Social Marketing

Social paid advertising and real-time marketing are changing the way retailers strategize their campaigns. Jennifer Kasper, group vice president of digital, new media and multicultural marketing at Macy’s, spoke with eMarketer’s Rimma Kats about how the retailer is approaching social media, as well as the key role Pinterest will play in its 2014 efforts.

A new analysis from Experian Marketing Services found that moms with young kids, defined as children under the age of 5, are often more active on social media, more likely to shop using mobile devices and more open to engage with brands across digital touch-points than other segments of moms and consumers at large.

Marketers are using social media more and more as an integrated tool for branding and advertising. Social media is shifting away from being used as its own individual medium, and is now consistently paired with other channels to increase ROI.

As the market for beverages continues to fragment and brand extensions grow, brands are jockeying for position on store shelves and competing for consumers’ attention in social media, according to a new eMarketer report, “CPG Focus—Beverages: Emerging Mobile and Social Strategies.”

Social media usage is maturing, and as more networks emerge and gain popularity, advertisers and marketers are constantly on the lookout for the “next big thing.” One of the most common ways marketers identify up-and-coming social networks is by looking to a highly social demographic—and one that is highly digital-savvy: teens.

Facebook is no longer positioning itself as just a social media solution. Carolyn Everson, Facebook’s vice president of global marketing solutions, spoke with eMarketer’s Rimma Kats about the key role social advertising and real-time marketing play for the company’s clients, as well as how mobile is constantly opening up opportunities.

Will the marketers of the future look back and decide that 2013 was the year of content marketing?

The idea of TV as the “first screen” and other devices as the “second” or “third” screens is dead. Today, the first screen is whichever one a consumer is looking at, according to “Social TV: Marketing to Viewers in Real Time,” a new report from eMarketer.

webcitygirls// continues evolving.  As part of this evolution, a redesigned webcitygirls.com has been created serving as a platform launch for a one-of-a-kind webNovela, titled “Las Bobas No Velan Sus Cuentas” which debuted on October 3, via You Tube Space Coast channel and webcitygirls// site. 

Marketers report strong doubts about their skills, effectiveness and ability to measure the impact of their campaigns according to research released from Adobe.

This year marked the 10th anniversary of Coca-Cola’s Summer Love Festival: three days of parties, games, spas and music for Israeli teens—all with unlimited access to Coca-Cola. Of course, not every teenager who’d like to go can attend, setting up those who are absent for a serious case of FOMO: the fear of missing out, and in this case, the uneasy feeling that your peers are having a better time than you are. So Coca-Cola created a solution for a few of those left out: Social Robots, which allowed teens to join the fun virtually.

Women talk about cosmetics brands and beauty products on social networks and NetBase found that discussions do influence purchase decisions and the power of blogs and message boards, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram vary by the friends, favorite celebrities, ages and ethnicities of female consumers.

  Who should manage a company’s social media presence? According to a new survey by The Creative Group, it’s a tough question. When advertising and marketing executives were asked which department is best suited to oversee an organization’s social media efforts, the response was divided: 39 percent of respondents said public relations/communications and 35 percent said marketing.

The results were eye-opening, and point to some real differential strategies by category for fashion brands. Netbase will be releasing several reports over the next few weeks that dive into various categories, but for now here is a taste of some of the top level findings.

  Wave, the first social media study on a global scale, has tracked the dynamic shifts that have taken place within the social media landscape for the last seven years. As part of this year’s survey, the importance of the human need to connect combined with the proliferation of smartphones reveals compelling insights into consumer behavior. These insights offer brand marketers an opportunity to create customized media strategies that speak to consumers locally at the global level.

Marketers often operate within flight-driven campaign workflows, with budgets pre-allocated to specific content, times and frequencies, especially when amplifying owned social content, or sponsored content (e.g., Facebook Promoted Posts), one of the most prominent social advertising formats.

  Social media is all about community. Without community, there is no social – unless you’re having schizophrenic conversations with yourself. But, there’s a big difference between BUILDING a community and FOSTERING a community.

  It’s easy for marketers to become overwhelmed by social media. There are so many social networks, and each one can seem essential to your brand’s success. However, it’s not necessary to spend resources on them all. Rather, pick the channels that make the most sense for your brand. There are two key steps to determine which social networks are right for you. First, identify your brand’s audience and goals. Second, understand the strengths that each social network offers to brands.

Restaurants around the world are seeing the value in digital marketing, especially programs that can increase customer loyalty and help establishments get the word out among like-minded diners.

TV is becoming more social every day. We know viewers tweet during live TV, but there’s still much to learn about the relationship between TV viewing and social media usage. For example, are people tweeting while a show unfolds—during the actual minutes of a program—or are they reserving their Tweets for the commercial breaks?