Advertising – Impact Lab

Advertising, Business, Coronavirus, Science & Technology News

COVID-19 Transforms Out-Of-Home Advertising

June 10, 2020

Economic crisis and pandemics like these breed incredible opportunities and this is one such opportunity for the OOH advertising industry to relearn and transform.

Who would have thought while welcoming 2020 that it would change the definition of life, from fighting the daily rat race, combatting Monday blues to being confined in our homes with our families having real conversations, and cherishing those little things that we all took for granted in a free world. The ongoing pandemic has slowed us down, given us time to introspect on a lot of things and re-imagine our lives and businesses.

Looking back at my 12 years of entrepreneurship in the out-of-home (OOH) advertising industry, reading well-articulated pieces on digital transformation and its impact across various sectors and our daily lives, as Reliance says “JIO Digital Life”, I feel it’s time when technology is going to transform old businesses and give life to new innovations creating a world which is more digital and connected than ever before.

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Advertising, Corporate Manipulation, Internet, Science & Technology News

Ad blocking takes off on mobile phones, a challenge for publishers

February 12, 2020

About 15% to 30% of website traffic is from people with ad-blocking software, online ad firm Blockthrough reports.

The number of people using ad-blocking technology on mobile browsers has surged to 527 million, an increase of 64% over the last three years, according to a report published Thursday. Combined with ad blocking on personal computers, that means a total of 763 million devices were running ad blockers in the fourth quarter of 2019, the report said.

That means about 15% to 30% of website traffic is using an ad blocker, said Marty Kratky-Katz, chief executive of Blockthrough, a Toronto-based company that helps publishers try to cope with ad blocking.

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Advertising, Human Behavior, Science & Technology News, Shopping, Social Media

Today’s influencer economy can be explained by a 19th century economic theory

March 7, 2019

At the end of the 19th century, American economist and sociologist Thorstein Veblen said that people take their cues about what to consume from the social class immediately above their own. They want things just beyond their reach.

A new paper in the journal Communication, Culture and Critique shows how this theory explains some dynamics of the influencer economy and the rules that govern Instagram. In it, researchers Emily Hund and Lee McGuigan at the University of Pennsylvania investigate the mechanics of “a shoppable life.” The term describes the contemporary phenomenon of influencers marketing their lifestyles, then selling aspects of it, like the beauty products they use or elements of their home’s decor, through nearly seamless technological infrastructure, and the finding that more and more commercial opportunities rise with the way people present themselves and interact with each other.

One influencer told the researchers that a favorite part of her job is getting freebies, like a new set of furniture, from brands that want to be promoted in her channels. “They’re things that I love and never could have afforded on my own, and it’s going to bring a lot of value to the blog, so I’m excited about those just for that reason.”

Continue reading… “Today’s influencer economy can be explained by a 19th century economic theory”

Advertising, Latest Trend, Marketing, Science & Technology News

3 reasons why brand storytelling is the future of marketing

February 7, 2019

When creating your marketing strategy, don’t forget about the bigger story: what makes you human?

In today’s fast-paced, overly-automated, and digitally-driven society, humanity is becoming the new premium. The internet constantly rewards us with convenience and instant gratification, making the human touch increasingly more scarce and coveted.

In this environment, businesses can no longer afford to be faceless entities. To survive, businesses need to connect with audiences, pull at their heartstrings, and engage with them on a much deeper level than seen before. That’s where brand storytelling comes in.

Brand storytelling is the cohesive narrative that weaves together the facts and emotions that your brand evokes. In addition to giving your customers reasons why they should buy a product or service, businesses need to start sharing the story behind their brand, why it exists, and why this matters, consistently across all communication.

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Advertising, Fashion, Latest Trend

Inclusive fashion is the future of runways and retail

February 6, 2019

Thin, white, young, stereotypically “feminine” or “masculine”—those are some of the characteristics that traditionally defined who the fashion industry prioritized.

That’s starting to change. Fashion is under mounting pressure to cater to all customers, as tech-empowered shoppers wield more influence over brands and new upstart labels, willing to serve the shoppers established brands have ignored, are rewarded. This isn’t a passing phase: By 2025, management-consulting firm Bain & Company predicts luxury shoppers will consider a brand’s values, such as inclusivity and diversity, just as much as the quality of the products it sells when deciding how to spend their money.

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Advertising, Big Data, facebook

Pew: 74% of users don’t know Facebook records their ad preferences

January 24, 2019

Facebook has been in the news quite a bit for its ad targeting over the past year, most notably with reports that the now-defunct Cambridge Analytica used improperly obtained data to develop “personality” profiles on U.S. voters and target ads toward them during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. But many users are still unaware what information Facebook actually collects for ad targeting purposes.

A new survey out this morning from Pew Research found that 74 percent of Facebook users surveyed did not know there was a “your ad preferences page” where they could see which ad categories Facebook had placed them into, based on interests and information they’ve shared with the service. Pew surveyed 963 U.S. adults with Facebook accounts between September 4 and October 1, 2018.

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2019 Predictions, Advertising, Latest Trend

The digital marketing trends of 2019 you can’t ignore

December 20, 2018

While you may think that advanced digital marketing tactics are only reserved for the “big guys,” think again.

