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McDonald's Creates Franchisee-Funded Digital Marketing https://ift.tt/jom2DKh McDonald’s will require its U.S. operators to contribute to a new digital marketing fund starting next year. “The company is recommending that franchisees invest in the fund using their existing marketing contribution,” according to CNBC, which obtained a memo written by U.S. Customer Experience Officer Tariq Hassan and Chief Information Officer Whitney McGinnis. “The switch is meant to modernize the company’s marketing strategy and widen its competitive advantage as it doubles down on mobile ordering and its digital business.” The company estimates that the contribution shifts will improve a store’s cash flow by about $2,600 per year. “The plan is to shift spending away from marketing that has a lower return on investment and into digital marketing," according to Restaurant Business. "It is uncertain what areas of marketing McDonald’s plans to cut to shift spending toward those digital channels, as those decisions will likely be made in conjunction with franchisees. Some of it could come from local marketing.” advertisement advertisement The fast food retailer also is planning to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to improve its MyMcDonald’s Rewards loyalty program and add ordering channels, including the ability to place web orders without downloading an app, which should also bolster its digital business. McDonald’s loyalty program members generated over $6 billion in systemwide sales globally during the first quarter, according to the memo. “McDonald’s investment will be focused on innovation and development costs for new products and features whereas franchisees’ investment will fund ongoing operating costs,” according to QSR Magazine. “The different approach will move McDonald’s away from legacy marketing with lower returns and push it toward digital-forward strategies. The company will collaborate with franchisees over the next few months to prioritize investments.” Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/SO1m0Bp May 9, 2024 at 06:35PM
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QuackChat Arrives To Reward Duck Donuts Loyal Fans https://ift.tt/aDEYK2s When your name is Duck Donuts, and you’re founded on the shores of Duck, North Carolina, all of your branding pretty much has to be duck-related. From Ollie the cartoon “Duckbassador” to employees known as members of the “flock” and its “Quack Gives Back” fundraising arm, the 150 unit donut chain is more than a little committed to its brand ID. So when it was time to create a new SMS-based customer loyalty program, of course it had to be on-duck... um, on-brand. Thus Duck Donuts has partnered with mobile engagement platform Vibes to launch QuackChat, its new SMS and mobile wallet rewards program. The program will send direct mobile messages to its registered members, where they can opt in for alerts about new flavors, freebies, LTOs, special promotions and other events, with the ability to save offers to their mobile wallets, simplifying redemption. advertisement advertisement SMS and mobile-first loyalty programs are gaining traction in the restaurant industry. “We quickly learned mobile marketing was a great solution [for reaching our customers], with open and read rates of text messages at 98% and 70%,” Duck Donuts CEO Betsy Hamm told Marketing Daily. The chain aims to have 100,000 QuackChat members by the end of the year. “At Duck Donuts, we are focused on building our community, loyalty and brand awareness through an integrated marketing and communications strategy," said Hamm. “QuackChat is a tactic that complements our email marketing, website, organic and paid social media efforts, and more.” Looking toward the future, Hamm commented “Consumers are consuming news and information digitally and it is important for brands to be maximizing their digital presence to stay top of mind to guests. A big focus for 2024 is revamping our online ordering platform to provide a better experience for our guests.” New QuackChat members will receive a free welcome donut of their choice offer with purchase upon registering. Customers can register by texting DOZEN to 50282 to join. The offer can be then saved to the user’s mobile wallet for later use at a register or kiosk. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/SO1m0Bp May 9, 2024 at 05:34PM
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Travel Shoppers Shift More Bookings To Mobile Devices https://ift.tt/2xJbNMo The summer travel season is getting under way, giving the tourism industry an important window to influence the decision-making process of millions of U.S. consumers. “Consumer attention shifts from retail to travel bookings during certain periods: in mid-summer, briefly during major holiday shopping moments and significantly after the start of … Reminder: You are seeing this premium content because you are a subscriber to MediaPost's Research Intelligencer and/or a member of the Center for Marketing & Media Research. This content cannot be viewed by non-subscribers/non-members. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/eBMFyQV May 8, 2024 at 05:43PM The Intersection of Generative AI and Marketing Data https://ift.tt/lOoLM1B Using AI for content is a little like using a crowbar for a hammer. Yes, it can get the job done, but it’s going to be a messy process with uneven results. AI is a great tool for researching content, even generating outlines and rough drafts, but it should be used sparingly on the content drafting side of things. Where AI really shines in marketing is in data analysis. AI and machine learning algorithms are very good at spotting trends in large data sets. As we marketers lose some of our most useful data tools, AI and machine learning can help us pick up the pieces. Here’s the current state of generative AI for marketing data, and how it looks to evolve in the near future. How generative AI unlocks the potential of marketing dataMarketers have no shortage of customer data on hand — quite the opposite. The challenge is to:
