News You Can Use

How the Internet of Things Is Changing Online Marketing

• Posted: December 21, 2015

Neil Patel discusses the impact of The Internet of Things (IoT) on marketing, which he feels is the next big thing in this Forbes article.

Among the implications of IoT for marketing, according to Patel:

-On-demand services are expected everywhere.

Consumers have higher expectations of convenience in the Internet age, and marketing must cater to that expectation in terms of both promise and delivery.

-Smart marketing connects social data to online devices.

Marketing should strive to make it easier for consumers to interact with their connected devices and to enhance social interactions between devices and their owners.

-The Internet of Things means that big marketing data is getting even bigger.

Patel suggests that useful and surprising marketing data about consumer preferences and habits could invigorate marketing.

-Smart marketing deploys specific solutions to thing-related problems.

IoT will enable a greater degree of target marketing in terms of both demographics and psychographics.  Additionally, IoT will allow marketers to predict and deliver solutions based on consumer needs.

-Nothing is unmarketable.

IoT will also enable marketers to reach deeper into the lives of consumers to offer them products, services, and solutions.

Patel also refers to surveys of marketers who believe that the marketing impact of IoT will exceed the significance of big data, mobile marketing, and personalized transactions.

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Trends for 2016: Six Predictions for What Will Happen

• Posted: December 21, 2015

eMarketer provides predictions for digital advancements in 2016, which include the impact of mobile, from messaging apps to mobile commerce.

eMarketer’s Six Predictions for 2016:

-The Voice of the Consumer Will Be Heard.

Consumers are using their smartphones to make business calls.  As a result, marketers must be prepared to optimize digital content for speech-based queries and must ensure that content can be located by digital personal assistants.

-Marketers Will Join the Conversation (in Messaging Apps).

Facebook will add more services and marketing opportunities for brands in both Messenger and WhatsApp.

-Mobile Payments Will Take Off.

Mobile wallets will become a standard feature on smartphones and increasing numbers of retail stores will accept proximity payments.

-Mobile Commerce Will Move Down the Funnel.

Mobile commerce will represent a larger portion of retail sales as consumers transition from mobile shopping to mobile buying.

-Millennials and Centennials Will Be OK With Releasing Even More Data.

Consumers, especially younger ones, will be willing to give up more of their personal data to marketers and publishers in return for the convenience and value of the connected world.

-Facebook Will Become Nearly Entirely Mobile.

In Q3 2015, 78% of Facebook’s $4.3 billion in worldwide ad revenue came from mobile.

During the same period, 727 million of Facebook’s 1.55 billion MAUs were mobile-only, equivalent to 47% of users.

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Why Marketers Should Keep Centennials in Mind

• Posted: December 21, 2015

Nearly a quarter of the population consists of Centennials, who are between 13 and 18 years of age and who were born around the turn of the century. This consumer segment will represent 40% of the population by 2020, according to this article in Direct Marketing News by Andrew Corselli.

Centennials, also known as Generation Z, have always lived in a technology-connected world and have an estimated average attention span of eight seconds, according to the author.

Corselli presents new research from PowerReviews which shows that it will be important to focus on engagement when marketing to this generation.  Important characteristics of centennials include being resourceful and practical when spending money and valuing online reviews more than brand name, price or free shipping.

PowerReviews also provides tips for marketing to Centennials:

-Emphasize quality and differentiation of products and services.

-Engage with shoppers online early in the purchase cycle.

-Strengthen your online presence, including a mobile-friendly website.

-Start real conversations.  A consumer’s online review provides an opportunity for a brand to engage with that consumer.

Centennials represent a large segment of consumers with long-term revenue potential for marketers.

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The Year in Creative: 24 Trends That Drove Some of the Best Advertising in 2015

• Posted: December 21, 2015

Tim Nudd analyzes the 24 trends that drove some of the best 2015 ads in this Adweek article.  He provides examples, including videos, which illustrate these trends.

Among the trends:

-Powerful Women: ads that highlighted female strength included Ram trucks and Always, as well as the use of female athletes by other advertisers.

-LGBT Mainstreaming: Campbell’s, Wells Fargo and other companies followed the 2014 example of companies, such as Honey Maid, by creating ads with gay couples.

-Saving the Planet: ads related to environmental issues, such as the Rag Bag Case study, demonstrated outstanding creativity.

-Long Copy: was demonstrated in print and outdoor ads, such as Harmony Condoms, McDonald’s (DDB Stockholm), and Depaul Nightstop.

Additional trends:

-Gender Identity

-Anti-Endorsers

-Saving Ourselves

-Livestreaming

-Simple Logos

-Emojis

-Trolling

-Robots

-Outdoor Tech

-Bloodvertising

-Older “It” Girls

-A Galaxy of Star War Ads

-Private Parts

-Crafty Creations

-The Dress

-Virtual Reality

-Drones

-Faux-Fancy Fashions

-Stock Photos

-Unicorns as advertising characters

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Cross-Device Targeting High in Demand, but Still Underdeveloped

• Posted: December 21, 2015

This eMarketer article analyzes the issues faced by marketers when targeting consumers across devices. While both buyers and sellers seek to reach audiences across all screens, achieving this goal is challenging.

According to Pete LaFond, Vice President of TruSignal, “There’s a lot of conversation around whether or not we are going to get to a single identifier that’s going to be the holy grail of connecting a person across all devices and channels.” LaFond also stated, “I don’t think we’re necessarily any closer to having a unique identifier.”

The lack of such an identifier not only creates difficulties for buyers to scale campaigns in a broader, publisher-agnostic manner, but also represents a significant problem for the measurement of cross-device campaigns.

