Superbowl Ads

https://digiday.com/marketing/what-a-7m-super-bowl-ad-buy-can-purchase-in-digital-media-in-2023/amp/

This is an interesting article that shows the digital equivalent to a $7 million superbowl ad.  Further research shows that the total viewing audience for superbowl is estimated at 208M P2+ individuals (https://www.nfl.com/news/super-bowl-lvi-total-viewing-audience-estimated-at-over-208-million).   

In comparison in digital impressions, for $7M, the stats in the article are

 Netflix – 127.2M impressions

Instagram Reels – 2.3B impressions

TikTok – 1.64B impressions

Twitter – 2.3B impressions (+$250 ad credit)

YouTube – 2.21B impressions

Newsletters – 280M impressions

 From an impression standpoint, it is shocking to see how $7M differs from digital to linear, 2.3B impressions on IG is an over one thousand percent increase of the 208M for linear.

 Looking at the ad through the digital lens, digital marketing has its own toolset for the ad:

 SEO: Content marketers can use the ad creative as a tool for SEO – there can also be “behind the scenes footage” posted to the web

 SEM: From a paid perspective, there can be a SEM spend to help generate traffic around the commercial (e.g., if a celebrity is in a commercial for a brand, that brand can build an ad using the celebrity as a key word)

 There is also utility for Superbowl ads in social, both in paid and organic.  Video clips can be posted to social platforms, and the clips can also be supported with a media buy. 

 It is also worth noting, Superbowl has merits outside of pure impressions; for many marketers there is earned media involved when doing a spot for the Superbowl.  There is typically a press release around the campaign, and the commercials are available to press outlets.

 

Bing Taking a Bite out of Google’s Pie

 With the introduction of ChatGBT into the Bing search engine, is this now the race to the bottom in terms of pricing just like what Amazon Web Services (AWS) did for compute and storage servers? 

This is the first major innovation in years to the search market. Microsoft is hoping its investment into ChatGBT as the critical knife point that would enable Bing to take a bite out of Google’s dominance as the world’s search engine. Microsoft’s CEO “Nadella said he was willing to accept any “demonetisation” of the search business” in order to lessen Google’s slice of the pie. In response, Google has had a blunder filled week with the error prone first impression of Bard, Google’s response to ChatGBT. Yet, Bing’s new search result layout is eerily similar to Google’s. This leaves the reader to wonder, is the real battle a preference over a product or will the AI enabled search truly be a lasting innovation or is it just another fad? I personally believe that this may be a fad in search but the larger impact on automating jobs like cold email or drafting emails will forever change. With the major impact of AI is still unknown, I look forward to the disruption that will be taking place in the near future. 

Source: https://www.ft.com/content/2d48d982-80b2-49f3-8a83-f5afef98e8eb?desktop=true&segmentId=7c8f09b9-9b61-4fbb-9430-9208a9e233c8#myft:notification:daily-email:content

Podcast Advertising is Becoming a Pretty Big Deal

Podcast Marketing Stats for Businesses

I am not sure this is exactly digital marketing, but I think there is something to this whole podcast marketing deal. I listen to a total of two podcasts, and I only listen to one of them regularly. I can however, recite most of the ads on both of them by heart. It's a lot like influencer social media marketing for your ears I guess and after reading the article, I realized that I have paid a lot more attention to the ads from my podcasts than from pretty much anywhere else I see or hear ads. Magic Spoon, Vuori joggers, Helix Mattresses, Alamo Drafthouse, Bob's Steak and Chophouse, Eatzi's Market & Bakery, I can recite all of their ads and the only place I hear them are on my two podcasts. I'm not saying this is the future of advertising, but I remember them for some reason and I couldn't tell you the last commercial I saw or the last ad I clicked on intentionally. I bring this to this forum to raise the question, what role should podcast advertising play in a CMO's plan to drive sales? 

Whether you buy it or not about podcasts, this little article was a bit of content provided by a digital marketing agency as an ad in the hopes that you will consider using them to help you fill out your content strategy etc. This article/ad was included in a daily newsletter that was sent to me by another digital marketing agency in the hopes that I will want to use them because they send me daily content. Pretty slick. 