Fortunately, generative AI can help with multiple aspects of these challenges. Insight generationAI algorithms can generate insight from data more efficiently and thoroughly than people can. AI can analyze massive data sets to uncover hidden patterns that might not show up in traditional analytics tools. As AI grows more sophisticated, it is also able to take on unstructured data that historically would have required human analysis. Text, images, and behavioral markers can all be a quantifiable part of your customer data set. Advanced behavior-based segmentationTraditionally, marketers have relied on demographic attributes to create segments, with a reliance on third-party data. Generative AI algorithms can take a more nuanced approach by analyzing customer behavior to identify segments that are likely to convert given a specific intervention. For example, the algorithm might detect a pattern that 75% of people converted after going to a particular page on your site, then receiving a specific series of follow-up offers. You could market directly to this new segment, testing new offers that fit with the pattern of those who have already converted. Behavior-based segmentation gives marketers more insight into the who and why of their customers that goes far beyond age, gender or job title. Personalization in real-time at scalePersonalization is the cost of entry for marketers now. A recent study from Adobe found that 73% of customers expect personalization before and after making a purchase. But personalization at scale and in real-time requires superhuman capabilities. By analyzing vast amounts of data, AI algorithms can identify patterns and preferences unique to each individual or persona and identify trigger points. Then, AI-powered tools can dynamically generate personalized content and deliver it automatically when a trigger is spotted. Whether it’s hyper-relevant personalized product recommendations, dynamic email content, or targeted ad campaigns, generative AI makes the superhuman super possible. Predictive analyticsWe’ve all heard of the 80/20 rule: 80% of your results come from 20% of your activities. Or, to put it another way, 80% of our time is virtually wasted. The trick is to discover what your most profitable 20% is and focus efforts there. That’s where predictive analytics come in. Generative AI uses machine learning algorithms to analyze historical data and generate predictive models. These models help reduce our 80% overhead in a variety of ways, including:
AutomationThe rise of automation has revolutionized marketing operations, streamlining processes and freeing up valuable time and resources. Generative AI plays a pivotal role in this automation revolution, powering chatbots, virtual assistants, and other AI-driven tools that handle routine tasks with speed and efficiency. By automating repetitive processes such as customer support inquiries, lead scoring, and content generation, businesses can focus their human resources on more strategic initiatives, driving innovation and growth. What’s next for AI in marketingThe capabilities of AI are evolving fast. Marketers will find a bumper crop of new ways to know their audience, understand their journeys, and deliver the right messaging at the right time. Here’s a look at what’s next. Enhanced customer experienceMany brands are already experimenting with AI-powered customer experience, from personalized chatbots to virtual shopping assistants. Expect to see these experiences become more immersive on the customer side, and easier to orchestrate and deliver on the marketing side. Hyper-personalization (without cookies!)We’ve seen that AI can help identify unique opportunities for personalization, and deliver on these opportunities in real time. These capabilities will only grow more useful over time. As AI combs data from social media, browsing behavior, history of engagements with your brand, and more, you’ll be able to deliver highly resonant and specific content, one-to-one, at scale. Voice and visual searchVoice search — spoken language search queries directed at an AI assistant — is taking up an ever-increasing percentage of search queries. Research found that 72% of people have used voice search in the past six months. As AI grows more sophisticated, visual search is the next frontier. Android customers can already use their phone cameras to search for products, translate text, and much more. Marketers will need to account for the growing number of non-textual searches as they create content and design campaigns. Augmented analyticsPresenting results to the C-suite is not anyone’s favorite part of marketing. It can be challenging for marketers to tell the story of their data in an understandable, meaningful and relatable way. In the near future, AI will help marketers quantify their results by:
More flexible and adaptable marketingIncreased efficiency and automation of manual tasks will help marketers become more adaptable and agile. Marketers will be better equipped to respond to changing market dynamics, optimize their campaigns on the fly, and capitalize on emerging opportunities with greater speed and precision. For more about AI and marketing, read Age of SGE: How Will AI Affect Search Traffic in the Next Decade?
