FOMO: How Brands
Can Tap Into Fears Of Missing Out
March 2012
SXSW BY THE NUMBERS 3
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SXSW BY THE NUMBERS 3
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SXSW BY THE NUMBERS 3
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FOMO DEFINED FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out (fîr ŭv mĭs-ing out) n. 3 1. The uneasy and sometimes all-consuming feeling that you’re missing out—that your peers are doing, in the know about or in possession of more or something better than you.
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FOMOLOGY EXAM ROOM 3
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Symptoms Include:
FOMOLOGY EXAM ROOM 3
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Symptoms Include: 1. Procrastination
FOMOLOGY EXAM ROOM 3
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Symptoms Include: 1. Procrastination 2. Indecision
FOMOLOGY EXAM ROOM 3
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Symptoms Include: 1. Procrastination 2. Indecision 3. Anxiety
FOMOLOGY EXAM ROOM 3
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Symptoms Include: 1. Procrastination 2. Indecision 3. Anxiety 4. Shortness of breath
FOMOLOGY EXAM ROOM 3
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Symptoms Include: 1. Procrastination 2. Indecision 3. Anxiety 4. Shortness of breath 5. Pacing
FOMOLOGY EXAM ROOM 3
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Symptoms Include: 1. Procrastination 2. Indecision 3. Anxiety 4. Shortness of breath 5. Pacing 6. Heart Racing
FOMOLOGY EXAM ROOM 3
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Symptoms Include: 1. Procrastination 2. Indecision 3. Anxiety 4. Shortness of breath 5. Pacing 6. Heart Racing 7. Nail-biting
FOMOLOGY EXAM ROOM 3
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Symptoms Include: 1. Procrastination 2. Indecision 3. Anxiety 4. Shortness of breath 5. Pacing 6. Heart Racing 7. Nail-biting 8. Hair-twisting
DO YOU SUFFER FROM FOMO? Are you the one plotting your next three moves when you’re already out at a party?
DO YOU SUFFER FROM FOMO?
On the rare Friday night that you stay in, do you find yourself tied to Facebook and Foursquare watching your friends’ every move?
DO YOU SUFFER FROM FOMO? Do you wait until the last possible moment to commit to a social engagement in case a better option comes along?
YOU’RE NOT ALONE THE FOMOYou CYCLE could have FOMO over a TV show, a party, a gadget, that really
good burrito from the food cart. … As a FOMO sufferer, I can report 3sweating, itching, pacing and compulsive refreshing of my Twitter feed.”
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—BIANCA BOSKER, senior technology editor at The Huffington Post
CURSE OF THE BLITZ THE FOMO CYCLE
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The curse of missing epic, sometimes miraculous, events. The effect of the curse is so strong that the victim’s absence is sometimes thought to be the trigger of these epic events.
CURSE OF THE BLITZ THE FOMO CYCLE
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LEGENDARY FOMOS THE FOMO CYCLE
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THE TIPPING POINT
TELL-ALL CULTURE 3
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LIFE IN REAL TIME
DURACELL POWERMAT 3
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BROADCASTING THE MUNDANE… THE FOMO CYCLE
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BROADCASTING THE MUNDANE… THE FOMO CYCLE
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BROADCASTING THE MUNDANE… THE FOMO CYCLE
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BROADCASTING THE MUNDANE… THE FOMO CYCLE
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BROADCASTING THE MUNDANE… THE FOMO CYCLE
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BROADCASTING THE MUNDANE… THE FOMO CYCLE
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! T.M.I
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…AND THE CHARMED THE FOMO CYCLE
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SOCIAL ONE-UPMANSHIP 3
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73%of American adults agree that “I feel people use social media to brag about their lives.”
HASHTAG-FRIENDLY EVENTS THE FOMO CYCLE
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PHOTOS WORTH SPREADING? THE FOMO CYCLE
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“TED gift bag includes: ROKU2 , iPad stylus, Toms shades, jawbone headset, other usual socks, pens and gadgets.” “Holding on since head is spinning with inspiration.”
