Digital Lifescapes

Enterprise-wide implementations of audience engagement software and services for advertising, marketing, sales and services continue to increase by 5 to 6 percent every six months, reaching nearly 20 percent according to the latest market study by Technology Business Research (TBR). Over 50 percent of enterprises are either in proof of concept or scaling up their digital technology deployments. According to the TBR assessment, digital technology is mainstream and it's already changing the way that businesses interact with their online stakeholders. Digital Media Market Development Traditional media continues the move to digital formats, driving a significant shift in spending. Digital native service providers -- such as Google -- are capturing billions in advertising spend as organizations pivot from traditional print and television formats into more effective online engagement. Newspapers everywhere have suffered greatly from the shift to the digital economy. Meanwhile, T...

Your brand's message is most effective when it conveys real meaning and substance. That's what people value the most, and it's been a disruptive trend. Between 1999 and 2014, 47 percent of prior known brands fell off the top '100 Leader Brands' list, according to the latest worldwide market study by PwC. While the list used to be led by Media companies, today, the most progressive Technology companies are setting the pace of change. Besides, the millennial generation are also drivers of this shift, elevating these enlightened companies to the top of the list. In today's highly social, interconnected and transparent world, people look at everything from the company's stated mission to what the company actually does -- it's well beyond a quality product or service, a striking logo and obligatory advertising campaign. The world of branding has changed; so has effective marketing communications . Meaning and Substance Drive Profit The PwC study shows...

Informed management consultants and industry analysts agree, the digital transformation journey begins with the adoption of digital marketing practices that enable companies to evolve beyond obsolete advertising-centric thinking. Today's progressive marketers have embraced change. They've learned new skills and pushed past the fears that were once holding them back. Now, digital marketing is an imperative, and digital commerce is also a top priority, according to the latest market study by Gartner, Inc. The recent Gartner survey also found that marketing budgets increased by 10 percent in 2015, with 61 percent of respondents saying they expect budgets to increase once again in 2016. "There is little doubt that digital marketing is now mainstream," said Yvonne Genovese, group vice president at Gartner . "Marketers no longer make a clear distinction between offline and online marketing disciplines." Gartner believes that as more enterprise customers op...

The mobile digital marketing channel continues to gain momentum across the globe. The annual worldwide advertising spend on mobile devices is now forecast to reach $105 billion by 2019 -- that's up from an estimated $51 billion this year. According to the latest market study by Juniper Research , this increase in advertising spend is in large part attributable to an attitude shift among major brands and national retailers who are now embracing mobile as a core channel for consumer engagement. Juniper argues that the ability of smartphones to deliver targeted, personalized and timely advertising -- aligned with the media-stacking trends among savvy consumers -- means that mobile advertising offers both high visibility and relatively higher response rates for the big brands. Regional Growth and Other Key Factors The research findings also observes an uplift in advertising spend within the Far East region, fueled by the dramatic adoption of mCommerce retail activity within ...

The mobile software apps industry has continued its creative evolution; as an example, adopting better image recognition. This is a positive advancement for the mobile platform, as it will enable a greater range of applications. In particular, savvy digital marketers will benefit from the new capabilities. Juniper Research has found that annual revenues from mobile augmented reality (AR) services and applications will reach $1.2 billion by 2015 -- that's up from just over $180 million last year. Juniper's latest global market study found that games -- which accounted for more than 40 percent of AR downloads in 2013 -- will continue to deliver the largest revenue stream for the foreseeable future. However, it observed that with AR increasingly deployed within mainstream lifestyle, enterprise and general entertainment applications, each of these sectors should achieve annual mobile AR revenues in excess of $1 billion within 5-6 years. How Brand Engagement is Boosting ...

Marketing leaders at multinational companies within the Technology, Media and Telecom (TMT) sectors have witnessed the slow but consistent decline of the trade publications that once dominated the marketplace -- as the go-to media for specific industry news and vendor insights. Today, many of these legacy trade media organizations within the TMT sectors are barely able to maintain solvency as advertising revenue continues to decline faster than they can find sponsors of their high-cost events. Ceasing their print publications did help to improve overall profitability, but losses have continued. Besides, the perpetual stream of displaced trade media senior editorial staff meant that most publishers lack the talent to research the marketplace and write meaningful or substantive stories. The remaining junior editors can barely keep up with re-purposing press releases into articles -- so that the few remaining advertisers are appeased with the promise that significant reader traffi...

There once was a time when Apple had been able to maintain its media tablet lead by delivering a quality experience at a premium price. But as a growing number of analyst opinions raise new doubts about ongoing leadership -- the consumer electronics (CE) brand may have lost some of its caché in the marketplace. Even though the iPad maker exited the first quarter of 2013 with a 50 percent share of all tablet shipments, the Google Android ecosystem is poised to overtake iOS -- according to the latest market study by ABI Research. The big variable for Android leadership success is progress in China. The Chinese consumer elite still seem to be upbeat about the Apple brand -- and there's a growing ability for more consumers to afford technology devices. However, the selection of smaller 7 inch Android tablets has become very popular, even though most currently lack the Google suite of apps and Android Play marketplace. Moreover, a push for sub-$200 tablets is keeping Android re...