The post The Intersection of Generative AI and Marketing Data appeared first on TopRank® Marketing. Mobile Marketing,SEO via Hubspot https://ift.tt/4lRQpOP May 8, 2024 at 11:57AM
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B2B Podcasting: The What, Why and How of Better B2B Podcasts https://ift.tt/gGC8tLO Podcasts are very easy to create and launch. Anyone with a microphone and an internet connection can have a podcast listed on Apple and YouTube and ready for consumption. On the flipside, the low barrier of entry means it’s hard to get a new podcast noticed. And the ease of putting out a podcast can hide how difficult it can be to make a good podcast, one that people will be compelled to listen to. The TopRank Marketing team has worked on podcasts with brands like SAP and 3M. Here’s what we’ve learned about B2B podcasting: B2B podcasting: What, why and howLet’s start with the easiest question first: What is a podcast?A podcast refers to a series of recordings that are organized in an RSS feed, listed in public directories, and available for listeners on demand. The ‘pod’ part derives from the iPod, which was the first widely-adopted player that supported podcasts. It’s important to keep the definition broad, because podcasts aren’t tied to a specific genre or format. Some are live interviews, some are panel discussions, some are fully scripted and produced audio plays; some are cryptic monologues about a bizarre southwestern town. But they all share two attributes:
Why podcasts? (The benefits of B2B podcasting)It may surprise you how popular podcasts are for a B2B audience. Last year, a survey of 511 senior-level businesspeople (managers, team members, executives and owners) found that 51% listen to podcasts daily. An additional 24% say they listen 2-5 times a week. In other words, this study showed that 75% of B2B decision-makers are listening to podcasts. And they’re listening to learn. Thirty-six percent say they listen to learn new things, and 43% even say podcasts are their primary source of information. Beyond the audience demographics, there are other attributes of podcasting as a channel that make it attractive for B2B:
How to create a B2B podcastThere’s so little ramp-up needed to make a barebones podcast that it’s tempting to just plug in a mic and start talking. But an exceptional podcast — especially one intended as content marketing — needs more planning and strategy. 1. Content planningTreat your podcast as you would any content marketing endeavor — with plenty of research and your audience firmly in mind. Do your research Approach your podcast like a blog’s editorial calendar. Look for the keywords your audience is searching for. Look at industry publications, trending topics on social media, and listen to other podcasts in your industry. The goal is to discover the questions your brand has the authority and credibility to answer. Find your angle What can your brand bring to the conversation that no one else can? It’s important to identify what will make your podcast unique. For example, if every podcast about elderly care is from a caregiver perspective, yours might focus on topics of interest to healthcare administrators and coordinators. Choose your starting topics Combine your keyword research with your unique angle and you’re ready to pick topics for the podcast to cover. You can be specific, like “How this new legislation affects care workers,” or more broad, as in “Trends in home health care.”’ 2. Production planningThere’s no right or wrong way to produce a podcast. Here are the most popular formats, with a few considerations for each. 3. Recording and productionNow we get to the fun part: Actually creating your content! Here’s what you need to know. Recording software For a solo podcast, software like Audacity makes it easy to record and edit. For multiple participants, a tool like Riverside or Zencastr can greatly streamline the process. These tools make it easy to record multiple people in different locations, consolidate their audio, and produce audio and video. Equipment For each participant, you will need a microphone and headset. Don’t rely on all-in-one earbuds or gaming headsets. You don’t need to break the bank when you’re first starting out, however. A lower-end condenser microphone like the Blue Yeti or MXL 990 will do fine. Recording Make sure each participant is in a quiet room with minimal echoes or background noise. Start recording, then count down from three to one and have each participant clap their hands or snap close to the microphone. Repeat the process any time you stop talking and start again. This will leave a ‘spike’ on the waveform to let you know when segments begin and end. Post-production Editing is the gift that you give your audience. It shows that you care about their experience and respect their time. At the minimum, edit out off-topic conversation, long pauses and false starts. Then take a listen with a critical ear — it might help to close your eyes and listen through headphones. Take note of when your attention starts to wander and mark the timecode for potential edits. Once you’ve edited the audio, you can polish up the production. Adjust the levels to make sure the overall volume