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As digital advertising moves beyond measuring clicks, this month saw the big players ramp up their display tools. Google reduced the value of adverts that are not seen by humans- potentially giving advertisers a better return on their display ad investment. Meanwhile Twitter now matches ads to users' browser history. Not to be outdone, Facebook was revealed to be working on artificial intelligence to mine its vast amount of user data.
Following its 'SEO apocalypse' - hiding all keyword data earlier this year - Google is now making email marketing analytics a little harder too, as Gmail starts caching images. This means major segment of consumers will 'disappear' from marketers stats. This month we look at what this means for email ads - and how to work around it.
With WhatsApp and Snapchat amongst the digital success stories of 2013, we also look at the 10 biggest instant messaging apps in the world and examine the implication of the Internet of Things' will have on marketing in the years to come.
Finally, gaze into the future with Amazon's flying delivery drones and Google's super-fast military robots. As digital and the real world merge, the next decade holds some exiting (and slightly scary) implications for us all...
Best from all the digital strategists and trainers
Danny Meadows-Klue
President
Digital Training Academy
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Google has revamped its display ads so that advertisers pay only for adverts that are actually seen online. The new buying option lets advertisers pick ad spots on websites that meet set viewability standards. Google defines this as a minimum of 50% of the ad being visible on the screen for at least one second. 13/12/2013 | Full story...
Twitter has launched a new form of targeted advertising, letting firms deliver "promoted tweets" to its users based on interest they have shown across their entire web browsing history. 06/12/2013 | Full story...
The use of WhatsApp, WeChat, Line or Snapchat is booming all around the world. Social media agency KRDS, has produced this infographic on the top 10 messaging apps today, along with their features and their marketing potential. 16/12/2013 | Full story...
Google seems to be making email marketing analytics a little harder, as Gmail starts caching images. Image downloads act as the window into engagement data for email and if Gmail switches this off, a major segment of consumers will 'disappear' from the stats. Here's why... 10/12/2013 | Full story...
Social media was ruled by Facebook in 2013, with Pinterest, Skype and Twitter all performing well across a range of countries, according to new data from Bing. 09/12/2013 | Full story...
Facebook is working on artificial intelligence technology that will help it turn its massive trove of user data into ad revenue with better targeted automated ads. 11/12/2013 | Full story...
The Internet of Things (IoT) will grow to 26 billion units by 2020, representing an almost 30-fold increase from 0.9 billion in 2009, according to IT research and advisory firm Gartner. 17/12/2013 | Full story...
Following Amazon's announcement this week that it plans to use flying drones to deliver customer orders, Google has revealed its own plans for automated freight-robots. 05/12/2013 | Full story...
Twitter has revealed the top trends of 2013 on its social network, both in the UK and worldwide, with celebrity deaths and football causing the biggest buzz. 16/12/2013 | Full story...
Web giants Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, AOL, LinkedIn and Yahoo have united to form the Reform Government Surveillance coalition, to demand a change to digital surveillance practices. 09/12/2013 | Full story...
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Along with the Harlem Shakes, singing astronauts and twerking fails, 2013 was another big year for viral video marketing case studies. To round off the year, we've put together our 25 favourite virals for your viewing pleasure. 04/12/2013 | Full story...
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/online-advertising
2014 looks set to be a year for marketers to focus on the multi-screen consumer and micro-videos, according to the latest predictions. Meanwhile BrightRoll and Nielsen have teamed up for video metrics and some surprising research reveals that email marketers could get more engagement "simply by sending more emails".
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Video ad platform BrightRoll has struck a strategic agreement with Nielsen, the global measurement and information company, to help advertisers increase the efficacy of their digital video ad campaigns and maximize accountability and return on investment. 17/12/2013 | Full story...
During 2014, video budgets will continue to shift from TV to multi-screen and mobile media spend will rise dramatically, especially among youth-targeted brands, according to new predictions from digital ad firm Millward Brown. 16/12/2013 | Full story...
Brands could increase engagement and revenue by sending more emails to customers, according to a new study. 16/12/2013 | Full story...
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The death of Paul Walker has topped Google's 2013 list of trending searches, with Nelson Mandela, the royal baby and iPhone5 also featuring in the top 10. 19/12/2013 | Full story...
