Babelfish Articles - Articles that have passed my desktop over the last 3 1/2 months that I found of intereest. Sorry - haven´t had time to do the normal highlighting of relevant test - but scan index to see of anything grabs your interest. The document is in word - so download if you want to save / for better navigation.
Cheers, Brian
1. Babelfish Articles May 2014 – July 2014 20-7-14
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Articles
May-July 2014
Brian Crotty
Babelfish.Brazil@gmail.com
2. Babelfish Articles May 2014 – July 2014 20-7-14
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Summary
A Peek Into the Future: Where Programmatic TV is Headed .................... 6
Mobile payments are inevitable ............................................. 7
Xbox Strikes Out At A Different Game ....................................... 8
Twitter testa ‘trending topics’ para TV .................................... 9
5 Things Your CEO Should Know About gTLDs ................................. 10
'The Internet Of Things' Will Change Virtually Everything About How Large
Companies Operate ......................................................... 12
Attribution 'a work in progress' .......................................... 14
Dominant 2014 Trends among Brazilian Internet Users ....................... 15
8 Keys to Powerful Mobile Campaigns in Brazil ............................. 16
Vibrant Media Finds that Consumers Trust in Branded Content on Par with
Editorial ................................................................. 17
The Future of Across-Screen Advertising, Part I -- Bill Harvey ............ 20
How Successful People Stay Calm ........................................... 22
Beacons: Closing the Gap on Proximity Marketing ........................... 26
Can you finally forget your password? Even your heartbeat could hold the key
.......................................................................... 27
Tourism New Zealand hires drones to make ‘dronies’ the new ‘selfies’ this ski
season .................................................................... 29
5 Ways to Move the Needle: What I Learned During the World Cup ............ 32
Retention vs. Acquisition - and the Winner Is… ............................ 35
Connecting the Dots to Deliver Context .................................... 38
Why Marketers Love Big Data & Hadoop ...................................... 39
The futuristic sci-fi medical technology being used today ................. 41
Best Practices: How to Woo Mobile Daters .................................. 45
The Influencer Economy .................................................... 47
In Brazil, What Happens While Car Shopping Ends up on Social .............. 48
Programmatic + Immersive TV Experiences ................................... 49
Innovation Is Marketing’s Job, Too ........................................ 50
It’s Time for Boards to Cross the Digital Divide .......................... 51
Why Offline Data Is Key To Online Data Segmentation ....................... 53
Is 'Public Vs. Private Exchange' The Wrong Question? ...................... 54
In-Car Wi-Fi Will Create Opportunities for Advertisers Down the Road ...... 55
Growth Trends & The Rising Influence Of Screen Agnosticism ................ 57
Does Cheap Online Video Trump Text? ....................................... 59
APAC leads mobile growth and innovation ................................... 60
Don't Pack Up the Social War Room Just Yet ................................ 61
The Future Lies in Targeting Based on What We're About To Do, Not What We've
Just Done ................................................................. 62
The Internet of Things: When Digital and Physical Worlds Collide - Renee
Jordan .................................................................... 63
How the Internet of Things and Google Nest are Changing Marketing (Members-
Only Report) .............................................................. 65
Direct Mobile Commerce: Bypassing the Retailer ............................ 68
3. The 10 futuristic gadgets that will change your world ..................... 69
Great Customer Experiences Ready to Apply ................................. 79
Moneyball 2.0 ............................................................. 81
The Importance of Encouraging Children to Shoot for the Moon .............. 83
Don't Give Away Your Magic For Free ....................................... 84
Branded Tools A Factor In Creating Loyalty ................................ 87
Digital Ad Fraud: Sizing up the Challenge ................................. 88
Mobile Search: Key Considerations for Marketers ........................... 89
Overcoming RTB’s Transparency Issues ...................................... 91
Online TV Versus TV Online: There's A Big Diffference ..................... 92
What’s Next for Private Exchanges? ........................................ 94
Consumers value the shopping experience ................................... 96
Retailers embrace PowaTag technology ...................................... 96
Marketers look to 'service design' ........................................ 97
Apple set to connect iPhone to your car ................................... 98
Don't Just Tell A Story; Be A Narrative Architect ........................ 100
Marketing and Procurement go together like... ............................ 102
In Programmatic Integration, The Buyers Are In Front -- Again ............ 103
The Fit of Apps & Websites in Mobile Shopping ............................ 104
Pepsi's Mobile Strategy: It's the Content, Stupid ........................ 106
The Secret to Successful Storytelling Lies in the Golden Circle .......... 107
When TV Is Obsolete, TV Shows Will Enter Their Real Golden Era ........... 108
The Internet of evrtything: 2014 ......................................... 111
Acxiom Acquires LiveRamp, Wants To Build 'Neutral' Audience Grid Anyone Can
Plug Into ................................................................ 160
Programmatic Advertising To Gobble Up Even More Ad Budgets - Report ...... 161
IComprehensive Survey Reveals Majority of Marketers to Spend At Least 40
Percent of Digital Media Budgets Programmatically by 2015 ................ 163
Ibope aumenta a amostra e só a Globo perde audiência ..................... 164
ABC Edges Toward Programmatic in Test of Data-Driven Buying for Digital Video
Won't Involve Real-Time Bidding or Open Exchange ......................... 165
Best Practices for Branded Vine Videos ................................... 166
Radian6 and Buddy Media United as Social Studio .......................... 168
Análise: pelo crescimento da indústria digital no Brasil, mais educação, por
favor .................................................................... 169
Native Advertising Could Feel Right At Home On Smaller Screens ........... 170
TV Ad Dollars Slowly Shifting to Web Video ............................... 171
TV Isn't Dead-- In Fact, It's Everywhere ................................. 173
Mapping Retail: Geo-Location, iBeacon & the Promise of Mobile Shopping ... 174
How to Add a 3-Second Bumper to All of Your YouTube Videos ............... 176
Yahoo and comScore Partner to Expand Global Access to Ad Measurement ..... 177
Facebook Develops New Video Ad Metrics ................................... 179
Does the Future of Online Shopping Lie in Social? ........................ 180
Retailers Look to Merge Offline and Online Shopping Experiences in 2014 .. 181
Babelfish Articles May 2014 – July 2014 20-7-14
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4. World Sleep Day: 10 interesting sleep-related research findings .......... 182
The difference between agency confidence and arrogance in a pitch ........ 184
A more efficient process for selecting the perfect agency ................ 186
What's Next In Payments® ................................................. 189
With TV Poised To Join Video Universe, Viewer Attention Maxes Out: YouTube
Share Now About 2% ....................................................... 190
50% of mobile shoppers open to beamed messages ........................... 192
Payment Innovation Is Not Enough For Retail .............................. 192
How automotive advertising works ......................................... 194
As WhatsApp Hits 500 Million Users, CEO Jan Koum Preaches Focus .......... 198
How to Build a Perfect Content Distribution Strategy ..................... 199
How to Keep Up with Millennials + Their Omni-Channel Shopping Habits ..... 201
Everpurse handles essentials while providing up to 48 extra hours of battery
life. .................................................................... 205
Publishers focus on data monetization .................................... 206
Kids of today and tomorrow: A global and regional close-up on the youngest
millennials .............................................................. 209
Kids of Today and Tomorrow has identified five key themes. ............... 211
Latin America inside out: past, present and future! ...................... 219
Beyond brand tracking: Coca-Cola and the 2014 World Cup .................. 231
Auto leads mobile optimisation ........................................... 244
Understanding how consumers buy: The four stages of the purchasing "loop" 245
Ford extends its consumer insights ....................................... 249
Ford draws insights from pizzas and smartphones .......................... 250
Mobile users 'open' to sponsored data .................................... 255
Telefonica, Blackstone Launch Axonix, A Mobile Ad Exchange Built On Defunct
MobClix Tech ............................................................. 256
How Big Advertisers Are Using Next-Gen Messaging Apps Snapchat, Kik, Tango,
Line and WeChat .......................................................... 258
Brands react to 'Digital Darwinism' ...................................... 261
How iBeacon and Similar Technology Will Change Retail .................... 262
Interview conducted by Yory Wurmser on March 3, 2014. .................... 263
Internet Ad Spending Beat Broadcast TV for First Time Last Year .......... 264
"O mobile vai ser o controle remoto da nossa vida" ....................... 266
How Kellogg's embraced digital visibility and drove engagement ........... 268
Customer acquisition is not enough ....................................... 277
ACCENT Marketing Survey: Nearly 90 percent of Consumers Say Personalized
Interactions with Brands Drive their Purchase Decisions .................. 278
How Nielsen's OCR Will Impact Digital Video Advertising .................. 279
Marketing cars: Driving digital success .................................. 281
The era of Facebook is an anomaly ........................................ 284
Dealership Media Strategy Is Key ......................................... 291
Delivering a Superior Automotive Customer Experience in Developing Markets 292
Pedal to the Metal: Reinventing the Premium Carmaker ..................... 297
Babelfish Articles May 2014 – July 2014 20-7-14
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5. The Contribution of the Automobile Industry to Technology and Value Creation
......................................................................... 301
The New Digital Hook in Automotive ....................................... 309
Automaker Launches Global Sales Program .................................. 310
Futurist Morris Miselowski predicts the jobs we’ll be doing in 2050 ...... 311
In 10 Years, Facebook Will Look a Lot Like Comcast Cable ................. 316
Is Measurement Killing Ad Growth? ........................................ 317
Best Video Strategy: TV Replacement Or TV Amplification? ................. 319
The Future Of Television, As Decided By The Supreme Court ................ 320
Babelfish Articles May 2014 – July 2014 20-7-14
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6. A Peek Into the Future: Where Programmatic TV is Headed
Babelfish Articles May 2014 – July 2014 20-7-14
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Jul 17, 2014 Jason Burke
When Terry Kawaja speaks, the ad world listens—and for good reason. His insights lack
preconceived notions and biases—assets in a potentially controversial piece like his latest on the
Future of TV.