Today, what's the primary purpose of the website for a major brand? Should content from social media drive traffic to the brand's website? Or should brand sites drive traffic to social sites? If a brand’s social media activity gets more traffic than its website, is it necessary to maintain both? These are the key questions that eMarketer attempted to answer during their latest market study. Perhaps 2013 is the time to rethink the inherent goal and objectives for maintaining a corporate branded website. Regardless, when potential customers search for online information during their buying cycle, they eventually arrive at a company's primary site. That being said, eMarketer believes that product marketers are typically spending more effort to engage with customers outside of their company website -- on Facebook and numerous other social media channels. Brand web pages are still a primary resource for people seeking information about products and the companies that m...

If you're a marketer that has yet to embrace the mobile media platforms, then consider the apparent trend and ask yourself this question -- what am I waiting for? Many of the late adopters are already on-board, as mobile media enters the mainstream of consumer culture across the globe. The worldwide mobile advertising market is forecast to generate revenues of $12.8 billion in 2013, that's growing from an estimated $8 billion in 2012, according to the latest market study by Informa Telecoms & Media. Mobile advertising revenues are growing every year but brands and advertisers are still spending much less on mobile compared with the amount they spend on traditional media -- such as TV, print and radio. Informa believes that in many cases, the analytics and insights available on mobile usage is not compelling enough for brands to spend a large portion of their advertising budget on the medium. "There is growing recognition of the importance of the mobile medium b...

According to the findings from a recent market study, when generating new content from scratch, establishing prospective customer engagement is a common objective for business-to-business (B2B) marketers. But what constitutes meaningful engagement? Apparently, it's all about the inherent power of a good story. eMarketer reports that eighty-one percent of B2B technology marketers worldwide cited "engaging and compelling storytelling" as the most important elements of effective content marketing. Regardless, few actually practice what they profess -- given the content they routinely produce and distribute as marketing communications professionals. Within the highly technical or complex industry sectors, engagement and originality trumped professional writing when generating content marketing assets. Once again, indicating marketer recognition that customers and prospects will rely on substantive content to make their decisions, we know that people are initially draw...

Do you remember the time when it was in vogue for nearly all upcoming marketing consultants to claim that they were "experts" in search engine optimization (SEO)? I remember it well.  After most of these folks discovered the social media trend, then they quickly shifted their focus. Regardless, today search remains a key component of savvy digital marketer campaigns. Perhaps the huge flock of self-proclaimed social media experts will rediscover search, once the current "social everything" fad has lost its appeal -- we'll have to wait and see. According to the latest market study by eMarketer , search can help to build strong brands by bettering their brand-health metrics. But creating long-term relationships with their valued customers is usually the top priority. eMarketer says "even though a majority of business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers now believe that search affects brand-building, digital marketing executives sometimes still find it tough t...

Marketers are investing a greater portion of their media budgets in digital advertising, and they're facing increased pressure to prove digital media branding effectiveness -- both as a single channel and in concert with a broader multichannel campaign. Some have discovered that measuring digital campaign effectiveness is problematic. "Digital’s legacy of direct-response metrics has caused many to fall back on measures that drove the first wave of online advertising -- click-through rate and page-view,” said Lauren Fisher, analyst at eMarketer . But these metrics can be inaccurate for quantifying digital branding effects -- especially when considering internet users click on less than one percent of display ads and are never in view of about a third of all ad impressions served in the U.S. market. Others are incorporating digital measurement into traditional offline count metrics -- such as the gross rating point (GRP). A December 2011 survey from DIGIDAY and Vizu of ...

As online retailing matures and expands, the number of choices available to shoppers grows exponentially. Moreover, offering more product choice can result in a confusing clutter that slows down or inhibits the purchase process. Despite the online retailer quest to find the ultimate automated, personalized recommendation system, there has been a simultaneous rise in sites that provide hand-picked item selections and online retail models offering fewer products -- instead of more. "Curated ecommerce is becoming recognized by both retailers and shoppers for its simplicity and ability to help fill an online void," said Krista Garcia, eMarketer analyst. There will always be a place for comprehensive, multi-category retail sites, but fine-tuned collections enhanced by personal touches also perform a necessary function in the ecommerce ecosystem. Sites surveyed by the e-tailing group in Q4 2011 reported online curation was a growing merchandising tactic with savvy retaile...

comScore released a report highlighting the results from a recent market study that identifies the unique characteristics of the Millennial generation -- defined as persons born between 1981 and 2000. The study examined the Millennial response to different types of advertising, including TV and digital -- compared to older generations -- and how marketers can most effectively target this large and important segment of the marketplace. "The 79 million Millennials in the U.S. have an estimated purchasing power of $170 billion per year, making them a highly attractive segment for brands to target," said comScore vice president Bert Miklosi. Their comfort-level with the Internet and new technology in general makes the digital medium an ideal platform for reaching these individuals. But Millennials are much more difficult to persuade with advertising -- especially the poorly conceived ads that you typically find on broadcast radio and TV channels. Key findings from the co...

