The changes to people’s lives and across industries because of the pandemic will be felt for many years, with certain demographics, including women, bearing additional burdens or feeling the upheaval more closely. A recent study by the Meredith Corporation, The Post-Normal Consumer: Navigating an Uncertain Present & Future, found “divergent changes in women’s interests, lifestyles, [...]
Twitter is continuing to evolve its consumer retention and monetization strategies with its latest feature rollout. Originally announced in December, Twitter has introduced Spaces to users across the platform. Twitter Spaces are audio chat rooms that are very similar to new social media platform Clubhouse. What Are Twitter Spaces?According to Twitter, “Spaces is a new way [...]
Tubi, an AVOD streaming platform acquired by Fox in April 2020, posted massive gains in monthly active users (MAU) and total view time (TVT) during the pandemic. According to the company, “Tubi’s MAU reached 33 million – a new milestone and increase of 65% year over year. In addition, TVT surpassed 200 million hours streamed [...]
By 2022, Statista predicts that more than 135 million Americans will use voice assistants like Alexa and Google Home. However, according to The eMarketer Ecommerce Survey, the majority of shoppers aren’t interested in voice shopping and haven’t tried it. Digital Channels Fuel Ecommerce Growth, But Voice Shopping LagsThe growth of ecommerce over the last year has [...]
Consumer interest in trying CBD in different forms is growing, with the compound appearing in everything from beauty products to ready-to-drink beverages. The huge uptick in popularity of cannabidiol, more commonly known as CBD, can be linked to shifting feelings about the benefits of CBD, and targeted, effective marketing that has created acceptance of a [...]
Twitter introduced “conversation settings” for Twitter users last summer, and has recently announced the extension of this feature to Twitter ads, allowing brands to gain more control over how followers interact with them. “Since these [conversation setting] capabilities became available organically to everyone on Twitter in August, brands have experimented with using these settings in [...]
In a recently updated blog post on test features and experiments, YouTube indicated it will be introducing an “automated list of products detected in videos.” Although information is scarce about the feature, it’s likely that product detection is the latest move by YouTube, and parent company Google, to increase ecommerce opportunities on the hugely popular [...]
As March Madness drew to a close, many basketball fans inevitably turned back to the NBA, with playoffs set to begin May 22. The full-speed ahead re-emergence of professional sports, after a very different 2020 that saw many leagues play abbreviated seasons, has many brands looking for opportunities to capitalize on fan excitement. Burger King [...]
New regulations have recently been approved that would expand the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA), strengthening the privacy protections of the landmark legislation. The new regulations ban the use of “dark patterns,” reports Brianna Provenzano for Gizmodo. “California is at the cutting edge of online privacy protection, and this newest approval by OAL [...]
As gym memberships declined throughout the past year, many people transitioned their workouts to home equipment or online workouts. With the vaccine rollout now in full force and many people back out and about, gyms, including Gold’s Gym, Life Time Fitness and Planet Fitness, are deploying strategic promotions to entice health and wellness fanatics (and [...]
Many colleges and universities look forward to fully opening again in fall 2021, as vaccines roll out and the necessary safety and health measures are being prepared for a full return of students. In addition to fall planning, many higher education institutions are hosting summer programs for high school students and promoting online and in-person [...]
Facebook recently announced it is joining the growing number of social media platforms adding audio features. The popularity of Clubhouse during the pandemic kicked off the social audio trend, with Twitter and LinkedIn also launching audio enhancements to their platforms. In a recent interview, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, “We think that audio is, of [...]
On April 15, Google announced the launch of dynamic exclusions lists, a new brand safety feature that will, according to the tech company, “make it easier for advertisers to protect their ads from running alongside content that does not align with their brand or campaign.” Google already has ad controls in place that allow advertisers [...]
For first-time parents, knowing everything that will be needed once a baby is born can be overwhelming. Enter the baby registry. Baby registries let parents and guardians select all the items they may need, from breast pumps to cleaning services, and most expectant parents want their registries to be both easy to update and seamlessly [...]
As with so many digital and tech based activities over the last 15 months, extended reality (XR), which is inclusive of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), has seen an increase in usage by consumers and become progressively more popular with brands looking to innovate and reach curious audiences. A recent eMarketer [...]
Many environmental nonprofits kicked off Earth Day campaigns throughout April, taking advantage of the more than 50-year old day of celebrating the planet to reassert their missions and grow donor lists. During the pandemic, donations dropped for many charities due to the necessary elimination of peer-to-peer fundraising and the cancellation of major events. Earth Day [...]
