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Big developments in social and mobile are shaping the digital media landscape as brands gear up for their end-of-year media spend.
- Facebook's ad frequency: How will consumers react to a doubling in newsfeeds?
- Ice Bucket Challenge: A meme and its tipping point
- Social fail? Retailer Gregg's spins a social fail into success
- Mobile ad spend: How Google is winning your budgets
Research and examples on click through. Email
us for training tips and refresher courses later this year, or
for input into your 2015 digital strategy.
Danny Meadows-Klue
President
Digital Training Academy
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Facebook has raised the frequency cap on ads, letting brands appear twice as often in its users'
News Feeds, as the social network continues to steer brands towards paid ads. 22/08/2014 | Full story...
Greggs has been embarrassed after a crude spoof of its logo started appearing on a prominent Google search result- but the UK bakery chain managed to turn the situation to its advantage via some good humoured and timely social media management. 20/08/2014 | Full story...
There's some good news for native advertisers this week, with research indicating that just 2% more consumers trust content from publications (35%) than from brands (33%). Watch this recent roundtable event hosted by Vibrant Media discussing native ads below.
Samsung bought SmartThings for $200m, as the electronics giant looks to expand into the growing smart home and internet of things arena. Watch this video, courtesy of Engadget, looking into the kind of products that SmartThings is creating for the home. 15/08/2014 | Full story...
Global mobile advertising revenue reached $19.3bn in 2013, nearly doubling from the year before, according to new data from IAB Europe. 14/08/2014 | Full story...
Twitter has begun testing video ads embedded into user's newsfeeds, as the social network looks to rival Facebook's recent foray into auto-start video ads. 14/08/2014 | Full story...
Google is reportedly testing a new way of measuring a mobile audience, letting advertisers target users across apps and the mobile web. 13/08/2014 | Full story...
Google has bought a texting app that matches a virtual assistant with instant messages, mining text conversations to send reminders to the user about important dates- potentially serving relevant ads too. 08/08/2014 | Full story...
The latest research about how to unlock the slowing China economy suggests internet marketing in China will be the key. 07/08/2014 | Full story...
Despite commanding 85% of the global mobile market, Google's Android has always fallen behind Apple's iOS in terms of web usage... until now. New data indicates that Android usage is now higher than Apple's iPhone and iPad operating system. 06/08/2014 | Full story...
Xiaomi, often dubbed the 'Apple of China', has overtaken Samsung in terms of smartphone units sold for the first time in the country, according to new research. Watch this video covering Xiaomi's latest smartphone launch here. 06/08/2014 | Full story...
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In July 2014, Charity ALS started a small scale internet challenge that ended up reaching all the way to the White House. This case study looks at how the 'Ice Bucket Challenge' led to record donations to the charity, raising some $15.6m in contributions to the group and its national affiliates, compared with less than $50,000 in the same period last year.
21/08/2014 | Full story and data...
Fanta is using 6 second video platform Vine to create a weekly digital comedy series, "Fanta For The Funny," aimed at teenagers and young adults. View the first episode below. 19/08/2014 | Full story...
Miller Lite has embarked on a user generated content campaign, encouraging fans to submit their own summer photos with the beer brand with the promise of turning the best ones into a nationwide TV campaign. This case study looks at how the campaign's hashtag became the No. 2 branded hashtag on Twitter. 19/08/2014 | Full story...
With bushy beards coming back into fashion, how does a shaving brand get rugged hipsters back on their side? This viral video from Wilkinson Sword Germany explains why the hirsute look might not be as fatherly as you might think. The 45-second ad, created by the Labamba Agency in Hamburg, Germany, tracks different fathers first meeting their offspring throughout history - and why a beard can make a bad impression on babies.
18/08/2014 | Full story and data...
Colgate-Palmolive are the latest firm where FMCG digital marketing creative agencies are facing a mainstream challenge to their businesses from hot creative talent on YouTube channels. Whatever type of marketing you do, this could impact your business. 07/08/2014 | Full story...
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/online-advertising
As ad budgets shift to digital, marketing teams are changing too. This month saw food giant Mondelez ditch the traditional 'Chief Marketing Officer' role for a broader 'growth officer' position to reflect greater integration with both IT and head office. Meanwhile, behavioural targeting (and the limits of privacy) continues to evolve, with Twitter revealing plans to target its logged out audience with follow-up ads based on their browsing habits. As big data becomes ever more crucial, we have an infographic exposing 12 of the biggest myths (both for and against) new marketing techniques for the information age.
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This chart shows the projects that Chief Information Officers and Chief Marketing Officers take responsibility for within different organisations. Mobile apps are the most evenly split between job roles with 74% of CMOs taking responsibility and 86% of CIOs. Advertising platforms are the most disproportionate between job functions with 83% of CM0 taking owenship of the function compared to 15% CIO. 19/08/2014 | Full story...
