The Biggest Problem in Digital Advertising

Andrew Torba is CEO of Automate Ads, a business that automates, optimizes and unifies digital advertising campaigns with incredible software.

Placing ads online is a lot like investing. As a digital advertiser, you invest a sum of money in order to convert new or existing customers and hopefully make a return on your initial investment. For the e-commerce advertiser, this return comes in the form of direct online sales. For the mobile app developer, this return comes in the form of users or in-app purchases. For the publisher, this return comes in the form of page views.

What each of these advertisers has in common is an utter lack of clarity when it comes to understanding what is truly working and what is wasteful. Over the last five years, I've personally worked with hundreds of advertisers from around the world to help them manage and scale tens of millions of dollars in ad spend. I've seen many throw money at the wall in hopes of driving conversions with no set strategy in place to track, measure and attribute their conversion funnel.

Most paid media tracking and automation tools are also out-of-reach for small and mid-market advertisers, giving them no option to effectively track and measure attribution. These powerful systems are typically reserved for the enterprise elite who can afford to shell out a few thousand dollars a month to use them, or an even larger investment to build a version of their own.

The Attribution "Gray Area"

If you advertise online, then chances are you already understand the complexity that comes with measuring a return on ad spend. This return on investment can come in many shapes and sizes, but for most brands the best measure of success is sales. The issue is understanding where those sales come from. Imagine this scenario: a customer clicks on one of your Google Adwords campaigns, visits your website, leaves, and two days later comes back to your site due to a retargeting ad in their Facebook Newsfeed, then leaves again and returns in a few days organically to finally buy something. Who gets credit for the conversion? Is it Google, Facebook, direct traffic or a mix of each? This is the gray area in digital advertising that leaves many scratching their heads. Last-click attribution models, a model that gives conversion credit to the channel that drove the "last click," aren't enough when advertisers are managing dozens of campaigns across dozens of different ad channels.

Google Adwords, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, LinkedIn, display networks, native advertising, video advertising and thousands of blogs and other paid channels are just some of the many options available to advertisers. The more advertising opportunities that arise, the more complex tracking, managing and optimizing cross-channel ad spend becomes. As the famous early marketing pioneer, John Wanamaker said, "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half."

Advertisers' Problem With Digital Media Giants

Companies like Facebook, Google and Twitter have been racing to tackle this problem head on. All three have their own versions of tracking pixels, which can be installed on an advertiser's website or in their mobile app to track events, conversions and users who can later be retargeted with more ads.

Advertisers have no access to any information about the user data that is collected and also have little to no insight into what moves these users make before they actually convert. The pixels that Facebook, Google, Twitter and others provide don't offer advertisers the ability to fully visualize, understand and optimize their post-click conversion funnel, or the process by which you engage with and drive users to convert after they first click on one of your ads.

There is very little sense as to how users who end up converting navigate down the post-click conversion funnel. All of this user and event-based data is extremely valuable to help advertisers learn more about their audience, spot bottlenecks in their conversion funnel, and improve the overall performance of paid media campaigns, but right now it's out of reach.

Most advertisers are driving cross-device traffic from multiple ad channels, as well as from other various marketing efforts outside of paid media. When they compare data points from these multiple sources and drill down to actual conversions, it becomes very difficult to understand the true value of return; and more importantly: where it came from.

A Workable Solution

Advertisers have a variety of different third-party tracking options that can help them track users and on-site or in-app events, but the impetus is still on the advertiser to put that third-party tracking data to work. On top of that, advertisers already have a slew of different tools and tabs open to access and analyze all of their data.

Here is an example of a few tabs in an advertiser's browser at any point in time: Facebook's Ads Manager or Power Editor, a Google Adwords dashboard, a Google Analytics dashboard, a third-party tracking system dashboard, a third-party retargeting dashboard, a sales dashboard from a payment processor, a CRM to track users and leads and more. What follows is the manual process of exporting all of this data from different sources and trying to make sense of it.

For now, advertisers have very little choice when it comes to effectively measuring true cross-channel ad spend attribution. It's an incredibly manual, confusing, and time-consuming process. While those with big budgets can afford pricey attribution software or build their own, others choose to outsource paid media management entirely or hire an in-house specialist to work on management and attribution full time. The common thread for both of these groups is that attribution remains the biggest problem in digital advertising.

Resource: http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Digital Advertising Operations Manager – Full Service Agency

Brand new role in digital advertising operations.

If you have over 1 year’s experience in digital campaign management from a media agency or publisher, we would love to hear from you. This role is in a superb full service agency and will see the successful candidate develop and grow the position.

Candidates must have experience in digital campaign management, be sociable and have excellent client service skills.

If you know how to work to process and can understand how to troubleshoot digital campaigns, this would be the role for you.

Resource: http://mumbrella.com.au

SS+K hires VH1’s director of advertising Jesse Raker

VH1’s director of advertising and branding Jesse Raker has joined SS+K as design director.

Of his new position, Raker said: "I am honored to lead a design studio within an agency that understands the value of good, smart and compelling work.”

Before joining Viacom’s VH1 in 2014, Raker served as senior brand designer at Nike for Brand Jordan.

New York-based SS+K’s clients include HBO and the New Yorker.

Resource: http://www.thedrum.com

Digital advertising is in a state of emergency, and there’s no easy fix

“When last did you click on a banner?”

I am yet to get an answer to this question that doesn’t begin with a panicked expression, a hurried attempt to remember or make something up, and eventually the response: “yes but I am in the industry, so I am desensitized/uninterested/jaded etc.”. Think about that for a second, “in the industry”. I would assume that presupposed interest/caring/curiosity, yet even industry natives are ‘over it’. Digital advertising promised to be the answer to the need for measurement, the transparent visionary. But, somewhere along the line, it got lost. It got wasteful. And it got annoying.

Ad Blocking

There is a reason that ad blockers are on the rise. And I can almost guarantee you that it is not because ‘the internet at large’ has conspired to ensure that publishers, smaller ones in particular, cannot afford to eat.

According to Pagefair, ad blocking grew by 41% worldwide, 48% in the states (12 months leading up to June 2015) and a whopping 82% in the UK for the same period. These are not numbers to chuck aside; they have very real implications. This could be costing publishers about 22 BILLION US dollars a year. There is no doubt in my mind that this number is a little inflated. Publishers tend to find angles and have probably included all unsold revenue at standard or even premium rates. However, even a fraction of 22 billion is enough to get attention.

Perspective: publisher versus internet user

“Advertising funds the internet, it is a necessary evil.”

The recycled and recited rhetoric from publishers. And it’s easy to see where it came from; pay walls don’t work unless your publication is super niche like “Fashion Doll Weekly” (yes that exists), there are an infinite amount of alternatives to your content, and billionaire philanthropists can’t continue to be happy with yearly losses anymore. What is the alternative? Is there an alternative? And why is the internet community so critical of advertising, if they know that the content won’t exist without it?

Do they know?

I am not suggesting that everyone online is an idiot (although, a look at any forum and doubt arises) but rather, apathetic. The general user doesn’t see advertising and think “oh, here is a publisher trying to keep from selling his prize-winning tilapia collection”, they simply don’t care to think that far. They just see an annoyance, a distraction, an interruption. An abstract villain fighting for the attention of internet users, steering it away from whatever they are trying to do online.

