 Your new post is loading...
Your new post is loading...
It seems like the platforms that have been around for a while get updates every other week, and new platforms emerge faster than you can count. One trend that binds these new and updated platforms together? Users and the convenience that social offers them. Honestly, people don't want to bounce around from site to site to get what they want, and social media platforms have been making some changes to accommodate them. Because giants like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram have made it easier than ever for businesses to leverage and users to engage with, social is a one-stop shop for audiences. Your audience is constantly online and in social media apps. To find out what that means for your brand, here are four of the biggest changes in social media you need to keep on your radar:...
There has been an explosion in purpose-driven brand communication the last few years. As Matthew Gardner at Droga5 put it, “Because of the challenge for people’s attention, purpose is the only thing that will get brands to break through. This is not a trend but more of an imperative and should be top of mind for every company. ”When every brand team jumps on the purpose bandwagon, however, the resulting communication can feel pretty shallow. There’s a risk of brands completely overstating why they exist. Particularly when their actual motivation is to capture consumer attention, brand purpose can come across as “ad-deep.” It starts to feel like just one more tick-box on a creative brief....
The Top Thirty Global Media Owners report is a unique ranking of the world’s largest media companies by media revenue, as estimated by Zenith. The report was launched in 2007 and was last published by Zenith in 2015. Zenith defines media revenue as all revenue deriving from businesses that support advertising, to determine which companies are most important for the marketing industry.*
There are four media giants among the top 30 global media owners – Facebook, Baidu, Yahoo and Microsoft – and all have risen up the ranking this year. Facebook has moved up from 10th place last year to 5th place this year; Baidu has moved up from 14th to 9th; Yahoo from 18th to 15th; and Microsoft from 21st to 17th. Facebook is the fastest-growing media owner in our top 30, with media revenues up 65% on last year. Baidu is second-fastest (up by 52%) and Alphabet is third (up by 17%).
Between them, the five digital giants generated US$88bn in media revenue, which is 34% of all the revenues generated by our top 30 companies, and represents 65% of the entire global internet advertising market. Their collective dominance of digital advertising means that these five companies have captured most of the gains from its rapid growth. Digital adspend has grown at an average of 18% a year for the past five years, driven by the spread of mobile technology, the rise of social media and online video, and improved advertising technology, such as programmatic buying and local real-time search. Adspend across all other media has grown by just 0.6% a year....
For two decades now, aspiration has been the watchword of branding. Sell people the story of who they want to be, the logic goes, and the brand wins an unmovable place in their hearts. At one time, many brand campaigns truly struck a chord as they resonated with consumers on an emotional level. We’ve reached a point, though, where many consumers can’t identify the product in an ad, and often can’t place themselves in the idealized aspiration being dramatized. Wrought with overblown promises and fantasy claims, these brands have left consumers apathetic. They live in the real world where you can’t buy happiness, so please, stop trying to sell it them.
Younger consumers, in particular, want to know what you’re actually selling, not how it’s supposed to make them feel. They value what’s real and pride themselves on seeing through marketing claims, so they look for emotional stories that are anchored in a product truth. They’ll trust you when you talk straight, have a sense of proportion, and deliver what you promise PMSEY +%. This down-to-earth approach is a driving factor behind the continued rise of Japanese retailer Uniqlo .
Uniqlo’s offering is simple – low-cost, high quality basics, all delivered with unmatchable customer service. With a focus on fabric over fashion, the brand is able to keep costs low while investing in product innovation. Each product in the store has a diagram of how it was made and an explanation of the materials used to underscore the quality and provide transparency. Advertising is clean and simple, stressing a technically superior garment at a reasonable price rather than pushing an aspirational ideal. All these elements together create a brand that has stripped away all the bells and whistles to offer something real and relevant....
In the Gartner hype cycle, advertising technology is firmly stuck in the “trough of disappointment.”
This is, in many ways, patently unfair. The shift from manual and inefficient ad buying practices to automated and data-driven ones is a no-brainer. There’s little doubt that automation will play an ever-larger role in advertising. Yet ad tech in 2016 is a victim of its own success. Few people fight its ascendency, but nagging questions have arisen based on outsized expectations.
Talk to brands and publishers, and the formulation is basically the same. There are plenty of tech vendors but not enough standards, driving marketer frustration to an all-time high. Consumers don’t trust ads, as evidenced by the rise of ad blocking. Meanwhile, venture capitalists are pouring less money into ad tech.
Too much complexity
The LUMAscape lays bare the sheer amount of fragmentation in ad tech: “There are too many vendors claiming they do too many things for too many people. It’s turned ad tech into a commodity market,” said Brian Ferrario, vp of marketing at programmatic ad company Drawbridge.
When’s the last time you watched just one episode of House of Cards in a sitting? As marketers, we’ve entered a new era of content engagement—one in which interested buyers consume content much in the same way they “binge-watch” their favorite shows on Netflix.
We’ve put together a new infographic to help you understand, at a glance, what the Netflix era means for marketers and why leading brands are shifting from scheduled to always-on marketing. Here’s a quick summary of the key takeaways....
I have bad news for companies that are struggling to improve their customer engagement—it’s only going to get more difficult.
