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To support your digital marketing training, here's this month's update for marketers driving the digital agenda.
Big news in search and social reflect shifting ad budgets, with Facebook and Google moving focus to mobile in the run up to 2013. Highlights include:
- Search: Paid-for ads take over half all online adspend in the UK - one of the only markets Google declares its revenues, and a reliable indicator for others.
- Social: As Facebook tweaks its algorithm, we have tips for you about maximising the reach of your content.
- Mobile: Christmas looks set to step-change mobile web use, with mini-tablets like pre-ordered as gifts, making tablet-friendly site design important in technically advanced markets in 2013.
- Video: This month's virals include Bodyform's spoof CEO response to a Facebook posting - an excellent case study with content created in a few days and over 3 million views within a week.
We've grouped the news around the themes in your training. Full stories on click-through, and more resources in your online classroom (email us back if you need your passwords).
Best from all the digital strategists
Danny Meadows-Klue
President
Digital Training Academy
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The influence of social media on purchase decisions increased across all but one of the regions surveyed in 2011.
The global average has risen by 3% since 2010. The region that saw the biggest increase was 'Middle East and Africa' with 10%. Social media's influence dropped by 5% in Latin America (the only region that reported a decrease).
18/10/2012 | Full story...
This chart shows the global averages of online browsing behaviour by grocery shoppers. The most popular daily behaviours include conducting research (37%) and providing feedback about a grocery category via social media (33%). 48% of respondents are likely to purchase a product once a month rather than daily, making it the most popular monthly activity, and the least popular daily activity.
18/10/2012 | Full story...
The overall digital ad spend during the period was £2.59bn, up from the previous year. The suggested reason for the rise in digital adspend is the statistic that 58% of the UK now own a smartphone. By far the most popular form of digital advertising was paid for search which accounted for 59%.
26/10/2012 | Full story...
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With more brands turning to Facebook as a way to reach their audiences, Gavin Sinden looks at practical ways you can ensure more of your brand's posts get seen by fans and their wider circles of friends.
29/10/2012 | Full article...
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In a social media coup, a man who shares his name with travel agency Thomas Cook has won a free holiday, courtesy of rival LowCostHolidays. The man (named Thomas Cook) was awarded a trip to Paris after the travel agency Thomas Cook turned him down for a free vacation.
24/10/2012 | Full story...
In honour of Felix Baumgartner's landmark skydive from the edge of space, Nestle sent a Kit Kat bar into the ether with a video camera. See why it's our video viral of the week below....
24/10/2012 | Full story...
FedEx has launched a new app on Facebook that highlights how they can help your business grow better than a cheesy advertising jingle. The app invites customers to input their business details which then become customizable parts of their very own 'jingle'. See why it's our video viral of the week below....
17/10/2012 | Full story...
To promote its drink in Sweden, V Energy ran a risqué campaign that invited friends to swap Facebook profiles for an hour. See why it's our viral of the week below....
11/10/2012 | Full story...
This summer saw Channel 4 run its 'Superhuman' campaign to promote the London Paralympic games. Working with Mediasyndicator, the online element of the promotion attracted more than 150,000 interactions. As part of Channel 4's 'Meet the Superhumans' online Paralympics advertising campaign, deployed in partnership with digital advertising specialists, Mediasyndicator, also captured the attention of online audiences - with results revealing the campaign achieved over 150,000 interactions.
Watch the C4 trailer here:.
03/10/2012 | Full story...
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Facebook has been accused of making changes to the formula that determines if brands appear in the news feed of its fans pages, effectively driving them to paid advertising to improve their reach. According to a report in the FT, a number of brands running Facebook pages are finding their reach has dropped since the social network altered its EdgeRank algorithm last month (September 20th).
16/10/2012 | Full story...
Microsoft has launched Windows 8, designed to run on PCs, tablets and smartphones, as the software giant looks to take on Apple and Google in the lucrative mobile operating system market. The new operating system, still the most widely used in the world, signals the biggest change at Microsoft since the emergence of Windows 95. About half of business users still have not upgraded to Windows 7 from Windows XP, which came out in 2001.
