Social Media Portal interview with James Carson from Bauer Media

Social Media Portal (SMP) profiled interview with James Carson, head of digital marketing for London Lifestyle at Bauer Media

Social Media Portal (SMP): What is your name and role at Bauer Media?

James Carson (JC): James Carson, head of digital marketing for London Lifestyle. I?m responsible for growing engaged audiences across all digital channels in the Lifestyle portfolio.

SMP: Briefly, tell us about Bauer Media, what is it and what does the company do?

JC: Bauer Media is the largest privately owned publisher in Europe, with over 50 media brands in print, online, radio and TV. We reach 19m UK adults a month and our portfolio includes heat, Grazia, FHM, Motorcycle News, Kiss FM and Parkers.

SMP: Can you tell us what event you?re going to be on a panel at?

JC: The panel is entitled ?Taking social media beyond the marketing department: How to embed social media across an organisation?, which will take place on Tuesday, 04 September 2012 in the Digital & Direct Marketing Theatre 2 from 14:45 to 15:45.

The line-up is as follows:

Moderator
Ian Sullivan, CEO, Paperhat Conscorcio (social at LinkedInhttp://www.linkedin.com/in/isullivan and Twitter https://twitter.com/I_Sullivan)  

The panel
Jonathan Brayshaw, Director, Original Agency (social at LinkedInhttp://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanbrayshaw and Twitterhttp://www.twitter.com/jonoriginal) 

James Carson, Digital Strategist, Bauer Media (social at LinkedInhttp://www.linkedin.com/in/jacarson85 and Twitterhttp://www.twitter.com/mrjamescarson) 

Tim Gibbon, Director, Elemental Communications (social at http://bit.ly/tim-gibbon-profile).

SMP: Who are your ideal target audience for the session and what can they hope to take away from panel you?re going to be on?

JC: Business stakeholders who can influence social media investment; I hope they can learn from the panel?s experiences and further experience that we can share.

SMP: What are you most looking forward to at Cross Media and why?

JC: I?m actually doing two talks in one day, which is a first and pretty exciting. Looking forward to speaking at a conference where media integration is a key component.

SMP: How would you summarise why there should be importance on how social media should be embedded across an organisation?

JC: Social media can?t really exist in a silo ? it?s really about getting customers and audiences closer to your brand as a whole. You shouldn?t be thinking of it as one definable thing ? it can serve as a distribution platform, a research base and a customer service sounding board along with other functions.

SMP: What are the low moments of what you?ve been doing so far?

JC: Investing in training people and getting them on the right path, only to see them moved into another role in the business or leave ? it?s pretty hard to do this repeatedly, but it does happen!

SMP: What are the high moments of what you?ve been doing so far?

JC: Getting the right people working the right way towards our objectives and surpassing them. Also, in-house development of our own social media platforms.

SMP: How / what has social media changed what you do in terms of your day-to-day job and role (and why)?

JC: It helps distribution of content and engagement, which is key to my role in SEO and social media. It also helps researching these topics very easy because there is so much content distributed.

SMP: What do you feel the next big step for social media / networks are and what may be the impact upon social search (and how it may be used by businesses)?

JC: Social search is already pretty much here ? Facebook / Twitter serve as personalised newsfeeds, and Google?s results are more personalised than ever. Potentially the biggest change here will be in ?local optimisation?, which is already happening to a degree.

I think the really big step though will come in social gaming and applications ? and advertising within those. In a sense, social gaming application developers have created a new form of media that can promote brands ? I think Sim City Social (by EA) is superb ? the revenue stream potential here is enormous. I?ve been playing for about a month, but have been successfully incentivised to sign up to Netflix and got Dunkin? Donuts vouchers. I don?t think any other form of media has got me to do this. They can constantly market the game on Facebook through offering in game incentives at zero cost. One thing about this though ? it?s extremely hard to get right!

SMP: What?s going to be the most interesting aspect regarding social media / technology throughout 2012 and into 2013?