...They also shared ideas and best practices where there’s common ground. “People want to learn, borrow, and understand what other industries are doing to solve similar problems,” said Bob Weiler, Executive Vice President of Oracle’s Global Business Units.
The customer experience is one such area—a challenge, opportunity, business goal, and IT undertaking all rolled into one here-and-now, make-or-break imperative.
“The customer is in the driver’s seat. We need to get in front of what her needs are,” said Karen Katz, CEO and President of Neiman Marcus Group , during the Oracle Industry Connect keynote for retailers....
Social_Spam_Advertising: Buy From Me!!!
It feels like everyone in the social universe has something for sale. Attend my Twitter Chat Subscribe to my blogPurchase my bookLike my Facebook page
While I am certain (certainly cynical) that every one of these chats , blogs, books, and pages are the single most informative, game changing, and perhaps life altering ways that a person could spend their time, I am beginning to question when Social Media platforms turned into other more intrusive marketing methods?
May I ask… when is it appropriate to revisit the rules of professional selling or perhaps just civility?...
...People young and old are becoming more aware of the role advertising plays in their lives. This is a good thing because the internet has brought the advertiser and consumer closer than ever. No longer is the marketing realm confined to static magazine inserts or two-minute TV slots. Brands are sponsoring events, generating discussion, and taking part in all kinds of crazy activity in the name of generating brand awareness. Because of a growing understanding amongst people that they are ‘being marketed to’, advertisers have had to turn down the volume on their own material. Instead, storytelling is becoming more of a central feature than ever for advertisements and marketing videos alike. This is the stuff of now and of the future – delivering big and unique ideas and tapping into emotions and dreams. It’s all about marketing that is so enchanting you forget there is a price tag. But another trend is also gaining in popularity, and its the complete opposite of subtle – meta-advertising. This is marketing that is entirely self referential in quality, it involves a complete renouncement of subtlety, its a reaction against traditional advertising and a nod to the increasingly self-aware and savvy minds of the audience. Meta-advertising has the power to hold our attention, to make us laugh, be original and creative. But its most important and powerful attribute is honesty (or the appearance thereof).... It's an intriguing trend....
Social media marketing tips: Learn how calls to action, content strategy, email/social integration and goals play a part in your social media efforts. Are you looking for actionable tips to improve your social media marketing? Are you wondering what the common themes of social media experts are these days? This April, 1,100 passionate marketers from every corner of the world traveled to San Diego for Social Media Marketing World (#SMMW13), to find out. The number of conference takeaways and buzz was immense. For this article, I’ve focused on 26 takeaways from SMMW13, including notable quotes by presenters and their session titles....
The Top 100 corporate brands experienced a general decline in 2012 favorability scores, according to CoreBrand, a brand consultancy and creator of the Corporate Branding Index. The company, which provides benchmarking data, insights and corporate brand valuation for more than 1,000 companies across 54 industries, on Wednesday released its Sixth Annual Top 100 BrandPower Rankings Report, which ranks 100 corporate brands in terms of market reputation and awareness. Favorability scores measure overall reputation, perception of management and investment potential. The decline indicates that in the current economic climate, consumers are evaluating corporate brands more harshly, and these brand criticisms are being amplified with the proliferation of social media and the 24-hour news cycles, says James R. Gregory, founder and CEO of CoreBrand. “Now more than ever, it is important that companies improve the quality of their messages to the marketplace and focus on rebuilding trust, according to the company,” he says....
For over a decade, traditional media companies have pointed to digital media as a promising source of revenue growth -- but as 2012 draws to an end, it’s clear that this promise is still more theoretical than real, while ad dollars continue to migrate away from traditional channels. This is particularly true for broadcast radio groups and newspaper publishers, whose 2012 results have (so far) offered little in the way of digital cheer....
|
CES has become the place for companies to showcase new, innovative and promising technology. And with the expo celebrating its 50th anniversary, it's more obvious than ever why the largest consumer electronics show in the world remains a must-attend event for forward-thinking advertisers. A lot has changed since the first CES in New York, which showcased products from just 14 companies. Last year, it played host to nearly 4,000 exhibitors—with over 170,000 attendees getting a first look at new products and ideas. As a svp of sales for CBS Interactive, I've worked with the CNET brand for over 18 years. I've watched more and more marketers make the trip to CES each year to understand how tech can help them better connect with consumers and which tech might help burnish their image as trendsetters....
The uptake of new technology is faster than ever before, which means access to your audience is quicker than ever too. All you need to do is target them with a powerful marketing strategy that will engage them in unique ways.
2016 appears to be a great year for all the online businesses out there who are in the race to stay ahead of the curve by adopting these new and effective trends in online marketing, with the goal of making campaigns more effective.
Here are six online marketing trends that your business needs to know in 2016....
At first glance, the weakness in luxury is puzzling because consumer confidence is high and Tiffany's customers still have discretionary income to spend.
But Yarbrough points out that people are increasingly spending on categories other than luxury retail.
"People are still willing to spend on auto, and they're still willing to spend on their homes which are bigger-ticket items," he said.
