weekly polls and hoping to uncover talented Singaporeans.

Understanding that it needed to stay relevant as a brand, Chong said Samsung sees itself as an enabler to young people for this campaign, wanting to send the message that "if they can dream it, Samsung can make it happen". The smartphone brand also aims to enhance self-expression in the social media era with phones such as its Galaxy S21/21+ 5G, as well as promote features such as the Vlogger View which can record both the self and subjects reactions to something like say, an interview or even a proposal. The #SlayIt campaign is done in collaboration with agency Cheil.

Concurrently, Samsung is also running a separate content creation contest for its branded film festival "Short & Sharp film festival" taking place in May. In a similar style,content creators were encouraged to submit a one-minute short film shot on any mobile phone based on the theme What the World Needs Now - even an iPhone. This theme was inspired by the new world Singaporeans live, work and play, according to Samsung, where the pandemic has moved people to express hope, joy, compassion and humanity in new ways. The content creation contest, as well as Samsung's branded film festival, is also aimed to highlight the advanced photography and videography features of its smartphone series, the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G. When compared, Chong told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the "Slay It" contest is a lighter, more fun approach to searching for content creators of youthful exuberance. "In an ideal world, the winners of Short & Sharp would work with the winners of Slay it down the road. We are quietly ambitious," she added.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE's Content 360 Week is back from 6 to 8 April this year! Super charge your content production, distribution and monetisation strategies by learning from brands such as NBA Asia, P&G, Malaysia Airlines, and Marriott International, among others.Sign uptoday!

Related Articles:Samsung SEA promotes Abhishek Grover to head of digital marketing groupSamsung names new head of brand marketing for IT and mobile in SGSamsung unveils branded film fest in Singapore

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Samsung SG goes all out with brand campaign as it hunts for social star - Marketing Interactive

Facebook has published the latest version of its State of Small Business Report,which looks at how COVID-19, and the related mitigation efforts, are impacting SMBs around the world.

The data, which Facebook has been tracking since July last year,incorporates responses from more than 30,000 small business owners across 50 countries, and highlights the key concerns and challenges they face as each seeks to maintain its operations.

The insight is valuable for virtually every organization, as the flow-on effects from SMBs will relate to spending in almost all aspects of the economy, and will influence market spend and focus moving forward.

As noted by Facebook:

"Impacts on SMBs can have wider ramifications for the macroeconomy: on average, SMBs account for 75% of employment in sectors directly affected by lockdown measures across OECD member countries."

That makes this an essential, influential consideration.

You can download the full, Global State of Small Business update here, but in this post, we'll look at some of the key data points and charts.

First off, on overall operating impacts - Facebook says that 24%of the SMBs surveyed reported that they were closed in February 2021, which is up from 16% of business closures in October 2020.

As you can see here, European SMBs were among the hardest hit, which coincides with strict lockdown measures in various EU nations.

As per Facebook:

"Closures also rose in the US, from 14% in October to 22% in February. Only 54% of SMBs were confident in their ability to continue operating for at least 6 months if current circumstances persist, with a higher percentage (68%) among SMBs in the US."

While the vaccine roll-out is now underway, and seemingly,there's now an end in sight for the pandemic, the full economic impacts will be far-reaching. And as underlined by these numbers, the extended effects are still causing flow-on disruption, and financial strain, in many regions.

Of those that are still open, over half of still-operating SMBs reported a decline in sales in January 2021, in comparison to the same period last year. And in response, 30% of SMBs - and 27% of US SMBs - have reduced their staffing levels.

Again, the extended impacts of this will flow through to virtually all businesses, as fewer people with available money to spend means less transactional activity across all sectors. It's difficult to fully outline or predict how that will impact individual sectors, but the pain of COVID-19 will be felt for some time, even after the majority of vaccines have been administered.

Facebook also notes that women and minority-lead businesses have been hit especially hard by the pandemic.

"At the time of the survey in February 2021, 27% of women-led SMBs were closed in the global sample, compared to just 21% of men-led SMBs. In the US, a similar gap was observed, with 25% of women-led SMBs reporting they were closed, compared to 20% for men-led SMBs."

Minority-led SMBs in the US, meanwhile,were 9 percentage points more likely to have been closed, with 27% closed compared to 18% of other SMBs.