And that, ladies and gentleman of the internet, is the point. Online display advertising is aimed at getting your attention.

Show me someone who has given explicit permission to be advertised to. One could argue that by using an internet that they know is littered with ads, they are agreeing implicitly; but this is a weak argument at best.

The real question is: “what is the user getting in return [for their attention]?” Advertisers will argue product opportunities, specials, services that they might not know existed etc. But this is almost solely dependent on relevance.

Relevance

Relevance is the big draw card of advertisers. Yet so few advertisers are getting it right. Their strategies for relevance are based (very largely) on assumption. So and so visited a car blog which means they are interested in buying a car. Or, so and so is on a fashion site, so they must be interested in buying some new shoes. It may be right some of the time, but when the global CTR is 0.06% on desktop and 0.63% on mobile (some stats suggest 40% of these clicks are accidental) then it is more not than often.

Percentages like that indicate a broken model.

Vanity metrics
We, as an industry, are often delusional when it comes to campaign results. A campaign that delivers an engagement rate of one percent is considered a massive success, but one percent outside of the relativity of the super low benchmarks is a horrid result.

Campaign benchmarks are often measured by metrics that do not speak to the campaign objective. A bazillion clicks on a banner is not going to matter if none of them convert. Standardizing metrics in a world filled with variables seems very short-sighted.

Being re-targeted for the hard drive I actually purchased last week is enough to drive me insane. Maybe if relevance improves, the results will follow suit? Maybe programmatic is the answer? Using big data to create audience buckets to sharpen targeting. However, I am uncomfortable with a machine (or an estranged media planner) deciding what is relevant for me.

I think the solution is participation.

If we allow the user to choose what is relevant, the perception around online advertising could better which would improve its effectiveness. Both Facebook and Google have recently released preference panels that allow you to decide which verticals are not relevant.

The point of marketing

The basis of marketing is actually pretty simple. So simple, that it often gets overlooked.

Communicate value.
That is it. That is all. There is nothing more to it.

Convincing someone to buy your product through false associations is not strictly ethical; subliminal advertising was banned with reason. Ads that imply that their product will give you an all-access pass to a yacht and beautiful people, or that drinking their whiskey will ad +10 to entrepreneurship skills, need to go. Advertising has to communicate a message, that is, “this product solves this problem in this way”.

Communicate value. Show me how you’re adding value to my life. If you can’t do that, rethink your product.

The marketing message

Organisational culture will determine the values of a company. Typically, a company is either market or a product orientated. Product orientation focuses on product excellence and, usually, innovation. Market orientation focuses on the needs of their market. Marketing teams should be communicating the value, the strengths, of the product or service. The “how this product will make your life better” message. Trouble is, many companies tend to communicate the “how this product could make your life better” message, and usually with an incredibly unrealistic result.

Content marketing

One digital trend I see playing a big part in the future is content advertising. Provided it is done well. I am not talking about the “This is how this person got rich in negative time” kind of content, but rather content that aims to provide value to the reader. GoPro does this exceptionally well. They create/look for content that is aligned with their core values (in this case: doing extremely cool shit) and put their brand in it. They aren’t trying to sell you their products, they are showing you how their products can add value; and that difference is paramount.

Resource: http://memeburn.com

Ten Brand Ideas Creativity Loved in 2015

Here, you'll find ten powerful advertising and marketing ideas that moved us this year -- whether it was through skillfull storytelling, emotional punch, comedic prowess, sheer ingenuity or a combination of several of those things.
Make sure to tune into Creativity-online.com for more of our favorite ideas from 2015. Each day until New Year's, in our Picks of the Day we'll be counting down the best creative in the categories of TV/Film, Print/OOH/Design and Integrated/Innovative.
Supercell "Revenge"
Creativity's favorite Super Bowl ad of the year was a surprise appearance from mobile gaming giant Supercell, which along with Barton F. Graf 9000 masterminded a surprise appearance from our favorite action star, Liam Neeson, in a laugh-out-loud spot for "Clash of Clans." Psyop's Fletcher Moules was behind the camera for the skillful animation, while MJZ's comedy master Tom Kuntz directed the live action portion of the ad.
AT&T "Close to Home"
This shocking ad from AT&T and BBDO New York imagined how a mom's simple social media post could shatter multiple lives. Directed by Anonymous Content's Frederic Planchon, the short film chronicled a day-in-the-life of everyday folks as they went about their business, but then a mindless mobile distraction (one that no doubt will feel scarily familiar to many) leads to a tragedy touching several lives.
Toyota "A SIRIous Safety Message"
And here's yet another genius safe driving idea. Radio spots don't often get much attention in the ad world, but this one truly deserves to be heard. Saatchi & Saatchi Stockholm created this radio ad for Toyota that "hijacked" Siri to disable people's phones while they were driving -- a reminder to keep their eyes on the road.
Samsung "Look at Me"
As we've seen in recent years, advertisers have the power to do real good. Samsung, along with Cheil, demonstrated this with a marvelous app designed to help autistic children tackle their most common challenges of reading facial expressions and making eye contact.
M&C Saatchi: Artificial Intelligence Billboards
The roles of data and artificial intelligence have ramped up significantly in the ad and marketing world. This eye-opening idea from M&C Saatchi London shows just how far A.I. can take brand messages with this "Darwinian" approach to advertising: billboards that evolve on the spot in real-time, based on consumers' reactions to them.
Karma Nirvana: Cosmopoliton Honor Killing Cover
On the other side of the spectrum, great ideas don't have to be so technologically sophisticated. They could just be a simple rethink of a familiar practice -- like magazine covers. Leo Burnett, our most awarded agency of the year, conceived this shocking ad for charity organization Karma Nirvana. It's a Cosmopolitan mag cover wrap with a photo of a woman being suffocated, the impact intensified by the plastic bag that typically sheaths monthly publications. The idea was inspired by the 2004 story of Shafilea Ahmed, a 17-year-old British-Pakistani girl whose parents suffocated her to death in an honor killing.
NIke "Last"
We saw plenty of amazing Nike ads in the past year, including the powerful golf spot that showed how young pro Rory McIlroy rose to fame inspired by Tiger Woods, the rollicking ad illustrating how superjocks have out-of-this-world fun when they're snowed in and "Inner Thoughts," which illustrated the messy mind-talk women can have during their workouts. The latter idea continues in what was our favorite Nike spot from 2015, "Last," which celebrates the unlikeliest marathon heroes -- those in last place, who carry on to the finish line, even as the winners are out celebrating and the cleaning crew has begun sweeping up after the big event.

