WhatsApp – The King of Apps?

Talk business or technology, the quintessential question always remains – what next and where do we go from here? Develop an idea enabled by technology, build a viable business plan and get investors to fund the project is fast becoming the way to become an entrepreneur. In most cases, we have now become an app driven community and every person who aspires to come in with a billion dollar idea that can change the world look at apps. What is also means is one has to look back at the millions of apps and programs that already exist in the market to even identify an untapped need. The gap between a concept and an innovative concept is now just growing by the day.

Yes, the advent of a smart phone has actually expanded the horizons of consumer targeted technology and there might be almost every possible need of a common man that the entrepreneurs have been investing for through an app. Even a super niche function like identify the quality of printing on paper (which was something reserved for specialized equipment) is already present in the market and available for free on an app. Most phone applications have evolved from an internet based websites and services. While a few are specially created for the mobile space, there is one undisputed king which only resides on the mobile- WhatsApp.

Now to be fair, WhatsApp is not a complete innovation of sorts. Messaging and media capabilities existed via SMS and MMS for quite some time. The Blackberry Messenger was one thing that made the biggest buzz for buyers outside the corporate domain. The success of WhatsApp possibly came from being amongst the first and versatile data based messaging app that was not limited to any particular mobile operating system.  Its capabilities of sharing photos, videos and forming groups was something that gave rise to social communities through mobiles. In terms of convenience: a voice note just in case you are bored to type or have just one small thing to talk.

It might have taken people a fair amount of time to accept an email or an SMS as a formal form of communication. It has hardly much time to be taken WhatsApp to be taken serious.  To my experience, it has become a means to be at two places without actually being there. A film set is being erected, an event stall is being constructed or anything remote that might take for a person to travel to; it has now become a common practice to send across images or videos over WhatsApp to the approving authority and seek feedback instantly.

Another common practice, form a group on WhatsApp with people work

ing on a project and you have everyone on the same page as if an email update. Groups are a great way to spread information rapidly. The last I know is a short film being released exclusive content on WhatsApp. WhatsApp has also put up a strong fight to voice calling apps like Viber with its calling capabilities. So in a way, WhatsApp has so far had most bases covered in terms of voice based communication and file sharing abilities. So where does it go now?

I guess it might just take a few dips in the near past to believe that social platforms tend to die out the moment they stop evolving. The example of Orkut, Hotmail, Chat Messengers are all examples where they got beaten or replaced by others that had better functionality or enough excitement happening to keep people hooked on all day.  The areas where WhatApp still might lack is Video Calling facilities against, say Facetime. Or the fact that you can connect only by exchanging numbers and not a onetime connect that’s possible via Skype.

One thing that WhatsApp has achieved so far is forming communities within users. Ranging from friends, business circles or even a virtual classroom notice board, it has been adapted in many ways. But if WhatsApp could form communities for a social or a professional outfit, it can be the next stage of brand campaigns or even online PR initiatives. The way news and information (much of the times even improper information) travels via groups has an overwhelming viral effect.  

Having already seen how politicians used WhatsApp during the state elections in Maharashtra, it is already become a mass broadcast medium. If marketing via WhatsApp was an idea so far, what is interesting though is that women with their ever expanding social circles and gossip groups are one strong way that Tupperware ladies have already started taking advantage of. All Tupperware does is create short videos of their products and information previously that required demo is now going across through demo videos.

The final word from me, WhatsApp needs to make a good use of its penetration and evolve into different forms for people and their needs. It has already achieved success over smart phone users which might be at par if not above what Facebook has with the same group – but it is how it will grow and endear itself to the future users that will decide the way ahead. For now, I guess there will be little debate that possibly the most subscribes app makes WhatsApp the king of its domain for now. 

The Flush of Social Media

Humans by our very nature are addicted to storytelling. The trait is so much in our system that from a village chaupal, a beer tavern in US, a local train in Mumbai to the water cooler on Madison Avenue, everyone is involved in it. Take a topic in a group and by all means we shall have five people contributing 20 anecdotes in no time   complete with elaborate background settings, reasons and analysis.

These stories running along the grapevines used to run along the social hear-say at the speed of sound. In many occasions, it led to complete misinterpretations with disastrous consequences. For instance, a bank once ran out of ready cash under fear that it was going down and all the savings from its customers were going to be wiped out. The Ruskin Bond story named, ‘The boy who broke the bank’, has actually happened in reality; just a real world reminder what a powerful source is this giant web of a social network.

In today’s digital age, the influencing power of social media is unchallenged. These days an incident from an event can go online and even before the event is over, there might be public reactions and outcry already on its way. Things now spread at the speed of your internet connection and the web of social networks is vast and invisible in most cases. There is no need these days for a BBC to announce news; in most cases, the news is already out and a news channel is now merely reiterating what one might already know.

Apart from chain mails, RSS feeds and threads were once considered the hubs of social chains. Today, the ability for anyone to publish a blog, tweet, post on Facebook or YouTube and just share on a messenger app has created the viral effect to multiply and propagate This has become the very reason why brands have become more aware and careful while handling social media; one slip and the things can go haywire.

