Social trends that matter

Social trends that matter

https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-statistics-for-social-media-managers/

https://www.oberlo.com/blog/social-media-marketing-statistics

Social media is an obvious force that matter for marketers. There are 3.5 billion daily active users of social media, which is about 45% of the population! And where there is engagement, there is money to be made!

90.4% of Millennials report suing social media as compared to 48.2% of Baby Boomers. Additionally, 73% of marketers believe SM marketing is somewhat or very effective to their needs. And further, some people forget that it actually can help improve their customer experience through brand promotion. Given these benefits, you as the marketer have many routes to go. For example, right now it is very popular to engage with "influencers". 49% of consumers indicate they rely on an influencer when considering purchase decisions. Brand can work with influencers and piggyback on their popularity.

And now, one of the newest hit sensations is Tik Tok. It was the most downloaded app in 1Q 2019. There are >800 million monthly active users, which makes it the 6th most used app. 60% of Tik Tok users are in China, and 69% of users are between ages 16-24. But this is changing fast. Marketers should continue to monitor this platform for future integration into marketing plans.

Good luck!

QR Codes and relevance for marketers

QR Codes and relevance for marketers

https://blog.beaconstac.com/2019/01/qr-code-use-cases-for-proximity-marketing-in-2019/

QR codes have been around for a little while. They first began to grow in popularity around 2011 but didn’t smartphones weren't as ubiquitous and mobile friendly websites weren't as prevalent. That has changed a lot in the last couple years. Marketers can now continue to explore how these can be integrated into their marketing plans.

1. Convert one-time purchasers into repeat buyers: This is a nifty strategy, where marketers can incorporate QR codes directly into the packaging for goods that may be repeat purchases. An example of this are my Simple Human trash bags, which place QR codes on the trash bag indicated there are only a few left and should be reordered.
2. Provide a little more levity to boring places: You could imagine at places such as museums, there is a great opportunity to engage customers. You can integrate QR codes for additional information or other engaging content, that may grab the attention and interest of may customers who may not understand the significance of the art work or artifact.
3. Lead generation: You can place QR codes in a variety of place, perhaps Subways. These can offer "free trials" when scanning the QR code.

There are many other use cases you might imagine, but here are a few to consider in your own marketing plans.

Good luck!

Intersection of Gaming & TV and Movies

A cool experiment/intersection between advertising and gaming was Netflix's fun little throwback mobile game for Stranger Things 3 - which was released around the same time as Season 3 of Stranger Things. As a marketing tool, it's likely the game appealed only to a small segment - those already interested in the series and those feeling nostalgic for some good old fashioned NES/SNES gaming without all the bells and whistles surrounding modern gaming. As a piece of the Stranger Things universe however, it fits in perfectly. Additionally, the game quality was surprisingly good - quelling possible dissent from skeptical gamers: tons of prior movie tie-in failures (like ET), and this goes both ways - video games made into movies and movies made into video games). Indeed, recently, some of movies made into video games have been incredibly good - like Spiderman and Batman Arkham Asylum - perhaps because of more serious attention has been paid to the gaming audience which has exploded in the last 10-15 years.

This accelerated interest in gaming - and serious push to cross-brand across media platforms - suggests that "traditional" media is focused on integrating gaming into its marketing campaigns.

Double Feature on Recent Facebook Investments

For several years now, Facebook has been taking charge in developing next generation media platforms in AR and VR – especially with the acquisition of Oculus and the launch of the Oculus Rift gaming platform. Late last year, Facebook acquired a startup called CTRL-Labs. which is developing an interface to read neural activity to translate movement on a digital screen. This is a particularly interesting deal because VR/AR is still very much a nascent media platform – and a neural interface is certainly next next-gen.

Nevertheless, there is a clear use case for this technology in advancing usability and UX of VR, and also a natural extension of Facebook’s business model – leveraging its Oculus and neural interface devices to take ownership of potential next generation platforms, and have even more low-level, fundamental data on its users (i.e. eye movement, brain activity, etc.).

By contrast to the emerging tech/R&D acquisition in CTRL-Labs, Facebook’s recent investment in Indian telecom giant Jio is likely to have a more immediate business impact. WhatsApp is dominant in India and this partnership with Jio could (finally) spawn monetization opportunities in India akin to how WeChat has dominated the Chinese messaging/”life platform” market. It will be interesting to observe the impact of this acquisition on Facebook’s strategy for WhatsApp and its other apps in India, and potentially how this use case could be disseminated across other countries.

