editor, Author at Mediastreet

In News

The ‘Meta halo effect’: The secret weapon of search tracking

April 2, 2024 No Comments

Space & Time’s Jane Wareing examines a ‘halo effect’ from Meta ads – and outlines how to optimize your advertising strategy to make the most of it.

Space & Time on Meta ads’ halo effect / Ramez E. Nassif via Unsplash

In digital advertising, understanding the true impact of your campaigns is crucial.

While Meta ads don’t always see the highest last-click return on Google Analytics, they can be highly effective at driving consumer discovery. That’s a significant halo effect. And through search tracking via custom conversions, we can begin to shed light on how it works.

Meta and search tracking 101

Meta’s custom conversion feature means that you can create metrics in the platform, allowing you to track the number of people who have landed on your website via a search engine, after seeing (or clicking on) a Meta ad.

This this works by setting up conversions using Meta’s ‘referring domain’ and ‘URL contains’ parameters and inputting filters to ensure you only pick up website visitors who came through search domains. Depending on how your paid search URL tracking is set up, you can split this simply into ‘paid’ and ‘organic’, or you can dig deeper and split them by campaign types – for example, ‘brand’, ‘non-brand’, and ‘performance max’.

This further split allows you to see the effect of your ads on these different campaign types. For example, in a brand awareness campaign, you may further prove the effectiveness of your advertising through A/B testing and comparing branded search conversions alongside typical brand awareness metrics.

Setting your objectives

Tracking Meta’s halo effect can benefit various types of campaign, targeting different stages of the conversion funnel. This is especially valuable for products or services with longer purchase cycles, as it can illustrate the more immediate impact of your Meta ads and the role they play in driving last-click conversions from other channels.

Either way, there are three key reasons to set up search tracking for your Meta activity, regardless of your product or service.

First, it helps you to understand the true value of Meta ads. By tracking how these ads influence your website traffic, you can measure their effectiveness and make data-driven decisions to test or amend audiences or creative.

Second, you can use it to drive consumers earlier in their purchase journey. Meta ads can act as a catalyst for potential customers to start searching for specific keywords, especially branded keywords. Understanding this can help you create more engaging and educational content to guide them through the conversion funnel.

Third, it opens up the opportunity for highly engaged retargeting audiences. By knowing which users arrived at your website through search engines, you can create retargeting campaigns that specifically target them, increasing the chances of conversion.

Does it work?

We’ve tested this with clients. With one, for example, we gained increased insights into the discovery our Meta ads were driving, including over 86,000 landing page views after searching on Google or Bing during the first month of recording this data.

We also set up a retargeting audience based on those who had landed on a client’s website after searching on Google. Testing this against our original dynamic retargeting campaign, the retargeting campaign delivered a 4.3x higher return on ad spend and 71% lower cost per purchase, as well as a 39% higher click-through rate when looking at Meta attribution data.

When diving into Google Analytics last-click attribution data, we saw even more favourable results, with an 18x higher purchase rate and 4.96x higher return on ad spend for the search retargeting audience compared to the original dynamic retargeting audience. This shows the value of specifically targeting this highly engaged audience, and Meta’s value as a final driver to purchase for this group.

Using search tracking to understand Meta’s halo effect allows you to make informed decisions to optimize your advertising strategy based on key results, as well as offering new retargeting audience opportunities. While customer journeys are available to view in GA4, concrete results within the Meta platform showing the effect of its advertising on other channels can go a long way in proving that Meta ads have a more significant role in driving discovery and conversions than traditional last-click attribution might suggest.

Feature Image Credit: Ramez E. Nassif via Unsplash

By Jane Wareing

Sourced from The Drum

In News

Watch out Windows 11 users: Microsoft may be sharing your Outlook emails without you knowing – here’s how to stop it

March 28, 2024 No Comments

By Muskaan Saxena

Over 700 third parties, including Microsoft, could be reading parts of your emails

It looks like Microsoft’s penchant for collecting its users’ data may get it in more trouble, with a worrying new report suggesting that it’s sharing more information from emails sent by the new Outlook for Windows app than people may know.

This is particularly concerning as most people check their emails daily, to keep up with friends and family, or send important documents and information at work, and with the Outlook for Windows app now being the default program for emails in Windows 11, this discovery could impact a lot of people

MSPoweruser reports that the team behind ProtonMail, an end-to-end encrypted email service and competitor to Microsoft Outlook, has discovered the worrying scale of user data being collected by Outlook for Windows, which reportedly includes your emails, contacts, browsing history, and possibly even location data.

ProtonMail’s blog post goes so far as to call Outlook for Windows “a surveillance tool for targeted advertising”, a harsh comment, certainly, but people who downloaded the new Outlook for Windows app have encountered a disclaimer that explains how Microsoft and hundreds of third parties will be helping themselves to your data.

It seems like the majority of the data is being used primarily for advertising purposes, with users having to opt out of sharing their data for each of the 772 companies manually. This means that by default you may be sharing a heck of a lot of information, and if you wish to opt out, the process is time-consuming and annoying.