Terry speaks of the current conversations happening in silos:
Linear TV folks dismissing the relatively smaller digital budgets
Digital fellas convinced that their strategies will force the same extinction for TV that radio and
newspapers experienced
Given the large combined budgets ($70B TV, $7B digital video), where are the peacemakers in
the middle, singing, “can’t we all just get along”?
As a counter to the disconnected digital video and TV parties that have been battling silently, he
also predicts convergence…convergence in marketing spend, measurement and media
consumption. The newly converged landscape will also include new categories of players, such as
TV supply-side platforms (SSP), cross-channel data vendors, workflow automation providers and
more.
Standouts in the evolving nature of TV and digital video are:
Fragmentation—There is a lot of fragmentation across content and how viewers are consuming
media. Fragmentation is driving inventory owners to consider new revenue streams and
monetization strategies such as programmatic.
Time-shifted content—Another key driver of new monetization.
Data-driven decisioning—Data is being utilized to fuel content creation. For example, Netflix
committing to two seasons of House of Cards without a pilot because the other factors were so
strong. Data-driven decisioning serves to uncover the audience behind media consumption.
Navigation—Changing from old-school remote controls to software-based and
recommendation-driven content. Will anyone know the difference between “flipping to Fox” vs.
“switching the channel to Michelle Phan’s stream”? Unlikely, and some of the large players
recognize that the media world as we have known it is short-lived and are responding to this
forthcoming shift.
Ad budgets will adjust as viewers change their media consumption behaviors. TV media owners
must embrace programmatic to tap into new revenue and digital budgets, and to empower their
sales teams with an understanding of the audience and value of their media.
The convergence of traditional TV with digital video calls for an integrated workflow to bring TV
and digital together. Platforms that integrate the workflow and provide the translation between TV
and digital will be an essential part of the ecosystem. Workflow for TV is drastically different than
digital though. Platforms built for digital can not be retrofit to work directly for TV. Building a
platform with a focus on TV from the ground up will provide the translation to digital.
Perhaps some convergence will happen through M&A as Terry predicts…perhaps some will be a
“build” versus buy, but there will certainly be new innovators that bridge the gap between the
currently separate worlds. One scenario Terry suggests is that seven percent of inefficient TV
budgets be shifted to digital, doubling the digital video market. A similar case can be made in
7. taking 25 percent of a digital budget and spend it on TV (with matching audience segments to the
digital campaign) for positive effects.
Terry claims that linear TV is a growth industry, estimated to $83B by 2020. We absolutely agree
that TV is not going anywhere. The future will include programmatic ad solutions for TV to protect
TV asset inventory, building a platform from the ground up to serve the merged worlds, increased
digital spending and opportunities for monetization. In the near future, I imagine Terry’s team will
deliver the output of a far easier single “video” LUMAscape featuring the players in this new video
world.
Mobile payments are inevitable
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20 August 2014 - Warc
PHILADELPHIA, PA: Mobile payments will be as unremarkable within ten years as credit card
payments are today, according to two leading academics who warned retailers to heed the
technology's increasing popularity among millennials.
Responding to the findings of a PwC study that suggested consumers were reluctant to store
money in a mobile wallet because of concerns about security and privacy, Wharton marketing
professor David Reibstein argued that this was simply another manifestation of people's "paranoia
to things that are new".
Consumers were no longer worried about credit card companies knowing what they were buying
for example. Similarly, restricting liability to $50 in the event of fraud had alleviated security
worries.
"It's just a matter of people making an adjustment," Reibstein said. "I think 10 years from now, we'll
look back at it and say, 'Hasn't this always been here?'"
His colleague John Zhang highlighted the take-up of mobile payment technology by millennials,
who are using mobile wallets to transfer funds between friends and to store tickets for events.
"In fact, you can combine mobile payments with social networks," he said, with apps such as
Venmo enabling peer-to-peer transfers – ideal for splitting the check in restaurants, for example.
For a demographic that has grown up with social media, this is quite natural behaviour. Bloomberg
even remarked on how, among the younger age group, Venmo was on the way to becoming a
verb – 'venmo me' – in the same way that people talk of 'googling' or 'tweeting'.
While consumers generally have been slow to adopt the mobile wallet – partly because of
engrained habits, partly because of the confusion of proprietary technologies available and partly
because of security – consulting firm Accenture said that it could "mend the seams of consumers'
disjointed omni-channel experiences".
And with millennials already embracing the technology, the only choice retailers face is effectively
one of timing – when do they step up to the plate and offer the service.
As Zhang pointed out: "If you don't [accept mobile payments], you're going to be passé. You're
going to lose lots of your [future] customers."
Data sourced from Knowledgte@Wharton, Bloomberg, Accenture; additional content by Warc staff
8. Babelfish Articles May 2014 – July 2014 20-7-14
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Xbox Strikes Out At A Different Game
by P.J. Bednarski,
I have to give credit to Xbox for something. At its NewFront presentation in the spring, it seemed
very much like a content provider.
Xbox Entertainment Studio chief Nancy Tellem, a former CBS executive and right hand woman to
Les Moonves, was up there on stage promoting a bright future for the entertainment arm of
Microsoft’s gaming console. And when her voice got tired, she handed the mic over to Jordan
Levin, former CEO of the former WB network and an ace programmer himself.
The NewFront event included a comic—Craig Robinson, late of “The Office” –lending more
broadcast network-like patina to the event. There was even an opening act, the excellent Lake
Street Dive quartet, whose Rachel Price sang their hit, “Bad Self-Portraits.”
That turned to be the most real part of the afternoon, and a dandy bit of corporate foreshadowing.
That’s because Xbox Entertainment more or less has folded—victim of a pretty bad corporate
snapshot. It was axed by Microsoft’s new CEO Satya Nadella, as part of a larger corporate haircut
of less-than-usual core units that will cost Microsoft 18,000 jobs in total.
With Tellem and Jordan (and even a Steven Spielberg series, “Halo,” in the works), you’d have
thought Xbox, with 48 million subscribers (more than Netflix and HBO), was going to be the next
greatest, improbable thing: A gaming system that become a major content provider.
Nah.
Whatever the heck happened, Xbox disappeared somewhere in the digital Bermuda Triangle.
It’s almost as if it never existed, dead and presumed superfluous to Xbox the gaming company
and to Microsoft, the technology company.
You could have seen it coming, says a new opinion piece by The Diffusion Group’s senior advisor
Joel Espelien who essayed “A Fear of Commitment” to explain it. To boil it down, Espelien figures
that Microsoft realized what while games are crazy popular, it’s best not “confuse the popularity of
games in general with the audience for game consoles in particular, which continues to skew
strongly towards young males.”
He says Xbox had a tough time wooing creatives to go to work for Xbox. Indeed, the only vestiges
of the company still intact are producing content that is distinctly game-oriented, including a
documentary of the early grand history of Atari.
That TDG analysis sounds right on the button, though somehow still, it seems Xbox is missing a
chance.
It has those millions of subscribers, and they do access other content through their device now. A
little push in the content direction might have made sense. Amazon Prime is a pure content
provider that had added lots of game opportunities to its service, so, possibly those are not such
polar-opposite audiences.
The Hollywood Report said last week that, indeed, Warner Bros. might be thinking there’s life in
that idea. According to THR, Xbox Entertainment would be a nice match for Warner Bros. which
has an $18 million investment in gaming site Machinima. And Machinima happens to operate a top
app on the Xbox One platform.
9. It’s also worth noting that in prior lives, both Tellem and Levin worked for Warner Bros.’ units so
there is an all-in-the-family feel to this, for what precious little that’s worth in Hollywood. But the
Reporter story was mighty tentative, leaving Xbox Entertainment just as it is, for now. And that’s
basically, gone.
Babelfish Articles May 2014 – July 2014 20-7-14
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j@mediapost.com
Twitter testa ‘trending topics’ para TV
Empresa está testando ranking dos programas mais comentados com alguns usuários do
aplicativo para iOS
14 de agosto de 2013 15h12 Por Ligia Aguilhar
Empresa está testando ranking dos programas mais comentados com alguns usuários do
aplicativo para iOS
SÃO PAULO – O Twitter parece estar interessado em estreitar suas relações com a indústria
televisiva, especialmente depois de alguns estudos mostrarem que o burburinho sobre um
programa no site tem impacto nos números da audiência.
A empresa está testando com alguns usuários do aplicativo iOS nos Estados Unidos uma espécie
de Trending Topics de programas de TV, um ranking que destaca os programas mais comentado
do momento. Um banner com a foto, o número de tweets e informações sobre o canal e horário
de transmissão de um programa está sendo exibido no alto da página principal da conta de
alguns usuários.
Usuário postou imagens da novidade na sua conta no Twitter. FOTO: Reprodução
A informação foi divulgada pelo usuário Anthony Geranio (@asg) na terça-feira, 13. Ele publicou
imagens de como ficou o visual da sua página no Twitter com a novidade.
10. Um porta-voz da empresa disse ao site TechCrunch que o Twitter adota a filosofia de inovar por
meio da experimentação, mas não quis comentar diretamente o assunto.
A relação do Twitter com as emissoras TV é cada vez mais estreita. Um estudo recente da
Nielsen confirmou uma suspeita antiga: a avaliação de um programa e a magnitude do barulho
que ele provoca no Twitter estão relacionados. Segundo o estudo, o volume de tweets causou
“mudanças significativas na audiência em 29% dos episódios dos programas analisados”. Na mão
oposta, em 48% dos casos, maior audiência resultou em mais tweets relacionados.
No Brasil, um estudo preliminar do Ibope mostra que a partir de 17 pontos de audiência, cada 5
mil tweets adicionais sobre um programa geram um novo ponto de audiência.