How can digital marketers respond to Covid 19 in the short term?

If ever there was a time for digital marketing to come to the fore, it is now. Billboards that would usually have been seen by thousands now stand beside empty streets, fewer people are venturing out to get newspapers and nobody is holding events.

Emphasizing ethics – firms that act ethically in retaining staff and paying suppliers, or helping in other ways like supporting food banks, will be able to highlight this in content marketing, while some may suffer reputational damage for not doing so.

In the meantime, with so many more people online and for longer, the chances of seeing ads on social media or interacting with content marketing blogs are greater.

There are some obvious targets digital marketers can focus on, with many goods in greater demand.

All this will focus on the key changes that have occurred as a result of the crisis. The buyer persona marketers need to consider the change, specifically in terms of their needs, which will be common to most people due to nearly everybody having to adopt approximately the same lifestyle. The key is then to market goods and services as the solution to this specific need.

Week 10:

Source: “The good SaaS times will end and challenges are coming” , Ed Byrne, March 13, 2020, Tech Crunch, https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/13/the-good-saas-times-will-end-and-challenges-are-coming/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAEVgVZ_Vje28p-uL0JaUVC3ug_R5_r-QM2gC-8n5E5kk3y7vcEqzge-R_noKejsHSWAzn0jgiabXByMyHsZM5LsC_SFmB7MkWXTxDvga5JJ5us9InHEEcSYCXMlb648jAO-m1KIAm0NdyW0eVC37loPsgKt4-dQO5p8aNI-L_Fo8

Customers and the addressable market

This is nuanced, depending on from where you win customers. Do you save them money over their existing solution? Or cost them more money than how they do it today? Even if their current solution isn’t a good one, the sales pitch for change is much harder in a «batten down the hatches» world than a «shoot for the stars» one.

Cash and finance

Know your cash. A simple statement, but unfortunately, it’s rarely the case. You can’t rely on stories, promises and spreadsheets — you need to log in to your bank account multiple times a week.

People

The team is the most expensive and important asset in every SaaS company.

Existing customer base

In a recession, these are your most prized assets.

Pricing

Many people’s first reaction in a downturn is to reduce price.

Communicate

With customers, with stakeholders, with employees.


Summary

Recessions come and go.

Week 9:

Source: “Visual.ly’s new Google Analytics tool sends you weekly Web metric reports as infographics”, PAUL SAWERs, Mar 21, 2013, The Next Web, https://thenextweb.com/apps/2013/03/21/visual-ly/

The core raison d’être of infographics is to make otherwise complex information easier to parse. And that is exactly what Visual.ly Google Analytics Report does with your valuable Web traffic data.
When you first sign-in , you’ll be asked to select which Google Account you wish to associate with. Once in, you’ll be asked to select which site from that account you wish connect with.
It takes a moment to load, then you’ll see a large infographic splayed across your screen on the right, with the option to sign up for weekly reports on the left. It’s worth noting here that a monthly report option would be great here, as not every website owner wishes to track changes on a weekly basis.

Week 8:

Source: “GitHub for Android and iOS launches out of beta”, Emil Protalinksi, March 17, 2020, Venture Beat, https://venturebeat.com/2020/03/17/github-for-android-and-ios-launches-out-of-beta/

Microsoft’s GitHub today launched its native Android and iOS app out of beta. With the app hitting general availability, developers can stay in touch with their team, triage issues, and even merge code right from their mobile device.

GitHub lists three main features for its app

The company has made a lot of progress since the beta launch. Ryan Nystrom, GitHub’s director of engineering, said his team has fixed over 200 bugs, acted on over 400,000 notifications, and merged over 20,000 code changes. That was all made possible thanks to 60,000 testers making nearly 35,000 comments.

Week 7:

Source: “As Twitter cracks down on fake followers, SparkToro launches free tool to measure influence more intelligently”, Monica Nickelsburg, July 12, 2018, Geek Wire, https://www.geekwire.com/2018/twitter-cracks-fake-followers-sparktoro-launches-free-tool-measure-influence-intelligently/

Seattle entrepreneur Rand Fishkin thinks it’s “so darn frustrating” that brands still use the number of followers an account has to determine which social media influencers will most effectively spread their message. He calls follower counts “a crap metric” in a blog post announcing a new tool to measure the influence of Twitter accounts.
Fishkin came to that realization by comparing his Twitter account to that of his wife’s. Seventeen years ago, Fishkin founded the Seattle marketing startup Moz.