Here we go again …

Microsoft has a rather dubious past of being quite greedy with user data. This time last year you might remember our report detailing serious privacy concerns users had with Windows 11, with the PC Security Channel uploading a YouTube video that demonstrated that before you even connect to the internet or open an app, Windows 11 was collecting and sending data to Microsoft – and possibly third-party servers.

That being said, we should remember that ProtonMail is a direct competitor of Microsoft’s email apps and services, and the team behind it would be very keen to direct criticism at Outlook for Windows. ProtonMail is a service dedicated to user privacy and keeping users’ email (as well as calendar, file storage, and VPN) encrypted, so we do have to keep in mind the team’s motives for highlighting this, as the company would want to make its privacy and security look much better than Outlook.

We also have to consider the fact that Outlook for Windows is a free app, so you could argue that Microsoft can support the app and continue adding features by providing user data to paying third parties. Regardless, while you can technically opt out of the data sharing, it’s still cheeky of Microsoft to have the opt-out option be a per-advertiser toggle click rather than a simple ‘reject all’ button. But, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

Opt out as fast as you can!

If all of this has you concerned and itching to opt out entirely, we’ve got you covered. Head over to the General section of your Outlook for Windows settings and you should see an option called ‘Advertising Preferences’. When you click that you’ll see a large list of company names and toggles near their name set to ‘enable’.

Unless you create a brand new Outlook email, from what we can tell there’s no single button that will deselect all of them, so you may have to set some time aside to sit down and deselect them all. Each advertiser has an option for you to read more about their privacy policies, and once you open that you’ll see another option to opt out.

Microsoft Outlook — (Image credit: Future)

I created a new Outlook email account just to test it out, and the option to reject all did pop up when Outlook for Windows first opened, and I also have the option to deselect all the advertising preferences at once in the Settings page as well, though that might not appear for people who have already set up the app with an existing Outlook account.

If sharing our data by default is the price we have to pay for free apps like Outlook for Windows, at least Microsoft seems to have made turning off that sharing easier than ProtonMail’s team have made out. Still, this shows that it’s well worth paying attention to user agreements and disclaimers for free apps, especially from Microsoft, so you know exactly how much of your data you’re sharing – and who has access to it.

Featured Image credit: Shutterstock

By Muskaan Saxena

Sourced from techradar

In News

There’s No ‘Vs.’ Between Brand and Performance Marketing

March 28, 2024 No Comments

By Jason Notte

Leaders from SeaWorld, BNY Mellon, Brainlabs said strategy should involve both short- and long-term preparation

At a panel entitled “Brand vs. Performance,” the brand marketing, performance marketing and “versus” portions of that thesis were all up for debate.

As SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment chief marketing and communications officer Marisa Thalberg told ADWEEK community editor Luz Corona during the Outlook 2024 event, “versus” presents short-term sales—”performance”—and long-term brand building as not only exclusive, but at odds with each other.

”We are essentially implying that whatever is on the other side of the equation is what? Not performance,” Thalberg said. “If you’re a CFO (chief financial officer), which are you inclined toward? We’ve created a false choice that is really creating tremendous headwinds for us as marketers.”

Thalberg and others on the panel advocate for a “brand and performance” approach that’s gained momentum among marketers in recent years. With 50% of marketers telling LinkedIn that they want to run brand and demand campaigns together, the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising recommends allocating 60% of marketing budget to brand and 40% to demand.

In the age we are all in, consumer psychology and platform mastery are the keys to brand success.

Divya Gururaj, global chief client officer of Brainlabs

But the brand also has to extend beyond building awareness. Thalberg said it has to speak to a brand’s salience and relevance in a consumer’s life: They may know your brand, but do they know what you’re about? That’s the issue that Natalie Sunderland faces as CMO of BNY Mellon, a 240-year-old institution that would love a cameo on HBO’s The Gilded Age—but also wouldn’t mind people identifying it as a modern financial services platform.

“We are the oldest bank in America and the oldest company in New York City, but people don’t really know who we are, and if they do know who we are, they might have a bit of an outdated perception of us,” she said. “I need to shift perception so that our clients recognize that we are solving not just yesterday’s problems, but today’s and tomorrow’s problems.”

This requires a blend of brand and performance marketing as subtle as adding dashes of yellow, pink and purple to the drab designs of the legacy banking sector and as urgent as building a full social media personality and touting BNY Mellon’s 240th-anniversary events.

As noted by Divya Gururaj, global chief client officer of Brainlabs, the modern marketplace requires “brand building with a performance mindset and performance with a brand-building mindset.”

The pandemic only made that need more acute. Gururaj noted that increased digital adoption, penetration, consumption, online commerce and social media traffic lowered entry barriers for brand launches. With 88% of respondents to Nielsen’s 2021 Trust in Advertising Study saying that they had more faith in the recommendations of people they knew than in any other channel, brands like Crocs and Stanley have unprecedented opportunity to build both brand and sales simultaneously.

“All of these brands, if you look at what they’re doing, it’s understanding consumer psychology, it’s mastery of platforms and leaning into influencers, social media, the whole digital landscape, and using them to inform how they are building brands,” Gururaj said. “In the age we are all in, consumer psychology and platform mastery are the keys to brand success.”

Feature Image Credit: Ivan Piedra Photography

By Jason Notte

Jason is an Adweek staff writer covering the business of marketing.