Resource: http://adage.com

Creative Preview: Preview NYF's World's Best Advertising 2016

The New York Festivals Creative Preview offers a sneak peek at select entries submitted to 2016's New York Festivals International Advertising Awards competition. The 2016 World's Best Advertising award winners will be announced May 19 at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York.
In this Creative Preview, NYF showcases Rosapark France's brand activation campaign "Wave," submitted for client Tribord promoting its new Izeber50 life vest.
Rosapark took its street team to the seashore to crowd sample cans of WAVE, a faux energy drink, to unknowing pedestrians. The cans contained "100% seawater" and sported the tagline "Make this your last taste of drowning."
New York Festivals asked Julien Saurin and Nicolas Gadesaude, the creative team behind the idea, about the inspiration for the campaign. "The initial creative impulse was the desire to give people a taste of drowning, and from there it was a quick step to asking people to drink seawater," Mr. Gadesaude says. "Of course, no one would want to drink seawater voluntarily, so we knew from the beginning that we would have to trick them into doing it. That's how we arrived at the idea of creating a false drink brand called WAVE and handing out free samples of it."
Says Jamie-Edward Standen, creative director, Rosapark France, "The biggest challenge was the production of the cans of seawater. We weren't going to produce hundreds of thousands of them for our events, but we still needed a lot, and it took awhile to hunt down a supplier willing to do a limited run. We then had to work out what to put inside. We didn't literally scoop the water out of the ocean -- wouldn't want to poison anyone -- but we worked with a laboratory to make a sterile solution with the exact same level of salinity. So of course it tastes just as disgusting as a mouthful of surf."
To view "Wave" and find out more, visit the New York Festivals website.
About the Sponsor
New York Festivals World's Best Advertising is recognized worldwide as a touchstone for global creative excellence in advertising and marketing communications. Starting in 1957, NYF now receives entries from 90 countries in all media in the following competitions: Activation & Engagement, Avant-Garde/Innovative, Branded Content/Branded Entertainment, Creative Marketing Effectiveness, Design, Digital, Direct & Collateral, Film (Cinema/Online/TV), Film Craft, Film -- Best New Director, Integrated/Mixed Media Campaign, Media (Best Use of), Mobile, Outdoor/Out of Home, Package & Product Design, Print, Public & Media Relations, Public Service Announcements (PSA), Radio and Student.

Resource: http://creativity-online.com

Trump: Cruz's eminent domain attack 'false advertising'

Republican primary front-runner Donald Trump on Sunday called a new ad pointing to his past use of eminent domain “false advertising."
The 30-second spot, released by primary rival Ted Cruz, accuses the billionaire businessman of plotting to bulldoze a widow's house to build a parking lot for one of his casinos.
“I have to tell you his ad is wrong, because I never knocked down that house,” Trump said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“I wanted to get that house to build a major building that would have employed tremendous numbers of people, but the woman didn’t want to sell, ultimately I just said, ‘Forget about it,’” he added.

“So he’s got me bulldozing a house – I never bulldozed it down. It’s false advertising.”
The Cruz ad accuses Trump of “colluding with Atlantic City insiders to bulldoze the home of an elderly woman for a limousine parking lot at his casino.”
The widow herself is featured in the ad saying, “He doesn’t have no heart, that man.”
Trump also said on Sunday it would be impossible to complete large projects without the use of eminent domain.

“But, you know, the way to eminent domain, if you didn't have eminent domain, you wouldn't have highways, you wouldn't have the Keystone pipeline, because they need their desperately if it's ever going to get built,” he said.

“You wouldn't have roads, you wouldn't have schools, hospitals,” he added. “I mean, I don't love eminent domain, but you need eminent domain or you don't have a country.”

Resource: http://thehill.com

TV continues to lead advertising market in Japan, online advertising coming on strong, says IHS

Though the Web would seem to be the obvious go-to medium for advertisers in the smartphone era, Japan-based advertisers are still primarily focusing their attention on TV commercials to deliver their brand message. In 2015, TV commercials accounted for 41% of total net advertising revenues in Japan, the world's third largest advertising market, while online ads made up only 23%. This situation stands in contrast to other mature markets, such as the US, UK, Australia and Nordic countries, where online ads dominate with an over 50% share, according to IHS.

Although the chances of online advertising replacing TV in the near future are slim, online advertising is still growing at a rapid pace, spurred on by the adoption of smartphones in parallel with the development of new ad delivery technologies. After overtaking print in 2014 to become the second largest medium in Japan, online advertising will account for between 23-27% of the total market between 2015-2020.

Total net advertising revenues in Japan reached JPY3.6 trillion (US$34.4 billion) in 2015, an increase of just over 1% over the previous year. Net advertising revenues in Japan is expected to continue to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.3% from 2015-2020, to reach almost JPY4.5 trillion in 2020. Total net advertising revenue represents revenue generated by media owners from TV, radio, online, print and out-of-home (OOH) advertising, after deducting agency commissions and production costs

"TV advertising will continue to account for more than 40% of the total net advertising market in Japan over the next five years," said Qingzhen Chen, advertising analyst for IHS. "Japan TV advertising seems immune to the online cannibalization experienced by other mature markets, as advertisers are still skeptical of online advertising that many perceive to be a lower-quality form of marketing, when compared to TV commercials."According to IHS, the prominent position of TV advertising can be partly attributed to the heavy involvement of Japan advertising agency Dentsu, part of the Dentsu Group, which dominates the industry. Not only does Dentsu control an estimated one third of the Japan ad market and the majority of the marketing activities, it also produces much of the advertising content and programs seen on Japanese TV.

"The strong relationship between Dentsu and TV broadcasters is one of the reasons Japan still lags behind other mature markets, in terms of the penetration of online advertising despite being technologically advanced," said Chen.According to IHS, print advertising still made up 17% of total net advertising revenues in 2015 owing to the high level of circulation of the nation's newspapers. By 2020, however, print advertising is expected to drop to around 10% of the total market, given the growing preference of younger consumers for online content.

Resource: http://www.digitimes.com

Apps lead new wave in advertising

In the fast-changing world of mobile advertising, staples like banner ads, pop-ups and ads disguised as news stories aren't cutting it anymore.

The latest crop of ads reads like novels, mimics the levels of a video game and lets Snoopy hitch a ride on selfies.

Advertisers hope those flashier formats will encourage people to interact with ads on the smartphones and tablets that are dominating their lives. Deeper engagement, they say, tends to make brand names stick in people's minds, translating to higher spending.
Mobile advertising is growing fast, with sales expected to top $100 billion this year for the first time.
But the banner ads that advertisers relied on for two decades are now being vanquished by ad-blocking software or simply ignored. Native ads, which resemble news stories instead of sales pitches, are distrusted by consumers.That's created opportunity for Snapchat Inc., Zynga Inc. and other mobile app companies, which are experimenting with a new wave of ad options. They say consumers want more than a static message; they want ads to be fun and a utility — something they can use and share.

"It's not just buying a Super Bowl ad and a big New York Times spread before Christmas," said Adam Simon, director of strategy at ad firm IPG Media Lab. "There's a lot more strategy and debate about what's the right place to reach your consumers, with a focus on providing them some value."
Venice-based Snapchat lets advertisers create their own Lenses, a type of animation launched in the fall that users select to alter their photos and videos. For instance, one popular Lens on Snapchat lets users overlay a cartoon rainbow on their faces, making it look as if they're vomiting rainbows.

