**Due to a change in content strategy at DMS Insights, bylines are no longer used and most of the older content has been removed. Sarah’s stories have been recreated below, exactly as they were published.**
August 28, 2021 12:34 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
Gifting company 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. successfully evolved into a leading ecommerce business after entering the market as a phone-based model nearly 35 years ago. By leveraging digital strategies and ecommerce solutions across its family of brands, including recently acquired Shari’s Berries and PersonalizationMall.com, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. has seen record revenue growth. In late January, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. reported YOY [...]
August 28, 2021 12:34 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
The advertising flywheel is a series of consumer-centered actions that build momentum, generating customer acquisition, sales and revenue. How Does An Advertising Flywheel Build Momentum?An explainer article in Marketing Land, notes that Hubspot CEO Brian Halligan, “sees the customer as the lynchpin, with the flywheel itself divided into three equal segments, each representing stages along the [...]
August 28, 2021 12:34 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
After years of tinkering with Barbie to make her more up to date and relatable for today’s kids – and the parents doing the buying – Mattel has taken Barbie into the digital age. Barbie is now a gamer, vlogger and bread baking sensation, and the updated classic toy is seeing record revenue numbers. Rebecca [...]
August 28, 2021 12:34 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
This year, Black History Month is hitting a little differently for a lot of people, and brands are responding accordingly. After a year of COVID-19, in which Black and Brown people were disproportionately impacted, and the racial justice uprisings in the summer of 2020, the expectation from consumers is that brands and retailers will take [...]
August 28, 2021 12:34 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
In June, Apple kicked a hornet’s nest when it announced that significant privacy changes would be coming with the release of the iOS 14 operating system. The privacy changes specifically dealt with the “identification for advertisers, or IDFA” code used by app developers to track user behaviors. Although still backburnered for the moment, the change [...]
August 28, 2021 12:34 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
Throughout the last year, and especially during the holidays, ecommerce was essential for brands and retailers. The great pivot to online shopping and ecommerce has allowed many businesses to succeed despite difficult circumstances. A recent report from Mastercard SpendingPulse found that ecommerce continued to grow in January, even as the holiday season wrapped up.Retail Sales [...]
August 28, 2021 12:34 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
Whether it’s sourdough or banana bread, people have been cooking more during the pandemic. They’ve also been renovating more, and kitchens are high up on the list, especially in 2021. Creating the ultimate space for cooking, comfort and keeping loved ones close is a priority for consumers right now. “Consumers have undertaken a lot of [...]
August 28, 2021 12:34 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
“The market size, measured by revenue, of the pizza restaurants industry is $47.5bn in 2021,” according to IBISWorld. That’s a lot of pizza. And, while getting a pizza delivered is nothing new, the need for easy, affordable, seamless delivery was imperative the past 12 months. Pizza brands, including Pizza Hut, Little Caesars and Domino’s, amplified [...]
August 28, 2021 12:33 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
Gong xi fa cai and Happy New Year! On February 12, more than 1.5 billion people worldwide celebrated the Lunar New Year, which “marks the first new moon of the lunisolar calendars traditional to many east Asian countries including China, South Korea, and Vietnam,” according to Samantha Vincenty reporting for Oprah magazine. The Lunar New [...]
August 28, 2021 12:33 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
Email proved to be fundamentally important to brands and retailers in 2020. And, in 2021, brands across the board plan to continue investing in email, according to recent research. The research found that “98% of U.S. retail brands plan to spend more on email marketing this year” as marketers seek to make engagement with their [...]
August 28, 2021 12:33 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
Recently, because he chose to wear comfy mittens and a big coat to the inauguration, Senator Bernie Sanders was memed across the internet. And, as swiftly as the memes spread across every platform, they faded away. Despite the short-lived nature of the Bernie-meme fun, some brands, like Ikea, were able to quickly incorporate the meme [...]
August 28, 2021 12:33 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
As consumers became more and more comfortable shopping online, many consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands have relied on performance advertising for customer acquisition. Performance advertising allows CPG brands to create better, more effective connections with consumers, increase brand engagement and scale sales.DMS is a leading provider of digital performance advertising solutions connecting consumers and advertisers. [...]
