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This month's round-up of the research, trends and case studies impacting digital marketing.
- Internet of Things gets real
- Ecommerce goes social with Twitter
- Digital marketing effectiveness
Take a look and get back in touch if there's anything you'd like advice on about how it could impact you and your team.
Danny Meadows-Klue
President
Digital Training Academy
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Chinese online retailer Alibaba has smashed records with the largest public offering in US history - and is now as valuable as Facebook after just one day on Wall Street. Watch this video from Bloomberg discussing the deal. 23/09/2014 | Full story...
Microsoft has bought Mojang, the maker of popular world creation game Minecraft, with the game's creator leaving the company because he is a "nerd", not a CEO. Watch this video from Bloomberg analysing the deal here. 16/09/2014 | Full story...
As Facebook continues to decrease the reach of organic brand content, new research suggests paid social ads are more effective at converting users- but email and affiliate marketing prove more effective overall. 12/09/2014 | Full story...
Apple has revealed its latest range of bigger smartphones and its much-anticipated smartwatch, along with a new mobile payments system that uses fingerprint ID for security. Watch the whole Apple event below. 10/09/2014 | Full story...
Twitter has expanded into ecommerce a new 'buy' option that will appear alongside a brand's tweet. Watch this video from Twitter explaining how the service works below. 09/09/2014 | Full story...
More than half (52%) of visits to UK retail sites are now coming from mobile, with over a third (36%) of UK online sales are now completed on a smartphone or tablet device, according to new research. 03/09/2014 | Full story...
It seems advertisers have intensely mixed feelings about Google, as the brand has topped a best reputation list of media brands - but was also voted the least pleasurable to work with, in the same poll. 03/09/2014 | Full story...
Instant messaging pioneer MSN Messenger is finally being switched off after 15 years, as the once popular hangout for teens has been usurped by Skype and mobile chat apps such as WhatsApp, Instagram and Snapchat. 01/09/2014 | Full story...
How do you measure success in a digital campaign? Getting more YouTube fans, Facebook likes or newsletter sign ups is all well and good, but do these actually translate to more sales and justify the initial spend? We look back at some of the best food campaigns of the past year that show how digital success translates into real world cash. 22/09/2014 | Full story...
The emergence of wireless technologies, smart products and software-defined businesses are playing a central role in catapulting the volume of the world's data. Due, in part, to this Internet of Things, the digital universe is doubling in size every two years and will multiply 10-fold between 2013 and 2020 - from 4.4 trillion gigabytes to 44 trillion gigabytes. 01/09/2014 | Full story...
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Continuing the success of its Super Bowl 'Puppy Love' commercial, Budweiser's new corporate social responsibility campaign carries another canine theme... and a powerful anti-drink drive message. 26/09/2014 | Full story...
With Instagram's new Hyperlapse app over a week old, some brand have already started tinkering with the new video tool. We round-up 6 of the best branded uses of the new format that looks set to rival Vine as the next big thing in bite sized video. 02/09/2014 | Full story...
Three London bus shelters have been transformed into tweet activated vending machines as part of a promotion for Walkers' 'Do Us a Flavour' campaign… featuring a virtual Gary Lineker. 12/09/2014 | Full story...
To promote its latest film 'Into the Storm', Roadshow Films ran an augmented reality poster campaign in Sydney that turned a few heads. 03/09/2014 | Full story...
Budweiser is testing a Facebook campaign letting fans send vouchers for free Bud Lights to people celebrating special occasions. 24/09/2014 | Full story...
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/online-advertising
IBM's supercomputer is now open for business- meaning that companies can now access the machine's vast number crunching abilities to make sense of those big data decisions. Will this give Google Analytics something to worry about? Time will tell if the machine can do more than win at game shows. This month we also look at the rise in ad blocking software on both PCs and mobile devices and how savvy surfers can skip your ads altogether- but are they simply helping advertisers by cutting out wasted spend in advance?
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/search-engine-marketing
At Google this month we've seen a major shift away from Google+ as a search ranking tool, with the abolition of authorship bylines, as the internet giant reverts focus to its far more successful AdWords and Android platforms. In SEO, latest research indicates a move away from keyphrase density and more importance placed on social signals to boost search rankings (and brands have a natural advantage too). We also look at the curious rise of SEO blackmail as mysterious emails are appearing in webmasters inboxes, threatening to 'linkspam' their sites to death. Should you be worried? All is explained below...
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Google+ has finally ditched its Authorship experiment this week, meaning that search results will no longer display an author's name with retrieved articles. 01/09/2014 | Full story...
In recent years, Google has clamped down on link spam, with a number of major changes to its search formula. But as old 'black-hat' SEO tricks become obsolete, an even darker practice is on the rise: extortion emails. 01/09/2014 | Full story...
