How the internet destroyed Alan Jones

Last week, Alan Jones made some comments which the vast majority of people, including myself, found to be in very poor taste. Speaking at a Young Liberal's function in Sydney, Jones claimed 

 "The old man recently died a few weeks ago of shame. To think that he had a daughter who told lies every time she stood for parliament."

Putting aside the hateful and derogatory nature of the comments, what I'm interested most in is the after-math. In particular, the wave of anger that swept from the social community towards Alan Jones and 2GB. No quicker had the comments been revealed, #boycott2GB and #sackalanjones were trending Australia wide on Twitter. As of 3:30pm EST, the Sack Alan Jones facebook group had 6,721 likes.

As Mercedes-Benz joined a long line of sponsors pulling out of their commitment to Jones' show, the question remains: Would companies like Mercedes, make the same decision if not for the impact social media has had on the incident? I'd argue 'no', for a few reasons.

A) Perception is everything. Associations between sponsor and brand have never meant more and when the calibre of an esteemed organisation such as Mercedes is being called into question, they have to act.

B) A multiple of social media platforms is fantastic when things are going well, but in times of crisis they amplify the issue to the point where something has to give. Criticism was being leveled at Jones, 2GB and the show's sponsors from all angles. It was only a matter of time before they relented to public pressure and discontinued their financial support. In the past, newspapers and news bulletins may run with the story for a day or so, but presently, the backlash has almost trumped the incident. When news organisations start reporting on the groundswell of social media anger, then all parties concerned are in danger.

C) Clearly, the most important point in all of this is that the incident would never have made front page news if not for the advancements in portable technologies, such as recorders on phones. Yes, recording devices were present decades ago, but they weren't as compact, indistinguishable and finely tuned as they are today. Coupled with the fact that the clip can then be uploaded to YouTube for all to see, means a private setting is rarely that.

This is clearly a huge  story which shows no signs of abating, perhaps Jones will be sacked within the coming days, but at this point its only speculation. How do you think a scandal like this would be handled 30 years ago? Would this be a scandal at all? Comment and let me know!

Shazam - changing the way we watch TV

Call me naive, but up until about a week ago, I thought the only thing Shazam was good for was identifying songs and endangering road users as drivers frantically tried to 'shazam' a song on the radio before it finished (not that I've ever done this). As it turns out, it does a lot more than that, and its potential from a marketing perspective is near limitless. Shazam began teaming up with brands and media to extend the reach of advertisements  into the palm of the consumer's hand around 18 months ago, as can be seen through the clip below, which summarises the project neatly.

Now, Shazam for TV works with any show. The growth of this feature suggests it's popular with both brands and consumers alike, as there's something in it for both parties. Brands increase engagement and consumers gain information,prizes and exclusive content. 

Personally, I think this is a brilliant innovation. When Shazam started, music identification was fun and novel, but it didn't seem like a lasting idea. It was limited in it's potential, yet Shazam for TV is basically a new product altogether. The fact that I can be sitting on my couch watching sport and access exclusive stats, video and information  on my phone is something really appealing. And it also reflects the changing face of television, whereby more and more people are finding that one screen is simply not enough. 

So, where do you see Shazam heading in the next few years? Like me, do you also watch TV and use your tablet or smartphone at the same time? How could you be better engaged? I know personally I'd love more competitions, especially considering the fact there's still a sense of exclusivity, I think people would be more likely to enter and provide their details which could subsequently be of use to marketers. How do you see this playing out? I'd love to hear your opinion!

The Top 5 Reasons Google Dominates The Market

Why is Google so popular? The fact it exists in the Oxford Dictionary, as a verb, suggests it’s held in a pretty high regard. Although, grrl, gaydar and muggle are also in, so that might discredit Google's social relevance somewhat. But the figures below cannot be denied. It dominates the opposition. Here are the top 5 reasons why:

1. Simplicity - Google is easily the most user friendly search engine available. It allows new users to adapt instantly and converts them into loyal customers. The simple interface is attractive and familiar, and the rare changes they make to the word 'google' for a special occasion are almost always buzz-worthy.

2. Safety and Security - Naturally, there are different type of safety, but in terms its susceptibility to hackers or stolen personal information, it is incredibly safe. It  has a 'safe-search' filter which intends to weed out inappropriate content for kids. It isn't always successful, but neither are Bing and Yahoo's safe searches either. It's an area where search engines could clearly improve, but filtering the millions of hits they'd receive each second isn't an easy task and some are probably bound to slip through the cracks. Nevertheless, Google's brand value is so strong, it lends itself to being a website of security and safety anyway.

3. Accuracy and Relevance - Google are currently upgrading their search engine to provide more accurate results. It's an improvement to an already elite and highly critical element of the Google operations. Its algorithm is ever-evolving to give its searchers the most up-to-date, relevant results, and its one area which it possesses an advantage over its rivals 

4. Additional features - Google's quick-links to things like Maps, Gmail, Blogger and YouTube help draw interest to the homepage and create customer loyalty. On their own, these features are highly appealing and popular, but tied in with Google's search engine and reach, they create a powerful, integrated brand. Its analytics program is arguably the best of its kind - simple and easy to install. And because anybody can create code for Google Analytics, and there are some fantastic scripts and add-ons out there to improve results. The fact its free makes it that much more appealing.

5. Advertising - Google's advertising reach makes it an attractive proposition for many businesses, particularly given its advantages in control, personalisation and specificity. The fact you can only actually be charged when someone clicks through to your page often attracts new business into trying it, and having experienced some success at a relatively minor cost, they continue to purchase the advertising. 

I'm aware many other search engines possess similar qualities, but Google simply does it better. And from a personal point of view, I'm so accustomed to using it, I don't even think twice when I want to search something - I'm already 'googling' before I realise it. Searching habits are often so ingrained within users, a rival has to present a key point of difference to attract different customers, and currently there isn't one, hence Google's dominance. But that's my take on things, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. What can other search engines like Bing and Yahoo do to attract your interest? Have you found one to be better than another? Comment below and let me know!