The stats underline the need for dedicated measures to assist women and minority lead businesses, which is why Facebook, and other social platforms have launched a range of initiatives on these fronts. The numbers show that we, as a community, need to support these groups specifically, and anything that can be done to promote women-owned and minority-lead businesses is a worthy push.

The report also looks at digital adoption among SMBs as a result of the pandemic, with a significant majority of SMBs reporting that they had changed at least one aspect of the way they operate as a result of the impacts.

"Of these, processes for interacting with customers were the most commonly reported change, at 33% globally and 46% in the US. Over one quarter of SMBs (26%) also reported that they had changed their utilization of online tools."

With the lockdowns forcing most stores to close, at least for some period of time, adoption of digital alternatives has been a must, and this chart shows where SMBs are seeing the most benefit, and focus, for digital adoption, including social media marketing.

There's a heap more insight in the full report, which you can download here. As noted, this is critical insight, given the flow-on impacts of the sector, and how it relates to the broader economy. It pays to understand these shifts, and to see where things are headed among SMBs.

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Facebook Shares New Insights into the Impacts of COVID-19 on SMBs - Social Media Today

Despite seemingly losing some of its shine as the leading social platform of choice, Facebook continues to see the most daily usage, according to the latest findings from Pew Research.

For its 2021 social media usage survey, Pew interviewed 1,502 US about their social media habits, providing an overview of key trends and shifts in social media platform adoption and usage. Which, given the events of the last 12 months, has been impacted significantly, with most platforms seeing a rise in usage - but as noted, Pew's data reveals that the big players remain in charge, even with other apps gaining some ground.

First off, on overall usage, Pew reports that YouTube and Facebook remain the most popular social apps, by a big margin, among US users.

As explained by Pew:

"YouTube and Facebook continue to dominate the online landscape, with 81% and 69%, respectively, reporting ever using these sites. And YouTube and Reddit were the only two platforms measured that saw statistically significant growth since 2019, when the Center last polled on this topic via a phone survey."

That's interesting - while Facebook's usage share hasn't changed since Pew's last update, YouTube has gone up 8%, while Reddit adoption has increased 7% among survey participants. That underlines the rising potential of Reddit, which has gone to significant effort to clean-up its platform and improve its mainstream appeal, with a view to expanding its revenue opportunities.

If you haven't considered Reddit in your planning, it may well be worth a look. It's still not seeing the same level of overall adoption as the other major social apps, but it is rising, and it could be worthy of consideration.

As you can see, Pew's data also shows that 40% of US adults are using Instagram, and around 30% are on Pinterest and LinkedIn, while TikTok is now being used by 21% of the population.

But Pew does also note that Snapchat and TikTok are very popular among younger user groups.

"Even as other platforms do not nearly match the overall reach of YouTube or Facebook, there are certain sites or apps, most notably Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, that have an especially strong following among young adults. In fact, a majority of 18- to 29-year-olds say they use Instagram (71%) or Snapchat (65%), while roughly half say the same for TikTok."

If you're looking to connect with younger audiences, these are the apps you need to be exploring, while Facebookand YouTube have the greatest reach to the older population.

And as noted, while there's been some speculation about Facebook losing ground to other apps, as it becomes less cool and less fresh, Pew's data shows that it still sees the most daily usage, beating IG and Snap.

There are some additional considerations within this - as we've noted previously, further investigation would likely find that while people are checking into Facebook every day, the amount of time they spend in the app, on average, is also likely in decline.

Facebook has become a key connective tool for many - you rely on it to keep you informed of key events in the lives of friends and family, including birthdays, announcements, etc. That means that most people do check into Facebook each morning, but many would also be spending more time consuming content on Instagram or TikTok, where there tends to be more engaging, immersive options to spend your time these days.

That's anecdotal - Facebook's doesn't provide data on time spent in app, while the usage of Facebook Groups would also see a lot of people still spending a lot of time engaging on Facebook instead. But it does seem that while Facebook remains a critical connective tool, more users are spending more time elsewhere. We'll have to wait and see if Facebook reveals any further insight on this.

In terms of further notes, Pew's data also shows that

These are some valuable insights into the latest usage trends, which may help to shape your approach to digital marketing and outreach. The numbers point to exactly where your target market is most likely to be present - so if you're not active on those platforms as yet, it's time to get moving, and update your strategic approach.

You can read Pew Research's full "Social Media Use in 2021" report here.