This chart shows the uplift in spend for marketing channels since 2013. Marketers are spending more on mobile, with spend on the channel rising 109% from 2013. Social spend made a gain of 20% but was not as attractive to marketers as video advertising which made a gain of 65% in 2014. 19/08/2014 | Full story...
FMCG giant Mondelez, owner of brands such as Cadbury's, Philadelphia and Oreo has scrapped its traditional Chief Marketing Officer position for a new wider-reaching role that includes global strategy and research and development. 11/08/2014 | Full story...
Twitter is exploring ways it can monetise the "hundreds of millions" of visitors to its platform that are not logged-in. Watch this video from Bloomberg discussing Twitter's user numbers here. 05/08/2014 | Full story...
Big data has quickly established itself as key to enabling the next great leaps in marketing evolution, but the industry is hampered buy a lack of take-up as myths about its pros and cons persist. The DMA Data Council has teamed with a panel of practitioners from the Email, Mobile & Connected and Social Media Councils to shatter these myths in one infographic. 04/08/2014 | Full story...
More top advertising stories from this month:
- Lay's teams up with Uber for picnic basket campaign
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/search-engine-marketing
Google continues to tinker with its search formula, and this month saw the internet giant focus on local listings. Under the new scheme, users may see directories showing up in the search results below the search results carousel including OpenTable, Urbanspoon and TripAdvisor. Yahoo also targeted local this month with the purchase of Zofari, generating recommendations for local haunts like bars and cafes.
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Yahoo is boosting its local search capabilities by taking on the team from the smartphone recommendation app Zofari. 18/08/2014 | Full story...
It's feeling like local is the big winner as latest SEO changes for the Google search algorithm start to move rankings around. 12/08/2014 | Full story...
Google is encouraging website developers to make their sites secure for visitors by using site encryption as one of the factors to determine search ranking. 11/08/2014 | Full story...
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/facebook-marketing
Facebook cracked down on 'click bait' ads this month, banning those that trade on offering likes for free content, as the search giant looks to increase the value of its social currency for advertisers and users alike. As part of its attempt to attract the next billion users in developing nations, the social network trials a free web access scheme in Zambia- but only for browsing select sites.
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Facebook continues to dominate social media on mobile in the US, but SnapChat use is rocketing, according to new research looking into social media trends in the US. 19/08/2014 | Full story...
Facebook is testing is free internet access scheme in Zambia, giving mobile and web users access to a select number of sites. 01/08/2014 | Full story...
Facebook has cracked down on apps that incentivise app downloads in exchange for likes, as the social network looks to increase the value and meaning of its social metrics for advertisers. 11/08/2014 | Full story...
More top Facebook stories from this month:
- Zuckerberg Vs Murdoch: How do dotcom billionaires compare to moguls of old? (Infographic)
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/social-media-marketing
As the social media wars heat up, Twitter altered its ad model by letting advertisers specify which action they wish to pay for, such as downloading an application. Meanwhile Google continued its local assault with the purchase of social city guide JetPac, while the controversial (but hugely popular among teens) social network Ask.fm was sold to online media conglomerate IAC.
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This chart shows the responses TV audiences give when asked the question "What impact does social media have on your television viewing'?". The top answer was that the audience member became aware of more programmes rising from 18% in 2012 to 25% in 2013. 19/08/2014 | Full story...
Google has bought social travel app JetPac, as the internet giant continues to enhance its local search data. Watch this video demonstrating how the technology works below. 18/08/2014 | Full story...
IAC, the digital media giant behind Tinder, Vimeo and Ask.com, has bought anonymous social network Ask.fm. 15/08/2014 | Full story...
Twitter has revamped its ad pricing model to compete with Facebook, letting advertisers specify which action they wish to pay for, such as downloading an application. 13/08/2014 | Full story...
More top social media stories from this month:
- Pinterest finally adds private messaging
- Bad dates: OKCupid in hot water over user experiments
- Pinterest buys Icebergs
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/mobile-marketing
News that three quarters of Americans have a smartphone shows just how vital mobile marketing has become for any brand looking to crack developed markets. But how do brands reach this audience? With app downloads reaching saturation point, marketers need to prove they can offer something unique and relevant to the user to stand out from the crowd. This month also saw wearables continue to expand, with leaked details of Motorola's new Moto 360 smartwatch showing how Android Wear will work when going on sale in September.
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/email-marketing
Unsubscribing to marketing emails (or spam messages) just got a little easier for consumers. From August, Gmail now searches through an email for an unsubscribe link, and if it finds one displays it next to the sender's address at the top. Clicking the unsubscribe link at the top takes the user to the same place without having to scroll through the whole email. The move could actual benefit email marketers, as while their mailing lists may shrink, the quality of email recipients (and the efficiency of their marketing spend) should increase.
