Gross Profits Decline For Cable, Diversification Adds Rev Sources http://ift.tt/2t0tSCJ Traditional cable TV operators continued loss of video subscribers will translate into lower gross profit margins over the next four years -- with other company businesses looked to carry more of the load. Big cable companies, such Comcast and Charter Communications, as well as smaller cable operators like Cable One, will see a steady erosion of gross profit margins per video subscribers in the coming years. Craig Moffett, media analyst at MoffettNathanson Research, says Comcast’s average gross profit margins from its video business will drop by 13% in four years -- to $37.18 by 2021 from $42.58 this year. Charter will move down on a steeper level -- 28% -- to $19.12 in four years from $26.77 in 2017. Smaller cable company, Cable One, is projected to down 27% to $22.63 in 2021 from a $31.09 estimate in 2017. As it concerns the new virtual (Internet-delivered) multivideo channel program distributor businesses, Moffett says: “None of the current crop of vMVPS appears even remotely poised to make any money.” But Moffett notes current diversification in broadband, phone and other businesses will help buffer cable operators video business declines. Video gross profit margins are only about one-third of total gross profit at Comcast; 25% at Charter; and 21% at Cable One. Gross profit margins for broadband and phone businesses are much higher -- 95% and 85% respectively, says Moffett. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile http://ift.tt/2oB2PsH June 23, 2017 at 04:55PM
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6 Ways To Ensure Your Brand Stays Relevant To The Customer Of The Future http://ift.tt/2sWvi15 Dan Chay, Lippincott Senior Innovation Associate, identified six shifts that will shape the customer of the future It’s a time of unparalleled disruption. In 10 years, 7 billion people will be seamlessly connected to each other and the world’s knowledge base. The concept of “going online” will cease to exist, as the internet will be an ever-present fabric in our lives that we’ll be permanently and invisibly connected to. We’ll be surrounded by a cloud of data that can know our every preference, habit and behavior, enabling AI to make smarter decisions on our behalf. Our bodies will become our passwords. Virtual and augmented reality will create digital experiences that our brains can’t distinguish from real ones. These advancements in technology are creating unprecedented opportunities for marketers. In our survey of 2,000 U.S. leading-edge consumers (customers that have a high level of alignment with these tech-driven trends), we found that 64 percent are happy to trade private data for personalized products and services. Over the past five years, almost 70 percent have seen a rise in their personal demands for instant access and customization. In just a few years, the way consumers shop, connect and think about brands will be completely different. So how can brands ensure they stay relevant to the customer of the future? To answer this question, Lippincott carried out a breadth of work across industries, looking over the horizon to predict the changes ahead. We identified six shifts that will shape the customer of the future; the companies that understand and act on these shifts will stay relevant for years to come. A life in flow In the future, customers will gain freedom through mobility. Fixed acquisitions such as jobs or leases will no longer tie us down, as new technology allows us to flowmore than ever. According to our research, leading-edge consumers are six times more likely than today’s average consumer to rent versus own, demonstrating their innate desire for flexibility. Companies that are able to meet this need and move with their customers in a de-located, independent fashion will undoubtedly do well in the future. Convenience and flexibility will become crucial selling points. Already, the act of hailing a cab, visiting the grocery store or stopping at the bank are becoming increasingly less necessary with new technology and apps. Even the most minor interruptions will stand out once the world is dramatically streamlined by technology. Transparent existence We’ll live amidst continual monitoring in the future, but we’ll reap greater benefits of social connection and personalized recommendations. Our wearables will know if we are adequately hydrated, our washing machine will know if we need to order more detergent and our cars will know the cheapest place to get gas. Social experiences will dominate; sharing on social platforms will be easier than ever, and benefits like lower premiums and product discounts will flow to those who are willing to share their data. This increasingly tracked life presents brands with enormous opportunity. When we all can be tracked, we will demand transparency. This heightened visibility will lead to a rise of ratings, and every brand we consider will have a score. Be transparent; open up your customer experience for full accountability because if you are hiding anything, your customers will find out. Omnipotent individual Technology already provides us with new opportunities to wield power in line