77 Percent of Executives Say Sustainability Increases Consumer Loyalty

New research shows adopting sustainability practices can boost a brand’s key metrics, as 77 percent of executives say sustainability initiatives have increased consumer loyalty. That’s according to Capgemini Research Institute’s latest report on the impact of sustainability on consumers’ buying behavior and where the consumer products and retail (CPR) industry stands in scaling sustainability initiatives.

The findings show that consumers care about sustainability and climate change. About 72 percent say they’re concerned about their environmental footprint. An even larger amount of consumers (79 percent) are changing the way they buy based on the social responsibility, inclusiveness or environmental impact of their purchases.

The main motivations for changing preferences include wanting to make a difference in saving the earth for future generations (80 percent), concerns about fair labor treatment (77 percent) and concerns about issues like poverty and hunger (76 percent). 

Additionally, 53 percent of consumers say they’ve switched to lesser-known brands if they’re sustainable.

Yet consumers don’t expect sustainability to come at a higher price, as 65 percent say that sustainable products don’t need to be more expensive than similar, non-sustainable products.

Executives understand that sustainability has far-reaching implications and many feel confident their business can or already does support such programs. For example, 90 percent agree that sustainability is highly important for the industry and 66 percent say that sustainability is fully integrated into their business objectives.

Though consumers value sustainability, safety concerns raised by the pandemic are causing them to prioritize packaging hygiene over sustainable packaging. For example, 54 percent plan to reduce their use of items in refillable packaging. Almost half (40 percent) plan to buy used or refurbished products less. And the same amount prefer their products to come in disposable packaging.

That sustainability costs money and will impact profitability is very dated, says Eelco Smit, senior director of sustainability at Philips. In fact, Capgemini’s research reveals there’s a strong connection between sustainability and business benefits as 80 percent of executives surveyed pointed to an increase in customer loyalty as a key benefit from sustainability programs. Sixty-nine percent say sustainability increases brand value, which is echoed by a similar finding: 70 percent of consumers urge friends and family not to interact with brands they perceive as not environmentally sustainable or socially responsible. Nearly 63 percent of executives also agree that sustainability initiatives helped boost revenues.

Other benefits executives experience from sustainability programs include an increase in employee motivation levels (67 percent), an increase in customer satisfaction scores (65 percent) and an increase in supplier loyalty (61 percent).

Globally, there’s a nearly six percent missed revenue opportunity for brands that don’t practice sustainability. In the US, that figure is 3.1 percent whereas in Italy, it’s 7.8 percent.

While 65 percent of executives believe their customers are aware of their sustainability efforts, nearly half (49 percent) of consumers say they lack the information to verify product sustainability claims and 44 percent say they don’t trust these claims.

Additionally, just 36 percent of consumers think the packaging of products in stores is minimal and eco-friendly and only 37 percent think their retailer has in-store recycling initiatives.

Factors that empower brands to practice sustainable behavior include exploring business opportunities across markets (74 percent) and matching up with competitive pressure (70 percent).

However, companies say internal challenges block their ability to scale sustainability. For example, 80 percent of executives say a key challenge is the impact on margins or cost overruns and three-quarters say other issues or opportunities take priority over sustainability.

The findings are based on a survey Capgemini distributed to 7,500 consumers and 750 senior executives in various sectors of the CPR industry in March.

Report: Consumer Views On Buying, Traveling And More During COVID-19

In May, some countries thought the worst of the pandemic was near as they proceeded to reopen. Now, as cases return to peak levels, restrictions are being reimposed, forcing many back into lockdowns. GlobalWebIndex set out to understand how this setback has shaped consumers’ outlook on the pandemic. Its fifth coronavirus research wave, conducted between June 29 and July 2, across 18 countries, reveals changes in purchasing decisions, travel plans and sentiments regarding the Black Lives Matter movement and non-COVID-related advertising. 

Across all markets surveyed, 80 percent of people—particularly Gen Z, millennials and the higher income group—say they’re delaying big purchases because of COVID-19, likely due in part to 60 percent of respondents reporting that the pandemic has affected their job. For example, 27 percent have taken pay cuts and 24 percent have experienced a reduction in hours. Fewer than 10 percent say they’re not making any financial changes.

The number of people who say they’re spending more time consuming entertainment and social media content has sharply declined since the first two waves of GlobalWebIndex’s research. Yet 24 percent of respondents say that after the pandemic is over, they’ll watch more videos, 23 percent will watch more content on streaming services and 20 percent will use social media services and messaging apps more.

Other activities expected to continue post-pandemic include shopping online more often (50 percent), having more family time (29 percent), watching more news coverage (23 percent) and cooking more (23 percent).

Respondents are divided on the reopening of large indoor venues: 40 percent oppose it and the same amount supports it. In the US, 53 percent oppose it and in the UK, 55 percent oppose it.

Based on five activities GlobalWebIndex asked about—cinema, bars, fast-food, restaurants and gyms—nearly 70 percent expect to make changes to how they spend their time outside of the house. Forty-two percent say they’ll eat at restaurants less often and 38 percent will go to the movies less frequently.

Regarding vacations, consumers don’t expect to go anywhere far anytime soon. In the next 12 months, 48 percent of respondents said they’ll take a domestic vacation and 32 percent said they’ll plan a local staycation. Just nine percent would go on a long international trip and 13 percent on a short international trip.

