Integrating Conversational Marketing into the Buyer Journey with Mark Kilens

BY

Mark Kilens is the vice president of content and community at Drift where he oversees content, creative projects, events, teams, and much more. He also oversees the Drift community and Drift Insider–which has about 45,000 members today–as well as their two biggest events, RevGrowth and HyperGrowth.

In this episode, Mark and I break down Drift’s 2021 State of Conversational Marketing report. We also talk about what conversational marketing is, how Drift approaches it, and how marketers need to think about conversation as they build their marketing and sales enablement functions.

Later in the interview, Mark and I discuss how Drift is a unique brand and also how Mark sees content, service, and education actually helping to drive their marketing efforts. Listen to the full conversation to hear more about how to implement a holistic conversational strategy for marketing and sales. What’s part of the secret sauce? The buyer should be at the center of everything you do.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • The state of conversational marketing
  • The importance of focusing on the buyer
  • How to use AI efficiently in your sales journey

Key Highlights

  • [01:38] Mark invented a snow-making machine
  • [04:11] Mark’s path to becoming VP of Content and Community
  • [07:09] The State of Conversation Marketing report
  • [09:36] The need to use digital marketing tools and techniques
  • [13:00] Why you should keep the buyer at the center
  • [17:14] What marketing looks like in the conversational commerce
  • [21:00] Showing your personality through AI
  • [24:41] Why Drift cares about investing in content
  • [28:12] How content education plays into the lifecycle of a customer
  • [32:21] An experience that makes Mark who he is today
  • [34:21] Mark’s advice to his younger self
  • [35:37] What marketers should be learning more about
  • [39:50] The brands and organizations Mark follows
  • [41:24] The biggest threat and opportunity for marketers

Resources Mentioned:

Follow the podcast:

Connect with the Guest:

Connect with Marketing Today and Alan Hart:

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 brand, customer experience, innovation, and growth opportunities. He has consulted with Fortune 100 companies, but he is an entrepreneur at his core, having founded or served as an executive for nine companies.

Unpacking The Growth Triple Play With McKinsey’s Biljana Cvetanovski

BY

Biljana Cvetanovski is a partner at McKinsey & Company and leads their marketing and sales practice in the UK, Ireland, and Israel.

In this episode, Biljana and I discuss a recent report that McKinsey shared called “The Growth Triple Play—Creativity, Analytics, and Purpose.” During our conversation, we break down the report and discuss how, when combined, those three core elements create outsized results for companies.

Biljana says she has an “impatience for impact and growth” and shares how others can pave the path for growth in their organization.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • The types of investments and capabilities needed to deliver on growth
  • Why companies should focus on the growth triple play
  • How purpose is defining a lot of what marketers implement

Key Highlights

  • [01:20] Getting her start in trades
  • [03:50] A “random walk” through academia
  • [08:56] McKinsey’s research on growth, creativity, analytics, and purpose
  • [13:15] Combining all aspects for marketing success
  • [17:02] Integrating talent in the conversation
  • [19:23] Deepening the idea of purpose and what it means
  • [21:25] How marketers need to work differently with the growth triple-play
  • [23:20] What marketers need to be implementing immediately
  • [25:48] What marketers should be learning more about
  • [26:22] The biggest threat and opportunity for marketers today

Resources Mentioned:

Follow the podcast:

Connect with the Guest:

Connect with Marketing Today and Alan Hart:

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 brand, customer experience, innovation, and growth opportunities. He has consulted with Fortune 100 companies, but he is an entrepreneur at his core, having founded or served as an executive for nine companies.

Trend Set: The North Face x Gucci

BY

Ayzenberg Junior Strategist Ashley Otah recounts this week’s trends.

The North Face x Gucci

Tapping talent. Gucci and North Face add a TikTok trainspotting enthusiast for a freshly dropped fashion partnership. 21-year-old, Francis Bourgeois, rose to fame during lockdown after sharing videos of himself enjoying trains and trainspotting around the UK. Celebrities, brands, fans, and the like kept tabs on the ferroequinologist and his adventures. Ultimately, the trainspotter made his fashion debut for the two brands’ second collaboration. While curating partnerships or campaigns, brands should be proactive but cognizant of brand tenants, ensuring that all involved are aligned.