#SXSW #FOMO EXPERIMENT THE FOMO CYCLE
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‘MY LIFE IS SO UN-FABULOUS’ THE FOMO CYCLE
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Those who used to dine behind thick stone walls and had caviar now do so, Tweet about it and can be seen by those sitting down to dinner at Chipotle.”
GENERATION GO —MARC A. SMITH, a sociologist and chief social scientist at Connected Action Consulting Group
THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER… THE FOMO CYCLE
A friend who works in advertising told me that she felt fine about her life until she opened Facebook. ‘Then I’m thinking, I am 28, with three 3 roommates, and oh, it looks like you have a precious baby and a mortgage,’ she said. ‘And then I wanna die.’”
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—JENNA WORTHAM, “Feel Like a Wallflower? Maybe It’s Your Facebook Wall.” The New York Times, April 9, 2011
THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER… THE FOMO CYCLE
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I had to go on a vacation-photo diet. I had this bizarre, voyeuristic habit of scrolling through people’s travel photos online and then feeling like, ‘Why haven’t I walked the Great Wall of China?’ And guilt: ‘I should be taking my son to Spain.’ I don’t even like to travel!” —LAURA ZIGMAN, a novelist quoted in The New York Times
A LITTLE FOMO FOR EVERYONE
THE YOUNG AND THE FEARFUL
THE YOUNG AND THE FEARFUL
62%
of Millennials can relate to FOMO
THE YOUNG AND THE FEARFUL
62%
of Millennials can relate to FOMO
35% of Millennials experience FOMO
THE YOUNG AND THE FEARFUL
THE YOUNG AND THE FEARFUL
50%
of Millennials say it’s easy to feel left out on a site like Facebook
THE YOUNG AND THE FEARFUL
50%
of Millennials say it’s easy to feel left out on a site like Facebook
43% of Millennials say social media has amplified fears of missing out
FOMOFEED 3
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SPREADING OURSELVES TOO THIN 3
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50% of Millennials say they spread themselves too thin for fear of missing out.
‘YES’ OVERLOAD
‘DID YOU READ?’ 3
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HOW CAN BRANDS LEVERAGE FOMO?
FOMO MARKETING 101
SMIRNOFF NIGHTLIFE EXCHANGE 3
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HEINEKEN ‘SUNRISE’ 3
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AT&T ‘DON’T BE LEFT BEHIND’ 3
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GOT FOMO? THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT 3
GENERATION GO TimeRazor is an upcoming service that explicitly promises to relieve FOMO with the tag “Never miss out.” By using predictive technology to help users discover interesting things they want to do while juggling what they need to do, TimeRazor looks to bring “a sense of serendipity back to a highly scheduled world.”
The much-hyped 2011 startup has relaunched as an app that allows mobile users to share live 30-second broadcasts of their lives to Facebook and friends’ phones. Those who can’t be there in real life can share in brief, intimate moments of friends’ lives.
BarSpace.tv is an app that provides live feeds from participating bars in the U.S., allowing viewers to see how many people are at a particular spot and what they’re up to in real time and zero in on the most promising scene.