Sourced from ADWEEK

In News

5 ChatGPT Prompts To Build A 100-Year Brand (and Make More Money Now)

March 27, 2024 No Comments

By Jodie Cook

Anyone can write a landing page, run some ads and start a business. It’s not difficult. But very few can build a brand that stands the test of time. One with happy, repeat customers, a solid reputation, and a commitment to quality in every transaction. Businesses that started decades ago have one thing in common: they cracked the code of longevity. They figured out what was working and doubled down. They listened to their customers. They didn’t give up until they were established. Set up your long-term brand right now and you’ll see more success in the short term too.

Chris Orzechowski is a brand growth strategist and founder of agencies including The 100 Year Brand. His work has generated over $120million in revenue for e-commerce brands, including Carnivore Snax, Gold Medal Wine Club, Factor 75, and author of Rich Dad Poor Dad Robert Kiyosaki. Orzechowski wrote the bestselling book, The Moat: How to Build a Durable, Profitable E-Commerce Brand That Can Last Forever, and has trained over 5,000 students in his marketing and brand growth practices.

Orzechowski wants to help you build a brand that never dies, and these 5 ChatGPT prompts make the ideal place to start. They have been modified to include the 9 crucial components of an effective prompt. Copy, paste and edit the square brackets in ChatGPT, and keep the same chat window open so the context carries through.

Build a brand that goes the distance with ChatGPT

Define your X-factor

In a sea of sameness, you can only compete on price. And no one wants to do that. Stand out for something else. Find your X-factor. According to Orzechowski, this is “the thing about your brand that means consumers inconvenience themselves to buy from you instead of taking a more convenient or cheaper option.” You should know exactly what your X-factor is so you can lean into it more. Use this prompt to clearly articulate the difference between you and everyone else.

“My company provides [outline your offering] for [outline your target audience]. I want to identify what specifically makes my brand unique and compelling to establish my “X-factor”. Acting as a brand specialist, analyze my brand and its offering to ascertain why a customer might prefer my brand over more convenient or cheaper alternatives. Start by opening a dialogue and ask questions, one by one, about aspects including product quality, customer experience, brand values, or any other unique selling points, to establish my X-factor. After five questions, suggest how I can further enhance and communicate this X-factor to make my brand even more irresistible to potential customers. Include the strategies I should employ to emphasize these unique qualities in my marketing and branding efforts.”

Build a moat around your business

Waste no energy being defensive by protecting your business interests. Spend more time on the offense, executing your plan of attack. “This prompt helps you forecast disruptions in your industry and come up with a plan to thrive,” said Orzechowski, who knows running a company on the back foot is no way to operate. Ask for ChatGPT’s assistance on what might be around the corner so you can cover every base and thrive during any turmoil.

“Given what you know about my company, our target audience and how we differentiate ourselves, help us prepare for future change, especially the impact of AI and other new technologies and how they might affect our revenue and position in the marketplace. Our ultimate goal is to build a moat around our brand so our company can survive and thrive for the next 100 years. Acting as a business analyst, outline the 5 steps I should take to ensure my company’s success over the next century.”

Assess your brand voice

“Brand voice is an abstract concept,” explained Orzechowski. “But this prompt will make it concrete.” He said it’s especially important if you’re hiring marketing team members or agencies, because “you need to be able to communicate your brand voice, as esoteric and ethereal as it might be.” If you can’t delegate work to others, your company will stay small and won’t fullfill its potential. “This prompt will list the key elements of your brand voice so your team members or partners can incorporate it into your communication.”

“Act as a brand strategist and analyse the attached origin story of my brand. My objective is to be able to confidently delegate the creation of marketing copy in the style of the document pasted below. Answer the following questions in a way that’s helpful to a marketing manager responsible for creating content from the analysis. 1) How would you describe the style and tone of this copy? 2) What would this copy suggest are key life goals and obstacles for my customers? 3) How does my brand aim to help them? After answering these questions, list the 5 key elements of my brand that should be incorporated into all marketing messaging. Here’s the copy: [Include the copy].”

Lock in your acquisition

Prospects in your pipeline mean nothing until they have converted to paying clients. Without paying clients, you don’t have a business. Orzechowski explained that, “every customer you acquire is a future cash flowing asset. But getting the cash to flow requires them to make that first purchase.” And that’s where most businesses fall down. Find out why people aren’t buying right now by analysing the ones who already said no. Dig into the lost reasons; the causes for someone to look elsewhere or decide to do nothing. The more data you have, the more you can find out how to compel products into a purchase. Secure the medium term of your business and the long term takes care of itself.

“I want to find out the main reasons prospects don’t turn into customers. I’m pasting a list of lost reasons by the number of times they were used. We also have [number] prospects in our existing pipeline who haven’t yet gone ahead. Act as a positive business analyst and use the data we have to suggest our main weaknesses in customer acquisition and suggest tactics we could try to (a) re-engage people who previously said no and (b) go out to current active prospects with a more compelling offer.”