Kidfluencers

Kidfluencers, or kid influencers, are the terms used to describe the next generation of online personalities. The demographic is getting younger, raising concerns about the protection and long-term psychological ramifications. In addition, the ecosystem shifts as young users turn to mobile screens to stay up-to-date with ‘kid-driven’ content. Although the topic has been labeled as “something too early to be examined fully,’ understanding that kidfluencers are kids should be top-of-mind as the future and safety of children are paramount.

Non-Alcoholic Drinks Market

The Non-Alcoholic Drinks market is expected to grow annually by 5.5 percent, with the most revenue generated in the United States. Brands are tapping into this booming market with seemingly similar minimalist branding. The branding aligns with consumer trends such as nostalgia, asymmetry, and even anti-ads. Meeting consumers where they are with differentiators in saturated markets comes with trial and error, but it remains necessary for brands to cut through the noise.

Out-of-Home

What dreams are made of. Twitter is lauded for the rollout of its Out-of-Home campaign featuring celebrities taking to the app to manifest their dreams. From Toronto, Chicago, Houston, and more, many of the billboards popped up in respective hometowns of some of the celebrities. The Out-of-Home vertical is something not to be dismissed, as its advertising revenue increased by 38 percent in the third quarter of 2021 compared to the previous year. It is forecasted to be the second-fastest ad channel in 2021. The Piccadilly Circus Digital Billboard also shows that the digital ad format is another notable space to watch.

Peloton

Breaking a sweat. Peloton, the American exercise and media company is tackling the future of its bikes, treadmills, and other offerings. The shift comes as the world reemerges and uncertainties continue. The brand, which carved out a lane for itself, has a cult following, and even crowd favorite instructors, is finding itself in a new spot. The current situation reinforces that even with solid strategies and tactics, being flexible and catering to the right audiences can reshape the brand’s trajectory.

Forrester Predictions 2022: Disruptive Forces Necessitate Bold Decisions

BY

Seamless cross-channel experiences, convenience, reassurance. Consumers are demanding more from companies but the latter have their own obstacles to overcome: supply chain disruption, the “Great Resignation” and pandemic fallout. Forrester’s latest guide shares marketing predictions for 2022 and how the events of the past two years will motivate brands to make bold moves in digital and technology. 

“In 2022, business leaders will invest in technology and refocus business strategies. AI adoption and tech spending will accelerate. Tech companies will jump into adjacent markets, equally capitalizing on opportunity and sowing confusion. Greenwashing will wash away as sustainability becomes a must-have,” said the report.

Consumers See The World As All Digital

Since the pandemic, consumers have upped their technology usage and adoption.

In April 2020, 35 percent of internet-using adults in the UK upgraded their in-home technology. Even consumers who were once considered digital holdouts anticipate continuing the online behaviors they picked up in the pandemic.

As a result, consumers have higher expectations for seamless digital experiences. Forrester found that 56 percent of US consumers believe companies should have discovered solutions to such pandemic disruptions by now, and 58 percent expect companies to organize their digital resources in such a way that would allow them to better respond to future public health emergencies.

Forrester’s prediction: 80 percent of consumers will see the world as all digital, with no divide. Companies will have to double down on offering effective and sustainable digital customer experiences.

Tech Execs Leap From Digital To Human-Centered Tech Transformations

In 2021, just 21 percent of global purchase influencers reported that their firms deemed digital transformation a key action to address business model change. Forrester anticipates that figure will drop to less than 15 percent this year, but that doesn’t mean pandemic-sparked technology acceleration will shrink.

As a means to transcend ongoing digital sameness and falling returns on IT investments, leading firms will tap into their employees’ creativity and equip them with intelligent tech such as automation and prediction engines that focus on outcomes, not just financial results.

“This shift will establish a new era of transformation comprising human-centered technology initiatives that form a tight link between customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX), drive competitive advantage, and deliver a 3 percent to 5 percent net gain in productivity,” according to the report.

Forrester’s prediction: 10 percent of tech executives will prioritize investments in strategic partnerships and innovation practices at three times the rate of competitors to drastically expand creative and innovative potential.

