THIS WEEK’S DIGITAL NEWS ROUND-UP FROM CLARION

Digital media outlets were abuzz on Monday following reports that pre-orders for the much anticipated Apple Watch hit almost one million in the USA. According to research by Slice Intelligence, 957,000 people ordered a watch. The Apple fan boy club is clearly still strong, with 72% of those having previously purchased an Apple product in the past two years. 

Reddit to launch newsletter
Everyone’s favourite online viral community, Reddit, has announced plans to launch a newsletter. The newsletter, called Upvoted Weekly, comes three months after their first podcast. The newsletter will be sent each Sunday - the perfect companion to your Monday morning coffee!

Foursquare Launches Pinpoint: Cross-Platform, Location-based Ad Targeting
After its recent partnership with Twitter, Foursquare has proved it is still a big player in the social media world. Central to the channels success, is its large database of location based data – a gold mine for marketeers. With this in mind, it is no surprise to see the launch of Pinpoint, a cross-platform, location-based ad targeting technology. Brands already getting in on the action include Google, Jaguar Land Rover and Samsung Galaxy.

Driving black votes for the general election
Every media outlet is currently bursting with news of what politicians are having for breakfast or which reality TV star has been spotted on the campaign trail. On a more serious note, comes digital campaign ‘Operation Black Vote’ . The campaign focuses on encouraging black people and ethnic-minority Britons to vote.  The thought provoking campaign is led by footballer Sol Campbell and sees a variety of famous black celebrities, who were photographed with makeup that whitened parts of their skin. Launched online, the campaign gained mass media coverage, highlighting how digital campaigns can drive the news agenda.

And finally
What’s that, you didn’t get to go to Coachella? Don’t worry; luckily Instagram has produced a list of the most ‘liked’ items of content on Instagram from the music event.  According to Mashable the app recorded approximately 83 million interactions on Instagram related to Coachella, just in its first weekend. 

Coachella 🌺🌸🌼🌻🐝

A video posted by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Apr 11, 2015 at 9:02am PDT

Apple Watch: what the arrival means to brands

If you haven’t heard that the Apple Watch launched this week, then you must have been under one huge rock! As the media circus starts to die down, what will the impact for this new technology venture mean to brands?

Wearable technology is not new with several brands currently fighting for market supremacy. Most notably is Samsung, who have invested heavily into their Gear range. That said, a recent study by Global Web Index shows only one in ten of 16-24 year olds currently own a smart watch -  a figure that drops to 9% when looking at a wider age demographic – these figures might suggest there isn’t much hunger but the same could have once been said for online and on-mobile shopping. The question is, is there a hunger for this technology and how will it impact our clients, and more specifically, their content marketing?

The short answer is an obvious one. As with any new technology, if it solves a problem and works, it will win consumer backing no matter what its costs. When the Walkman launched, it was an instant hit, so too was a certain iPhone. Whilst early adoption may be slow, as costs go down and competition increases, so too will consumers access to purchase. Wearable technology is here to stay and no doubt Samsung and Apple will be at the forefront.

So how can your brand get involved and who is already knocking on Apple’s door? Unsurprisingly major news outlets and brands are already developing their own programmes for Apple Watch. These include social: you can check your Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest in a watch-optimized format using the system. You'll also be able to find your car using a BMW app, check out the news with the Guardian app, and even control the temperature in your home with a Honeywell app. If you'd rather fly, there's an American Airlines app that works by touch.

Apple also wants to develop with partners in different areas including entertainment, media, and especially health. Nike is an early adopter with health, allowing users who are heading out on a run to tell their friends and record their progress with the Nike app.

There are other great opportunities for brands, for example if a cinema chain could ping its fans with the latest film releases and cinema offers, not to mention remind them when their film is about to start! A food brand could supply its fans with cookery suggestions around key shopping periods e.g. the ‘post work quick shop’ or the ‘weekend big family shop’. Such technology could also forward more detailed menu suggestions to your phone or to your online food ordering service. 

The options for brands to get involved are extensive but for it to be popular, it has to work and to solve a problem that simply taking their phone out of their pocket won’t do. Apple Watch is another cog on the wheel of Internet of Things and highlights the public’s hunger to be evermore connected.  For brands to succeed, they have to supply relevant content.

This article was written by James Mulrennan, Digital Account Director.  If you would like to discuss your content marketing requirements for 2015, please contact Debbie Jackson on 0207 343 3110 or email djackson@clarioncomms.co.uk