What We’re Reading—Week Of October 4th

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A look at the advertising and marketing insights from the major publications we’re sharing internally this week.

How To Build Digital Dexterity For Better Business Outcomes

Harvard Business Review

Digital dexterity can be defined as the “ambition and ability to use technology for better business outcomes.” The key steps necessary to mold employees’ digital dexterity include: 1) showing why it matters, 2) arranging development experiences to foster digital dexterity, 3) tasking employees to act as “digital translators” to help guide leaders through digital business initiatives and 4) developing “skill disseminators” to coach others.

Why it matters: After discovering some of the benefits of remote or hybrid work structures, more than 90 percent of midsized organizations intend on transitioning to hybrid work for at least some employees. The nature of hybrid work highlights the utility in new meeting solutions, collaboration and communication services, personal productivity tools, and—most importantly—a focus on improving digital dexterity to encourage productivity. 

Marketing Lessons From Ozy Media’s Downfall

AdExchanger

Ozy Media engaged in an array of scandals that led to its inevitable collapse. From inflated audience numbers to securities fraud, Ozy’s story provides marketers with insight on how best to avoid falling victim to similar schemes in the future. 

Why it matters: According to independent ad fraud researcher Augustine Fou, because all media companies buy traffic, marketers must study detailed analytics to determine where their ads ran and whether those sites are engaged in Ozy-like tactics. Similarly, Method Media Intelligence chief risk officer Marc Goldberg stresses the importance of verification for all media buys and recommends that publishers stop buying traffic sub-penny per click, marketers start asking questions about traffic acquisition and investors do due diligence on acquisitions and growth plans.

How PepsiCo’s Pepviz Platform Tools Help Retailers Increase Sales

Food Dive

PepsiCo is launching Pepviz, a platform that uses analytics, data science and other tools to help retailers ensure they are carrying the right product mix and optimizing shelf space. Pepviz will also help attract new shoppers, drive store trips, boost loyalty, encourage impulse buys, improve product mix and increase sales. The platform focuses on shopper behavior and tells a retailer what customers are buying at its store in addition to what they’re buying at other stores in the area, thus helping retailers determine whether to modify basket sizes.

Why it matters: Because consumer needs may vary from store to store, it’s important for retailers to understand how best to cater to them. Pepviz’s approach to harnessing and utilizing data will allow for CPGs to become more nimble and responsive to consumer needs during the ongoing pandemic, in part, by making it easier to predict where the market is headed and how CPGs can sell more.

Existing Customers: Your New, More Reliable Influencers

The Drum

A number of elements seem to be contributing to the demise of influencer marketing, including loss of audience trust, rising fees, difficult-to-measure metrics and murky legal hurdles. Mention Me’s partnership with TheIndustry.fashion produced a report showing that 60 percent of people are more willing to purchase a product recommended by a friend of a family member than by a celebrity or social media creator.

Why it matters: Influencer marketing is set to reach $13.8 billion this year. To harness that power and incorporate it into a multi-faceted marketing strategy, brands must recognize that 51 percent of consumers trust recommendations from friends above anyone else as compared to just 2.8 percent who trust influencers.

IPG’s Marketing Intelligence Company Launches Kinesso Intelligent Identity

Marketing Dive

IPG’s marketing intelligence company launched Kinesso Intelligent Identity (Kii) on September 30. Kii connects identity across the web and within walled gardens and can enable a 20 percent rise in campaign reach through match rate improvements. It’s IPG’s response to privacy-first identity issues and addressability as third-party cookies are phased out and as mobile ad identifiers are limited.

Why it matters: Kii provides a solution to the issue following the end of the third-party cookie by effectively connecting identity across all avenues of the marketing landscape. Kii may also offer cost savings by linking a brand’s first-party CRM data and mapping it to Kii identifiers.

Reels Launches On Facebook In The US

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This week in social media news, Facebook launches reels in the US, a new report finds users are more open to TikTok’s advertising options, Twitch tests a feature letting viewers pay to promote streamers, WPP and Snapchat launch an augmented reality partnership, Pinterest announces its second ‘Creators Festival’ event and more.

Facebook Launches Reels In The US

Reels has launched on Facebook for all of its US-based users after having tested the feature in India since March.