5 Things Your CEO Should Know About gTLDs
Babelfish Articles May 2014 – July 2014 20-7-14
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Jennifer Wolfe | August 13, 2014
As the Internet continues to evolve with the adoption and expansion of gTLDs, chief executives
need to be prepared to evolve along with it. Here are the top five things CEOs need to know about
the new gTLDs.
One of the primary roles of the chief executive (CEO) is to understand business cycles and be
able to take strategic risks to achieve future success for the company. Because of limited media
coverage, many CEOs are unaware that the Internet is undergoing an unprecedented scaled
expansion and that powerhouse technology companies, which have already transformed the way
we do business, have made substantial investments in the new gTLDs. Consider these top five
things your CEO should know about the new gTLDs.
1. The New gTLDs Are One Part of the Age of Digital Transformation.
For the first time in the history of the Internet, we are experiencing numerous converging forces on
how consumers navigate not just the Internet, but their entire digital world. Fifteen years ago, the
Internet became a mainstream tool for business, school, and life. In 2004, when Facebook was
introduced, the social media revolution began. And as smartphones took over old cellphone
technology, with the iPhone introduced in 2007, the way we live on the go also changed.
Amazon Prime and Zappos have changed the way consumers think about buying online with two-day
free shipping and free returns, requiring retailers to invent destination experiences to lure
shoppers into the brick-and-mortar store. The number of patents filed on digital-related inventions
has skyrocketed in the last 10 years. We are in the midst of a massive digital transformation
impacting all industries. Soon, there will be driverless cars, adding a whole new digital component
to our lives. For CEOs, this scaled expansion of the Internet is just one piece of digital
transformation that will directly impact the strategy they set for the future of the business.
Nearly 2,000 new gTLDs are categorizing the Internet and assigning secure authenticity and
credibility to brands at the top level. Google applied for 101 top-level domains. Amazon for 76.
They will create value in these new digital spaces. As half the world’s brands begin to advertise
and promote new and unique digital experiences, then the way consumers think about their online
world will start to change.
2. New gTLDs, Like the Original .Com, Will Force Innovation.
In the 1990s, some CEOs questioned why the company needed a website or what value the
Internet would have to their company, but it forced them to innovate into this new digital age.
When the Internet began, there was no Google, eBay, or Facebook. The new gTLDs, much like
11. the wild west of the original .com era, will force companies to innovate new uses for the online
experience in the top-level domain environment and spawn new companies.
Traditionally, online was chained to a desktop or laptop computer. Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV,
and Amazon Fire are now casting that website or online experience onto the flatscreen.
The homepage will be unraveled in favor of specific experiences users are seeking and casting up
on the big screen. Brands will quickly begin to understand the authenticity, security, and brand
power of their own Internet channel and innovate the online experience. As millions of new wide-open
digital spaces are created by the new gTLDs, entrepreneurs will respond with new ideas and
technologies to leverage the expanding Internet universe. CEOs need to recognize that every
company needs digital innovation if it will survive this transformation.
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3. New gTLDs Create a Trifecta of Digital Intelligence
CEOs rely upon their people and data to drive strategic thinking. The convergence of new data
available creates digital intelligence essential to make strategic decisions.
Consumer shopping data is available within your own digital world. Understanding what, when,
and how consumers shop online, including how they respond to algorithm-driven point-of-sale
prompts, is critical to spotting key trends. Likewise, how people are searching and navigating the
Internet tells you what they think and want and what they want, but can’t find. One of the greatest
pieces of data for a brand gTLD will be what people search for in their ecosystem that is not
available and how they move from one space to the next. How people behave in social and mobile
spaces completes the picture. In social, you know what messaging and who influences their
12. thinking. In mobile, you know where they are and what drives purchase behavior or decision
making. This data, along with other indicators like patent trends, can tell you where your
competitors, customers, and industry are headed. In the trenches of companies, managers are
focused on executing the strategy the CEO sets. But if the CEO doesn’t have digital intelligence,
the key to the future of the business may be lost as "off strategy."
4. New gTLDs Will Change How Consumers Search and Navigate the Internet.
Fifteen years ago, consumers searched a desktop computer using a mouse and a browser. Now,
they search with great specificity on mobile devices or apps and few bother beyond the first page
of search results. New gTLDs will initially create more confusion, but as consumers come to
recognize certain gTLDs or channels as trusted, they will begin to search within those spaces and
Google may begin to change the way it guides users. In prior years, companies would use search
engine optimization strategies to generate results to drive consumers to their digital spaces.
Today, it’s becoming less possible to "game the system" to get better search results.
"If you keep the mental model of 'What is Google trying to do?' – trying to return great search
results for users – then that helps you try to align yourself with those goals. If you are aligned with
those goals, then we are trying to return the high-quality pages that you are making. If you aren’t
aligned with those goals, you are always going to be working in opposition to the algorithms and
you’re always going to be working in opposition to regular users and what they want to see," says
Matt Cutts of Google. "What will be important, today and moving forward, is embracing the mix,
getting the mix right, and repeating that success using these newer tactics. For a business to
really achieve success, they have to look beyond the search engine and set their sights firmly on
impressing the customer," adds Duane Forrester of Bing.
Babelfish Articles May 2014 – July 2014 20-7-14
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5. New gTLDs Are a Paradigm Shift, But This Has Happened Before
Historically, when paradigm shifts begin, those who are negatively impacted by it say it will never
work and often work hard to stop or slow the shift. But these shifts are inevitable. Consider the
railroads, the industrial revolution, ZIP codes, the highway system, the information age, or social
media. The rise and fall of business models and how we navigate our world is inevitable and it’s
happening at an accelerated pace. Remember these companies: Kodak, CompUSA, Compaq,
Tower Records, Woolworths, EF Hutton, KB Toys, Hostess, and Borders?
They are no longer in business. Their CEO missed some indicator in time to make the shift. While
gTLDs are just one part of the digital transformation underway, they are a critical piece to the
puzzle and worth at least a mention in your next report to the CEO. If you’d like to see a new
infographic on gTLDs, click here.
'The Internet Of Things' Will Change Virtually Everything About How Large
Companies Operate
Emily Adler Aug. 12, 2014, 8:34 AM
The Internet Of Things will reshuffle priorities and costs for global enterprises.
13. The IoT will be a diffuse layer of devices, sensors, and computing power that overlays entire
business-to-business, consumer-facing and government industries. The IoT will account for an
increasingly huge number of connections: 1.9 billion devices today, and 9 billion by 2018. That
year, it will be roughly equal to the number of smartphones, smart TVs, tablets, wearable
computers, and PCs combined.
In IoT research from BI Intelligence, we look at the transition of once-inert objects into sensor-laden
intelligent devices that can communicate with the other gadgets in our lives. This represents
a major challenge and opportunity for all large companies. The most valuable IoT applications will
almost certainly be enterprise uses.
Access The Full Report And Data By Signing Up For A Free Trial Today >>
The Internet Of Things, or IoT, represents a major departure in the history of the Internet. The
Internet is moving beyond the rectangular confines of smartphones and tablets and helping to
power billions of everyday devices, including factory assembly lines, workplaces, and parking
meters.
The numbers being forecast for the IoT are truly mind-boggling. Since it will come to encompass
a layer of devices and apps across industries, it will account for an increasingly huge number of
connections, 1.9 billion devices today, and 9 billion by 2018, according to BII estimates.
Market research and tech firms agree that the IoT, especially enterprise uses, will come to drive
trillions in economic value as it permeates business life. The really valuable applications may be
enterprise uses such as the auto insurance industry’s early use of monitors to charge motorists
only for the amount of time they actually drive.
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14. The main obstacles to the quick rollout of the IoT are still-immature and fast-changing
technologies and standards. There are also challenges presented by the massive scale and
uncertain ROI of investment in IoT-type projects. Data security is also a factor.
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In full, the report digs into some of the top applications for the IoT:
Industrial uses including Internet-managed assembly lines, connected factories, and
warehouses, etc.
Connected advertising and marketing.
Intelligent traffic management systems. This includes toll-taking and congestion penalties, as
well as smart parking-space management.
Waste management systems. In Cincinnati, residential waste volume fell 17% and recycling
volume grew by 49% through use of a “pay as you throw” program that used IoT technology to
monitor those who exceed waste limits.
Smart electricity grids that adjust rates for peak energy usage.
Smart water systems and meters. The cities of Doha, São Paulo, and Beijing have reduced
leaks by 40 to 50% by putting sensors on pumps and other water infrastructure.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/enterprise-growth-in-the-internet-of-things-market-
2014-8#ixzz3AHWx9oKW
Attribution 'a work in progress'
12 August 2014 Data sourced from Warc
DANA POINT, CA: Attribution and measurement remain a "work in progress" for many brands,
which often still rely on simply first-touch and last-touch metrics, a leading executive has argued.
Geoff Ramsey, chairman/co-founder of research firm eMarketer, discussed this theme while
speaking at the Association of National Advertisers' (ANA) Digital & Social Media Conference.
"Consumers are seamlessly flowing from one device or platform to another, and it is very
challenging to reach them," he said. (For more, including a wealth of media-usage data, read
Warc's exclusive report: The latest digital trends from eMarketer.)
Drawing on industry research, Ramsey reported that just 3% of companies worldwide believe they
are "completely integrated" across all functions.
A further 43% were self-described as being "poorly integrated", while 46% asserted they were
"improving" in this area.
A primary reason behind this lack of understanding relates to the difficulty of constructing the
structures and processes needed to fully understand the increasingly complicated media universe.
"Complex attribution and measurement models certainly remain a work in progress," said Ramsey.
Two-thirds of marketers, he continued, typically look to "last-touch" or "first-touch" metrics in their
measurement strategies.
15. Such an approach, however, is not sufficient, as it effectively means they are "ignoring all the
activity, exposure and engagement that happened prior to that", and thus miss out on the nuance
of the current path to purchase.