JC: Gaming/apps and their integration with open platforms like Facebook. I find games like Songpop, Draw Something and Sim City Social particularly interesting because they incentivise me to re-connect with people who I?ve pretty much stop contacting via standard social means. I?ve got Facebook friends I haven?t spoken to in years, but these games are getting me back in touch in a new way.

Also, Songkick is an amazing app that?s genuinely got me going to more gigs. Again, it?s because it integrates with an existing platform (Last.fm) which pretty much ?knows? my music taste.

SMP: What are your top predictions for social media throughout 2012 and into 2013?

JC replies with:

• UK Twitter usage will show very rapid growth in the latter half of 2012 ? the Olympics and connected TV are the big reasons why.
  
  
• I don?t think Facebook stock holders are going to be that pleased any time soon ? I?m slightly dubious of online advertising directly from social platforms. I think the most effective means come from brands, apps and games within the platforms, rather the platform ads themselves.
  
  
• Loads of companies will be jumping on the ?let?s develop an app bandwagon? ? it?s going to be a good time to be a developer, but a tough time to be a marketer when developing an app ? there?s just going to be so many out there and mediocre just won?t cut it.
  
  
• Along with that, gamification is another thing that?s hard to get right, but inevitably lots of people will attempt it. Potentially the most interesting area here is education rather than in branding.
  
  
• Live mobile video streaming will go nuts by mid/late 2013 ? it?s already in the background, but creating online events will get much much bigger. The next football World Cup will be interesting because you?ll probably be able to get multiple fan views of games rather than just media coverage. If the quality significantly improves by then (it will of course!), then live sports broadcasters are going to have their space encroached ? it could be a legal minefield.

SMP: What are your top five social media tips for organisations ? and in embedding social media across their businesses?

JC replies with:

• Get the right people on the bus. You can?t do it alone and if people don?t want to do it, they probably won?t. You need to locate the enthused people and train them further.
  
  
• Don?t get too stuck on ?the networks? like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc. There is much more to social media that you can do within your own website.
  
  
• On the flipside, know where to focus your energies. Most people have seen some bizarre attempts by brands to get on the latest platforms, largely due to hype, yet with very little for potential reach growth. Pinterest was so hyped up at the beginning of the year that it seemed everyone was playing around with it, but it?s necessary to take a step back and really question why you should be on a platform.
  
  
• Integrate your website(s) and/or applications with social platforms to make user experience and connectivity seamless. Facebook Connect can make you a lot of money if used correctly, particularly for things like data capture and form filling.
  
  
• Video content is going to be huge. Think about how your organisation can produce video content in a cost effective way.

SMP: Is there anything else you?d like to share?

JC: I recommend signing up to 4Chan on Facebook. It?s incredibly crass at times, but it gives a really good window into meme and Internet humour ? don?t read the comments if easily offended, they are utterly banal. One in every 10 posts is gold though. Also, read theoatmeal.com if you want to understand more about sharable content ? it really is an amazing site.

SMP: Best way to contact you and Bauer Media?

@mrjamescarson
james.carson @ bauermedia.co.uk
http://www.bauermedia.co.uk


SMP: What did you have for breakfast / lunch?

JC: Some sort of cereal. I normally have muesli but this was a Sainsbury?s fruit crunch because they didn?t have any this week. It?s nowhere near as good.

SMP: What?s the last good thing that you did for someone?

JC: I gave my friend a Land Permit on Sim City Social. Good for him.

SMP: If you weren?t working at Bauer Media what would you be doing?

JC: Working for another company? I had high designs at being a writer a few years ago. If I wasn?t doing my current career I?d probably be all out trying to write some literary fiction.

SMP: When and where did you go on your last holiday?

JC: Mallorca

SMP: What?s the first thing you do when you get into the office of a morning?

JC: Fill up my water bottle. I?m normally pretty thirsty from the bike ride in.

SMP: If you had a superpower what would it be and why?

JC: Control time. You pretty much have unlimited power with that, and you could potentially live forever.


Read more about the panel session, moderator and panel at the Cross Media websitehttp://www.crossmedialive.com/ and download the Cross Media app (for Android, iPad and iPhone) from http://www.crossmedialive.com/app. 

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