When asked what brands should be doing to support the Black Lives Matter movement, 85 percent said a brand should be doing at least one of the eight initiatives GlobalWebIndex mentioned, with the strongest support for advocating for local and national community initiatives, taking a stand on social media and ensuring diversity in leadership teams. The protests have made racial justice a more important matter for around 20 percent.

Since the outbreak began, marketers have revised or canceled campaigns to avoid appearing tone-deaf. But the survey found that just 13 percent of consumers disapprove of brands advertising as normal. Thirty-six percent approve of brands running COVID-related ads.

A little over half of consumers expressed a strong interest in permanently teleworking. Remote learning is also appealing as 60 percent of Gen Z and millennials are extremely or very interested in enrolling in online learning courses.

Countries that have been able to flatten the curve, including Spain, France and the UK, are recording their lowest levels of concern about their own domestic crises. And despite a resurgence in cases, the US saw a five-point drop since May. Whereas concerns in Australia and China are starting to spike again.

The findings are based on a survey among 15,271 internet users aged 16-64.

What We’re Reading–Week Of July 6th

We’re searching for the most pressing marketing insights this week. 



Tik Tok: The Perfect Way To Reach Heartland Gen Z’ers

Forbes

TikTok’s highly intuitive algorithm produces a personalized video feed and its suite of creativity tools allows limitless originality and potential for videos to go viral. 

Why it matters: 75 percent of Gen Z in the Midwest report feeling overlooked because of where they live, making TikTok a promising avenue for brands to build rapport with this audience.


3 Brands Pivot To Content In Winning Ways As COVID-19 Rears Its Ugly Face

Media Post

With live sports canceled, the Jacksonville Jaguars started providing educational material for fans including video content featuring at-home workouts and actual players reading books to kids.

Why it matters: To promote their new content, the Jaguars sent out a weekly newsletter titled “Quarantine Content,” which saw an 8-12 percent lift on open rates. 


Bozoma Saint John Took $7 Million Payday To Leap To Netflix

TheWrap

Bozoma Saint John was offered a nearly $7 million payday to become CMO of Netflix. She came from Endeavor, where her contract was set to expire at the end of 2020.

Why it matters: Saint John’s move follows WME laying off or furloughing 20 percent of its workforce in May.


Brand Marketers Are Needed To Build The Post-Third-Party Cookie Ecosystem

AdExchanger

Since Google announced Chrome would stop supporting third-party cookies within two years, there’s been a lack of communication between the tech and marketing sides on how to reinvent audience planning practices.

Why it matters: A solution to retargeting without third-party cookies that’s co-designed by marketers and tech experts would ensure wider adoption and limited disruption. 


Amazon Tells Sellers To Remove Washington Redskins Items

Adweek

Amazon said it’s removing products with the Washington Redskins’ name and logo from its stores, giving third-party sellers 48 hours to remove similar flagged products. Walmart, Target and Nike have also dropped Redskins apparel from their sites.

Why it matters: The decision to pull Redskins merchandise comes after the NFL began a review of its name, which has long been considered a racial slur.


7 Strategies For Promoting Collaboration In A Crisis

Harvard Business Review

Leaders can foster collaboration in times of uncertainty by involving people from a wide variety of backgrounds to help the group collectively see potential risks or solutions and making direct contact with people down the hierarchy to learn about their actions and states of mind.

Why it matters: Research shows that during a crisis, anxiety causes people to fall back on actions that have worked in the past, what researchers call “threat rigidity.”


Global Brands Launch Co-Branded Products, Appeal To Chinese Millennials

WWD

Chinese brands are partnering with mega-influencers and eclectic media properties such as museums and gaming titles on co-branded products. For example, Vans China recently launched a shoe collection in partnership with National Geographic and Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty brand launched a limited-edition blush set with China’s popular bubble tea brand, Heytea.

Why it matters: These partnerships enable brands to connect with new young customer segments.


How Essence Pulled Off Its First Virtual Festival

Adweek

In April, COVID forced Essence to transform its 50th in-person festival, which typically draws over half a million people and contributes $300 million to the New Orleans economy, into a free virtual event in just two months.

Why it matters: The pivot required Essence to pre-record some content and incorporate interactive components such as a voting hub, offering attendees access to resources for amplifying their voices in local and national elections.


Research: Only 10% Of Joint Venture Board Members Are Women

Harvard Business Review

Harvard Business Review’s studied over 200 joint ventures across industries and markets and found that just 10 percent of joint venture directors are women. Whereas 26 percent of directors on S&P 500 corporate boards are women. 

Why it matters: Joint venture boards aren’t subject to the same public scrutiny or quotas that have helped to encourage greater gender diversity on public company boards. Yet studies show that companies with female board directors have higher average operating profits and returns on equity compared to companies with all-male boards.


Uber Buys Postmates In $2.65B Deal

Restaurant Dive

Uber is acquiring Postmates for $2.65 billion in an all-stock transaction, according to a company press release

Why it matters: The deal will give Uber Eats the largest market share in Los Angeles and 35 percent of US food delivery market share. Uber estimates it will issue about 84 million shares of common stock for 100 percent of Postmate’s fully diluted equity.


Rethinking Work Schedules? Consider These 4 Questions

Harvard Business Review

The Harvard Business Review examined 153 academic articles on how working a nonstandard schedule affects employee attitudes and well-being. They found that irregular work schedules can lead to irregular habits and put a strain on family relationships and that certain employees are better suited to work certain hours. 