Why it matters: TikTok recently celebrated reaching 1 billion monthly active users—news that further incentivized Facebook to launch its short-form video competitor in the US where it boasts 250 million users on Facebook and more than 1.8 billion monthly users of Groups.

The details: Given that TikTok is banned in India, Facebook took the opportunity to capitalize on the popularity of short-form video there first, before determining whether it would be a viable competitor in other markets. Reels on Facebook allow for music, audio, effects and features like following a creator directly from the video.

Sharing themed Reels in Groups allows group members to create the same, similar, or reaction videos that could spark a new trend within the group. With the allure of internet fame, Reels on Facebook can be viewed in the News Feed along with Instagram Reel recommendations, giving Instagram creators more exposure potential across apps.

Reels on Facebook is in a prime position to compete with TikTok, given Facebook’s cross-app exposure, more solidified monetization system and larger resources to invest into incentivizing Reels creation. The invite-only Reels Play on Facebook bonus program offers a bonus to creators whose Reels reach 1,000 views within 30 days.

TikTok Users Are More Open To The Platform’s Ads

According to Kantar’s latest ‘Media Reactions’ study, TikTok is the preferred advertising environment for both brands and their audiences given the platform’s effective ‘Make TikToks, Not Ads’ ethos.

Why it matters: TikTok’s brand-building campaigns are seven times more impactful among people with high ad equity and consumers favor TikTok ads in 13 of 14 categories.

The details: Kantar’s findings are based on three elements: the Digital Dilemma (maximize consumer engagement without irritations), the “Glocal” Dilemma (balance benefits of scale with local relevance) and the Innovator’s Dilemma (maintain trust while driving innovation). Taking into consideration these factors, TikTok ads are particularly effective on several fronts; their collaborative atmosphere leads to less intrusive and more creative ad campaigns. Additionally, TikTok’s ads scored higher on relevance and usefulness than they did in last year’s reports. 

Twitch Tests Feature Allowing Viewers To Pay To Promote Streamers

Twitch is experimenting with a new feature that allows users to pay money to promote a stream. The feature is being tested on a small number of streamers initially.

Why it matters: The new feature is a paid version of Twitch’s “Boost this stream” community challenge program currently in place. In that program, viewers pool channel points and engage them to promote a creator throughout the platform. With the new feature, creators will have even more opportunities to have their streams be promoted and to be more impactful. 

The details: A notification will appear for 10 minutes randomly during a Twitch stream that informs viewers that the boost option is available. Viewers may then pay for a number of recommendations, for example, 1,000 recommendations for .99 cents and 3,000 recommendations for $2.97.

WPP And Snapchat Announce Augmented Reality Partnership ‘The AR Lab’

WPP and Snapchat’s new AR Lab partnership will deliver innovative and immersive marketing and commerce solutions for brands, fusing Snapchat’s leading AR technology with WPP’s integrated capabilities to help WPP clients connect better with customers on Snapchat.

Why it matters: According to a recent study commissioned by Snap, 94 percent of people are expected to engage with AR for shopping in 2022. Considering that advertisers have found AR campaigns on Snap platforms to be substantial business drivers, the new partnership allows WPP clients access to Snap’s AR technology.

The details: WPP will collaborate with Snap on new products and technology. WPP will also gain access to a custom AR Lab Strategy Guide. Together, the companies will execute a custom optimization scorecard for WPP clients that will offer more effective campaigns and insights into performance for real-time adaptation.

Pinterest’s Annual ‘Creators Festival’ To Showcase Key Trends And Tips

During the next ‘Creators Festival,’ Pinterest will showcase its latest features, highlight key usage trends, feature top emerging creators and executives and provide engagement tips for Pin marketers.

Why it matters: The Festival provides the opportunity for the platform to spotlight what its future has in store. Considering its monumental rise in usage during the pandemic, Pinterest is looking to maximize current engagement through more features and formats. Users can now engage on a more intimate level with one another the way they would on most other social media apps.

The details: Venturing into broader social media usage trends, Pinterest has added Idea Pins, the platform’s version of Instagram Stories. ‘Watch’ mode, which is still being tested, allows users to watch a full-screen, vertical TikTok-style feed. Additionally, the ‘Takes’ feature enables users to provide their own video response to an Idea Pin.