is consistent. Add musical cues at the beginning and end, as well as incidental music if you wish. 4. Host and promote your podcastThe most basic setup for launching a podcast is a place to store the files and an RSS feed to submit to apps like Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube Music. But you don’t have to go the DIY route — save your IT team a headache and use a tool like Podbean or Libsyn. These hosting platforms make it easy to upload episodes and get them listed on the various apps. Prepare for a steady cadence You will want to have more than one episode ready at launch, and will want to follow up regularly with new episodes. Consistency is key both for getting noticed by search algorithms, and making listening a habit for your audience. A 3-4 episode buffer will make it easy to stick to your schedule. Promote your podcast It can be hard for podcasts to gain visibility on listening apps. It’s far easier to promote the podcast on your established channels:
Another great way to find an audience is to have your host visit someone else’s established podcast. A podcast that’s relevant to your existing audience is likely to welcome a subject matter expert from your company—or willing to have your podcast sponsor a commercial break or two. Even if you’re hosting the podcast files on a platform, it’s a good idea to have a podcast hub on your site, too. Create a page with an embedded player for all the episodes, then give each episode its own landing page with guest bios and a full transcript. Repurpose the content A podcast episode is a fine content marketing unit on its own. But don’t overlook the potential for it to be more. You can use it for, among others:
5. Measure the success of your podcastPodcasts are a unique channel as far as metrics and measurement go. Each podcast app offers its own analytics, with some more detailed than others. In general, measure:
You can also include a vanity URL in your podcast and ask listeners to visit a landing page. Just make sure the URL is easy to remember and type in after the episode is over. 10 great B2B podcasts to inspire youTake some cues from these well-established podcasts and you’ll be well on your way to success.
Cast your pod with careThe podcast boom shows no sign of slowing down. It’s a good time to start a B2B podcast, but it will take sophisticated strategy and execution to launch a successful one. This guide can help you get yours off the ground. Need help getting started? Learn about podcasting and other expert content marketing services offered by our agency. The post B2B Podcasting: The What, Why and How of Better B2B Podcasts appeared first on TopRank® Marketing. Mobile Marketing,SEO via Hubspot https://ift.tt/4lRQpOP May 8, 2024 at 11:57AM Why Marketers Should Be Excited About LinkedIn’s New CTV Ads for B2B Campaigns https://ift.tt/jcHBXSu At its recent B2Believe Conference, LinkedIn announced LinkedIn Connected TV (CTV), a new product offering that will allow B2B marketers to tap into audiences off-platform, and onto the big screen at home. With notable CTV publishers on board – including Roku, Samsung, and NBCUniversal – clients can now utilize LinkedIn’s campaign manager to purchase streaming ads. But that’s not all. The news came in tandem with a new partnership with NBCUniversal to introduce LinkedIn Premiere, a new managed offering in Campaign Manager that helps you target decision-makers in the United States across NBCUniversal’s premium streaming content on CTV. While the news is exciting – most marketers will likely have the same questions: Is LinkedIn Connected TV a viable product for our marketing strategy? What are its benefits? How does it work? And how are results measured? What is connected TV (CTV), and what are its marketing benefits?Simply put, connected TV (CTV) advertising refers to the practice of delivering ads through internet-connected television sets. Also known as smart TVs, connected TVs allow viewers to stream digital content through apps, either built-in or via devices like Roku, Apple TV, or gaming consoles. So, unless you’re using bunny ears on an old-school “dumb TV,” chances are you’ve encountered this type of ad in the process of streaming your favorite TV show. So, what makes this type of advertisement enticing? While the format shares a lot of traits with its on-platform counterpart, it’s important to note these ads offer several benefits:
LinkedIn CTV reach already stands at 60 million households, and more than 105 million connected devices per month in the US and Canada – and these numbers are only set to grow. Building on the success of videoDuring a B2Believe session regarding the product launch, Taina Palombo-Price, LinkedIn’s Senior Director of Product Marketing, said “CTV promises the power of big-screen storytelling for B2B brands.” The move to home television screens appears to be a calculated one, as the new offering “builds on the success of LinkedIn’s In-stream Video Ads, which are helping customers nearly triple their in-stream video completion rate.” Combining this note of success with the rise of video consumption both on and off the social media platform, and the birth of this product offering makes all the more sense.
