The Selfie Stick: A Consumer PR Dream
Because taking a picture is now easier than ever with a selfie stick, the practice has become a hobby for virtually every Millennial who is “in the know.” Being able to snap and share almost instantly to a social media profile is making the selfie stick a staple in the wardrobe, almost as important as a purse or a wallet.
The selfie stick is cheap, putting it well within the range of even the poorest Starbucks barista/student. It is also very easy to use, requiring almost no previous technical expertise. It is basically a consumer’s dream, meaning that it also has a great deal of potential for marketers as well.
One look on Instagram or Tumblr will show you the ubiquity and the reach of the selfie stick product. There is new content being created at an accelerated rate every second with this new technology, and the marketers of the future who will succeed will be the ones who will find a way to capitalize on this new wealth of content.
The Selfie Stick: A Marketer’s Dream
The social revolutions of the past few years have all been led by technology. Invariably, the selfie stick will create a subculture around itself, and there will be stars that come from that culture. The marketers that tap into the product through those social leaders will have another way to market products to a whole new generation of people. This has been a strategy that has worked in the past for many other industries. For instance, the EDM industry, led by technology that made music production accessible to virtually anyone, led to the creation of stars such as Poniiboi, Caked Up and Deadmau5.
Companies such as Pepsi and Subway are using the fame of these individuals to sell products across the world. Stars from the Vine world – a world of amateurs making six second videos – are now being using their skills to push Hanes underwear.
In a similar way, the selfie stick has the potential to create a market just like this. Are the marketers ready to find the social leaders and monetize their selfie skills? If past markets have anything to say about it, the potential is definitely there for some incredible campaigns. Another advantage: When the content creators have already perfected their skills and gained an audience, the marketing campaign also gets exponentially cheaper.