Why it matters: Employers considering implementing nonstandard work schedules should find employees who, based on their personality, needs or life circumstances, want to work them.


Reviving High-Touch Business Models For The Social Distancing Era

MIT Slogan Management Review

Lockdowns have led to a resurgence of interest in services that evoke nostalgia, like milk and frozen-food delivery services and drive-in theaters.

Why it matters: Social distancing presents an opportunity for brands to identify new value propositions including a shift from a self-service to a full-service model and the transcendence of a brand’s physical location to reach new markets.


Influencer Pioneer Coltrane Curtis On The Steps To Success

Adweek

Coltrane Curtis, founder of marketing agency Team Epiphany, whose clients include Audi, BET and HBO, says females and/or minorities represent over 50 percent of his staff. 

Why it matters: To sell a visionary idea, Curtis suggests giving a client what they want, and something that they’re not paying for. “The first one is on you but, when you prove that it works, they’ll pay the second time and beyond.”


The Future Of Grocery Stories 

Forbes

The grocery store of the future will focus more on experience than things, such as offering cooking classes and wine tastings and will utilize artificial intelligence to answer routine questions and facilitate the checkout process.

Why it matters: Customers use their experiences to differentiate between brands.

Social Media Spending Increases 74 Percent During Pandemic

Since February, marketers increased their social media and mobile spend by 74 percent and 70 percent, respectively, according to a new special COVID-19 edition CMO Survey from Deloitte, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the American Marketing Association (AMA).

The results indicate consumers are now more receptive to digital experiences but are also more deliberate in their purchasing. As for marketers, optimism about their company and the overall economy has plummeted to near 2008 recession levels while marketing budgets account for the highest percentage of firms’ overall budgets and revenues in CMO Survey history.

As consumers increasingly shop and socialize online during lockdowns, 84 percent of marketers say customers are showing an increased openness to new digital offerings, a newfound value they believe will remain high post-pandemic.

Social media budgets jumped from 12.3 percent to 23.2 percent of total marketing spend, leading to a 24 percent in brand performance since February and marking a record first lift. However, performance remained unchanged by increased investment in mobile.

Brands have primarily used social media during the pandemic for brand awareness, retaining current customers, acquiring new customers and running brand promotions. Additionally, 7.5 percent of marketing budgets involve the use of influencers, with the number expected to reach 12.7 percent in three years.

While the number of Americans seeking jobless aid balloons, 67.2 percent of marketers have observed a lower likelihood to buy and 43.3 percent have observed an unwillingness to pay full price. Nevertheless, they’re optimistic that consumer behavior will return to normal in six to 12 months. 

About 20 percent of brands believe consumers’ highest priority will be trusting relationships, up from 19.9 percent in February 2009.

Brand building and retaining customers have been two areas of focus for marketers, at 33 percent and 32.6 percent, respectively. Over half (60.8 percent) say they’ve shifted resources to building better digital customer experiences, 56.2 percent say they’ve transformed their go-to market business models and 41.9 percent are working to expand into new products and services.

While a global push for racial equity persists, 79 percent of marketers say consumers are taking greater note of companies’ attempts to “do good.” Yet just 18.9 percent of respondents deem taking a stance on politically charged issues as appropriate, citing benefits such as standing out, showing that their company cares and attracting new customers.

Respondents report a major loss of sales revenue, products and customer acquisition. For example, nearly 17 percent of marketers have lost over 50 percent of their revenue, with sales revenue dipping 17.8 percent. Compared to 64 percent of marketers who report sales losses, 30.3 percent have reported gains and 5.2 percent have reported no change.

Ramifications also include losses in profits and new customers, with 14.4 percent reporting a loss of more than 50 percent of profits and 11 percent reporting a loss of more than 50 percent of customer acquisition. Brands expect the aforementioned to rebound in 2021, anticipating a 7.1 percent growth in customer acquisition, a 4.2 percent rise in revenues and a 2.6 percent increase in profits.

Despite these disruptions, marketing budgets remain critical as the data show they have increased to the highest percentage of firms’ overall budgets and revenues in the survey’s history, at 12.6 percent and 11.4 percent, respectively. Comparatively, nearly half of digital marketing budgets remain unchanged.

The job market for advertisers has also taken a hit, resulting in a nine percent loss of marketing jobs, with 24 percent of marketers expecting those jobs to never return.

The results are based on a survey conducted among nearly 300 marketers at for-profit US companies, between May 5 and 27.

Eric Wong Named President And CMO For Warner Recorded Music

This week in leadership updates, Eric Wong is named president and CMO of Warner Recorded Music, Ledo Pizza promotes Will Robinson to chief marketing officer, WarnerMedia appoints Johannes Larcher to head of HBO Max international, Diageo India hires Deepika Warrier as CMO and more.


Warner Music Group Hires Eric Wong As President And Chief Marketing Officer, Warner Recorded Music

Warner Music Group has named Eric Wong as president and CMO of Warner Recorded Music. According to the press release, “In this first of its kind post at Warner, Wong will serve as the head of worldwide marketing, spearheading a one-company mission to expand careers for global artists and elevate local artists to the global stage.”