Week 6:

Source: “How To Show A Diversity Commitment With User-Generated Content”, Kelly Ehlers, Mar 24, 2020, Forbes Agency Council, https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2020/03/24/how-to-show-a-diversity-commitment-with-user-generated-content/#2987b51972ad

Fueled by the Fenty Effect, diversity content has become a must for marketers. However, a claim to the cause may no longer be enough. Diverse populations don't just want to be shown; they want to be seen.

Show The Audiences That Get Lost In The Crowd

It all starts by asking, «Who am I representing in my feed?» It's easy to grab content from the overwhelming majority.

Invite More People In

After analyzing your feed, you might find that there's a group of consumers you'd like to welcome more into your community.

Tear Down The Misconceptions

Another well-known benefit of UGC is its ability to provide reliable, unbiased accounts of user experience.

Enable Two-Way Communication

Finally, UGC opens a doorway for consumers to communicate directly with your brand.

Sustaining The Change

UGC is a powerful tool for showcasing a brand's diversity commitment. By sharing the many faces that make up a community, your company can illustrate a lasting dedication to representing and appreciating your consumers.

Week 5:

Source: “LinkedIn Now Offers Moat Analytics Integration For Video Marketing Metrics”, Iris Hearn, June 5th, 2019, Impact Bnd, https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/linkedin-now-offers-moat-analytics-integration-for-video-marketing-metrics

“Marketers need to be able to tell that the right audience is seeing their video ads to be sure those ads are having the right impact, and the launch of our integration with LinkedIn will give brands the validation they need around viewability and attention for their video ads.

LinkedIn’s Heavy Investment in Ad Solutions

Most of these recent integrations take advantage of products already owned by LinkedIn’s parent company Microsoft, such as recent targeting enhancements powered by Dynamics 365 systems. I predict that LinkedIn will continue to roll out integrations or enhancements powered by other popular Microsoft-owned tools in the near future. After all, LinkedIn has a large audience of professionals, many of whom likely use Microsoft products to conduct their everyday business.

Week 4:

Source: “Hershey, Coors pull ads to avoid coronavirus insensitivities”, Peter Adams, March 11, 2020, Marketing Dive, https://www.marketingdive.com/news/hershey-coors-pull-ads-to-avoid-coronavirus-insensitivities/573927/

The development is another signal that global outbreak of the deadly virus, which causes the illness COVID-19, might hinder marketers' plans to return to stronger brand-building this year. The reactions from Hershey and Coors are distinct in some ways. The former had to remove in-market ads with imagery of people engaging in direct physical contact, which can spread the virus. Marketers have been eager to capitalize on destination viewing events like the NCAA college basketball tournament or the Summer Olympics in Tokyo as part of their brand-building pushes.

Hershey and Coors could set a precedent for other brands looking to steer clear of backlash from consumers who have rising concerns about the virus. Both companies shifting to a product-focused approach suggests that marketers might opt to play it safe until the worst of the outbreak has passed.

Week 3:

High conversion rate at a time when you receive many emails: Christmas!

Source: “Examples of High Converting Christmas Email Newsletters” , Nataly Birch, December 11, 2019, Designmodo, https://designmodo.com/christmas-email-newsletters/

Today’s strategies for Christmas email campaigns include two stages. Everything begins with sneak peeks and preview emails that stir up interest, nurture subscribers, increase excitement, and hook the audience.

The second stage begins on the eve or right during celebrations. Christmas and days that surround it – usually one day before and one day after – are the perfect time for stellar offers.

Christmassy subject lines to try
What’s more, spice things up with festive emojis.
Try Slides AppOther Products

The first rule of every high-converting email newsletter is to share content that delivers value to subscribers.
Wishlist from Free People

Run the Gift marathon is a true way to bring Christmas season into digital expanses. It will help to boost anticipation, hook contacts to emails, and keep them intrigued.

Happy Holidays from J Jill

It goes without saying that the design of an email newsletter should stay in line with the festive season. Top off your email with some Christmassy stuff, sprinkle it with golden glitter, and add a touch of magic.
To get a head start, use Postcards. It is a powerful free HTML email template builder that comes with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface based on a modular system and more than 100 pre-built handcrafted blocks.