Will TikTok Replace Google as Gen Z’s Go-To Search Engine?

Will TikTok Replace Google as Gen Z’s Go-To Search Engine? By Paige Carlotti

ChatGPT isn’t the only thing threatening Google’s dominance in the search market. Not only did TikTok become the most visited web domain in the world as of 2021, but according to one Google exec, 40% of Gen Z consumers report turning to TikTok and Instagram for search before Google. The trend is so pervasive that TikTok even made a video about it (but posted it on YouTube, which I found interesting and slightly ironic). In other words, social is the new search engine.

I think this trend (or perhaps it is a permanent shift) further underscores the generation’s suspicion of corporations and the value of personalized recommendations. While some people may be tempted to say it’s because the generation is “lazy” or “doesn’t want to read,” I simply think they would rather hear from a person talking about their experience using a new product as opposed to the company telling them how great it is, and take pleasure in putting a face to the person who is explaining how to baste the perfect Thanksgiving turkey. Whether the platform is actually conducive to this change in behavior or not, I believe that if social search has the potential to be profitable, TikTok will shift its strategy in order to capture that value. I am eager to see how this could potentially prove the power of following the consumer!

Sources: 

https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-search-google/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaE1z4dZ4As

https://mashable.com/article/tiktok-search-engine-ad-google

QR codes to potentially flood the Super Bowl 2023 commercials

 

There is lots of talk about how all brands could be leveraging QR codes in their ads this year for the Super Bowl.  Coinbase did this particularly well in last year’s Super Bowl – so well that it nearly crashed the app it got so much traffic.

This is a clever tactic to drive customers right to a brand’s site.  Once they are there, the brand knows exactly from what entry point they entered the site, and they can then start collecting data about them.  Ideally they could ask for their email, and once collected start 1:1 communications with them and introduce them to the brand and start their journey through the marketing funnel.

It seems that once brands caught on to the success that Coinbase, and other brands had with this method, many other brands jumped on the bandwagon as well.  I’ll be curious to see how many QR codes are shown in ads this year.  In an ever increasingly digital world, the Super Bowl continues to be a major event to collect millions of eyes.  This is an extremely clever way of digitizing that reach and providing a call to action to do more than collect impressions, but to potentially collect and convert customers as well.

Will the Virtual Influencer ruin it all?

In the past 10 years, the rise of social media influencers has dramatically shifted how brands interact with new and younger demographics.  It has gotten to the point where one does not need to be a celebrity before then, they could be famous simply for having a lot of likes and a lot of opinions online. Although many of these influencer/brand deals may save some money from traditional advertising routes, many of these influencers have gone on to create challenges for these brands. As these influencers are human, scandals come to light or, they may simply go out of favor for their audiences. Depending on the agreements these brands have with influencers, this can cause extreme damage to the brand's reputation. 

Brands are now looking for alternative ways to connect to these younger audiences (gen z and younger millennials) who are not easily swayed by traditional marketing campaigns. An alternative to this is a virtual influencer/brand ambassador. We have seen them for years, Lil Miquela, Guggimon, and others but what if, the brand had their own dedicated influencer. Cancel proof, no travel, no crazy schedules, no usage fees, or extensive contracts. Some brands are starting to opt for it. Olmeca presented Maria Margarita and Samsung unveiled G-Nusmas last year. 

A lot of the downsides to "real" influencers are what may make a brand go for a virtual influencer. But, what are the pros of a virtual influencer that are not dependent on the "real" influencers? In many ways, we are just cycling back to traditional marketing under a new name. Although some brands have been very happy with their virtual influencers, when a character/person is so heavily associated with just one brand, the younger demographics may not see this as inauthentic. It is a bet these brands are willing to take and they will need to figure out what really sets these virtual influencers apart from the "real" ones. Otherwise, the "real" influencers will be here to stay for a very long time. 

sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2022/10/18/the-rise-of-virtual-influencers-and-what-it-means-for-brands/?sh=83bf17e6b56c

https://news.samsung.com/global/an-out-of-this-world-whimsical-employee-meet-samsungs-newest-virtual-avatar-gnusmas

https://whiskeyraiders.com/article/maria-margarita-virtual-influencer-olmeca-tequila/

Amazon Ads

https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/11/10/23450349/amazon-advertising-everywhere-prime-sponsored-products

In class, we discussed Amazon as a destination for digital advertising.  Reading this article, I found the size and scope of Amazon's ad unit to be quite astounding, especially the quote that says "Amazon's ad revenue surpassed the money it makes from Prime, Prime Video, and its other audio and e-book subscriptions combined."  