Wong comes from Universal Music Group’s Island Records, where he served as chief operating officer. Prior to Island Records, Wong held senior roles at Def Jam Records and was CMO at Bad Boy Entertainment.


Ledo Pizza Appoints Will Robinson To Chief Marketing Officer

Ledo Pizza has promoted Will Robinson from vice president of marketing to CMO. In his new role, Robinson will oversee the company’s annual sales and marketing budgets, as well as the management of franchise partners and third-party marketing vendors.

Robinson has been with Ledo Pizza for over 20 years


WarnerMedia Names Johannes Larcher As Head Of HBO Max International

According to Deadline, WarnerMedia has selected Johannes Larcher to lead the global launch of HBO Max. In August, Larcher will join the company as head of HBO Max international with his first task to launch HBO Max in Latin America in 2021.

Larcher comes from MBC Group, where he oversees Shahid.

Previously, Larcher served as Hulu senior vice president of international for four years before co-founding SubVRsive.


Diageo India Hires Deepika Warrier As Chief Marketing Officer

Diageo India has named Deepika Warrier as its new CMO, according to Campaign.

Warrier comes to the job with over two decades of experience at PepsiCo, where she most recently served as managing director of NourishCo Beverages.

Current Diageo India CMO Julie Bramham will assume a global role at the company.


Kroger Names Stuart W. Aitken As Chief Merchant And Marketing Officer

Stuart W. Aitken has accepted a promotion as Kroger’s chief merchant and marketing officer, following Joe Grieshaber’s retirement.

Aitken most recently served as senior vice president of alternative business and chief executive officer of 84.51˚, Kroger’s data analytics subsidiary.


Bulb Appoints Lis Blair As Chief Growth And Marketing Officer

Bulb has hired former easyJet CMO Lis Blair as their chief growth and marketing officer.

In April, Blair left easyJet after eight years with the company amid the travel industry crisis.


DuPont Names Kimberly Markiewicz As Vice President Of Diversity, Equity And Inclusion

DuPont has appointed Kimberly Markiewicz VP of diversity, equity and inclusion to advance the company’s DE&I programs.

Markiewicz currently leads DuPont’s PRIDE Employee Resource Group.

Markiewicz has been with DuPont since 1995 when she started as a chemical engineer. Most recently, she served as VP of environmental, health and safety.


Have a job tip or a new addition to your marketing leadership team? Contact us for coverage consideration. Article updated through Friday, July 10th.

Twitter Is Developing A Subscription Service

This week in social media news, Twitter is developing a subscription service, Instagram could potentially overtake Twitter as a news source, a Twitter study reveals a mix of ad formats improves brand metrics, YouTube makes videos longer than eight minutes eligible for monetization, civil rights groups criticize Facebook for taking its hate speech efforts lightly and more.


Twitter Is Developing A Subscription Service

According to a job listing, Twitter is recruiting an engineer for its newly formed internal team “Gryphon,” which is “building a subscription platform,” as reported by The Verge.

Why it matters: A subscription service would be a first for Twitter and potentially offer users exclusive content for a monthly fee diversifying its revenue stream.

The details: As per the job posting, Gryphon is “a team of web engineers who are closely collaborating with the Payments team and the Twitter.com team.” The group’s goal, the job listing adds, is to create a subscription platform that can be reused by other teams in the future.


Instagram To Outpace Twitter As A News Source

New data from Reuters Digital News Report found that Instagram is increasingly becoming a destination for news and could potentially overtake Twitter, eMarketer reports.

Why it matters: If Instagram users begin to interact with more controversial or politically charged news content, advertisers will have to be cautious about brand safety.

The details: The research shows that 11 percent of respondents across 12 countries said they use Instagram for news, compared to the 12 percent who use Twitter for news. Twelve percent of adults in the US specifically said they used Instagram for COVID-related news in April.


Twitter Study Shows Multiple Ad Formats Boost Key Metrics

A new study conducted by Twitter, Magna and IPG Media Lab among 4,000 Twitter users found that diverse ad formats increase consumers’ research intent sixfold and purchase intent twofold.

Why it matters: The findings come on the heels of Twitter’s earnings report, in which the company reported $682 million in Q1 ad sales and said it would not provide guidance for Q2 due to COVID-19.

The details: The results show that Twitter’s “first view” ad format that appears at the head of the content feed on its mobile app is 27 percent more cost-efficient at influencing purchase intent than other ads that appear first. In addition, Twitter’s pre-roll ads lead to an eight percent lift in product awareness and research intent, while its promoted video ads improve viewer perceptions of brand quality nine percent and cultural associations 18 percent.


YouTube Expands Eligibility For Mid-Roll Ads To Shorter Videos

YouTube has announced that starting in late July, videos longer than eight minutes will be eligible for ads shown in the middle of the video. Up until now, only videos that were 10 minutes or longer were eligible for monetization.

Why it matters: The update comes as YouTube’s advertising rates declined by about 50 percent since early February, as reported by OneZero.

The details: YouTube is turning on mid-roll ads for all eligible eight-minute or longer videos, including those videos where a creator may have opted out of mid-roll ads. Creators will ultimately have the final say as YouTube is giving them the option to turn mid-roll ads off if they choose.


After Meeting, Civil Rights Groups Criticize Facebook For Taking Hate Speech Efforts Lightly

According to the Los Angeles Times, after meeting with CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg, civil rights organizations say Facebook hasn’t taken seriously demands to update its policy around hate speech and misinformation as the advertising boycott against Facebook swells.