Only 6% of marketers worldwide reported an adequate single view of customers or prospects across all devices and touchpoints, according to a March 2015 survey conducted by Signal, a cross-channel marketing firm.

According to this eMarketer article, the only de facto methods for bridging cross-device identities continue to be deterministic and probabilistic.

Many marketers and publishers now see first-party data as the key to cracking cross-device targeting.  As a result, they are investing more substantially in tools like data management platforms (DMPs). The use of first-party data is also placing an intense premium on ownership and use of that data, which has buyers beginning to question how and where cross-device providers are using these assets.  In addition, there are increased concerns about consumer privacy.

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Media Inflation Rates: Outlook 2016: Big Changes in the Media Landscape Are Expected To Continue In 2016

• Posted: December 14, 2015

Havas Media has prepared estimates of media inflation rates, as well as related media trends, for the 4A’s.  These estimates are based on an analysis of past inflation rates, as well as expert consensus. This “Media Inflation Trends Report” covers national and local TV, online video, magazines, newspapers, radio, outdoor, display, paid search, and mobile.  The report’s authors are Gregory Aston, SVP, Director of Competitive Intelligence; Joe Abruzzo, EVP, Chief Exploration Officer; Peter Sedlarcik, EVP, Business Insights & Intelligence.

The report concludes that overall, media inflation in 2016 is expected to maintain a positive trajectory, boosted by the Olympics and Presidential election.

A matrix of historical CPM cost trends and forecasts covering the period from 2010 to 2016 is also included in this report.

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Campaigns Turn to a Cheaper Medium to Get Voters’ Ears: Radio

• Posted: December 14, 2015

Candidates for the Presidential primary campaigns, as well as PACs, have increased their use of radio ads, according to this article by Nick Corasaniti in The New York Times. This article discusses the strengths of radio advertising for a political campaign.

Among the appeal of radio commercials for political advertising, according to this article:

-Radio listeners are a captive audience while they are driving.

-Radio ads avoid the clutter of television.

-Compared to television advertising, radio advertising is less expensive.

-Production costs for radio are also lower than TV production costs.

-Conservative talk radio hosts have large and devoted followings.

-Radio provides a means to target local voters.

-It serves as a closing tool to remind voters to go to the polls and reminds them of the issues.

Corasaniti also discusses how radio companies are helping politicians reach voters and target listeners according to party affiliation, likelihood to vote and other criteria.  The radio stations also seek to win new business.  One of the largest radio conglomerates in the country, iHeartRadio, has seen a 30% rise in the fourth quarter in political advertising, when compared to the same period in 2011.

Details of the radio campaigns for both Republican and Democratic candidates are analyzed in this article.

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The Human Connection and Purpose Driven Strategies are at the Forefront for Top Mobile Marketers According to the MMA

• Posted: December 14, 2015

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) announced the release of the 2015 Mobile Trends Report.  The report analyzed this year’s winning campaigns from the MMA Smarties Global Awards and Cannes Mobile Lions, and found a focus by mobile marketers on “deepening human relationships and leveraging the best that mobile has to offer to do so.”

The Mobile Trends Report was developed by the MMA in partnership with Millward Brown.  The report cross-references case studies from MMA’s Global Smarties and Cannes Mobile Lion finalists, in addition to those on the short list, in order to identify the characteristics common to the campaigns, and to also identify the emerging, effective mobile marketing trends.

The prevailing theme in 2015 was identified by this report as purpose-driven strategies “rooted in human need.”

According to Sheryl Daija, Chief Strategy Officer, MMA, “In our analysis of this year’s winning campaigns from the MMA Smarties Global Awards and Cannes Mobile Lions, there was a consistent trend of marketers using mobile to spark real, human connections—brands using the directness of the mobile channel to demonstrate a deep commitment to their consumer relationship.”

Successful tactics of the winning campaigns included:

-Two-way conversations to allow for customization and personalization.

-Strong focus on social tools.

-Integrated approach.

-Executions supporting interactivity or co-creation and active participation.

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Spotify Has Become the World’s Most Popular Music Streaming App

• Posted: December 14, 2015

Janko Roettgers, writing for Variety, presents data from App Annie which shows that Spotify’s Android and iOS apps are more popular than any other music streaming app worldwide.

Spotify was the mobile music streaming app on iOS and Android with the largest number of active users worldwide in Q3, according to the report. App Annie’s Mobile Music Streaming report shows Spotify’s app topping the usage and download charts in many countries around the world.

Roettgers notes that that Spotify has a much larger international footprint than Pandora. However, Pandora is only available to users in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand while Spotify is available in 58 markets around the world. Spotify also faces growing competition from local streaming services in India and France.

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Cross-Platform Advertising: Current Practices and Issues for the Future

• Posted: December 14, 2015

Peter Neijens, Chair in Media and Persuasion, and Hilde Voorveld, Assistant Professor at The Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), provide an assessment of current cross-platform issues in this December 2015 Journal of Advertising Research article.

The authors analyze important peer-reviewed advertising and marketing journals as well as important industry sources.  The authors also conducted a brief survey among key players at media agencies about current practices to find out what they considered to be the major developments and challenges for the future.

Neijens and Voorveld found a disconnect between academics’ and practitioners’ work in the field.  The authors recommend increased collaboration between advertisers, media owners, media agencies, research companies, and academics, as well as additional research. They propose ideas for advancing both theory and practice.

The authors comment in their conclusion that, “It is impressive to note the current initiatives and the level of cooperation that already has been established, but more should be done: The different parties in the media industry should overcome their self-interests and realize that only a joint effort can help further the profession.”

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