August 28, 2021 12:33 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
Once considered almost essential for home purchases, home inspections have been waived by many buyers due to the highly competitive real estate market. As a result, home inspection companies are now competing with each other and the perception that home inspections are optional.In addition to robust websites, that include lead generation, creative content marketing and [...]
August 28, 2021 12:33 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
In 2020, because of the social justice protests and the desire by many people to offer support to the Black community, many Black-owned businesses and brands saw upticks in sales and attention over the summer. This sales spike also commonly happens during Black History Month, a trend that many Black owners and creators would like [...]
August 28, 2021 12:33 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
Generation X is looking for bargains, and they are relying on digital options to facilitate their conservative shopping approaches. Despite being raised latchkey kids, which prepared Xers for the isolation and stay-at-home orders that came with the pandemic, the pressures of caring for parents and kids, working from home and the economic impact of the [...]
August 28, 2021 12:33 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
The Alliance for Audited Media (AAM) introduced a third-party audit program for digital publishers. According to the AAM, “The AAM Digital Publisher Audit is a new audit solution designed to identify publishers who provide advertisers with quality platforms and valid human audiences. Without publisher audits, it is difficult for marketers to distinguish legitimate publishers from [...]
August 28, 2021 12:33 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
SMS strategies are increasingly popular as brands and businesses optimize for mobile and seek out innovative ways to engage consumers throughout the purchase funnel. A recent report from eMarketer and Insider Intelligence looks at how SMS marketing has become an exciting new channel for consumer engagement and sales conversions.The Pandemic Accelerated The Use Of SMS [...]
August 28, 2021 12:33 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
The nonprofit industry’s usual reliance on in-person events and door-to-door fundraising was drastically impacted by the pandemic. As digital became essential to all ways of doing business, including fundraising, nonprofits realized that digital outreach was fundamental to driving donations. The “Charitable Giving Report” (CGR) from the Blackbaud Institute found, “In 2020, charitable giving in the United [...]
August 28, 2021 12:33 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
Self-care and wellness, a booming business, isn’t just for women. Increasingly, men are enjoying a wide range of sophisticated shaving products, face creams and all-natural soaps to feel their best. Men’s grooming brands are responding to the demand with creative, funny and informative digital advertising campaigns that encourage engagement and drive sales.Men’s Grooming Brands Offer [...]
August 28, 2021 12:33 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
After a year of major growth for YouTube, the digital video platform scored another big win, receiving accreditation for brand safety from the Media Rating Council (MRC). This brand safety accreditation is likely to make YouTube even more desirable to advertisers concerned about their ads being served next to questionable or inappropriate content.What Is Brand [...]
August 28, 2021 12:33 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
Google recently announced the release of new lead form extensions that had been in beta since the fall of 2019, as reported by DMS Insights. After users click on ads in search, video and Google Discover, the new (and improved) lead form extensions appear without requiring users to click through to landing pages or websites, [...]
August 28, 2021 12:33 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
“The market size, measured by revenue, of the Home Warranty Providers industry is $2.6bn in 2021,” according to IBISWorld. Many Americans want the peace of mind that a home warranty offers, with many warranty plans providing coverage of home appliances, systems like HVAC and electrical, and even pools and hot tubs. In response to significant [...]
August 28, 2021 12:33 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
As predicted, the passing of the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) has inspired other states to follow suit with similar privacy laws. According to the National Law Review, “On February 3, 2021, the Virginia Senate unanimously passed the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA), SB1392.” Once signed into law by Governor Northam, the [...]
August 28, 2021 12:33 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
As consumers browse and scroll the internet, looking for ways to mimic the in-store shopping experience, social media platform (AKA shoppable bulletin board) Pinterest reaps the benefits. In Q4, which ended December 31, Pinterest revenue grew 76% year over year to $706 million, and global monthly active users (MAUs) grew 37% year over year to [...]