Why it matters: Hundreds of brands including REI, Verizon and Coca-Cola announced they will stop advertising on Facebook and/or Instagram during the month of July as part of #StopHateforProfit, a boycott led by civil rights groups.

The details: On Tuesday, civil rights groups engaged in a virtual one-hour forum with top Facebook executives to understand how the platform plans to update its policies around misinformation and hate speech. In a statement after the meeting, co-chief executive officer of Free Press, Jessica González said that the executives didn’t “commit to a timeline,” but instead “delivered the same old talking points to try to placate us without meeting our demands.”

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, one of the organizers of the advertising boycott, told reporters, “Today we saw little and heard just about nothing. The company is functionally flawed.”


Instagram Rolls Out Pinned Comments Feature To All Users

Instagram is rolling out a new feature that enables users to pin up to three comments to the top of their feed post, according to Instagram VP of product, Vishal Shah.

Why it matters: The feature comes after Instagram announced in May it was testing various features meant to give users more control over their Instagram interactions. The pinned comment feature in particular could be Facebook’s way of compensating for its shortcomings in curbing hate speech on Facebook.

The details: As per Shah’s tweet:


Google Introduces New Tools To Help Improve Ad Campaign Performance

Google is adding new tools to manage campaigns on the go, discover keyword and targeting recommendations based on evolving search trends and provide more transparency on how its automated Smart Bidding process works.

Why it matters: The new features will help advertisers identify major shifts in consumer behavior during the pandemic.

The details: First, Google is highlighting the value of its Recommendations page to pivot quickly. Though not new, the feature includes more than 16 million keyword recommendations based on market trends. Google says it will roll out recommendations to Google Ads Editor as well as Google Ads API to help advertisers act on recommendations at scale.

Next, Google is implementing Performance Planner, a tool that estimates clicks, conversions and conversion values based on varying spend levels, into Display and App campaigns. The tool was previously only available for Search and Shopping campaigns.

Lastly, advertisers will soon be able to create, monitor and manage portfolio bid strategies across accounts in a single portfolio, as well as understand how their strategies are working via new bid-strategy reports.

In the coming months, Google also plans to provide explanations on how Smart Bidding campaigns work including causes of clicks, impressions and conversions to change.


TikTok Launches Self-Serve Ad Platform

TikTok is launching self-serve ad tools designed to support small and mid-size businesses worldwide.

Why it matters: TikTok’s move to ramp up advertising follows a tumultuous few weeks for the app as it was recently banned in India, its largest market and where it has invested more than $1 billion to build a user base. As a result, it could lose as much as $6 billion. Now, TikTok is leaving Hong Kong after China imposed a controversial national security law there.

The details: With TikTok’s self-serve ad platform, businesses can adjust their spending at any time, choose who to target and use a suite of creative tools to customize campaigns.

TikTok is also rolling out business accounts, which will include a website link and a contact button.

As part of its global “Back-to-Business” program, TikTok committed $100 million in advertising credits to help small and medium-sized brands promote themselves. Both existing brands and new ones are eligible to apply for a one-time free ad credit of up to $300 that must be used by the end of the year. TikTok says it will match any additional spending beyond the $300 credit up to $2,000.


YouTube Clarifies How Its Algorithm Factors In Click-Through Rate

In a new video posted to the Creator Insider channel from the group’s technical team, YouTube product managers Patricia and Rachel explain what role click-through rate (CTR) and average viewer duration (AVD) play in video distribution and performance to clarify how videos get discovered.

Why it matters: The video comes after YouTube introduced its new forthcoming analytics insights display, which will show creators their average CTR and AVD to help them understand how their videos are performing.

The details: The managers explain that sometimes a video with the highest views has the lowest CTR because YouTube shows high distribution videos to a broader audience, one that is less familiar with your work, resulting in lower CTR. To account for this discrepancy when measuring performance, the managers suggest analyzing all available metrics and to keep an eye out for A/B thumbnail testing, which it hopes to have in the long term.

On whether YouTube’s algorithm compares AVD for videos that vary in length, the managers explain: 

“In discovery, we actually look at both relative and absolute watch time, those are both meaningful signals and how your videos are going to be recommended. You would still need to do some cross-referencing, even if we swapped out ‘average view duration’ for ‘average percentage viewed’, because it’s easier for short videos to hit a really high amount of average percentage watched. We can only focus creators on so many metrics, and we chose average view duration because how much time somebody spends with you in your content is a really strong indicator of interest. That being said, we want videos of all lengths to succeed on YouTube, and get discovered.”

Because CTR and AVD don’t always paint the whole picture, the managers say to keep in mind the large competition for audience, that some topics are more popular and that some topics will perform better during certain times of the year.


Twitter Tests A Collaborative Feature For Fleets

Twitter is testing functionality for Fleets, its version of Instagram stories, that would merge two users into a single stream, as spotted by Amrith Shanbhag and confirmed by Twitter.

Why it matters: Instagram has a co-streaming feature for live stories that produces a similar effect, but Twitter seems to be the first company testing a collaborative feature for stories.

The details: As shown in Shanbhag’s post, Twitter’s collaborative feature for Fleets would merge two contributors to create a dual bubble, similar to how it’s displayed on Instagram’s stories bar when two users go live together. Tapping the dual bubble would display the two users’ collaborative Fleet.