Brands Dance And Spare With Marketplaces

Today in the US, 57 percent of business-to-consumer ecommerce sales flow through marketplaces. In China, that number rises to 98 percent. This year, Forrester believes the mantra for brands will become “commerce anywhere” as they prioritize direct relationships and better shopping experiences to keep customers away from marketplaces and coming back for more. This means pursuing a presence in every possible shopping moment, from an owned website or influenced marketplace to a social slot or paid retail media placement.

To enhance these experiences, brands will invest in the following: commerce building blocks like order management, payments and inventory control to make every touchpoint a shoppable moment; immersive experiences to turn browsing into virtual inhabiting and subscription billing to make loyalty a business model pivot.

Forester’s prediction: Global spending on order management software will grow to over $1 billion in 2022, and $1.5 billion by 2024. 

B2B Marketers Accelerate Tech Investments, With Uneven Results

With 70 percent of marketers adopting an always-on digital engagement strategy, persistent digital engagement will become the new normal this year, according to Forrester. 

To meet these always-on goals, marketing leaders will utilize more autonomous and automated solutions with complex tech stacks. Marketing tech comprises 19 percent of the marketing budget but will increase to 25 percent in 2022, predicts Forrester.

Only 10 percent of business-to-business organizations will identify metrics to measure the value created for buyers during the buying process in 2022. To meet these personalization goals, B2B marketing leaders must incorporate customer-centricity into planning and execution processes.

Forrester’s prediction: 75 percent of personalized engagement strategies won’t meet ROI goals.

Brands Take Bold Actions To Advance ESG Goals

B2C marketers will commit to further advancing their environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals. Forrester’s March 2021 Global Trust Imperative survey found that American, British, French, and Indian consumers are more trusting of companies than they are of their governments and expect brands to use their platforms to lead social change.

Leading brands have already answered this call. In 2021, many mainstream companies took a public stance on political and social issues; the MLB relocated the All-Star Game after Georgia passed the Election Integrity Act, TJX and many other companies required all employees to be fully vaccinated and Airbnb offered free housing to Afghan refugees.

Forrester research from 2021 also found that year-over-year, more adults in the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, Spain and Italy consistently buy from brands that align with their personal values. The largest increase took place in the US as 48 percent of adults reported doing so that year as opposed to the 40 percent who did in 2020. This year will see that figure increase to 50 percent.

Chief marketing officers will continue to face an increasingly divided political and vocal consumer base in 2022. To do this effectively, they’ll have to ensure that company values and brand strategy are inextricably linked.

Forrester’s prediction: 10 big brands will step in where governments fail to act.

Cloud-Native Takes Center Stage In Enterprise Cloud

Rapid digital acceleration has caused companies to experience new levels of cloud scale. Cloud-native adoption increased in 2021 as developers reported increased usage of containers (33 percent in 2020 to 42 percent in 2021) and serverless (26 percent in 2020 to 32 percent in 2021) at their organization.

This year, cloud-native technologies will become the core of the cloud strategy rather than a nice-to-have. They’ll transcend all major technology domains, including big data, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, according to Forrester.

Rather than layering cloud-native onto their existing plans, enterprises will re-platform their cloud strategies to be based on cloud-native.

Forrester’s prediction: Container adoption will hit 50 percent in 2022.

Trend Set: Ready For The Weeknd

BY

Ayzenberg Junior Strategist Ashley Otah recounts this week’s trends.

Consumer Spending Habits

Shopping the social way. According to Accenture’s latest study, social commerce will grow three times as fast as traditional e-commerce, reaching $1.2 trillion globally by 2025. Social users can now authentically connect with and showcase purchases made through platforms. Sharing items users have seen online versus how they look in real life and sharing codes that ultimately crash sites is becoming more persistent. However, authenticity and reliability are at the top of consumers’ minds. Integrating shopping options while staying true to the feel of each platform may continue to be a necessary feat and a determining factor for brand success.

The Weeknd: Dawn FM

Watch the space. With The Weeknd’s drop of Dawn FM trending and already receiving “Album of The Year’ claims, looking at the rollout through a social lens is a must. The immersive rollout built suspense and conversation that spanned the social vertical, with tracklists and sneak peek visuals being made specifically for each platform. Additionally, the Weeknd’s accompanying live tweets with phrases like “together,” “all of us,” and “we” highlights fans’ craving for connectivity, even if online. Artists, brands, and the like, can incorporate similar strategies accordingly to satiate the diverse desires of many while also reaching a broader audience.