with our personal preferences. In the future, “standard” will no longer be enough—modularity, mixing and customization will become the new norm. Customers will have high expectations – they know they’re being tracked, so they’ll expect their products and services to understand and even anticipate them. Give your customers the power to unbundle, customize, make, modulate and mix. Go beyond “one size fits all” and grant customers the power to control their own unique experiences. They’ll reward you for it. On-demand everything We all enjoy instant gratification. We want what we want, when we want it. As the concept of “waiting” becomes further and further obsolete, “right now” might even be too late . Everything from entertainment to groceries will be available in an instant. Repetitive tasks will be automated, freeing up more of our precious time. With 85 percent of leading-edge consumers feeling more efficient thanks to today’s technologically-driven world, the growing desire for on-demand everything has opened up doors for disrupters everywhere. For brands, it’s incredibly important to keep up with customers’ ever-increasing expectations for immediacy and efficiency throughout every aspect of the customer experience. Exponential intelligence With the growing prevalence of artificial intelligence and constant access to the world’s knowledge base, not knowing anything will become virtually impossible. As a result, individual expertise will shift to wisdom of the crowd and we will begin to trust diverse opinions as opposed to the seasoned experts. In our survey, we found that 62 percent of consumers would rather make decisions based on intelligent apps and crowdsourced information than on the advice of family and friends. The days of “word of mouth” brand-building are numbered, as more and more customers depend on algorithms tallying relevant reviews. Provide your customers with as much knowledge about your band as possible, and see the positive reviews come piling in. Synthetic reality Down the line, the boundaries between the digital and the real world will start to blur. With the onset of augmented reality, virtual reality and digital identities, we’ll live in immersive environments that drive collaboration, connection and empathy. And our identity will grant us access to new possibilities—as any teenager with a Snapchat Story already knows, we’ll carefully craft personal brands as one of our few remaining owned assets. For brands, new possibilities in gamification, beautification, information and communication will open up new channels to connect with customers. When we look at the uncertainty surrounding the customer of the future, one thing is certain: technology isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Will you? Dan Chay is a senior associate in innovation based in Lippincott’s New York office. Blending his background in consumer psychology and business innovation, Dan advises leading businesses on how the world is changing while identifying the innovation spaces and business approaches that will matter most to the customer of the future. Dan has worked as an advertising strategy MBA intern at Google and spent four years as a sales, marketing and communication consultant at the Corporate Executive Board, advising Fortune 500 customer service executives on best practices in customer loyalty, customer segmentation and customer experience mapping. Mobile Marketing via PSFK http://www.psfk.com/ June 22, 2017 at 05:02PM Swrve Expands From Mobile To Email http://ift.tt/2tTpB0U Swrve has expanded its mobile engagement portfolio to email, introducing both transactional and marketing email capabilities on Thursday. Swrve was originally founded in 2009 as a mobile marketing automation platform for in-app engagement, and counts customers like Condé Nast, Warner Brothers, and Microsoft on its client roster. The San Francisco-based company is now moving beyond in-app messaging and tackling the world of email marketing. Swrve customers can now develop email campaigns from directly within the Swrve platform, and then deploy them through their preferred marketing automation platform. For example,marketers can trigger emails based on real-time mobile user data. A marketer could trigger an email based on real-time data from Swrve to send via the Salesforce Marketing Cloud. Swrve already has integrations built with major marketing cloud vendors, like Salesforce, Oracle, and Marketo, as well as with email solutions like SendGrid and MailChimp. advertisement advertisement "Everyone and everything is getting smarter and more connected than ever before, and companies are looking to transform the way they connect with customers, partners and employees," states Kori O'Brien, SVP, ISV Sales, Salesforce. Incorporating mobile audience data into email marketing campaigns is particularly helpful because the majority of emails are now read on mobile devices. Accessing information on mobile user behavior potentially leads to more rich, personalized emails. Additional product features include automated subscription list management and customizable email templates, including dynamic templates that populate the moment the email is opened as opposed to when it was sent.
Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile http://ift.tt/2oB2PsH June 22, 2017 at 03:16PM WPP, Unilever Invest $15 Million In Celtra http://ift.tt/2rHydah Celtra announced a $15 million investment led by WPP and Unilever Ventures this week. WPP and Unilever have positioned themselves to use Celtra’s creative technology throughout Unilever’s global marketing group, as well as extending Celtra’s expertise to Unilever’s service providers, technology vendors and media suppliers. Unilever brands now have access to Celtra’s cloud-based Creative Management Platform, which aims to jumpstart a creative transformation in the digital advertising landscape. "Creative is the conduit for the marketer's message," said Mihael Mikek, founder and CEO of Celtra. "Creative is an increasingly complex challenge for large advertisers and one that is constantly changing due to rapid evolution of media consumption,” said Keith Weed, chief marketing officer at Unilever. “People deserve advertising that feels native to each medium and delivers emotional value." Celtra, said Weed, will play a central role in providing these capabilities on a global scale. advertisement advertisement Unilever has been an early adopter of creative-driven digital advertising strategies. Ensuring that any creative served is appropriate for the medium and platform is singularly important at a time when consumers are constantly changing devices throughout the day. "We believe the market is due for a creative management solution that can deliver real-time data driven creative at scale and tailored for every individual, across media channels,” stated Sir Martin Sorrell, Chief Executive Officer at WPP. “This investment is in line with WPP's commitment to technology, data and content, which, along with horizontality, new markets and new media, comprise the Group's four strategic priorities." Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile http://ift.tt/2oB2PsH June 22, 2017 at 02:59PM Email Skills Rated Highly By B2B Tech Marketers: Study http://ift.tt/2sGdWTZ Email marketing skills are among the most important attributes brought to the job by B2B tech marketers, according to a survey from Spiceworks, as reported today by MarketingProfs. Of 359 B2B technology industry workers surveyed in North America and Europe, 65% said email expertise is important for marketers, ranking email sixth among valued skills. Broken down by age, this includes 74% of the Millennials, 60% of the GenXers and 55% of the Baby Boomers. Email also ranked highly when the respondents were asked if their skills in this area are advanced. Only 42% of the Millennials feel they are, vs. 51% of the GenXers and 55% of the Boomers. However, “soft skills” are deemed important by 80% of the Millennials, 83% of the GenXers and 89% of the Boomers, putting them in the No. 1 position. Millennials are more likely to see themselves as advanced in this area – 67% say they are--than in any other job skill. advertisement advertisement In addition, 91% of the Boomers value writing skills. Yet only 70% in that upper age bracket think they are advanced at writing, compared with 59% in the Millennial cohort and 69% in Generation X. Next in demand after soft skills and writing are content marketing ability, digital media marketing and data analysis. Email is followed on the list of desired skill sets by SEO, social media, mobile marketing, influencer marketing, graphic design and HTML/CSS coding. However, 41% of the Millennials think they’re advanced in social media and 38% in digital media marketing. GenXers are most likely to see themselves as tops in data analysis — 50% say so. Only 16% of those surveyed—in all three age groups—rate their mobile skills as advanced. And less than half see their content skills that way. Asked why they are seeking new jobs, 69% of he Millennial tech workers cited a need to advance their marketing skills. Only 43% of the Baby Boomers gave the same reason. Salaries, benefits and the need to work with a more talented marketing team were also listed. In addition, 33% of Millennials cited burnout at their current job. Only 14% of the Boomers mentioned this problem. Millennials and GenXers are also more likely to seek a better work-life balance.
Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile http://ift.tt/2oB2PsH June 22, 2017 at 02:59PM Online News Subs Up, Mobile Drives Usage http://ift.tt/2t0ek1W The term “mobile” can be quite misleading. Around the world, more smartphone users now access news in bed (46%) than use the device while commuting to work. That's according to the latest annual report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, which commissioned YouGov to survey about 70,000 people in 36 world markets, earlier this year. Stateside, mobile news notifications had a big year. Driving app use, notifications were up eight percentage points, YouGov found. Thanks, in large part, to interest surrounding the Trump administration, online news subscriptions were up significantly (16%), along with a tripling of news donations. Additionally, just over half (51%) of YouGov’s U.S. sample said they now get news via social media -- up five percentage points, year-over-year. Globally, just one-quarter (24%) of respondents said social media companies do a good job of separating fact from fiction -- compared to 40% for the news media. Perhaps with their phones in hand, two-thirds (67%) of social-media news users in the United States also reported watching TV, over the past year. Nearly as many (66%) reported visiting mainstream Web sites or apps. advertisement advertisement Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile http://ift.tt/2oB2PsH June 22, 2017 at 02:12PM
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What Would Bitcoin Look Like As Paper Money? http://ift.tt/2sZ7aeH Eye-catching designs from artist Matthias Dörfelt translate the digital currency into physical form As Bitcoin continues to become more widely used, one designer is asking the question: What would a Bitcoin actually look like? Drawing inspiration from this hypothetical, Los Angeles-based artist Matthias Dörfelt has created ‘Block Bills,’ a project which aims to create a visual representation of the digital currency using a unique code that Dörfelt wrote. The code renders stunning visual designs by identifying 64 randomly chosen blocks from the Bitcoin blockchain and using each block’s unique hash number (which represents the identity of each block). The result is a bill that features many similar elements to our paper currency, but with details that are unique to Bitcoin. The number in the upper right corner, for instance, isn’t the value of the Bitcoin, but rather its transfer volume, which represents how many transactions were stored in the block during a given amount of time. The signature on each bill, meanwhile, isn’t the name of any known treasurer, but is instead signed ‘Satoshi,’ the anonymous entity that created Bitcoin. In the center of each bill sits a shadowy human-like figure, which is unique to each bill as determined by Dörfelt’s code. In a statement to Co.Design, the artist said that each figure could be seen as a celebration of the bill’s worth, or as something potentially darker. “From a technology standpoint, the blockchain, which was invented through bitcoin, is one of the most groundbreaking things that came along in the past couple years,” Dörfelt said. “Bitcoin itself is worth so much money, and it’s so important nowadays that it was something on my mind.” Mobile Marketing via PSFK http://www.psfk.com/ June 22, 2017 at 02:05PM
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Do Snapchat’s Spectacles Make The Cut? http://ift.tt/2sv46Wk The retro sunglasses with a built-in video camera could be a must-have for serial posters on Snapchat, even if they’re not much good for anything else Snap Inc’s Spectacles are one of the oddest pieces of hardware I’ve ever used. Typically, when a new technology is introduced it lives or dies based on how well it is executed. Think the fingerprint sensor on a smartphone: whether it was fast enough and accurate enough to be trusted was key. But the Spectacles are different. There’s almost no question that they achieve everything their designers set out to do, and they achieve it well. But that design is so idiosyncratic, so confected, and so strange that it’s hard to tell whether the product is actually … well, any good. The Spectacles are a pair of £129.99 sunglasses, with a camera tucked away on the top right hand side of the frame. That camera shoots “HD” video (the resolution is 1088 pixels wide, but it’s also circular) in 10-second clips when you push the button on the left hand side. There is no stills camera. The battery will last for about 100 clips and the hard case the Spectacles come with has its own in-built battery which can fully charge them four times over. That means you can shoot a little over an hour of footage without needing a power supply. The footage is extremely wide-angle, with a 115 degree field of view. But that’s not quite what it sounds like, because the majority of your viewers are never going to see the full video. Instead, the specs export the clips to Snapchat in a unique full-screen stabilised format. Whichever way you hold your phone, the video takes up the whole screen: portrait, landscape, or diagonally. That Snapchat integration is both a blessing and a curse. It a blessing