Interest in travel insurance was growing even before the pandemic hit, with CNN Travel reporting that “Americans spent nearly $3.8 billion on travel protection in 2018, including on policies for trip cancellation and interruption, emergency medical and medical evacuation.” This figure from 2018 represented an increase of more than 40% from 2016. However, most travelers [...]
Streaming took a journey during the pandemic, including the rise and fall of Quibi, the surge in subscriptions while consumers were stuck at home and now the churn some streaming services are starting to experience as pre-2020 life resumes.Despite the ups and downs, recent data from Kantar shows that “7% of U.S. households took out [...]
A recent report from eMarketer, “Customer Experience 2021,” details the importance of prioritizing customer experience (CX) and how consumers are more likely to value a brand that values them and offers a seamless positive experience throughout the purchasing funnel. “Companies have increasingly come to realize that superior CX leads to not only a competitive advantage, [...]
The increasing popularity of interactive voice advertising and audio formats from social media platforms has led to the introduction of new metrics called say-through rates (STR). Like click-through rates (CTR), STR measures engagement, but for voice ads instead of clicks in emails or ads. Peter Vahle, forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence, calls voice an “ad [...]
Reddit Talk is the latest social audio feature to launch in 2021. Following the lead of Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, Reddit introduced its social audio tool to create a new space for Reddit users to gather and chat. According to Statista, “nearly 1.74 billion visits were measured to the online forum [in December 2020], making [...]
Facebook has been rolling out and announcing new features over the last several months, embracing the popularity of newsletters, audio formats and upgrades to its video advertising options. Most recently, Facebook is tweaking its short-form video offerings ahead of the IAB NewFronts, kicking off May 3, when “digital media platforms present programming and ad services [...]
According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), Mother’s Day 2021 spending is expected to exceed $28 billion. “There is a lot of consumer optimism around Mother’s Day this year, as more people are getting vaccinated and stimulus checks are being distributed,” said Matthew Shay, NRF president and CEO. “For many, this is a chance to [...]
In the U.S., there are nearly 2 million small businesses plus many large brands owned by Asian Americans. “[The] Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) business community has made significant contributions to American society with our strong economic output, productivity, ingenuity and job creation,” said Chiling Tong, president and CEO of Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber [...]
On May 3, Verizon announced the sale of AOL and Yahoo to private equity firm Apollo Global Management. Although Verizon retains a 10% stake in Yahoo, the sale of its media business likely ends Verizon’s push to become a dominant stakeholder in the media landscape. According to CNBC, the telecommunications conglomerate will now focus primarily on [...]
In response to Apple-implemented IDFA (identifier for advertisers) changes, Facebook and Instagram added new prompts, asking users to provide “permission to track some data from this device,” and stating the activity information will be used to personalize ads, support advertisers and “help keep Facebook [and Instagram] free of charge.”Why Is Facebook Saying They Need To [...]
In a recent deal, set to take effect later this year, “Adobe and delivery giant FedEx are joining forces to bring free two-day shipping to online merchants to help them better compete with the likes of Amazon and Walmart,” reports Lisa Lacy for Adweek. The deal will integrate ShopRunner into ecommerce platform Adobe Commerce.What Is [...]
The roll out of Apple’s IDFA changes has sent ripples through the advertising world with many brands considering the best strategies to reach targeted audiences, now that previously available audience data is limited. Contextual targeting is one of those strategies, recently described by Facebook as “allowing advertisers to align their brand messaging [including video, audio [...]
Many major pet product retailers and brands saw gains in 2020. “The pet industry reached a milestone in 2020, with total sales of $103.6 billion, a historic high, according to the American Pet Products Association (APPA) State of the Industry Report released last week. That marks an increase of 6.7% over 2019 retail sales of [...]
While slick influencers and high intensity campaigns will always have a place in advertising, just as action heroes will always be popular in movies, many consumers are looking for brands that offer more “real” connections. A 2018 study by Sprout Social found that “When customers feel connected to brands, more than half of consumers (57%) [...]
During COVID-19 several home security brands saw an uptick in sales, despite supply chain issues, as consumers undertook home renovation products and stayed at home more. Additionally, the increase in DIY and smart home advances have increased options for consumers in the home security market, from heritage brands like ADT to newer companies like Cove. [...]
Ad-based video on demand or AVOD is streaming that includes advertising. AVOD has been around since the 1990s, but in recent years was overshadowed by subscription video on demand (SVOD) services like Netflix and Amazon Prime. However, NBC Peacock, Tubi, Crackle and tiered services like Hulu are gaining in popularity, especially as advertisers are deploying [...]