Taco Bell

Time to taco bout’ it. Taco Bell announces a taco-a-day subscription program to bolster visits.

The nationwide $10-a-month service is available exclusively in the app and showcases how brands must innovate around changing consumer habits, especially within oversaturated spaces. The use of apps, programs, and subscriptions sets brands apart and satisfies consumer cravings.

Twitter

Tweet and delete. Twitter will now let tweeters quote tweets with reactions dubbing it a “Tweet Take.” Currently tested on iOS, the feature is similar to that of TikTok and Instagram’s recent Reels feature. The addition underscores shifting user behaviors as expectations rapidly change. For example, the surge of social audio indicates users’ desire for varying experiences as cultural changes in the world occur. Although not always easily predictable, actively understanding the implications of these features and how they align with brand principles allows space for innovation.

Metaverse Fashion Week

The future of fashion week. This upcoming March will mark Decentraland’s inaugural four-day-long virtual fashion show. In previous digital ventures, brands have tapped platforms such as Roblox, draped dresses and collections virtually like Hanifa, and teamed up with the likes of Animal Crossing.

The displays of digital ingenuity give an exclusive look at what the space continues to blossom into. Virtual fashion shows will allow brands to reach audiences that may have previously been ignored and offer opportunities for new players in the game. Keeping an eye on the space and better formalizing how to show up in an ever-increasing digital age is an integral pillar not to be ignored.

Investing In Brand Experiences With AnyRoad’s Jonathan Yaffe

BY

Jonathan Yaffe is the CEO and Co-founder of AnyRoad, a data and analytics platform that powers experiential marketing efforts for many of the Fortune 2000 companies.

In this episode, Jonathan and I discuss how his career started at RedBull and how it evolved into founding AnyRoad. Jonathan believes that experiential marketing is a pillar of any effective marketing strategy. He says, “experiential programs really change consumer behavior, which leads to revenue growth and increases of brand love.”

Listen to the full episode to learn more about why experiences matter so much in today’s environment and why brands are looking at experiential programs to build long-term brand loyalty and ultimately increase a customer’s lifetime value.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • The value of leaning into the experience
  • What makes personalization so powerful
  • Focus on lifetime value instead of conversion rates

Key Highlights:

  • [01:38] Working for RedBull
  • [02:43] Transforming from product to experience
  • [05:35] Examples of incorporating experience in brand
  • [08:32] Changes in the experiential marketing space
  • [12:54] What makes the personalized experience so powerful
  • [15:01] Getting better at capturing and using data 
  • [17:40] How data is being collected today
  • [19:35] What to do with data once you’ve got it 
  • [23:35] An experience that defines Jonathan makes him who he is today
  • [26:56] Jonathan’s advice to his younger self
  • [28:55] What marketers should be learning more about
  • [30:16] The brands and organization Jonathan follows
  • [33:51] The biggest threat and opportunity for marketers 

Resources Mentioned: 

Follow the podcast:

Connect with the Guest:

Connect with Marketing Today and Alan Hart:

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 brand, customer experience, innovation, and growth opportunities. He has consulted with Fortune 100 companies, but he is an entrepreneur at his core, having founded or served as an executive for nine companies.

What’s Trending For Marketers In 2022?

BY

2022 is days away and we’re all looking ahead to that flip from ‘21 to ‘22. It feels in many ways like the first time we’re turning the page since March of 2020. What will this new year look like? We expect different, in many ways, and have explored what we see as the biggest trends presenting us as marketers.

#1. Deja-Vu.

Have you ever been on Instagram Reels for half an hour and realized you’re on TikTok? How many Tweets have you seen posted on your Instagram feed? YouTube Shorts now offer similar vertical, short-form content to Snap, TikTok and Reels. We’re not only noticing the same content posted across platforms, we also see a trend toward the growing appetite for quick-hitting, lo-fi video content and anticipate that social platforms will continue to look more and more alike with similar content and formats, at least in the immediate future

#2. Chime In

The desire for deeper human connection, the continued rise in hands-free tech and screen fatigue have given rise to the explosion of audio based social, with new platforms emerging and older ones adapting to offer audio-based functionality.​ The rise of podcasts over the last decade has contributed to comfortability with visual-less formats, and the ease and portability of listening-only has become a welcome convenience. The movement away from listening to interacting is the next iteration, leaning further into social than entertainment. We see this with Twitter Spaces, Instagram Live Rooms, and even dating apps, and expect audio-forward platforms to thrive as we come to demand their ease and ability to connect us.

