The rise of social media, the future of Facebook and the impact of new technology were all up for debate, at the inaugural YN Media reception which raised an incredible £7,500 for Norwood. More than 120 young media professionals attended last night's fundraiser at the ICO Conference Centre in London’s West End.
The highlight of the evening was a question and answers session featuring three major players from the world of media and new media: Trevor Johnson, Head of Strategy & Planning at Facebook, Simon Calver, CEO of LOVEFiLM, and Nicola Green, Head of Media and Communications at O2. The panel was chaired by Tim Samuels, the award-winning British documentary filmmaker and television presenter.
The evening, which also included an iPad raffle and a drinks and canapés reception, provided a great opportunity for YN supporters to network while raising vital funds for Norwood, which supports people with learning disabilities and children and families in need. It also saw the launch of the 2010 media partnership between YN and The Jewish Chronicle newspaper, which was represented on the night by Editor Stephen Pollard.
During their discussion, the panel covered a range of topics, including longevity of the technologies, brand management and how to stay one step ahead of competitors, democratisation and emerging trends within the media industries, and whether people’s privacy was being eroded by the growth of social media.
Trevor Johnson, who revealed he had 502 Facebook ‘friends’ and was a huge fan of Twitter, admitted: “The whole question about privacy for us is about control - being able to control the information and seeing clearly what information is being shared with whom. We haven’t necessarily been very good at communicating the control options by telling people how to set their privacy settings.”
However, he added: “There has to be a value exchange. People have to realise that if they give up what they assume is their privacy, what they get in return could be significantly beneficial to them.” Using the example of Facebook’s ‘news feed’ service, which initially sparked protests following its introduction a few years ago but is now extremely popular, he said: “As long as we keep an open exchange between the user and our site, then we may see that the concept of privacy will evolve over time.”
He also insisted Facebook was a ‘100 year’ company and suggested they were on the ‘cusp of doing something’ as significant as Google’s introduction of ‘ad words’.
Meanwhile, Simon Calver said the pace of technological change meant strategic decisions about brand direction are now made incredibly quickly. This was in contrast to his experiences at companies like Pepsi, which advocated a far more cautious approach. “In today’s world, you’re rewarded for getting stuff out there early, rather than getting things out there right,” he added.
Audience members also had the chance to quiz panellists during a question and answers session. Responding to a question about how companies could make money from digital technology, Nicola Green talked about the rapid increase in data usage following the launch of the iPhone. She said rival telecommunications firm AT&T are now asking their customers about charging for data, adding: “I think that has to be the future. A very small percentage of people are using a lot of our network space. We have to make sure that people pay for the data they use.”
Alisa Fleishman, YN Manager, said: “Our first YN Media Reception is one of a number of new events this year, and is evidence of the increasing importance of YN within Norwood’s fundraising programme. We are delighted it was such a success, and would like to thank our special guests, Trevor Johnson, Simon Calver, Nicola Green, and Tim Samuels for providing such a though-provoking discussion.
“I would also like to thank Stephen Pollard and The Jewish Chronicle for their support of YN, the YN Media Committee for helping to make the event such a great success, and all our guests for their generous support of Norwood and its life-changing work.”