Reaching your audiences with connected TVWhen was the last time you pulled up LinkedIn out of boredom? While it’s the premier social platform for networking, professional development, and job hunting, users tend to use the platform more intentionally when compared to the likes of TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, which in turn, decreases their receptiveness to advertisements. This was the strategic thinking that led to the off-platform approach of CTV, said Penry Price, VP of Marketing Solutions at LinkedIn, who recently spoke with AdExchanger about the launch. “LinkedIn’s expansion into CTV is not a customer acquisition play. Rather, the point is to help B2B advertisers reach existing LinkedIn members in different parts of the day,” he said, “such as when they’re at work or back at home on the couch.” The promise of LinkedIn CTV adsHow would you like to raise brand awareness and consideration earlier on in the purchase journey? That’s the goal of LinkedIn CTV ads. In the same interview, Price shared his thinking: “B2B brands need to make sure customers have a favorable opinion of a brand before they see a product ad on LinkedIn. By starting campaigns further up the funnel with CTV, brands can increase the odds of their digital ads actually driving sales.” Blogging about the product launch, Lindsey Edwards, LinkedIn’s Vice President of Product Management, said “marketing campaigns are only as effective as the audience they reach.” As Edwards cites, a Demandbase report in 2023 found that 90% of US households embraced CTV, up from 81% in 2021, and the channel shows tremendous promise for B2B applications. “By incorporating CTV into their marketing playbooks,” shared the report, “B2B advertisers can breathe new life into their campaigns, achieving heightened brand presence and improved engagement. In fact, a recent study noted that viewers exposed to both TV and digital ads were 40% more likely to recall the brand than if they saw a digital ad alone.” The new product launch offers more than the ability to reach audiences earlier in the purchasing journey and bring highly-targeted ads to CTV. It will also give B2B brands of all sizes the opportunity to showcase their creativity and appear alongside content that was never before possible. Trevor Fellows, Executive Vice President of Digital Sales and Partnerships for NBCUniversal, spoke at B2Believe on the accessibility that the product brings forward. “This is really the democratization of advertising and the ability for even small clients to appear with amazing content. We announced last week … that we’re going to be opening up our Olympic coverage this summer to programmatic advertisers. That means that literally anybody can advertise in the Olympics going forward – you go back 12, 16, 20 years, that was unheard of.” Measuring the success of LinkedIn CTV adsIn addition to native reporting, like Performance Summary Reports, Revenue Attribution Report, Conversions API, and its new CTV Brand Lift, LinkedIn is collaborating with industry-leading partners, like iSpot for advanced audience measurement and Kantar for objective brand lift studies, to help better assess the reach of your campaigns against your target audiences. But, wait, there’s more. Price remarked on measuring success, “We’ll be looking for higher engagement on LinkedIn – such as whether clicks and video completion rates increase for a brand’s ads on LinkedIn among target audiences who first saw the ad on CTV compared to those who didn’t. We’ll also rely on measurement and verification partners to deliver core TV metrics like reach and frequency.” Starting a LinkedIn CTV campaignIf you’re a B2B marketing pioneer, and you’re excited about the product launch, here’s what you need to know about starting your first LinkedIn CTV campaign:
For step-by-step instructions, we recommend referring to the LinkedIn help center article: Set up Connected TV ads in Campaign Manager. Should you use LinkedIn CTV ads?Leveraging LinkedIn’s B2B-specific targeting options for CTV allows marketers to create a more holistic approach to the platform. Previously, marketers had to use different vendors to run CTV, which have audiences different from those targeted on LinkedIn, causing a gap in targeting and overall attribution calculations. Furthermore, the proliferation of video content cannot be ignored. LinkedIn CTV and its partnerships with these major players in the TV space make for an enticing offer for B2B marketers – an offer that allows users to create multiple touchpoints, allowing brands to engage with new audiences and appear in different mediums throughout the buyer journey. In so many words, the ad solution works to ensure your brand is memorable