TAKING A COUNTER APPROACH
ROAD SAFETY COUNCIL, ‘ENJOY THE RIDE’ 3
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FOMO = POWERFUL POTENTIAL FOR BRANDS THE FOMO CYCLE
FOMO has the potential to drive spending, since it heightens participation on media platforms and motivates consumers to do more. 3 social GENERATION GO
FOMO = POWERFUL POTENTIAL FOR BRANDS THE FOMO CYCLE
FOMO has the potential to drive spending, since it heightens participation on media platforms and motivates consumers to do more. 3 social GENERATION GO When it comes to FOMO, brands can choose to:
FOMO = POWERFUL POTENTIAL FOR BRANDS THE FOMO CYCLE
FOMO has the potential to drive spending, since it heightens participation on media platforms and motivates consumers to do more. 3 social GENERATION GO When it comes to FOMO, brands can choose to: EASE IT
FOMO = POWERFUL POTENTIAL FOR BRANDS THE FOMO CYCLE
FOMO has the potential to drive spending, since it heightens participation on media platforms and motivates consumers to do more. 3 social GENERATION GO When it comes to FOMO, brands can choose to: ESCALATE IT EASE IT
FOMO = POWERFUL POTENTIAL FOR BRANDS THE FOMO CYCLE
FOMO has the potential to drive spending, since it heightens participation on media platforms and motivates consumers to do more. 3 social GENERATION GO When it comes to FOMO, brands can choose to: ESCALATE IT EASE IT MAKE LIGHT OF IT
FOMO = POWERFUL POTENTIAL FOR BRANDS THE FOMO CYCLE
FOMO has the potential to drive spending, since it heightens participation on media platforms and motivates consumers to do more. 3 social GENERATION GO When it comes to FOMO, brands can choose to: ESCALATE IT EASE IT MAKE LIGHT OF IT
TURN IT INTO A POSITIVE
FOMO = POWERFUL POTENTIAL FOR BRANDS THE FOMO CYCLE
FOMO has the potential to drive spending, since it heightens participation on media platforms and motivates consumers to do more. 3 social GENERATION GO When it comes to FOMO, brands can choose to: ESCALATE IT EASE IT MAKE LIGHT OF IT
HELP US LIVE WITH IT TURN IT INTO A POSITIVE
FOMO TIPS FOR BRANDS THE FOMO CYCLE
•Escalate FOMO in order to motivate desired actions.
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FOMO TIPS FOR BRANDS THE FOMO CYCLE
•Escalate FOMO in order to motivate desired actions.
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•Offer exclusive, unique or over-the-top experiences likely to inspire FOMO in nonparticipants.
FOMO TIPS FOR BRANDS THE FOMO CYCLE
•Escalate FOMO in order to motivate desired actions.
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•Offer exclusive, unique or over-the-top experiences likely to inspire FOMO in nonparticipants. •Encourage people to join in on the things that make them feel left out or show them how to get a taste of what they’re missing (e.g., with more affordable or more convenient choices).
FOMO TIPS FOR BRANDS THE FOMO CYCLE
•Escalate FOMO in order to motivate desired actions.
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•Offer exclusive, unique or over-the-top experiences likely to inspire FOMO in nonparticipants. •Encourage people to join in on the things that make them feel left out or show them how to get a taste of what they’re missing (e.g., with more affordable or more convenient choices). •Explain that the brand’s offering is just as fabulous as whatever’s inducing FOMO, pointing out how and why it delivers similar or better satisfaction.
FOMO TIPS FOR BRANDS THE FOMO CYCLE
•Offer tools for avoiding FOMO to consumers who act on their feelings rather than festering in them.GO 3 GENERATION
FOMO TIPS FOR BRANDS THE FOMO CYCLE
•Offer tools for avoiding FOMO to consumers who act on their feelings rather than festering in them.GO 3 GENERATION •Tap into the social currency that notable experiences provide social media participants.
FOMO TIPS FOR BRANDS THE FOMO CYCLE
•Offer tools for avoiding FOMO to consumers who act on their feelings rather than festering in them.GO 3 GENERATION •Tap into the social currency that notable experiences provide social media participants. •Assure the afflicted that they’re not missing out on much after all.
FOMO TIPS FOR BRANDS THE FOMO CYCLE
•Offer tools for avoiding FOMO to consumers who act on their feelings rather than festering in them.GO 3 GENERATION •Tap into the social currency that notable experiences provide social media participants. •Assure the afflicted that they’re not missing out on much after all. •Retain some sensitivity—this state of mind can be a sore spot for many consumers.
IN CASE YOU MISSED ANYTHING THE FOMO CYCLE
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Ann Mack, Director of Trendspotting
[email protected] @annmmack | @jwtintelligence
THANK YOU