#3. The Metaverse Unfolds

This growing crypto art space that reflects the best of people’s ingenuity, community building, and creativity and highlights the worst of our inequality, controversy, and patience, will see peak popularity in 2022. Brands have already opted in, but true accessibility for everyday people will heighten as the metaverse becomes a household word.

#4. In-House Advocates

As the shift from paid budgets to earned efforts continues and the return-to-work post-pandemic commences, companies are leaning into the benefits of employee activation on social. This strategy not only allows companies and brands to show up in a more authentic and human way, employee activation programs have also been proven to increase retention and satisfaction. Put simply, employees could serve as the most effective brand advocates of the future.

#5. Social Emotional Health

Brands are taking a hard stance to support emotional wellbeing. In the wake of Facebook’s whistleblower conundrum this fall, while platforms scramble to prove their ability to protect and promote safety, brands are stepping up. As consumers increasingly view self-care as a necessity and self-regulation on social as a means of self-care, brands have an opportunity to assist them by rethinking their product offering, platform presence and content mix.

Marketers And Consumers Don’t See Eye To Eye On Diversity In Influencer Content

BY

According to Takumi’s latest white paper, “Influencer Marketing in the Post-Pandemic Era,” consumers and marketers are at odds about whether influencer content adequately represents diversity in society. While two-thirds of marketers (62 percent) believe there is adequate representation, less than one-third of consumers (28 percent) agree.

Studying 3,000 brands, creators and consumers in the US and UK, Takumi set out to understand the evolution of the relationship between brands and creators as marketers have amped up their influencer campaigns over the past 18 months. Its study found that roughly 70 percent of marketers are more likely to utilize influencers in their campaigns after the pandemic.

Diversity Perception Mismatch 

Takumi’s study revealed a similar disconnect exists in influencer content between consumers and marketers regarding the representation of underrepresented or marginalized communities. For example, 30 percent of US and UK consumers and 67 percent of marketers believe that influencer marketing content did a more adequate job at representing these communities as compared to traditional brand-owned channels. Forty percent of respondents between 16 and 24 years old and 43 percent of those between 25 and 34 years old believe there is adequate representation in influencer content of these marginalized communities.

Takumi managing director Sara Joy Madsen advises that diversity and inclusion be at the heart of any conversation between brands, agencies and influencers. She recommends that agencies employ diverse teams, introduce equal and fair pay for BIPOC influencers and improve disabled creators’ profiles.

According to UK creator Juliet Uzor, in order to improve diversity and inclusion, greater representation in influencer content can only come from brand decision-makers. Members of the public should be seeing people from all backgrounds, abilities, sizes and dispositions on their devices so that it becomes the norm, she notes.

Pandemic Boosts Influencer Marketing 

The pandemic and the subsequent decrease in opportunities to market through channels like out-of-home (OOH) and print forced brands to delve into influencer marketing. Seventy percent of marketers are now more likely to use influencers in brand campaigns as 69 percent reported that influencer marketing budgets have grown.

Additionally, 59 percent of marketers are now using more ecommerce tools in their influencer marketing activity as compared to 2020. The effectiveness of influencer marketing in converting 16- to 24-year olds rose to 57 percent, and 25- to 34-year-olds to 61 percent. Rates of conversions among individuals 55 and over almost doubled between 2019 (13 percent) and 2021 (24 percent), according to Takumi’s research.

The Most Effective Channel: YouTube

Fifty-six percent of US and UK consumers engaged more with YouTube than they did at the start of the pandemic, making the platform the most effective channel in the context of engagement. The next most-engaging platforms were Instagram (48 percent), TikTok (37 percent), Snapchat (32 percent), Pinterest (29 percent), Twitch (26 percent) and Triller (21 percent).

Takumi’s data show that branded content, engagement and consumer spending grew across a range of channels and sectors. One reason for this: a rise in consumers’ engagement with creators’ content, which as a result caused their confidence in those channels to grow. This also caused marketers’ faith in influencer marketing to increase as they diverted budgets away from traditional channels and into influencer marketing.

