This week on [a]listdaily weekly, virtual reality takes over E3, Millennials want to take it personal, beware the horrors of ad fraud and wheeeee! Carousel ads.
Whoo Whoo! All aboard the hype train! Yes, E3 is a thrill and a treat for all who come to this expo of marketing expos. And if you don’t already have tickets, don’t worry—you can always come on down and press your face against the cold, hard glass outside. It’s totally sold out. This year, mobile games stepped aside as brands toted fancy new games with virtual and augmented reality. For the first time, E3 Live offers a limited amount of non-industry ticket holders to witness the event from home, which you can . . . oh yeah. That sold out, too.
Boom. American venture capitalist, Mary Meeker, just dropped her internet trends report and Since millennials value self-expression and diversity, and they make up 27 percent of the U.S. population, brands must shift in order to reach these consumers where they are. Meeker notes that 48 percent of millennials prefer to be contacted via the internet or social media. Which basically means brands can stop using the Yellow Pages, smoke signals, and carrier pigeons. On the other hand, Gen X still prefers telephone or electronic messaging as their primary choice of communication.
GASP! Ad fraud is big business. According to a report from Forensiq, 34 percent of the mobile inventory overall—which includes banners, interstitial, and video ads—is at risk of fraud. That may sound grim, but for the sake of perspective, it could be worse. Millions of venom-spitting reptilian overlords who cannot be killed could theoretically land on Earth and destroy us, but they haven’t, so there’s that.
Whee! Carousel ads seem to be the new display ads—only better—because they’re in-stream and engageable, gettin’ all . . . swipe-y and stuff. Swipe left, swipe right . . . It’s like Tinder, but nobody tries to kiss you.