Punch up your emails

Build a 100-year brand with email campaigns that can run autonomously. Make your email campaigns an extension of your high quality brand, not set up for a quick buck. When you get this right, your prospects will turn to customers as if by magic. You won’t need to change them up, you won’t need to spend any time writing new ones. Orzechowski said this is, “one of the easiest ways to increase your sales” and recommends using ChatGPT as your “writing assistant and copy chief.” He believes business owners often “forget crucial conversion elements that diminish the power of your sales message.” This prompt will help you double check your work so you can handle your customers objections before they even think of them.

“I’m writing an email to [describe the people on your email list] with the purpose of selling [describe the product the email is designed to sell]. Acting as a marketing specialist, analyse the copy and tell me its strengths and weaknesses from a conversion perspective. Using what you know about my business and its X-factor, highlight any key points missing from the copy. Make suggestions on improvements I can make to ensure the email is more compelling, true to my brand voice, and more likely to convert.”

5 ChatGPT prompts to build a 100-year brand

If you could get everything right today, your business’ upward trajectory would start from now. As your customer base grew, so would its reputation, website power, pipeline and number of referrals. More customers would tell their friends, more of your future would be secure. Start the ball rolling with these five key elements. Define your X-factor, build a moat around your company, and assess your brand voice to communicate with clarity. Lock in your acquisition by assessing prospect lost reasons and punch up your emails with ChatGPT’s critical eye. The next century starts today.

Build a brand that goes the distance with ChatGPT

Define your X-factor

In a sea of sameness, you can only compete on price. And no one wants to do that. Stand out for something else. Find your X-factor. According to Orzechowski, this is “the thing about your brand that means consumers inconvenience themselves to buy from you instead of taking a more convenient or cheaper option.” You should know exactly what your X-factor is so you can lean into it more. Use this prompt to clearly articulate the difference between you and everyone else.

Feature Image Credit: CHRIS ORZECHOWSKI

By Jodie Cook

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.

Founder of Coachvox AI – we make AI coaches. Forbes 30 under 30 class of 2017. Post-exit entrepreneur and author of Ten Year Career. Competitive powerlifter and digital nomad.

Sourced from Forbes

In News

Affiliate marketing: Top 7 must-know trends for 2024

March 27, 2024 No Comments

By Rob Davinson

In 2024, affiliate marketing will see brand-creator alliances rise, TikTok vs. Amazon competition, programmatic opportunities, and more, says Awin’s global head of content, Rob Davinson.

Affiliate marketing mirrors the broader digital landscape, with trends at the macro level resonating in our microcosm. In 2024, we’ll see emergent trends (artificial intelligence (AI), social commerce and retail media to name just a few) that will impact affiliate marketers.

Here we breakdown the key changes (and challenges) that affiliate marketing is likely to encounter this year, and what they mean for the industry.

1. Brand-creator affiliation will rise amidst social media slowdown

With global digital ad spend growth slowing (Dentsu predicts only 6.5% growth in 2024, after a historically low-growth year in 2023), and social media facing a similar slowdown as new user growth plateaus, brands can combat this by directly partnering with creators, as influencer marketing proves more resilient than paid social.

Major brands like The Body Shop and Walmart are two examples that launched large-scale creator affiliate programs in the last year, tying social awareness to controlled marketing outcomes. We see this trend further developing in 2024, as it not only counters platform-dependent risks, but benefits influencers seeking stable incomes,

Awin’s platform witnessed a surge of registering influencers in 2023 (over 10,000), foreshadowing continued growth in 2024.

2. TikTok vs. Amazon: Affiliate model’s value amid new competition

As major tech giants mature, Amazon transitions from a shopping marketplace to an ad space, while TikTok evolves from entertainment to a product purchasing platform. This encroachment on each other’s territory is likely to intensify competition, with TikTok employing an affiliate-type model, mirroring Amazon’s commerce flywheel.

Both platforms embracing affiliate strategies validates its efficacy. Brands may channel more ad budgets into these tech giants, necessitating a choice between entering new marketplaces or driving traffic to their e-commerce sites.

Opting for the latter requires enhancing the shopper experience, supported by affiliate tech partners, as exemplified by Nike’s livestream shopping collaboration with Contester, enhancing the Cyber period with engaging content on their site.

3. Programmatic challenges will propel affiliate ad spend growth

In 2023, the programmatic ad industry faced serious challenges, as reported in the ANA’s Programmatic Media Supply Chain Transparency Study. Among its findings was the fact that there is $22bn of wastage from the $88bn programmatic supply chain.

Advertisers often grapple with misaligned incentives, prioritizing cost over value, resulting in diminished ad quality. In contrast, affiliate marketing’s performance model, linking ad spend to tangible outcomes like sales, proves more valuable.

It says a lot that global spend in affiliate marketing last year is estimated to be around $14bn, a third less than was wasted in programmatic. As senior marketers consider their budgets this year, the data suggests affiliate marketing should garner greater consideration for its effectiveness.

4. News and media publishers will leverage affiliate commerce content

In 2024, with a record number of global elections, including the US presidential election and 40 national elections, political interest will drive traffic to news media sites.

Despite heightened ad spend forecasts, news publishers may not see increased income due to past challenges with programmatic display ads. Affiliate channels offer a solution for publishers facing declining ad monetization and brand block listing.