"Only 22% of marketers," Ramsey added, "say they're using cross-channel attribution
approaches."
To more rigorously appreciate how consumers leverage different digital tools, brands need to have
a much more expansive remit.
"The end goal is to try to harvest the streams of data that are coming from mobile, from social,
from video, across all platforms and devices," said Ramsey.
As consumers increasingly hop between one device and the next, pursuing such initiatives is
becoming a necessity.
"They expect you to be there, too, and to be able to recognize them," said Ramsey.
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Dominant 2014 Trends among Brazilian Internet Users
by Sergio Kligin@US Media Consulting on JUNE 23, 2014 in BRAZIL, INTERNET, MARKETING,
ONLINE Let’s start with online ad investment figures from IAB Brasil: In 2013 online advertising in
Brazil grew by nearly 26% to reach R$ 5.7 billion (US$2.5 billion) In 2014 it will grow another 25%
to reach R$ 7.1 billion (US$3.2 billion) Unlike Projeto Inter-Meios, IAB Brasil counts search, social
and classified in its figures for online ad investment, whereas Projeto only counts display. Since
Projeto reports that overall 2013 ad investment in Brazil was R$ 47.9 billion (US$21.4 billion), this
means that online ads took up nearly 12% of the overall ad spend. What to Know When Targeting
Brazilian Internet Users Recent data from comScore’s Brazil Futuro Digital 2014 and other
sources offers some guidance for planning online campaigns in Brazil. Here are the trends to keep
in mind:
>>>Start Test Campaigns with Instagram if You Haven’t Already Why: Instagram use in Brazil has
grown by nearly 900% since January 2013
>>>Ignore the Reports about Facebook Losing Influence in Brazil and Elsewhere Why: Facebook
takes up nearly 98% of the total time that Brazilians spend on social networks Twitter takes up
only 0.7% Total number of Facebook fans in Brazil has gone up by 148% Total monthly
interactions Across Top Facebook Pages in Brazil has gone up by 26%
>>>Mobile Components to Online Campaigns in Brazil Are Increasingly Important Why: In January
2014 there were nearly 115 million active mobile Internet subscriptions in Brazil, 56% more than in
January 2013 Mobile devices were responsible for nearly 12% of page views in Brazil in February
2014 Mobile device share of page views in Brazil went up by 132% between 2013 and 2014 43
million Brazilians surf the Internet using mobile devices Brazilians are more engaged with mobile
ads than consumers from other countries
>>>Social Campaigns Remain Crucial to Reaching Brazilian Internet Users Why: Total time spent
on social networks grew by 6% in Brazil between 2013 and 2014 Brazilians spent nearly 13 hours
in February on social sites Brazilians spend more time on Facebook than the Mexican and
Argentine online audiences combined: 46 million minutes in February 2013 versus 22 million
minutes in Mexico and 22 million in Argentina Despite Facebook’s dominance, other social sites
are growing in Brazil, particularly LinkedIn, Tumblr and Yahoo Profile Brazil is #2 in the world in
terms of the reach of blogs: 77% reach compared to 78% reach in Japan, the #1 country in this
respect >>>Online Video Still Commands a Strong Audience in Brazil Why: In February 2014
Brazilians watched 156 online videos per viewer, compared to 160 per viewer in February 2013
16. YouTube is still the online video leader with Brazil, with 85 videos per viewer watched every
month, while Globo is #2 with 30 per month Turner Digital and Facebook are the fastest-growing
online video sites in Brazil, posting 262% and 228% growth since 2013, respectively
http://latinlink.usmediaconsulting.com/2014/06/dominant-2014-trends-among-brazilian-internet-users/
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8 Keys to Powerful Mobile Campaigns in Brazil
by Sergio Kligin@US Media Consulting on MAY 15, 2014 in BRAZIL, MARKETING, MOBILE
It’s clear that a mobile revolution is taking place in Brazil. You can see for yourself the numbers we
have observed through our own research. The challenge is in how to convert this massive group
of users into a massive group of buyers. A recent study from PricewaterhouseCoopers may help
with this. The research company polled mobile device users from Brazil to better understand their
attitudes toward mobile advertising. We decided to turn these findings into tips that our clients and
colleagues may be able to take advantage of as they target Brazilians with mobile ad campaigns.
#1 Make your ad relevant. Besides Brazilians, PricewaterhouseCoopers surveyed mobile users
from China, the United Kingdom and the United States. The results showed that Brazilians were
the most receptive to mobile ads and in fact 82% of Brazilian mobile users said they are likely to
click on a mobile ad. However, the 82% indicated that the ad content needs to be relevant for
them to click.
#2 Use mobile video. When asked to rank their favorite mobile ad format, 55% of Brazilian mobile
users selected video, while 12% selected banners and 11% selected coupons. Only 5% preferred
an ad displayed after an in-app activity.
#3 Target daily. When asked how often they preferred to be targeted by mobile ads, 44% of
Brazilian mobile users reported that they preferred to be targeted daily. In contrast, 27% of
Brazilians prefer to be targeted weekly by mobile ads and 10% prefer monthly targeting. A small
percentage (9%) said they preferred hourly targeting, while another 9% of the users said they
didn’t want to be targeted at all by mobile ads.
#4 Make sure the factors fit. Large majorities of Brazilian mobile users identified a number of key
factors that they see as most important for mobile ads. First, 86% of Brazilians say that it’s most
important for ads to be relevant. Other important factors that Brazilians think are very important for
mobile ads are offering free things (78%), products/services that are specific to user locations
(76%) and the duration/size of ads (74%). Other factors that Brazilians regarded as important for
mobile ads include offers that are good for a limited time (67%), the ad format (62%) and
personalizing ads so they use the user’s name (54%).
17. #5 Target by interest. More than 7 in 10 Brazilians (74%) said that they prefer that mobile
advertising target them by interest, and in fact users in the other countries also had this approach
as their biggest preference. The other important targeting criteria cited by Brazilians was
location—44% said that they prefer that mobile advertising target them by location—and name,
since 41% prefer targeting by name. Other targeting criteria ranked considerably lower, including
online purchase history (37%), types of sites they visit with their mobile phone (28%), by their
route to work (19%), by keywords uses in text messages (15%) and by keywords used in emails
(15%).
#6 Run the campaign in the morning. More than 3 of 10 Brazilians (33%) reported that they prefer
to be targeted by mobile ads in the morning when they wake up, while 14% prefer targeting when
they are on their way to work and 10% prefer it while at work. Another 13% prefer to be targeted in
the evening before dinner and another 11% prefer targeting on weekends. Given that we’re
discussing mobile campaigns what’s ironic is that only 3% of Brazilians said they preferred to be
targeted while on the move.
#7 Be careful about personal space. One of the key concerns that Brazilians have about mobile
ads is that it crosses the line into their personal space. In the context of the study, this means that
Brazilians are concerned about ads that target by tracking texts and emails or ads received as text
messages. Another concern is that mobile ads are too intrusive, meaning that they interrupt an
activity that is important to mobile users at the time, such as getting directions or playing a game.
#8 Adapt your approach to their preferred scenario. As part of the survey,
PricewaterhouseCoopers presented mobile users with various scenarios for receiving a mobile ad
based on user location. For Brazilians, the most preferred scenario (80% of users) was the coffee
shop scenario: a user walks by a coffee shop and receives message with a coupon for a
discounted drink at the coffee shop—if they buy in the next 10 minutes. The second most popular
scenario (67% of users) was one in which the phone knows the user is a fan of Michael Jordan
and while the user is at the mall, they receive an alert for a store that sells Air Jordan sneakers.
Another popular scenario (65% of users) was the milk reminder. In this scenario, a mobile user’s
phone receives data from the user’s grocery shopping reward card. As a result, the phone knows
the user last purchased milk 7 days before, so it reminds the user they are out of milk and
provides route guidance to the nearest supermarket on the way home from work. In this scenario,
the phone knows the user’s route home because it has passively tracked their commute
http://latinlink.usmediaconsulting.com/2014/05/8-keys-to-powerful-mobile-campaigns-in-brazil/
Vibrant Media Finds that Consumers Trust in Branded Content on Par with
Editorial
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Written on Aug 7, 2014 (ADOTAS)
New research into the value consumers place on digital content shows that just two percent more
consumers trust content from publications (35 percent) than from brands (33 percent). However,
the data from native advertising company Vibrant Media also found that there are more consumers
who distrust content from publications (18 percent) than there are who distrust content from
brands (15.5 percent). When Vibrant Media’s researchers focused their assessment on media
titles and brands with which consumers were familiar, they exposed a greater disparity in levels of
distrust between brands and media titles: the number of consumers that distrust content from
media titles they know (12 percent) is double the number who distrust content from brands that
they know (6 percent).
Cynicism about content increases with age. Consumers aged 13-34 years old proved to be more
trusting of all content producers compared to those aged 35-64. The study also found that 50
18. percent of respondents feel that it is important they be informed that an advertiser has paid for
content.
The research results offer reassurance to publishers considering introducing branded content
along with their editorial. Craig Gooding, Executive Chairman & Founder of Vibrant Media, said,
“The very fact that consumers’ level of trust in branded content is even on par with editorial is very
surprising. Moreover, the higher levels of distrust in publishers’ content than branded content
shows far less cynicism about branded content than we expected. The findings have reassured us
that publishers who offer branded content, or are considering doing so, are not compromising their
relationship with consumers – as long as they do so responsibly.”
