The premise of the internet of things (IoT)—that everything can and will be connected—is by turns enticing and intimidating. Who wouldn’t want the ability to cool a room before returning home or have the oven start to cook the evening meal remotely? What business wouldn’t want to keep closer, more up-to-the-minute tabs on inventory thanks to stock items that can communicate levels and whereabouts?
By Gonzalo López Martí@LopezMartiMiami
Many people are eagerly awaiting the A day (A as in algorithm).
They are hoping a time will come when algorithms will replace humans in the various functions of the marketing pipeline.
For instance: the Canadian chat app Kik, wildly popular among teens both in Canada and the US, is launching a service that will allow its users to converse with “brand bots”.
This is, software that impersonates a brand.
Line, the Japanese chat service globally known for its “stickers” interface, is also tinkering with bot-driven branded efforts to engage its users.
But don’t let the headlines fool you.
Traditional journalism has been significantly impacted by the growing number of Americans who turn to social media to source, share and engage with news.
Riding the wave of soccer fever that swept the nation, automotive companies that advertised during the World Cup 2014 experienced twice as much growth in consumer interest on KBB.com compared to automakers that did not advertise during the event, 1 according to Kelley Blue Book. The greatest traffic surge occurred the week the U.S. Men’s National Soccer team competed against Portugal and Germany, as many Americans tuned in to the high-profile games.
SSG analysis reveals that contrary to the myth that Hispanics are less likely to make pets full members of their families, Upscale Latinos are increasing pet ownership dramatically while other segments are nearly flat or declining. The pet industry shift towards Hispanic consumers has implications for pet food manufactures, specialty stores, mass discounters, toys, animal hospitals, grooming spas, and other high-end services, etc.
Think the net neutrality debate is all about streaming videos? Think again. It’s actually much more than that: It’s about streaming your life. Internet connectivity might seem ubiquitous today, between the use of PCs, mobile devices, and smart TVs, but there are major swaths of daily life that aren’t connected yet that soon will become so, such as homes and cars, according to a new eMarketer report, “Key Digital Trends for Midyear 2014: The Internet of Things, Net Neutrality, and Why Marketers Need to Care.”
Chief executives heading U.S. multinational companies are confident about the overall economy and their business prospects in the next three years and anticipate a peak profit period from 2016 to 2017. Yet, in sharp contrast to that optimism, they are also expressing a range of concerns for the same three-year outlook — from questions about maintaining the relevance of their products and services, to their ability to innovate, to the challenges in adapting to government regulation.
Cannabrand recently teamed up with Todd Mitchem, who has consulted for Colorado-based cannabis businesses including O.penVAPE, as well as well-known corporations such as Starbucks, Purina, Marriott, H&R Block, Pizza Hut, Google and Nestle. Targeting everyone curious about the industry, from entrepreneurs to investors, Mitchem and the Cannabrand team will share insider information on trends, business processes and legal operations.
The Southern California Broadcasters Association (SCBA) created a White Paper that is focused on the consumer and the commercials they remember and those they ignore by media.
Following last year’s “Bleachable Moments” social TV effort success with ABC’s “The Bachelorette,” Clorox Bleach went at it again with extensions on Twitter, allowing fans to vote. Molly Steinkrauss, associate director of marketing communications at The Clorox Company, spoke with eMarketer’s Danielle Drolet about the effectiveness of social TV for consumer packaged goods brands.
Every year, an enormous amount of ink is spilt to greater or lesser effect on advertising: how to make it more effective, how to tie it more clearly to brand and sales lift outcomes, and so on. Much less is devoted to trade spending. And yet trade spending represents more than twice as much of the average consumer packaged goods (CPG) company’s expenditures—19 percent of revenue compared with advertising’s 7.5 percent—and sits second only to cost of goods sold as an expense item in the ledger (advertising is fourth).
The Wendy’s Company announced hat Brandon Solano has been named Senior Vice President of Marketing.
The proliferation of digital media via mobile phones, tablets, and apps has understandably affected various consumer groups differently. For any brand or organization with a story to tell, this means new opportunities and new obstacles to reach particular audiences. To keep up with the growth of digital, today’s content needs to be catered to audiences in a much more conscious and holistic way than it has been before.
eMarketer projects 19.0% of US retail ecommerce sales will stem from mobile devices this year. By 2016, the share will rise to 25.0%. Traditional retailers, ecommerce players and mobile-only businesses are all vying for the money consumers are increasingly spending through their smartphones and tablets, according to a new eMarketer report, “Mobile Commerce Deep Dive: The Products, Channels and Tactics Fueling Growth.”
According to Advertising Age, AT&T gave creative responsibilities to Vice to reach Hispanic Millenials through a Spanglish “Mobile Movement” campaign.
The customer lifecycle is almost as hot a buzzword as “big data” — but what exactly is a customer lifecycle? Is it really a circular journey? Is it linear?
Chief marketers who report directly to CEOs are likely to earn more than their peers, says the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council in a new “CMO Compensation Report” study. Additionally, good peer relationships provide an advantage as the most highly paid CMOs have forged close partnerships with chief financial officers and chief information officers.
Chief marketing officers (CMOs) and chief information officers (CIOs) say they are working more collaboratively than in the past to take advantage of digital opportunities, but they remain at odds on a number of issues involving how to drive integrated digital marketing solutions for their customers, according to a new study by Accenture.
As the U.S. GDP inched up 2% annually since 2010 to $15.5T in 2013, the 10 most influential Total Market (TM) states yielded the brunt of the economic expansion. These 10 TM states generated nearly 60% of the country’s net GDP growth. Fueled by a population base that is 60% Multicultural, TX & CA account for a third of the total U.S. GDP growth. NY, FL, & GA are next in line to become majority Multicultural by 2025. On average, Multicultural segments are growing 22 times faster than non-Multicultural in the top 10 TM states.
A new comprehensive study of U.S. online news users by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Edelman Berland shows that relevancy (90%) is the top factor in sparking interest in in-feed sponsored content, yet it also clearly demonstrates that the public’s feelings about the advertiser itself determines the success of this type of native advertising. Criteria such as brand familiarity and trust (81%), as well as subject matter expertise (82%), were identified as critical in driving news reading consumers’ interest in sponsored content.