"They're more interested in cars or homes or experiences," he said, pointing to movies and traveling as examples — not apparel.
An analysis by Jharonne Martis, director of consumer research for Thomson Reuters, confirmed that people were spending their money on hotels and casinos, too, Business Insider's Hayley Peterson reported earlier this month....
When cable TV subscriptions in the U.S. peaked in 2012 — and 97.6 million Americans paid to watch television delivered via cable — it seemed the traditional media supply chain was stronger than ever. Since then, however, cable subscriptions have steadily declined each year.
The usual culprits blamed for this decline are the streaming services, like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and HBO Go. A recent report from MoffettNathanson Research found that 81 percent of adults under 35 have a Netflix subscription. Additionally, millions of Americans are watching television from their smartphones or other handheld smart devices, which makes app-based services convenient choices.
The story goes, “Cord-cutters are canceling their cable services and going over-the-top, therefore it’s the demise of the television business as we know it.”
This premise is wrong. Here’s why: The consumer has their own definition of TV.
To start, we should clarify that consumers now perceive “TV” as content, not as content delivered through a linear hardware box in their living room. HBO, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Buzzfeed — consumers don’t care about where content derives, they only care that it’s quality....
As we approach a new year, we wonder what 2016 holds in store for online marketers.In 1993, web publisher Global Network Navigator sold the first online ad to a law firm in Silicon Valley. Since then, the online marketing trends have evolved year after year, introducing new functionality and fresh strategies to meet the ever-changing demand. As we approach a new year, we wonder what 2016 holds in store for online marketers....
A while back, we questioned Stonyfield Farms’ decision to drop its customer loyalty program.
Now, it seems that the trend may be picking up some steam — although we still question the wisdom of this in today’s competitive marketplace. Take the examples of the Pathmark and Waldbaum’s supermarket chains.
2013 was a year when the phrase ‘social media marketing’ became simply ‘marketing’. You can’t have a marketing strategy any more that isn’t social – not just the practice of sharing TV ads online, but where calls to action and engagement are central to their success.So what’s next for social marketing? Let’s take a look forward into 2014 and see where this year’s momentum is taking us...
Business leaders in much of world have sought for a long time to build local, regional and global brands that add significant value to their organizations. Today, in China, we see the same phenomena emerging as Chinese brands move from being local to regional to national and now to global entities.China’s people drive the change. Historically, the people of China generally have been savers rather than spenders. However, as the economy strengthens the Chinese are changing and causing the businesses they buy from to change too. Government policies and initiatives encourage the formerly conservative Chinese consumers to release some of their hard earned money and spend it on goods and services, driving GDP growth.
This slow but steady, and now very noticeable, transformation is affecting every business across China. Consumers are learning to buy more products and services for reasons other than price. They’re paying attention to brand....
Americans are increasingly abandoning traditional television. In 2007, the number of "Zero-TV" households was around 2 million. It has since grown to more than 5 million, according to a recent Nielsen report. We first saw the news on Google Ventures Partner MG Siegler's personal blog. Nielsen defines "Zero-TV" households as those that don't fit into its definition of a TV household. It doesn't mean that those households don't have traditional TV sets, but it's just that the majority of them get their content from computers, tablets, and smartphones. In short, it means they're not paying for cable. But here's the real kicker: nearly half of these "Zero-TV" households are under the age of 35, marking a clear trend in our viewing habits. Anyway, look at this chart. It shows traditional TV households versus "Zero-TV" households broken down by age...
How do colors affect us when we buy things? The latest research reveals the science of colors in marketing and how to use it for your advantage: Why is Facebook blue? According to The New Yorker, the reason is simple. It’s because Mark Zuckerberg is red-green colorblind. This means that blue is the color Mark can see the best. In his own words Zuck says: “Blue is the richest color for me I can see all of blue.” Not highly scientific right? Well, although in the case of Facebook, that isn’t the case, there are some amazing examples of how colors actually affect our purchasing decisions. After all, the visual sense is the strongest developed one in most human beings. It’s only natural that 90% of an assessment for trying out a product is made by color alone. So how do colors really affect us and what is the science of colors in marketing really? Let’s dig into some of the latest, most interesting research on it....
I can’t think of a year that brought more innovation to the inbox than 2012. New ideas about managing email are coming from everywhere -- some from big mailbox providers, like AOL’s Alto, but lots from entrepreneurs and developers that just see a new way to experience email. As more and more gain traction in 2013, they have the potential to totally change the email ecosystem in ways that are great for consumers. That doesn’t mean they’re bad for marketers. Here are a few of the emerging email trends and technologies worth watching -- and more important, planning for -- in the next 12 months....
It's not going to be mobile-only... [This is a very powerful presentation on the future of digital. It impacts marketing, PR and every business. ~ Jeff]
Via Carla Bulhões
|
![THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL [SLIDE DECK] | Business Insider | Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight | Scoop.it](https://img.scoop.it/gVwwLSfUnHhhFPYcYuvXWTl72eJkfbmt4t8yenImKBVvK0kTmF0xjctABnaLJIm9)
It's up to brands to commit to creating engaging content and using social media the right way to connect with their audiences.