August 28, 2021 12:33 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
Throughout 2020, home renovations saw an uptick in popularity. Houzz, a popular website and community about home renovations and design, noticed “kitchen and bath remodeling projects picked up 40% in June [2020].” When remodeling kitchens, cabinets are often the most costly item. (Appliances and countertops are the next most costly items.) With renovations popular right [...]
August 28, 2021 12:33 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
Since the start of the pandemic, nearly 3,000 hate incidents towards The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community have been recorded. In response, many brands and nonprofits are offering support and allyship as the unfortunate situation becomes more widely known. Eric Toda, the global head of social marketing at Facebook, has called on all brands [...]
August 28, 2021 12:33 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
“Telehealth could have multiple benefits during the pandemic by expanding access to care, reducing disease exposure for staff and patients, preserving scarce supplies of personal protective equipment and reducing patient demand on facilities. Telehealth policy changes might continue to support increased care access during and after the pandemic,” determined the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) [...]
August 28, 2021 12:33 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
The recent announcement that buy now pay later (BNPL) start-up Affirm would be moving ahead with its IPO sent insiders buzzing about the future of BNPL and the impact of this fast-growing payment method on ecommerce. With worldwide ecommerce sales topping $4 trillion in 2020, and 18% of all retail sales taking place online, according [...]
August 28, 2021 12:32 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
In a recent blog post and email sent to political advertisers, Facebook revealed that it had lifted its ban on political ads. The ban was introduced after the November 6 election, when the country was plunged into a period of political maneuvering, and Facebook was under fire for the false and incendiary ads of some [...]
August 28, 2021 12:32 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
Younger consumers, motivated by worries about COVID-19 and the uncertainty of the last 12 months, have been increasingly buying life insurance. According to the The Wall Street Journal, “applications for life insurance policies jumped 4% in 2020 in the U.S., the highest year-over-year annual growth rate since 2001, when MIB Group Inc., a member-owned organization, [...]
August 28, 2021 12:32 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
Although it’s important to celebrate the accomplishments of women everyday, Women’s History Month offers an opportunity to highlight women-owned brands and businesses that are thriving, innovating and creating new opportunities across industries. Like so many businesses, for many women-owned businesses, digital strategies, including email campaigns and sophisticated ecommerce platforms, have been integral to brand awareness, [...]
August 28, 2021 12:32 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
Social media platform Pinterest recently hosted its first ever global advertising summit, “Pinterest Presents,” during which it introduced several new initiatives for advertisers, including Pinterest Premiere. Pinterest explained, “Pinterest Premiere gives you the option to align video ad targeting with either a specific demographic, or a specific category (combining demographics and interests). These [Pinterest Premiere] [...]
August 28, 2021 12:32 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
For some people, it isn’t St. Patrick’s Day if they aren’t wearing a little green for luck. Retailers like Target, Walmart and other big box stores quickly switch from Valentine’s Day pink to St. Paddy’s Day green with items from t-shirts to toys advertised across their websites. Evergreen St. Patrick’s Day advertising ideas, like going [...]
August 28, 2021 12:32 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
Many gadget brands have tapped into seamless ecommerce platforms, promotions and digital engagement to connect with shoppers looking to outfit their kitchens. Here’s a look at five kitchen gadget and appliance brands that leveraged effective messaging and strong digital strategies to drive direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales.1. Vitamix Online Video Series Helps Shoppers See The Benefits Of [...]
August 28, 2021 12:32 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
Beginning Friday, March 12, the House of Representatives Judiciary antitrust panel will hold a hearing on the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act of 2021 (JCPA), which aims to put news organizations in a better position to negotiate with digital distribution platforms, including Google and Facebook. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D) and Representative David Cicilline (D) are [...]
August 28, 2021 12:32 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
Facebook recently announced the upcoming rollout of brand safety tools that could offer advertisers “safer,” more targeted placement on Facebook’s News Feed. Garett Sloane for Ad Age reported, “In recent weeks, Ad Age spoke with multiple ad agency and ad tech partners about the [Facebook brand safety] program; if all goes as planned it would [...]
