Spotify To Create Audio Ad Marketplace https://ift.tt/3kiaglX Spotify plans to monetize investments in podcasts through an audio advertising marketplace. Development remains in the early stages. When complete, the Spotify Audience Network will let advertisers reach listeners through ad-supported music. U.S. podcast ad spending will surpass 20% of digital radio ad spending this year and cross the $1 billion mark next year, according to eMarketer’s latest forecast. The most recent data released in August 2020 estimated spend in 2021 to jump nearly 45% to $1.13 billion. Spotify's network introduced on Monday aims to support the company's original and exclusive licensed podcasts and podcasts hosted on its owned-and-operated Megaphone and Anchor. Megaphone, a podcast monetization and publishing platform that Spotify acquired in November 2020 for a reported $235 million, works with about 20,000 podcast publishers like Slate, and ESPN. Anchor is the podcast creation, distribution and sponsorship platform Spotify acquired in February 2019. In an update by Spotify management on Monday at its "Stream On" event, the company outlined several efforts expected in the coming months. The company announced its plans for the Spotify Audience Network, along with its plans to launch in more than 80 new markets and add new plan options later this year. It also will launch new interactive features and content and partnerships for podcasts. “The markets will launch with Spotify's core global music library, and the company will be working with local partners to grow the service's offerings over time,” wrote Aaron Kessler, analyst at Raymond James, in a research note published Tuesday. “These markets feature over 1B potential new users, over half of which have access to the internet.” Spotify also will add support for 36 new languages to its platform, and a new subscription plan called Spotify HiFi, which will provide listeners with access to high-quality, lossless versions of music streams later this year in select markets. Still to come are new tools and features for podcast creators focused on more interactive podcasts like enabling the addition of video content to podcasts. Spotify also will allow Anchor users to add polls and Q&As to podcasts, and a new partnership with Wordpress that allows users to turn written content directly into podcasts, Kessler wrote. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH February 23, 2021 at 03:26PM
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'The Washington Post' Names O'Lear Head Of Mobile Strategy, Combines News Apps https://ift.tt/2Nw2R6w 'WaPo' will combine its flagship and 'Washington Post' Select apps in an effort to provide a new experience. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH February 23, 2021 at 02:04PM COVID Forces Marketers To Rethink Business Models https://ift.tt/3dFMyyP California small- to-medium-sized business owners have been battling Governor Gavin Newsom’s lockdown order for nearly a year. Many restaurants took a unified approach in “peaceful protest” and remained open, such as one of my favorites in Huntington Beach, The Black Trumpet. Some restaurants did not survive. In fact, nearly 98,000 businesses across the United States closed permanently between March and September, according to Yelp, which built out many of its services throughout the past year to support small- to-medium size businesses. There is much discussion about how the pandemic changed consumer behavior, but it also changed business models. Many family-owned restaurants transitioned from being popular local dine-in eateries to serving only takeout food. They relied more on technology, search engines, website and app ordering, and sidewalk dining just to survive the pandemic. This setup could become permanent. Some restaurants reportedly didn’t know their food was available through an app. The Virginia General Assembly wants to pass a bill — The Fair Food Delivery Act — that would require app-based delivery companies like Uber Eats, Grubhub and DoorDash to work more closely with restaurants to create a formal agreement before advertising their menu options and delivering their food. The Fair Food Delivery Act is modeled from a law with the same name that went into effect in California, but other changes have also impacted the restaurant industry. On Tuesday, Yelp announced the expansion of its restaurant Waitlist feature to manage takeout and curbside pickup orders in addition to dine-in service. Share of consumer restaurant searches for takeout on Yelp rose by 3,200% since March 1, 2020, and even as recent as February 1, 2021, have remained 2,265% above prior levels (YoY). Throughout the summer when dining outdoors became popular, searches for takeout remained high with a 2,800% increase YoY. Yelp predicts that consumer interest in takeout will remain long after the pandemic eases. Yelp also released an analytics tool, Guest Profiles, and an upgraded Point of Sale (POS) integration for Waitlist to provide details of restaurant performance. Hosts can keep track of all pickup orders and enter new to-go parties in the app, as well as text patrons when orders are ready. Nathan Hughes, director of operations at Mr. Stax, the management company operating several IHOP franchises, piloted the Waitlist takeout feature. With 36% of Waitlist use geared toward takeout orders between January 11 and February 11, they received nearly 3,500 total to-go orders across the top 30 locations. Hughes told Yelp the biggest benefit was the ability to communicate directly with guests. For example, letting them know if their order isn’t quite ready when they arrive and then texting them once it becomes available. Other updates for restaurants include guest profiles, and point-of-sale integration. Updates for customers include a new section for business pages where restaurants can post their most popular dishes, which links directly to their menu. There’s a dish and photo search upgrades. When users search for a particular dish in the Yelp app, it will serve up images of that dish under each business listing in the search results. Users of the app can easily search for photos on Yelp business pages from Android and iOS mobile apps. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH February 23, 2021 at 11:43AM