Week 2:

How to make Google ads for local businesses

Source:

“7 Ways to Use Google Ads for Local Businesses”, August 22, 2019, Pam Neely, Acquisio website,

https://www.acquisio.com/blog/local/7-ways-to-use-google-ads-for-local-businesses/

Google search ads are a proven way to build awareness and drive traffic to a website. Local businesses know this. 63.7 percent of them say paid search is either “very important” or “somewhat important” to their businesses. But paid search – and specifically Google Ads – can do more than just drive traffic and sales. And what the ads look like when you click on them

If your business offers any kind of service consider testing these new ads.
Local service ads have one other secret benefit. They’ll make your business more prominent on Google Maps. That’s because Google shows these ads for “near me” searches on both Google Maps and Google.com. This may be a powerful selling point for local businesses – 77 percent of them say it’s “very important” or “somewhat important” to rank well on Google Maps.
To use Local Service ads, your Google Ads account needs to have location extensions set up.

Week 1:

Seamless Keyword Inclusion

Source: "How to Seamlessly Include Keywords in Your Web Content", February 18, 2014, Jon Rognerud, Entrepreneur Magazine, https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/231333  

In his book Ultimate Guide to Optimizing Your Website, SEO and online marketing expert Jon Rognerud shows you how to build a high-performance website and get top ranking on all search engines. In this edited excerpt, the author offers some tips for working keywords into your site content in order to attract the search engines. The type of writing you do for website is different than the formal writing required for academia.

This is software that tells you each of the combinations used with a particular keyword, along with how many times the original keyword and its combinations have been used. You can either use paid keyword analyzers, or you can use the popular Google keyword research tool, which is offered for free in the Google AdWords toolset. If you find that your keyword receives a lot of visitors--from 20,000 to 30,000 visitors a month for exact matching terms as a minimum--these are the keywords you may want to consider as part of your keyword optimization strategy. As you review the keywords, think about how you can break them out into logical, related groups.

What you need to do is repeat your keyword several times throughout your content. Generally, you want your keyword to appear 2 to 5 percent of the time. Try to get content ideas first by asking your community and reviewing logs and analytics, and build keyword lists into your posts from there. You could also include articles that while not relating to fan fiction could still be of interest to your audience.

Companies are cutting the ad-making process from months to days

Reacting to COVID-19, our new WFH environment, and challenges across the globe, some companies are moving quickly to reflect our new reality in advertising. Recently a number of companies launched Zoom-based ad campaigns that they made (virtually) themselves and featured real employees. JPMorgan Chase did this production in a number of days and created an ad featuring wealth advisors working from home via Zoom with the tagline "we're here for you".
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/09/how-jpmorgan-cut-the-ad-making-process-from-months-to-days.html

Dominos did the same and recorded an add entirely on zoom to spread the message that they are hiring.
https://www.adweek.com/creativity/dominos-recorded-an-ad-entirely-on-zoom-with-a-simple-message-were-hiring/

This is an interesting approach for companies to launch timely content in a way that reflects their audience's reality. It's also interesting how companies under pressure have been creative in how they approach advertising, and in these examples they've been able to successfully advertise in a way that normally would have taken much longer to produce and shoot.

Is Advertising a Right?

As a son of Michigan I say with equal parts awe and disappointment, Michigan appears to be a dumpster fire, in more ways than one.  Of course, COVID-19 is ravaging the state much like others, but seems to be hitting harder (or at least has a higher mortality rate).  Yet paradoxically, this week that state capitol was the site of a (relatively) large protest against the state mandated lockdown.  This is somewhat predictable given the state's dire economic woes and deeply divided politics, and speaks to the increasingly loud debate over public health and economic liberty.

This overarching debate--economic liberty vs public health and safety--is also affecting digital marketers.  Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order that large retailers (greater than 50,000 square feet) "refrain from the advertising or promotion of goods that are not grocierice, medical supplies, or items that are necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation, and basic operation of residences."  The order additional targeted property owners and directed them not to "rent a short-term vacation property except as necessary to assist in housing a health care professional or volunteer aiding the response to the COVID-19 crisis."

