Snap CEO Snarks At Facebook -- But Admits His Product Should 'Evolve' https://ift.tt/2J0ASZs Pouring salt on Facebook’s wounds, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel says he wishes his rival would offer better security for its more than 2.1 billion users. Spiegel made the puckish plea at the Code Conference on Tuesday, during an interviewer with Recode’s Kara Swisher. Asked about Facebook’s habit of copying Snapchat’s more popular features, Spiegel redirected the discussion toward data privacy. Along with design inspiration, “We would really appreciate it if [Facebook] copied our data protection practices also,” Spiegel quipped before an audience of tech and media elites. Of course, Spiegel isn’t the first tech titan to call out Facebook since the Cambridge Analytica volcano first erupted in March. Most notably, Apple head Tim Cook took the opportunity to accuse the social giant of reducing its users to products. advertisement advertisement Were Apple to sink to Facebook’s level, “We could make a ton of money if we monetized our customers … if our customers were our product,” Cook said in an interview with MSNBC and Recode. In response, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg called Cook’s comments “extremely glib.” “The reality here is that if you want to build a service that helps connect everyone in the world, then there are a lot of people who can’t afford to pay,” Zuckerberg told Vox’s Ezra Klein. Neither Zuckerberg nor anyone at Facebook have so far responded to Spiegel’s remarks, which went further than matters of data privacy. Indeed, Spiegel sees Snap as an existential threat to Facebook and more traditional social networks. “Snapchat isn't just a bunch of features,” said Spiegel. “It has an underlying philosophy that runs counter to traditional social media.” Alluding to Facebook and its ilk, Spiegel added: “That’s why traditional social media feels threatened.” Yet, while Facebook has plenty of reasons to feel threatened, Snap is looking less and less like one of them. Among other issues, research shows that Snapchat’s “impression score” -- showing whether consumers have a positive or negative impression of a brand -- has plummeted since the release of its controversial redesign late last year. The redesign backlash contributed to Snap missing analyst earnings and usership expectations during the first quarter of this year. Defending the redesign on Tuesday, Spiegel said it was needed to ensure that users feel comfortable expressing themselves. “When we looked at social media,” he said, “one of the biggest problems that really stood out to us was this constant conflict between needing to have a small group of friends to feel comfortable expressing yourself, but also needing to have a large group of friends so that you can watch more content.” Snapchat’s redesigned interface, therefore, divides the app into two sections: one side for friends’ posts, and the other for professional media. “We wanted to find a way to empower people to express themselves -- to keep that small group of friends -- but at the same time expose the whole world of content that’s on Snapchat that people want to watch,” Spiegel explained. In terms of the actual execution, however, he admitted: “I think we have to continue to evolve and reiterate to product to get the result that we’re looking for.” Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH May 31, 2018 at 06:26AM
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Mature Mobile Markets Stall Smartphone Growth https://ift.tt/2L8zwbr After about seven years of declining growth, global smartphone shipments completely stagnated in 2017. That’s according to the latest web trends report from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers partner Mary Meeker, who largely attributed the stalled growth to maturing mobile markets. At the expense of aspiring operating systems, Android and iOS have come to totally dominate the mobile space. Worldwide, there are now about 3.6 billion people online, which works out to just over half of humanity. On average, people the world over now spend nearly six hours a day consuming digital media -- about half of which is devoted to mobile channels. Continuing to grow year-over-year, U.S. ecommerce sales approached $4.5 billion in 2017, while ecommerce approached 14% of total retail sales. Among social networks, Facebook continues to dominate product discovery (at 78%), while Instagram and Pinterest were tied for second place (at 59%). advertisement advertisement Asked what they consider to be the most important ad spending optimization metric, marketers’ most common response was “customer lifetime value” (27%), followed by impressions (19%), and brand lift (18%). Among other positive signs for Amazon, the install base for its Echo smart speaker increased from 20 million in third quarter 2017 to 30 million in the fourth quarter of that year. Amazon also increased its share of domestic ecommerce sales to 28% in 2017, which represented a year-over-year gain of 16%. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH May 30, 2018 at 10:23PM AT&T CEO Talks Media Mergers, New Ad Models https://ift.tt/2svl5a2 The rush of recent potential traditional media mergers continues to point to one key area -- now and in future: high-level TV and movie content. “Premium content is going to be very relevant five or six years from now,” says Randall Stephenson, chairman/CEO of AT&T, in speaking at the Code Conference in Palos Verdes, Calif. “Premium content consumption is not going down; it’s going up.... [and] advertisers love premium content platforms.” Stephenson was responding to a recent rush of proposed (and completed) deals, which started with his company’s effort to buy content producer Time Warner. Since then, there have been others: Walt Disney (or Comcast)-21st Century Fox; Discovery Communications-Scripps Network Interactive; CBS-Viacom; and T-Mobile-Sprint, among others. “Vertical” media business deals -- which include distribution, content production, advertising platforms -- means “everyone is headed down the same path. A lot of bandwidth is going to be required to make that happen,” he adds. advertisement advertisement AT&T believes its pursuit to buy Time Warner for $85.4 billion will give it a step ahead in selling better advertising -- all due to its deep consumer data through its current businesses. He says while Time Warner’s Turner networks have a large supply of TV ad inventory to sell, to date, that effort hasn’t been largely focused around a targeted advertising approach. “AT&T has an amazing amount of data -- 40 million pay TV subscribers in North and South America, 130 million mobile subscribers, and 16 million broadband subscribers. We have really great customer insight into the shows, media and content they are viewing and where they are. “There is going to be new business models surrounding ad-driven type models,” Stephenson says. AT&T is waiting on a decision in the antitrust lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice to block the company's proposed $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner. Competition is key. Digital media companies continue to see strong growth. Traditional TV media and communications need to respond quickly -- thus the push for big mergers, note analysts. Stephenson points to the growth of FANG stocks: Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google. Since the AT&T-Time Warner deal was announced in December 2016, he says the market capitalization of FANG stocks “has gone up $1 trillion. You need to vertically integrate if you want to compete with those players.” Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH May 30, 2018 at 04:57PM Brands Rev #Pride Engines With Joyous Pronouns https://ift.tt/2L8OPkq Marketers are gearing up for Pride Month, and this year, expect to see the usual rainbows and lavender unicorns sprinkled with plenty of “he,” “she” and “they.” Whether it’s Target’s “All pronouns welcome” pins or American Apparel’s “They O.K.,” companies are having a blast helping activists raise awareness about the importance of gender pronouns, while still getting their sparkle on. And while plenty of brands will release ads and products at Pride celebrations throughout the month, it’s always fun to see which are among the first. Nike is celebrating with the 2018 Betrue shoe, which it says is “reclaiming the past, empowering the future,” using the color lavender and the pink triangle. And Adidas is introducing a Pride sneaker that sports a calmer color scheme, with the Adidas I-5923 in pastel hues. H&M is introducing its first-ever Pride collection, themed “Love For All.” Macy’s says it plans to celebrate all month long with its annual Pride + Joy campaign, this year focusing on local colleagues at over 20 Pride parades, as well as a brand-new float. (Like Target and Nordstrom, Macy’s sponsors the Pride march.) Its Pride fashions include a Kenneth Cole collaboration, Tied with Pride, with gender-neutral t-shirts, hats and socks, as well as its Pride KAM sneaker in black and white, each designed with rainbow details. Other brands introducing Pride merchandise are Calvin Klein, Levi’s, 2(x)ist, Michael Kors and American Rag. And of course, cities join in, too: This year, Pittsburgh is even rainbow-ifying a police car for celebrations. While Pride celebrations have been gaining in popularity for decades, they’ve become more enthusiastic in recent years, fueled by both the success of the gay rights movement and pushback from conservatives. But the events are also approaching a historic moment: This year’s NYC Pride March, themed “Defiantly different,” is the 49th annual event. The route this year is new, a change NYC Pride says is in anticipation of record attendance in 2019, as it celebrates Stonewall 50/World Pride 2019. Corporate sponsors this year include T-Mobile, Macy’s, Target, Nordstrom, PVH, Delta, Virgin Atlantic, MAC, PepsiCo, TD Bank, Skyy Vodka and New York Life. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH May 30, 2018 at 04:01PM Google And Wix Work To Index Sites In Search Within 30 Seconds https://ift.tt/2kyXHVs Referral traffic from Google search is up, primarily due to increased traffic from an increase in mobile use by consumers and from companies optimizing their sites using Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP). Most people see content in Facebook and click over to the website, but recent data from Chartbeat shows that is no longer the case. This trend has prompted Wix to partner with Google to help smaller websites get indexed within seconds and it's one less thing that search engine optimization professionals need to concern themselves with -- ensuring that the new site gets quickly indexed in Google. The news was announced in May at the Google I/O developer conference, but Search Insider caught up with Israel-based Sarig Reichert, head of Wix marketing products, to have a chat about Instant Indexing, a tool added to SEO Wiz. Reichert said Wix worked with Google to enable the content to index very quickly. Wix used an API to enable companies to submit their site -- a function that only works on the original submission. Subsequent changes to each page on the site still take time. Once the site gets submitted, the user can follow other steps to improve the site’s SEO. Reichert pointed to UK-based Dytham Jewellery Designs on the keyword “engagement rings” that rose from page 13 to page 1 in one month as an example. Since launching SEO Wiz, Reichert said, 82% of Wix users rank higher on Google, with 67% of them serving up on the first page. Reichert said Wix has not developed anything similar with Microsoft Bing. “It’s part of the things we’re considering, but I don’t have any other information to share,” he said. Wix also created guidelines for its users to comply with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), including a way to access and delete customer data. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH May 30, 2018 at 02:21PM A Brief Reminder Of The Role Of Hispanics In The U.S. Military https://ift.tt/2J5iavP Modelo Especial recently highlighted Hispanics’ contribution to the U.S. Armed Services in an ad celebrating the service of Juan Rodriguez-Chavez. Many see this ad in the context of today’s political environment, and perhaps it was intended as such. However, this 30-second vignette highlights a tradition that extends to the formative days of our country. The National Park Service recognizes that Hispanics have fought in every U.S. conflict from the American Revolution to the current Afghanistan War. Jorge Farragut, one of many Hispanics in uniform, served as an officer in the U.S. Navy during the Revolutionary War. His son, David, would go on to receive high honors in the Civil War: “After lashing himself to the rigging to keep from being flung overboard during the furious sea battle for Mobile Bay in 1864 during the Civil War, it was Admiral Farragut who determined the fate of the last sea port open to the Confederacy, sealing its fate, and preserving the Union. advertisement advertisement “In fact, the rank of ‘Admiral’ in the U.S. Navy was created especially for Farragut to elevate him beyond any existing rank, and to celebrate his contribution of preserving the Union in the Civil War in the same way that the rank of ‘General Of The Armies’ was created for George Washington during the Revolutionary War.” To this day, inhabitants of Washington, D.C., can take the metro to Farragut North Station and can be seen having lunch in Farragut Square. Overall, Hispanics have received 44 Medals of Honor as part of their service. One such recipient was Pvt. Marcelino Serna, born in Chihuahua, Mexico, who went on to become the most decorated soldier in World War I from Texas, and the first Hispanic winner of the Medal of Honor: “Private Serna single-handedly captured 24 German soldiers in France. For his courageous efforts, Private Serna received the Distinguished Service Cross, the French Croix de Guerre, the Victory Medal with three bars, and two Purple Hearts.” Marcelino Serna, Juan Rodriguez-Chavez, Jorge Farragut, and his son David are just a few notable Hispanics you’ve probably never heard nor thought of when considering U.S. Military history. These contributions continue, and our country is increasingly looking to our Hispanic countrymen and women to serve. From a 2013 report, Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen, a Department of Defense spokesman, asserted that Hispanics comprised 11.4% of the active-duty military forces (more than 157,000 people). In 2011, 16.9% of all new recruits were Hispanic. So, in this Memorial Day week, let’s take a moment to say “gracias” for their service. Raise a glass in their honor. Maybe a Modelo Especial. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH May 30, 2018 at 12:21PM Google Streams Programmatic Audio Ads In DoubleClick https://ift.tt/2J5i9Ih Google’s programmatic audio ads are now available to all advertisers using its demand-side platform DoubleClick Bid Manager. The news, announced Wednesday, gives marketers global access to advertising inventory from Google Play Music, Spotify, SoundCloud and TuneIn, with Pandora coming soon. The move offers marketers the opportunity to bring audio and digital campaigns together in one place, helping brands connect with listeners throughout the day. Google estimates that in 2018, about 1.2 billion people will use music-streaming services globally. It's not clear, however, whether in the future the audio ads will become available through Google Home or other smart devices, but a Google spokesperson said there are no plans at this time. Zuzanna Gierlinska -- European head of programmatic at Spotify, which launched the ability to run programmatic ads in 2016 -- believes the launch makes it possible for Bid Manager customers to reach Spotify’s audience across video, display and audio formats. advertisement advertisement In January, Google tested programmatic audio with about 30 advertisers. The audio ads now arrive at a time when buyers are demanding tailored audio ads. Jean-Claude Homawoo, product manager at Google, in a blog post cites research from WideOrbit showing that 85% of U.S. radio buyers are interested in buying audio ads in real-time to reach their core consumers, and more than half believe that buying audio ads programmatically can streamline workflows. About 75% believe that buying audio ads programmatically provides the benefits of real-time optimization and reporting. Some early adopters have seen success with programmatic audio ads, per Homawoo. MightyHive, for example, used Bid Manager to access audio ads on Google Play Music. This strategy enabled the company to find new audiences for a Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) client and deliver more than 7.5 million impressions and over 7,500 clicks across the mobile web, desktop and app. The campaign achieved ad completion rates of more than 95% and drove a click-through rate of 0.11%. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH May 30, 2018 at 12:21PM Company Intros App To Predict Traffic Light Changes In Real Time For Drivers https://ift.tt/2IX1bjc In addition to more screens and in-car streaming entertainment, one of the promises of connected cars is the ability to tell when a traffic light will change to red or green. Audi recently introduced a feature called Traffic Light Information, so its cars could communicate with the traffic infrastructure in certain cities, which has been tested in Las Vegas for some time. Intel also may be interested in some version of this, by acquiring Mobileye for $15 billion last year. The Israeli company’s hardware and software can detect road markings and identify and read traffic signs, traffic lights and directional signs and also can analyze a visual field to anticipate potential collisions with humans, vehicles and other kinds of obstacles, as well as create a map of drivable paths for autonomous vehicles, according to Intel. Now Nexar, another Israeli-based company, is aiming to one-up everyone, by providing real-time information about the phase of every traffic light in any given city. Nexar is making its Lights API available so that municipal partners and rideshare companies can leverage the live insights to optimize routing and travel times. The system uses crowd sourcing information from the tens of thousands of cars in the U.S., which use the Nexar app with either their phone camera or dashcam in their car. “It’s cheaper and it’s more scalable,” Eran Shir, Nexar CEO, told me. “A Wi-Fi dash cam is the most used today.” Many cars, especially fleets and ridesharing vehicles, use dashcams to record accident information, which can lower insurance rates. As cars with dash cameras travel around, they continually capture and transmit data of things around them, such as traffic lights. “With Lights, we can predict the phase of every traffic light in a city,” said Shir. “Seeing and mapping roads in real-time will allow Nexar and our partners to gain a detailed understanding of the streets, and the city as a whole, at any given moment.” The Nexar app ultimately will provide features such as traffic light monitoring, congestion, road hazards, infrastructure malfunctions, stopped cars, pedestrians, street signs, cyclists and emergency vehicles. Much like Waze uses crowdsourcing to identify road hazards and mapping programs use cell phone locations to determine traffic, Nexar uses phone information along with real-time video feeds. The aggregated information can be processed in real time and notifications, such as a traffic light is about to change color, can be delivered in fractions of seconds, Shir said. The cars themselves are not technically being connected by the manufacturers, but they are being connected to each other through camera and smartphone data feeds and information, all managed with the help of artificial intelligence behind the scenes. The connected car will take many shapes and forms, and now one of them is being driven by Nexar. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH May 30, 2018 at 08:10AM LiveRamp Quality Data-Scoring Initiative Launches With First Partner Lucid https://ift.tt/2spn1AF As advertisers demand more information about the quality of the data they use, LiveRamp, an Acxiom company, has developed a data-scoring initiative to validate the quality of the data and audience segments that advertisers use. The news, announced Wednesday, makes data technology company Lucid the first partner in this program. The company, which uses a survey-based method, will provide LiveRamp IdentityLink customers with an audience measurement system through its Lucid Data Score. Lucid will score the data for accuracy against un-targeted audiences prior to being used by advertisers. Having a score allows marketers to validate their purchase and make an educated decision. For now, the price of the data will not be based on the score, although this could change in the future. It will be up to the data provider, said Luke McGuinness, general manager of the LiveRamp Data Store. “We’re looking to include a variety of data providers,” he said. “Some will be cookie-based and some mobile from a variety of different data types such as location or traditional demographics.” advertisement advertisement The data scores are based on the accuracy rate compared with targeted consumers in the general population. For example, if 10% of the general population is in the market to buy a car and the data segment used by an advertiser performs at either a 50%, a 60% or a 70% accuracy rate, the data set is considered to produce a “highly accurate data segment” compared with targeting a consumer segment not using data. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH May 30, 2018 at 08:10AM 2018 EFFIE Award Preview: Aveeno Data-driven Masterbrand https://ift.tt/2slKqmo As a sneak peek at the 2018 North American Effie Awards, MediaPost and Effie Worldwide have once again collaborated to showcase some of the winning cases that will be awarded gold, silver or bronze Effies at the gala on May 31. This series focuses on learning and best practices from the media-focused categories. Effie Awards are known by advertisers and agencies globally as the pre-eminent award in the marketing industry and recognize any and all forms of communication that contribute to a brand's success. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH May 30, 2018 at 07:18AM |
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