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Problem Solved: Increase B2B Content Marketing Success by Conquering 4 Conundrums https://ift.tt/3bAWQ0F In his recently-published book, What’s Your Problem: Become a Better B2B Marketer by Enhancing Your Problem-Solving Skills, Steve Goldhaber argues that the discipline of content marketing boils down to a simple consistent objective: solving problems. It’s a reasonable framing. Almost every piece of marketing content is essentially aimed at solving a problem. This really gets to the fundamental intent of B2B content marketing as a practice: by helping our audience solve day-to-day problems and overcome business challenges, we hope that they’ll eventually consider using our product or service to solve a bigger problem. But content marketers can’t focus solely on solving problems for customers. We also need to look inward and address key challenges that threaten the value and impact of our problem-solving content. The old saying about “getting your own house in order” comes to mind. Here’s a look at four prevalent conundrums faced by B2B content marketers today, and how I recommend confronting and conquering them. How to Overcome 4 Vexing B2B Marketing ConundrumsContent marketers need to reckon with these stumbling blocks before they can race to big success with their strategies. Conundrum #1 ? More brands and platforms than ever are competing for the diminishing currency of attention. On the surface, it seems like a clear positive: Fueled by social distancing and a lack of in-person experiences, audiences flocked online more than ever in 2020. Usage of mobile devices and social media apps has risen dramatically. In theory, this means it should be easier than ever to attract eyeballs and engage users via digital marketing. So, why the conundrum? Two reasons. First: every brand and content-creating entity is aware of this trend, so there’s been a widespread increase in supply to meet the demand. That means more competition. Second (and not unrelated), audiences are fatigued after a year of being necessarily glued to their screens. Without question, it’s growing more difficult to earn and sustain someone’s attention, not to mention drive action and engagement. What To Do? It has never been more important to adopt a quality-over-quantity approach. Zero in on a narrowly defined audience whose problems you can help solve. Create highly focused and directly relevant content. Personalization holds the key to breaking through with a clear message in an online environment full of buzzing static. [bctt tweet="“Personalization holds the key to breaking through with a clear message in an online environment full of buzzing static.” @NickNelsonMN #B2Bmarketing #personalization" username="toprank"] Of course, the heightened competition also calls for a re-emphasis on capturing the attention of a scrolling user. Go against the grain and deliver something your audience isn’t expecting. Rock the boat in a sea of sameness. Our clients at LinkedIn Marketing Solutions recently shared tips for thumb-stopping content that catches a user mid-scroll and invites engagement, including examples. I especially like the bear ad example from eCornell. Conundrum #2 ? Measuring results is difficult when direct links to revenue aren’t always clear or straightforward. During times of economic duress, there is a natural inclination for businesses to scale back on discretionary spending. In its early days, content marketing was often viewed as discretionary, or a complementary aspect of business development. While that perception has generally changed, marketing leaders still can face an uphill battle when vying for a fair share of reduced budgets. What To Do? The connection between content marketing and revenue is not as overt or direct as some other investments, that’s true. But it is undeniable. The ability to map content to revenue is becoming a key asset for marketing departments, and in some cases it may require rethinking conventions. For example, some organizations need to slow down their campaign measurement, to align with a complex and lengthy buying cycle. Another opportunity: refining attribution methods to deliver more clarity and comprehensiveness. Do you track user actions across channels? Are you accounting for both post-click and post-view conversions? Are you quantifiably measuring brand awareness and engagement? If not, these are worthy aspirations in a results-oriented business landscape. Conundrum #3 ? It’s tough to authentically integrate influencers into content when audiences are suspicious of brand sponsorships. Influencer marketing is a broadly-applied term, and in some applications it can feel a little sketchy. When people relate the concept with Kylie Jenner shilling for Pepsi in a tone-deaf Super Bowl ad, or Instagram celebrities promoting a disastrous tropical festival, it’s understandable how they’d become skeptical. The credibility gained by associating your brand with a respected figure is negated (and then some) when the influencer isn’t genuinely interested or invested. When done right, influencer marketing is highly effective. But more than ever, marketers need to be strategic, and mindful of optics. [bctt tweet="“When done right, influencer marketing is highly effective. But more than ever, marketers need to be strategic, and mindful of optics.” @NickNelsonMN #B2Bmarketing #personalization" username="toprank"] What To Do? It all starts with selecting the right influencers. Identify voices with strong topical and audience alignment. Aim to be more relationship-based than transactional in your partnerships. Deliver clear value to the people you work with to spur enthusiastic participation. Co-create content and find interesting ways to incorporate influencers’ expertise, perspectives, and stories. Above all, make transparency a fixture. You don’t want your audience left to wonder about the motivations of people involved — or worse yet, feel misled. Conundrum #4 ? Fast-rising new channels don’t have obvious applicability for B2B marketing purposes. When glancing at recent trends and stats in content marketing, it’s hard not to notice the meteoric rise in usage of apps like TikTok and WhatsApp. Brands are gravitating toward Instagram Stories. These channels are intriguing, but they don’t intuitively have much applicability in B2B marketing. What To Do? The last thing you want to do is jam a square peg in a round hole for the sake of seeming cool or hip. But that’s not to say there aren’t creative and contextually-fitting ways to market a B2B brand on B2C-centric platforms. Doing so effectively is an opportunity to stand out and differentiate, in accordance with our solution to Conundrum #1. [bctt tweet="“Finding creative and contextually-fitting ways to market a #B2B brand on B2C-centric platforms is an opportunity to stand out and differentiate.” @NickNelsonMN #B2Bmarketing #personalization" username="toprank"] For inspiration, courtesy of PixelMe, here are 10 creative Instagram ads from B2B companies (led off by our clients at monday.com).Break Down B2B Content Marketing BarriersBoth challenge and opportunity can be found within each of the conundrums presented. Those B2B marketers who take the right steps to solve them will enjoy a more smooth and frictionless path to success. Keep four things top-of-mind as you venture ahead:
The post Problem Solved: Increase B2B Content Marketing Success by Conquering 4 Conundrums appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®. Mobile Marketing,SEO via Hubspot https://ift.tt/2wiHYzh February 23, 2021 at 05:33AM Retail Renaissance: Brands Share Outlook For 2021 https://ift.tt/3uqLx3q Email marketing is the most important tool being used by retailers to improve online conversion rates, according to The Retailer Speaks: 2021 Performance and Conversion Retail Survey results, a study by Digital Commerce 360. Of the retailers polled, 51% cite email, while 48% specify branding and 48% list social media. Another 36% mention free shipping and 24% cite free return shipping. This is happening as 70% report revenue being up overall in 2020. For 53% it was up 25% or more. Traffic was up or 85%, website revenue for 76%, conversion rates for 75%, profitability for 67%, marketplace revenue of 65% and AOV for 50%. At the same time, retailers report these top-five ecommerce accomplishments in 2020:
“Both positives and negatives round out the top five with promotions like free shipping still being important to retailers,” the study notes. What had the biggest impact on 2020 online holiday sales performance? The respondents list:
What’s next? Retailers plan to increase their investments in the following areas in 2021:
Digital Commerce 360 surveyed 103 retail marketers earlier this year. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH February 22, 2021 at 04:18PM New Campaigns Tackle COVID-19 From Different Angles https://ift.tt/3qLsRJt As the pandemic enters its second year and vaccine distribution is now gaining some traction, new ad campaigns are addressing a number of issues including vaccine awareness, school safety and the general fatigue people are experiencing from dealing with the upheaval to their daily lives. Cutwater is working with disinfectant brand Zep to ensure Atlanta-based students can return to in-person learning by developing a program titled Return + Learn. This paid work included creative, design, and the implementation of classroom safety activities and materials, including instructional hand hygiene posters for distribution across all schools in the district and student ‘back-to-school safely’ kits encompassing reusable face masks, tote bags and postcards. OzTech Media is teaming with Cutwater to oversee and manage the on-site execution. The Atlanta-based shop also raised awareness throughout the community prior to the February 16 school reopening via roaming mobile billboards and social content adorned with creative, rotating headlines like “Glad to see your faces again. Just don’t touch them.” advertisement advertisement Novant Health is encouraging vaccinations for its member network in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia. The “Let’s arm ourselves against COVID” campaign includes a 60-second spot set to the music of “People Get Ready” and features vignettes of children, parents, couples, grandparents, essential workers and more, readying themselves to be vaccinated. Ryan Seacrest’s full-service marketing and PR agency Civic is working with GIPHY to battle pandemic-fatigue with comic book imagery. The #ImAProtector campaign uses classic comic book iconography to empower and celebrate “protectors,” everyday people who wear masks. The creative concept was guided by Civic’s insight unit Cultique and the shop’s 20-plus years of creating activations at Comic-Cons around the country. The research reveals that even those who are resistant to "mask up" messaging say their concern for others trumps their need for personal freedom and independence. Hence, the agency decided to transform those safely wearing masks into heroes. The images are available on all GIPHY-enabled apps and platforms. Civic’s social channels will also roll out digital comic books and trading cards featuring agency employees.
Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH February 22, 2021 at 11:31AM MRC Updates OTT, CTV Video Measurement Guidance For SSAI https://ift.tt/2ZL7nR3 The updated best practices guidance is designed to address common measurement problems posed by use of server-side ad insertion (SSAI) techniques. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH February 22, 2021 at 10:30AM MRC Issues OTT, CTV, SSAI Draft: Will Be Considered For Future Accreditation https://ift.tt/3pIL0q4 The Media Rating Council (MRC) this morning released a draft of new guidelines and best practices for measuring advertising running over-the-top (OTT) and via connected TV (CTV), as well as when server-side ad insertion (SSAI) digital video is used. The draft, which is the result of an initiative announced in July 2020 to identify challenges and propose solutions to ads running in these burgeoning video environments, will be a factor in future “accreditation considerations,” the MRC stated. The full draft can be reviewed here, but the guidelines include:
Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH February 22, 2021 at 10:17AM Like A Bully Stealing Lunch Money In A Walled Schoolyard https://ift.tt/3dBXEF1 Facebook likes to tout how much it has done in recent years to deter bullying of, and by, its users, which is ironic when you consider the social network has emerged as the media industry’s biggest bully, online and off. First it uses its muscle to attack Apple’s efforts to protect its users’ online privacy by mobilizing a paid media and aggressive lobbying campaign asserting Apple is harming small businesses by taking away an efficient and effective ad targeting tool. Then, when Australia passes legislation requiring digital platforms to negotiated fair compensation for distributing their copyrighted news content, Facebook effectively tries to steal the lunch money of Australian users, cutting off their access to news altogether. The twin acts, happening back-to-back, demonstrate that Facebook has learned nothing about being a responsible walled garden, and shows it will exert its unchecked market power -- unless it is checked. advertisement advertisement The actions negate much of Facebook’s recent attempts to show goodwill by finally taking steps to combat the spread of disinformation on its platform, including the anti-vaxxer and/or COVID-19 misinformation that can kill people during a pandemic. While those are positive steps -- though some of them might be too little, too late -- Facebook continues to act like a schoolyard bully whenever it doesn’t like the actions others take that can impact its bottom line. Even when those actions are intended to protect the privacy and give control to consumers, or protect the copyrights and right to be paid of news organizations. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH February 22, 2021 at 08:08AM Sling TV Gains Fail To Cover Dish Subscriber Losses In Q4: Network -103,000 Overall https://ift.tt/3qJsVto Dish Network lost 133,000 pay-TV subscribers in 2020’s fourth quarter, reflecting a loss of 149,000 Dish satellite subscribers, partially offset by a gain of 16,000 Sling TV streaming subscribers. Its combined total of 11.29 million subscribers at year-end included 8.82 million Dish customers and 2.47 million Sling customers. The numbers represented an improvement over the network’s 194,000 loss in Q4 2019. But it was a reversal from Q3 2020’s 116,000 gain, when Dish lost 87,000, but Sling added 203,000. The network, which entered retail wireless last year through its $1.4-billion acquisition of Boost Mobile, also reported a loss of 363,000 retail wireless subscribers in Q4 (for a total of 9.06 million), versus a loss of 212,000 in Q3. Despite the subscriber losses, the network saw revenue rise to $4.56 billion, net income rise to $733 million, and diluted earnings per share rise to $1.24, from $3.24 billion, $389 million and $0.69, respectively, in the year-ago period. Late last year, Dish signed a multi-year agreement with Nexstar Media Group for carriage on local TV stations and the WGN America network. advertisement advertisement Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH February 22, 2021 at 07:40AM |
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