26/10/2012 | Full story...
Things are finally looking up at Facebook after its disastrous IPO in May, as the world's largest social network recorded its largest share rises as a public company on the back of better than expected results. Facebook posted a small but significant improvement in its previous quarter earnings that pushed up its stock price up by 19%. The social network reported a loss of $59m (£37m) despite seeing third quarter revenues rise 32% compared with a year earlier.
26/10/2012 | Full story...
UK maxi pad brand Bodyform has created a viral ad with a fictional CEO responding to a Facebook user, who accused the company of lying to the public. Facebook user Richard Neill wrote a sarcastic comment on Bodyform's page earlier this month poking fun at the company's depiction of a woman's "wonderful time of the month" in its TV ads. The spoof video - which has so far notched up 135,036 views on YouTube, 2,213 Facebook 'likes' and 211 comments - ends with the CEO thanking Richard for lifting the veil on their lies and exposing the truth.
18/10/2012 | Full story...
Google's and Apple's smartphone platform war is the defining fight for the industry today' according to Google's CEO
Eric Schmidt. Speaking at the All Things Digital conference this week, Schmidt said that the rivalry between iOS and Android was much more important than the war between Apple's and Microsoft's desktop platforms.
Watch the video in full below (Runtime: 1 hour 10 mins):
12/10/2012 | Full story...
YouTube's skippable ad format is now making Google as much revenue per hour as ads on cable TV, according to YouTube's global head of content. Speaking at the Mipcom TV industry event, YouTube global head of content Robert Kyncl claimed the group's skippable ads format means it is now matching US cable groups in terms of per-hour revenue.
11/10/2012 | Full story...
UK advertising on the internet and mobiles increased 12.6% year compared to the same period last year, accounting for £2.59bn in the first half of 2012, according to the Internet Advertising Bureau. The UK trade body found that a 'meteoric rise in mobile' drove much of the growth. With 58 per cent of the UK population now said to own smartphones according to the IAB, mobile advertising has continued a "meteoric rise". It was said to be up 132% to £181.5m.
09/10/2012 | Full story...
Facebook is testing its long-rumoured 'Want' button, a retail-friendly accompaniment to the 'Like' button that could help the social network boost revenue through sales commissions and ads. Facebook is working with seven retail partners in the beta test; Pottery Barn, Wayfair, Victoria's Secret, Michael Kors, Neiman Marcus, Smith Optics, and Fab.com. Facebook users in certain territories have been able to click “want” and “collect” buttons upon products from the retailers.
10/10/2012 | Full story...
Apple has revealed a smaller version of its iPad, dubbed the 'iPad mini' as it looks to take on Amazon's Kindle Fire, Google's Nexus 7 and Samsung's Galaxy Note in the growing mini tablet market. The device will be available for pre-order from 26th October and will ship from November 2nd. The company has also launched a new version of its full size iPad.
Watch the keynote presentation here:.
24/10/2012 | Full story...
Google saw nearly $20bn wiped off its market value in minutes yesterday, after third quarter earnings figures released prematurely by mistake revealed a surprise drop in profit growth. The web giant reported a 20% drop in net income to $2.18bn (£1.36bn) between July and September. But the announcement, which was expected after the market close, was released early after financial printer RR Donnelley filed a draft of its earnings statement without authorisation on Thursday morning.
19/10/2012 | Full story...
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence
Global ad spend continues its rise across nearly all continents, while new moves
from Google (and research from Forrester) suggests digital marketing measurement is shifting from impressions to engagement.
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence
That all-important top spot in Google gets half of all clicks, while US web users are increasingly conducting local searches. In Russia, Yandex has launched a Chrome-style browser to squeeze Google out of the market.