Sponsored Lenses allow advertisers to get in on the fun. Twentieth Century Fox and digital ad agency Avatar Labs recently designed Lens for "The Peanuts Movie" that allowed users to virtually chomp on a waterfall of candy corn while Snoopy danced in the foreground of their photos.
Tens of millions of people saw the animation or used it in posts shared with friends. Jason Steinberg of Avatar Labs said Snapchat's users would remember who made the ad because they respond well to creative, usable content.

Meanwhile, Zynga's value-laden ads involve what it does best: making games. Advertisers get sponsored levels that sit within games and can affect their results.

One ad, by salad dressing brand Hidden Valley, invited players of Zynga's matching game "Farmville: Harvest Swap" to earn a ranch chicken pizza recipe by matching ingredients, including bottles of Hidden Valley ranch. The brand wanted people to consider using ranch on more than salads, and the game experience conveyed that idea to up to about 1.5 million people.

Players spent an average of 25 seconds in branded levels in early campaigns, said Julie Shumaker, general manager of Zynga's in-house advertising unit, StudioE. And purchase desire for pitched products at least doubled on average.

 Farmville
Hidden Valley Ranch sponsored a level within Zynga’s mobile game “Farmvile: Harvest Swap.” (Zynga)
The tactic was notable because mobile games often bribe users with virtual currency to get them to watch video ads. But Zynga wanted users to earn rewards through play. Zynga also can show a lot more of sponsored play ads and charge more for them because they aren't as interruptive as videos.

Smaller companies have twists on online ads too.

Wattpad's 40 million users submit and read fiction on the app, so the company decided ads should also be stories. They grip people's undivided attention, the company reasoned.

General Electric Co.'s ad-stories on Wattpad were written by top science fiction writers on the service. Instead of pitching GE refrigerators or washer-dryers, the resulting stories chronicled the exploits of young technologists. The stories, carried on GE's account, were labeled "Sponsored" and garnered 40,000 views, Wattpad said.

"It's becoming harder and harder to find audiences through traditional advertising," said Sam Olstein, GE's global director of innovation. "We just want to find new audiences in unconventional ways."

How Snapchat is targeting the over-35 crowd
Music streaming app start-up Dash Radio has 3 million users. Instead of intrusive ads that play in between songs, advertisers on the streaming platform — including video game "Halo" and the movie "Entourage" — sponsor their own playlists filled with interviews or songs from their soundtracks. Dash said users listen to sponsored playlists for an average of 25 minutes.

The increasingly fancier mobile ads pose a threat to websites, newspapers, radio stations and cable television — all of which could see revenue sucked away because their business models depend on the old-school formats. Across the digital landscape, companies are rushing to adapt.

Santa Monica-based Demand Media dramatically reduced the number of ads on EHow.com, Cracked.com and other popular websites, aiming to supplant them with sponsored podcasts, and other deeper ad integrations. Woven Digital, the Culver City company behind brands such as BroBible and Uproxx, is heavily investing in creating conversation-stimulating video series that advertisers can sponsor.
Still, cheap online ads are a huge business. As they continue to overtake expensive TV buys, worldwide ad budgets are expected to grow slowly to $526 billion in 2016 from $503 billion in 2015, according to research firm Magna Global.
Ad executives caution that new technology could quash the promising early endeavors long before they endure as long as banner ads have.
Trying "a bunch of tactics to track down a moving target is going to be a reality for a long time," said Avatar Labs' Steinberg.

Resource: http://www.latimes.com

Active International Names LaTorre to Lead New Global Agency Advocacy Group

PEARL RIVER, N.Y. & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Active International, the largest global independent corporate trade company, today announced it has named Lou LaTorre to lead a new global agency advocacy group. In his new role, LaTorre will be responsible for leveraging Active's domestic and global agency relationships to identify and develop strategic business initiatives.

 "We are delighted to have Lou join the Active International team," said Bill Georges, Chief Operating Officer at Active International. "The media industry is going through tremendous change, which is reshaping the roles of all key market players and creating new opportunities. We view strategic partnerships as an increasingly important part of our global business. Lou's deep understanding of the digital and linear media marketplace and the strength of relationships he's built during his very successful career will be a tremendous asset for our clients, our trading and agency partners and our company."

Prior to joining Active, Mr. LaTorre served as president, advertising sales and integrated marketing for Fox Cable Networks. He was responsible for overseeing advertising strategy, pricing and planning, sales operations, revenue generation and integrated sales and marketing across the Fox network and cable platforms. He was also directly involved with the launch of Fox’s regional sports network, FSN.

Mr. LaTorre previously served as president and COO, sales and marketing at New World Communications, where he was responsible for New World TV Group's national revenue. Prior to that, he served as executive vice president, sales and marketing at Turner Entertainment Group, where he was responsible for kids, sports, syndication and entertainment and helped launch TNT, Cartoon Network and Turner Syndication.

"It is an exciting time to be joining Active International, the global leader in corporate trade" said LaTorre. "Given the dramatically shifting digital and linear media landscape and rapidly changing consumer behaviors, Active's central value proposition of restoring or extending media buying power is well positioned as an invaluable resource for both brand marketers and agencies of record. Active truly is a 360-degree client solutions organization."

In 2015, Mr. LaTorre was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Television Hall of Fame in recognition of his service, achievements and leadership in the industry. Mr. LaTorre earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and Advertising from Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College.

About Active International

Active International, the global leader in corporate trade, consults with Fortune 1000 companies on ways to leverage their enterprise assets, typically excess consumer packaged goods, real estate and capital equipment, to purchase pre-budgeted expenses like media, retail marketing, events & hospitality, freight & logistics, and LED lighting & displays. Active places more than $1 billion in media annually on behalf of its clients and has successfully helped many of the world’s leading brands recover value, reduce costs and increase market share. Providing a dynamic financial tool and creative marketing solutions, Active has helped its clients improve their business performance, delivering $1.5 billion in economic benefit since 1984. Active International is based in New York and has offices in 15 countries. www.activeinternational.com
Contacts

Media:
Bliss Integrated Communication
Morgan Fine, (212) 584-5487
morgan@blissintegrated.com

Resource: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160114005275/en/Active-International-Names-LaTorre-Lead-Global-Agency

Gaining Influence in a Crisis

Complex crises need less “managed” communication approaches.

In March 2014, Malaysian Airlines flight 370 disappeared on its way to Beijing.  To this day, the fate of the plane has not been established. The tragedy of the aircraft’s disappearance was exacerbated by the images of distressed relatives, herded into hotels in Kuala Lumpur and Beijing, being drip fed information, initially via text message. The cold approach was ill-suited to the situation. The media also mixed with the relatives and some of them stormed a press conference desperate for information.

The scenes made for top news around the world and the effect on the company’s image was disastrous.

Malaysian Airlines had followed a “managed communication” approach. It was designed as a “one-to-many” strategy. The company was supposed to be an indisputable source of information and to be fully in control. Its traditional press conference approach proved to be challenging in an environment that was extremely fluid, involving a complex web of stakeholders from families to various national governments and search agencies.                                                                   

An alternative to a managed communication approach is an “influence” one. The organisation that uses it does not claim to have all the answers.  It realises that it is only one of many voices and exerts a more fuzzy control over its environment. For example, in the aftermath of the 2001 events, American Airlines’ website quickly expressed sympathy for the victims, assured stakeholders that the company was collaborating with everyone and provided contact information for relevant third parties such as the FBI. In some cases, the company dispatched employees who took up residence at the families’ homes.

