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MEDIA SCENE
Three Trends That Will
Impact Media Analysis
By Aisling McCarthy
W
ith the new year in full swing,
businesses are in the process of
developing and refining their
strategies for a fruitful 2019. When it comes
to media analysis, there are three trends that
will shape the way that businesses look at
their media coverage this year. Here are
three trends you need to know about in
2019:
Consumer trust affects social
media metrics
2018 was a challenging year for social
media platforms, with the Facebook data
breach and allegations of mismanagement
topping the list. On top of that, hundreds
of fake Twitter and Instagram accounts
were uncovered and controversial social
media users removed from many platforms.
While most social platforms took steps to
prove that theirs is indeed a safe place to
place your data, consumer trust has taken
a nosedive.
Social media promises to give people a
way to connect with other people. And for
businesses, it offers a way to connect with
consumers and show them exactly what it
is that you stand for. The mistrust of social
media has greatly impacted social media
metrics, and businesses need to consider
this when analyzing their social data.
Machine learning will evolve
even further
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine
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learning were buzzwords in 2018, but in
2019, these technologies are set to get even
smarter. Businesses that haven’t already
started working with these technologies
are behind the times. If your company
hasn’t started investigating what AI can
do for you, 2019 is the time to do so.
As these technologies develop, the
capabilities of businesses that utilize it
will also develop. Anja Cavanagh, media
analyst at brand and media intelligence
agency Focal Points, says that utilizing AI
has given them a competitive edge.
“The combination of the creative power
of the human mind and the advanced
processing capabilities of AI ensures that
we can offer our clients something that
our competitors cannot – comprehensive
media intelligence reports that fit our
clients’ exact requirements.”
More technology means
more data
Technology is developing at a breakneck
speed; mobile phones offer almost all the
same features as computers, and social
media platforms continue to copy features
from one another.
But with each new feature comes a new
set of metrics that businesses need to
understand in order to analyze them. 2019
brings with it hordes of data, making it
more and more difficult for companies
to analyze information.More technology
– and more platforms – also means that
it is becoming increasingly difficult for
brands to grab their audience’s attention.
Brands have to be savvy when they
conceive campaigns, as well as when
they look for insights from the data that
those campaigns generate.
In 2019, businesses will need to be armed
with all the right information to ensure
they find success in the ever-smaller
available shares of consumer attention.
In the era of Big Data, information is
being generated faster than anyone can
analyze it. And with media analysis
being a critical element of any successful
business strategy, it is vital for brands to
stay on top of their media coverage.
Media analysis specialists, like Focal
Points, can make this job far simpler by
compiling all the relevant data for you,
analyzing it and giving you succinct
summaries and graphs that show you
exactly what you need to know.
Aisling McCarthy is the content
editor at media update and is
based in South Africa. You can
communicate with her on topics
relating to media, marketing, public
relations and social media via
email: Editorial@mediaupdate.
co.za.