Digital

There was a time when understanding consumer use of the Internet was relatively simple — way more complex than understanding engagement with any other medium, sure, but still relatively simple. All we needed to deal with was engagement from computers. There were no tablets, no smartphones, no OTT; your thermostat wasn’t a connected device.

A report by Laughlin Constable shows that new technologies and changes in existing technologies will create even tighter connections between the digital and physical worlds, blurring the lines between online and offline experiences.

While the “internet of things” is still in the early stages of development, the media and entertainment industry already has many of the digital building blocks in place to make it a reality.

This will be a benchmark year for digital video usage, particularly streaming television. According to eMarketer’s latest forecast of digital video consumption, 2016 will be the first time more than half of the US population will watch TV shows online at least once a month. In 2016, 164.5 million Americans will watch digital TV—50.8% of the US population. That’s a jump from 47.8% last year

Viewability is fast becoming the standard for online advertising, but the implications for its full acceptance still need to be discussed.  While there is a lot of good that comes from this change, we should be aware of the challenges that come as well, at least so we know how to respond.

Your online audience is easily distracted, but that doesn’t mean they don’t care about your brand. Life gets in the way sometimes.

In an era of social media dominance, it comes as no surprise that visual content reigns supreme. The Latina social influencer community, in particular, distinctly prefer visual platforms like Snapchat, Instagram and Pinterest. Why?

The IAB Education Foundation and its iDiverse initiative announced the launch of an entry-level training, certification, and job placement pilot program, establishing a first-of-its-kind, user-friendly path for diverse and underrepresented minority candidates to join the digital media and marketing workforce.

The war on fraud is not going well. Advertisers are expected to lose an estimated $7.2 billion globally this year as a result of fraudulent impressions, or bots, according to a new study.

Many organizations have been concerned lately with the implications of the increased and prolonged use of multiple screens by young and also older people.  The Kaiser family foundation, Ipsos, The Pew Research Center, and others have conducted studies in which they have found that the access to smartphones in particular has increased dramatically.  Also, that infants use tablets and smartphones even when watching television.  Many report fatigue and other strain related issues.  And as we know some run into walls and have accidents when driving, biking, etc. while texting or doing some other activity on their mobile devices.  By Felipe Korzenny, Ph.D.

Millward Brown’s global experts share their digital predictions for 2016 – covering topics from mobile-first marketing, addressable TV advertising, and header bidding to augmented reality, content, and consumer journey marketing.

Marketers who included online Hispanics in their plans should be rewarded by a large, growing audience which engages and transacts predominantly on smartphones. Those marketers who are not engaging digital Hispanics may want to look for ways to add them to this year’s plan now.  By Lee Vann, Founder and CEO, Captura Group

While traditional marketing is all about perfecting a brand’s external image, virtual reality marketing can give consumers an inside look into the heart of the brand. Products go through long journeys before they end up on a store shelf, and companies are eager to tell those stories. Rachel Harris, director of national brand activation at Beam Suntory, spoke with eMarketer’s Maria Minsker about a recent behind-the-scenes virtual reality campaign at the spirits maker.

Consumer attention is divided across many devices these days. Which devices are best at holding attention for your advertising, and how can marketers use this information to reach their target audience? Read our study to learn more.

comScore, Inc. and Pretarget released results of an online advertising study which found that ad viewability and hover time are more strongly correlated with conversions (defined as purchases and requests for information) than clicks or total impressions.

In 2016, digital display ad spending will eclipse search ad spending in the US for the first time. Combined, the categories of video, sponsorships, rich media and “banners and other” will account for the largest share of digital ad spending: 47.9%, worth $32.17 billion.

At first mention of the internet of things (IoT) for healthcare, Fitbits, Jawbones and smart watches probably come to mind. These devices have received a strong dose of media hype, but they are just the tip of the iceberg in a growing infrastructure that is bringing meaningful connectivity to the business of health.

The widespread adoption of various digital technologies by today’s teenagers has added a modern wrinkle to a universal challenge of parenthood – specifically, striking a balance between allowing independent exploration and providing an appropriate level of parental oversight.

Consumers were offered more than $515 billion in consumer incentives through Free Standing Insert (FSI) coupons in 2015, an increase of 3.7 percent compared to the previous year, according to Kantar Media.

Two weeks ago, the Federal Trade Commission pulled the IAB over for driving the industry under the influence of self-delusion.  It turns out running ads that “assimilate into the design” — so much so that “the viewer feels that they belong” — is exactly what not to do.