This approach is naturally pertinent in the midst of complex crises. For example, eighty percent of Americans expect that emergency responders will monitor social networks, and a third assumes that posting or Tweeting a request for help during a disaster will get them help within an hour. However, it has become more routine with the decentralisation of news reporting. Although most people still receive their news from conventional media, close to two thirds of Facebook and Twitter users now receive it from these platforms.

Building influence

So, how do you structure an “influence” crisis communication strategy? The general idea is to leverage assets that have been developed during quiet periods by using a few tools that will allow the identification of emerging crises and the rapid implementation of a coherent response.

Monitor: Be aware of current developments.

Ensure online media oversight, in all languages, especially when your business is global.  For example, Dell is able to monitor conversations in 11 languages 24/7.

Mark:  Identify communities and networks

Identify communities of interest that have emerged. After-sales support, for example, is usually a topic that generates a lot of social media activity. Being routinely involved in this discussion will help to build a relationship with your customers, which will be particularly valuable in times of crisis.

Identify opinion leaders, then treat them like the most important journalists in your business: provide them with relevant information, invite them to visit your plants or to attend product launch events. Understand that directly engaging individuals will raise their status and visibility.

Measure: Understand critical relationships and know your ROI.

Prioritise incidents. For example, Cisco identifies five to seven thousands mentions a day but only about 3% are directly actionable.

Measure results of your campaigns.  Metrics such as the number of viewers, followers or posts (classified as positive, negative or neutral) can now be easily tracked.

Manage: Build credibility and stay humble.

Ensure that your team is constituted of both web technologies managers (i.e., geeks who can make things happen) and content managers (i.e., sector specialists who know what should happen).

Prefer indirect channels then direct talk online. For example, over 10,000 Dell employees have completed their Social Media & Communities University program to be brand advocates online.

Adapt the tone of your messages: stay positive, not too formal, but courteous, honest and sincere. If a crisis arises, stick to facts. Try to go viral and emotional. Use images and music to address all dimensions of your communication. Do not use an assertive tone while investigations are still in progress.

Setting up

Establish an integrated center. Naturally, this involves a digital media component.  News, bad news in particular, can easily go viral. The picture of BP’s CEO on a sailing trip just a few days after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill hurt the already damaged company.

To do this, more and more organisations have set up a “Social Media Command Center”. On a normal day, a small crew of community managers with dedicated internet bandwidth, a few workstations, and flat screens, monitors evolving trends. Electronic platforms such as Netvibes or Radian6 provide dashboards that conveniently summarise the social media landscape and complement traditional media analysis.  Centers are best located in highly visible spots to ensure that everyone in the organisation feels connected to them. They have the capability to quickly expand and to implement crisis management plans if needed.

For example, Cisco center is staffed by only 5 core team members. However, a large network of employees, identified as subject matter experts willing to engage interested parties and to report on their experience, provides a significant presence on social media. The center also has representatives embedded within each business unit, support and technical services to react in case of emergency.

The financial cost to implement an influence strategy is often modest. Salesforce Customer Company Command Center, staffed by a relatively small team of community managers and social customer support reps, manages over 50,000 brand mentions a month. Cisco has reported a 280% return on investment on their center.  However, an influence strategy requires an adjustment to the mindset of many organisations.  People have to relinquish direct control, which is not easy.

Resource: http://knowledge.insead.edu/blog/insead-blog/gaining-influence-in-a-crisis-4458

Spared, but ladies want more

New Delhi, Jan. 15: Women drivers were exempt from the odd-even car rationing scheme on grounds of security but with a rider - they could only ferry male passengers under the age of 12.

"I have an even number car and I could not drive with my 80-year-old father on odd days. The alternatives at hand - like hiring a cab, waiting for an auto or walking to the metro - were not safe or cost-effective," said Malika Basu, who runs a consultancy firm. She added that she followed the rule only to avoid the Rs 2,000 fine.

"I would be in favour of any formula that helps us to reduce pollution but not necessarily the odd-even formula at this point of time. The issue is about reducing pollution levels. For that we need specific plans and not initiatives on a trial and error basis," she said.

The Delhi government has not explained the reason for its "boys under 12 only" condition.

"My problem," said Damini Rath who works at a publishing house, "is shifting the goalposts. This scheme was to reduce pollution. Now when that data is hazy, the government has shifted the goalpost to congestion."

Rath, who gave lifts to a male colleague on every alternate day, said carpooling only works for those with fixed work timings.

She drives from Noida to central Delhi, a distance of almost 20km, every day.

Public relations executive Sana Sehgal, who drives 4km to work, said: "I don't know how public transport can be made safer. It is very alien for those who drive or have a chauffeur-driven car to use the Metro or an auto.

"It's scary. I hope the government takes comprehensive measures to reduce pollution which aren't impulsive, like this one."

Municipal employee Shabnam Kundra, who has a CNG car that was exempt from the odd-even scheme with no riders attached, gave lifts to three persons every day on her 10km drive to work.

"The roads were so clear and pollution, while in traffic, was low. For people with fixed work timings, carpooling works well. We just need to adjust to it," she said.

Kundra wants the exemptions for two-wheelers lifted and for the government to take steps to gradually convert all passenger vehicles to CNG.

All commercial vehicles, except long-distance taxis, are mandated to run on CNG in Delhi. Many mobile app-based cabs continue to run on diesel after a court order said no coercive action should be taken against them.

Sehgal will miss the sight of empty roads, with the odd-even scheme off from tomorrow. "Only on Sundays (when all cars were allowed) did we realise that 'Oh, my God there are so many cars on the road'. We almost got used to empty roads," she said.

Resource: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160116/jsp/nation/story_64154.jsp#.Vp40DED47IV

Delhi briefly restores sanity to streets

For the last several weeks, no topic in India’s capital dominated drawing-room couches, newspaper columns and social media as much as the Delhi government’s stricture limiting the use of private cars to an “odd-even” schedule between 8am and 8pm, six days a week.

Now that the ambitious 15-day pilot project has drawn to a close, Delhiites are realizing that they’ve accomplished something substantial through collective action, and that the rebalancing of the most vital urban space—the street—away from the dominance of the car has made for a better city for all.

To be sure, the jury remains out on whether the quality of Delhi’s notoriously noxious air has improved because of the temporary rules. But the experiment has generated numerous other positive effects, not least of which is the reintegration of drivers with the much bigger community of citizens who step out every morning into the war zone that is rush-hour Delhi.

Naysayers who thought mass dissension would bring the scheme down from day one have been proved wrong. Compliance was widespread—perhaps because of the Rs.2,000 fine levied on violators, but also because of an intensive public-relations campaign by the Delhi government. A widely played television- and-radio spot featured chief minister Arvind Kejriwal telling citizens, “We can all get together to make a better Delhi” and suggesting that offenders should be “rebuked gently and lovingly.” Part of the problem one day, car users became part of the solution the next.