and top of mind when a key decision-maker is ready to make a purchase. There’s much to be learned about the effectiveness of this tool and the risks and rewards of launching a campaign centered around the newly launched product. That being said, there’s a lot to be excited about as innovations of this size in the social media space only come by so often. Will it be a hit? We’ll continue to monitor the viability of LinkedIn Connected TV – and work internally to offer up recommendations on how you can leverage their latest solution for your brand. In the meantime, we invite you to check out our rundown of expert tips for B2B marketing on LinkedIn from our team of social media specialists. The post Why Marketers Should Be Excited About LinkedIn’s New CTV Ads for B2B Campaigns appeared first on TopRank® Marketing. Mobile Marketing,SEO via Hubspot https://ift.tt/4lRQpOP May 8, 2024 at 11:57AM
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Could Microsoft President Brad Smith Fall Out Of Step With Brand Loyalists? https://ift.tt/cTFOvoN Microsoft President Brad Smith may have just created a deeper chasm between brand loyalists and those who are not, with the introduction of the company's new AI hub. Smith agreed to have President Joe Biden join him at Gateway Technical College in Wisconsin, a political battleground state for the upcoming presidential election, to announce the company's $3.3 billion investment in cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. The investment fuels the creation of the country's first manufacturing-focused AI co-innovation lab, and an AI skill initiative to equip more than 100,000 of the state's residents with the ability to support the change in business. "We will use the power of AI to help advance the next generation of manufacturing companies, skills and jobs in Wisconsin and across the country," Smith said in a release. "This is what a big company can do to build a strong foundation for every medium, small and start-up company and non-profit everywhere." advertisement advertisement Microsoft's investment will certainly support education, especially for workers in many careers across the country who need to learn, but who will educate those in public service? To have the President stand with Smith to cheer on something he seemingly knows little about seems meaningless. That misunderstanding of technology trickles down to others in the Democratic party such as New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, also a Democrat, who said she regrets making an offhand remark that suggested Black children in the Bronx do not know what the word “computer” means. “Right now, we have young Black kids growing up in the Bronx who don’t even know what the word 'computer' is,” Hochul said onstage at the Milken Institute Global Conference. The remark was never explained during the interview, but she did say her goal is to provide avenues for communities of color to access emerging AI technologies as a means of addressing social inequality. Hochul made the comment Monday while being interviewed at a large business conference in California to discuss expanding economic opportunities in artificial intelligence for low-income communities. These kids she spoke of have a computer in their pocket, a mobile phone, and many of them received it as a gift from the government. The U.S. government, meanwhile, is asking U.S. companies for advice. Homeland Security wants to create a panel with some of the country’s CEOs from Google, Microsoft, and OpenAi. The 22-member safety and security board also will include academics, defense contractors, and more, and aims to support the government’s need to prevent disasters. Other participants include the CEOs of Amazon Web Services, IBM, Cisco, AMD, and Anthropic. Brands and search engine optimization experts are not concerned about the rise in AI in advertising. They know optimization will remain critical for advertising and website content whether or not click-through rates from search engines to brand sites scale back of increase. The need for more education, however, will increase. Microsoft also announced today new capabilities in Copilot for Microsoft 365, and LinkedIn made free more than 50 learning courses for premium subscribers. The two companies released the 2024 Work Trend Index, a joint report on the state of AI The research--based on a survey of 31,000 people across 31 countries, labor and hiring trends on LinkedIn--shows how in one year AI has influenced the way people work, lead and hire worldwide. Microsoft said the use of generative AI at work has nearly doubled in the past six months, and LinkedIn is seeing a significant increase in professionals adding AI skills to their