rehumanize

T-Mobile's new campaign is a promising example of challenger branding in action. A common misperception of challenger branding is that it is simply a case of the #2 or #3 brand tweaking the category leader.  However, challenger branding is more nuanced than that.  There is a range of challenger branding models: "The higher cause" – challenge consumers to lift their sights and opt for something more meaningful than what's offered by the status quo.   Dove has championed this approach in its "real beauty" campaign through its opposition to the falsehood of media-defined beauty. "For all of us" – a democratization strategy in which a brand liberates and makes available to the masses what has heretofore been exclusive or out of reach.  Target democratized chic design, starting years ago with the Michael Graves toasters. "Change of the guard" – the classic storm-the-palace strategy in which the leader is repositioned as out of touch

Yes, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center .  Some highlights: 27% of Facebook users in the US who were surveyed reported that they plan to reduce the amount of time they will spend on the site. The study found that 61% of Facebook users have taken a break from the site for several weeks or more. A lack of time and interest seem to be driving this trend.

We're beginning to get a better understanding of who is using social media, thanks to new research studies such as the one released recently by the Pew Research Center (and published in Adweek).  Some highlights from the Adweek article: Two-thirds of internet users engage in some form of social media, with Facebook being the dominant platform. Women are more likely than men to use social media, and are five times more likely than men to use Pinterest: When in comes to ethnicity, Blacks and Hispanics are more likely than Whites to use Instagram and Twitter. Not surprisingly, social media uses is highest among 18-49 year old internet users.  Among the 50+ segment, Facebook by far the preferred platform.  Level of education doesn't seem to drive social media usage overall, but it does seem to influence the relative choice of platform.