As per Twitter:

“We are testing something new for some people using Fleets in Brazil so they can Fleet with another account and everyone can see their conversation for 24 hours. We are trying this to understand how people might use this new way of having conversations in Fleets, as part of our bigger efforts to better serve the public conversation and encourage people to share fleeting thoughts.”

Twitter is currently rolling out Fleets to users in India, South Korea, Italy and Brazil.

How To Use Data To Impact Your Brand Perception And Bottom Line

Ayzenberg VP of product and technology Chris Strawser shares challenges and solutions marketers face in adopting a data-driven marketing approach. 

Part one, which outlines challenges, is available here.

Determining how to effectively reach consumers in the age of coronavirus was hard enough when shelter-at-home orders first took effect. Then most parts of the country reopened. Yet the return to normal was short-lived as cases began to surge again, causing officials to reverse reopening and once again muddying marketers’ plans for the future.

Last time, I shared my thoughts on how a data-driven marketing strategy during COVID-19 and beyond can help position your business for growth and the challenges associated with leveraging data. I’ll now discuss the ways marketers can overcome those challenges and successfully use data to impact their brand perception and bottom line.

Use A System Of Record For A Cohesive Data Strategy

Having a cohesive data strategy is usually the first step to utilizing data correctly and more often. That involves having a system of record. Even if you have a grand data warehousing strategy, you still need to feed that data into systems that allow you to use it. A system of record could mean a customer relationship management (CRM) system, an email campaign system or a content management system (CMS). Or it can be something like a business intelligence tool such as Datorama that helps you visualize all of your data, which is a really key component in terms of allowing your organization to use the data it has at their disposal.

When you see the data through the different filters these systems of record offer, you can stack key performance indicators (KPIs) in certain ways that maybe you haven’t seen before. For example, is there a direct correlation between the volume of visitors on our website and our Twitter channel engagement rates? They could seem disconnected, but with a system like this, you can pull those seemingly disparate data points together and look at how they may correlate.

Another thing to keep in mind is just because you’re having to rewrite the playbook doesn’t mean your pre-COVID-19 data is meaningless. Understanding how consumers used to interact with you can be helpful in your analysis of the way they’re being forced to interact with you during lockdowns. And that’s where the human intelligence of data-driven marketing becomes so important. You can’t have data robots doing all your marketing for you. Data-driven marketing is only as effective as the human beings you’re running it through because at some point, the process must be influenced from a human’s standpoint. You’re using the data to inform the way you’re thinking about how you want to craft that connection. But ultimately, a human being has to look at the data and say, all of this allows me to know that I want to craft this kind of experience, because I know that as a human myself, this is what would be most beneficial.

Ensure Your Approach Is Mutually Beneficial To The Brand And Customer

The main point of using a data-driven approach is to get your data in a place that allows you to affect the consumer experience much more positively and then have that experience lead to some conversion which then repeats itself over time through some loyal behavior.

If you do it right, there should be a mutual benefit. The consumer should feel like they actually got something, an experience from you that she was satisfied with and that she felt like this was really a positive experience with this company. It’s about going above and beyond and making sure the consumer had a good experience, and that because of it, their perception of the brand has been elevated. At the other end of it, the brand is only going to survive if it continues to nurture that process.

In the age of coronavirus, the success of consumer experiences will be dependent on using more digital touch points as many continue working from home.The more companies shift to remote work, the more it’s going to change these local economies. Daily habits and behavior patterns are now being heavily influenced by the new normals of social distancing and quarantine and thus pushing most consumers online to meet their needs. 

This is changing the way that people are interacting with brands. Consumers are a click away from interacting with a myriad of brands and shedding past daily rituals that were supporting a lot of local businesses, such as restaurants and cafes near their workplace.

Given these factors, it’s important for brands to begin to incorporate data points that may be new or thus far underutilized, such as social share of voice (SOV). Even understanding the competitive and cross-vertical social share of voice outside of your brand will be important for understanding the climate you’re in and how that’s affecting your marketplace.

Think Efficiency Over Lifetime Value

Starting your data journey in a way that focuses on the things that are most effective for you in the short term is probably going to be a more effective tactic than getting into five to seven-year data strategy plans and programs. You can still plan ahead, it’s just very hard to know where the world is going to be in five years from now, whereas I think that wasn’t necessarily a concern before.

To think in terms of efficiency over lifetime value, ask yourself, ’What is making an impact right now?’ and ‘What is doing well for me at this very moment?’ Knowing what is doing well for you right now allows you to better understand how to pivot going forward.

The food and beverage industry is a good example. Most people I’ve talked to, at least in my area, are still going to the places that offer contactless delivery or that make pickup really easy, even if they have other options available to them. These businesses have been so accommodating over the last several months and in turn, they’ve built up trust with the consumer. As a result, the consumer doesn’t want to go anywhere else. That’s the affinity and the loyalty I’m referring to.

Many brands are thinking of COVID-19 as a fleeting period, that they just need to weather it and then everything will go back to normal. I don’t think that’s going to happen. The brand that did really well when times were really tough, that has built up the most equity and trust with consumers to-date, will come out the other end of this in great shape. Those who’ve failed or stumbled their way through this are probably going to suffer.