profiles. Many leaders now say they wouldn't hire someone without AI skills. But with many leaders worried their company lacks an AI vision, and employees bringing their own AI tools to work, leaders have reached the hard part of any tech disruption, which is moving from experiments to tangible business impact. The report identified four types of AI users, from skeptics who rarely use AI to power users who use it extensively. AI power users have reoriented their workdays in fundamental ways, reimagining business processes and saving over 30 minutes per day. More than 90% of power users say AI makes their overwhelming workload more manageable and their work more enjoyable, but they aren't doing it on their own. These users are 61% more likely to have heard from their CEO on the importance of using generative AI at work, 53% more likely to receive encouragement from leadership to consider how AI can transform their function, and 35% more likely to receive tailored AI training for their specific role or function, according to the report. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/oUKuOp5 May 8, 2024 at 11:57AM
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Tractor Supply Freshens Up 'Life Out Here' https://ift.tt/i8sARyE
Spring is always the busiest time for Tractor Supply Company, as people stock up on vegetable seeds, mulch and baby chicks. Increasingly, they’re also ponying up for big-ticket items, like high-end grills or five-figure utility vehicles. Kimberley Gardiner, chief marketing officer, tells Retail Insider what’s behind the shifts -- and how her team keeps making the “Life Out Here” promise more appealing. Retail Insider: How is the season trending so far? Kimberley Gardiner: We're seeing strong traffic in stores, both from core and new customers, which is exciting. In addition to lawn and garden items, there’s a nice assortment of what’s doing well: fruit trees, bird houses. And, of course, the chicks. Even people who don’t have a flock like to come in and look at them. Retail Insider: What else is on people’s shopping lists? Gardiner: Grilling, lawn and garden, birding, seasonal décor. Flea and tick control, new doghouses and kennels. We've got a new line of garden apparel with Martha Stewart. We launched Yeti a few months ago. We've got Eddie Bauer coming in. We're keeping a fresh pipeline of innovative new things in stores that will appeal to our core customers and new ones. Retail Insider: What’s new with your Lainey Wilson partnership? Gardiner: We’re in our second year and just launched the new campaign, and these spots lean on the speech she gave this year when she won her first Grammy. It’s about hard work and planting seeds. The two brands -- Lainey’s and ours -- are a neat fit. She’s inspiring and creative and talks about how she loves being home, away from the chaos of the road. One of my favorite ad lines ever is from this campaign: “When the road turns to gravel, the city becomes country and noise becomes music, that's when you know we are out here.” I love that. The point is, anyone can be part of that rural-inspired lifestyle, getting outside and appreciating nature a bit more. They’re moments that remind us to take a beat and enjoy life. Retail Insider: What else is new in your marketing? Gardiner: Lots of content. The new campaign and our team member content are running on digital channels, social media, YouTube, and some CTV channels, as well as our own channels. Content focuses on making the most of seasonal moments in ways that show off the team’s expertise in fun, helpful ways, like how to plant a small garden for Mother’s Day or get ready for Memorial Day. We continue to use team members and real customers in our work. We work with a company called Confidant for some of our creative, but do most of the work internally. We’re also freshening up our Neighbor’s Club program, which has 34 million members. We’ve revamped it so people can earn rewards faster. We’re adding a Heroes program for active-duty military and first responders. Retail Insider: Your business is so vulnerable to weather. Storms or a cold spring can all impact sales -- something you probably never worried about when you were CMO at Volkswagen. How do you make marketing flexible enough to deal with that? Gardiner: We've always been proactive about weather moments, whether it’s storms, cold weather, tornadoes, hurricanes or extreme heat. We're becoming more sophisticated with weather targeting, getting much more granular. We have messaging on our website, emails, and mobile app that offer tips on how to prepare and manage. What does your flock need? Your garden? We're also trying to message some of our targeted media with personalized and customized content.
