Perception Vs Reality
A recent study found that marketing spend is often driven by perception, rather than reality. The Age of Dissonance report is the latest annual marketing report from Nielsen. It found many companies are prioritising digital marketing over more traditional marketing methods. This is risky when digital marketing doesn't fully align with the company's goals.
Marketers are always under pressure to prove Return on Investment - that marketing spend is having results. This is particularly true in today's omni-channel landscape. For some aspects of digital marketing, such as PPC, this can be very clear. There are also lots of digital tools that provide useful data and feedback for marketers. As such, it makes digital marketing an appealing avenue for a company to focus on.
Of course, as a digital marketing agency, we appreciate the value of digital marketing. We know better than most that digital marketing methods are key in gaining a healthy ROI for marketing spend. But only IF they’re used effectively. Get in touch to find out what digital marketing methods would be best suited to your business.
And we thought current influencers were ‘fake’…
Everyone and anyone can be an influencer today. With platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, social media users can gain vast followings. These have proven to have significant commercial sway.
However, the likes of influencers such as Logan Paul and his Japan video have kick started a change. Some companies are trying to remove the potential for human error from influencer marketing entirely. This is where ‘virtual influencers’ come in.
These are fictional characters with real-world social media accounts who build and engage with a mass following of fans. ‘Virtual influencers’ such as ‘Miquela Sousa’ (@lilmiquela) are already proving to be worth the investment.
‘Miquela’ is a computer-generated 19-year-old Brazilian-American model, influencer, and singer. ‘She’ was introduced to Instagram in 2016 by Los Angeles company, Brud, and now has over 1.8m followers. ‘She’s’ worked in collaboration with brands such as Prada, Samsung and Calvin Klein.
Many, if not all, of the virtual influencers are designed to appeal to a specific audience. A lot of research is done, using machine-learning analysis, to tailor these influencers to the target market. This includes almost all of the character’s design, from their backstory to the colour of their eyes. Kim K better watch out.
New privacy code set to protect children's privacy
The UK's data privacy regulator is called The Information Commissioner's Office. This month, they published a new privacy code aimed at protecting children's privacy online.
The Age Appropriate Design Code includes a list of 15 standards that companies behind relevant online services will now be expected to comply with. Any firm that designs, develops or runs products such as apps, social media platforms, online games, educational websites and streaming services must provide a "baseline" of data protection for children.
Some examples of the standards included in the code:
- Location settings that would allow a child's location to be shared should be switched off by default
- Privacy settings to be set to high by default and nudge techniques to encourage children to weaken their settings should not be used
Advertisers ‘getting in the game’ in 2020
The gaming industry has seen around a 10% year-on-year growth over the last few years. As a result, the number of advertisers participating in gaming and esports is also expected to rise. The Hollywood Reporter last year stated that ‘gamers’, of which there are an estimated 2.4 billion globally, were spending more of their free time playing Fortnite than they were streaming on Netflix and YouTube or scrolling through social media.
Francesco Petruzzelli, chief technology officer of Bidstack, outlines the advertising opportunities in gaming. These range from the established banners and reward videos most of us are used to seeing in mobile games, to product placements in the blockbuster (‘AAA’) games.
He goes on to suggest advertisers must stick to two rules to effectively advertise to these audiences:
Don’t break immersion
Gamers do not want to be distracted by objects that are not related to the game. Would you want an advert to pop-up mid Monopoly argument? No, you would not.
Add Value!
Sometimes, gamers actually enjoy advertisers’ contribution to the originality and authenticity of the game. An example of a successful advergaming campaign was Mario Kart 8’s partnership with Mercedes-Benz that included Merc’s new GLA SUV as a playable kart within the game. I’d personally prefer the Blue Falcon Kart; but maybe that’s just me.
Want to know more? Get in touch :)