Being data-driven in marketing is less about cold calculations and decision making based on dry statistics and more about leveraging the specific data points that drive personalized and empathetic experiences. The focus on big data should really be more about an obsession with the best data and the most valuable data points are the ones that lead to growth in consumer frequency and recency metrics via experiences that are surprisingly delightful to the consumer. And in our current climate, those touchpoints are built from data points filtered through human intelligence and empathy, with person and machine playing equal parts.

41 Percent Of Gen Z Will Provide Their Data For A Personalized Experience

When it comes to digital fluency, one generation trumps all others: Gen Z. To understand the group’s expectations of the internet, the Center for Generational Kinetics and WP Engine conducted its third annual study, “Generation Influence.” Though responses were recorded before the pandemic, the findings are still very much relevant as brands are thrust into rapid digital transformation.

Understanding Gen Z’s digital-first world is key to reaching the group. So it should come as no surprise that 58 percent of Gen Z said they couldn’t go more than four hours without internet access before becoming uncomfortable, up three percent since last year. On the other hand, 27 percent of boomers reported being able to go up to 24 hours without the internet.

One belief that separates Gen Z from other groups is that personalization isn’t creepy. In fact, 41 percent said they’ll leave a website if it doesn’t predict what they like, want or need and 75 percent are more likely to buy a product if they can customize it.

Other factors that influence Gen Z’s buying behavior include online feedback and purpose-driven messaging. For example, 55 percent said positive online ratings and reviews build their trust in a brand while 33 percent believe the opinions of online influencers more than their friends or family. Plus, 72 percent said they’re more likely to buy from a company that contributes to social causes.

Gen Z’s bond with the web runs so deep that 64 percent believe the internet will be so predictive it will determine what they do on a daily basis. Likewise, 41 percent of Gen Z will forgo security/privacy concerns and provide their data in return for a personalized experience.

When asked about ads, 82 percent of Gen Z said they trust a company more if their ads feature images of actual customers, while just 45 percent said they trust a company if the images in their ad are aspirational. These preferences reflect Gen Z’s appreciation for authenticity, one of the reasons social media is so appealing to them.

The ways which generations use the internet differ as well. Whereas Gen Z primarily uses the internet for entertainment and socializing, millennials, Gen X and boomers use it to access information. Fifty-six percent of Gen Z said they have friends online that they’ve never met in real life and 23 percent said they trust someone they meet online more than a person they meet in real life.

What all groups can agree on is the increasingly important role video will play in the future. Over 70 percent of each generation believe video rather than text-based content will dominate the internet in the next five years, implicating video experiences will be paramount if brands want to engage these groups.

Gen Z’s view of the internet is less skeptical than other generations: 79 percent of Gen Z compared to 70 percent of boomers think the internet has made people more connected. This openness towards the web also signals the likelihood that Gen Z will be early adopters of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, which 64 percent of Gen Z think will have a positive impact on the world—compared to 46 percent of boomers. In addition, 77 percent of Gen Z believe virtual reality will see increased adoption in the next five years.

The findings are based on an online survey distributed to 1,252 US respondents ages 14-59 including a 250-person oversample of Gen Z, from September 2019 to October 2019.

Gary Goodman’s Creative Picks: Film Techniques

Ayzenberg creative director Gary Goodman explores his top picks for the most resonant campaigns he’s seen in the wild, this week focusing on filmmaking techniques as a distinguishing characteristic.



I thought I’d focus this week on filmmaking techniques and how some of my current favorite videos take an innovative approach to storytelling. Because of the cleverness of the idea and the level of careful planning that goes into each of these, the end result is well worth the effort.

These filmmakers dazzle us like great magicians by crafting illusions that bring a familiar idea to life in a fresh way, one that has us scratching our heads wondering “how the heck did they do that” or more importantly, “why didn’t I think of that?


Dacia Ingenious Productions”  –  Publicis * Poke London

First up is a car commercial made during quarantine for a brand you’ve probably never heard of, Dacia.

Why it matters: While the brand was unknown to me, I was so blown away by this spot that I wanted to know more. As a creative director, I’m always curious how something so good comes to life and what drove the decisions behind-the-scenes. Foundationally, there’s the impact of COVID-19 that makes a fresh production approach mandatory, but car commercials generally follow such tried and true methods that it’s rare for one to jump out from the pack—even more unlikely for a car brand with very little brand identity to those outside of Europe.

So after rewatching it about 20 times, I dug a little deeper and was really pleased with what I uncovered. First off, the car company has said that because they are so competitively priced, people new to the brand often want to know if there’s a catch. This led me to discover their smart engineering approach, which apparently is different to other manufacturers and nothing short of ingenious. The ad extends this thought by asking: why shouldn’t everything with the Dacia name also be an ingenious production?

The details: Clear brief in hand, the agency brought in the Israeli filmmaking duo, Vania and Gal, who had previously made the music video for Coldplay’s “Up & Up.” Vania and Gal had a clear vision from the start and put together a proof of concept test film featuring the illusion they had in mind. What’s so impressive is all the attention to detail that makes this spot soar, from the Macbook Pros serving as ground and background planes to the actors multitasking to create the soundtrack and lighting FX in real time. Note: the entire spot was done in-camera in Vania’s Tel Aviv flat in one take.


Vertical Salon – Starburst Swirlers

Next up is another clever use of filmmaking techniques and also an appreciation of how one’s audience likes to best consume media, that is, vertically on their phones.  