Pinners Turn To Pinterest For Halloween 2021 Inspiration 

Pinners are looking forward to experiencing a more traditional Halloween celebration than they did in 2020. Pinterest has been studying the trends that will define this Halloween season.

Why it matters: “Halloween inspiration” searches were three times greater in August this year as compared to August 2020, according to Pinterest. This year, pinners began planning for the holiday much earlier, with related searches beginning as early as the second week of May. Additionally, such searches increased three-and-a-half times as fast compared to the same time in 2020.

The details: This year’s theme spotlights metallics and vivid shades with ‘fairycore’ and ‘goblincore’ themes. 

“Retro Halloween aesthetic” is the top-trending Halloween term with searches having risen by a factor of 76 while “DIY Halloween masks” searches have increased 64 percent.

Pinterest searches on culturally inappropriate costumes have been prohibited since 2016.

Twitter Latches Onto Rising Interest In NFTs

Twitter is looking to incorporate a more creative way for users to display their NFTs while facilitating a more direct connection with users and their latest digital art purchases.

Why it matters: Twitter’s new focus on NFTs as avatars plays well into the company’s Metaverse concept. There, the NFT digital characters may be used in other online applications as the user’s virtual identity. In another sense, the NFT is a sort of verification for those venturing into new digital trends. Additionally, this step seems like the inevitable and natural next step after the social app announced it would allow for payments via cryptocurrency in September.

The details: One new experimental feature would allow users to connect their digital wallets to their accounts for the purpose of purchasing NFTs. Twitter may then provide a mark of authenticity or ownership on the NFT displayed. Another new feature called the ‘Collectible’ tab allows users to present their owned NFTs to visitors. Twitter’s new display option hasn’t yet launched but will be rolled out soon.

Trend Set: Spooky Season, Social NFTs And Coke’s ‘Real Magic’

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Ayzenberg junior strategist Ashley Otah surfaces the latest trends at play in the world of culture and entertainment.

Coca-Cola

In the first new platform since 2016, Coke’s ‘Real Magic’ global campaign kicked off with a new ad titled “One Coke Away from Each Other.” Centering around Gen Z and gamers, the video showcases the dichotomies between the virtual landscape and unity in the digital age. Although a split camp has arisen regarding its reception, many note that it aligns with previous themes from the brand.

NFTs

TikTok and Twitter take on NFTs. While Twitter is solidifying a new process for NFT authentication, TikTok has decided to partner with select celebrities, creators and more to release a collection. Expect to see similar integrations and rollouts from platforms soon.

Clubhouse

Clubhouse now lets users record streams, share and download clips, and more. The new features titled ‘replays‘ and ‘clips‘ aim to align with the similar offerings of Twitter Spaces and Spotify Greenroom. As the space becomes more competitive, interactiveness and personalization are becoming increasingly imperative.

“Spooky Season”

Have no fear, fall is finally here. Although people can’t quite pin the person who coined the term, a deep dive into the world wide web showcases the rise of “Spooky Season.” Dubbing things “Spooky Spice Lattes,” “Spooky Baskets,” and more, brands are catching up and cashing in on people’s love for “Spooky Season.”

Square

Tapping into TikTok. Square partners with the platform to let its TikTok for Business users promote and sell on the video app. Social commerce is booming and does not look to be slowing down as more want fast, easy, and integrated shopping experiences.

Setting Up Your Out-Of-Home Advertising For Success

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Out-of-home (OOH) advertising was hit hard by the pandemic; the channel fell by $1.3 billion in total ad revenues in 2020. Reduced travel and traffic caused significantly discounted OOH ad rates, though not for long. Today, OOH costs are back to pre-pandemic levels as it’s proven too important a marketing channel to neglect.

According to the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA), OOH may experience revenue growth of 10 to 12 percent by the end of 2021 and OOH now comprises roughly 20 to 30 percent of client media planning. 

As consumers seek a return to normal, several key OOH trends will fuel its growth in 2021. A survey by OAAA and The Harris Poll found that 68 percent of consumers suffer from digital device burnout, 65 percent of consumers want to leave home as often as possible and 45 percent of consumers notice OOH ads more than before the pandemic.

To maximize your OOH investment, OAAA has compiled a creative best practices guide covering campaign shaping, which formats to use, OOH design basics and other helpful strategies for creating head-turning ads.