It is interesting how vast a portfolio of advertising placement Amazon has; in addition to ads on the site when shopping on Amazon, there are ads on digital prosperities such as Twitch, advertising in digital video content (including Thursday Night Football), and then on top of that, advertising placement on physical boxes sent out by Amazon.

Amazon is a company known for its leadership principles (https://www.amazon.jobs/content/en/our-workplace/leadership-principles) - and at the top of the list is that they are "customer centric."  The other business units - Prime, Prime video, audio, and e-book subscriptions are just that: customer centric.  These are all areas of the business meant to attract and retain customers.  Advertising, however, is historically not customer friendly, as most people don't like ads.  The article highlights this struggle as it described friction between the ad division and the customer experience division.  

However, given the huge profitability of the Ad Unit, it seems likely that this business will only continue to grow.  It will be interesting to see if "Customer Centric" continues to stay as the top Leadership Principle as this growth continues.  

(Additional link: https://advertising.amazon.com/solutions/industries/automotive-marketing - an interesting link that shows how Amazon positions it to advertisers in different industries, in this case the automotive industry)

Voice assistants’ effects on search

 

I am curious to see how Alexa and Google Home will change search.  Seeing as how Search makes its money on ads these days, will commerce in the future still use search as the interface between buyers and sellers or will voice assistants now take care of those transactions?  If yes, how will they monetize those transactions taking place through voice assistants?  Will advertising still be relevant, or a sustainable model?  Would voice assistants recommend ways/brands/companies to purchase a product?  If so, would those recommendations still be an auction model, with those who bid highest for those ads getting the featured spot? 

As voice assistants become more popular and more accurate, I’m curious what other features they will deliver that may change the ways of how big tech companies currently do business.  I’m also curious about what opportunities beyond BAU they present.  While currently they seem to fall in to the category of predictive analytics (answering a question given to them) in the future I’m sure they will fall into deep learning (presenting the questions and the answers without needing to be asked).  I wonder what that will look like and how consumers will treat or react to that type of service.

Niche Marketing via Influencers: How Real Estate is Adapting

The United States is a society that prides itself on the “brand” of the individual while Americans fall into the need for conformity. Luxury real estate developers are tapping into this ethos with the recent NYT pieces on niche influences that gain access to specific buildings and views in exchange for free advertising. Marketing is moving away from the general trendsetter into niche influence that reflects the “brand” of the individual who is rejecting mass conformity for the individual aesthetic. By tapping into niche influencers, luxury real estate is finally hyper-targeting a specific audience that often is difficult to engage. 

While this may seem like guerrilla marketing, this exclusivity for engagement benefits both the account posting and the product they are promoting. It is a sophisticated exchange of services for view ( in the case of the NYT article) that will no longer be available for the majority of the public once the apartment sells. In combination with the tone at the end of the piece about a South Bronx property fueling gentrification as the exchange of benefits is tried to justify the end by adapting themselves as a local member of the community via the niche influencer introductions.

 Source: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/24/business/real-estate-tiktok-social-media-influencers.html

Horizon Media Launches an AI Tool That Promises to Optimize Ad Spends

While many marketers have been thinking about how AI could potentially replace writers and designers, the folks at Horizon Media are thinking about how it could potentially replace ad buyers, too. After two and a half years of development, they’ve finally launched Neon, an AI tool that promises to help advertisers optimize their ad spend across major retail media networks like Amazon, WalMart and Albertsons. They’ll use artificial intelligence to predict critical KPIs like ROAS (Return on Ad Spend), analyze the results of competitors (which was previously impossible for advertisers) and leveraging data used in previous marketing mix models. 