While most will agree there are both advantages and pitfalls for a brand to be present in the social domain, there is a new avenue coming up for brands with the advent of social media hubs. Websites like ScoopWhoop, Bayside Journal etc. are creating content which on any other day might have passed off as petty articles fit for a tabloid paper. But the fact that these people have gathered teams to generate the much liked content, it is now turning out to be rage on social media as the articles most people love so share within the circles.

This growing popularity has now created a new trend of branded content which can be termed as created for social media but in reality, a very strong brand oriented content. Say for instance; the site comes up with an article named “12 reasons I love online shopping”, it does have the desired stickiness for the audience to just go on and see if the so called reasons do apply for them. What most people spot at the bottom, is a link to an e-commerce portal with a special discount sale running on the day. Another example on the same lines, “10 things to do which you won’t regret in life”, and amidst the most enchanted desires to visit some places, having a hobby and spending time your way is a plug for a small monthly investment or an insurance which a bank is trying to push.

This is an art of contextual content which has its ends towards commercial use. I can say that far long ago, we had tried our hands at such content for aphrodisiac and contraceptives- both categories where a direct approach was not the most palatable. So what we got in was a funky blog named, “Pillow talk’ and “12 most intensely intimate scenes from Hindi movies”. The numbers in 2009 were just a few thousands, but in hind sight it was a first in our books. Yes, the commercial success might have been low and hence it was discontinued. A mistake on our parts- we did not use Facebook as a channel where the content was shared or reposted.

Today I see that content led marketing efforts have come of age and if there is anything to credit the success, it will be the strong penetration and proliferation of social media. People want to share links and information more than how they are feeling on a day- that’s a change on the user end. At the same time, if they do find attractive content which can resound with their life and ideas, they are more than happy to share. Brands have realized this and with RoI and tactical marketing reaching a new high; this new flush of social media users and well-crafted content for social media can define the next big thing. 

Independence and Social Media

So for the 68^th time in the Indian history, the prime minister gave his customary address from the Red Fort in Delhi on occasion of the Independence Day. While most of it was like a ritual, what was a noticeable though was Modi bringing up aspects of social development through the most basic civil conduct. Actually, it was quite strange when he made it a point that we still lack basic civic sense when it comes to cleanliness and sanitation- the basic elements that build up a society. What can be disturbing though is the fact that we are at this stage when India is somewhere in between when it comes to being a developing and developed nation on this planet.

If looked upon in all of truth and honesty; the social structure we exist in today is one of vast ironies. Social structures move from an individual to a family to a community and finally a nation and aspects of cleanliness and sanitation actually exist at the initial steps of self and family. It is an individual who litters or ignores his garbage disposal; or an individual or family that first thinks about sanitation in and around the house. In most cases this is an issue which has not been addressed so far as we see filth and garbage all across- not to mention use of open spaces to defecate. I believe it was

What was surprising though was response of people on social media where Modi was applauded for not sheltering behind the bullet proof enclosure; but also getting critical of his lack of mention for women’s safety and gender rights or inflation while on the dais. But even if the move to curb down the freedom to litter and pee anywhere is like a rhetoric on moral responsibility of every citizen; Modi would not be averse to some comments on social media… in a big way; it is one reason the wave spread so rapid and won him the top post.

I’m sometimes amazed at what social media can throw up as a response to every move that happens across the world. It might be also one social aspect of today that India is not lagging behind in- Social Media. It is kind of funny how the fundamental rights of expression has found a way to open up by means of social media. Yes, however fundamental it might have been as a right, media has always been sceptic to carry anything that can be drawing them into any kind of controversy of draw a backlash from the people or the government. Believe it or not, social media has been a revelation or sorts.

May be not so refined and rapid as today, but pen friend networks, chain mails, topical chat rooms and SMS forwards were the first forms of social networks I have known. Then came Gtalk status messages before twitter and Facebook took over. Honestly all these are inexpensive modes as getting someone outing together words never needs big budgets. But an astonishing fact has been the rise and rise of YouTube communities which put up videos especially created for mass consumption on social media.

Today, YouTube is flooded with videos specially designed and produced for internet sharing and the number of such channels is on a high. Initially, there was The Viral Fever (TVF) and All India Bakchod (AIB) which I had subscribed. But soon there have been lots more like East India Comedy (EIC) and Being Indian which have all come up. What is significant is that initially, they were all platforms to mock people and politicians. The biggest advantage, there is little or no moderation on the content. So if you wish to pay your regards to mothers and sisters or explore the universe on the other end of Uranus, you can do so without bothering too much on how it portrays you.

But I would like to believe that within a short span, these channels have also realised that mocking alone is not likely to retain their audiences. So while they still maintain a quirky outlook towards what people and politicians do, they have also built a new perspective to voice the public opinion. In recent times, these channels have voiced the general opinion on the social outlook towards women, their safety, what people feel about censorship or just mock sex education in schools.

The fact that they find sponsors in e-retailers like SnapDeal also speaks that the brand really is not worried about any kind of backlash it can have based on the opinions expressed in the content or mocking of the country’s leadership. In fact, given that the audience is mostly the young and the impulse driven shoppers; it is smart business sense.

I would say this is a new level of Independence which has found its voice through Social media. It doesn’t matter if a certain channel or newspaper will hear your voice; you can do it yourself. If you talk for the moment- it is looking highly impactful. But as always; how it will remain so and how less it has adverse effects will only be decided by time and self-regulations people demonstrate in its use during the course.