because it allows an integration of hardware and software rarely seen in tech companies other than Apple: having a unique video format for a specific app is a bold move, but one that pays off. The curse is that not everyone uses Snapchat. It’s possible to export clips to your phone’s camera roll, but they immediately lose some of their magic. Uncropped, the circular videos are less wondrous than they initially seemed and you’ll quickly find yourself wishing they were just normal squares. That way they’d look more conventional when shared on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, though to be fair, that’s not the point. Snap didn’t make a pair of glasses for people to shoot great Instagram updates on. A similar problem exists with the filming functionality. The clips feel surprisingly short when you’re doing anything you’d really want to be filming and sharing. I tried climbing with the Spectacles on and struggled to find a route I could complete in the span of one clip. The same is true if you’re skateboarding, running, or even just playing with your pet. You don’t want to have to press the button every 10 seconds, you want to capture everything and edit it down to the best stuff after. But again, it’s clear that the constraint is deliberate. Unlike Google Glass before them, the Spectacles are unlikely to get you in trouble for clandestine filming. They go to great lengths to announce when they’re on – an extremely obvious spiralling light counts down the seconds – and they can’t be set up to record permanently. They are for shooting … well, Snaps. If you are a Snapchat user, you likely already know the joy of short video clips, and how to arrange your social media communications around them. The pair I try are “coral” – bright pink with pink tortoiseshell arms and yellow rims around the lens. Some people may be able to pull it off; I, however, was told unprompted that there was “something of the Jim’ll Fix It” about my look. I am 27 though, and so older than Snapchat’s core target market. And that’s the nub of it. If you’re young and using Snapchat incessantly – if you know what a Snap Streak is, and would rather lop off a finger than lose yours – then the Spectacles are a great, albeit pricey, addition. But if that isn’t your world, these probably aren’t for you. guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 Published via the Guardian News Feed plugin for WordPress. Lead Image: The oddest piece of tech hardware ever? Snapchat’s Spectacles. Photograph: REX/Shutterstock Mobile Marketing via PSFK http://www.psfk.com/ June 22, 2017 at 01:37PM
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This Wi-Fi Router Company Is Making Moves To Dominate The Smart Home Sector http://ift.tt/2sG2CHp Eero is unveiling new hardware, a subscription service and a bet on a rising internet-of-things technology Wi-Fi company Eero, one of the first startups to help popularize the mesh network trend, recently announced the launch of new hardware alongside a subscription service in a bid to differentiate itself from its competition. The plan, dubbed Eero Plus, will reportedly cost either $10 a month or $100 per year and include device security and content filtering to start, with additional features rolling out in future updates. On the hardware side, the San Francisco-based startup’s next generation of routers will start at $299 for an entry-level system, which promises better coverage than previous models. Additional ‘Beacon’ modules, which plug directly into an outlet, stack on 20% to 30% more bandwidth and coverage range, and double as night-lights that turn on automatically when the lights go off. The company will sell an additional package of one main router and two beacons for $399, a ‘Pro’ package containing three routers and no beacons, and individual beacons and routers for $149 and $199, respectively. Rather than competing on the system’s cost alone, however—which, given the technology, is priced quite well—the devices will support a budding network protocol known as Thread, which marks the company’s first foray into the Internet of Things puzzle. Seeing Wi-Fi as building blocks to a smarter home, Eero’s co-founder and CEO Nick Weaver told Fast Company, “You look at where the home is going, every home is going to need great connectivity, and ultimately every home’s going to need to have an operating system, something to power all the different experiences, and our view is, those two things should be the same.” Similar to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee and Z-Wave, Thread is a means for devices to communicate wirelessly throughout the home. Unlike those aforementioned, well-established names, Thread has no adoption among device makers right now—but what it does have is potential. Weaver made the case for Thread, arguing that, despite its limited use in the ecosystem, it will prove the best option due to its low power consumption, encryption by default and scalability once more device makers jump aboard the soon-to-be bandwagon. In particular, what sets Thread apart from the rest of the bunch is the fact that it is decentralized, meaning that instead of converging signals in a central