As the popular argument goes, I still believe that tools like Neon should remain just that—tools. I don’t think that society will (or should ever) be in a place where AI can replace humans entirely. I believe that tools like Neon can make well-informed recommendations, but a human should always have to be the person who presses the “launch” button when a campaign is ready to go live. For example, if a major retailer is suddenly going through a scandal, an AI bot would miss those cultural cues and run the ad not knowing the PR ramifications associated with doing that. I am a firm believer that AI can enhance processes by improving the efficacy of an advertisers’ marketing dollars, but I would be surprised to see it replace the (human) workforce altogether.

Sources:

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/horizon-medias-night-market-launches-neon-an-ecommerce-predictive-ai-platform-to-plan-and-optimize-media-investments-to-revenue-outcomes-301723235.html

https://www.marketingbrew.com/stories/2023/01/20/horizon-created-an-ai-tool-that-it-says-can-help-optimize-retail-media-spend

Google being sued by the DOJ for monopolizing digital ad tech

 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-google-monopolizing-digital-advertising-technologies

So this dropped and I wonder if it will have any teeth. Does Google have anything to fear and would we all really be much better off with other options? I guess competition is good for the consumer, but what does a solution really look like? I have more questions than commentary on what looks to be a real threat to Google's dominance. Is it a real threat though? They've beaten the rap before and they certainly have the technology, money, and power to fight the case. I wouldn't want to bet against Google even though I 100% believe that they have a somewhat monopolistic stronghold on the digital advertising business. Time will tell, but this case could change the game in digital advertising. 

AI and the future of creative work

In the past year, we have seen the release of various "creative" AI platforms such as DALL-E and ChatGPT. Although some brands have embraced the platforms and have even released campaigns heavily based on the outputs of AI, others are concerned about how this may affect the role of creatives in the advertising space. I believe that it is important for creatives and agencies as a whole to embrace these platforms and utilize them as tools to better sell their services. When my team is working on a pitch with very abstract creative, we may pull from these platforms to help illustrate the ideas to clients. 

Ultimately, these platforms are not able to do the “actual” work. They may be able to produce a reference image but a client may want to make adjustments/improvements. This will require creatives directors, copywriters, and artists. In order for projects to be completed in a timely and efficient manner, producers and account managers are needed. Although these tools will continue to get better and may start to mimic the duties of one’s job, it is a human that then needs to make the decision on what to do with the output of these platforms.

Source:

 https://adage.com/article/marketing-news-strategy/watch-mint-mobiles-ad-created-chatgpt/2462502

https://adage.com/creativity/work/hardees-campaign-proves-ai-has-its-limitations/2462851

To be Tracked or Forgotten: The Impact of Jan 1 with CPRA

To be Tracked or Forgotten: The Impact of Jan 1 with CPRA

This January saw the first steps in the most current US battle between digital advertisers and US privacy advocates when it comes to cross-site tracking (known as behavioral advertising). This activity occurs when a consumer watches a knitting video on youtube and then is fed a “wobbles” knitting sponsored post on Instagram. This differs from contextual advertising which learns from a consumer's past actions on a single platform. IE when you watch knitting reels and then are fed sponsored posts for yarn releases or knitting patterns on Instagram. 

January 1, 2023 saw the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) implementation. This new privacy act allows consumers to opt out of cross-contextual behavioral advertising.  Privacy experts are applauding this step forward for US data protection as a “catch-up” to EU regulation. However, some critics believe that the consumer requirement to opt-out for each website will create user fatigue similar to EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) IE how an individual just starts accepting most cookies in order to gain access to the website regardless of what information these cookies are gathering. Some US critics believe the policy should be an Opt-In to better facilitate protection for the consumer. However, this critique is opposed by the digital advertisers that utilize this data as the consumer’s data is what is used to pay for the “free and open” internet. 2023 will be an interesting year as digital marketing adapts to these infantile privacy laws as the true impact will not be known for a few more months.

