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Welcome to the “age of mobile”

Facebook’s decision to buy Instagram in April was more than just another tech-focused, media-hyped story about people making a lot of money selling a trendy product.  According to technology experts, the purchase officially marked the end of the Web 2.0 era and the start of something new – the age of mobile.

What this really means is the official recognition of a new reality:  people now spend more time using mobile apps (94 minutes per day) than they do browsing the Internet on their smartphones or tablets (72 minutes per day).

If the ground below you did not shake, don’t worry.  The announcement of a new era usually lags behind the reality of what’s already happening.  How we use technology, share information, and connect with others continues to change.

Facebook’s Instagram purchase helps define the scale of change.  Instagram started because the iPhone redefined how we use mobile devices by making it possible to create an application that works on a phone.  Kevin Systrom and his Instagram team developed an iPhone app that created a better way to take, stylize and share millions of photos.  The less-than-two-year-old company had 14 employees when it was bought by Facebook for $1 billion.

Buying Instagram gives Facebook access to millions of people who have left laptops and desktops for tablets and handheld devices.  The speed and scale of change is pretty dramatic:

  • By the end of 2012, Flurry estimates that the cumulative number of activated smartphones and tablet devices will surge past one billion.
  • According to IDC, more than 800 million PCs were sold between 1981 and 2000, making the rate of smartphone and tablet device adoption more than four times faster than that of personal computers.

From the business and industry perspective, the move to mobile web use is creating major challenges for “veteran” companies like Facebook and Google that must continue finding new ways to dominate social media and search engine markets.

What the “age of mobile” means to the rest of us

As challenging as it may be to keep up with technology changes, they make having a communications plan in place even more important.  The rise of mobile technology does not mean you need to throw out your communications plan and start over, but it most likely means that you need to update your plan to reflect the new technology trends.

To be effective, your communications plan must take into account how people consume your message.  You may have strong messaging, but if it takes too long to read the message, if the photo takes too long to load, or if your website requires too many clicks to find your message, you may not accomplish your goals.

Despite the changes in technology, being a smart and effective communicator will never be obsolete.


posted by Mike Zipko on May 14, 2012
The stories behind the stories: April 2012

May starts another “important” television news “sweeps” month.  Check out the notable headlines from last month and what’s coming next in the media landscape.

Ponzi Petters breaks his silence

Until Berne Madoff was caught, Tom Petters was one of the more ambitious Ponzi schemers in quite a while.  Before Petters was convicted of a massive fraud, he was a very visible business leader in Minnesota.  He had been silent since April 2010 when he was sentenced to 50 years in prison, and he had turned down all interview requests from reporters – until now.  After almost a year of trying to persuade Petters to talk, Dale Kurschner, the editor of Twin Cities Business magazine, traveled to a Kansas penitentiary for a five-hour face-to-face interview with inmate #14170-041.  The result is a compelling 14-page story in the May issue of Twin Cities Business.

Police departments use Twitter and YouTube to reach public audience

For decades newsrooms have depended on crime reports to fill pages and newscasts.  Dealing with reporters and photographers at crime and accident scenes was part of the job for law enforcement because they needed the media to help get the information to the public.  The police had what reporters wanted – easy-to-cover stories that got people talking.

Social media may be changing the relationship between law enforcement and media organizations.  Police departments around the country have recently started getting savvier with social media and using the online tools to share public safety alerts with citizens.  For instance, last month Oakland police used Twitter to alert and provide details to citizens about the shooting at California’s Oikos University.

In the March update, we shared a story about the Memphis police department starting self-produced newscasts; it didn’t take long for Minnesota agencies to follow suit.  Last week, the Minneapolis police department launched its own YouTube channel to share information and build trust and transparency with a widespread audience.

Sweeps month brings sensationalized reporting

During May, get ready for television news stories to be advertised and covered with a heightened sense of importance.  From flying carp to exclusive interviews, the four major Twin Cities news stations are going to try to do everything possible to get us to watch their newscasts.  That’s because it is a sweeps month – one of the four key months out of the year when Nielsen Company measures and publicizes the number of people who watch each newscast.  While many of us can look at our own Facebook or Google analytic data to see who likes us, television newscasts still have to take the month-long ratings periods very seriously, since it has a significant impact on future advertising revenue.

During a sweeps month, news stations usually pull every trick out of their hats in hopes of drawing more viewers, so get ready to see more in-depth, sensationalized investigative stories that are heavily advertised.  We will let you know when the results are released and when the level of hype has returned to normal.

“Live-tweeting” historic events

Go on Facebook or Twitter during news, pop culture, or sports events and you can almost experience what’s happening from your own couch.  People are constantly updating scores, sharing opinions, or just being snarky about what someone is wearing.  It is a way for people to share real-time information as it happens.

Some creative people in Los Angeles are trying to see if a different twist will work with events that have already happened.  KNBC, a Los Angeles-based NBC-owned station, recently commemorated the 20th anniversary of the L.A. riots by live-tweeting information that already happened from Twitter account @RealTimeLARiots.  Their inspiration came from other Twitter accounts set up to pay homage to historic events such as World War II (@RealTimeWWII) and Titanic (@TitanicRealTime). Will live-tweeting past events become the latest trend in the Twittersphere?

We wouldn’t be surprised to see a live-tweeted recap for the 20th anniversary of the Mall of America opening.


posted by Mike Zipko on May 1, 2012
Goff Public premieres company video

To commemorate Goff Public’s 45-year anniversary, today we are unveiling “Celebrating 45 Years of Communications Excellence,” a five-minute video that explores the fabric of our firm.  From explaining the services that we provide for clients to describing the recent changes within the public relations and public affairs sectors to capturing the people and personalities inside our company, this video brings the Goff Public legacy to life.

We invite you to watch the video below and get to know Goff Public a little better.


posted by Chris Georgacas on April 30, 2012

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