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Vibrant’s New Content Marketing Units – Vibrant Amplify
Addressing the findings of the research, Vibrant Media is launching four new cross-platform native
ad units to help consumers easily discover brands’ content – whether paid, earned or owned –
from within editorial. Distributed across Vibrant Media’s network of over 6,600 premium publishers
and performing on both mobile and desktop devices, these content marketing units give
consumers much greater access to brands’ digital content compared to relying solely on search
engines or the reach of a brand’s social media profiles. Vibrant’s units also give consumers control
and choice, as a variety of relevant branded content can be presented from one interface. The
units join the hugely successful Mosaic format, expanding Vibrant’s content marketing tools into a
new range named “Vibrant Amplify”. The units only launch when a consumer actively chooses –
either by tapping, clicking or lingering over a Vibrant Amplify mechanic for over three seconds.
Four of the formats can be launched from overlays appearing at the bottom of editorial images or
from double-underlined keywords within editorial:
• Vibrant Content Distribution (NEW)
Both publishers and advertisers can use the Distribution units to enable consumers to easily find
content on social channels or owned platforms such as websites or digital magazines. Once a
consumer chooses to launch a Content Distribution unit they are presented with a snapshot of the
content they can connect to – an image, headline and introduction. Notably, the publisher or
advertiser only pays when the consumer clicks through to the full content.
• Vibrant Content Curation (NEW)
This engagement-focused format encourages consumers to interact with brands’ content without
leaving the publisher’s page. Vibrant Content Curation units present various formats of content –
videos, images, articles, demos, games and more – in an interactive full-screen unit. Brands can
build a Curation unit of exclusively branded content or present both branded and licensed editorial
content to consumers.
• Vibrant Amplify Live (NEW)
Through Vibrant Media’s dynamic content management system, brands can give consumers
access to distributed branded content which is updated in real-time. Amplify Live enables brands
to develop a truly responsive relationship with consumers, either by displaying curated content as
it happens on a single interface or distributing real-time updates to drive consumers to their
websites and social media platforms.
• Vibrant Mosaic
Launched in April 2013, this full-screen interactive format integrates brands’ social media and
branded content into a single app-style presentation of various tiles of mixed media, including
Twitter and Facebook feeds, YouTube videos, Pinterest images, articles and games.
19. Gooding said, “It’s clear that quality branded content has great power. But standards must be
maintained to preserve the publisher-consumer relationship. All our campaigns follow the Vibrant
principles of responsible native advertising: Integrity, Transparency, Proportionality, Relevancy
and Appropriate Placement.”
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• Integrity
Vibrant’s account managers and agency partners foster collaboration among the publisher and
brand teams to ensure that editorial, sales, creative and marketing goals are aligned. The support
of editorial teams is imperative, as the placement and function of the units rely on engaging
editorial. Consequently, the units directly prove the value of journalists’ work because users’
interactions with the content marketing units – their hovers and taps – demonstrate to publishers
and advertisers that the user is engaged with the editorial.
• Transparency
Each of Vibrant’s native advertising units is plugged into Vibrant IQ, the intelligent qualification
process that ensures transparent native advertising and non-intrusive brand messaging by briefly
displaying the logo of the advertiser to consumers before they choose to launch a Vibrant ad unit.
Vibrant IQ not only makes it clear to users that a marketing message is available within content,
but also the specific brand that is promoting the message – before commercial content is even
displayed on screen. This process enables consumers to make informed choices before deciding
to access each specific brand’s content.
• Proportionality
The Vibrant units sit unobtrusively within content. Publishers control both the number of native ads
displayed within content and the frequency with which brands’ content is displayed. This ensures
consumers get the content they want.
• Relevancy
The units are displayed in context, so they are not only relevant to the consumer but to the content
within which they are placed. Vibrant’s research found that most consumers (64 percent) said that
they are more likely to pay attention to an ad if it is placed within relevant content.
• Appropriate Placement
Vibrant’s units are launched from hyperlinks within editorial text or nimble overlays at the bottom of
editorial images, so they unobtrusively fit the form and function of digital content. Because the
units are responsively designed, they function as intended on all devices. The placement of the
units is governed by Vibrant’s brand safety policies, which have been independently verified by
media measurement body the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) as meeting all current good
practice standards. Key to the management of appropriate placement is SafeServe™, Vibrant’s
content verification technology, which contextually analyzes editorial in real time to ensure the
suitability of content units.
Post-Click Content Preferences
Vibrant Media’s researchers also found that when consumers want more information about a
brand or product after seeing an ad, one in three (33 percent) said the most useful source of
information was the advertiser’s own website. This was five times the number of consumers who
stated that articles written by journalists about the brand or product are the most useful source of
information (6 percent). Even advertorials – articles written by the brand advertiser themselves but
displayed on a third party publisher’s website – ranked higher than those written by journalists,
20. with 8 percent of consumers stating that they found advertorials to be the most useful source of
information about the brand or product.
Gooding said, “When looking for information about a brand, a third of consumers found the brands’
website most useful. This suggests that they are becoming more open to information directly from
brands. With all the investment in content marketing, we are starting to see brands re-invest in
their websites, developing content hubs so consumers have a reason to visit and find out more.
It’s therefore important for brands to remember that one of their most crucial items of content is
their own website, so it must not be neglected.”
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Ranking of Receptivity to Branded Content Formats
Images ranked highest in Vibrant Media’s poll of consumers’ receptivity to branded content
formats – 64 percent stating that they were receptive to brands’ images and just 12 percent saying
they were not receptive to images. Video content followed, with 57 percent stating they were
receptive and 20 percent unreceptive to such branded content. Just under half of consumers (46
percent) said they were receptive to articles written by brands, while 19 percent reported that they
were unreceptive to that format.
Brands’ social media updates were the most unpopular of all branded content formats consumers
could choose from. Thirty percent of consumers said they were unreceptive to brands’ social
media posts – just 42 percent said they were receptive to such content. Interestingly, 44 percent of
consumers said they were still receptive to straight-forward online advertising, such as standard
banner ads, although nearly one in four (24 percent) said they were unreceptive to those formats.
Methodology
Vibrant Media surveyed 1,000 people between the ages of 13 and 64 across the United States
who owned at least one of a computer, a mobile phone or a tablet, each of which must connect to
the Internet. The survey was conducted online by Toluna, a leading online panel and survey
technology provider.
The Future of Across-Screen Advertising, Part I -- Bill Harvey
By Bill Harvey Published: August 7, 2014
Symphony Advanced Media (aka SymphonyAM) and TiVo Research have announced a new
partnership. They are building out joint sample size to allow the combination of TiVo/TRA’s
purchase data driven ROI measurement with Symphony’s cross-screen passive audience actions
measurement. The combination promises the ability to produce the most complete track of the
stimulus events leading up to a significant response event. A picture says it best:
21. This is essentially the Holy Grail of Attribution Analytics. The chart above is in effect what is
simulated by modelers performing attribution analytics. Some modelers use homemade formulas
but the best utilize the same kinds of multiple regression statistics used by Mix (Marketing Mix
Modeling). However, without the real data on a decent sample size such as TiVo/Symphony is
aiming for, these exercises are really best estimates rather than true measurements. The actuals
will enable the most profitable decisions and actions far more than modeled estimates, although
both are better than the seat-of-the-pants approach, which has been the core technique of the
industry since time immemorial.
Once we have that view of the world, what will we discover and what will we do differently?
Probably a lot of things. One of them will be a new/old technique we might wind up calling Across-
Screen Advertising: The practice of having advertiser content simultaneously on more than one of
the screens the user is currently using.
Like every other “new” idea, it is old. Back in the 1980s the first “second screen” plays began to be
seen, either with a single-purpose screen or a screen built into the TV remote control channel
changer. Street wisdom of the era said that taking the consumer’s eyes off the main screen was a
bad idea so none of these ideas ever flew.
Symphony has now reported that for 32% of the time in which people who own a smartphone
and/or tablet are watching TV in primetime they are also using one of those other devices. And
this figure climbs to 40% during ad pods.
This “rampant” level of usage led CBS’s David Poltrack and me to give a presentation at the ARF
Audience Measurement conference last month. He kicked off by showing a slide of a huge football
stadium with a humongous video screen. Dave is always in the Flow or Observer state and
understands that to provoke a massive change in the way people do business you have to first
take their mental set and change it. Using the analogy of an unprecedentedly large arena that
could hold 15,000,000 people to describe a typical high-rated CBS series, he asked the ARF
audience to think about what else they would do in the stadium -- besides put an ad on the video
screen -- to take advantage of such an opportunity.
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22. Personally, I thought about introducing a new beverage that the hot dog peddlers would deliver at
an introductory discount, with the vendors singing along with the commercial while it was on the
giant screen. Plus messages with the same song appearing on built-in screens in front of each
seat and the attendees’ own smartphones and tablets if they happen to have them open at the
time.
Dave effectively got people to think out of the box and to wonder about doing the same thing in
people‘s living rooms where they really can reach 15,000,000 people at the same time via the
smartphones and tablets and even laptops that some TV viewers are often using while watching
TV.
Bill Harvey is a well-known media researcher and inventor who co-founded TRA, Inc. and is itsBill
Harvey Strategic Advisor. His nonprofit Human Effectiveness Institute runs his weekly blog on
consciousness optimization. Bill can be contacted at bill@billharveyconsulting.com
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How Successful People Stay Calm
August 05, 2014
The ability to manage your emotions and remain calm under pressure has a direct link to your
performance. TalentSmart has conducted research with more than a million people, and we’ve
found that 90% of top performers are skilled at managing their emotions in times of stress in order
to remain calm and in control.
If you follow our newsletter, you’ve read some startling research summaries that explore the havoc
stress can wreak on one’s physical and mental health (such as the Yale study, which found that
prolonged stress causes degeneration in the area of the brain responsible for self-control). The
tricky thing about stress (and the anxiety that comes with it) is that it’s an absolutely necessary
emotion. Our brains are wired such that it’s difficult to take action until we feel at least some level
of this emotional state. In fact, performance peaks under the heightened activation that comes with
moderate levels of stress. As long as the stress isn’t prolonged, it’s harmless.