According to Jim Meadows, chief strategy officer at Takumi, as the influencer marketing industry continues to grow, it must address issues surrounding diversity and inclusion and trust and transparency in order to “cement its position as the most effective marketing channel,” he said.

Meta Elevates Michelle Klein To Vice President, Global Business Marketing

BY

This week in leadership updates, Meta has promoted Michelle Klein to vice president of global business marketing, Scripps Networks appoints Keisha Taylor Starr as chief marketing officer, Ironman Group hires Suzanne Cohen as chief marketing officer and more.

Meta Promotes Michelle Klein To Vice President, Global Business Marketing 

Meta has appointed Michelle Klein as vice president, global business marketing, according to Adweek.

Succeeding Mark D’Arcy—who left the company in August—Klein enters into the role after having served as Meta’s senior marketing director for North America and global.

Scripps Networks Hires Keisha Taylor Starr As Chief Marketing Officer

Scripps Networks has tapped Keisha Taylor Starr as chief marketing officer, effective January 3, 2022.

Starr joins from Recount Media where she served as senior vice president, marketing and public relations.

Ironman Group Taps Suzanne Cohen As Chief Marketing Officer

Ironman Group has named Suzanne Cohen chief marketing officer.

Previously, Cohen served as JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s head of branch and local experiences.

Dunelm Hires Ben Carter As First Chief Marketing Officer

Dunelm has appointed Ben Carter to the newly created role of chief marketing officer.

Carter most recently served as the chief marketing officer of Purplebricks.

Carolyn Everson Steps Down As Instacart President

Carolyn Everson has departed from her position as Instacart president due to “mismatched priorities,” reports Ad Age.

Everson is unsure of her next move, though she has previously served as vice president, global business group at Facebook and corporate vice president, global ad sales and strategy at Microsoft.

Laura Colona Named Executive Vice President, Commercial Marketing Officer For Out Of Home Advertising Association Of America (OAAA) 

The OAAA has recruited Laura Colona as its first executive vice president, commercial marketing officer.

Colona joins OAAA from MediaMath where she was vice president and head of global marketing and communications.

Trend Set: Year-In-Review

BY

Ayzenberg Junior Strategist Ashley Otah recounts this week’s trends including “ultra-fast” delivery demand and year-end lists.

DojaCode

Developing a new future with Doja. Doja Cat and Girls Who Code collab to bring the first-ever codable music video to life. The interactive coding tutorial allows users to play along without prior coding experience. In a step to show new generations of girls and women the vast opportunities a tech career can encompass, the move underscores a shift towards leaning into Dictionary.com’s word of the year—“allyship.” The future of brands relies on meaningful and mindful partnerships, and the next generation is taking notes.

DoorDash

The delivery demand continues. Accustomed to convenient and consistent delivery that never misses the mark, consumers are looking for even faster delivery times. DoorDash has taken note and is now introducing “ultra-fast” deliveries in New York City alongside a full-time employment model to handle the deliveries. The tension between sustainability, convenience, and ownership is on full display. To succeed, brands will need to shed old strategies and shine a light on brand-specific innovation as there is no one-size-fits-all model for the digital age.

Influencers

A recent MSL and The Influencer League study shows a 29% pay gap between white and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) influencers and a 35% pay gap between white and Black influencers. The influencer space continues to grow at a colossal rate, and if not quelled, the discrepancies will continue if not widened. As influencers find their footing and their voice within the ever-changing vertical, the demands for transparency and equity continue. A tide is turning, and the onus should not fall on these individuals to reimagine the space, so agencies and industries must recognize their hands regarding the issues and forge a new way forward.

Metavearth

Marching into the Metavearth. Snap rolls out its “layers” feature on Snap Map that adds dimension to any experience. The first two layers include Explore, which allows users to see what others are up to, and Memories which will enable users to revisit specific places where previous Snap memories were made. Although some say Snap may be a thing of the past, the continued global connectivity is ushering in a new future.

Year-in-review

A year in review for all of you. From Google to GrubHub, Tinder, and now Instagram, everyone can see how their year stacked up in bite-sized and shareable pieces. The exciting yet straightforward form of publication has become increasingly personalized. Customers want customization, and brands will have to meet them as expectations evolve. One foreseeable roadblock, however, will be privacy.