OTT Subscriber Benchmarks May Not Be Enough https://ift.tt/2OQV3If Recent OTT news has showed two big benchmarks performances: Both Hulu with Live TVand ESPN+ have each hit the 1 million subscriber mark. Is this a big deal -- or just a blip on the long road ahead? For investors, a key measure is the break even point for these OTT services. Lots goes into these financial formulas -- carriage fees, programming costs and marketing plans. Then there is data from Hulu OTT competitors: Sling TV at 2.34 million subscribers; DirecTVNow, 1.80 million. Other types of OTT platforms are doing well, such as single-network service (on-demand programming, live-streaming access to local TV stations) at CBS All Access -- with 2.5 million subscribers. Still, all these numbers seem tiny by comparison. Established traditional cable TV networks still hover around 80 million to 85 million subscribers -- even with regular annual declines anywhere from 1% to 3% per year. This is why new digital OTT platforms of all types -- including single live TV networks, on-demand TV programming and bigger digital app groups of live, linear networks -- are seeking more stable consumer transitions. By some measure, all major OTT platforms amount to 170 million U.S. subscriptions in total. That includes just under 60 million in the U.S. for Netflix. Overall, there is a lot of competition. When looking at the entire U.S. TV household universe -- 119.9 million from Nielsen’s 2018-2019 TV Universe estimate -- that would amount to 1.4 subscriptions per household. Now legacy TV brands may have a slight advantage. They can look at the whole picture -- traditional live, linear network, digital platform and mobile (on-demand and linear), and perhaps others to come. A new OTT service can be a lost-leader -- for a bit of time. Break-even goals? We can only guess the timetable for this. But some are quicker than others. When it comes to failure, consider: NBCUniversal’s SeeSo (20 months) and FullScreen (also 20 months). Some OTT platforms also do not account for consumers’ cycling in-and-out of OTT platforms -- a so-called “churn” rate. Others want to be Netflix or Amazon. But to be honest, how many “mass-market” OTT can you have? In the old days, you might call them “broadcasters.” If all this doesn’t scare new OTT platforms, there is this 2013 "long-term view" from Netflix: “If you think of your own behavior any evening or weekend in the last month when you did not watch Netflix, you will understand how broad and vigorous our competition is.” Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH September 25, 2018 at 10:38AM
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Viewability And Fraud Show Progress, But Mobile Video Still Risky https://ift.tt/2Q5nz91 The latest figures from Integral Ad Science are out, and it's really encouraging news for digital display -- but brands will still have some concerns over the safety aspects of mobile video. First, the good news. In the UK, viewability has risen from 53% in the second half of 2017 to 63% in 2018. Not only are ad campaigns delivering better viewability rates, but they are also remaining on the screen. Nearly half of all ads, at 46%, are now in view for longer than five seconds -- a leap from 36% in the previous half. The star channels of the report for viewability are desktop video, at 64%, mobile web video at 69%, and mobile web display at 57%. For an industry that typically languished below the 50% mark, these latest figures must provide encouragement that marketers can be assured their ads stand a good chance of being deemed viewable. The fact that nearly half are viewable for 5 seconds or more will partly answer criticism that the official definition of viewability -- standing at one second for display and two for video -- sets a rather low benchmark. IAS is attributing the improvement in the UK's media landscape to an all-around focus on better quality. This is clearly evident in the ad fraud levels in the report dropping to just 0.4% for mobile web campaigns optimised against fraud, compared to 7% for those that are not. It's a similar story in display, where the rate of fraud for optimised campaigns is just 0.7% compared to 10% for those which are not. Again, this focus on quality is seen in brand-risk levels of just over 4% in desktop, down from nearly 6% in the previous half. However, although there is has been some improvement, mobile still leaves much to be desired, with a brand-risk rating of 9%. That makes the leap from mobile display to mobile video twice as risky. Curiously, programmatic video buying is proving to offer half the risk of publisher direct deals. Clearly, the ad tech would appear to be working, so there may be better days ahead. So what are we to make of a bunch of figures that can have you feeling "number blind" after a few minutes? Well, display is doing far better than before, with viewability up, and the time an ad is viewable for is increasing too. Use the right technology and fraud is virtually forgettable at 1% or less, depending on the channel. Mobile video is still where the risk lies to brand managers, however, with 9% of mobile web video ads ending up in places that could compromise a brand's good name. It's mainly drugs and violence that are the big culprits here, not so much the extremism everyone's attention been turned to since The Times carried out a series of investigations into YouTube. Halfway through the year and viewability and fraud are looking good, but mobile video's report card would show it still has much work to do to replicate desktop, which is currently looking at least twice as safe as its smaller-screen cousin. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH September 25, 2018 at 09:11AM With OTT On The Rise, Companies Look To Deals To Grow Globally https://ift.tt/2xNmCL3 When it comes to video, streaming is the future. Whether that video is being streamed to mobile devices or to TV sets is another story, but any conversation with a technology, telecom or media executive will inevitably turn to the lightning-fast growth of streaming video. That pivot — away from satellite and cable delivery — is causing many traditional players in the telecom and media spaces to reevaluate their business and to look to acquisitions to expand their global footprint. Technology-media hybrids like Netflix and Spotify are challenging the conventional notion of what a radio station and TV network are. Unbound (or at least less bound) by traditional country borders, they have seen their user bases explode, and are seeking no less than to acquire a chunk of the world’s population on their services. The result? Disney’s acquisition of Fox, which will bulk up the company’s content library in a significant way, and will give it a controlling stake in the streaming service Hulu -- and AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner, giving the telecom giant a massive content library and ownership of HBO, which it is hoping to build into a bona fide Netflix killer. advertisement advertisement And this week, Comcast’s successful bid for control of the European telecom giant Sky, which will give the Philadelphia-based cable company a dominant position in Europe’s telecom economy, as well as exclusive content that Sky controls. In every case, these major deals have served to give the acquiring company -- whether Disney Comcast or AT&T -- new scale to more efficiently compete against technology firms with global footprints. While all three companies have OTT platforms, it is still early days for streaming video, and these deals pave the way for significant expansion in that world. AT&T plans to beef up HBO’s programming, and reevaluate the deals it has across the globe, perhaps paving the way for a truly global service. Disney is planning a Disney-branded streaming service next year, while Hulu remains limited to the U.S. Both have global growth potential. As for Comcast and Sky: “Though Comcast’s TV business relies heavily on cable TV revenue and a majority of Sky’s customer base is currently made up of linear subscribers, based on the massive subscriber loss over the last few quarters, Comcast knows the future of TV is inevitably moving towards OTT,” Mark Zagorski, CEO of the video management platform Telaria tells Video Insider. “By acquiring Sky, Comcast is expanding their global footprint in terms of both customers and exclusive content, paving the way for them to create an OTT platform of their own. Considering Disney’s forthcoming streaming service, Comcast is more than likely working on something similar for cord cutters, both from a subscription and ad-supported angle.” The deals, of course, are not done yet. SiriusXM’s acquisition of Pandora, Apple’s acquisition of Shazam and rumored merger interest surrounding CBS and Viacom suggest that the bids to get bigger will continue. Video, it seems, is becoming a truly global business. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH September 25, 2018 at 08:42AM
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6 Brands Removing The Stigma Around Female Health & Hygiene https://ift.tt/2Q6Cno1 Retailers are focusing on rebranding products and service related to female health and hygiene, availing themselves of digital tools and services to encourage discussion around and empower consumers to take charge of their female healthcare A growing group of new retailers is focusing on removing the stigma that surrounds previously taboo health topics, in particular catering to consumer demand for information, resources and receptivity regarding feminine healthcare and hygiene. Through modern branding, straightforward communications and an improved customer experience, brands are opening up discussions on subjects like sexual health and fertility for women, helping empower them and delivering the support they need. As described in our recent report, The Retail Health & Wellness Debrief, focusing on how retailers can better meet current consumer demands in the healthy-living pace, PSFK has identified specific companies enabling on-demand products