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Bing users are more likely to search for local goods and services then Google or Yahoo users in North America with 28.81%. Although Google is the largest of the three search engines, only 24.24% of users opted to conduct local search queries during the analysed period.
25/10/2012 | Full story...
Getting to the top of Google is becoming increasingly important, with 53% of US searchers clicking on the top link of the natural search listings, according to new research. The study, from Kantar media's Compete.com, also found that over 3 in 4 searchers (77%) click on the top 3 links in the natural listings.
15/10/2012 | Full story...
The number of searches looking for local goods and services in the US has risen significantly in the past two years, with local searches making up 24% of Google queries, according to new research. The study, from ad network Chitika, indicates that Bing users are slightly more likely to search for local goods and services then Google or Yahoo! users. About 28% of Bing searches indicate a user's interest in local services and products compared to around 25% for Google and Yahoo.
11/10/2012 | Full story...
Yandex has launched its own Internet browser, as the search giant looks to take on Google in the growing Russian
market. The browser offers a relatively minimalist Russian-language interface based on the WebKit platform and Google's Chromium code.
02/10/2012 | Full story...
More top search stories from this month:
- Paid search marketing trends: Sponsored search adspend up 24% globally
- DuckDuckGo attacks Google: "There's no regular search anymore"
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Facebook has surpassed 1 billion users for the first time, as the newly-listed social networking giant looks to expand its global reach and ad revenues. The passing of the milestone was announced by founder Mark Zuckerberg on US television on Thursday. The company said that those billion users were to date responsible for 1.13 trillion "likes", 219 billion photos and 17 billion location check-ins.
To celebrate passing the 1bn mark, Facebook created this ad:.
05/10/2012 | Full story...
Facebook could be branching out from its core advertising revenues with plans to offer firms that have pages on the site with a range of 'premium services', such as customer relationship management (CRM) tools and search functions, according to a news report. Speaking to US TV network CNBC, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said that the company is looking at opportunities to sell premium services for businesses.
02/10/2012 | Full story...
To address concerns from brands about the lack of marketing effectiveness research for Facebook, new brand affinity measurement tools are being developed. With the rush to build Facebook brand pages, many marketers have questioned the value of fans, their fit with the brand's target audience, and how to measure marketing effectiveness. Could this be the answer?
18/10/2012 | Full story...
More top Facebook stories from this month:
- Facebook opens mobile app ads to all developers
- Facebook opens engineering centre in London
- Facebook debuts real gifting service
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Social shopping is on the rise, with many consumers being influenced by product images, friend recommendations, trends and fan page offers, according to a new study. The study and infographic from media agency MPG Media Contacts and Lightspeed Research shows that while there is a rising demand for social content, there is a lack of social media included on ecommerce sites.
16/10/2012 | Full story...
Twitter is reportedly testing alternatives to its 'Favourite' button, as the micro-blogging platform looks to compete with Facebook on social bookmarking tools. The favourite button is Twitter's equivalent to the Facebook 'Like' and a way to show appreciation to a good tweet, a weird tweet, a tweeted link or any tweet without replying or retweeting.
23/10/2012 | Full story...
LinkedIn will now let its users 'follow' and receive updates from people outside their personal contact list, as the business-based social network looks to boost user engagement on the site. The new feature mimics other popular social networks such as Twitter and Facebook where users can check for updates from leaders, celebrities and others with large numbers of followers. Until now, LinkedIn's 175 million-members could only share information with their immediate circle of contacts on the service.
03/10/2012 | Full story...
More top social media stories from this month:
- Top newspapers on Pinterest: Mail Online gets 2 million shares
- Twitter online marketing effectiveness - new research toolkits for brands
- Top social shopping categories: Video games, baby toys and mobile phones top list
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence
Are your websites mobile compatible? Data shows you could be missing out of 2 minutes of dwell time if not. Focusing on Android alongside Apple might help, as Google's OS is catching the iPad in US tablet use. Meanwhile, Yahoo followed Facebook's footsteps with a renewed focus on mobile after surprisingly good results.
