Latest Articles
Friday, June 22, 2012
Brian Solis, principal analyst at Altimeter Group, a research-based advisory firm, spoke to eMarketer about the evolving landscape of social media and how brands can get a better grasp on how consumers use the space.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Two-thirds of business professionals consider their company data driven, yet the majority of executives say the ability to act upon data in real time is what’s hindering data-based decisions. Automotive and financial services businesses find "Big Data" more valuable to their ad spending decisions than entertainment/media and retail industries.
Smartphone users are taking to tablets in a big way—research shows that more than one-quarter of smartphone users had used a tablet over the previous three months. Tablet users also showed an increased willingness to pay for content consumed on the devices. In fact, more than one-quarter of those who had watched programs on their tablet over the previous month had paid for videos.
Digital TV is on the cusp of reaching a majority of households worldwide, in large part thanks to tremendous growth in Asia-Pacific. The region, which currently leads the market in digital TV subscriptions, will more than double its total by 2016, when digital TV subscriptions top 663 million households, pushing penetration to 58%. However, marketers in Asia-Pacific are still hesitant to match growth in subscriptions with TV ad spending.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
A new eMarketer report forecasts that digital ad spending by the US healthcare and pharmaceutical industry will hit $1.58 billion in 2012, but growth will begin to taper as the industry enters a period of fewer blockbuster products. Smaller drugs to treat less-common illnesses will become more important, with digital channels offering new ways to educate and market to consumers and healthcare professionals.
Moms increasingly live and breathe digital, particularly on social networks where they are voracious seekers of information and interaction with other moms. Marketers who make it easier for them to learn, compare prices and rub shoulders are in a favored position.
Online ad spending in Europe is booming, even as the economy trembles with daily news of debt and default. According to a May 2012 Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Europe and IHS Screen Digest report, marketers and brands continued to move budgets online in 2011, with digital spending reaching €20.9 billion ($29 billion).
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Recent research indicates that consumers now prefer email to a phone call when it comes to providing businesses with feedback. The use of social media for feedback is also growing, but consumers have yet to show a preference for social networks over more direct communication methods. This is likely to change as younger consumers age, bringing with them increased expectations about customer service on social media.
For marketers, the fact that earned media on Facebook has proven effective in influencing online and offline sales validates the time and resources spent developing campaigns for the site. However, for the sake of its own revenue model, Facebook needs to prove that paid advertisements can also succeed, and as of now, that success is linked with earned media’s dominance.
eMarketer reported that a solid majority of marketers in China intended to increase digital budgets in 2012, with online video being the marketers’ favorite choice for increased investment. Other research supports this position, showing that online video ad revenues in China more than tripled from Q1 2011 to Q1 2012.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Most Shopping Done Between 5pm and 9pm
The ubiquity of mobile devices and connections in Germany is leading to widespread adoption of activities, the most popular of which, unsurprisingly, is text messaging—along with using applications and mobile internet browsers, and playing music. Previous reports showed that mobile users in Europe, including Germany, were more receptive to mobile ads than users in the US, leading to potential marketing opportunities for mobile-savvy brands.
This year, online political advertising is estimated to grow a staggering 617% from 2008 levels. But that growth rate is warranted, given the growing use of the internet by voters to research political candidates and issues. Research shows that almost three in 10 likely voters get their political information largely on the internet.
Smart device users are not shying away from using location-based services. But research shows that privacy concerns are lingering in the back of their minds. In fact, one in five mobile app users thought the risks associated with geolocation services outweighed any benefits they provided.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Jeanniey Mullen, global EVP and CMO of both magazine app platform Zinio and VIVMag, an all-digital magazine for women, spoke with eMarketer about how tablets have impacted Zinio’s digital magazine business.
A new eMarketer report examines the growing adoption of tablets, particularly by consumers keen to use their devices to shop and buy online. But their expectations for tablet shopping are high and thus far many retailers have missed the mark.
Much like in the US, a majority of consumers in Australia are simultaneously using other media while watching TV, new research has found. Simultaneous usage is leading to more immediate opportunities for marketers to adopt multichannel marketing, both outside and inside of the home.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Contrary to healthy annual growth predictions for US online ad spending, US marketers’ reported investment in Q1 2012 on select marketing tactics remained relatively light. Email, social, mobile and search saw the biggest budget boosts.
Online shoppers want retailers to offer a wide variety of products and an easy checkout process. But shipping is an important factor lingering in the background—and may be too often ignored by etailers. Research indicates that almost six in 10 buyers thought their online shopping experience could be improved with a free shipping offer.
A high number of consumers in Russia are adopting social media. eMarketer expects Russia, with 57.9 million social network users in 2012, to be the fifth-largest socially connected country in the world. New data suggests that mobile social media users could potentially account for a third of that total by year's end.