Each year, we release The Menu, a thought piece about the next 12-18 months in the marketing and advertising world. We highlight trends and insights as well, as, a few companies we feel are doing really interesting things.

1. What excites
us for 2012...
THE MENU
Presented by The Media Kitchen
July 2012

2. THE MENU FOR 2012
In February 2011, we launched our first digital Menu at The Media
Kitchen. Thousands of Slideshare views, hundreds of re-tweets, and
numerous inquiries later, we decided to release another Menu for
2012.
In short, the Menu is comprised of our thoughts on the industry and
what we expect to see over the next 12 months or so. We know this is
bold and have only written about five areas, so we certainly left
some big important things out. Use this guide as a direction to point
your organization and we think good things will happen.
The Menu is based on a few criteria: what our clients are asking for
from the front lines, what the agency believes in and is pushing
forward, and what is being innovated in the marketplace by
entrepreneurial companies that we think are inspiring.
Enjoy the read and feel free to reach out if you have any questions or
comments.

3. 3

4. 5 TRENDS WE ARE WATCHING
3

5. 5
trends

6. SEAMLESS CROSS CHANNEL
SOCIAL COMMUNICATION
5
trends

7. SEAMLESS CROSS CHANNEL
SOCIAL COMMUNICATION
5
LOCATION PLAYS AN
INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT
ROLE FOR TARGETING
trends

8. SEAMLESS CROSS CHANNEL
SOCIAL COMMUNICATION
5
LOCATION PLAYS AN
INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT
ROLE FOR TARGETING
CROSS PLATFORM ENGAGEMENT
trends

9. SEAMLESS CROSS CHANNEL
SOCIAL COMMUNICATION
5
LOCATION PLAYS AN
INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT
ROLE FOR TARGETING
CROSS PLATFORM ENGAGEMENT
trends MARKETING IS CONTENT

10. SEAMLESS CROSS CHANNEL
SOCIAL COMMUNICATION
5
LOCATION PLAYS AN
INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT
ROLE FOR TARGETING
CROSS PLATFORM ENGAGEMENT
trends MARKETING IS CONTENT
LINKED EXPERIENCES
ACROSS DEVICES

11. 5

12. SEAMLESS CROSS SOCIAL
CHANNEL COMMUNICATION
5

13. CROSS SOCIAL CHANNEL
COMMUNICATION
Social media communications comes in all shapes and sizes across the paid, owned,
and earned ecosystem. Fragmentation has occurred across social platforms because
each platform is essentially a closed ecosystem (many, not all). We expect to see the
following over 2012:
1. We will see brands reacting quicker within social media because they have removed
organizational friction that has historically delayed updates.
2. We anticipate brands becoming more durable in the social media space and
participating in ways that might not have worked in the past (e.g. changing the color of
logo to match a site design [GE & Pinterest])
3. As more brands harness social media, we’ll see even more social media vendors in
the ecosystem because there are increasing dollars to go around. These additional
vendors will lead to confusion and chaos but over time, it will settle out and the space
will be easily navigable.

14. COMPANIES TO WATCH
Recently acquired by Quickly deploy social marketing Helps marketers use a scientific
Salesforce, Buddy Media has campaigns across multiple methodology to understand
become an increasingly more platforms including Facebook, when and what to tweet across
interesting company because of StumbleUpon, LinkedIn and the social sphere. Social Flow
this new corporate relationship. others. In addition, Adaptly has has helped clients optimize their
We look to see Buddy Media built a scoring methodology content distribution by putting
incorporate with the Salesforce called Momentum which helps the right content in front of the
appstore and social has become marketers understand their right audience at the right time.
now a seamless sales tool. business momentum. Very interesting when the
world is full of content.

15. 8

16. LOCATION PLAYS AN
INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT
ROLE FOR TARGETING
8

17. LOCATION
No longer is media planning all about audience & context. We now have a third
variable which is “location.” As more and more content on the web becomes
tagged with latitude and longitude, we have the ability to target audience and
context based on location.
1. We will see media databases include location information which help inform
planning. We can learn a lot more about locations with much more up to date
information.
2. Message creation is location aware and relevant (location) messages are
served. This creates production inefficiencies in the beginning but new workflow
solutions will emerge to satisfy the demand.
3. Geospatial planning is added and we will see increased triggers based on
latitude/longitude. Google Glasses are an early example of this.

18. COMPANIES TO WATCH
PlaceIQ has created 100 meter As intent data proliferates well As marketers create apps, Xtify
by 100 meter tiles of major beyond the traditional search enables marketers to push
metropolitan areas which help engines, companies like location aware messaging to
provide cookie-less context to LocalResponse are capturing users devices. These messages
understanding geo location. this and helping marketers allow a marketer to create a
We’re bullish on PlaceIQ respond in real-time. Because content stream that blurs the
because it helps add location LocalResponse specializes in line between CRM, advertising,
data into planning and buying social, most of this data is geo- and interactivity. You need your
stream and improves aware. own app (or two) to deploy
performance of campaigns. Xtify but once embedded,
location triggered content is at
your finger tips.