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This chart shows the local search breakdown for mobile and non-mobile users in North America. 16.37% of local search queries on Google were conducting using a mobile device. The fewest local searches on a mobile were conducted using Bing with only 5.21%.
24/10/2012 | Full story...
The UK utilised text messaging more than any of the 5 European countries surveyed (91.6%) during the 3 month survey period ending July 2012. External apps were popular in the UK with a 56.9% usage rate, exceeding the European average by more than 11%. Mobile gaming in the UK (38.6%) was more popular than listening to music via mobile (30.6%).
05/10/2012 | Full story...
51.3% of European mobile users have used a smartphone in the three month survey period ending July 2012, showing relatively high adoption of the technology. 83% of those surveyed utilised text messaging, making it the most popular.
05/10/2012 | Full story...
Dwell time is two minutes higher when brand sites are mobile-ready, but less than half of top UK brands have websites optimised for smartphones and tablets, according to a new study. The study proved how a significant percentage of the top 100 brands such as Tesco, B&Q and Boots are starting to sit up and listen, with nearly 40% now having a mobile-optimised website.
16/10/2012 | Full story...
Yahoo is to focus its efforts on mobile advertising as the embattled web giant looks to compete with the likes of Google and Facebook. Announcing the company's third quarter results, which beat expectations, Yahoo's new boss Marissa Mayer revealed a revival strategy focused on making it a "predominantly mobile company."
23/10/2012 | Full story...
One in four US adults now owns a tablet computer, with Android catching Apple's iOS iPad, according to a new report. The study, from the Pew Internet and American Life Project indicates that about two-thirds of those who own tablets bought them in the last year.
05/10/2012 | Full story...
More top mobile and tablet stories from this month:
- West behind East for mobile commerce adoption
- Final analogue switch off signals era of 4G
- EE reveals 4G pricing in UK
- Google warns of more job cuts at Motorola
- Which US retailers lead the mobile commerce market?
- Mobile consumption behaviour in France
- Mobile consumption behaviour in Germany
- Mobile consumption behaviour in Italy
- Mobile consumption behaviour in Spain
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence
YouTube's advertising seems to be proving its worth. Its TrueView ads, which only charge marketers for ads watched in their entirety, produced an average of $1.70 in sales for every dollar spent, 2.4 times more efficient than TV ads. A second screen is also becoming commonplace, with viewers watching TV and searching for info on the web at the same time. Meanwhile, the top 50 US websites welcomed Pinterest for the first time.
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The video advertising effectiveness of Google's TrueView ads has been demonstrated in a new report. It's video advertising online ad campaigns on YouTube, which only charge marketers for ads watched in their entirety, produce an average of $1.70 in sales for every dollar spent, 2.4 times more efficient than TV ads.
Watch the TrueView ads in action here:.
04/10/2012 | Full story...
Two thirds of Connected TV viewers frequently use the internet while watching TV, and a quarter are always online while they watch television, according to a new study. The study, from video ad platform smartclip, found that with every new purchase of a television set the penetration of smart TV devices increases.
01/10/2012 | Full story...
Pinterest has entered the top 50 most visited US sites, attracting 25.3 million
visitors during September, according to new data. The data, from comScore, reveals that Google sites remain at the top with 187 million visitors, closely followed by Microsoft, Yahoo, and Facebook.
26/10/2012 | Full story...
More top multimedia content stories from this month:
- Skype lets businesses offer free public Wi-Fi for £10 a month
- BBC splits iPlayer with standalone online radio service
- Newsweek magazine goes online-only after 80 years of print
- Microsoft takes on iTunes with Xbox and Windows music store
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L'Oréal USA has launched a beauty and style app on Xbox LIVE called 'The Next Level', becoming the first app on the Microsoft games console to be targeted at women. The destination site lets users create a personalised event calendar, shopping list, weather-based beauty recommendations, and 'redemption centre' where rewards earned through interaction can be traded for tangible branded offers.
