VIDEO SATURDAY - Blockchain, Hydrophobic Surfaces, Accelerated Tech, Demographics and VUCA

We are pleased to present 12 minutes of viewing curated by InfoStream for your edification:

CIO - Don Tapscott explains why blockchains will rewrite business models and revolutionize industries. (3'11")

GE has invented nanostructured coatings and surfaces that are hydrophobic and delay the accumulation of ice or water on a particular surface. (2'16")

IBM - In 2015, Al Opher, Global Leader & Partner, Digital Operations, looked at the unprecedented number of technologies that are all hitting at once: virtual and augmented reality, embeddables, 3D printing, robotics, and cognitive. (1'33")

Stats Canada - National demographics can often mask major regional differences. (2'51")

Deloitte - We live and operate in a constant state of turbulence. Military planners call it VUCA. Disruptors are intensifying, requiring a decisive focus on Human Capital. (2'33")

DIGITAL - Important Facebook Demographics for Marketers

With over 1.13 billion active daily users, Facebook is one of the most important social media channels for marketers.

So it’s vital to understand the demographics of the Facebook user and accurately target your social marketing campaigns.

Gender

Pew Research Center’s report on social media users in the U.S. showed that 77% of female and 66% of male internet users are active on Facebook.

While some people claim Facebook users are diminishing, daily usage continues to grow along with mobile users. The switch seems to be from desktop to mobile rather than a shift away from the channel.

Age

According to the Pew study, 82% of internet users who use Facebook are 18-29 years old. 30 to 49 year olds make up 79%, 50 to 64 year olds account for 64% and 48% are over 65.

The rumours of young people leaving Facebook for platforms like Instagram and Snapchat seem to be just that. The prime target demographic for marketers of 24 to 35 years, seems to fit well with the social media channel.

Location

Facebook has more rural users than any other social media platform with 67%. But you are also likely to find them in urban areas (74%) and suburban (72%).

The geographic reach of Facebook is broader than other channels so if you want to market beyond the city and suburbs, it may be for you.

Income

78% of online users with incomes over $75,000 use Facebook.

The next step in Facebook demographics is to use the Audience Insights tool - designed to help marketers learn more about their target audiences, including aggregate information about geography, demographics, purchase behavior and more.

And you can view this information for three different groups of people:

• The general Facebook audience
• People connected to your page or event
• People in custom audiences you’ve already created.

Once you have defined an audience, you can save it and create an ad based on those target Facebook demographics.

The better you know who your audience is, the better you will be at engaging with them and developing strong customer relationships.

DIGITAL - Instagram Demographics for Marketers

When planning a social media strategy, it’s important to know your audience.

Who is using Facebook, or Twitter, or Instagram? Demographics will help you determine the type of campaign best for each social media channel.

Instagram is growing at a fast and steady pace and has surpassed 500 million active users - that’s a huge potential audience for your organization.

So, who are these users?

Gender

Pew Research Centre’s report on social media users in the U.S. showed that 31 percent of women and 24 percent of men regularly use Instagram to like, share, and post.

Among teenagers ages 13 to 17 years-old,  23 percent of girls and 17 percent of boys use Instagram.

If your target audience is of the female persuasion, Instagram may be the vehicle for you.

Age

According to the Pew study, 55 percent of all adults in the U.S. using Instagram are between 18 and 29 years-old. The next largest Instagram age demographic is 30 to 49 years-old at 28 percent usage followed by 50 to 64 year-olds at 11 percent.

Instagram is a key channel for engaging young adults.

Location

A well-targeted Instagram marketing campaign will appeal to city-dwellers on the go with 32 percent of users living in urban areas.

You can find 28 percent of users in the suburbs, and 18 percent reside in the country.

Income

Instagram is used by almost all income brackets.

• 26 percent of adult Instagram users make less than $30,000 per year
• 27 percent bring in $30,000 to $49,999
• 30 percent earn between $50,000 and $74,999
• 26 percent make over $75,000 per year.