Content with strong topic knowledge, more visual elements, bigger word counts and more relevant words (not just matches for the search term) are more likely to rank highly on Google...but being a brand also helps, according to new research. 10/09/2014 | Full story...
More top search stories from this month:
- Google boosts text space in search ads with 'Callouts'
- How Google Now is changing app market: Context awareness to replace app trays?
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/facebook-marketing
Facebook looks set to shake up the industry once more, with a rumoured DoubleClick rival on the way. Tracking users across the web to serve more relevant ads on the social network could certainly give Google something to worry about- Facebook has huge amounts of data on its users already so this could be an attractive alternative to Google's display network . Meanwhile, a new Snapchat style messaging feature on Facebook continues the social networks shift towards catering for the chat app generation.
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Facebook is testing a SnapChat style feature for status updates, as the social network continues to emulate the success of chat apps. 15/09/2014 | Full story...
Facebook will reportedly launch a new online ad service next week that will track users across the web, letting brands target them on the social network based on their internet habits. 24/09/2014 | Full story...
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This chart shows the Path to Purchase during which customers worldwide are most likely to interact with social network advertising, by site, Ql, 2014. 24/09/2014 | Full story...
This chart shows that paid ads on social networks have better conversion rates than organic content. On Twitter, ads were more than twice as likely as organic tweets to convert users. On Pinterest, the situation was reversed, but overall, brands using Convertro saw around a 25% lift in conversions with paid social ads vs. organic social content. 24/09/2014 | Full story...
A massive 84% of U.S. smartphone and tablet owners today watch television with a second screen in hand, fostering a surge of real-time social media conversation between friends, fans and talent as programs unfold- but how can brands tap into this huge lucrative audience? New research from Nielsen looks at some key trends. 22/09/2014 | Full story...
More than half of Britain's adult population engaged in social media do little to increase brand interest and create positive associations with brands online, according to new research which has identified the six types of social media user. 10/09/2014 | Full story...
Iconic photo sharing service Twitpic is to close after a long-running dispute with Twitter over the use of its name. 08/09/2014 | Full story...
- Pinterest finally adds private messaging
- Bad dates: OKCupid in hot water over user experiments
- Pinterest buys Icebergs
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/mobile-marketing
Facebook-owned app Instagram has expanded its ad platform beyond the US, with a number of high profile brands already on board for the UK launch. Meanwhile eBay returned to app ads after a two-year hiatus and Snapchat continues its rise- now used by nearly half of all teens across many major markets.
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Apple's record breaking iPhone 6 sales have been marred by two high-profile fails, as users flock to social media to complain about bent phones and a software update that renders their devices useless. Watch this Bloomberg video discussing the issues here. 25/09/2014 | Full story...
This chart shows the top 15 mobile apps by reach as of June 2014. Facebook has the highest reach among smartphone users with 73.6% downloading the Facebook app. Google have a several apps among the top 15, with Google Play, Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube and Google+ all featuring. 23/09/2014 | Full story...
This chart shows different aged demographics responding to the question; "When it comes to a mobile ad on you smartphone, which of following would most likely motivate you to take action (such as purchase a product / service, visiting a location, etc)". 25-34 year olds are the most likely to respond to mobile ads that offer coupons with 41%. Respondents aged over 65 are most likely to respond to ads related to what they were searching for with 41%. 22/09/2014 | Full story...
Facebook-owned photo sharing app Instagram has launched its ads in the UK with an initial partnership with Omnicom Media Group. 23/09/2014 | Full story...
eBay is reintroducing ads on its app in the second half of 2014, letting brands target users on tablets and smartphones, after a two year break from the format. 24/09/2014 | Full story...
Nearly half of all teens aged 16-19 are using snapchat across a number of major western markets, according to new research. 12/09/2014 | Full story...
More top mobile stories from this month:
- iOS 8 Launch: Apple forced to delay HealthKit after bug
- Android Wear watch Moto 360 to go on sale in October
- £65 Android One smartphone to launch in India
- Back on track: Apple Maps overtaking Google Maps on UK smartphones
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/email-marketing
Reaching the inbox continues to be a struggle for marketers across the globe. A startling 1 in 6 emails worldwide (approximately 50 million) don't reach inboxes, with messages to Gmail inboxes more successfully placed and read than any other large mailbox provider.
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A startling 1 in 6 emails worldwide (approximately 50 million) don't reach inboxes, with
messages to Gmail inboxes more successfully placed and read than any other large mailbox provider, particularly if the messages were sent to the 'Promotions' tab, according to new research. 17/09/2014 | Full story...