Watch a video explaining how the service works below:.
08/10/2012 | Full story...
Zynga plans to shed 5% of its workforce, as the embattled games developer looks to save money following waning demand for some its
titles. In an email to staff, founder Mark Pincus said the company would close its Boston studio and consider closing studios in the UK and Japan. It is be the first ever round of job cuts at Zynga, which is based in San Francisco and has about 3,200 employees.
25/10/2012 | Full story...
AOL has launched a multi-platform gaming platform 'games.com' for mobile and desktop PC users alike. Games.com offers more than 5,000 free online games, a large library of mobile games, plus new engagement and personalisation features.
10/10/2012 | Full story...
More top gaming stories from this month:
- Sony launches Playstation Mobile Store
- World of Warcraft hit by hack attack - virtual cities 'wiped out'
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence
eBay shed its auction roots with a Pinterest-style revamp, while retail trends in China reveal Taobao's dominance (and Amazon's insignificance!) in the market. Food and drinks shoppers are switching to digital channels, with a 44% uplift in intention globally.
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Online marketplace eBay has today rolled out a new website, with a strong visual style similar to Pinterest. The new look site allows users to create their own customised homepage as the firm moves away from its auction roots to focus more on instant purchases.
12/10/2012 | Full story...
Online shopping for food and beverages is on the rise, with 61% of global online consumers using the web to research their grocery shopping, with 44% intending to spend more online during the past 2 years, according to a study. The research, from Nielsen, looked into consumers intent to buy food and beverages online. It found that more than one-quarter (26%) of global respondents reporting they planned to purchase food and beverage products by way of a device with Internet access, such as a computer, mobile phone or tablet, in the next three to six months.
01/10/2012 | Full story...
China's e-commerce sector grew a massive 45% year-on-year in the second quarter, accounting for 12.5% of the country's GDP, according to new research. The study, from Analysys International indicates that total sales in China was 278.84 billion yuan ($44.5bn/ £36bn), with Alibaba Group's Taobao capturing a huge 76% of the market.
17/10/2012 | Full story...
More top ecommerce stories from this month:
- Argos scales down catalogue to focus on digital
- Amazon mulling bid for ASOS?
- Dixons shuts down website to focus on multi-channel
- PayPal to axe 3% of workforce - 400 jobs to go?
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence
Google faced the wrath of the EU this month, being forced to change its 'catch all' privacy policy (which simplified its ad targeting at the expense of users' privacy). In Germany, all web users now have to pay a TV license fee - a sign of things to come in other countries? In the UK, a new online ID scheme linked to Facebook logins is being suggested.
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Google has been forced to change its controversial privacy policy by European Union regulators after it was criticised over its collection of internet users' personal information. In a letter to the firm's chief executive Larry Page yesterday, an EU data protection commissioner said that Google "empowers itself to collect vast amounts of personal data about Internet users" without demonstrating that this "collection was proportionate".
17/10/2012 | Full story...
A surprise decision by the German constitutional court on digital media regulation sees people with internet-enabled PCs liable for TV licence. It's a media regulation that could travel across Europe...
03/10/2012 | Full story...
The Government is set to announce details of its controversial national identity plans, letting people use their mobile phones and social media profiles as official identification documents for accessing public services, according to a news report. Initially floated by the government last year, under the scheme people wishing to apply for services ranging from tax credits to fishing licences and passports will be asked to choose from a list of familiar online log-ins, including those they already use on social media sites, banks, and large retailers such as supermarkets, to prove their identity.
05/10/2012 | Full story...
More top regulation stories from this month:
- Spam texters fined £250,000 by UK regulator
- Top retailers ordered to change website to comply with consumer refund rights
- The Pirate Bay moves to cloud to thwart shutdown
- SEC battled Facebook over mobile risks before IPO: Bloomberg
- Pirates 'spend 30% more on music than non-sharers'
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