On the one hand, this is clearly a move by Michigan's Governor to reinforce social distancing.  It is also a boon to small and mid-size businesses as it doesn't effect their ability to advertise.  But is this fair?  Is it ethical?  Legal?  Moral?  How much longer can or should we isolate and close down business?  While the answer right now seems to (rightfully) be to err in favor of health and safety, as we re-open the economy that will not always be so.  How much risk can or should we assume as we re-open and who should decide?

Like it or not, digital marketers are affected and have as much of a say as anyone else.

https://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/ad-industry-bodies-urge-michigan-governor-recant-ban-advertising-nonessential-items/2250461

Location, location, location (tracking)

Location tracking, once widely viewed as a negative  regarded with a wide amount of consumer skepticism, now carries new and helpful features in the battle against COVID-19. The feature embedded in all smartphones and activated through usage of various app permissions, it can benefit through contact tracing, social distancing (showing heavily populated areas), digital marketing advertising and public health guidelines and decisions based on trends shown from aggregate data.

Within the past few weeks, tech giants Apple and Google have both contributed tools to the space.

Apple’s Mobility Trends leverages anonymous data collected from the native Apple Maps navigation to focus and look at how COVID-19 and the corresponding lockdowns have affected various modes of transport in comparison to a baseline measurement taken at the beginning of the year (January 2020). The company is updating the trend line daily with its private data. Outside of being used by public health officials to view the trend timeline, the data doesn’t seem to be broken down in such a way to be helpful for digital marketers to leverage or really even the layperson.

Source: Apple

Google’s Mobility Reports, also a recent release, finds itself to be a bit more useful than Apple’s foray. This platform breaks down location data over time across various buckets of location category which, though more in depth with the added location categories (e.g. retail, grocery, work), it’s confirming what we already know: no one is going to formerly populated areas such as restaurants and retail. However, this is highlighting and capturing consumer behavior versus the Apple platform which is seemingly more broad in scope and reporting.

In time, paying attention to these tools can and should give marketers and, people as a whole (no matter there profession), information as to when some semblance of normalcy will return and perhaps what the new “normal” will look like.

Coronavirus impact on advertising

Business Insider had an interesting article explaining how the coronavirus is impacting the advertising agency.  Some interesting points in regards to digital:

• No surprise, Amazon is seeing an uptick on marketing from essential goods brands
• Google and Facebook will take a hit in the short term but ad business will be stronger in the end
• D2C companies are cutting ad spend and upping their homemade content 
• D2C companies giving out free samples to build brand awareness/loyalty

https://www.businessinsider.com/breakdown-of-coronavirus-impact-on-advertising-industry-2020-3

Restaurant Geofencing

Given the tight restrictions restaurant-goers face in the era of stay-at-home orders, dine-in restaurants were initially among the hardest hit businesses. Restaurantgeofencing.com, a DC based company, is looking to help change that. Restaurantgeofencing.com is a digital marketing agency dedicated to geofencing and digital advertising for the restaurant industry. In order to stay afloat, restaurants, especially those not previously setup for delivery and pickup - like high-end dining establishments - are being forced to adapt their business models. In order to do so, digital is playing a large role in accessing their customer base.

Geofencing creates a virtual perimeter around a real-world geographic area and to reach hyper-local audiences with pinpoint precision, often based on a central location. For restaurants, this allows them to reach local customers that are either reachable via delivery or close enough to elect pick-up as an option. During the time of COVID, this is an especially useful tool. As restaurant owners look to find their footing, Restaurantgeofencing.com is providing their services for free until social distancing orders are lifted or until governments provide sufficient support.

While this service will prove advantageous for participating restaurants, Restaurantgeofencing.com seems to be successfully leveraging digital media outlets to promote the value proposition of their service during a particularly opportune time. In addition to a temporary, complimentary offering of their service, they are also providing pickup/delivery best practices strategies via their website. Strategy insights included operational, customer targeting, and digital marketing recommendations.

Instagram Targeting

I continue to be impressed with how well companies can target on Instagram.  I've bought more through Instagram marketing since being quarantined than I ever have before.  Companies like Dumbo Beach Co, Yeti, & Perfect Practice Golf keep popping up showing me things that I'm very interested in.  It's a great way for these companies to generate revenue when retailers are struggling so much because of the Pandemic. 

Digital Marketing scams European Governments

Online scammers are taking advantage of how desperate health officials have become during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The scam used fake email addresses and fake websites to trick health authorities into paying over $16 million for face masks that didn't exist.  It's unfortunate that there are people out there taking advantage of the pandemic but it is a reminder that you always need to be careful of what you're buying online.

