Data and a Digital Marketing Mindset

This Bloomberg article briefly talks about data based on digital marketing, and how difficult it is to derive meaning from it.

With every move we make on the internet being recorded and later analyzed by companies for trends, preferences and more, big data has a big role to play going forward.

http://www.bloomberg.com/sponsor/cognizant/digital-business-download/?mvi=145eb5d58c614a43b195349db87b09f4

Social media and the war on ISIS

Last week, hacker group Anonymous vowed to strike back at ISIS for its attacks in Paris, Beirut and other cities across the globe.

It's interesting to see how the war on ISIS has taken a digital turn. The terrorist group has been known to use social media, specifically Twitter and Telegram, to communicate.

Over the last few weeks, Telegram has shut down dozens of ISIS channels on its app, while refusing to give Governments a way around their privacy mechanisms. Similarly, Anonymous claims to have taken down hundreds of ISIS Twitter accounts, albeit without any "official" support from authorities.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2015/11/19/telegram-isis-propaganda-channels/

How to give your Facebook page a boost

This Forbes article has a nice summary and some tips on how to boost the reach of your business' Facebook page.

While this information is not something that is ground breaking, it's useful to have it in one place from a credible source.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2015/10/22/5-tips-for-dominating-with-your-business-page-on-facebook-right-now/

According to this Forbes article, retailers are struggling to use social media as a tool to respond quickly to customer complaints. They still appear to be relying heavily on email as the mode of response.

Only ~54% of respondents were able to use Facebook, and only ~20% Twitter, to resolve complaints.

Surprisingly, even web chat is not being used much, only ~35% said they used it successfully.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/retailwire/2015/11/16/retailers-failing-when-using-social-media-to-answer-complaints/

Advertising on Facebook and TV - the way to go?

According to Carolyn Everson, VP of Global Marketing at Facebook, rather than trying to compete with TV for advertisers' money, they are encouraging using both platforms as complementary. This is reportedly more successful than simply choosing one of the two. This is interesting, considering the fact that both segments are still increasing in terms of advertising spend.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kathleenchaykowski/2015/09/29/facebooks-carolyn-everson-talks-video-ads-calls-fb-and-tv-marketing-complementary/

Yahoo and Google sign new search deal

A few days ago, Yahoo and Google signed a new deal valid until the end of 2018, by which Google "will provide web search results, search ads and image search services" for Yahoo user queries.

While the deal is not exclusive - Yahoo will still be able to work with Microsoft's Bing - it is possibly facilitated by the fact that current CEO Marissa Mayer used to work for Google.

This could help Yahoo make some more out of its search engine, by using Google's technology as a prop.

More at:
http://www.theverge.com/2015/10/20/9577519/yahoo-google-search-deal

Ad blocker usage increases

We spoke a little about ad blockers in class.

Ad blocking is possibly one of the biggest threats to companies that use digital marketing as their primary channel to reach potential consumers.

Last week, for the first time ever, a cell phone operator in Jamaica started blocking ads. This is a worrisome trend for marketers.

In the last 3 years or so, the number of monthly ad blocking software users has nearly quadrupled from ~50 mn to ~200 mn, drastically limiting the reach of digital advertising.

If this trend continues, Google could be in for some tougher days ahead.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/df072c9c-686f-11e5-97d0-1456a776a4f5.html#axzz3nkyDjZ2O

Facebook covertly pursuing a not so hidden agenda?

Most internet users are now gaining awareness about search engines and other websites gathering and using their data for economic benefit.

Facebook appears to have taken this to another level. After Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi' meeting with Mark Zuckerberg a couple of days ago, Zuckerberg's display picture promoting Modi's "Digital India" campaign spread like wildfire among the Indian community. 

Little did the adopters of the new display pictures know, that by using Facebook's service to convert their existing display picture into the "Digital India" format, they were allegedly automatically voting in favor of Facebook's internet.org initiative. Many believe this initiative is inherently against net neutrality, the subject of a raging debate in India at the moment.

More at the link below.

http://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/fb-screwed-you-over-changing-you-display-pic-means-you-just-voted-against-net-neutrality-245657.html

Yahoo's 'free' ad space

As various NFL fantasy football leagues kick off, Yahoo has found a way to differentiate itself and potentially become the most profitable. It has managed to sign up over 40,000 users so far, and the number is increasing.

How is it managing to do this? Free advertising spots on search and its fantasy website.

Considering that advertising is an absolute requirement in a field where few ways to differentiate exist, and that other fantasy sports leagues have spent millions on advertising in just the last week, this could catapult Yahoo.


http://www.forbes.com/sites/marcedelman/2015/09/12/yahoo-could-quickly-become-no-1-in-daily-fantasy-sports-profits-free-ad-space-makes-it-possible/

Social media and the refugee crisis

While this is not the first time countries have taken in refugees en masse, the refugee crisis in Europe is certainly attracting a lot more attention due to the reach it has in today's digitally connected world, with news and images spreading like wildfire on social media.

Take for example, the disturbing images of a Syrian toddler washed up on a Turkish beach. This sparked widespread outrage on social media platforms, prompting people across the world to unite in support of the refugees by way of online campaigns and petitions in countries far from the crisis such as New Zealand.

It seems that not only is social media allowing news on the subject to reach the world quicker, it is also allowing readers and viewers to act quicker. This is in stark contrast to conventional media, where viewers may or may not have access to unfiltered news.

One could hypothesize that social media is playing a role in putting pressure on governments in Europe to act more quickly in response to the refugees rather than just turning them away. For example. the incident in Budapest a couple of days ago.