To both pedestrian and motorist, the streets of Delhi in the last fortnight have at times felt like a set on a period film, although the age being evoked was only the end of the 20th century. (Car ownership in the capital has tripled in the last 15 years, to about 2.8 million vehicles today.) And the time-travel works both ways. By returning temporarily to a more benign age, Delhiites have also been able to imagine how dystopian the future will be if present trends are allowed to continue.

India is now home to 13 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world, so it’s clear that the country’s urbanization is set on a completely unsustainable course. The Delhi government’s new policy is the first major effort by an Indian government to counter more than three decades of negative externalities generated by a combination of rising car ownership and a car-centric transport policy.

Consider the facts. Roads already make up more than 20% of Delhi’s area—a larger proportion than most world capitals. Yet every day, more than 1,000 new cars arrive to make their claims on those roads, thereby making travel times ever slower not just for existing car owners but for those who use public transport (a few years ago, Delhi discontinued its experiment with a Bus Rapid Transport corridor). Use of the city’s road space is now deeply iniquitous, with cars accounting, by one estimate, for 80% of the road space but only 20% of road users.

In fact, cars have more natural rights and privileges in India than most human beings. Municipal parking charges continue to be a pittance—Rs.10 rupees for two to four hours in most public parking lots. The lanes of most residential neighbourhoods have been claimed as free parking spots, and increasingly, they are clogged by “visiting” cars, using them to bypass congestion on thoroughfares. More than half of Delhi’s residents live within 500 meters of a road and so even those who have nothing to do with cars find them perpetually assailing their lungs—and ears. The most pervasive sound in the Indian city today is not the street-vendor’s cry but the deeply unpleasant blare of the car horn. A fog of incivility obscures and degrades much that is vibrant about the city.

If India’s transport policy makers and car owners deserve to be cut some slack, it’s because few countries have moved as swiftly from automobile scarcity to saturation than India, or have invested so much emotional capital in car ownership. It was only about 30 years ago that cars first came within reach of India’s middle-class, and ever since car ownership has come to be the universally agreed marker—parked outside the house so that all may see it—of middle-class solidity and virtue.

Today the oddly moving love of Indians for their cars is second perhaps only to that of Americans. It’s clear that wherever incomes rise rapidly—as they have in Delhi, now the Indian state with the highest per capita income—car ownership will rise too and cannot be curtailed, for it’s almost an economic rite of passage.

Car use, on the other hand, must be much more strictly regulated, or else made to bear the costs it imposes on other commuters and on the environment. Delhi’s odd-even policy is only one of many nudges from a higher authority that will be needed in the near future to get urban Indians to appreciate this necessary distinction. Bloomberg

Resource: http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/KGfXT3qxseCMcnuWNLQdYM/Delhi-briefly-restores-sanity-to-streets.html

A rock and a hard place: Pak’s uneasy stance on Saudi Arabia-Iran split

Pakistan’s discomfiture at being caught in the row between Saudi Arabia and Iran is evident in the back-to-back visits to the two countries by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and army chief Gen Raheel Sharif, an initiative described as a mediation effort aimed at reducing tensions.

Islamabad has publicly expressed deep concern at the tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and Prime Minister Sharif, during a meeting with King Salman bin Abdulaziz on Monday, sought the resolution of differences through peaceful means in the “larger interest of the Ummah” or Muslim brotherhood.

A recent assertion by army chief Sharif that “any threat to Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity would evoke a strong response from Pakistan” was interpreted by some in Islamabad as a veiled warning to Iran. But the Foreign Office was quick to explain that Islamabad wants enhance its relations with Tehran.

Despite such public expressions, the Pakistani civil and military leadership’s main concern is the possible fallout of the diplomatic spat on the country’s growing Shia-Sunni divide.

Though Saudi Arabia is one of Pakistan’s closest allies, charities and religious organisations based in the kingdom have for long funded Sunni extremist and terrorist groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.

On the other hand, Pakistan’s Shias, who make up 20% of the country’s population of 180 million, have often looked to Iran for spiritual leadership and support.

There have even been whispers that Iran backed some Shia militias that were created in Pakistan in past decades in response to repeated attacks by Sunni organisations. And one of the reasons that Islamabad decided in 2009 to give near-provincial status to Gilgit-Baltistan was the growing influence of Iran among the region’s sizeable Shia population.

Besides Islamabad’s recent discomfort at being included in an anti-terror coalition formed by the Saudis, the country’s leadership does not want Pakistan to become the battlefield for a proxy war between Riyadh and Tehran.

This is the prime reason behind the visits by the Prime Minister and the army chief to Saudi Arabia and Iran on Monday and Tuesday.

Observers say the Saudi-Iran spat and ongoing efforts to revive peace talks with the Afghan Taliban have become so important that Pakistan’s probe into the Pathankot terror attack was relegated to the sidelines once Islamabad and New Delhi agreed to postpone – and not call off – a planned meeting of the foreign secretaries.

Despite the Pakistani leadership’s assertion that the visits to Riyadh and Tehran are aimed at reducing tensions, some in Islamabad aren’t convinced.

“I personally don’t see any sincerity in the move. How can someone who has openly taken sides and threatened the other side of a ‘strong response’ act as a neutral arbitrator?” Baqir Sajjad Syed, the diplomatic correspondent of the Dawn newspaper, told Hindustan Times.

“This is a political ploy to divide the anti-Saudi camp at home and prepare the grounds for overt cooperation with the kingdom.”

Resource:http://www.hindustantimes.com/analysis/a-rock-and-a-hard-place-pakistan-s-uneasy-stance-on-the-saudi-arabia-iran-split/story-Oox4dhySbtPjvKGFSoxUbM.html

The rise of digital marketing: How the internet has transformed marketing and PR

The internet changes things. You’re welcome for the breaking news update. To be more specific, the internet has been a complete game changer in the world of marketing. Thanks to technology and the internet, the ad agencies and PR agencies of today are practically unrecognizable from what they were even a decade ago. In recent years, we’ve seen a monumental shift in what marketing is, how it works and the way businesses use it.

With a lower barrier of entry and stiffer competition, technology has succeeded in turning the marketing industry completely on it’s head. In an industry that used to rely solely on disruptive marketing tactics to reach a target audience, suddenly inbound marketing has become the norm.

The question is, is this good news or bad news for businesses and marketers? To answer the question, let's take a more in depth look at the evolution of marketing and PR.

Agencies: Then Vs Now

Ad agencies and PR firms of yesteryear relied heavily on press releases, print advertising and radio. Billboards and advertisements in the Yellowpages were still considered smart marketing tactics 15 years ago. The main agenda for marketers ‘back in the day’ was to get potential customers to pick up the phone and call a business, or better yet, stop in.

Those days are long gone. While the vast majority of business owners know they need to be online, most of them admit to not knowing where to begin. Thus, the main agenda for almost any marketer these days is to drive traffic to a businesses website, with the intent to make a sale, or at minimum, build a relationship.

“Technology gives virtually anyone the ability to operate with a computer and a telephone at a very low cost of entry. It is easier to obtain information more readily on clients, conduct competitive analysis, search for best practices and find news coverage It is the only way now to contact reporters as very few answer their phone,” explained Andrew Lavin, who owns a Communications company.