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Google has now rolled out a new feature to help Gmail users get rid of unwanted messages more easily. 15/08/2014 | Full story...
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/content-marketing
Buzzfeed continues to grow apace (and with it the rise of native ads). New investment price the online publication at three times the value of the Washington Post. Meanwhile, Vine has opened up its platform to other apps, making production of the 6-second video format much easier to produce for users and brands alike. This month we also look at the way video ads are being bought and sold, with the vast majority still be traded in the same way as TV commercials- but is this a dated method for a modern format?
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This chart shows the response content marketers give when asked the question "during the past 12 months how effectively have your content marketing efforts delivered business value?". Somewhat effectively came out as the top answer with over half of all marketers surveyed giving this response. 19/08/2014 | Full story...
Six second video platform Vine will now let users upload video clips created elsewhere, as the Twitter-owned firm looks to boost the usability of its app. Watch this video demonstrating the new changes below. 21/08/2014 | Full story...
BuzzFeed has raised $50m in a new funding round that values the web publisher at three times the amount of the Washington Post. Watch this video from Bloomberg discussing the BuzzFeed investment here. 13/08/2014 | Full story...
Almost all online video advertisers in the UK are buying their ads in a TV-like way, indicating the cost-per-action model is no longer working for video advertisers, according to new research. 04/08/2014 | Full story...
More top multimedia content stories from this month:
- Google's ad-free music subscription service revealed?
- UK video trends: Brits still prefer to watch live shows on their TV
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/marketing-through-gaming/
Amazon made a big play for dominance in the gaming market this month, spending $1bn on game-watching site Twitch. As gaming switches from physical media to online streaming, the new Playstation TV launch shows where the industry is heading (and where brands need to be). Finally, a sober reminder that 6-months is a long time in the app industry, as former mobile gaming giant King (maker of the Candy Crush Saga)sees its shares dive as players move on to new smartphone challenges.
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Amazon has bought gaming platform Twitch for $1bn, letting the online retail tap into the new phenomenon of social gaming. Watch this video from Bloomberg exploring the ramifications of the deal below. 26/08/2014 | Full story...
Sony's TV and games streaming device, dubbed Playstation TV, is set to go on sale in the US on 14 October and in the UK on 14 November. Watch this launch video, courtesy of GameSpot, below. 14/08/2014 | Full story...
King Entertainment, the team behind Candy Crush Saga has seen $1.4bn (£833m) wiped from its value on weak earnings figures as gamers seem to be losing interest in the 'freemium' puzzle game. 14/08/2014 | Full story...
The creator of Flappy Bird is set to launch his follow up game this week, debuting a teaser trailer for Swing Copters. 20/08/2014 | Full story...
More top gamilng stories from this month:
- Flappy Bird returns with 'less addictive' version... but only on Amazon Fire
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/ecommerce-and-eretailing
Groupon is undergoing an image change to become an online retailer, as the embattled daily discount firm looks to correct a tumultuous two years as a public company. Meanwhile taxi app Uber is expanding into grocery deliveries in the US- can it's social sharing approach to services shake up the online retail market like it did with transport?
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This chart shows what connected smartphone and tablet users are doing whilst watching television. General web surfing came out as the top activity with 49% of smartphone users and 66% of tablet users accessing their second screen to browse the internet. Interestingly for advertisers, shopping came out second with 44% of tablet users shopping online as they watch television. 19/08/2014 | Full story...
The UK and Denmark are the biggest web shoppers amongst EU countries, according to new research. 08/08/2014 | Full story...
Uber is testing a grocery delivery service in the US, as the firm looks to take successful social taxi service to other sectors. 21/08/2014 | Full story...
Groupon has redesigned its UK website in a step towards becoming an online marketplace, as the firm moves away from its daily deals roots. 20/08/2014 | Full story...
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/digital-marketing-regulation
As the Internet of Things starts to show its potential, big players such as Samsung, Google and Intel are forming industry groups to get their standards into the technology early. In a year dominated by web surveillance practices, its little surprise that Government spies such as the NSA and GCHQ have been named 'villain of the year' at a recent awards show.
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Russian hackers have stolen 1.2 billion user name and password combinations in what could be the biggest ever data theft, hitting big name websites "in virtually all industries across the world" according to a US security firm. 06/08/2014 | Full story...
The UK government is investigating the role that virtual currencies such as Bitcoin will play on the current (and future) global financial system. Watch this video from the Guardian explaining how Bitcoin works below. 07/08/2014 | Full story...
Twitter has admitted that 23 million of its 271 million monthly active users are actually bots- essentially computer programmes that tweet of their own accord without human help. 15/08/2014 | Full story...
More top regulation stories from this month:
- Video ad measurement: IAB planning new metric soon
- DMA ditches rules for 5 'principles' to build customer trust
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