23. Research from the University of California, Berkeley, reveals an upside to experiencing moderate
levels of stress. But it also reinforces how important it is to keep stress under control. The study,
led by post-doctoral fellow Elizabeth Kirby, found that the onset of stress entices the brain into
growing new cells responsible for improved memory. However, this effect is only seen when stress
is intermittent. As soon as the stress continues beyond a few moments into a prolonged state, it
suppresses the brain’s ability to develop new cells.
“I think intermittent stressful events are probably what keeps the brain more alert, and you perform
better when you are alert,” Kirby says. For animals, intermittent stress is the bulk of what they
experience, in the form of physical threats in their immediate environment. Long ago, this was also
the case for humans. As the human brain evolved and increased in complexity, we’ve developed
the ability to worry and perseverate on events, which creates frequent experiences of prolonged
stress.
Besides increasing your risk of heart disease, depression, and obesity, stress decreases your
cognitive performance. Fortunately, though, unless a lion is chasing you, the bulk of your stress is
subjective and under your control. Top performers have well-honed coping strategies that they
employ under stressful circumstances. This lowers their stress levels regardless of what’s
happening in their environment, ensuring that the stress they experience is intermittent and not
prolonged.
While I’ve run across numerous effective strategies that successful people employ when faced
with stress, what follows are ten of the best. Some of these strategies may seem obvious, but the
real challenge lies in recognizing when you need to use them and having the wherewithal to
actually do so in spite of your stress.
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They Appreciate What They Have
Taking time to contemplate what you’re grateful for isn’t merely the “right” thing to do. It also
improves your mood, because it reduces the stress hormone cortisol by 23%. Research
24. conducted at the University of California, Davis found that people who worked daily to cultivate an
attitude of gratitude experienced improved mood, energy, and physical well-being. It’s likely that
lower levels of cortisol played a major role in this.
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They Avoid Asking “What If?”
“What if?” statements throw fuel on the fire of stress and worry. Things can go in a million different
directions, and the more time you spend worrying about the possibilities, the less time you’ll spend
focusing on taking action that will calm you down and keep your stress under control. Calm people
know that asking “what if? will only take them to a place they don’t want—or need—to go.
They Stay Positive
Positive thoughts help make stress intermittent by focusing your brain’s attention onto something
that is completely stress-free. You have to give your wandering brain a little help by consciously
selecting something positive to think about. Any positive thought will do to refocus your attention.
When things are going well, and your mood is good, this is relatively easy. When things are going
poorly, and your mind is flooded with negative thoughts, this can be a challenge. In these
moments, think about your day and identify one positive thing that happened, no matter how small.
If you can't think of something from the current day, reflect on the previous day or even the
previous week. Or perhaps you’re looking forward to an exciting event that you can focus your
attention on. The point here is that you must have something positive that you're ready to shift
your attention to when your thoughts turn negative.
They Disconnect
Given the importance of keeping stress intermittent, it’s easy to see how taking regular time off the
grid can help keep your stress under control. When you make yourself available to your work 24/7,
you expose yourself to a constant barrage of stressors. Forcing yourself offline and even—gulp!—
turning off your phone gives your body a break from a constant source of stress. Studies have
shown that something as simple as an email break can lower stress levels.
Technology enables constant communication and the expectation that you should be available
24/7. It is extremely difficult to enjoy a stress-free moment outside of work when an email that will
change your train of thought and get you thinking (read: stressing) about work can drop onto your
phone at any moment. If detaching yourself from work-related communication on weekday
evenings is too big a challenge, then how about the weekend? Choose blocks of time where you
cut the cord and go offline. You’ll be amazed at how refreshing these breaks are and how they
reduce stress by putting a mental recharge into your weekly schedule. If you’re worried about the
negative repercussions of taking this step, first try doing it at times when you’re unlikely to be
contacted—maybe Sunday morning. As you grow more comfortable with it, and as your coworkers
begin to accept the time you spend offline, gradually expand the amount of time you spend away
from technology.
They Limit Their Caffeine Intake
Drinking caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline. Adrenaline is the source of the “fight-or-flight”
response, a survival mechanism that forces you to stand up and fight or run for the hills when
faced with a threat. The fight-or-flight mechanism sidesteps rational thinking in favor of a faster
response. This is great when a bear is chasing you, but not so great when you’re responding to a
curt email. When caffeine puts your brain and body into this hyperaroused state of stress, your
emotions overrun your behavior. The stress that caffeine creates is far from intermittent, as its long
half-life ensures that it takes its sweet time working its way out of your body.
They Sleep
25. I’ve beaten this one to death over the years and can’t say enough about the importance of sleep to
increasing your emotional intelligence and managing your stress levels. When you sleep, your
brain literally recharges, shuffling through the day’s memories and storing or discarding them
(which causes dreams), so that you wake up alert and clear-headed. Your self-control, attention,
and memory are all reduced when you don’t get enough—or the right kind—of sleep. Sleep
deprivation raises stress hormone levels on its own, even without a stressor present. Stressful
projects often make you feel as if you have no time to sleep, but taking the time to get a decent
night’s sleep is often the one thing keeping you from getting things under control.
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They Squash Negative Self-Talk
A big step in managing stress involves stopping negative self-talk in its tracks. The more you
ruminate on negative thoughts, the more power you give them. Most of our negative thoughts are
just that—thoughts, not facts. When you find yourself believing the negative and pessimistic
things, your inner voice says, “It's time to stop and write them down.” Literally stop what you're
doing and write down what you're thinking. Once you've taken a moment to slow down the
negative momentum of your thoughts, you will be more rational and clear-headed in evaluating
their veracity.
You can bet that your statements aren’t true any time you use words like “never,” “worst,” “ever,”
etc. If your statements still look like facts once they’re on paper, take them to a friend or colleague
you trust and see if he or she agrees with you. Then the truth will surely come out. When it feels
like something always or never happens, this is just your brain’s natural threat tendency inflating
the perceived frequency or severity of an event. Identifying and labeling your thoughts as thoughts
by separating them from the facts will help you escape the cycle of negativity and move toward a
positive new outlook.
They Reframe Their Perspective
Stress and worry are fueled by our own skewed perception of events. It’s easy to think that
unrealistic deadlines, unforgiving bosses, and out-of-control traffic are the reasons we’re so
stressed all the time. You can’t control your circumstances, but you can control how you respond
to them. So before you spend too much time dwelling on something, take a minute to put the
situation in perspective. If you aren’t sure when you need to do this, try looking for clues that your
anxiety may not be proportional to the stressor. If you’re thinking in broad, sweeping statements
such as “Everything is going wrong” or “Nothing will work out,” then you need to reframe the
situation. A great way to correct this unproductive thought pattern is to list the specific things that
actually are going wrong or not working out. Most likely you will come up with just some things—
not everything—and the scope of these stressors will look much more limited than it initially
appeared.
They Breathe
The easiest way to make stress intermittent lies in something that you have to do everyday
anyway: breathing. The practice of being in the moment with your breathing will begin to train your
brain to focus solely on the task at hand and get the stress monkey off your back. When you’re
feeling stressed, take a couple of minutes to focus on your breathing. Close the door, put away all
other distractions, and just sit in a chair and breathe. The goal is to spend the entire time focused
only on your breathing, which will prevent your mind from wandering. Think about how it feels to
breathe in and out. This sounds simple, but it’s hard to do for more than a minute or two. It’s all
right if you get sidetracked by another thought; this is sure to happen at the beginning, and you
just need to bring your focus back to your breathing. If staying focused on your breathing proves to
be a real struggle, try counting each breath in and out until you get to 20, and then start again from
1. Don’t worry if you lose count; you can always just start over.
26. This task may seem too easy or even a little silly, but you’ll be surprised by how calm you feel
afterward and how much easier it is to let go of distracting thoughts that otherwise seem to have
lodged permanently inside your brain.
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They Use Their Support System
It’s tempting, yet entirely ineffective, to attempt tackling everything by yourself. To be calm and
productive, you need to recognize your weaknesses and ask for help when you need it. This
means tapping into your support system when a situation is challenging enough for you to feel
overwhelmed. Everyone has someone at work and/or outside work who is on their team, rooting
for them, and ready to help them get the best from a difficult situation. Identify these individuals in
your life and make an effort to seek their insight and assistance when you need it. Something as
simple as talking about your worries will provide an outlet for your anxiety and stress and supply
you with a new perspective on the situation. Most of the time, other people can see a solution that
you can’t because they are not as emotionally invested in the situation. Asking for help will
mitigate your stress and strengthen your relationships with those you rely upon.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Travis Bradberry, Ph.D.
Dr. Travis Bradberry is the award-winning co-author of the #1 bestselling book, Emotional
Intelligence 2.0, and the cofounder of TalentSmart, the world's leading provider of emotional
intelligence tests, emotional intelligence training, and emotional intelligence certification, serving
more than 75% of Fortune 500 companies. His bestselling books have been translated into 25
languages and are available in more than 150 countries. Dr. Bradberry has written for, or been
covered by, Newsweek, BusinessWeek, Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., USA Today, The
Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Harvard Business Review
Beacons: Closing the Gap on Proximity Marketing
by Scott Varland, 7-4-14
Many in the industry would agree that the Holy Grail of a campaign is in understanding your
consumer; where they are, who they are, and when they are most likely to purchase the product at
hand. Now, more than ever, it is essential to reach the consumer at the right place and right time,
and in a way they are not only comfortable with, but have already integrated into their daily routine.
Enter proximity marketing – namely, Bluetooth beacons.
Despite all the recent attention, we still have no idea how big proximity technologies will really be
and how much they will change our lives. This is the technology powering the internet of things -
the unification of the physical world with the digital world. It is this fusion which creates a new
“super power” of sorts – a capacity to create zones of interaction within physical space, putting big
data to small tasks. As this space continues to expand and develop rapidly, it too will impact the
capabilities, and ultimately the scope of everything within our society. The duality that sometimes
the proximity enabled space will help contextualize the smartphone, and at other times our
smartphone will contextualize the space, creates an open-door to what is possible. For beacons,
reach (and integration) is currently limitless.