August 28, 2021 12:32 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
“We're saying no to ‘normal’ and ‘yes’ to positive beauty,” said Unilever in a recent announcement about the launch of its “Positive Beauty” vision and strategy. Adding, “74% of people want the beauty and personal care industry to reflect a broader definition of beauty.” Recent consumer research from Unilever showed consumers think the word “normal” [...]
August 28, 2021 12:32 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
As travel starts to get moving again, Google recently announced that it is making it free for hotels and travel companies around the world to appear in hotel booking links on Google.com/travel. The Google announcement notes that, previously, hotel booking links have been offered via Hotel Ads, but the new free listings will be made [...]
August 28, 2021 12:32 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
Spring has sprung, and people are making plans to enjoy outdoor celebrations. In recent years, many beer brands have launched lighter versions of their brews and hard seltzers, which have become very popular with people who want to enjoy day drinking and get togethers without the calories and high alcohol content. “New seltzer products include [...]
August 28, 2021 12:32 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
The name of the game when running any advertising campaigns is testing. What channel worked? What content? What audience responded? Where’s the money being made? Pay-for-performance advertising, which allows advertisers to pay for the specific actions that match the objectives of their campaigns, is an answer to murky attribution.Why Is It Difficult To Measure Advertising [...]
August 28, 2021 12:32 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
During the past year, while some consumers took on baking, puzzles and renovations, 30 million people around the world attempted to learn a new language, according to research and data from language app Duolingo. “During lockdown, learners around the globe looked for ways to feel connected, and so millions of people began learning a new [...]
August 28, 2021 12:32 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
In 2020, prospective student inquiries from social media increased 30% compared to the prior year, according to data derived from and stored within Sparkroom® performance marketing technology. As social channels become more essential for higher education student recruitment, enrollment marketers are seeking innovative ways to scale inquiries and enrollments.Unbranded social advertising supplements branded campaigns, empowering [...]
August 28, 2021 12:32 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
According to recent analysis by Zillow of 1.4 million home sales from 2020, “Homes that advertised higher-end kitchen and bathroom amenities sold for more than otherwise expected in 2020.” High-end kitchens typically include luxury appliances like fridges, stoves and dishwashers, and laundry rooms are often kitted out with top-of-the-line washer/dryers. As renovations continue to be [...]
August 28, 2021 12:32 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
According to recent data from Standard Media Index's U.S. Ad Market Tracker, and reported by Joe Mandese of MediaPost, digital advertising spend grew in February as advertising spend in traditional channels declined.Digital Advertising Showed Double Digit Growth In February 2021Advertising spend for digital media grew 18% in February 2021 compared to a year prior. This [...]
August 28, 2021 12:32 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
This Women’s History Month is an excellent opportunity to highlight all the innovative, exciting work that women CMOs are doing at consumer brands around the world. As digital becomes more and more indispensable to consumers and brands alike, CMOs are prioritizing digital strategies for authentic engagement with prospective and existing customers.Minjae Ormes Of Visible Prioritizes [...]
August 28, 2021 12:32 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
Digital Media Solutions® (DMS) and Jornaya recently partnered to host a webinar on “How To Engage The Digital Window Shopper.” Rich Smith, CMO of Jornaya, Joey Liner, CRO of DMS, and Kathy Bryan, CMO of DMS, discussed the shopping trends of consumers throughout the last 12 months and how to nurture shoppers stuck in the [...]
August 28, 2021 12:32 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
According to a 2020 survey of 8,000 customers from around the world conducted by Deloitte, insurance shoppers want “products that are easy to understand, purchase and use; they also want to be confident that they are paying a fair price, and to trust that claims will be paid fairly.” Many advertising strategies by home insurance [...]
August 28, 2021 12:32 am
Published by Sarah Cavill
Consumer excitement about warmer weather makes spring a popular time to buy cars. With experts predicting that pent-up demand could lead to an uptick in car purchases, eMarketer anticipates “automotive digital ad spend to rebound by 21.4% in 2021 to $13.29 billion, a figure closer to pre-pandemic levels.”The automotive industry has effectively adopted digital strategies [...]
