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Gaming Is Gateway To Metaverse For Younger Consumers https://ift.tt/ZMtVKxp The lines between video games and social networks are blurring for many fans of video games. They make friends on multiplayer games like “Fortnite” or play mobile games with friends on social apps like Snapchat. This familiarity with social gaming is grooming those consumers to adapt to the metaverse, a … 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/PSXAsKU April 28, 2022 at 02:38PM
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One Video Business Is Getting Hit Hard - Should We Be Worried? https://ift.tt/JvFfZQk Think supply chain and inflation issues are not a thing? Get into the game. For the fifth straight month, in March video-game industry sales slipped year-over-year in business --- down 15%, according to the NPD Group -- to $4.9 billion. But other problems remain. Accessory spending collapsed by 23% to $227 million in March, and was down 16% for the entire first quarter to $592 million. The best-selling accessory for March and the first quarter was still the Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller. The concern may be most problematic because the monthly declines are steeper than for previous periods -- down 6% in February, slipping 2% in January, and losing 1% in December. advertisement advertisement For those in the nascent field of advertising-supported console gaming, this is a major hit. Entrepreneurial advertising-sales companies have been ramping up operations on the continuing trend of strong video game usage. The strong position of the business would seem to have put big video-game producers in an easier situation when it comes to finding the right approach to adding marketing messages to their console games. Now the effort for the business is more focused around ensuring that new hardware is available, first and foremost. Still, contrarians might say now is the time that video game producers and distributors could benefit from added monetization. While there has been advertising on free mobile video games for some time, this has not been the case for the “big screen” video games. The good news is that the business currently has modest near-term expectations to set up possible tests and experimentation showing how marketers' messages can work -- getting in front of many young media consumers with little negative reaction. For example, last August, Simulmedia started up in a pilot test of its new in-video game advertising platform, PlayerWON, which has signed up 25 advertisers. Top of mind for gamers right now is whether or not their prized games have advertising. Still, if there was a way to get them the message that in-game advertising could help even out supply and price issues in the long term, would that be a good thing? Game on. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/PSXAsKU April 28, 2022 at 08:13AM
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Smartphones Reach A Tipping Point: Most Couldn't Care Less About Them https://ift.tt/GXxQBc7 One of the most powerful ways researchers can determine the importance of a medium is to ask consumers whether they can live without it. And for the first time in nearly a decade, more Americans say they can live without their smartphone than those who say they could not "get by without" it. That's the finding of the latest research from Kantar's U.S. Monitor, which has been asking that question since 2012. And after years of hovering around two-thirds of smartphone owners, the percentage who say they could live without it has fallen to 48%. The finding might seem ironic, if not counterintuitive, given that people can do more things with and would seem more reliant than ever on their smartphones, especially as usage increased during the COVID-19 pandemic -- but it's probably more of a sign that people are simply burning out on their phones. advertisement advertisement "This drop likely indicates a lack of enthusiasm rather than decreased usage or dependence on the device," says a Kantar spokesperson, adding, "In other words, it appears Americans’ love affair with their phones has tempered over time as they’ve gotten used to the tech." We can debate whether that is a good thing or not, but I would argue it's a healthy shift, given years of findings about the media addictions and anxiety disorders associated with mobile phone usage over the past couple of decades. Meanwhile, another Kantar finding suggests it may not just be burnout, but may also be a form of wear-out, as recent versions of smartphone devices appear to lack "differentiation." More than half (56%) of American smartphone owners say they are "all pretty much the same," according to Kantar. Interestingly, that finding is consistent across all cohorts -- from Gen Z to Boomers. “It’s fair to interpret this data as people taking smartphones for granted,” says Jeff Howanek, vice president and associated head of Kantar's U.S. Monitor, adding, “For so long this space has been defined by groundbreaking development and speed, but as the technology matures the subsequent incremental innovation isn’t going to have the same impact on the consumer mindset even though the tech itself is still pretty impressive.” Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/PSXAsKU April 28, 2022 at 05:07AM
