Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

Could social media have predicted the failure of 3D TVs and its successor 4K? Why did these products fail when they seemed nailed-on to be the next big thing? Naturally, like all tipping points, positive and negative, there was probably a mixture of reasons, but a new report from UK social media analytics company Brandwatch is a good starting-point.

In the company’s Consumer Technology report, it cites how social listening to research meant it knew what consumers felt about 3D TV’s successor, 4K. The data showed that the three target demographics; gamers, TV and film fans, and people with an interest in computing, all had concerns with the technology....

“Imagine you’re sitting across from a reporter at lunch. You’re telling them what you do, your story, why they should care about your product. You have to convince this reporter to not only write about you, but that what you’re doing matters. That you’re going to be successful.”

This is Caryn Marooney, Head of Technology Communications for Facebook. But before that, she co-founded OutCast, the elite PR agency that worked with one-time startups Amazon, Salesforce.com, Netflix and VMware. She’s seen firsthand how hard it is for young companies to capture press attention when they have zero brand recognition and limited resources.

Most founders set out to create something iconic but don’t know where to start. At First Round’s recent CEO Summit, Marooney boiled down this massive challenge into an execution plan and guidelines for startups to craft an image that will resonate with the public and the press, launch on a strong note, and build momentum as they grow — regardless of size and resources...