Marketing

Consumers have more screens in the home than ever before, which allows cross-platform video advertising to have more reach. But today’s fragmented media landscape makes it more difficult to capture consumers’ attention. eMarketer’s Sean Creamer spoke with Matthew Fanelli, senior vice president of digital at MNI Targeted Media (Time Inc.’s media planning division), about how marketers can create more engaging, immersive video advertising campaigns that utilize all of the screens in consumers’ homes.

This set of interviews with top Chicago marketers on the topic of the challenges and opportunities of digital missed calling out the elephant in the room. Most digital campaigns lack what is required for them to be effective.  By Nigel Hollis

The practice of celebrity endorsements appears to be in trouble with at least one key demographic—millennials.

In response to brand safety concerns over the past six months, nearly six in 10 US CMOs surveyed in November 2017 said they’ve increased their spending on channels that can prove they are brand safe, and almost as many respondents said they’ve reviewed their agency relationships.

We’re all familiar with “Plan B.”  It emerges out of the haze when Plan A has self-destructed for one of a thousand reasons.  An unexpected snowstorm cancels our flight. We’ll have to scrub a key meeting.  Too bad.  On to Plan B.  If  there is no Plan B, we’ll have to improvise.  We’re usually unhappy with Plan B.  It’s a necessity, born of circumstance.  We shrug our shoulders, wistful and disappointed.  Oh, well.  Plan A was so much better!  But … it isn’t happening.  By Michael Farmer

As far as choice goes, there’s never been a better time to be a consumer. Thanks to globalization and connectivity, consumers around the world have access to a wider array of products than ever—a trend that’s likely to continue going forward. And the bevy of choice involves products and services from both multinational and local brands. So in an era of massive choice, how much weight does the “made in” moniker carry when it comes to purchase motivation?

This past year marked a turning point for the White Non-Hispanic population which declined for the first time ever, 10 years before the U.S. Census projection. Multicultural segments made up 100% of U.S. population growth last year according to recently released 2016 ACS. While U.S. population growth is slowing overall, Multicultural segments are driving the expansion of the U.S. consumer base making up 4 in 10 Americans with Hispanics continuing to drive half of the entire U.S. growth and the Other/Mixed Race segment delivering the fastest growth. Looking to the future, the Multicultural population in the U.S. is projected to reach 131 million in 2018. This tipping point is causing many marketers to reconsider with which segments to lead their growth efforts.

The difference between connecting and pandering to your Hispanic consumer is a fine line. When you reach out to Hispanics solely for your needs and with little authenticity (soccer balls and Mariachis everywhere!), you’re pandering. When you reach out to address mutual needs in an authentic way, you’re connecting. Awareness of this difference can mean gaining the loyalty of your audience versus being an object of ridicule, as politicians from Hillary Clinton to Donald Trump, as well as major brands have learned.  By Lee Vann / Capture Group

An examination of Facebook and Instagram campaigns measured by Kantar Millward Brown finds longer-term brand impact is boosted when brands communicate in a more personable and human way. How do you do that? Think of the audience as human beings to be engaged not targets to be cajoled.  by Nigel Hollis

In the fifth and final episode of our “Critical Challenges” series, we dig into the topic of brand safety, featuring highlights from our one-to-one interviews with top marketing executives from around the world.

Customer behavior and purchase decision-making is growing increasingly complex, driven by multiple factors that include accelerated mass adoption of new technologies and mobility, according to KPMG. In a new KPMG report, Me, My Life, My Wallet, the firm introduces a new customer engagement framework that is designed to help businesses understand the forces that influence decision-making and preferences of today’s customers.

Digital marketers are being taken to the cleaners.  Roughly half of all digital campaigns use multiple data sources, according to a study out today by Forrester. That would include email.  But they lack clarity into data sources and what they are buying.

In the fourth episode of a five-part series, eMarketer’s Geoff Ramsey sits down with top marketing executives from around the world to discuss the critical challenges they face and what they’re doing to address those challenges. Today’s topic: The customer.

According to a recent New York Times article few people can accurately draw the logos of well-known brands like Starbucks, Wal-Mart and Burger King. But the study conducted by Signs.com may not be as important as it first appears. The important thing about a logo is that it be recognized and associated with the right brand, not that it can be recalled in detail.  by Nigel Hollis

A new study from InMoment reveals that despite the convenience of shopping online and high satisfaction with digital-only retailers, consumers still value the in-store experience and human contact.

2017 has been the year that advertisers called out digital advertising as broken and sorely in need of repair. As stewards of the investment that funds the internet, these ad execs should be applauded for their insistence on better performance. That said, their focus has been on surface issues related to the ad experience, while a larger problem lies beneath.

A while back I came across a presentation given by Douglas Holt, the man who wrote the book on iconic brands. In the presentation Holt makes a distinction between “better mousetraps” and “cultural innovators” and seems to imply the latter are somehow better. However, a quick look at BrandZ finds better mousetraps are far more valuable.  by Nigel Hollis

First in a five-part series: eMarketer co-founder Geoff Ramsey sits down with top marketing executives from around the world to discuss the critical challenges they face and what they’re doing to address those challenges. Today’s topic: Digital transformation.

The advertising and consumer industry has completely transformed over the past 50 years. Every year professionals are discovering new and innovative ways of research and implementation to effectively reach the most consumers within their target market. Recently, the concept of incorporating cultural considerations in marketing has allowed industries to reach a new level of consumer insight. Although complex and not an easy feat to delve in to researching, there are endless benefits of taking the time to understand culture in regards to marketing. But, many businesses are still refusing to do so due to culture’s complexity and a tendency to minimize cultural differences. Furthermore, the U.S. Hispanic market is a perfect example of a uniquely targetable audience due to its size and shared values. From a business standpoint, marketers cannot bear to lessen the importance of cultural intelligence without drastically affecting their performance.  By Kayli Bomar / Florida State University

The ANA Alliance for Inclusive & Multicultural Marketing (AIMM) today announced a set of key priorities for the coming year that are specifically designed to help marketers increase their focus on multicultural marketing to help drive overall corporate growth.