Instagram is going to continue to grow and evolve, but for now you can assume that if you want to target female, urban dwelling millennials, this digital channel is a good choice.

EDITORIAL - Four Forces are Upending Everything

We live in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) time. While some may imagine the disruption to future outcomes, the evidence shows most of us have failed to understand how quickly these forces will impact our lives.

A compelling article crossed my LinkedIn account earlier this week. If you are looking to understand disruption and the impact it will have on the future, James Manyika, Director of the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) has provided a well researched and well written article you must read. 

Manyika illuminates four forces:

• The first disruption is the shift of economic activity to emerging-market cities - Manyika suggests that by 2025, nearly half of the Fortune Global 500 companies will be based in emerging urban economies, with China home to more of them than the United States or Europe.
• The second disruption is the acceleration of technological change. While technology has always been transformative, Manyika shows the impact is now ubiquitous - It took more than 50 years after the telephone was invented for half of American homes to have one, but only 20 years for cellphones to spread from less than 3% of the world’s population to more than two-thirds.
• The third disruption is population dynamics (demographics) - Manyika suggests that for the first time population could plateau as population aging spreads to China and Latin America.
• The fourth disruption is the world’s interconnectedness - Manyika observes that goods, capital, people, and information flow ever more easily across borders. Capital flows among emerging economies have doubled in just ten years, and more than one billion people crossed borders in 2009, over five times the figure in 1980.

Wisdom literature speaks clearly about how useless 'looking backward' is to moving forward whether one is ploughing a field or trying to gain an understanding of the future.

"Today it's even more dangerous to make pronouncements about the future using intuition shaped by the past", says James Manyika, Director of McKinsey Global Institute.

James Manyika

What does this mean for you and your organization? These disruptions suggest being community centric, embracing technology, serving a changing demographic and being interconnected to others are all elements of the way forward. 

More significantly, I believe you will find value by imagining the world as it will be ten or twenty years out. If you are unable to imagine this future, I would suggest you obtain the services of someone you trust to challenge your thinking and help you build this view. From this new perspective test the forecasts, decisions and strategies you are considering to ensure they will position your organization correctly for the future you have imagined. While you may not get it all right, you will be better served than looking backwards as you future-proof your organization.

READ THE ARTICLE

About Guest Editor Larry R. Evans:
Larry Evans is a futurist, a brand developer and a collaboration advocate. He is the Principal Adviser for The Paradigm Corporation, which is headquartered at Thunder Ridge just outside Crossfield, Alberta, Canada. He is known for bringing a unique and predictive lens to paradigm shifts during a career that spans 45 years. Now from his wheel chair, he brings a grounded but tenacious view of client rights and relationships in the digital age. His perspective and values influence his life, business and ministry. 

APPA presents The Future of the Pet Industry

"The landscape of the pet industry is rapidly changing! Savvy retailers and manufacturers are aware of the need to market to the new consumer segments of the future, but since tomorrow is unchartered territory, how do we best engage these shoppers?"

An American Pet Products Association's Global Opportunities Education Series webcast will seek to solve this industry-wide dilemma during the second half of its series, The Future of the Pet Industry Part 2: Pet Marketing to Tomorrow's Demographics.   

Webcast presenter Michael Johnson, VP of marketing and information at Latham Associates will cover a variety of topics during Part 2 including: Marketing to diverse, multicultural and aging consumers; Leveraging technology for connection and reach; and Honing your products and packaging for utility, message and information. 

Part 1, Future of the Pet Industry: Profiting from Our Changing Demographic Trends, which aired June 2013 can be accessed through webcast archives. Topics covered in the first half of the series included: Consumer demographics driving pet today and tomorrow; Urbanization and how it will affect pet ownership and pet products; Technology and how best to utilize it as well as defend against it; and Economics and the future growth in pet. 

The Future of the Pet Industry Part 2: Pet Marketing to Tomorrow's Demographics 
Date: October 3, 2013
Time: 2:00 p.m. EST