Additionally, major sporting events like the European Football Championships and the Olympic Games in Paris promise increased traffic, creating opportunities for affiliate efforts to offset ad revenue challenges and enhance the value of journalism amid growing demand.

5. AI revolution in search will pose a threat to affiliate longtail

When it comes to online, the significance of high Google search rankings has been paramount. As the old adage (meme caption) goes: “The best place to hide a dead body is page 2 of Google’s search results.”

Google’s search console, shaping our online information-seeking behaviour for two decades, faces challenges from Google’s monetization motives and emerging AI-powered search consoles, like ChatGPT. These AI consoles provide instant answers, diminishing the reliance on external links and altering the traditional internet ecosystem.

Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) introduces AI-generated responses, potentially reducing organic traffic to publisher websites. Publishers face limited options – allow crawling for SGE or risk exclusion from Google search. SEO adherence to E-E-A-T values becomes crucial for publishers navigating this transformative shift, emphasizing the affiliate industry’s need to adapt and maintain audience-centric effectiveness.

6. Travel resurgence will inspire pop culture-inspired trips and affiliate growth

While some predicted its near-extinction after the 2019 lockdown, the travel industry is booming as we begin 2024.

IATA predicts that this year will exceed 2019’s travel record, with 4.7 billion people expected to board airlines in 2024. Awin observes a surge in affiliate-driven travel bookings, a trend set to continue as consumer confidence rises, airline capacity grows, and major events drive demand.

Expedia and Amadeus foresee a significant year for experience-based tourism (think set-jetting and music festivals). Affiliates play a crucial role in the complex shopper journey, offering inspiration, comparisons, and personalized options.

Brand partnerships, where one advertiser promotes another complementary one as part of the customer’ booking experience, thrived in 2023. Travel brands are well set to capitalise on this growth with lots of potential match-ups from other brands keen to tap into consumers’ resurgent appetite for travel.

7. As cheap fashion challenges sustainability efforts, green affiliates will emerge

Despite Cop28’s pivotal agreement to shift from fossil fuels, inertia persists around climate change. In 2024, the rise of ultra-fast fashion platforms like Shein and Temu, fuelled by the TikTok trend of buying cheap dupes, contributes to growing landfill fashion.

Even impacting Amazon, Teemu users spend nearly double the time compared to Amazon, prompting the e-commerce giant to lower fees for clothes under $20. However, some affiliates continue to promote mindful consumer choices innovatively. Examples include Refoorest, planting trees for site visits, and Axon Mobile incentivizing eco-friendly commuting. And another new promising solution for 2024 is spearheaded by Birl, who are introducing the circular economy to e-commerce through their smart resale system.

By Rob Davinson

Sourced from The Drum

In News

There’s only one streaming device that lets you escape ads

March 26, 2024 No Comments

By Phil Nickinson

Here we go again, folks. First it was Amazon Fire TV, with a large (and apparently unescapable) ad that invaded the home screen. And Chromecast with Google TV reportedly is starting to do the same sort of thing, at least if a singular post on Reddit is any indication.

I haven’t been able to replicate the experience on my Chromecast with Google TV. That might or might not be indicative of anything. For one, I don’t use the Chromecast as my usual device of choice (though it does end up in my gear bag on most trips). For another, I run a Pi-hole ad-blocker on my entire home network — and still very much think it’s a thing you should use if you have any sort of connected TV or streaming device. Finally, and more likely, this new home screen ad hasn’t seen a widespread rollout just yet.

In any event, nobody should be surprised by this turn of events, even if we don’t like it. Google’s job is to make money. And it does so by selling advertising. Same goes for Amazon Fire TV. Same goes for Roku. And you can absolutely make the argument that Amazon, Google, and Roku are now advertising companies first, and anything else second.

Google, for its part, just announced $9.2 billion in revenue from YouTube advertising in the fourth quarter of 2023 (up from $7.9 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022.) “We’re pleased with the NFL Sunday Ticket signups in our first season,” Philipp Schindler, Google senior vice president and chief business officer, said during the earnings call.

But it was advertising — not pure subscription numbers — that stood out in the mention of YouTube TV and NFL Sunday Ticket. By literally cornering the market on out-of-market Sunday NFL games, Google is able to sell that many more ads. Lucrative ones, no doubt.

“Advertisers can buy from an NFL lineup as part of our YouTube Select portfolio,” Schindler continued. “And this actually allows advertisers to reach football fans across YouTube’s pretty unique breadth of NFL content, independently of whether you are viewing live NFL games or on YouTube TV or Primetime Channels or watching NFL highlights or postgame commentary on YouTube channels.”

Roku makes things even more clear. It made $787 million in revenue on advertising in the third quarter of 2023, but only $125 million on hardware. It’s an advertising company first. Everything else second.

Which brings us to the obvious question: Is there a streaming device you can buy that won’t bombard you with advertising? The answer is “yes,” and it also happens to be the streaming box that we think is the best you can buy — Apple TV 4K.