Netflix at the Upfronts

https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/netflix-tv-upfront-advertising-1235488128/

Netflix replacing Paramount at this year’s Upfronts is cementing a paradigm shift in advertising.  Upfront Week has historically been grounded in the traditional linear television ad space.  The New Fronts emerged as a companion to Upfront Week, but for digital advertising platforms.  However, Disney started to blur the lines between linear and digital last year when they removed Hulu from the New Fronts and instead did a company presentation across all platforms.  (https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/disney-pulls-hulu-from-newfronts-plans-company-wide-advertiser-showcase-1234904956/).

It is interesting that Paramount decided to vacate their Upfront Week presentation entirely, thereby leaving an opening for Netflix.  Paramount has a strong portfolio of linear platforms (and television’s current number 1 rated series Yellowstone), as well as their own digital platform in Paramount+ so one would certainly expect to see them at the Upfronts.    

Lines between linear and digital advertising continue to blur and it will be interesting to see the evolution of both Upfronts and New Fronts.  Some thoughts on trends to keep track of include:

1)      Will traditional media companies like Paramount stay away from Upfronts moving forward, or will they return?  These are expensive events to run and Paramount’s exit this year could be tied to the economic downturn

2)      Long term will there be “Upfronts” and “New Fronts” or eventually do these two sets of advertiser events merge into one (in the way that Disney has done for their portfolio of linear and digital)

 

Identifying the right metrics

 

I think that identifying the most important metric to track in digital marketing is a particularly interesting topic.  For example, impressions, interactions, time spent, conversions, etc. all serve different elements of the marketing funnel and can be traced back as a metric depending on the strategy of a particular digital marketing initiative. 

Metrics can even be less finite such as: collecting a new customer, re-engaging a retained customer, or even being able to articulate paying the lowest cost per metric, are other ways to identify success within a digital marketing campaign.

I feel that identifying and agreeing on what these metrics are upfront is a great way to ensure that the framework of a digital strategy is being met.  For example, once the framework of goal, strategy, tactics, and metrics is laid out, one can have a better understanding of (1.) what digital channels to use to serve the goal, and (2.) what metrics should be used to evaluate success of meeting that goal.

I’m also interested to learn more about how multi touch attribution plays into metrics even once such a framework is put together.  With many different touchpoints, often the last touch channel gets the credit for delivering on a metric when in fact it may be a variety of touchpoints that led to that metric delivery.

From Zero to ChatGPT Hero: How to Harness AI in Marketing

 From Zero to ChatGPT Hero: How to Harness AI in Marketing

I recently watched my co-worker use ChatGPT to help her write an investment memo and I was really impressed by its capabilities to provide content quickly with little direction. It feels a little like cheating and a little like harnessing the next greatest technology ever. I am curious as to where the line between plagiarism and useful tool lies with ChatGPT. It's nice to have options when it comes to marketing ideas and ChatGPT might be a great way to unblock a stuck content creator that needs the next blog or social media post. Is this the beginning of the end where the machines take over and learn how to market to humans better than we can to each other? It's not there yet, but it stands to reason that AI and ChatGPT will have a place in the digital marketers toolbox going forward.       

TikTok Is Being Banned on an Increasing Number of College Campuses

The University of Texas at Austin is the latest school to ban TikTok from its WiFi and other wired networks. They’re following the lead of other state schools like The University of Georgia system, Auburn University and many others.I am very intrigued by the impact that this forbiddance could have on brands who heavily rely on the social media app for its advertising spend—specifically brands who target college students. According to one TikTok Research Study, ads created specifically for the app in partnership with a creator result in 83% higher engagement rates than those without. In other words, this policy could have serious ramifications for brands relying on influencer marketing. It isn’t just the audience that’s valuable, either—it’s how the audience is accessing their content. According to neuromarketing and neuroanalytics firm Neuro-Insight, in-feed ads have a 23% higher detail memory than television ads.

While students may find clever workarounds for accessing the app, I imagine that this will still have a significant impact on a brand’s social media KPIs like views, impressions and reach, which could in turn have negative consequences for ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) and CAC (Cost to Acquire Customer). I could also see this having implications for the NCAA’s NIL rule and therefore athletic recruitment. For example, if a top athlete has a choice between a school that allows TikTok versus one that does not, will he/she opt for the school that allows TikTok so that they can earn money by partnering with brands on the popular social media platform? Brands will also suffer because if the athlete’s audience who they are targeting are concentrated in a certain region (e.g. the school the athlete attends), then brand’s might miss out on the huge returns that TikTok promises its advertisers.