and services that ensure women’s health and hygiene needs are seen as a priority. Here are 6 inspiring brands pioneering the development of dialogue and care surrounding female health in innovative, digital ways: LOLA Maven The Pill Club Kindbody Scanwell Ritual These are just a few companies that have developed products and services that bring light to and benefit the female health and hygiene space. For the full list, see PSFK’s report, The Retail Health & Wellness Debrief. Lead image: cheerful young woman stock photo from WAYHOME Studio/Shutterstock A growing group of new retailers is focusing on removing the stigma that surrounds previously taboo health topics, in particular catering to consumer demand for information, resources and receptivity regarding feminine healthcare and hygiene. Through modern branding, straightforward communications and an improved customer experience, brands are opening up discussions on subjects like sexual health and fertility for women, helping empower them and delivering the support they need. Mobile Marketing via PSFK http://www.psfk.com/ September 25, 2018 at 06:25AM
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How to Boost Your Content Marketing Efforts By Planning Ahead https://ift.tt/2OQvwij They say two heads are better than one, but we say the more the merrier — especially when it comes to bringing you actionable tips and insights to fuel your digital marketing efforts. That's why we're proud to announce our “Collective Wisdom” series. Throughout the series, we'll be bringing you insights, tips, and perspectives from some of the top marketing minds to help guide your content marketing strategy. With each entry, you’ll quickly learn proven methods, taking you from the very beginning of the content planning cycle to post-publication amplification and optimization. Where should we start? At the beginning, of course. In this piece, we explore the crucial planning stage that essential for content marketing success. Planning Your Content — Get A Jump Ahead By Stepping BackHaving a solid plan in place is the foundation of any successful content marketing journey. There are several considerations you'll want to consider before jumping into creation, helping ensure that you have a well-thought-out and meaningful plan from beginning to end already in place. via GIPHYTactic 1: Commit to Having a PlanAs the old saying goes, "A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step." For marketers, that single, first step is committing to developing and documenting your content editorial plan, even if it's not super sophisticated to begin with. Unfortunately, some digital marketers often skip this step entirely. And with 32% of marketers staying organized is a top content planning challenge. Documenting a content plan that you can consistently refer back to will most certainly help. If you don't know where to start, start with reading the DivvyHQ and TopRank Marketing report, which features marketers Michael Brenner, Tamsen Webster, Carla Johnson, Robert Rose, and others sharing methods for creating proper content calendars and involving team members in the content planning process.Tactic 2: Build and Ask a List of Sharers Before PublicationYou know that once you release your content into the wild, you need to promote it. But do you spend time upfront locking down who could help you spread the word? If not, the upfront effort is worth it. You'll have a key next step built in your process, rather than scrambling last minute. Building a list of target sharers is a two-step process: 1) Reviewing your known contacts 2) Researching and qualifying others who would find your content relevant and share-worthy. When it comes to researching newbies to add to your list, EmailField’s Aman Thakur likes to use BuzzSumo to discover people who have a history of sharing content similar to what you plan to publish, by searching for keywords related to your piece. Thakur then recommends looking for relevant BuzzSumo articles that have over 200 or so Twitter shares, filtering the list by people, and exporting them to your sharer-contact spreadsheet or document, a technique he outlined for CMI. Moz contributor Isla McKetta is a fan of using Followerwonk to search through Twitter profile biographies to help build a list of influencers in your niche who may be well-suited to sharing your content, as she details in the Moz guide to content marketing.Tactic 3: Plan Post Reuse In AdvanceActionable Marketing Guide’s Chief Content Officer Heidi Cohen takes the time to plan out content reuse and even the creation of ancillary works. She suggests:When you write your post, craft related, tailored pieces at the same time. Present a different aspect of the same topic with each piece. Write two complete posts rather than having a single post in two parts.Consider where your content will be most likely to fill the needs of those viewing it, and how that will best work when it comes time to reuse and rework your initial messaging. Doing this in the planning stage can both save