Welcome to your monthly round-up for busy MarCom professionals. Each month, we share the latest news, strategies, tools and trends affecting the industry landscape. Check-in for the latest updates from all over the web.
CMOs Reflect On How COVID Has Reshaped Marketing 1-Year In — And What They Would Have Done Differently
As the U.S. nears the one-year milestone living under the coronavirus pandemic, marketers are taking stock of an industry that has changed rapidly and in ways that could be permanent. While leaders are hopeful amid progress in beating back COVID-19, the bottom line is that consumers will reemerge into the world weary and on edge after having weathered a crisis that left more than 500,000 people dead in this country alone. Read more…
Inside Google Marketing: How We (finally) Proved The Value Of Influencer Marketing
Here’s a familiar marketing question: “Have you thought about including influencers as part of this campaign?” The all-too-common nudge often stems from a desire to amplify a marketing message, and the conversation normally includes references to lofty-sounding metrics such as impressions, social media likes, and earned media value.
At Google, we fundamentally believe in the value of influencers. But for influencers to be a credible part of our marketing mix, we had to prove their return beyond vanity metrics, as Marvin Chow, our VP of marketing, has pointed out. “No doubt influencer marketing does something,” he said. “But to comfortably put spend and resources behind it, we needed to better understand the return on investment, especially in the context of other channels.” Read more…
IAB: Digital Ad Revenue Rose 12% In 2020 Amid Rebound From Pandemic
The strong rebound in digital advertising during the second half of last year came as people spent more time consuming media through connected devices like smart TVs and mobile phones. As marketers sought to reach consumers who were spending more time at home and shopping online, especially as the holiday season ramped up, the second half of the year completely erased the weakness of the second quarter. Read more…
How P&G and Lush Pursue Brand Activism With Authenticity
In recent years, the trend of purpose-driven marketing has evolved into a greater focus on brand activism, as brands weigh in on often controversial and political topics that are at the heart of the cultural conversation. When done well, it’s a strategy that resonates with consumers: Nearly half view the trend positively, about a third believe it can help bring real change, and more than half say brand activism impacts purchasing behavior or brand impression, per a recent Piplsay survey. Read more…
Publicis Partners With The Trade Desk In Latest Alternative Tracking Move
Publicis Groupe, the global marketing and communications company, has announced a partnership with The Trade Desk to create another alternative to third-party cookie-based addressability.
The move will give The Trade Desk access to Epsilon’s database of billions of consumer transactions as well as household data, demographics and interests. Publicis acquired Epsilon from Alliance Data Systems in 2019 for $3.95 billion. Publicis clients will get access to The Trade Desk’s DSP to run digital campaigns. Read more…
Consolidating Locations and Google My Business Listings Due to COVID-19
How should you handle Google My Business listings when circumstances force a multi-location brand to consolidate?
This question is one I’m now increasingly receiving from local enterprises. Brands which made rapid adaptations in 2020 to continue serving the public are now having to make longer-term decisions based on the COVID-19 recession, altered consumer behavior, and budget. Read more…
Most U.S. Marketers Ready To Quit In Last Year
An astonishing 59% of U.S. marketers considered resigning at least once in the past year, while 79% described the pandemic as the most challenging period of their career.
Those are the most sobering statistics in a new survey of 400 marketing professionals conducted by Advanis for digital experience platform Sitecore. The reasons behind the statistics are not hard to find: 80% said their responsibilities had significantly increased in the past year, against a backdrop of pressure from management, unrealistic deadlines, and sharp changes in strategy.Read more…
The Concerning Future Of The Resilient Keyword
It is with tears I write this article. I weep not solely for my loss, but yours as well. I am referring, of course, to what I see as the inevitable demise of a legend, an icon, the darling of all marketing land:
The keyword.
Joking aside, the keyword is an entity we should pause to appreciate more. In my recent book (Ponderings of a PPC Professional), I devoted an entire chapter to the remarkable nature of the search keyword. I am no enemy of the keyword, and yet, I find myself understanding the inner workings of Google search, marketing psychology, privacy and technology better than I ever have before. Read more…
Just when it looked like more and more colleges were finding ways to provide a face-to-face learning experience during the continuing pandemic, West Chester University (right in my backyard) announced that virtual learning was being extended into the spring 2021 semester. That’s right…Spring 2021. As this was being announced, WCU’s local school district was moving into hybrid.
TikTok is relatively new to the social media landscape. And it could be gone next month.