In decades past, only businesses that had large amounts of capital could afford to hire an agency to do their bidding. So successful businesses got more successful, and the rest typically floundered. With the advent of digital marketing and digital reporting, came a lower barrier of entry for businesses to hire a marketing firm (or even do their own marketing). But with a lower barrier of entry, came a greater sea of noise and a greater number of marketers vying for attention in a crowded marketplace.

Media strategist Gwen Elliot offers this advice, “If you work in PR it's so important to bring creative ideas to the table. Journalists get hundreds of pitches per week (or sometimes per day) so how you can you make your pitch stand-out? Personally, I have invested thousands of dollars every year to learn about creative ways for online marketing and to hone my skills as a digital marketer and media strategist.”

The Rise of the Digital Marketing Agency

One similarity between the marketing of yesterday and the marketing of today is that the marketing arena is still ripe with many different specialties. From social media to SEO, to Media Relations and everything in between, a myriad of options exists for marketing a business online. Welcome to digital marketing 101.

Depending on which digital marketer you consult with, their services might include; blogging, content marketing, viral marketing, web design, social media marketing, mobile marketing, pay-per-click advertising, PR and/or branding. That’s a ton of options; yet I still feel like I’m missing a few. Add to that, some people still want an offline component to their marketing campaign. To sum it up, today’s marketing arena has become very convoluted.

An Integrated Approach to Marketing

To say that the rise of social media and digital reporting has changed consumers would be a massive understatement. Customers of today have completely different wants, needs and expectations than they did a decade ago. Successful marketers of today understand that winning with customers today is equal parts instant gratification and engagement.

According to Hubspot, three out of four businesses prioritize inbound marketing over outbound marketing. Statistics also found that B2B businesses that blog end up with 67% more inbound leads than those that don’t.

Yasmina Yousfi of Cloudswave explains, “ A few years ago, who would've thought that marketing professionals will actually wait for potential customers to come knocking instead of doing everything in their power to bring them? Inbound Marketing strategies involve setting up websites that respect all the search engine guidelines, are user-friendly and mobile-friendly, provide an added value to the user, publish quality content, with all the right buttons in all the right places.”

Customers today don’t want to be interrupted by a TV or radio ad (There’s a reason Tivo and Sirius XM radio are so popular). Consumers don’t want to be bothered with cold calls or unsolicited e-mails. Our increasingly fast paced lifestyle has completely put customers in the driver’s seat as far as when, where and how they get their information, and the bottom line is they get their information online.

The key to winning this game? Getting customers to come to you by inserting yourself into the customer’s conversations. Content marketing is one solution. Native advertising is another. And on-demand, stellar customer service via social media is yet another function of this marketing machine.

Founder & CEO of award winning Digital Marketing agency, Wpromote, Michael Mothner explained it best by saying, "In today's always-connected environment, there is no way to avoid the repercussions of a mishap; a negative review or complaint is bound to find its way online. But, the best marketers work proactively to have positive reviews outweigh any bad, face the crisis head-on, win trust with case studies...and to, of course, avoid the mishaps all together!"

The best solution for connecting with your target market? Take an integrated approach and don’t let customer service fall to the wayside.

How Are Successful Marketing Teams Winning Today?

Are successful marketing agencies of today taking a full service approach or sticking to a specialty? That depends largely on who you ask. There’s no shortage of digital marketing agencies who successfully “do it all”, nor are there a shortage of specialty agencies who stick to one specific area of expertise and leave the rest to their referral partners.

The real key to winning today is in being creative so your message stands out amongst a sea of other marketing messages. Equally important is the ability to keep your organization innovative and constantly evolving with the ever-changing trends and technology.

Leave disruptive marketing squarely where it belongs; in the past. Don’t forget to brand your business because brands have staying power, even when products have a lifecycle. Focus on real relationships and engagement, despite the ever-increasing ease of false connections on social media.
At the end of the day, people are still people; people who want to feel appreciated, connected and valued. If you can meet your customer’s emotional needs, you’ll always be winning at the game of marketing.

Resource:  http://www.examiner.com/article/the-rise-of-digital-marketing-how-the-internet-has-transformed-marketing-and-pr

Yellow Mango wins 4Fingers digital pitch

Agency will handle all digital comms work for fast food chain in Singapore and Malaysia

4Fingers Crispy Chicken has appointed PR agency Yellow Mango as its digital lead.

4Fingers is a Singaporean fast food operation established six years ago. Having grown its brand in Singapore, the company opened its first restaurant in Malaysia in November.

Yellow Mango will be responsible for digital PR strategy in both Singapore and Malaysia. This will include social media management, content development, digital marketing and events.

"We are very excited to be a part of the growth of 4Fingers within the region. They're a very exciting brand to be working with and are not afraid to try different approaches to shaking up the scene," said Alvin Kok, Managing Director of Yellow Mango Communications.

"We understand that there is a lot of goodwill towards the brand and we look forward to escalating that even more!"

Steen Puggaard, CEO of 4Fingers said: We are very excited to work together with Yellow Mango Communications.

"In a short span of time, they've proven that they understand our brand and are willing to go the distance to helping us grow. We do not doubt that only bigger and greater things await us now."

Resource: http://www.prweek.com/article/1377571/yellow-mango-wins-4fingers-digital-pitch

2016 PR Trend Forecast: Digital

From streaming to new regulations to social media giants from East coming West — the digital landscape is more complex than ever in 2016.
The Holmes Report’s annual Trend Forecast series looks at sector trends that will impact PR. You can find them all here.



The question comes up often: what does ‘digital’ mean anymore? Doesn’t most of our engagement and influence happen online now, does ‘digital’ need to be its own category anymore? While digital is certainly a given now, what this looks like is constantly being readjusted — sometimes fads emerge and fade, other innovations completely alter our lives. With that, here’s the areas that digital is likely to undergo notable shifts this year.

1. New Rules To An Old Game

The US Federal Trade Commission, in December, waded into native advertising, issuing guidance that's intended to keep consumers from being misled about what is — and isn’t — paid content. For instance, native advertising can’t be labeled as ‘Promoted’ and disclosures must be above the ad. The FTC’s director of consumer protection told the New York Times in a statement, “People browsing the web, using social media, or watching videos have a right to know if they’re seeing editorial content or an ad.” With this, the trend towards blurring the distinction between editorial and advertising will soften in 2016.

“Higher regulation, overuse of the same people and mistrust from consumers in the authenticity of influencer commentary means that using digital behaviors and data to select the right people to work with will become key in 2016,” says the UK-based Vikki Chowney of Hill + Knowlton Strategies. She points out, influencers now recognize their value, which means outreach is no longer a traditional PR initiative — it can be an outright  advertising play.

But US-based Jennifer Risi of Ogilvy PR says despite changes that increasingly point towards paid leading the way online, there “continues to be a core group of journalists that define the global news agenda” that she deems the "uber media."

2. The AV Explosion
From Serial, the New Yorker Radio Hour and beyond, have we hit peak podcast? The lure of podcasts is people can tune-in wherever, whenever. It “allows for easy digestion of news and stories while multi-tasking,” says Ogilvy’s Risi. “Brands need to consider this format if they want to reach a busy audience.” With so much emphasis on the visual storytelling, the podcast explosion is a reminder that the fundamentals of engaging audiences should be the core of PR. Meanwhile, streaming video emerged in a massive way in 2015 with Meerkat and Periscope, Twitter Moments and Snapchat Live.