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Sailthru Adds SMS Solution To Cross-Channel Toolkit https://ift.tt/uV8MRZ1 Email provider Sailthru is pushing into SMS in a move to expand its cross-channel capabilities. The firm’s new product, Short Message Service (SMS), allows users to market via email, web, in-app and SMS within one platform, the company says. It also gives marketers a single place to view interactions with customers in owned channels. The goal is to to help brands “personalize the cross-channel messages they send,” states Allison Stone, vice president of product at Sailthru. The new service allows brands to use shared data, personalization algorithms, and machine learning models to power SMS, the firm adds. “SMS has significant market velocity and in this year’s Retail Personalization Index, we found that while 31% of the 500 organizations we evaluated were using SMS, more than 50% of the top 100 are advancing in this channel,” states Jason Grunberg, general manager of Sailthru. Sailthru, a CM Group brand, formed an integration with Segment, a customer data platform, last year. It ties email engagement, page views and mobile app views to the same person, Sailthru said. In addition, users can combine all customer touchpoints -- including a POS system -- into a single customer view, the company says. Users can also combine mobile data with email engagement. advertisement advertisement Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/PSXAsKU April 27, 2022 at 03:08PM
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Just Ignore That Standard Definition Of Insanity https://ift.tt/vbg4jEV “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome”: Many people refer to this quote as “the definition of insanity.” Sorry to say, but that is wrong. That has nothing to do with insanity. Insanity is actually defined as “the state of being seriously mentally ill.” I guess one could be considered mentally ill if they keep doing the same thing repetitively, but it would have to be taken to the extreme to truly be considered insane. One could argue that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome is actually more ignorant or stubborn than insane. Of course, the question you should be asking right now is, “Why is this column talking about insanity?” There is a lot of stubbornness in marketing through digital media. Marketers commonly will continue to do the same things repeatedly because that’s “how they did it before.” I have heard this explanation for years in many different situations across different companies. I don’t consider any of the people who uttered those statements to be insane, but I do think many of them are stubborn. advertisement advertisement I get it. Humans inherently don’t like change. Change is uncomfortable and unpredictable. That all being said, change is necessary. Situations change and people have to respond in order to succeed. The same goes for marketing. The landscape changes, your audience evolves, and you have to respond. A good example is what is occurring now that cookies are starting to fade away. I am constantly being asked by site after site if I am willing to accept cookies. Both on mobile and desktop, the question pops up and I, as a marketer, tend to accept cookies because I know how important they are to the business whose site I am visiting. I fully realize that most consumers don’t think like me (few people truly do), so the acceptance of cookies is probably decreasing rapidly. This means we are being forced to rethink how we measure the effectiveness of our campaigns. Even without a cookie, you can see gross engagement metrics on an ad or piece of content. You may not be able to accurately follow the post-engagement activity, but you can still build correlative analyses of each successive step of the customer journey. High click-through and conversion rates are indicative of strong messaging and a qualified audience. Without cookies, I would argue that messaging is even more important than media. The medium is selected to reduce waste and deliver a targeted audience, but message testing in a fast manner is how you will increase success over time. You used to be able to feed data back into your targeting to deliver efficiency, but that data loop is going to be harder to maintain now, so the message increases in value. After all, great media could never cover up bad creative. So, if you are a media person, begin to get more focused on the creative and the message as well. Just because you never had to deal with the story in the past doesn’t mean you can continue to stay removed from that section in the future. Your future value depends on the ability to do both, and not just one aspect of the go-to-market. Thinking any other way could be considered stubborn -- or insane, if you want to hold onto that old cliché. Yes, I realize Albert Einstein may have made that initial statement about insanity -- but as smart as he was, he was also a little crazy. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/B1DJyoX April 27, 2022 at 10:26AM