19. 11

20. CROSS PLATFORM ENGAGEMENT
11

21. CROSS PLATFORM
ENGAGEMENT
Borrowing a few tricks from the loyalty program playbook, we’re anticipating
seeing micro experiences carried out across both online and offline platforms all
measured into a database for segmentation purposes. Some of these programs
are gamification enabled and others are not, but the commonality across these
programs are that they are highly measurable and give brands access to data
that historically was unstructured.
1. We are going to see a shift from a cruise ship strategy (plan one very large
campaign) to a speedboat strategy (many, small campaigns). These
speedboats will be fast and measurable.
2. CRM databases will begin to evolve with social data coming out of
measurable cross platform engagements.
3. Platforms become widely available for marketers to deploy which mimick
robust loyalty programs. Gamification is a component of these platforms, not
the overall strategy so brands will move from pure gamification to sustainable
cross platform engagement plans.

22. COMPANIES TO WATCH
Everyone who touches a digital Creating waves in the digital Crowdtwist allows for
device creates nuggets of data ecosystem typically comes marketers to implement their
that become valuable. Rewind down to influence. loyalty platform and connect
helps consumers organize their SocialChorus allows brands to both online and offline
data and allow for brands to navigate to authentic influential information in one place.
target them, cookie-less, voices but also have an ongoing Crowdtwist platform helps
through what a consumer relationship with them to build brands segment and reward
actually does. We like to call business. This is all done their customer and prospect
this data “action-data,” beyond through platform that provides bases through the digital world
intent level data. deeper insights into the and measure efficacy of each
outcomes of influential actions. individual campaign.

23. 14

24. MARKETING IS CONTENT
14

25. CONTENT MARKETING
Marketing is content and content is certainly marketing. Thinking about
advertising as content opens up new and native ways to embed a brands
thinking into the fabric and motion of the Internet. As we move towards a more
social platform driven Interweb, then understanding content marketing is going
to be a key to future success.
1. As native advertising opportunities emerge, the prominent format that they
will take across the social web will be content based (text, audio, video, image)
2. The number one reason why people surf the web is to consume content... so
why not create content and place it organically along the journey that people
take?
3. Creating voluminous content is not the answer, but rather content that is
engaging and drives pass along value will rise to the top with consumers.

26. COMPANIES TO WATCH
Tumblr is not necessarily new, Kaleidoscope is an app that’s Fancy has created a platform
but it’s new Spotlight feature is bringing fashion and e- that allows users to generate
recently released and allows any commerce closer together. their own looks and pictures
tumblog to “spotlight” a post Based on the looks that the app and then allows their viewers to
and have it organically stick out covers, consumers have the shop. Content consumption
amongst all others. A nice nod ability to shop for any and all of and sales are directly correlated
to content marketing at a very the items represented. A nice and it’s a platform we’re
efficient mass-consumer price seamless way to blend content keeping our eye on.
point, $1. and marketing together with
the ability to pull out rich
insights as to which products
are hot.

27. 17

28. LINKED EXPERIENCES
ACROSS DEVICES
17

29. LINKED EXPERIENCES
ACROSS DEVICES
As technology gadgets proliferate your home or office, software creators have
the opportunity to drive a connected content experience across multiple
devices. An execution of this is when you are watching a 30s TV spot on your
50” flatscreen and at the same time, content is triggered on your tablet that is
related to the 30s spot. Ideally, the content that is triggered takes advantage of
the device it is on and is not repurposed from another device.
1. As devices become more complex, they afford marketers and content
creators the opportunity to create enhanced experiences that take advantage
of items such as accelerometers and gestural interfaces.
2. We are going to see an abundance of second screen applications for live
programming such as the NFL, fashion shows, and forthcoming Olympics.
3. Devices will become increasingly aware of the other devices in use around
them in order to adapt the software experience for the consumer so that they
are given a single brand enhancing experience on each device.

30. COMPANIES TO WATCH
Microsoft’s XBox has
Second Screen has created a
Shazam has always allowed its silently crept its way into
way for marketers to synch up
users to capture the consumers media world as
their television spots with their
soundwaves that surround a gaming console but
online advertising, specifically
them but as they move forward quickly has emerged to be
display & video. Consumers
towards capturing television much more than that. With
who go to websites that are
content, they will open up more their upcoming SmartGlass
native to a television show/
opportunities to sync a second technology the mobile
event can view synched
screen experience that is device will be synced as a
advertisements and get a much
meaningful to consumers. controller and/or content
deeper experience.
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31. WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED...
Should you have any additional questions, we hope you reach out to us.
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