Tik Tok

Tik Tok feels like the big winner out of the quarantine period.

I went from not knowing what this app even was, to now constantly watching videos of hilarious dances and scripts. Everyone from the youth to parents (being forced by their kids) have jumped in. I haven't made my Tik Tok debut yet, but the time feels near. Especially if quarantine persists. I'm not sure I have the coordination to do these choreographed dances, but they sure look cool.

I'm wondering if FB/Instagram would acquire TikTok as the next social platform.

The question for me is if a monetization strategy can take place on the app. Perhap brand awareness is enough, but Instagram has found away to capture significant ad revenue on the platform. If Tik Tok can replicate this strategy, this may be the next billion + valuation social media platform. 

The drawbacks of Digital advertising, exacerbated

While everyone is well aware of the dangers of fake news, digital advertising in a sensitive time such as this can contribute to a lot of confusion and chaos with fake/scam ads.

A recruitment agency in Singapore posted fake job ads; Facebook sued a user of operating LeadCloak, a software provider specializing in cloaking ads to promote misinformation about the economic impact of Covid-19; An LA woman found an ad by a company selling masks that contained her family pictures, citing all but one had died due to the pandemic. There are ads for masks making ambitious claims about safety, bogus drugs, fake vaccines even! The list goes on. It reminds me of the character in ‘Contagion’ who claims to have found the cure in ‘forsythia’. There is no dearth of people capitalizing on this pandemic. Coronavirus has inadvertently given rise to online scamming that is affecting all the big names, Facebook, Google, Amazon and the likes. It's easy to see how the implications of this information could escalate very fast, as people eagerly search for new information. 

The Federal Trade Commission has received more than 18,000 coronavirus-related complaints, according to commission data from January through April 15. More than half the complaints involved some type of fraud, with reported losses of nearly $9 million.

Post Covid-19, there should be a comprehensive interrogation of such fraud and due punishment should be put in place. And before another situation like this arises, regulation will clearly need to step up its game.

Mobile ads trends and platforms

As billions of people are so dependent on their mobile phones, accessing social media platforms, taking photos, recording videos, sending text messages, making payments, etc., mobile advertising is definitely one of the most effective means to reach out to your potential customers with the benefits of a surge in customer engagement rates, cost-effectiveness, personalized consumer relationships, and social media friendliness, among others.

A report sourced from emarketer says "In 2019, worldwide digital ad spending will rise by 17.6% to $333.25 billion. That means that, for the first time, digital will account for roughly half of the global ad market."

What are the common types of mobile advertising? 

1. Banner advertising 

Banner ads, which usually use vibrant colors and quality graphics to grab customers' attention, are often embedded in a web host page or an app, hoping to pull the customers from the host page to the advertiser's pager and then convert them to paying clients. 

2. Video advertising 

Now, video advertising is a very powerful communication tool to get a company a desired conversation rate. I personally would love to open the video clip to view and "feel" the products and their functions. When comparing products, if someone has a video for me to watch, it has more likelihood for me to pick the products. A big percentage of consumers watch videos on their mobile phones. In fact, watching video on a phone has more impact and gets more conversions as compared to watcting video ads on TV. 

3. Full-screen or interstitial mobile advertising 

Interstitial advertisements are the full-screen videos or graphics that are usually placed at app transition points. Given that they are taking up the full screen or the majority of the screen space, they have advantages of drawing consumers' attention. Interstitial ads get high click percentages compared to banner ads, however, it is important that they are only displayed t the interval point so as not to interrupt the user activity flow. 

4. Native app-based advertising 

These ads are displayed within the app's natural environment of the mobile and hence blend in with the flow. Since they are embedded as part of the mobile environment, they cannot be blocked and the targeted users will not be interrupted. An example of native mobile advertising is Facebook ads. Users scroll through their page / news feed and yet get to see ads embedded in between two news pieces. 

5. Gamified mobile advertising 

Gamified mobile advertising is a type of interactive video or rich media advertisements, getting customers engaged. Since game based learning is now being considered a highly evolved means of education by all sectors, gamification based ads create high conversion rates. 

So what are the best ad platforms for mobile advertising? 

1. Google Ads

When using display ads, you can use "device targeting" to target only smartphone and / or tablet users. Ads can be published within apps, browsers and google search results. 

2. 