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Enduring Engagement: 5 Easy Ways To Build New B2B Marketing Connections & Make Them Last https://ift.tt/u6rCpOw How can B2B marketers create new professional connections that endure, and strengthen their existing business relationships? With ostensibly more ways than ever to find new connections both online and off, the task can seem overwhelming. Luckily, by making clear goals and putting a strategy in place to achieve them, marketers can start truly tapping into the power of building new connections and making them — along with existing ones — stand the test of time. Let’s start right in on our journey of professional network expansion, and look at how we can take both current and newfound business relationships to new heights. 1 — Embrace New Connections in Old Familiar Placesvia GIPHY To begin your journey of network reassessment and expansion, it can be helpful to ask yourself whether you’re taking full advantage of the opportunities to find new connections in the digital and real-world places you already frequent the most — your old familiar places. Some B2B marketers make the mistake of only seeking out new business connections in new spots, while not fully taking advantage of connections that are right under their noses on old familiar ground, just waiting to be uncovered. You may use one social media platform almost exclusively for personal activity, however by shifting your connection-making goals to include revisiting familiar spots, you’ll likely find a surprising number of new people to connect with on a professional level as well. In the age of B2B influencer marketing, the lines between personal and professional relationships can sometimes become blurry, which when handled well is certainly a good thing, and such connections only tend to grow closer as time passes. How To Make It Last: Schedule time at regular interviews throughout the coming year to make contact with your new business connections. By scheduling at least a few outreach sessions with new connections, you give the relationship a real chance to grow over time, and create more changes for business opportunities to arise organically. [bctt tweet="“Schedule time at regular interviews throughout the coming year to make contact with your new connections. This gives the relationship a real chance to grow over time.” — Lane R. Ellis @lanerellis" username="toprank"]2 — Seek Out New Opportunities in Fresh Spotsvia GIPHY Where are the places you haven’t yet turned to when it comes to finding new connection opportunities? In 2022 you certainly don’t have to travel to Shangri-La or the moon to find new places to connect, as they’re more apt to be right in your own digital backyard. Such new spots can include a mixture of digital and real-world locations:
3 — Ask Your Network “Who Do I Need To Know?”via GIPHY There are likely professionals known to your associates who you might never get the chance to connect with, unless you specifically ask. Master networkers are quite often the ones who regularly take advantage of this technique, and it may be one of the primary reasons they became top-notch networkers over time. It can be as simple as posting a message on your favorite social media platform asking, “Who do I need to know?” At in-person events, it’s wise to ask new connections you meet who they are most looking forward to hearing speak during the event, who they hope to meet, and why. How To Make It Last: Schedule time to ask this deceptively simple question regularly, whether it’s once a year or once a month. By making it an ongoing inquiry, you almost guarantee a continual array of fascinating new people to meet and forge new business relationships with. [bctt tweet="“Post a message on your favorite social media platform asking, 'Who do I need to know?'.” — Lane R. Ellis @lanerellis" username="toprank"]4 — Grow Existing Connections in Newfound Waysvia GIPHY In some ways, expanding on your existing connections can provide the greatest opportunity to build long-lasting business relationships, as people you already know share a history with you, and are more likely to be open to new levels of engagement. Some of the many ways to grow existing connections in new ways include:
5 — Put the Matchmaking Power of Your Network to Full Usevia GIPHY Be a business connection matchmaker, and make the effort to connect key professionals in your network with others you know who seem like a good fit. This ties in nicely with our third tip of asking “Who should I know?” — and takes it to the next level by actively putting fellow professionals in touch with one another when you believe they may spark a powerful business conversation together. Part of the power of B2B influencer marketing comes under this heading, as the sharing, co-collaboration, and support that industry subject matter experts provide for one another are proven ways to elevate business efforts for everyone involved. How To Make It Last: One of the greatest gifts a B2B marketer can give their fellow professional is an earnest introduction to someone they believe will be a perfect business match. Don’t be afraid to be a business connection matchmaker, as those you connect may end up building digital empires together — collaborations that may come back to benefit you and your business somewhere down the road. [bctt tweet="“One of the greatest gifts a B2B marketer can give their fellow professional is an earnest introduction to someone they believe will be a perfect business match.” — Lane R. Ellis @lanerellis" username="toprank"]Enduring Business Relationships Elevate B2B Marketing Successvia GIPHY By embracing new connections in familiar places, seeking opportunity from new-to-you spots, asking "Who do I need to know?", growing business relationships in new ways, and becoming a business connection matchmaker, you'll be ahead of the game when it comes to putting the power of your network to full use. Creating award-winning B2B marketing that elevates, gives voice to talent, and humanizes with authenticity takes considerable time and effort, which is why an increasing number of firms are choosing to work with a top digital marketing agency such as TopRank Marketing. Contact us to learn how we can help, as we’ve done for over 20 years for businesses ranging from LinkedIn, Dell and 3M to Adobe, Oracle, monday.com and others.The post Enduring Engagement: 5 Easy Ways To Build New B2B Marketing Connections & Make Them Last appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®. Mobile Marketing,SEO via Hubspot https://ift.tt/UQ5LKVO April 27, 2022 at 05:37AM