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/content-marketing
In a sign of the times, P&G has embarked on a large scale talent-scouting mission to reduce its video ad production costs, even placing an ad on the NASA website to seeking fresh ideas, as increased competition and ad space sparks need for production efficiency. September also saw a major MSN revamp with third party content only, and we also take a look at the average blogger in the UK- what makes them tick?
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This chart shows what gets consumers engaging with branded content. Companies that post images have the best cut through with 64% of those surveyed being receptive or very receptive to the posts. 23/09/2014 | Full story...
Procter & Gamble has embarked on a large scale talent-scouting mission to reduce its video ad production costs, even placing an ad on the NASA website to seeking fresh ideas. 22/09/2014 | Full story...
Microsoft has relaunched its flagship portal MSN, and will now rely entirely on third parties for content, with a new look designed to appeal to a growing mobile audience. 09/09/2014 | Full story...
The average UK blogger can make £906 a year from affiliate marketing commissions, have full time jobs elsewhere and gets 18 interactions on their blog each day, according to new research. 04/09/2014 | Full story...
More top multimedia content stories from this month:
- Video marketing 'most trusted format' by consumers
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/marketing-through-gaming/
September proved a big month for gaming with Oculus Rift revealing its first headset since its Facebook took over, plus teaming up with Samsung for a mobile-powered virtual reality experience. Mobile and console games continued to converge, with Sony's latest mobile able to stream PS4 quality games to the device. Finally, old cliches were shattered with the news that women play more games than men, with apps
fuelling the rise, while giving marketers something to think about).
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Sony has launched its latest range of smartphones and tablets, capable of streaming PlayStation 4 games, as mobile and console gaming slowly begin to merge. Watch this promo video for the Z3 here. 05/09/2014 | Full story...
Oculus VR has upgraded its virtual reality headset prototype with higher resolution and built-in audio, marking the first major development since it was bought by Facebook for $2bn earlier this year. Watch this promo video from Oculus VR discussing the implications of virtual reality here. 23/09/2014 | Full story...
There are now more women playing video games than men, driven by 25-44 year old women downloading free puzzle and trivia game apps, according to a new report. 18/09/2014 | Full story...
More top gaming stories from this month:
- Samsung teams with Oculus Rift to turn smartphones into virtual reality headsets
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/ecommerce-and-eretailing
Can brands take on Amazon? Nearly 9 in 10 online shoppers visit brands' websites during the purchase journey, with brands potentially missing out by not providing a direct purchase option. This month we also look at the international ecommerce market, and the value of knowing key events in the local calendar. Finally, the mobile payments battle heated up, with Paypal taking pot shots Apple Pay, claiming the service is unsecure.
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Amazon has expanded its partnership with Twitter via a new hashtag function that lets customers to add items to their Amazon Wish List without leaving the social network. 25/09/2014 | Full story...
Nearly 9 in 10 online shoppers (89%) visit brands' websites during the purchase journey, with brands potentially missing out by not providing a direct purchase option, according to new research. 23/09/2014 | Full story...
Businesses in the travel, retail, leisure and content sectors, could benefit from a global eCommerce export market worth £45bn by 2020, which is three times its current estimated value of £13bn, according to new research. 08/09/2014 | Full story...
Paypal has taken out full page print ads in major US titles to criticise Apple's new mobile payment system, claiming it is no safer than selfies. 17/09/2014 | Full story...
More top ecommerce stories from this month:
- Amazon pips Google to purchase .buy domain name for $4 .6bn
- Top 50 online retailers in the UK: Amazon, Argos and Apple lead the way
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/digital-marketing-regulation
The iCloud celebrity selfie hack was big news this month, causing many to question the security of cloud storage in general. Meanwhile, virtual currency continues to gain mainstream acceptance with Paypal starting to accept Bitcoin payments. Finally, the net neutrality row rumbles on, with major sites including Netflix and Reddit participating in a web 'Go Slow Day' to protest the prospect of a two-speed internet that rewards those that pay more.
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Following this week's nude celebrity photo scandal, Apple has claimed that its iCloud storage system was not breached in the attack- instead hackers were able to guess their passwords by observing their behaviour online and in TV interviews. 03/09/2014 | Full story...
Paypal will soon start taking bitcoin through its Braintree subsidiary, as virtual currency continues to gain mainstream acceptance. 12/09/2014 | Full story...
A number of leading websites, including Mozilla, Reddit, KickStarter, FourSquare, Vimeo, and Meetup will become slow to use this Wednesday (10th September) in protest over the US governments net neutrality proposal that could see the formation of a two-tiered internet- giving priority to higher paying customers. 09/09/2014 | Full story...
More top regulation stories from this month:
- Hacker redirects eBay shoppers to fake site
- Barclays adds finger vein scanner for online banking
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