2. Facebook / Instagram Ads 

Given the large base of the users, Facebook and Instagram are good options for advertisers.

3. Bing Ads

Although Bing does not have Google's market share, you will pay 70% less for Bing Ads than Google. In addition, with Bing ads, you have more control over the language, location and scheduling of your campaign. You can also use the social extensions app to drive traffic to your social media accounts. 

4. AdMob

AdMob, acquired by Google in 2009, allows users to decide what types of ads they want to show and to set filters so only relevant ads are shown. Advertises that want to take advantage of these in-app placements can use Google Ads to show up in AdMob ad locations. 

5. AdColony 

AdColony is a popular mobile video ad network used successfully by companies such as Hilton Hotels, Adidas and Farmville. Publishers can show video ads during in-app usage. For example, the platform is popular with mobile game developers to show a video ad after the user has completed a task or achieved a certain level. 

6. TubeMogul 

This is a demand-side, mobile ad serving platform, which assures that your ads will be seen and clicked by real people. 

7. Airpush

Airpush is the 2nd largest mobile ad platform for Android, which features 12 different ad formats, including push notifications, overalay ads, in-app banners, etc. 

Regardless of the ad types, the best mobile ad platforms would have the following common traits:

• Large inventory of possible ad placements
• Advanced analytics and targeting
• Access to a global market
• Mobile support on all of the big operating systems 

From Haircuts to Budget Cuts

FROM HAIRCUTS TO BUDGET CUTS

As our firm finished our fiscal year a few ago in the midst of the pandemic, our teams were asked to cut budgets and cease spending across the board. As this was my first experience having to complete this exercise, I set out online looking for guidance and found a helpful resource tailored to my exact situation (Thanks SEO!) The article title 'An Entrepreneurs Guide to Long-Term Marketing Strategies Amid COVID-19' provided me a few key takeaways:

• Lowering budgets across each channel equally produces long-term negative effects on sales
• Focus on core products and core customers
• Let qualified experts give advice
• Don't use the crisis as a public relations stunt
• Continue ESG focus and market messages that communicate how the company is part of the solution

SOURCE:
https://thenextweb.com/podium/2020/04/16/an-entrepreneurs-guide-to-long-term-marketing-strategies-amid-covid-19/

Walmart Grocery App Sees Record Downloads

With grocery pickup and delivery service apps seeing record demand amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent article by TechCrunch highlights that the Walmart Grocery app not only hit an all-time high in downloads, but has grabbed the number 1 ranking position across all shopping apps in the U.S. on April 5th, 2020, surpassing Amazon by 20% in the process.

The app was able to retain the top position for at least 2 consecutive days. With the enormous success and interest that the app has garnered, Walmart’s original plans to wind down the app and fold it into it’s flagship mobile app & site are now potentially jeopardized as it will take a significantly longer time to shift consumers between apps.

The benefits from uniting the two apps are still present. For example, folding Walmart Grocery into the main Walmart app gives the company the ability to direct marketing dollars into only promoting one Walmart app vs. doing so for two apps. Of course, another benefit of doing this is that Walmart would also have the ability to cross-sell consumers and help drive sales across many different departments (e.g. influencing grocery shoppers to buy items in the apparel department, etc.). Furthermore, Walmart’s main app would get the millions of customers that Walmart Grocery has and with it, a robust boost in its app ranking.

I think it will be interesting to see how COVID continues to alter the business strategies of prominent retailers while also encouraging new entrants to what is quickly becoming a very competitive market in online grocery. At the present, the demand for online grocery is clearly outpacing the supply and it will be fascinating to watch how many entrants not only successfully penetrate the market but how many actually survive and thrive once COVID ultimately winds down.

https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/09/walmart-grocery-app-sees-record-downloads-amid-covid-19-surpasses-amazon-by-20/

Together, virtually

The new normal everyone is facing is unearthing some new behaviors. These behaviors are growing out of necessity right now, but are likely to stick around to some degree after things return to whatever the next new normal will be post-shutdown orders. One of the biggest trends is virtual conferencing. For work, but also socially. Zoom and HouseParty have seen an explosion of users, some of the few companies that are seeing positive growth at this time. Riding on the need for so many people to connect virtually, they are rolling out product fixes and watching their valuations soar. What will be critical is how they'll continue to position themselves as people return to work and in-person gatherings. Are some of these virtual gatherings here to stay now that older generations and technology hold-outs have become power users? Are consumers getting more comfortable with other virtual habits like online grocery ordering, workouts, and more? Will conversations among disparately located family and/or friends continue? I think those few companies that are seeing growth in the current time, will have to be very strategic and savvy about continuing to position their offering as a positive and desirable solution when being in-person is an option. But, if they're able to, they may find themselves on the ground floor of an entire social revolution that changes how people communicate, interact, plan, shop, and more.