As 2013 comes to an end, Greenlight has taken a look at what 2014 holds for the digital marketing industry. The marketing agency filmed their directors as they provided insights into the advancements that can be expected in SEO, PPC, Social Media and eCommerce. Watch the full video below. 17/12/2013 | Full story...
Google has expanded its popular Street View with a new feature that lets users create their own 360 images of locations near them. 11/12/2013 | Full story...
More top search stories from this month:
- Eye-tracking reveals Google 'still benefits most' from linking to rivals in search results - report
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/facebook-marketing
This month, Facebook finally admitted that brand's
organic reach on fan pages is declining. The social network also ramped up its rivalry with Twitter as a source for real time news, while experimenting with a 'sympathise' button as a
compromise for the much requested 'dislike' button.
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Facebook is making news items more prominent in its News Feed, as the social network looks to challenge Twitter as the site of choice for discussions about current events. 04/12/2013 | Full story...
Facebook warned page administrators that the changes to its News Feed algorithm it introduced earlier this week will likely cause lower organic reach, citing the number of posts competing for space in users' News Feeds. 11/12/2013 | Full story...
Facebook is considering the launch of a new 'sympathise' button planning as an alternative to its hugely successful 'like' icon. 10/12/2013 | Full story...
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Apple has bought social media search and analytics firm Topsy, marking a significant investment into social networking - an area Apple has no strong presence in to date. 03/12/2013 | Full story...
It was a big year for Tumblr, which was bought for $1.1bn by Yahoo in one of this year's most buzzed-about deals. Now, the blogging platform is flaunting its credentials with its first-ever breakdown of the year's hottest trends, topics and celebrities. 04/12/2013 | Full story...
Instagram has launched its own direct messaging service, letting people send photos and videos to each other privately. 13/12/2013 | Full story...
More top social media stories from this month:
- Twitter audience 'getting younger than Facebook users'
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/mobile-marketing
Surprising results from the UK suggest that Samsung mobile users actually spent more than iOS users during the 'Cyber-Monday' rush. Apple ramped up its multi-channel tools with iBeacon tracking in-store shoppers, while new data suggests mobile is now a key channel to reach mums.
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iPhone and iPad users lead the mobile shopping boom this Cyber Monday, but Samsung mobile users spent most per person when shopping online in the UK, according to new research. 05/12/2013 | Full story...
Latest research into use patterns for smartphones shows they are key for reaching mums through digital marketing channels. 16/12/2013 | Full story...
Apple has launched its iBeacon tracking technology across 254 US stores, providing users with information depending on their precise location in the shop and acting like a virtual assistant. 09/12/2013 | Full story...
- Aldi rivals Tesco with budget tablet for £80
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www.DigitalStrategyConsulting.com/intelligence/content-marketing
Spotify finally revealed its royalty payments in December, showing that artists earn just $0.007 per stream. The firm also offered its first free ad-funded service for mobile. Plus a new report shows that UK marketers are 'getting more confident with content marketing'.
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Spotify has revealed that artists are paid an average of $0.007 per play on the music streaming service, following criticism that it is underpaying musicians. 09/12/2013 | Full story...
UK marketers rate themselves more highly in terms of effectiveness when compared with North American and Australian marketers, according to new research. 12/12/2013 | Full story...
Spotify is to extend its "free" ad-supported music service to mobile devices, in a move that will rival the lies of iTunes radio in the mobile streaming sector. 13/12/2013 | Full story...
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Miniclip has passed the landmark of 250 million downloads of its mobile games on iOS, Android and Windows devices. 12/12/2013 | Full story...
Kit Kat has partnered with PlayCaptcha to use a new ad format that offers an games-based alternative to traditional 'Captcha' web verification forms.
11/12/2013 | Full story...
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Older shoppers are an active, canny and tech savvy group, but their reluctance to buy online remains an issue, according to new research. 04/12/2013 | Full story...
A change in measurement metrics, shoppable content and engagement will be key developments in the coming year, according to new predictions form Rakuten Marketing. 13/12/2013 | Full story...
Mobile transactions increased by 100% in the UK, over the busiest shopping weekend of the year, according to new research. 06/12/2013 | Full story...
More top ecommerce stories from this month:
- ASOS is top UK retailer on Pinterest this Christmas shopping season
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