hub, Thread enables a scenario where any and all devices can partake in computing and decision-making on behalf of another device. The implications for Eero as one of the first adopters of the technology are huge; specifically, the startup has the potential to shift its focus from hardware to software (as it has been), eventually manifesting as a distributed computing platform. With the router pods augmenting the computing power of the distributed network, the fully fleshed-out vision entails a smart home that is significantly cheaper, faster and less dependent on the internet for its core faculties. “I think what you’re going to see between now and the end of the year is what we like to call a trickle, turning into a creek, turning into a river,” said Grant Erickson, who serves as President of Thread Group. Mobile Marketing via PSFK http://www.psfk.com/ June 22, 2017 at 01:01PM Your Unhelpful Help Desk Hurts Business; Time To Spice Things Up http://ift.tt/2sFYRBR You're only as good as your last success. The customer you're helping right now doesn't care about your track record; they care about resolving their problem. And some of you are messing it up — big time. Your mediocre effort is not good enough. You need to use every opportunity available to grab your target market’s attention, including when they’re annoyed with you. And you need to be clever about it. Social isn't just for cat memes Businesses who assume their target audience doesn’t use social couldn't be more wrong. Even if those looking for support via social channels are in the minority, they're an important minority — and they're a group that will complain loudly about you online. As younger generations, like Millennials and Gen Z — the "mobile-first" generation — come of age, being connected on digital channels like social media will become a deal-breaker for doing business with you. advertisement advertisement But just showing up isn’t good enough, either. When they come to you looking for help, they need to find personalized support with a side of sass, if that flies for your brand. Or some sort of brand personality that resonates with who your product/service is to these folks. You need to develop a brand voice and a plan that takes into account who your target audience is, who your company is to this audience and what essential need you’re seeking to meet for each defined segment. And you need to have clear communication guidelines in place for your customer service reps defining each of those things as well. You have none of this? Is it time to worry? Perhaps. Don't Panic — Evolve If you're already using social media for marketing purposes, bringing your help desk into the mix is simply an expansion of how you apply your social listening tools and accompanying analytics. If you're not using social media for marketing, then you do have your work cut out for you — and it's well past time to evolve. Get on that. But it's not so scary — in fact, it's all "up side." Embracing newer technologies and methodologies right now saves you in the long run. And we’re not just talking about saving you time and money, but saving your company from being edged out of its market. "Too many businesses have chosen to remain with what they know best, and what feels familiar — even as better options have developed," observes Due.com. Speaking specifically of payment processes, they caution companies are still spending "too much money and too much time" to maintain and organize transactions. But there's a broader message that applies: Old, familiar and easy isn't necessarily better. Actually, it almost always isn't. And not only do you lose out on a more effective way to do business by resisting evolution, you run the risk of being disrupted beyond recovery. Sticking with payments for a moment, consider the way PayPal and Square displaced traditional payment processor giants like MasterCard, by offering lower pricing and an easier way to invoice and pay. And now mobile is forcing yet another shift — as Gen Y and Gen Z embrace mobile payment apps like Venmo, which offer an even more seamless option. It's the same type of "next level of tech disruption" feel that Uber and Lyft brought to the taxi industry — the game has completely changed. And no doubt it will change again. Just think of it this way — would you be more likely to reach out to and do business with a place that offers immediate, personalized service when you have a problem, or one with an auto-responder that does little more than waste your time? It’s a no brainer. And now compare those personalized options between one that is exceptionally pleasant, offering the right mix of understanding and bad puns to help defuse frustrating situations versus one that may reply immediately but sends canned answers offering little empathy. Leveling up isn’t impossible, but it also isn’t easy. And it certainly doesn’t happen overnight. But all businesses must adapt as these shifts happen — or you'll be stuck playing catch-up forever, assuming you have customers that long! Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile http://ift.tt/2oB2PsH June 22, 2017 at 12:55PM |
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