Gardiner: It’s a few things. One is that we saw a pullback on some of those items last year. There was more uncertainty in the economy, and if people could delay a lawnmower purchase another year, many did. The other is that post-COVID, people shifted spending more toward services than goods, and we now see it swing back. They’re feeling more optimistic. We’re seeing a big increase in utility vehicle sales, or UTVs, especially among exurban customers. UTVs are nice for small-acreage properties. We have golf carts, too. People say, "I want to invest in the things that get me outside." Retail Insider: Now that we’re several years past peak COVID, which radically impacted Tractor Supply’s sales, can you say which pandemic-driven changes still affect your business? Gardiner: Core customers, people who have shopped with us for years, are staying loyal. They're shopping more frequently, spending more, and are engaged. We're also seeing continued growth in that millennial consumer, even a bit of Gen Z. They skew slightly more female, a little more diverse, and that's exciting to see. Total migration has slowed, but net migration for folks moving to more of those exurban and rural areas is continuing. Some of it is the cost of housing. People are moving further from cities to find homes they can afford. Retail Insider: And so those are your new customers? Gardiner: Yes. We don't service large-scale farms or ranches. We are about those recreational hobby farmers, ranchers, and people that might have some acreage. Or they may just be growing plants on their patio. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/oUKuOp5 May 8, 2024 at 08:19AM
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Talenti Partners With Bradley Cooper To 'Raise the Jar' https://ift.tt/N0vtSjQ Talenti scooped up some high-profile Hollywood talent for its latest brand campaign. The Unilever gelato and sorbetto brand named Oscar-nominated actor and director Bradley Cooper as its new brand ambassador. Cooper appears in a series of 15- and 6-second ads for the brand in a new “Raise the Jar” campaign created in partnership with LOLA MullenLowe. The campaign touts processes the brand claims sets it apart and contribute to its status as the best-selling gelato in the country, according to Circana data – thus the campaign title punning on “raise the bar.” These include the brand’s purported “unique” slow cooking process, and use of authentic recipes -- including claiming to turn to one time-honored recipe from a real Argentinian grandmother for its dulce de leche flavor. advertisement advertisement A spokesperson told Marketing Daily the brand ambassador agreement with Cooper will run through the end of the campaign. Cooper claimed in a statement that Talenti had been a favorite dessert for him and his family for years -- a lot easier to believe for a gelato and sorbetto brand than some other celeb endorsements) The actor is no stranger to marketing campaigns, having appeared on advertising’s biggest stage in a 2023 T-Mobile Super Bowl ad. that Cooper contributed “his infectious energy and humor,” as an authentic fan of the brand, to the campaign, Nicole Towner, associate director, Magnum and Talenti U.S. operations, told Marketing Daily. The campaign showcases the brand’s best-selling Gelato Layers flavor, Salted Caramel Truffle Layers, as well as its Alphonso Mango Sorbetto. Towner explained that the suite of 15-second and 6-second assets featuring Cooper “will be leveraged across the entire media landscape from TV to Tik Tok in 2024 and 2025.” “As far as future installments, we are always looking ahead to the next trend and ways to showcase the uniqueness of gelato and specifically Talenti,” Towner added. “We would welcome any opportunity we have to work with Bradley in the future.” The campaign comes on the heels of Unilever’s recent announcement that the company is spinning off its ice cream business, and anticipates cutting around 7,500 jobs. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/oUKuOp5 May 7, 2024 at 09:37PM
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PubMatic Reports 20% Revenue Hike For Q1 https://ift.tt/wVfs4ME
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Publishers might get an insight into the health of the industry by looking at the financials of its vendors. Here's one that might provide cause for optimism: PubMatic, a technology company devoted to the programmatic digital marketing supply chain, generated revenue of $66.7 million in Q1 2024, a 20% increase YoY. Moreover, the company is raising its full-year guidance and anticipates YoY revenue growth of roughly 12% for a total of between $296 million and $304 million. For Q1, the company experienced a GAAP net loss of 2.5 million, or 4% margin -- versus $5.9 million, with an 11% margin, in the same quarter of 2023. PubMatic also reported these achievements: - Supply Path Optimization accounted 50% of total activity on the PubMatic platform in Q1, versus 35% a year ago. This was driven by Activate and multi-year, strategic partnerships with top ad agencies and advertisers. advertisement advertisement - Revenue from high-value formats and channels, mobile display and omnichannel video jumped by 26% YoY, and accounted for 77% of revenue in Q1, a 6% increase. - Omnichannel video, including CTV, saw revenue increase 33% year-over-year in Q1 2024. “Monetized impressions continued to grow across all formats and channels as the need from publishers and ad buyers for our differentiated sell-side technology increases,” said Steve Pantelick, CFO at PubMatic. Looking forward, co-founder and CEO Rajeev Goel says the digital supply chain of the future brings “new opportunities that are best addressed on the sell-side of the ecosystem, which sits closest to the consumer.” Goel adds that “the need for increased innovation and efficiency, changing privacy regulations, and an onslaught of new ad inventory from CTV and commerce media, require deep and specialized technology.” In April, PubMatic announced it is partnering with GroupM, the media investment group of WPP, to deliver cohort-based modeling capabilities for advertisers across multiple publishers.
Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/oUKuOp5 May 7, 2024 at 06:43PM |
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