PERSONAL ONLINE PROFILES MATTER MORE THAN EVER.
Youniverse. It’s at the heart of our digital soul. It’s our personal consumption realm where our preferences, tastes and wants live. Our youniverse is driven by the desire to express and be recognized by our individual tastes, personality and identity through consumption. And now more than ever, our personal brands are driven via our online profiles.
More and more people have an online presence, identity and network. In fact, in a Pew Research study released last month, half of all adult Facebook users have more than 200 Facebook friends. Tools like Facebook Connect make it simple to take what were once fragmented profiles aimed at multiple audiences (e.g. family, business, dating) and turn them into a single identity. Hence, our individualized, streamlined youniverse.
Let’s face it, many of us Google, read reviews and investigate before buying a product or trying a new service. We’re relying on the opinions of our friends and strangers before we make purchasing decisions. Furthermore, the need for recognition and status is a universal and fundamental human need. And for many, online profiles are a source of social status – think Yelp’s Social Influencers. Visually showing we are helpful, honest and have a desire to give back builds social capital and status. Many brands are rewarding those who check-in, tag and follow. Earning a little FREE LOVE from their favorite brands motivates people to share and keep sharing.
When it comes to consumer branding, we want brands that “get” us and make us feel like they’re personally catering to us. Relate to an individual’s personal brand with customized products and platforms that encourage personal expression and you’ll win their hearts and their loyalty for future purchases down the road. How will you put consumers at the center of their youniverse?
Examples of this trend:
One Second Everyday is a free mobile app where users capture a one second clip of their lives every day. Each one-second moment is time-stamped and associated to that day in a calendar. Clips then play in chronological order to create a short film that users can share across their social networks.
Cameras that are 4G and wifi enabled tap into our desire to update our personal brand on the spot. Cameras like theQ lets users instantly share images online. TheQ uploads all photos to a dedicated website where users can automatically add filters and post images to all the big social networks. The camera currently retails for $199 and includes a manual focus wheel and waterproof casing.
Vizify is a free online tool that allows you to create interactive infographics about, get this, yourself. Users connect social networks with Vizify, which then transforms their data into a visual profile that can be shared with others.
