To: Richard Plepler, CEO Home Box Office
From: Susana Benaim, Strategic Planning Committee
Subject: Hooked Up, by Jack Myers
Jack Myers is the chairman of Media Advisory Group – an enterprise that advises and also invests in companies that in some way advance and support the media and the advertising business. He writes a weekly business report and a blog called MediaBizBloggers. Myers’ book, Hooked Up, provides predictions for the future in regard to a specific generation – the “Internet Pioneers.” This is the group born between 1991 and 1995. The Internet Pioneers grew up in the world of Internet, always being connected, and constant instant gratification. Myers touches upon a variety of subjects inherent to Internet Pioneers such as their progressive views on relationships, their social-political activism on the web, and how their television habits from their youth that echoes in their personalities. For HBO’s interests, the book sheds light on three generational behaviors and trends that might affect the future of the premium-cable and the media at large: interactivity and two-screen activities, digital marketing, and consumer control for their variety of tastes.
According to Myers, the future of television and media will have to include interactivity with the content. Because of the multi-tasking nature of Internet Pioneers, they will be progressively less engaged with television. A 2011 research study by Google confirms this shift to two-screen interactivity and to online viewing. The study explains how “light viewers” behave while exposed to TV content alongside YouTube content. Findings showed that the extra tier of media delivered not only a stronger impression on the viewer but also increased viewership of the “light TV viewers.” Its results suggest that by 2014, 44% of TVs shipped worldwide will have Internet connection. Also, in 2011 there was a 22.8% increase of cable-less TV viewers with broadband. This study complements Myers’ ideas that Internet Pioneers, who are also YouTube natives, will be prone to watching short-form videos and interacting with the content by commenting and sharing it on social media. Content has a need to change to this interactive structure to multiple platforms to maintain audience attention. Interactivity includes and will continue to increase for digital marketing.
Hooked Up poses the idea that “as Internet speeds accelerate exponentially over the next few years, online and mobile video viewing will become the norm” and “all media will require applications and interactive two-way options for social interaction, commerce, and content enhancements.” As digital marketing grows, the web presence of companies and advertisements will flood the online world. Consumers can access an unlimited source of content on the web and now they are bombarded by an unlimited variety of marketing campaigns and advertising. This is why brand equity is essential. Apple, Google, Amazon and Facebook are already taking advantage of their brand equity in marketing their products and services. And with the gathering of Big Data, companies can now target specific consumers for their products. Myers mentions an Adweek study where 68% of marketers say they need to shift from broadcast media reliance to a more specified one-to-one focus. To be able to compete in the world of a constantly growing content distribution and access Internet, companies will have to target audiences more efficiently and continue to be assertive in putting forth their brand. Established companies will have to stand out from the media clutter being created on the web to continue to succeed.
The music industry has suffered by its reluctance to evolve into the Internet Age. Myers holds the industry as an example of the danger of not growing with the needs and wants of consumers. While consumers are more and more prone to watch and listen to content that is easy to access and gives them complete control, the music industry has been too slow to transform to these needs and the old model for the industry is now becoming irrelevant. With unlimited access to content online, Internet Pioneers “tastes are eclectic, diverse and constantly changing” – this applies not only to music, but also to video, art, information, etc. This need for control and access has undoubtedly had an effect on the manner of distribution of content and will continue to do so as the next generation grows accustomed to it in the future.
Internet Pioneers grew up watching Nickelodeon shows that promote ideas of individualism, taking control of their own lives, equality and humor – like Rugrats or Spongebob Squarepants. These shows helped define Internet Pioneers’ mindset and moral standards in their formative years. According to Myers, in 2030, Internet Pioneers will dominate the corporate world. They will not only be the consumers but will take part in the creation and development of the next Digital Age. For this reason, they should not only be taken into account as a niche market, but as the guides to a new variety of content that they will demand and expect from content creators. The Internet Pioneers are a generation to keep a lookout for since it is expected to continue to accelerate shifts in the media and innovate in all types of business.
Works Cited
- Myers, Jack. “About Jack Myers & Media Advisory Group.” Jack Myers Media Business Report. Web. <http://www.jackmyers.com/about-us>.
- Myers, Jack. Hooked Up: A New Generation’s Surprising Take on Sex, Politics and Saving the World. Connecticut: York House Press, 2012. Print.
- “Light TV Viewers in 2012: A Major Shift to Online from TV.” Google, April 2012. <http://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/insights/library/studies/light-tv-viewers-2012/>.