Latest Articles
Thursday, May 24, 2012
One of the major appeals of mobile devices is their ability to provide location-specific information to travelers on the go. Research from a leading mobile-local ad network shows that almost half of all travel-related local searches on mobile devices were linked to transportation.
Consumers are adopting local resources to find vendors, retailers and providers in their communities, and national brands, in turn, are closely eyeing local advertising. Many brands expect greater ROI from local efforts, yet less than half benchmark their campaign performance in terms of that metric.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Germany is receiving a lot of attention lately, with the headlines focused on the country’s strong economic fundamentals compared to its neighbors. There is an additional side to that story: Germany is home to the largest base of consumers in Western Europe—consumers who are increasingly connected and who interact with a wide variety of media, ranging from TV to social networks.
Social video viewing typically gets a boost in Q1 of each year, and this year that bump was even larger than usual. With internet users eager to share and consume video on social sites, this type of content has never been more important for consumers—or marketers.
Looking at the top 100 brands on Google+, many are seeing more interaction and comments on posts and content, especially those in the automotive and luxury goods industries. Companies are posting more often and gaining consumers in their Circles, though in the near term, Google+ is still unlikely to achieve metrics comparable to Facebook or Twitter.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Retailers, along with many other digital brands, have opportunities to significantly increase personalization services by using “Big Data” to better target product recommendations to interested shoppers. But as a new eMarketer report describes, even for the relatively tech-savvy, this is not a simple undertaking.
Ad spending is rocketing upwards in China, with online spending out front. eMarketer estimates that online ad spending increased 43.2% in 2011, and forecasts a rise of 39% in 2012, as marketers take cues from strong consumer uptake of online activities such as online video, social media and search.
As some big brands struggle to garner results from Facebook ads, part of the problem lies in the disconnect between consumer behavior and advertiser metrics and goals. Direct-response tends not to work with the social network.
Monday, May 21, 2012
More than half of the world’s population used a mobile phone in 2011, but some countries have been ahead of the curve for quite a while. In Argentina, as mobile phone user penetration nears saturation, growth will plateau, but users will increase in sophistication, specifically in mobile internet usage.
The swift adoption of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets among the US population is altering the consumer-media dynamic into an always on, anywhere experience. Business executives in particular remain tethered to these devices even when they’re off the clock.
Most social network ad spending in the US is national, but locally targeted spending is set to rise from one-quarter of the total this year to nearly one-third by 2016. Geolocation is the main driver behind the growth in local spending on social media.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Women are well-known as social media mavens, and around the world they are not only more active on social networking sites, but also click on more Facebook ads than their male counterparts. The difference is less pronounced in the US, although women are still more likely than men to click on ads on the social networking giant.
Kevin George, SVP and global CMO, spoke to eMarketer about how spirits producer Beam is moving beyond traditional channels to create digital campaigns that tap into the social behaviors of its consumers and leveraging online video to maximize campaigns' viral spread.
eMarketer forecasts ecommerce sales in Australia to hit $13.3 billion in 2012, a 26.7% increase over 2011. GroupM estimates that online buyers will spend an average $2,108 per person in 2012, a key factor in the overall ecommerce sales increase. Favorable exchange rates and low duties on imported goods are also opening the market to foreign retailers.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
There’s no question that consumers are living in a multiscreen world, and marketers recognize that users expect a seamless media experience from one platform to the next. But for most brands and agencies, creating those experiences is taking a back seat to more basic steps like measuring ROI.
The Asian population in the US is highly connected, and more likely than their counterparts of other races and ethnicities to conduct a range of advanced online activities. Conversely, they are not as keen on traditional media like TV. With their spending power increasing, this gives digital marketers an advantage.
Most internet users have come to expect free digital content, but a good portion will consider paying to enter a paywall. However, not all types of content are created equal when deciding where to dish out dollars for access.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Increased mobile phone penetration has given more people the ability to shop and make purchases on the go. A recent survey found that one in five respondents had used their phone to buy something online. And a growing number of people saw the value in texts that alerted them to a sale, promotion or other marketing message.
eMarketer estimates that the popularity in France of social networking via mobile devices will increase significantly, and by 2013, account for almost half of total social network users. Several factors will contribute to this popularity: an increase in smartphone penetration, younger demographic uptake and mobile site optimization.
The pairing of social media use and television watching has given rise to social TV. Viewers are now heading online to have conversations about their favorite shows, as well as seeking out new programs through recommendations from their social networks.