A new search feature on Apple TV 4K. — The Apple TV 4K home screen is boring. But it also doesn’t have advertising. Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

You’re still going to get a lot out of Apple TV 4K even if you’re not in the Apple ecosystem. (I used it for years while I was still on Android phones.) In addition to hardware and software that practically lasts forever, you get a home screen that does not contain any display advertising. Not all ads are created equal, and display ads are the sort we’re talking about here. You’ll see the occasional (somewhat annoying) notification for a hot new show or movie on Apple TV. And you’ll eventually see a notification for a sporting event while you’re watching said game. It happens. And I still chuckle anytime it tells me to hop over to a “close” soccer match. They’re almost all close.

But Apple TV 4K does not have display ads. You won’t be tempted by a crispy chicken wrap. Or any other wrap. And definitely not any chicken. You’ll not see a home screen with much more than row upon row of app icons. The top row will give a couple show previews, but that’s hardly the same thing as a display ad.

That could one day change. Never say never, especially when potential revenue is concerned. But Apple, generally speaking, isn’t a company to sully its products with display ads, whether it’s on home screens or hardware. You’ll not find an ad attacking you from within the notifications of an iPhone, nor will you find a sticker affixed to the body of a MacBook letting the world know whose processor is inside. (Not even when Apple was still using Intel chips.)

For now, though? If you want the cleanest, ad-free user experience, there’s only one option. It’s not Google TV. It’s not Fire TV. It’s not Roku. And it’s none of the built-in TV operating systems.

It’s Apple TV 4K. Full stop.

By Phil Nickinson

Sourced from digitaltrends

In News

Sheryl Sandberg says it’s the right time for her to leave Meta because Mark Zuckerberg has it ‘strong and well-positioned for the future’

March 26, 2024 No Comments

BY MICHELLE CHAPMAN AND THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sheryl Sandberg, who helped to transform Facebook from a tech startup into a digital advertising empire, will step down from the board of Meta, Facebook’s parent company.

“With a heart filled with gratitude and a mind filled with memories, I let the Meta board know that I will not stand for re-election this May,” Sandberg wrote in a Facebook post.

Sandberg left Google to join Facebook in 2008, four years before the company went public. As the No. 2 executive at Meta under CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Sandberg also took a lot of heat for some of its biggest missteps.

She stepped down as chief operating officer of Meta in 2022 but remained a member of the company board. She had served as COO of Facebook, and then Meta, for 14 and a half years and as a board member for 12 years.

“Under Mark’s leadership, Javi Olivan, Justin Osofsky, Nicola Mendelsohn, and their teams have proven beyond a doubt that the Meta business is strong and well-positioned for the future, so this feels like the right time to step away,” Sandberg wrote.

Sandberg said she will continue to serve as an advisor to the company.

Last year Sandberg announced that she was launching a girls leadership program through her foundation to respond to what she calls stubborn gender inequities. The girls leadership program includes a middle-school curriculum as well as resources for adults.

Lean In is a project of the Sandberg Goldberg Bernthal Family Foundation, the private foundation Sandberg started with her late husband, Dave Goldberg.

Feature Image Credit: JOSE LUIS MAGANA—AP IMAGES

BY MICHELLE CHAPMAN AND THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sourced from Fortune

In News

“Ad Intelligence” a view on 2023 and first look at 2024 trends’ with Garry Blair.

March 25, 2024 No Comments

Sourced from The Association of Advertisers in Ireland

Join us for our upcoming Toolkit session featuring Garry Blair, on April 23rd at 2:15 pm.

In this highly anticipated session, Garry will provide his insights on advertising in 2023 and offer valuable predictions on key category insights and trends for 2024.

📅 Date: April 23rd
⏰ Time: 2:15pm
🌐 Location: Online

Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to gain industry knowledge and stay ahead of the curve! Register now to secure your spot for the webinar on April 23rd at 2:15pm.

🔗 Click here to reserve your place

We look forward to seeing you at this engaging Toolkit session! If you have any questions in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

REGISTER NOW

Sourced from The Association of Advertisers in Ireland

In News

ESG Empowerment: Brands Should Listen to Employees, Not Reactionary Politicians

March 25, 2024 No Comments

By CLIFF ETTRIDGE

Despite world temperatures rising and extreme weather instances growing, many governments and politicians are taking the unfortunate step of rowing back on their ESG (environmental, social, and governance) commitments.

This past autumn, Rishi Sunak announced a watering down of the UK’s net-zero pledges, while the recent COP28 saw huge debate about how far countries must go in their commitments to phasing out fossil fuels. At the same time, states such as Florida in the US are pulling back on social equality promises, particularly around LGBTQ+ and women’s rights.

While governments are seen easing off on their promises, brands seeking to protect their reputation in the marketplace should resist following suit. The interconnected world of business, economics, and politics can seem a complicated landscape, but it’s crucial that brands keep their heads above the mess.

Think about this: Only 38% of respondents surveyed globally for the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer believe in their government’s vision for the future. Meanwhile, there was an overwhelming consensus that CEOs need to take a stand on important issues.

The contradiction–and opportunity–is clear. Brands are built by people, so even in our technology-driven world, there will still be people curating ideas, products, and services, along with making crucial decisions about how a brand goes to market. To call those best decision makers co-workers, brands need to demonstrate that they aren’t just serious about supporting ESG targets, they’re serious about putting them into action.