Regardless of the size of your business you, too, can use sophisticated features like automating processes, pixel tracking and analyzing data. Not only do these strategies help you stay ahead of the game, you can use them to capture new leads and nurture existing customers while you’re at it. That is, if you have the latest products like an all-in-one business solution to ensure that your brand can implement these must-haves.

Let’s unwrap the five digital marketing trends you simply can’t ignore in 2019.

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Advertising, Amazon.com, Business, Shopping

Impulse-Buying: How technology is making it easier than ever to spend money

December 1, 2018

As household debt rises, so too are online innovations that aim to turn your wants and needs into stuff with minimal interruption. So how can we bring mindfulness back to buyer psychology?

This year, Slide 101 of Mary Meeker’s annual Internet Trends Report has a simple message: “Making Ends Meet = Difficult.” The bad news continues on the next slide, which states that household debt is at its highest level ever, and it’s rising. People are saving less (3 percent of personal income versus 12 percent 50 years ago) and the debt-to-income ratio is going up (to 22 percent from 15 percent over the same time frame). Many culprits are responsible for this shift, and we can thank technology for making it easier than ever to spend money. Innovations like one-click checkout, browser credit-card storage, and Amazon Dash buttons are swiftly eliminating the roadblocks that stand in the way of people purchasing things. And while these innovations are certainly creating a future when one’s wants and needs can turn into stuff without interruption, it’s also altering how people think about spending and saving (or rather, failing to save) money.

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Advertising, Latest Trend, Machine Learning, Microsoft, military drones, Science & Technology News

Microsoft’s CTO lays out the 2 tech trends he believes will change the world: ‘People haven’t wrapped their heads around this yet’

December 1, 2018

Microsoft’s chief technology officer, Kevin Scott, sees two big things coming down the pipeline in the tech industry, he told Business Insider.

The first is an explosion of cheap, powerful silicon processors coming in the next five to eight years, leading to every device, everywhere, getting a microprocessor capable of running advanced artificial intelligence.
The second, related trend Scott sees is the increased importance of reinforcement learning, the style of machine learning that helps power Google DeepMind’s famous game-playing software bots.
Combined, the explosions of software and hardware will give developers everywhere the tools they need to easily solve computing problems once thought impossible in a way that’s cheap and efficient enough for every car, toy, and appliance manufacturer to take advantage.
A big part of Microsoft’s role in this is making it easier for developers to take advantage of these trends in their own software, Scott said Continue reading… “Microsoft’s CTO lays out the 2 tech trends he believes will change the world: ‘People haven’t wrapped their heads around this yet’”

Advertising, Analysis, Entertainment

Here’s how much it costs to advertise in TV’s biggest shows

November 30, 2018

The cost of a commercial in some of the biggest shows on TV is getting lower.

Out of the 66 returning series on the big four broadcast networks and The CW, 41 saw the cost for a 30-second ad decrease in the 2018-19 season, according to Ad Age’s annual pricing survey of media agencies. Only 12 returning shows received a price hike, and another 13 remained relatively steady compared with last year.

And TV’s biggest property—the NFL—might have hit a ceiling in commercial prices, at least for now.

After two years of price hikes for a 30-second commercial in NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” those increases have stalled this season. Advertisers are paying $665,677 on average for a 30-second spot in the broadcast, about $30,000 less than the $699,602 advertisers paid last year.

Still, “Sunday Night Football” remains by far the most expensive TV show for advertisers (excluding Fox’s late-national NFL games on Sunday afternoons, which are not technically in prime time and average over $700,000 a pop).

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Advertising, facebook, Latest Trend, YouTube

Video swells to 25% of US digital ad spending

October 17, 2018

This year will mark a milestone for digital video advertising in the US, according to eMarketer’s latest ad spending forecast. In 2018, video will grow nearly 30% to $27.82 billion. That means video ad spending will make up 25% of US digital ad spending.

Media strategy is mobile strategy and the brands that thrive understand that creative and brand messaging must be designed to reach consumers in a mobile-first world. Advance your strategy with ten trends from Verve that point to a mobile future in which relevance, context, and measurability define the work we do.

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Advertising, Clothing, Human Behavior, Science & Technology News, women

Cost per like is the new cost per wear

October 16, 2018

Twenty-four hours before leaving for a weekend trip to Miami, I went into a panic. I needed new swimsuits. New shorts. New tops. New sandals. I speed-shopped through H&M, Aritzia, and Zara, recklessly swiping my card, as if I were on my own version of Supermarket Sweep. I wasn’t preoccupied by where to go, what to do, what to eat and drink when I landed. The first thing on my mind was, What am I going to wear? More specifically, What am I going to wear for Instagram?

It’s become my worst habit. I shop before every trip, whether I’m going abroad for a week or just a quick weekend escape. With the exciting prospect of fun activities, new locations backdrops, and Living My Best Life #content opportunities, my inner faux-influencer comes out. As frivolous as it feels, I have a lot of fun crafting the perfect ‘gram—from the pose to the outfit.

Continue reading… “Cost per like is the new cost per wear”