BLE beacons are the purest form and expression of “Here and Now” media, truly encapsulating
the concept that media is everywhere. By having the ability to be ‘everywhere’ and ‘anytime’ it is
important to remember the consumer and their routines and needs - simplicity is key. As we
introduce this technology, the most important thing to nail is the experience. If it is not immediately
helpful, revenant, and personalized, it will fail. Things that are deemed “helpful” are not considered
invasive.
27. The principal value in proximity technology is not the nearby deal alerts; it is the larger implications
for connectivity with a consumer. It will be in making the world more responsive to needs, wants
and goals (and being there in the moment to have a solution on hand). Beacons are the start of
what will be the continuous shift in how media is consumed, and how interactions with the
consumer are made.
Can you finally forget your password? Even your heartbeat could hold the key
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July 22, 2014 10:00PM
THE password might be dying but it is a slow demise.
A decade ago, then Microsoft chairman Bill Gates predicted the impending demise of the
password because “they just don’t meet the challenge for anything you really want to secure”.
Proving his point, Forrester Research estimates more than $200 billion is lost annually due to
password breaches. Plus, Gartner says up to half of calls to help desks are to reset forgotten
passwords.
Iris /
eye recognition Biometrics PERSONAL OZ Picture: Supplied
It has been predicted that 5.5 billion people will use biometric technology in mobile and wearable
devices as password alternatives by 2019. Source: Supplied
McAfee Asia Pacific chief technology officer Sean Duca says the industry is still wrestling with a
replacement.
28. “Every single vendor is trying to work out how do we actually eliminate passwords,” Mr Duca says.
“It’s not an easy thing to shift. It’s a mindset but the technology has evolved.”
Since MIT researcher Fernando Corbato invented the computer password in the ’60s, users have
struggled to remember a growing list of secret codes. The solution most adopted is bad
management.
The built-in fingerprint scanner on the iPhone 5S is seen as a turning point in the acceptance of
biometrics. Source: Supplied
Research shows 40 per cent of people use one of the 100 most common passwords.
“A typical password is either something I have or something I know,” Mr Duca says.
“But the big thing that we’ve always tried to shift towards is something that you are — the
biometric.”
Security experts cite the launch of the Apple iPhone 5S, with a built-in fingerprint scanner, as a
turning point in the acceptance of biometrics as an alternative to passwords.
A Goode Intelligence report last month predicted 5.5 billion people will use biometric technology in
mobile and wearable devices as password alternatives by 2019.
“What will be truly transformational about the use of biometrics on wearable devices is the birth of
the universal authenticator — a device that intuitively knows who we are, where we are, what we
want to do and can open doors — both physical and virtual,” report author Alan Goode says.
This year’s International CES featured tools to replace the password. Some, such as YubiKey,
require a physical key paired with a PIN, while others relied on biometrics.
They included the FingerQ fingerprint scanner, EyeLock iris scanner, AGNITiO voiceprint
authenticator, and the Nymi wristband that verifies people by heartbeat.
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29. The Nymi wristband verifies people by unique signals in their heartbeat. Source: Supplied
Many companies promoting biometric alternatives to passwords are part of the FIDO Alliance, an
industry group that has the backing of ecommerce heavyweights Visa, MasterCard and PayPal,
along with tech giants Google and Microsoft.
Mr Duca says the key to using biometrics is to rely on a combination of sensors rather than one
identifier, which could be unreliable.
“If you can’t use one then let’s use the other because that shouldn’t stop the user. As soon as we
start to make it hard ... for the user, they walk away and start to use the passwords of old, which is
‘password12345’,” he says.
“I don’t think we’re going to see the complete death of the password because it always goes back
to the core of access control — something you have, something you are, something you’ve got.
It’s just going to be part of that overall puzzle in terms of trying to get access control.”
Tourism New Zealand hires drones to make ‘dronies’ the new ‘selfies’ this ski
season
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July 23, 2014 12:00AM
30. Smile for the camera ... drones will become increasingly evident in tourist locations, experts
predict. Picture: Brendon Thorne Source: Getty Images
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SELFIES are so 2013.
This year New Zealand wants you to take dronies with your cronies instead.
Dronies, or short videos of yourself captured using a drone, are a fresh use of the remotely
controlled, pilotless aircraft.
The term was coined three months ago in response to Photojojo founder Amit Gupta’s video of
himself and the mountain on which he and his friends were standing.
The trend has since taken off on social media sites including Instagram, with more than 1200 uses
of the #dronie hashtag.
New Zealand’s tourism authority is now planning to cash in on the trend, buying a $1400 DJI
Phantom 2 Vision+ drone to tour the country’s ski slopes, as well as Queenstown and Lake
Tekapo, to capture tourist dronies.
31. Smile on the slopes ... a drone moves in for a close-up. Source: Supplied
Tourism New Zealand Australia general manager Tony Saunders said the project was designed to
appeal to the tourism market’s "younger audience, who we know are all about selfies”.
“Obviously, everyone is aware how popular selfies are and dronies are getting a lot more
attention,” Mr Saunders said.
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“Dronies are an innovative way to capture their favourite memories.”
The DJI drone will record eight-second, full high-definition videos of tourists, starting with a close-up
and panning back to reveal the Kiwi ski slopes.
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Someone’s watching ... a tourist strikes the pose. Source: Supplied
The drone will tour New Zealand this month and next, including Coronet Peak, Cardona, Mount
Hutt, and Mount Cook, with participants’ videos uploaded to Tourism New Zealand’s Instagram
account, from which they can be shared.
Mr Saunders said after their use on the ski slopes, the drone could be used to capture dronies of
cycling, touring or golfing holidays in the country.
Dronies could become more popular outside the tourism industry in future, if drone enthusiasts are
to be believed.
Sky Cam USA owner David Quinones plans to launch a drone video website, YouDrone.com, for
flying videos later this year.
5 Ways to Move the Needle: What I Learned During the World Cup
Marko Muellner | July 22, 2014
The World Cup had much to teach marketers about how to accelerate growth and popularity - aka
how to move the needle. Read on to see what the world's biggest sporting event can teach you.
I'm a soccer fan, always have been. I love to play and watch. I love the MLS, the Timbers, the
2013 Champion Thorns, and I'll watch the Premier League even though I don't follow any specific
teams or players. I'm also an MLS LIVE subscriber, which means I pay to be able to watch games
on my computer and mobile devices, which I do regularly, even when I'm standing in line at the
supermarket.
33. While many of us enjoyed the World Cup for the competition, players, rivalries, stories, and the
pure global feel of the event, I enjoyed it for another reason as well. I learned a ton about
marketing and about how soccer in America - and the MLS - might apply a few key lessons in our
effort to accelerate growth and popularity - in our effort to move the needle.
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1. Get Local
I was in New York City during the World Cup and I found myself in a cab listening to one of those
dumb sports talk radio shows. Oddly, the conversation was insightful and interesting.
The hosts were what you'd expect - loud and opinioned American sports fans, not very
knowledgeable of soccer. Luckily, one of their producers was British, so he filled in the gaps. They
revealed two interesting insights marketers should heed:
They knew very little about their local teams or the MLS. These are top sports guys in a city with
good teams (Red Bulls and soon NYCFC) and they knew nothing - it was surprising.
They agreed that Americans need hometown teams and heroes, that having great American
players on European/International teams doesn't have the same impact as having local teams and
players to root for and become passionate about.
Living in Portland, I totally agree. Even when the Timbers struggle, the community is strong and
unwavering. I also grew up in Boston, where local fandom can be insane.
The World Cup, even more so than the Olympics and other international competitions, embodies
the "local." For many of the countries that qualify, there is no greater prize than the World Cup,
and as we saw with Brazil, disappointing results can have massive implications for the entire
country. In the U.S., our fandom is usually deeply rooted in our hometown and community, and
while the MLS and local teams have done a good job in some regions, a deep focus on local team
success will raise all boats.
For marketers, this is about understanding your key customer's affinities to their state, city, town,
or community. Country pride is essential to World Cup success - what passions and loyalties do
your customers have that you can authentically attach to or supplement? Regional affiliations are
the obvious "get local" technique, so what about lifestyle affiliations like cycling or hip-hop. Are
there common passions your audiences share? Can you give them something to love?
2. Make It Matter
While the MLS All-Star Game is in three weeks, I think the biggest opportunity is to use the
playoffs and World Cup to capitalize on fans' hunger for "games that matter." While many U.S.
fans won't admit it, they tend to be primarily playoff fans. Sure, they might check in on their team
during the regular season, but it's not until the playoffs that fandom is really ignited.
While they don't begin until the end of October, it would be smart for the MLS to begin to promote
them through the summer. We all want a team to root for and if we're excited about the playoffs,
we may be more likely to check out our local teams or the teams of top players now so we're ready
in the fall.
For marketers, "making it matter" can manifest itself in many ways. The core question is, "How do
you create or participate in high-stakes contexts?" Can you host or attach yourself to an event that
matters to your key audiences? Can you infuse your marketing efforts with rewards, fame, or
pride? Competitions are obvious - what else can you do to make it matter?
3. Guide Your Audience
34. During the World Cup I discovered and then followed Men in Blazers. While they are particularly
funny and entertaining, they are also helpful and insightful and as each game approached, I found
myself looking to them for help in understanding the players, stakes, and history. Being guided
was hugely helpful and made the games more enjoyable.
Soccer in America, while far more mature than it's been, still has a way to go. This means that
education and guidance are essential to growth.
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Which teams should I start watching?
Which games are the best match-ups and why?
What's the best way to watch games?
When do the playoffs begin? How do they work (format)?