The first step? Setting out intent and commitment. For many organizations, this can be done under the pillars of people (employees/clients), partners (i.e., companies in the supply chain), and planet (environmental aspects). The next step involves undertaking a qual and quant assessment of the current situation under each pillar. This–combined with a time-bound target such as achieving net zero by 2050–creates a roadmap with relevant goals.

It’s vital to remember that this is not an activity that has a start or end point. It’s continuous and evolving. So, without moving the ultimate target, goals must adapt as the organization progresses.

Brand reputation amidst the anti-ESG movement

An anti-ESG movement is at play around the world, led in no small part by politicians grandstanding for short-term votes and a reaction against perceived liberal thinking: the “anti-woke” movement. However, let’s be honest, democratic leaders have a few years to do meaningful work before they’re out on the campaign trail. They’ve become performers first, thinkers second.

Compare that to CEOs, where the average tenure was 7.2 years in 2022 (albeit a dropping metric if you look at the past ten years). CEOs can and should outlast the shifting sands of politics. It’s why they need to think of the big picture and act accordingly. There are long-term existential threats to business–a functioning planet is needed to survive–and they are deemed responsible.

Commitment to long-term visions contribute not only to immediate reputation management but also to sustained brand value and customer loyalty, as well as attracting top talent. In February of 2023, Paul Polman (the ex-CEO of Unilever) warned of employees quitting–either quietly or with their feet–if brands did not live up to their ESG commitments. Our own research shows that a significant 88% of employees claim to know what a brand’s stated purpose is.

The takeaway? Employees are watching carefully, so start by living up to your promises.

Commitment can come through exploring new ways of engaging employees on these matters–initiatives such as forums, surveys, mentorship programs, or volunteer opportunities that align with the company’s ESG goals. The strategy doesn’t need to be perfect straight away, but clear and consistent communication will foster trust and empower employees to make meaningful contributions. Not to mention it reassures them that their company is committed to a better future.

Brands mustn’t be afraid to publish their targets and, vitally, their progress because it shows accountability. Most brands will have an ESG segment within their annual reports, but they shouldn’t be too concerned about missing targets–so long as they can show they are working to rectify the situation. Honesty combined with action reflects well on an organization. Every mature person understands this is hard to get right, so sharing learnings, as well as intent, is part of the journey.

What do employee-led ESG strategies look like?

There are, of course, some very real issues driving a lack of transparency in this area. Some companies are resisting setting and sharing ESG plans–both externally and internally–for fear of failure. Not only in terms of missing their targets, but also in terms of falling prey to onerous legislation or accusations of greenwashing.

But it’s a trap because, ultimately, businesses are driven by their people.

If CEOs want to recruit and retain the best employees, then they have no choice but to lead with their ESG efforts. Why? The numbers are overwhelmingly clear. One IBM study concluded that almost three out of four employees find employers with sustainability programs more attractive. Meanwhile, a whopping four out of five look forward to contributing to their employer’s climate or ESG targets.

And workers are willing to vote with their feet. A 2023 KPMG study found that one in five workers say they’ve turned down a job because of a brand’s ESG credentials, while two in five say they’ll quit if an employer fails them in integrity, ethics, or environmental performance. This is where governance plays an essential role: It’s a strong benchmark for employees to know how well their organization is run. Things like amount of tax paid and other metrics are nods toward their company’s social responsibility commitments.

Many people mistakenly believe that this “sensitivity” is all due to changing demographics and the values of younger members of the workforce. However, according to the recruitment firm Resource Solutions, two in five over 55’s say they’ve snubbed an employer who wasn’t taking their ESG commitments seriously–which shows, once again, why governance is so important.

At board level, ESG has to be a key topic; it has to be part of every board meeting, so that the organization remains accountable at the highest level. ESG should be integrated across any and every aspect of a business, from policies to daily practices, and this will only happen if everyone is clear on what they need to do, why they need to do it, and how.

Luckily, many brands have begun training themselves to think differently and are much more open to diverse views and talents. They recognize that it makes them far more competitive when pulling in talent from all walks of life, and that corporate reputation is better protected when horizons are expanded and employees are not only heard but listened to.

Feature Image Credit: everettovrk

By CLIFF ETTRIDGE

Cliff Ettridge is Partner at creative branding and communications agency The Team. Since joining the agency in 2002, Cliff has led their employee experience strand, delivering projects for brands such as IBM, RBS, Three and the BBC. With over 25 years’ experience in developing employee engagement strategies, Cliff’s expertise lies in developing ideas that bring basic business concepts to life and attract and retain talent. Today he leads a team delivering work for BP, the Open University and Centrica. He designs employer brands, creates internal communication plans and develops campaigns to bring business strategy and messages to life.

Sourced from Brandingmag

In News

Understanding Consumer Behaviour Is an Irreplaceable Success Tool — Here’s How to Get Into Your Customer’s Minds.

March 25, 2024 No Comments

BY JASON MILLER

In business, a key part of effective marketing is knowing the customers needs, wants and desires. Much of this can be predicted by the behaviours in the market and knowing the ideal customer for your product or service. Knowing how your ideal customer thinks and their buying trends will drastically increase sales in your business.