Why it matters: This one starts with the clever realization that the new Starburst Swirlers are their first “vertical” candy when compared to the normal square shape of Starburst candies we’re all used to. As an ad guy, I appreciate being able to land such a clear and foundational premise that everything else can be built on. In this case, it’s not an obvious observation, but I’m sure once one of the creatives said it aloud, everyone in the room probably just smiled because of all the possibilities unlocked. As one of my former colleagues used to cavalierly say, “now the spot will essentially write itself.” 

OK, it was never actually that easy, but I always appreciated it when he said it with such confidence.

So where do you take the “world’s first vertical candy?” Well, of course you’d want to construct a simulated vertical world. The added benefit? The primary candy buying demo is a younger audience who live on their phones and consume most of their media in the vertical format. Double-win for the agency.

The details: There’s a great BTS on YouTube if you’re curious to see all the details of how they brought this to life. To simulate the physics of verticality brought to the real world, the filmmakers constructed a hair salon set in a large rectangular box, then flipped it on its side so everything now had the proper vertical orientation. The actors were harnessed and wired for safety while the crew could tilt the set, notably when achieving the shot where the actor with the broom slides through frame. It appears that the actors had to master the effects of gravity along the way, but all to great effect as one actor shares her Starburst with her neighbor in the chair below.


Santa Cruz Bikes, “Get Creative With Your Surroundings” – Cut Media

Thanks to my friends up in Vancouver, The Sequence Group, for turning me on to this amazing stop-motion and miniature gem for Santa Cruz Bikes.

Why it matters: Picking the right way to visually narrate a story can make a huge difference in its audience impact. Although it would have been easy, even in the time of COVID-19, to ask fans to strap cameras to their bikes and helmets and go out to shoot their favorite trails and tricks, SCBs chose a different path. By going with a representative approach vs. showing the real thing, we are invited to use our imaginations and think of all the things we wish we could be doing right now. It’s open-ended enough that everyone can envision their experiences biking through nature, carving up trails while maybe pulling off some IG-worthy tricks. Just careful you don’t end up mimicking the 2:00 mark.

The details: The campaign was originally slated as a road trip through Greece with some of the brand’s top athletes, but because of the quarantine a new solution was needed. The solution came from one of the agency’s in-house creatives along with his brother, some clever miniatures and their back garden in Glasgow, Scotland. The brothers manufactured the hand-crafted bike, all the props and sets and painstakingly captured the micro-moments of magic. 

Refreshing A Brand (And Yourself) With NI’s CMO Carla Piñeyro Sublett

During this 215th episode of “Marketing Today,” I interview Carla Piñeyro Sublett, chief marketing officer at NI.

On the show today, we talk about Piñeyro Sublett’s background. She started at Dell, then became CMO at Rack Space. We also talk about the year she took off to find ubuntu. Our conversation covers renewal within ourselves and how to bring our work and personal lives together.

Piñeyro Sublett’s begins by talking about her year of finding ubuntu when she took a year off from work and focused on reconnecting with the things and people that mattered most to her. She reflects, “I had to figure out who I was without work.” We talk about Piñeyro Sublett’s career journey and her long tenure at Dell. Then we dive into her current role at NI and its relaunch, which focuses on the impact of the engineer. She says, “We are setting out to elevate the role of the engineer in society and tell their stories.” Piñeyro Sublett reflects on how her year off made her more of a heart-led leader. She shares about her approach to organizational change, her passion for bringing more diversity to her industry, and NI’s social impact investing. Piñeyro Sublett reminds us that “work and the work that we do is one of our greatest platforms to do good.” This an inspiring conversation about valuing connection and leading with a bold vision.

Highlights from this week’s “Marketing Today”:

  • Carla’s year of finding ubuntu. 01:29
  • Carla’s blog about her year traveling the world with her family. 02:56
  • How the year off changed Carla. 03:46
  • How Carla’s career journey prepared her to be a CMO. 05:16
  • Dell’s culture when Carla worked there. 06:34
  • Carla’s role as the first CMO at NI. 07:53
  • The relaunch and rebrand of NI. 08:46
  • What NI does. 10:34
  • The changes Carla is making to the marketing organization. 11:19
  • Carla reflects on her roots in sales. 12:53
  • How Carla’s year off led to her focus on connection. 14:02
  • Carla’s approach to getting everyone on board with organizational change. 15:01
  • Carla’s passion for bringing more diversity to her industry. 15:57
  • NI’s social impact investing in the local community. 18:35
  • The Henry Crown Fellowship at the Aspen Institute. 20:11
  • Is there an experience in her past that defines who she is today? 21:12
  • Carla’s go-to drink. 22:12
  • What is the advice Carla would give to her younger self? 22:30
  • The most impactful purchase she has made in the last 6-12 months of $100 or less. 22:56
  • Are there any brands, companies, or causes that Carla follows that she thinks other people should take notice of? 23:28
  • Carla’s take on the top opportunity and threat facing marketers today. 25:38

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Alan B. Hart is the creator and host of “Marketing Today with Alan Hart,” a weekly podcast where he interviews leading global marketing professionals and business leaders. Alan advises leading executives and marketing teams on opportunities around brand, customer experience, innovation, and growth. He has consulted with Fortune 100 companies, but he is an entrepreneur at his core, having founded or served as an executive for nine startups.