Sample White Paper

The Emerging Media Research Council releases long-form whitepapers to the Council membership on a bi-montly basis.  The following is a summary example of a Council research paper.

"New Rules for Video in the Digital Age."  

Below you'll find an executive summary, as well as the main lessons and best practices with links to the corresponding research.

Executive Summary
A new era of media has arrived.  The average person now spends as much time online as she does watching TV.  This astounding change in media consumption is causing the old rules of successful communication to be rewritten.

The first phase of the Internet produced an unprecedented increase in connectivity.  The era was defined by the rise of email, e-commerce, and online search.  The original Internet giants—companies like Amazon, eBay, Craigslist and Google— found new ways to connect buyers and sellers directly, eliminating intermediaries and forever changing trade.

The newest group of Internet success stories—companies like Facebook, Skype and YouTube—are altering a far more fundamental process than trade.  These giants of emerging media are both delivering and signifying a change in the way people connect and communicate.  The blogs, online communities, and review engines that make up the “Social Web” are enabling unprecedented levels of two-way communication and user participation.   

Compared to traditional media, the Social Web, with its additional information about preferences and habits, provides an even richer layer of value to marketers who can tune out the noise to find actionable insight in usage trends and user behaviors.  However, adapting to these shifts in behavior presents significant challenges and requires new capabilities from marketers steeped in the old media.  Those who aspire to complete a successful evolution from the linear broadcast and publication model to the fluid back-and-forth of the Social Web must adopt two-way communication techniques, deliver consistent messaging across channels, and learn the new realities of the emerging media. 

7 Main Lessons and Corresponding Best Practices:

• Introduction

• Informality Wins On Smaller Screens
  Best practice: Eliminate pretense or intimidation in your video communication.  As the channel changes, the manner of presentation must also. Products (and candidates) must be accessible to resonate in the dominant emerging media.  READ MORE

• Online Video Has No Time Limits
  Best practice: Create compelling video content and don’t bother trying to fit your message into an arbitrary time frame.  Viewers have complete control over what they watch online, not the programmer.  Respect their ability to choose; recognize the additional freedom you’ve gained as well.  READ MORE

• Find The Right Personalities To Market Your Offering
  Best practice: Find satisfied customers who are willing to promote your product online.  These “brand ambassadors” deliver the most believable online accounts of your product’s strengths.  Given the range of communication avenues available, it’s often inadvisable to spend large amounts of money on spokespeople for one spot, such as a TV ad.  READ MORE

• The Spotlight Is Always On
  Best practice: Monitor your image constantly and respond promptly to positive and negative feedback online.  Assume that everyone has a camera.  In this new era of media, everyone is a publisher.  READ MORE

• News Delivery Is Now An Ongoing Conversation
  Best practice: Update your online presence as often as possible.  Engage the news makers of today by producing content in emerging media formats throughout the day.  Proactively cultivate relationships with relevant bloggers and online news outlets.  READ MORE

• Communicate What’s Real In Your Product
  Best practice: Admit shortcomings candidly.  Skeptical modern consumers automatically assume there are things wrong with your product or candidate.  Face it—they’re right.  If consumers think you’re being straightforward, though, they’re more likely to accept the portrayal of your offering’s positive aspects.  READ MORE

• Each Message Is A Piece Of A Larger Communication Framework
  Best practice: Embrace cross-channel messaging with consistent branding across platforms.  Giving your customers different messages through different media will confuse them, and they’ll tune you out.  Communication no longer happens in silos.  READ MORE