time in the long run, and ensure that content reuse is done in a well-thought-out manner, instead of possibly being forgotten altogether. Cohen and others recommend fashioning a measured pace for doling out new versions of your initial content over time, each incorporating a new element or perspective on your original content, or perhaps using updated statistical data, all the while considering where new audiences for your work may exist. Our own Caitlin Burgess also explores the advantages of experimentation and the role of creativity when planning content reuse, in her helpful "A Tasty, Strategic Addition to the Content Marketing Table: ‘Repurposed Content Cobbler’." "If there’s one thing that every content marketer has in spades, it’s a fully stocked content pantry," she says. "From white papers and eBooks to blog posts and original or third-party research, all of that robust and niche content has the potential to be sliced, diced, and repurposed into something new and fresh." Tactic 4: Use Target Audience Personas to Supercharge Your Content CalendarUnderstanding the pain points, needs, and attitudes of your target audience is critical if you want to develop a content strategy that wholly resonates. After all, how can you be the best answer for your audience if you don’t understand what questions they’re asking or what problems they’re trying to solve. Social Media Today Community Manager Emma Wiltshire knows how important it is to create marketing personas well before launching content. Knowing the search queries you want to show up for and how they align with the needs of your target audience should be fully understood before you begin creating new content.Tactic 5: Find Your Best Distribution OptionsSavvy marketers understand that the job has scarcely begun once they've hit publish on a piece of content, and recognize that amplification is crucial. Those who don't build distribution and sharing into the planning process risk losing out on a key element in the planning cycle. As Cathy McPhillips, Vice President of Marketing at Content Marketing Institute (CMI), said:"You spend so much time creating epic content, so why not spend that same amount of time coming up with a plan for distribution and promotion? It can be a down and dirty spreadsheet — fill in dates, audience, messaging, and what you’re trying to achieve."But where should you plan to share your content? Heidi Cohen also recognizes the advantages of finding the best distribution options for your content, and the time to make these decisions is before content has been completed. Owned, social, and third-party media all have specific uses, and finding out whether your campaign is best suited to using just one or all three is an important step in the content planning process, outlined nicely by Cohen in her “60+ Ways To Maximize Your Content Distribution” guide. Weigh the value of each publishing platform and channel, and when you’ve chosen those best-suited to your content, it’s helpful to document the plan and share it with all your team-members, so everyone knows what’s expected, including which key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics will be used throughout the lifetime of the campaign to reach your goals. Don't Just Wish — Gain A Major Advantage By Planning AheadAs Eleanor Roosevelt once said: "It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan." Take her famous advice to heart, and focus your wishes and goals into creating an actionable content plan. By taking the time to follow these steps — documenting your plan, building a sharer list, incorporating reuse ahead of time, using audience personas, and finding your best distribution options — you'll gain a major advantage over those who skip over some or all of the planning stage. When you're confident in your content planning process, you can move on to the crafting and creation portion of your campaign, and we'll take a closer look at that stage in the next part of our Collective Wisdom series. Stay tuned! Ready to learn more? See Lee Odden present the latest best-answer marketing strategies at Pubcon Las Vegas 2018 on October 16 - 18, and MarketingProfs' B2B Marketing Forum in San Francisco on November 13 - 16, where Ashley Zeckman will also be sharing her digital marketing insight.The post How to Boost Your Content Marketing Efforts By Planning Ahead appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®. Mobile Marketing via Hubspot https://ift.tt/2wiHYzh September 25, 2018 at 05:31AM Apple Search Ads Now Supported By Kenshoo https://ift.tt/2O4T3ii Marketers now have another way to purchase Apple Search Ads from a platform. On Monday, Kenshoo announced it has added the ability to manage Apple Search Ads alongside Bing and Google paid-search and social campaigns, giving marketers an opportunity to reach an older audience. Apple accounted for 45.3% of devices used in the U.S. in 2017, making it the top smartphone OEM in the country in the three-month period ended May 2018, according to Statista data. More than 70% of App Store