Shaping The Campaign

Creative determines 75 percent of an ad’s effectiveness. When producing your campaign, remember that OOH is a medium that offers enormous flexibility and has a long history from which you can extract learnings. The OAAA suggests allowing your idea to guide the placement of media and adapt the scale of OOH applications—instead of first considering the shape and size of specific formats.

Sourcing ideas for creative can come from myriad places, one of which is conversation. Sharing a creative concept or brief with others might improve it. Media partners, in particular, take into consideration campaign objectives before recommending contextual applications in specific markets or regions or special opportunities with communities.

The OAAA cautions against focusing solely on OOH. Rather, execute a single campaign across a range of media. OOH, broadcast, digital and print campaign elements should share a single focus and, if designed correctly, can help you maximize your overall campaign cost per thousand (CPM). 

That said, OOH should be the core of the ad campaign. Amplify the momentum of the OOH campaign through such ideas as augmented reality (AR) experiences that tie into traditional parts of an OOH campaign through scalable and layered codes or social media activations linked to the messaging.

Last, explore the feasibility of real-world applications of big ideas before letting them die, and rely on media partners to find you solutions to achieve favorable results.

Using Different Canvases

Certain formats suit certain messages better than others. For example, large print formats like standardized roadside displays are intended for viewing from a far distance and therefore ideal for bold branding. They can be enhanced with elements like 2D extensions, 3D props, lighting effects and successive messaging along roadways.

Given street furniture and transit formats are positioned close to pedestrians and are viewed at eye level, typical enhancements include custom props and wrapped buses.

Place-based formats include a wide array of innovative display formats positioned in retail locations and commercial venues. Common enhancements include custom installations in malls, street teams and sponsored events.

The benefits of digital applications for OOH can’t be overlooked, notes the OAAA. All OOH segments include digital applications and formats with benefits such as nimble and flexible messaging; video content; no print production costs and customizable applications like location-specific messages, touchscreen and situational triggers (e.g., weather conditions, traffic flow).

OOH Designing Basics

People want to be entertained. According to research conducted by the Journal of Advertising Research, ads with two messages as opposed to five, are 21 percent more likely to be noticed. To get your OOH noticed, the OAAA recommends utilizing contrasting colors, typeface legible from a distance, figuratively bold imagery and copy lines, and photos with a strong focal point. 

For most OOH applications, it’s best to keep copy short and sweet. Seven words or less is a proven benchmark and messages that relate to physical surroundings are often more memorable. It would also benefit your OOH campaign to incorporate the appropriate tone necessary to elicit a specific response or trigger a reaction. 

As mentioned prior, you may want to develop a series of different OOH messages as part of an overall campaign. This would enable you to incorporate more elements without encumbering the clarity of individual messages. 

It’s also important to design for an array of canvas sizes and locations. Geofencing key zip codes or trading areas against core audience demographics can help messages target desired consumers.

Research shows that people react to OOH messages and will immediately start an online search when triggered by an OOH ad. Forty-six percent of people search for information after viewing an interesting billboard. 

With the understanding that 70 percent of decision-making is emotional, every OOH is now a call to action. Triggers and codes like memorable URLs, hashtags and phone numbers help get the consumer from witnessing to purchasing more efficiently.

OOH often campaigns spark social conversations, especially online. In fact, 48 percent of people are more likely to click a banner ad after viewing an OOH ad first while 25 percent of Americans have posted a photo of themselves with an OOH ad on their social media.

Context is a vital element of OOH’s success. To ensure your message lands with your audience, understand unique characteristics of locals and don’t deploy an OOH campaign for both coasts. Ensure your campaign mirrors the community in which it’s distributed so viewers resonate with it more.

OOH messaging builds substantial brand awareness over time as refreshing ad creative improves overall ad retention. To this aim, creative elements should be updated every two months, according to OAAA.

Final Thoughts

Be realistic about your timeline when creating OOH. The OAAA advises allowing at least seven working days for basic print production, six weeks of lead time for fabrication of props and several weeks for custom installations.

Lastly, be as flexible as OOH is. Maintain freshness and relevance in campaign messaging and don’t shy away from altering the direction of a campaign if necessary or recommended by experts.