Marketing more important than ever

Once the pandemic settled us all into a new way and the "unprecedented times" began to reveal some serious economic struggles, many companies were forced to reevaluate their entire P&L. Some furloughed employees, some cut pay, and many cut back on various expenses - particularly marketing. It seems to make sense on the surface for industries like travel that are vastly underutilized at a time when everyone is ordered to stay home. However, some experts are warning that keeping up with marketing and maintaining a brand image during this time is actually of utmost importance. It does make sense to reevaluate, but the decision should be in a shift in how those marketing dollars are spent, not in the removal of them. Following through a Fast Company article (https://www.fastcompany.com/90489914/why-airbnb-made-a-big-mistake-by-ditching-its-marketing) we can see that marketing budgets can be used not to create demand - which wouldn't be practical as consumers can't actually consume the product right now - but instead maintain, if not fortify the entire customer relationship.

It's safe to assume that in time, industries will be able to re-open. There will be a new normal of course, but if a brand was present and part of the consumer's mind space all throughout the time at home, it would be safe to conclude that consumers will turn to that brand when they can consume again. Air BnB is losing a huge amount as the travel industry screeched to a halt, but consumers will travel once again. And if Air BnB has been out of their mind for several months, its possible a different accommodation solution will become preferred -- particularly if that accommodation has been regularly in touch with the consumer, letting them know updates and change and how precautions are going to be taken when business resumes.

I've already seen many brands shift from their regularly scheduled advertising messages to those sympathetic to everyone's struggles, or encouraging of the positives, or helpful in new ways. These are the types of messages brands should adopt, and I think those that do a good job of staying relevant and keeping a conversation with their customer going, will fare the best as things begin to reopen.

Rise & fall (?) of pay to win gaming

Up until the emergence of mobile gaming market in late 2010s, most of the games were designed for PC or consoles, mostly Playstation by Sony or Xbox by Microsoft. One used to pay up-front for a full game with add-ins/extension packs, each of which significantly extended play time, often 20-40%, and were released within months from the main game.

Mobile gaming changed the rules entirely. Mobile games provided more casual, fast-paced gaming experience with less time spend on the game. Shorter gameplay meant lower development costs, which enabled low-cost titles to commercialize exclusively through in-game ads. Paid titles were typically in price range of $0.99-9.99, compared to $49-99+ for top PC/console games. It is microtransactions however, that mobile gaming is known for among development studios' CFOs.

Microtransactions themselves precede mobile gaming with first known in-game transaction being in PC/Xbox game Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in 2006. Mobile users however have it seemingly easier to pay for in-app purchases with password/fingerprint/face camera verification instead of traditional online credit/debit card payments. Sometimes too easy, as one can hear every now and then about kids abusing their parents' credit cards stacking up hundreds or thousands of dollars in in-app purchases.

Embedding microtransactions into the game impacts game mechanics. Studios have incentive to include elements in the game that when purchased, extend gameplay or accelerate advancements in the game. Some gamers blame studios for purposely slowing down natural progression in their games to boost in-game sales. This is being noticed by gamers community and their sentiment reaches development studios.

Will it hold up in the future then? Many believe microtransactions have to change. Some point Fortnite as a good example - game available across all platforms where microtransactions can impact cosmetics of one's character in-game but cannot be used to accelerate advances in game or unlock additional gameplay. Others bring CD Project RED and "no microtransactions" approach in their AAA titles (e.g. The Witcher, upcoming Cuberpunk 2077).


Sources:
1) wikipedia
2) https://www.engadget.com/2006-04-04-bethesda-responds-to-oblivion-backlash.html
3) https://www.theguardian.com/technology/shortcuts/2013/mar/26/apples-in-app-game-charges-kids-bills
4) https://www.howtogeek.com/449521/what-are-microtransactions-and-why-do-people-hate-them/
5) https://www.dsogaming.com/news/cd-project-red-on-multiplayer-and-microtransactions/