In the landscape of marketing, a profound understanding of consumer behaviour stands as an indispensable element. Far from being merely about product promotion, it involves a deep exploration of the intricate motivations that drive consumer choices. This nuanced understanding is critical for developing marketing strategies that not only engage but profoundly resonate with the target audience, thereby driving sales and fostering enduring brand loyalty.

The realm of consumer behaviour is a tapestry woven from diverse influences, encompassing psychological factors, social and cultural dynamics and individual preferences and experiences. These multifaceted aspects collectively shape how consumers perceive, interact with and decide upon products and services, making their understanding vital for marketers.

Psychological dynamics

Emotional and rational decision-making: The balance between emotional impulses and rational thought processes in consumer decision-making cannot be overstated. Recognizing and understanding this interplay is crucial for effectively influencing consumer behaviour.
Cognitive biases and heuristics: These mental shortcuts, while facilitating decision-making, often lead to predictable but sometimes irrational behaviours among consumers.
Impact of social networks: The significant influence of family, friends and broader social networks in shaping consumer decisions is a key consideration in marketing strategies.
Cultural backgrounds: The profound impact of cultural heritage on consumer preferences, perceptions and purchasing behaviours necessitates a nuanced approach in global marketing strategies.
Personal experiences and history: A consumer’s past experiences significantly influence their current and future behaviours towards brands and products.
Lifestyles and values: The individual lifestyles and personal values of consumers play a crucial role in their decision-making process.

Effective strategies for utilizing consumer behaviour insights

Effectively leveraging consumer behaviour insights involves several strategic approaches. Simplicity in communication is essential, as clear and concise messaging resonates more effectively with consumers, influencing their decision-making. A customer-centric focus, where the spotlight is on meeting the specific needs and desires of the consumer, enhances engagement and loyalty. Assembling a diverse team with a broad spectrum of insights is vital in crafting strategies that resonate with a varied consumer base.

Streamlining consumer processes ensures a positive experience from initial awareness to the final purchase. Moreover, leadership deeply rooted in an understanding of consumer behaviour is fundamental. Such leadership ensures that consumer insights are translated into effective marketing strategies, guiding companies toward success.

Ethical implications in consumer behaviour analysis

The ethical dimensions of understanding consumer behavior are significant. Marketers must balance the pursuit of insights with respect for consumer privacy, employing strategies that are ethical and responsible. This balance is crucial in avoiding manipulative tactics while maximizing marketing effectiveness. The future of marketing is set to witness an even deeper understanding of consumer behaviour, especially with emerging technologies like AI and advanced data analytics. These tools promise more precise insights into consumer preferences and behaviours, opening up new frontiers in marketing strategies.

Digital platforms have become pivotal in analysing consumer behaviour. The wealth of data generated by online interactions provides rich insights into consumer preferences and behaviour patterns. Understanding digital interactions, from social media engagement to online shopping habits, is essential for effective digital marketing.

In my personal experience, I have always made it a point at the Strategic Advisor Board to have my customers at the forefront of my business decisions. I seek to match their interest and to maintain whatever working relationship we have. Customers have high standards and for good reason, they have the autonomy to choose you or choose your competitors and it’s up to you to give them a reason why they should go with your services when other companies could easily provide you with similar results.

Analysing consumer behaviour and being able to quantify it gives you a specific edge over your competitors as being able to know what satisfies your customers makes it possible for you to apply it to your business operations which could lead to a multitude of beneficial results such as increased business performance, be it through simply retaining your original customer base and using them as an example for future marketing campaigns and hopefully gaining more customers.

Ways to get ahead with psychological methods of marketing and customer experience

1. Brand storytelling

Brand storytelling has emerged as a potent tool in marketing, influencing consumer behaviour by evoking emotional responses and creating deeper connections with brands. Effective storytelling can transform products or services from mere commodities into integral elements of a consumer’s life.

2. Consumer reviews and testimonials

In the digital age, consumer reviews and testimonials significantly influence purchasing decisions. Managing online reputation and encouraging positive customer reviews have become crucial aspects of modern marketing strategies.

3. Sustainability and consumer preference

The growing consumer preference for sustainability and ethical practices is reshaping marketing strategies. This shift towards environmentally friendly and socially responsible products compels brands to market not just their products, but also their commitment to sustainability and ethics.

4. Adapting to changing consumer behaviours

Adapting to ever-changing consumer behaviours is a challenge that modern marketers must meet. This requires a dynamic approach to marketing, where strategies are continually refined based on the latest consumer behaviour trends and insights.

The essential role of consumer behaviour in future marketing strategies

Understanding consumer behaviour is foundational to successful marketing. It involves creating a synergy between marketing strategies and consumer preferences to meet consumer needs while fostering long-term relationships. In the rapidly evolving consumer landscape, being informed, adaptable and ethically aware is crucial for the future success of marketing endeavours. Staying ahead of consumer trends, embracing technological advancements responsibly and upholding ethical marketing practices will be essential for businesses to remain competitive and relevant in the market.

BY JASON MILLER

CEO of the Strategic Advisor Board

Jason Miller is a seasoned CEO with an overwhelming passion to help other business owners and CEOs succeed. He was nicknamed Jason “The Bull” Miller because he takes no BS and no excuses from the people he serves. He has mentored thousands of people over more than two decades.

Sourced from Entrepreneur