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New Data Reveals the Latest Social Media Usage Trends, Including the Rise of Reddit, TikTok and Snapchat - Social Media Today

Kristina: We are a year into the pandemic - how are marketers and retailers coping at this point?

Stephanie Cegielski, Spokesperson, ICSC: After a year of the pandemic, we've seen retailers fully embrace and adapt to new trends that have emerged. While the sector still needs support, retailers have been remarkably adaptable and resilient. Two top trends in particular included the growth of click-and-collect services and safety measures. Our recent B2B survey found nearly three-quarters of smaller retailers implemented click-and-collect offerings as a result of the increased demand for safe shopping experiences. Similarly, in 2020, 72% of retailers and CRE owners saw increased operational costs due to implementing safety protocols. Another ICSC survey found 85% of consumers will continue to wear a mask in public and social distance even once they're fully vaccinated - suggesting many of those measures will remain in place even as consumers return to stores. Overall, retailers have seen years of change condensed into a few short months - and while the retail landscape is challenging, many are poised to succeed in the long run.

Matt Ramerman, President, Sinch for Marketing: Surviving this past year has meant focusing on strengthening existing customer relationships at a time when consumers are inundated with brand communications on every channel, from email to SMS to social media and back. This ushered in an extremely accelerated adoption of digital marketing solutions to deliver 24/7, always-on engagement, ensuring seamless customer service without sacrificing the user experience. Customers in 2021 expect connections with their favorite brands to be instantaneous, personalized and easily accessible on their preferred channels. This is a permanent change, and brands must adapt their strategies to provide greater customer personalization than ever before.

Kristina: Where do you see retail going over the next 6-12 months?

Stephanie: Over the next 6 months to a year, we anticipate the retail industry returning to somewhat normal levels of activity, as do nearly 60% of Americans. Following the rise in digital services, it's expected that retailers and CRE owners will continue to invest in these offerings. ICSC's B2B survey found roughly 50% of retailers and CRE owners have invested in technology and digital infrastructure - and as many have found success with click-and-collect and other strategies, we expect these to remain a huge factor moving forward. Additionally, we anticipate a continued rebound in retail sales as vaccinations increase and the pandemic subsides.

Kristina: Matt, what about marketing?

Matt: The biggest shift will be to two-way conversational marketing, the process of activating two-way channels (i.e. SMS, or messaging apps such as Instagram or Facebook Messenger) to support marketing campaigns and programs so customers can respond directly to brands. With a few clicks, customers can open chat sessions with brands to customize offers, shop for the right product and resolve customer service inquiries. It's been a step in the right direction to see brands meeting customers where they are in their SMS inboxes. However, without allowing for a true back and forth between the customer and the brand, marketers aren't getting the most out of customers' most-used mobile channels. It's time for brands to surrender some control in the marketing process by incorporating consumers' specific needs into personalized conversations and allowing them to drive the back-and-forth.

Kristina: What implications do you see, moving forward?

Matt: Despite the evolution of consumer preferences when it comes to how they access products, services and information, brands are still relying on one-way, high-frequency "spray and pray" campaigns to drive conversions. It is critical for brands to change their mindset from one-way push to conversational, as relinquishing some control to customers can in turn create stronger relationships and yearslong loyalty, bringing this new kind of omnichannel engagement and customized, two-way communications to the mainstream.

Stephanie: Moving forward, we anticipate the convergence of digital and physical retail to continue. According to ICSC's B2B survey respondents, there will also be a rise in click-and-collect demand. Over the next 12 months, 62% of retailers expect an increase in the number of online orders to be fulfilled in-store, 61% expect an increase in retail floor space to be used for warehousing, 63% an increase in parking lot space for online order fulfillment, and 61% plan to increase staffing dedicated to accommodating online order fulfillment. We also believe safety measures at retail and CRE locations will continue including social distancing, click-and-collect options, hand sanitizing stations, and more.

Our recent economic survey uncovered 82% of consumers expect businesses to continue health and safety precautions. Therefore, despite mask mandates being lifted in several states and vaccine rollout fully underway, retailers must still prioritize safety to draw consumers back.

Tags: advertising, covid-19 business, covid-19 trends, ecommerce, ICSC, mobile marketing, pandemic marketing, Sinch for Marketing

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Experts: A year after the pandemic, here's how we're coping - Ecommerce - BizReport

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Recent Research: Detailed Analysis on Social Marketing Management Software Market Size with Forecast to 2026 - Technology Magazine