Social Marketing

​Digital media consumers across generations are increasingly in the driver’s seat—and their expectations are at an all-time high. Some major shifts are now occurring. What are the implications for technology, media, and telecommunications companies?

Strong headwinds are certainly ahead for influencer marketers. For one, it’s looking like this will be the year that the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will become more heavily involved. eMarketer has put together this selection of articles, insights and interviews so you can understand what will be critical to influencer marketing in the coming months to be prepared—and to avoid the risks.

Facebook faces new pressure amidst news that a political consultant was able to access private information of some 50 million users without their knowledge. In the latest episode of eMarketer’s “Behind the Numbers” podcast, social analyst Debra Aho Williamson digs into the potential implications for marketers.

Despite popular assumptions that young adults are social media-obsessed, new data suggests that many have considered a temporary—and even permanent—reprieve from their newsfeeds.

By Gonzalo López Martí – Creative Director, etc. / LMMiami.com

• Twitter has posted a profit, finally, but it still shows various existential problems.
• 90% of its revenue comes from advertising sales.
• Risk is way too concentrated: it needs to put its eggs in different baskets.
• Plus, its users base is made up of mostly elderly curmudgeons.

Results from the February 2018 CMO Survey indicate that companies are investing in the development of marketing knowledge. The largest investment is in the development of marketing capabilities— which are the complex bundles of knowledge and skills for carrying out marketing activities that are deeply embedded in organizational processes. These capabilities are likely in areas such as digital marketing, MarTech platforms, and marketing analytics where companies are trying to get up to speed fast. A 6.5% increase in spending on marketing capabilities is expected in the next year.

Echoing concerns that grew with the Internet itself a decade earlier, the rise of social media has stoked fears of “social displacement” — the alienation of people from friends and family in favor of Facebook and Twitter.  A new study co-authored by a University of Kansas researcher goes a fair distance toward debunking that notion.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) released research that shows how consumers are creating their own “personal prime times”—points of highly concentrated engagement throughout the day, which offer valuable advertising opportunities across a range of content verticals and digital screens.

At the annual IAB Leadership Meeting today, Unilever CMO spoke of the company’s commitment to “responsible” platforms, content and infrastructure, and also conveyed that it will support partners such as Facebook and Google as they invest in improving their platforms. Commentary was somewhat contrary to prior press reports which indicated that Unilever may take a harder line on digital media, much as CPG peer Procter & Gamble did at the same event last year.  By Brian Wieser – Senior Research Analyst – Advertising / Pivotal Research Group

Brands don’t want to associate with content that makes them look bad in any way.  Last year’s brand safety controversies stirred fears that advertisers would back away from platforms like Facebook and YouTube, but spending has continued to surge.

Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™, announced the launch of “El 12” (“The 12th”), a new, bilingual digital initiative to search for the next generation of top soccer influencers in partnership with the global soccer media company COPA90.

The top types of brand-unsafe content that marketers said they or their brands had been exposed to were disasters/tragedies (39%), divisive politics (39%) and fake news (39%). However, almost one-third also said their content had appeared too closely to that of a competitor, underscoring how broad a definition respondents had about unsafe content.

There has never been a more exciting— or a more complicated— time to be in the OTT business. With new virtual MVPDs (vMPVDs) and even social media players like Facebook and Twitter entering the already-crowded over-the-top space, understanding the changing OTT market has never been more important.  Our latest white paper, 8 Trends Shaping the OTT Space, sheds light on some of the key trends crucial to understanding how this market is evolving.

Around the middle of 2017, Nielsen polled over 2,000 monthly multicultural YouTube users. The results were consistent with what we learned from our Hispanic Millennial Project Study and We Are Gen Z Report: Multicultural consumers want more messages tailored to them. They are going to YouTube to find representation and inclusion.  by Karla Fernandez Parker

Marketers today need fast feedback on whether their campaigns are likely to succeed or not. While automated pre-testing provides the opportunity to anticipate how well a campaign will perform, many will still want to check whether the in-market performance is on track for success and properly analyzed search and social data can help provide that feedback.  by Nigel Hollis

Google and Facebook’s grip on the digital advertising ecosystem also extends soundly into the realm of digital video, according to new research from Wyzowl.

In the latest episode of “Behind the Numbers,” eMarketer staffers consider recent regulatory changes covering internet access, and discuss the implications for platforms, marketers and consumers.

One in three people—2.48 billion—worldwide used a social network in 2017, eMarketer estimates. Rising social network use in emerging markets in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa drove an 8.7% gain over 2016.

A few weeks ago I wrote about being authentic and genuine, both as a brand and a person. Unfortunately, there’s a downside to always being authentic, because that can lead to incredible rudeness.  How do you balance “being yourself” with being professional in the workplace?

On top of that are increasing operating costs and diminished revenue as a result of digital “badvertising” (fraud and middle men), along with the pressure to address issues like like social media addiction, and mental health problems attributed to social media.