More forward thinking companies that market their business-to-business (B2B) offerings online are using social media as a key ingredient of their marketing mix. Marketers believe that the more focused B2B networking sites, such as LinkedIn, are an effective way to generate leads -- while more casual social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, are helping to reach customers in new ways. "Leveraging social media for branding and awareness-building can help humanize B2B companies, establish them as thought leaders, and offer new touch-points for connecting with customers and prospects,” said Kimberly Maul, analyst at eMarketer . Social Media Marketing as a Mainstream Practice As of May 2011, 89 percent of U.S. based B2B companies were using social media marketing , according to web survey company iTracks. Their survey was conducted among Business Marketing Association members, CMOs and other senior employees overseeing B2B marketing programs. The majority of sur...

comScore released results of a study on mobile social media usage which showed that 72.2 million Americans accessed social networking sites or blogs on their smartphone in August 2011 -- an increase of 37 percent in the past year. Their latest market study also provided new insights into how mobile users interact with social media, finding that more than half read a post from an organization, brand or related event while on their mobile device. “Social media is one of the most popular and fastest growing mobile activities, reaching nearly one third of all U.S. mobile users,” said Mark Donovan, comScore senior vice president for mobile. “This behavior is even more prevalent among smartphone owners with three in five accessing social media each month, highlighting the importance of apps and the enhanced functionality of smartphones to social media usage on mobile devices.” In August 2011, more than 72.2 million people accessed social networking sites or blogs on their mobile de...

Media tablet owners are more engaged with retail brands, making more purchases and website visits compared with mobile smartphone users, according to the latest market study by eDigitalResearch and IMRG in the UK. The results show that 30 percent of tablet users have used their device to shop online, while currently only 25 percent of smartphone owners have used their phone to do the same. Similarly, almost half (48 percent) of tablet owners have used their devices to research products in-store, but only 29 percent have done the same via their smartphone. Derek Eccleston, Research Director at eDigitalResearch comments, “While tablet device ownership remains relatively low compared to the number of consumers with smartphones, it is clear that tablet owners have the willingness and confidence to shop online via their devices." The savvy consumer now has the power to shop where, when and how they like -- therefore it’s important that brands and retailers have a strong presenc...

  Search advertising has the largest share of online adverting in the U.S. market, but display ad spending is gaining share. The steep growth in online video ad spending, combined with solid increases for banners, will help display ads eventually exceed search ad spending. Total online display ad spending -- including online video, banner ads, rich media and sponsorships -- has already brought the category close to the range of investments in search engine marketing. According to the latest market study by eMarketer , this year U.S advertisers will spend $14.38 billion on search ads and $12.33 billion on online display -- that's up by 19.8 percent and 24.5 percent, respectively, over 2010 spending. Display will continue to grow at a faster pace than search throughout the forecast period, and is on track to surpass search by 2015. "The re-balancing of ad budgets across the board, among companies both large and small, national and local, will be pushing more brand-orien...

Marketers value engagement with their content marketing efforts, because it indicates that people actually care enough to interact. However, according to a recent eMarketer report, while engagement is compelling, 10 marketers might define it in 10 different ways. As the interactive ad format that most attracts brand marketers, much is riding on internet video advertising -- mainly their marketing budget ROI. But are consumers really paying attention to online video ads, when most say they avoid or ignore them on broadcast television channels? As spending for online video rises and takes a bigger slice of the display ad pie, marketers must be confident that they are spending wisely. Engagement may be difficult to quantify abstractly, but is key to the worth of video advertising. "All effective advertising today -- not just video -- requires some degree of audience engagement," said David Hallerman, eMarketer principal analyst. "However, unlike some metrics that pr...

  eMarketer reports that online monitoring of commentary about your brand or product is vitally important. Even if a company isn't involved in social media activities, customers almost definitely are and sometimes their conversations can end up in the news media. According to a survey of business technology professionals by InformationWeek Analytics, most companies are relying on the proven low-tech solutions to the social media monitoring challenge. Note: for those marketers who need some guidance, I maintain a list of free social media tools . Why the DIY Monitoring Approach is Preferred Most companies are using basic tools, such as Google Alerts, to monitor online discussions. Outsourcing the task or using a dedicated application for the purpose was relatively uncommon. This is not surprising, since the free tools are easy to use and they're also effective. That said, the typical survey respondent approach to dealing with online engagement suggested many were not ...