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Did Trump Really Just Swear Off Twitter? https://ift.tt/wqpcsfg When the world’s richest man bought Twitter on Monday for $44 billion, the rest of us (sadly) wondered the same stupid thing: When will Donald Trump start tweeting again? The former president was suspended from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. After linking a number of his tweets to the violent protests, Twitter deemed Trump’s messages harmful and warned of “the risk of further incitement of violence.” Before his suspension, though, Trump used Twitter specifically as a tool to spread his crackpot opinions, misinformation, and divisive messaging to a massive user base. Musk was one of the only major tech personas to take issue with Twitter’s decision to ban Trump. It’s a notion that aligns with Musk’s statement included in Monday’s press release: “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated.” advertisement advertisement Then, Musk tweeted: “I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means.” Furthermore, a source told Fox News on Monday that Trump and Musk have a “very good relationship and are friendly,” citing the moment Trump came to Musk’s defense in 2018 after Musk tweeted a weed joke about taking Tesla private, resulting in him paying the SEC $20 million. All this would seem to light a clear path toward Musk deciding on the return of a Trumpy Twitter. That is, of course, if Trump himself wanted to get back on his once favorite social platform. Which he doesn’t -- or at least that’s what he told Fox News. “I am not going on Twitter, I am going to stay on TRUTH,” Trump said on Monday. “I hope Elon buys Twitter because he’ll make improvements to it and he is a good man, but I am going to be staying on Truth.” Truth being Truth Social, Trump’s failing right-wing Twitter-adjacent social enterprise that he’s only posted to once. Though he mentioned that he will begin “Truthing” over the next week. In classic Trump fashion, he claimed that Truth Social is “taking in millions of people,” and that “the response on Truth is much better than being on Twitter,” in relation to Twitter’s issues with bots and fake accounts. However, mobile analytics firm Sensor Tower estimates that the Truth Social app has only been downloaded around 1.2 million times total, and is down 93% in downloads from its initial launch in February, according to what Sensor Tower mobile insights strategist Stephanie Chan told Yahoo. “Truth is a platform for my voice and for my supporters,” Trump told Fox. “But I want everybody to come over to Truth—conservatives, liberals, whatever.” But while it’s mighty hard to believe Truth Social will become a successful and/or popular platform even among conservatives, it’s even harder to believe Trump will actually abstain from rejoining Twitter if Musk allowed it. Before being banned, no platform catapulted Trump’s power more than Twitter. And there’s no platform he was more addicted to. According to the Trump Twitter Archive, which documented his tweets for years, the former president has posted almost 57,000 tweets, tweeting and retweeting around 3,500 times in 2018, 7,700 times in 2019 and over 12,000 in 2020. With a big election year approaching, will Trump really reject Musk’s likely invitation to reach his previous 33 million followers? But whether or not Trump reclaims Twitter as his own, advertisers might harbor the same reactions to Musk’s insistence on “free speech” amid Monday’s deal. While Twitter relies on ad sales––$1.41 billion reported in the most recent quarter––decreased content moderation could send marketers to other social platforms, where their ads aren’t jeopardized by potentially harmful or offensive messaging. No matter what Twitter becomes under the reign of Musk, a reality wholly unknowable at this stage in the game, pushing deregulation and “free speech” may actually help the ad revenues of the major competing platforms. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/B1DJyoX April 27, 2022 at 05:09AM
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Rihanna’s Tech-Supported Retail Stores Optimize The Shopper Journey https://ift.tt/ir2AxED The inaugural set of Savage X Fenty brick and mortar stores from musician and billionaire businesswoman Rihanna use Fit:Match technology to offer customers a seamless, AI-powered product fit experience.Get More Ideas With The PSFK Daily Newsletter Mobile Marketing via PSFK http://www.psfk.com/ April 27, 2022 at 03:26AM
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Discord “Cook Groups” Give Streetwear Fans The Inside Track On Drops https://ift.tt/DsmtZPu “Cook group” servers on Discord are helping sneakerheads “cop the best drops” and increasingly dictating the realities of the multi-billion dollar streetwear resale market. Get More Ideas With The PSFK Daily Newsletter Mobile Marketing via PSFK http://www.psfk.com/ April 27, 2022 at 03:26AM
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Levi’s Turns To Next-Gen Bots For Labor Efficiencies https://ift.tt/ydwFzP9 Iconic denim retailer Levi Strauss & Co. is leveraging bot technology across its operations as it pilots shifting labor resources to higher-value initiatives. Get More Ideas With The PSFK Daily Newsletter Mobile Marketing via PSFK http://www.psfk.com/ April 27, 2022 at 03:26AM |
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