Prior to the pandemic, more than a third of U.S. workers were in the gig economy, which is inclusive of “flexible, temporary or freelance jobs, often involving connecting with clients or customers through an online platform,” according to Investopedia. The increased demand for deliveries coupled with pandemic-related unemployment evolved and expanded the gig economy.With delivery [...]
On May 13, Google announced on its Ads & Commerce blog, new privacy features that will make it easier for brands to gain insights into Google Analytics, despite limited third-party cookies and identifiers. “Now’s the time to adopt new privacy-safe techniques to ensure your measurement remains accurate and actionable. And, while this can seem daunting, [...]
This year, in response to the COVID-19 crisis, a 2021 Marketplace health insurance Special Enrollment Period (SEP) was initiated by the Biden administration. The SEP runs through August 15, 2021, allowing consumers to “enroll in or change Marketplace health insurance plans.” Early enrollment numbers indicate that enrollment is significantly up from 2020 and 2019, when [...]
Many consumers adapted to new ways of cooking and eating during the pandemic, with delivery, curbside pickup of restaurant meals and meal kits all seeing consumer interest rise during the last year. Many pandemic-related habits are sticking around as consumers learn to appreciate the convenience of delivery and eating at home. Several meal kit brands, [...]
The page experience signals ranking update that Google hinted at last fall will be rolling out in the coming weeks, with the tech company combining its existing search signals with Core Web Vitals. In November, Google explained the reason for introducing page experience signals as part of Google Search ranking: “These signals measure how users [...]
Recently, Snapchat announced a new advertising opportunity: Creator Marketplace. With Snapchat explaining, “The Creator Marketplace integrates Creators directly into our advertising ecosystem for businesses to connect with Lens Creators, Lens Developers, Lens Partners, and eventually Snap Stars to help elevate their marketing presence on Snapchat.” The Creator Marketplace offers advertisers the ability to leverage Snapchat’s [...]
The $1.5 trillion global wellness market shows no signs of slowing down, with McKinsey & Company predicting annual growth of 5-10%. For many families, good nutrition and wellness start at a young age with healthy foods, vitamins and supplements. The list of brands that offer nutritious and health-conscious products is growing to include meal kits, [...]
Pinterest recently announced the shift of its Story Pins to the new, creator-focused Idea Pins. “Idea Pins are an evolution of Story Pins, with a fresh name to better match the uniqueness of a product that empowers creators to share long-lasting ideas and not ephemeral stories. Starting today, creators will have a suite of new [...]
A newly proposed data privacy bill in New York, called the New York Privacy Act, is working its way through the New York legislature. The bill is the latest data privacy act to be introduced at the state level, with the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) leading the way, followed recently by the [...]
Instagram has introduced Drops, the latest addition to the social media platform’s shopping and ecommerce features. Social commerce has become a major part of Instagram’s growth strategy. Since the launch in 2020 of Instagram Shop, the platform introduced shopping to both IGTV and Reels. Drops, a way for brands to share their hottest new products, [...]
After several years of testing, Instagram and Facebook are introducing a feature that lets users hide likes. Instagram explains in a blog post about the change, “We tested hiding like counts to see if it might depressurize people’s experience on Instagram. What we heard from people and experts was that not seeing like counts was [...]
After a complicated year, the roll out of vaccines means that school will likely be back in session full time this coming fall. New consumer trends may offer clues as to what can be expected from back-to-school campaigns launching in the coming weeks, as brands and retailers focus on customer acquisition strategies that must reach [...]
Many ecommerce and online buying experiences kick off with a search. And, with 3.5 billion Google searches happening per day, Google is at the center of the ecommerce ecosystem and creating opportunities for brands and consumers to align for seamless search and purchasing experiences. “[At] Google, we’re working on more ways to bridge the connection [...]
In late May, Facebook published a post on Facebook for Business by Jeff King, VP, Business Integrity at Facebook, explaining its ad review process. The post gave a general summary of the Facebook ad review process, including advertiser responsibilities and how to meet Facebook ad standards. The post, “Breaking Down Facebook’s Ad Review Process,” offers [...]
Google recently announced that it will initiate an “update [to] the financial products and services policy to clarify the scope and requirements to allow the advertisement of cryptocurrency related business and services” across the Google platform. The update will go into effect in August, replacing the existing cryptocurrency advertising policy, which has been in effect [...]
Several factors contributed to the recent rise in redecorating and renovations, including the pandemic, which had people hunkered down and noticing what they wanted to change in their living spaces, an increase in home sales and the need to work from home and create spaces that are multifunctional. “People will spend more time and effort [...]