Sources: https://www.morningbrew.com/daily/stories/university-of-texas-austinban-tiktok, https://www.tiktok.com/business/en-US/blog/tiktok-drives-greater-audience-engagement

https://www.tiktok.com/business/en/blog/brand-collaborations-tiktok-creators-drive-big-results

Moz Blog

Moz is a company that provides a range of tools and services for search engine optimization (SEO). The Moz blog is a blog on their website that provides news, tips, and insights on SEO, digital marketing, and online branding. The blog features articles written by Moz's in-house team of experts, as well as contributions from industry leaders and other experts. The content on the Moz blog covers a wide range of topics, including keyword research, link building, content marketing, and technical SEO. It is a valuable resource for individuals and businesses looking to improve their online visibility and performance.

 

 The industry's top wizards, doctors, and other experts offer their best advice, research, how-tos, and insights—all in the name of helping you level-up your SEO and online marketing skills.

 

The Moz Keyword eplorer tool is here to save the day. Moz is probably the most respected thought leader in the world of SEO, so when they designed a tool to make keyword research as easy as possible, it’s no surprise that they thought of everything. The keyword explorer lets you analyze any keyword you are interested in ranking for, using specific metrics that were chosen for their usefulness.

If you have a free Moz account (which is easy-peasy to set up if you don’t already have one), you are limited to 20 queries per month, so keep this in mind before you begin exploring. We’ll give you a few tips for making the most of these free searches later in this blog post.

 

Will Social-based E-commerce Model Work In Future?

While Amazon demonstrated a successful business model for e-commerce, Pinduoduo, the second largest e-commerce platform in China, has developed a team-based/social-based buying model. 

Pinduoduo's social, team-based buying model (platform layout shown above) has built success upon creating an unconventional, feed-based shopping experience, rather than a search based experience typical of traditional retail and e-tail. It runs under a "'you don’t know what you want but happy to discover'" mantra, in essence, building a feed catered to each individual user in a personalized, virtual bazaar format. This model has drawn millions to the app and has allowed Pinduoduo to grow its user base and revenues at a dazzling pace.

While this model significantly contributed to its user growth and GMV, the negative side cannot be ignored. Its social interaction is mainly sharing a link with existing connections and asking them to do a favor by registering and clicking the link. This is disturbing especially if sent to people that are not in close connection. Current social-based e-commerce was regarded as annoying and unhelpful to get desired discounts.

Therefore, when Pinduoduo enter the U.S. market, it has launched a new brand called Temu. Temu is similar to Amazon where products are displayed to show its quality, which is completely different from Pinduoduo itself. Its business success still remains to be verified, but seems social-based e-commerce would not be a prioritized strategy for Pinduoduo.

Wechat's recent focus on mini program - embedded apps in wechat

Wechat, the largest social media app in China, has demonstrated its leading position in social media, payment, etc. One noticeable trend is its emphasis on the "Mini-program" - simple apps that are embedded in the app. 

While keeping its position as the dominant social app and payment app in China, WeChat is also trying to replace App Store/Android Store by launching “Mini-programs”. WeChat initiated “mini-programs” in 2019 and now has 7Mn+ mini-programs on its platform. Mini programs are frequently used in ordering online and accumulating points. Also, the “Health code” that permits entering buildings and restaurants is frequently used. Other mini programs include games and videos.

From user's perspective, mini program is extremely easy to use. I don’t need to download multiple apps for ordering. I just simply open WeChat, and the apps are integrated within WeChat. Over the past year I used 500+ mini programs, and it saved the time and energy to download their apps individually. From the developer’s perspective, mini program is much easier to develop and is highly effective for gathering consumers’ information and building connections with them.

Considering monetization, Wechat is free to developers and users. There are display ads for specific free apps, such as Weibo (Chinese twitter), and the developer can pay a membership fee so that users can use it for free.