visitors use search to discover apps, 65% of all downloads come directly from an App Store search, and on average, Apple Search ads have about a 50% conversion rate, according to Kenshoo. Apple Search Ads help marketers by offering them the opportunity to promote their app at the top of relevant search results in the App Store across parts of North America, Asia-Pacific and Europe. While Kenshoo continues to sign clients to its beta program, with general availability expected in November 2018, nearly all the company’s existing app developers whose primary business model is online are running Apple Search Ads, said Tom Affinito, vice president of product marketing at Kenshoo. advertisement advertisement “The highest demand is coming from e-commerce and retail advertising, with more than 50% of these clients expressing interest in the new offering,” Affinito said. Advertisers in travel and financial services have also expressed interest. The ads and data are providing stronger insights into behavior. Health apps, for example, have become popular. And as one media agency points out, Apple’s September 2018 event might have opened the door to an age group that is more inclined to pay attention to digital ads. For Apple, the focus on apps continues, with well being through consumer electronics. And now that a new Apple Watch electrocardiogram (EKG) app has gained approval by the Food and Drug Administration and support by the American Heart Association, the number of apps used by older Americans will increase. I wouldn’t be surprised if in the near future, some health insurance companies begin to subsidize or provide a discount for consumers who are willing to splurge to buy and wear the device. The technology is designed to catch irregular heart rhythms that may not show up during a medical exam but that can signal serious heart risks. It also can detect when the wearer has fallen and not moved for a specific amount of time. The biggest risk here, in my opinion, may be the size of the type on the face of the watch, which must be large enough for an elderly person to read the message and reply if needed. Apple does have a steep climb when it comes to fitness and well-being apps. Fitbit was ranked No. 1 as of May 2017 as the most popular health and fitness apps in the U.S., sorted by mobile reach, with 13% mobile penetration. MyFitnessPal was ranked third with a 9% reach. Apple did not show up in the top 10. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH September 24, 2018 at 02:51PM Only 22% Of App Publishers Understand Header Bidding https://ift.tt/2OMh36N Not enough publishers know enough about header bidding, and there is a lot of misinformation floating around about its limitations and how it works. InMobi set out to ask app publishers and other mobile advertisers in North America whether mediation and in-app header bidding works for them, and how they think about improving monetization efforts. The study also analyzes historical supply-side data back to January 2017 to see how mediation technology helps. The 2018 Header Bidding Research found that 34% of mobile publishers believe in-app header bidding has solved traditional waterfall issues, a process used by publishers to sell remnant inventory. It is the dominant in-app method to monetize ads, but in-app header bidding is attempting to take its place. Interestingly, the data suggests that waterfall-based systems may contribute to latency. It can sometimes take several seconds for an advertisement to load after an initial ad call goes out. Some 40% of survey respondents said it takes a second or more for an ad to appear. advertisement advertisement When asked whether app publishers understand the concept of in-app header bidding; 22% said very good; 28%, good; 27%, moderate; 12%, limited; and 11% don’t understand it at all. A limited understanding of the technology, at 31%, stops publishers from adopting in-app header bidding. About 23% cited implementation issues, while 14% cited few programmatic deals, 11% pointed to latency, 11% said it is difficult to scale, and 10% cited compatibility issues. More than 30% polled use in-app header bidding, and 43% said they use real-time bidding. Some 43% use real-time bidding to monetize their apps. In-app header bidding at 31% follows, along with self-mediation at 28%, and the use of one ad network for all ad inventory at 14%. Among those who use in-app header bidding, 36% said their revenue increased as a result, while 49% expect to see revenue gains over the next 12 months. Some 37% of those who already use in-app header bidding said it provided greater transparency into impression values and bids. For those who do not use in-app header bidding, 21% said ad revenues have decreased over the past 12 months and 32% said ad revenues have remained static during that time frame. Only 6% said ad revenue rose more than 50% year-over-year. The data also shows 52% use a mediation platform. An additional 15% said they are not using a mediation platform, but plan to in the next 12 months.
Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH September 24, 2018 at 02:51PM InStyle Partners With Amazon For Ecommerce, Reader's Choice Awards https://ift.tt/2NBBdnL
“The millions of women who come to InStyle every day don't just want to be inspired to buy, they expect automated commerce. That's modern shopping,” said Laure Frerer-Schmidt, publisher of InStyle. To meet this expectation, InStylehas partnered with Amazon for its October issue, which features Amazon SmileCodes throughout the magazine’s pages. Readers using the Amazon shopping app’s smile code function can hover over a code on a selection of pages. The item is then immediately added to the reader’s cart. Frerer-Schmidt says the ease of transaction is accentuated because Amazon already has the user’s information. The items for sale include beauty all-star products across InStyle’s annual Reader’s Choice Awards with scans appearing on every page of the feature. Amazon has offers connected to each item. advertisement advertisement InStyle initiated the collaboration, enlisting Amazon to create an editorial platform around the awards. Frerer-Schmidt told Publishers Daily: “Meredith already has a powerful partnership with Amazon, and when InStyle offered to layer our strong national fashion and beauty authority to Amazon's easy SmileCode shopping app, it was a win for all.” According to Frerer-Schmidt, “an automated commerce platform makes the buying experience easier for our consumer.” The inclusion of the codes allows the brand to expand and deepen its audience engagement while simultaneously driving retail sales for its partners, growing ad revenue, partnership revenue and affiliate revenue in the process. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH September 24, 2018 at 11:45AM Millennials Prefer Subscription Streaming, Mobile Devices To Linear TV https://ift.tt/2MXkc1X Millennials still watch a lot of video content, but increasingly, that content is being viewed on subscription streaming video services and on mobile devices, rather than traditional linear television. That is one key takeaway from a new survey released by the the advertising platform OpenX and The Harris Poll. The 2018 Holiday Survey, which tracks media consumption, advertising consumption and holiday shopping habits, specifically looked for areas of divergence between millennials and the public as a whole. While millennials still watch live linear TV, they watch less than half as much as compared to the average consumer, the survey finds. While 31% of consumers surveyed say they use subscription streaming video services to avoid ads, 55% of millennials do so. Some 73% of millennials claim they don’t watch any video ads through traditional platforms at all. (Data from Nielsen and ComScore suggest that may not be the case, though the survey may be accurate when it comes to consumer sentiment.) advertisement advertisement Usage of mobile devices, continue to surge at a breakneck pace. Millennials spend 5X as much time on mobile devices as they do watching linear TV, per the survey, and they spend significantly more time on those devices than older consumers. While 55% of all consumers spend at least three hours per day on their mobile devices, more than one-third of millennials spend more than six hours per day on their mobile devices. The full survey is here. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH September 24, 2018 at 10:44AM SiriusXM To Acquire Pandora In $3.5B Deal https://ift.tt/2N0UdH0 The satellite radio giant SiriusXM has agreed to acquire the streaming music service Pandora in an all-stock deal valued at $3.5 billion. The companies say they expect the deal to close in the first quarter of 2019, pending regulatory and shareholder approvals. Pandora currently owns approximately 15% of Pandora, so the deal accounts for the remaining 85%. Pandora is the largest streaming audio service in the U.S. in terms of users; it has 71.4 million active users in the U.S.. But it has fallen behind Spotify and Apple Music in terms of paid music subscribers with only 6 million. (Apple and Spotify have tens of millions of U.S. subscribers each.) While Pandora has sought to build out its subscription streaming service in recent months, the heart of its business remains its ad-supported free streaming music service, which is built around the company’s proprietary music recommendation engine. The company has experimented with innovative new ad formats in the past few quarters in an effort to grow its advertising business alongside its subscription efforts. advertisement advertisement Most recently, the company announced plans to take the technology from its music recommendation engine and apply it to advertising. SiriusXM says it does not expect the Pandora brand to disappear or offerings to change in the immediate aftermath of the deal closing. Rather, the company says it hopes to “capitalize on cross-promotion” between SiriusXM subscribers and Pandora users, expand Pandora’s availability in automotive driven by SirisuXM’s relationship with automakers, while combining SiriusXM content with Pandora’s subscription and ad-supported tiers to create unique audio packages. The combined company also hopes to create a new promotional platform for new, emerging and established artists. “The addition of Pandora diversifies SiriusXM's revenue streams with the U.S.'s largest ad-supported audio offering and broadens our technical capabilities and represents an exciting next step in our efforts to expand our reach out of the car even further,” stated Jim Meyer, CEO of SiriusXM. “Through targeted investments, we see significant opportunities to drive innovation that will accelerate growth beyond what would be available to the separate companies, and do so in a way that also benefits consumers, artists and the broader content communities.” Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH September 24, 2018 at 10:12AM |
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