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Roku's new mobile app is the ultimate streaming companion. It is equipped ... The updates to the app ... APPLE TO DEVELO
JANUARY 2017

GEN Z: THE PIVOTAL GENERATION For the past few years, all focus has been on the infamous Millennials. However, there is a new group on everyone’s radar—Generation Z, those born between 1996 and 2010. The group, according to recent research from Barkley & FutureCast, are shown to be very different than their predecessor Millennials because GenZ cares about human rights and feels that any brand they interact with must make that a priority, too. Additionally, the research states that Millennials are more likely to use Facebook on a daily basis (87%) compared to 77% of Gen Zers. A similar study from Kantar Millward Brown compares the two groups stating that Gen Z is much more accepting of traditional media ads and hostile to intrusive ad experiences. Understanding the mindset of this rising demographic, and tracking their favorite platforms and preferred ad experiences will enable marketers to take control of their targeting capabilities to engage in the most successful and welcomed way.

THE SHELVES HAVE EYES The next time you pick up groceries at your local grocery store, artificial intelligence (AI) may be analyzing your eye movements and facial expressions. Tech company, Cloverleaf launched a dynamic shelf solution for grocery stores that combines AI, emotional intelligence and in-store behavior to interpret what a shopper is doing at point-of-sale. Using the information received, such as demographics and sentiment, relevant messages are sent to the consumer to ensure the consumer makes the purchase. Retail marketers have always searched for innovative solutions to stand out among the thousands of competing products and distractions. Technology like AI allows marketers to reach consumers with targeted messages without raising privacy concerns associated with video recording. Moreover, e-commerce has shown the power of actionable data insights, so in-store technology powered by emotional intelligence just might turn offline channels—such as the shelf—into digital sources.

ALEXA WAS THE MOST POPULAR TECH AT CES 2017 From LG home appliances, including a fridge that enables you to re-order groceries, to in-car integrations with Volkswagen and Ford, Alexa-powered devices were everywhere at CES 2017. The natural language AI assistant showed that they are moving beyond just the Echo and entering various verticals to integrate with everyday products--bringing voice assistants to the masses. For brands and marketers, considering an investment in branded Alexa skills can put your brand at the forefront of consumers’ minds and build one-to-one conversations around your brand. Moreover, the rise in voice assistants and consumer interactions means a rise in data, which can be leveraged to target and reach your audience.

INSTAGRAM STORIES HITS 150MM DAILY USERS & INTRODUCES ADS It only took six months for Instagram Stories to boast 150MM daily users, an audience size equal to that of Snapchat’s. Instagram also boasts access to analytics on reach, impressions, replies and more for brands. Due to their success, Instagram is testing Story ads, skippable 5-second photos or 15-seconds of video between people’s stories. Instagram is attempting to not only win over users, but to win brand budgets by tapping into the successful Snapchat ad experience and pairing it with superior analytics to measure success. While they are early to release ads into stories, it is possible audiences are desensitized to the experience due to their familiarity with Snapchat ads. Both Live Story products are seeing strong audience attention, therefore brands should select the experience that best aligns with their audience, in addition to their creative and brand objectives.

. FACEBOOK PAGES CAN “GO LIVE” FROM DESKTOP Facebook announced a number of updates to their Live product for publishers. Among them, is the ability for creators to “go live” from their desktop, a feature previously reserved for smartphones, tablets or cameras connected directly to the FB Live API. Facebook has also given Pages the ability to authorize other users to be “Live Contributors” on their page, a privilege previously reserved for page admins only. The Facebook Live updates allow Facebook to be more competitive with other streaming channels such as YouTube, where influencers and vloggers rely on the quality that desktops afford. Amongst other benefits, the “Live Contributors” enable the traditional broadcast experience to be more easily mirrored. As major networks continue to chase their audiences into these new mediums, this feature may generate new types of livestreaming narratives.

ROKU GIVES THEIR MOBILE APP A MAKEOVER Roku’s new mobile app is the ultimate streaming companion. It is equipped with an option to discover new content to stream, can replace your phone as the remote control, enable private listening and even transfers your personal smartphone content to your TV. The updates to the app acknowledge that viewers have their mobile device in hand when watching and illustrates the many ways our mobile devices have replaced everyday tech like TV remotes. As OTT is increasingly adopted, it is important to take notice of consumers’ watching habits (e.g. using other devices while watching) to ensure they are receiving the best experience possible.

TWITTER CANCELS THE “BUY” BUTTON True to the rumors, Twitter has officially started to end its commerce operation by phasing out their “buy” button. However, they will continue to offer a “donate” button to allow users to donate to charitable causes and nonprofits—a function Twitter is offering directly and not through partnerships. Instead, Twitter is now shifting focus to its website conversion product where they are seeing interest in action-based marketing on the platform. This move is not a surprise, the “buy” button never took off for Twitter as consumers do not have much of an appetite to transact within their Twitter feed---an action that is not natural platform behavior for Twitter. This move shows that choosing the right platforms to provide commerce experiences is essential to making sales. If the buy button does not work in Twitter, try Pinterest or Instagram.

SNAPCHAT BUILDS PARTNERSHIP WITH ORACLE TO TARGET USERS Snap Inc. is partnering with Oracle Data Cloud to allow marketers to target users based on their offline purchases, which is the first time Snap is enabling a third party data company to access its platform. The process works by matching Oracle’s offline loyalty card purchase data to Snapchat’s hashed email addresses and user IDs, allowing ads to be targeted based on what retail products users have purchased. As Snapchat continues to push its advertising as a revenue driving platform, the additional access to data will enable marketers to leverage purchase-based targeting, to ensure the right message is reaching the right person at the right time.

APPLE TO DEVELOP ORIGINAL TV & FILM CONTENT Apple is looking to move further into the original content space by courting producers to generate original scripted film and TV shows for its Apple Music service. While some argue that the ‘Golden Age of TV’ has reached its peak--Apple’s entrance will bring new blood into the streaming wars. By following in Netflix’s and Amazon’s footsteps, Apple may be too late in the game to shake up the streaming market, however Apple is known to disrupt industries and has significant resources to secure production deals. With Apple’s move, marketers who understand that content is truly king and partner with original content producers will see success.

TRUMP’S INAUGURATION BROKE LIVE STREAMING RECORDS SOME MARKETERS WANT TO START MEASURING EMOJI VIEWABILITY FACEBOOK HAS STARTED TESTING ADS IN MESSENGER SNAPCHAT TO BILL BRANDS FOR ADS BASED ON TV-STYLE RATINGS FROM NIELSEN

WHITNEY FISHMAN ZEMBER Innovation & Consumer Technology Tel: 1 212 474 0977 [email protected]

LINDSEY YOSELEVITZ Marketing Communications Tel: 1 212 474 0542 [email protected]

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