Memorandum
To: Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and CEO, Comcast Corporation
From: Ben Levy, Strategic Planning Committee
Subject: Hooked Up, by Jack Myers
Jack Myers, in his book, Hooked Up, makes his case for the development and importance of the Y Generation, or what he refers to as the “Internet Pioneers.” The Internet Pioneers includes people born between the years of 1991-1995. In this memorandum, I intend on exploring the views of Myers and applying them to the Comcast Corporation to help our business adapt and be ready for the future that is looming ahead. Myers focuses primarily on the development of the internet, apps, and social media in his book as the forces that are driving the Internet Pioneers towards the future of businesses and moving away from the business model of the traditional media conglomerates. Comcast needs to understand the shift towards mobile and social media on all platforms because it will change the society as a whole and the consumption of content.
Jack Myers is the Chairman of Media Advisory Group and speaks internationally on the impact that new technologies have on society, culture, and business. His 4,749 Twitter followers, along with his George Foster Peabody award-winning and Academy Award nominated documentary film, are an indication of his status in the industry and makes his opinion an important one to listen to.
In his book, Myers says, “As the Internet Pioneers generation has matured, its members have evolved from media consumers to content creators.” Social media, with the platforms of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Tumblr, is the current trend and movement in the media business, with Facebook and Twitter being the two platforms propelling us into the future. These platforms allow consumers to voice their opinions and to be heard by the media conglomerates and makes them content creators. An example of this is can be seen with the show Hawaii Five-O. CBS, the network of the show, produced a commercial that gave viewers the ability to tweet and vote on which ending they wanted in the season finale of their show. This is a trend that will only continue to grow and businesses must listen to in order to stay successful.
Social media will only continue to develop as Facebook groups and Twitter hashtags allow people to be a part of groups in which they can collaborate with people and voice their opinions in forums in which will not be confrontational. As Paul Adams, Global Head of Design at Facebook, said, “We’re moving from a web primarily built around content to a web primarily built around people.” The graph below indicates the activity level of the Internet Pioneers with social media. 
With that being said, Comcast needs to give the people what they want and, with the acquisition of NBC Universal, you now have the ability to do that. Creating a hashtag can start a movement of people to your show. An example of the power of this can be seen in the “Occupy Wall Street” movement, which produced the hashtag “#OWS.” This brought rise to people across the United States and 85 nations. Myers says, “Those who focus on the size of the crowds in the streets fail to understand the power of crowd sourcing and social media to spread and sustain a message an movement.” The power of social media is there for the taking and it is important that Comcast jumps on the bandwagon. With advertising shifting from business to the individual, it is important for a company to be interactive and engaging with its consumers to continue their movement towards your programming.
Twitter is also a good way to bridge the cap between consumers and the talent. One of the great things about Twitter is that it allows consumers to know what their favorite actor or actress is doing and live vicariously through them. The talent that is now a part of the Comcast Corporation, including those acquired from NBC Universal, should promote their own shows and other shows on the network to help gain viewers. Comcast can do this with sports as well.
An example of this could be with Mike Emrick, an enthusiastic hockey announcer for NBC. Personally, I am a huge Mike Emrick a want to watch a game that he is announcing. If he tweets that he is calling a game on NBC for Wednesday Rivalry Night then I will watch just because he is announcing and many other consumers feel the same way. In addition, if in his tweet he says that the game can be heard on the Comcast SportsNet app then there will be additional viewers. All of this starts with the integration of social media.
Another way to integrate social media into your content is by creating Facebook groups. This will give people from different parts of the country a forum to talk about their favorite shows. According to Myers, this is important because people of the Internet Pioneers generation try to avoid conflict in person and, therefore, are more likely to express their opinions on the internet.
In addition to social media and the internet, apps and tablets will drive us into the future. This is why Comcast SportsNet needs to make their next focus on developing an app. Competitor ESPN, with their “Watch ESPN” app, allows consumers second-screen viewing of their teams. In some cases, this is more convenient because consumers cannot allows be in front of the TV when their team is playing. This app should be a focus because, with our dependence on the internet, we are moving into becoming a mobile world and without an app Comcast SportsNet is falling behind the standard that has been set.
With Comcast’s acquisition of NBC Universal, there is now the platform to advertise for the app to a national audience instead of only through people who have Comcast cable. With the Internet Pioneers generation primarily being college students, it is important to note that the average college student sees more than 3,000 brand messages per day. NBC gives a platform for the advertisement of this app and will allow it to be successful. What this app needs to provide is content that the particular consumer wants and needs to have integration to social media. When you go on the app it can tell you what your friends are watching so that you can tune in and watch the same content. Another possibility for the social integration of the app is for it to tell you what is trending on Twitter or Facebook nationally or locally. This integration will allow consumers to choose the content they want to watch and be able to interact with their friends through social media on the app.
The establishment and imprint of the Internet Pioneers generation is an important one to watch as the Comcast Corporation. Particularly with social media and apps, the company can improve because the principles of the media world are currently being reconstructed. Social media along with the sports app are just two ways that can help Comcast thrive in the future. As Myers said referring to the Internet Pioneers, “Their attitudes, hopes, fears, and actions are setting the agenda for the future.”