Soccer 101 content like rules and basic strategy can be condescending to all but the greenest
audiences. Focus on the middle of your audience, those that know the basics and are open to
learning more. Provide them with real tools to help them better understand and enjoy your
products. I would love to get an MLS post in my Facebook Newsfeed every week with a "March to
the Playoffs" update that included info on the best teams, upcoming match-ups, and even "goal of
the week" videos. A very simple idea that would fuel my passion and encourage me to share with
friends. Guide and they will follow.
4. Lengthen the Burst
While the World Cup is a long event by most standards - just more than a month - it does a
remarkable job of packing a lot of excitement in early and then stretching out slowly over time. I
found that having two, three, or four games a day for a few weeks to be unusually engaging and
exciting.
This is true of basketball and baseball playoffs as well, but there was something special about the
World Cup. Maybe it was the summer or that the time zones mostly aligned, but having a dense
offering every day for an extended amount of time was amazing.
For most marketers, we're lucky if we can sustain a campaign for more than a week with any level
of intensity. We tend to spike our spend and effort at the beginning and then maybe again during a
"refresh" period. In digital, this model feels antiquated (it is) and out of place. If you have a
moment, I highly recommend you watch this video by McKinsey Principal David Edelman. He
presents a new model for mastering digital marketing where we sustain messaging and effort over
longer periods of time and test and learn as we go, an iterative approach. While few of us have the
amount of content in a World Cup or playoff series, there are definitely lessons to be learned
around creating longer sustained bursts of content and engagement for a wide range of key
audiences.
5. Make Access Free and Easy
Lastly, a big idea. The MLS should make the live broadcasts of every playoff and cup game free
through their MLS LIVE platform. I'm sure it's not negotiated with their partners, but I believe this
single idea would do more for U.S. soccer than all other tactics combined. I'm not suggesting MLS
LIVE become a free service, and I love the free weekly stream they already offer, but during the
playoffs, when it matters, providing free and easy access would expose the most compelling part
of their product to the largest possible audience.
35. Having easy access to every game through ESPN and Univision apps was remarkable. The
mobile apps both saw staggering growth in visits and livestreams and for good reason. As shared
in the above article, even wide and free access to digital streams didn't impact TV broadcast
numbers. There's little risk and a lot of upside for everyone involved.
For marketers, the disruptive nature of digital across much of our lives has major implications for
how people discover, explore, and even buy our products. What would happen if you took the
most compelling part of your offering - not all of it, just a key selection - and made it massively
accessible and free? Unheard of? Break through the fear and think about it. You don't need to
share it with your boss yet but think about it.
Univision drove 3.4 million downloads of their app and many, many Super Bowls worth of
livestreams during the one-month period. According to Mehul Nagrani, digital senior vice president
and general manager, they have now shifted their digital strategy primarily to soccer.
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Retention vs. Acquisition - and the Winner Is…
Ohad Hecht | July 20,
Marketers need to decide which is more important to them - acquiring new leads and potential
customers, or retaining and nurturing the current customer base.
"To be or not to be?" asks Shakespeare's Hamlet.
For years digital marketers faced the same conundrum: "to buy or not to buy?" in reference to
purchasing leads and prospects...also known as spamming (although hopefully you're in the "not
to buy" camp).
Knowing how to spend your marketing budget with confidence is always a challenge. Where do I
allocate the money so it makes most impact? How do I allocate the money in a way that I can
show tangible results? These are the typical questions marketers ask themselves.
Of all the questions, the most critical to answer is do we invest good money in acquiring new
customers, or do we focus on retaining the customers we have already acquired and personalize
their experience? "To retain or acquire?" - this is the question.
And before I let you know the answer, let's look at what marketers are currently doing.
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econsultancy-survey
According to a survey by Econsultancy, 34 percent of the participants indicated that they will
increase their investment in acquisition, while only 18 percent will focus on retention. If we look at
content marketing strategies, one of the main goals is acquisition (71 percent of responders), and
Forrester concurs: "Marketers obsess over acquisition. Even as the lines between marketing and
customer experience blur, our survey respondents prioritize customer acquisition efforts over
nurturing and deepening relationships with their most valuable and loyal customers."
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customer-retention
Looking at what the others (not "the others" from Lost!) are doing, it is very clear that marketing
budgets are over-focused on acquisition rather than retention.
If you're a regular reader of my columns, you'd be expecting me to start talking about increasing
allocation of budgets to retention. And you would be right, this is exactly what I am going to do...
Here is an example to start illustrating my thinking:
Joe is an online shoe retailer who became really successful with his business. He uses Google
and Facebook to advertise the branded shoes he has on offer. In a hyper-competitive branded-shoe
industry, the customers are only looking at the prices they can easily compare with a simple
search. So Joe needs to invest a lot of money to generate sales. Ninety-eight percent of his
business is first-time buyers. With only 2 percent repeat buyers, his product costs are most likely
to look like this:
Acquisition: $20.00
G&A: $10.00
Shipping: $5.00
Product cost: $50.00
Profit margin: $15.00
Total: $100.00
38. With higher advertising costs and lower loyalty, he is seeing his acquisition costs spiking. With this
example, and provided that advertising costs remains the same, he will need to sell 6,600 pairs of
shoes for a profit of $100,000.
To prove my point, let's assume that 98 percent of his business will be focused on selling to clients
he already acquired: He's profit margin grows to $35, as he is dropping his acquisition costs. In
order to reach to a $100,000 profit he will now need to sell only 2,800 pairs of shoes (i.e. 58
percent less). This in turn will probably further help to decrease the G&A costs, and Joe will be
able to pass on some of these savings to his customers.
I've recently argued that the role of the digital marketer is to sell, and here is a good example of a
real impact on the company performance and margins that is directly attributed to the efforts of the
marketer.
Continuing with this train of thought, it becomes clear that if you focus your efforts mostly on
acquisition, you're actually working for your competitor who provides their client with a more
individual customer experience, and making sure that their customers stay loyal.
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And the Winner Is...Retention!
If your start-up days are behind you and your business is established, chances are that growing
your business will be cheaper and faster if you retain and sell to your existing client base. This is
not to suggest that you need to abandon acquisition efforts completely, but you need to shift the
focus to your existing clients.
If you are a start-up, then naturally your initial objectives should be to focus on new business
acquisition and then as the customer base increases, start shifting the focus to retention.
But before I finish, a quick word of caution regarding ERFM: If you intend to use ERFM analysis on
your database, be careful if you are focusing too heavily on acquisitions. You will find that most
customers will be skewed to the right hand side of the lifecycle (inactive or churning clients) with
much fewer customers in the center (loyal) and in the initial stages (first-time buyers).
Connecting the Dots to Deliver Context
Catherine Magoffin | July 22, 2014
The scattered data "dots" of your email marketing strategy need to be connected and put into
action in order to create a successful, contextual email marketing experience.
I often use (or overuse) the phrase "connect the dots" to summarize the process of synthesizing
information to come up with a conclusion based on a set of data/input points. This phrase works
for me across a multitude of scenarios in which marketers derive insight or realize progress thanks
to an increased understanding of their customers' behaviors and preferences.
Steve Jobs also referenced the art and science of dot connecting at his Stanford commencement
speech in 2005, saying, "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them
looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future."
If you've ever done a connect-the-dots image in a coloring book, you know how the page initially
looks like a bunch of scattered dots and by connecting them, a distinct shape forms. A similar
process of connecting the data dots is an integral component of contextual marketing. Your
39. consumer email lifecycle marketing strategy depends upon a bunch of scattered implicit and
explicit data "dots." These scattered data dots need to be connected in a meaningful way and put
into action to achieve a contextual marketing experience.
Data drives experience in today's marketing machine, with data and automation forming the
perfect union to deliver the right message to the right place at the right time - with the end goal of
driving specific consumer actions.
A first step to connecting the data dots is to assess available data based on actions across
channels. Below are useful and commonly available customer interaction data types listed by
channel:
Email: Opens and clicks on content such as articles, offers, products, surveys/poll, social links,
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preference centers, and more.
Social: Clicks to social links, sharing links, social login, social content, and social data.
Mobile: Mobile email and site engagement data such as email opens, device type, mobile app
downloads, alert actions, mobile account access, mobile purchases, text to join email, and more.
Display Retargeting: Response to incremental display touch points driven by site browsing,
email response dormancy, and more.
Web Commerce: Visits, time on site, browsed products, carted products, wish lists, and favorite
products.
Click-to-Call or Chat: Clicks to get additional assistance are key behavioral triggers.
Real World Dots: Email sign-ups in-store or at an event, catalog or direct mail response, and
purchases are all valuable data dots.
Understanding how channels work together to drive consumer experience and actions is key. By
combining customer interaction data from brick-and-mortar, events, Web commerce, email, social,
mobile, display, phone, and even direct mail catalogs, marketers are able to paint a more accurate
picture of individual customer behaviors and preferences. As automation puts the data into
campaign action, the goal is to create a one-click contextual ripple effect, where insights gained
from previous interactions inform subsequent messaging to more effectively drive future customer
engagement.
As marketers, you've earned those click actions, so put them to good use to fuel your automated
email and cross-channel experiences. Then, once you have a clear strategy of how to put your
data into action, test your theories and, as Steve Jobs said, start to "trust that the dots will
somehow connect in your future."
Why Marketers Love Big Data & Hadoop
Michele Nemschoff VP of Corporate Marketing, MapR Technologies Posted on July 19th 2014
In the past advertising and marketing was pretty straight forward. Girls like pink and boys like blue.
Women belonged in an apron and men in the garage. Furthermore, the power was in the hands of
businesses rather than those of the consumers. Thankfully, the cultural and digital revolution
changed everything we once knew about advertising.
In today’s world, the consumer has all the power. We do what we want, when we want. We can
skip commercials, opt out of advertising and navigate our own way through our buyer’s journey. In
short, we can outright refuse to be marketed to.