“Streaming video won't take off in a wider way in 2016,” predicts the US-based Jenn Deering Davis, editor-in-chief at Union Metrics. “It's simply too difficult for most marketers to find relevant content to stream on a regular basis — especially live streaming.”

US-based Ben Foster of Ketchum echoes this. “Watching LiveStreams through Meerkat and Periscope is, well, painfully and often cringe inducing,” he says. “The average person can create interesting tweets, but it turns out that the average person can’t create interesting live streams.” Facebook was smarter on its approach, allowing those with Verified pages (mostly celebrities) to create a live stream.

Ebba Hultengren of the Sweden-based Jung maintains the rawness of streaming video is attractive for its authenticity. “This proved to be a very welcome break from the planned and perfected,” Hultengren noted.  “In 2016 we look forward to seeing brands taking transparent storytelling to the next level.”

3. The Global Platform Wars

Looking back at the trajectory of social media, it’s remarkable that nascent players (MySpace, Friendster) enjoyed only fleeting moments of popularity, meanwhile, Facebook celebrates its 12th year in 2016 as a billion-dollar publicly-traded company with more than 1.5 billion users around the world. The global social media leader won’t be dislodged in 2016, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t notable activity in this arena.

For one, Twitter is likely to abandon its 140-character for 10,000 characters and maybe even its chronological timeline — its two signature features. Will this, finally, lure the users CEO Jack Dorsey is hoping or just dilute the platform against competitors?

Then, there’s social networks coming out of Asia.

“Social media platforms in Asia are incorporating more services direction into their applications, which means consumers could spend entire day using a single app platform,” says David Wolf, MD of Allison + Partners’ China practice. “This is channeling PR effort and marketing dollars into a shrinking number of platforms, such as Facebook, WeChat, WhatsApp, Line and SnapChat.”

Meanwhile, H+K’s Chowney adds the West “should keep eyes on the growth of WeChat, QQ and QZone to see if they make direct moves to enter Europe and the Americas."

4.  Social Networking In The Office

LinkedIn changed the game on professional social networking — but it’s largely remained a tool for recruitment, and increasingly, promoting work-related content. Meanwhile, Slack has ascended to be the workplace collaboration darling — an area that Facebook is looking to play in this year.

In December, Weber Shandwick became among first PR agencies to pilot Facebook at Work. “In many ways it replicates the original Facebook platform, and that really is its huge appeal,” says Weber Shandwick’s Adam Clyne, who is based in the UK. “It’s a system that many people are generally familiar with and already using on a personal basis, so they feel comfortable engaging with it in a work capacity.”

He says Weber Shandwick was one of 300 companies accepted to the beta program that will be rolled out internally for collaboration within the firm’s global network and these learnings will eventually be passed along to clients.

“It has the potential to reduce email traffic, create a better environment for engaging employees and allow instant feedback with some of the classic Facebook functionality such as ‘like’ and ‘polls,” he says. “In my opinion, the biggest hurdle to overcome for any platform will always be getting people to use it. Facebook has a strong advantage due to near-universal familiarity with their platform, which could make a big difference.”

5. An ‘App’ A Day...

Despite breaches and other privacy concerns, people are willing to exchange personal data for insights about their lives — otherwise the proliferation of the quantified self, the Internet of Things and just about every smart appliance would essentially halt. People are using apps in more personal ways than ever. Fertility apps are surging in popularity,there’s the next-generation calorie counting apps, keeping track of your temperature, smart hygiene products, tracking your exposure to UV rays, among the plethora of smart health-related products and apps on the market. This points to the ongoing movement in which health is moving from the doctor's office more intimately into people’s everyday lives.

“With the wealth of data and peer-to-peer communities now available, mobile apps are quickly becoming the primary source for women to manage treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of health conditions,” says Will Sacks, CEO of Kindara, a fertility app.

For brands, of course, the opportunity is fairly obvious.

“While there are some privacy issues to overcome, health, wellness, and medicine would be fascinating to watch,” says Ketchum’s Ben Foster. “Imagine someone livestreaming their work out. Or nutrition planning. Or even surgery. There are tons of opportunities for engaging content that can not only entertain, but make the world a better place.”

Resource: http://www.holmesreport.com/latest/article/2016-pr-trends-digital

Stop the Press: 5 Things to Consider Before Hiring a PR Agency

Hiring a PR agency to manage your company’s public image can be a difficult decision.

Perhaps you are a small business owner who needs a “leg up” in getting the word out about your brand, or you’ve recently experienced some bad coverage and need someone to aid in crisis management.

A PR firm can help shape the voice of your company and, more importantly, the public’s opinion of your product or service.

Finding the right PR firm, however, can be challenging as there are countless firms out there—many of which may not be the right fit for your particular business. The right PR firm can efficiently and effectively partner with your company, reflect your brand, and stay on top of emerging trends.

Related Article: Hire the Right People by Having the Right People Do the Hiring

Whatever the case, consider the following before making a decision.
1. Make Sure They Are Digitally Focused

Traditional PR, which primarily uses channels such as print media, television and radio to increase awareness of a brand, is dead. Traditional media itself may not be dead, as the outlets can still be PR powerhouses, but digital PR has truly exploded in just a few short years. Digital PR includes much more than just press release distribution and a blog. A digital PR firm will outline strategies for social media, content marketing, SEO, and your brand’s mobile presence.Some digital PR firms will excel in one area, but fall flat in another.

Some digital PR firms will excel in one area, but fall flat in another. A report from Market Connections Inc. said that just 34 percent of PR professionals have established mobile engagement strategy, and just over half of PR respondents have implemented a content marketing strategy. Because mobile content has become vital, it’s important a PR firm has a team to handle this area.
2. Set Realistic Expectations

Companies often expect immediate results. Sometimes, however, the story isn’t quite compelling enough for widespread coverage, or the targeted outlets aren’t yet receptive to the brand. PR coverage is not guaranteed; it is earned, and it may take a few outreach attempts to find your brand’s niche.

The right PR firm will have connections with a wide variety of reporters, editors, and other influential members of the media as well as the expertise to find the right outlets and convince them to cover your company. Talented PR professionals will also be able to estimate the level of response you’ll get, setting expectations that are achievable and measurable.
3. Have an Open Mind

Many business owners think their product is the best on the market, and the media is simply ignoring their good efforts. You may know your product, but a PR firm allows you see your brand from a different perspective: the perspective of your potential consumers and media partners.

Your messaging, for example, may convey a tone that is off-putting to a segment of your target audience. PR firms understand how the public will respond, helping you shape your brand identity according to what the public wants out of your product or service.
4. Understand the Difference Between Advertising and PR

It’s natural for businesses to want to be promoted, but editors easily see through efforts that seek to simply get a name out to the public. A PR professional won’t write an article and hope that a reporter finds it interesting. Instead, they will promote your services in a subtle, tailored way that not only adds value to a reporter's article but provides useful information for their readers.

Advertising is paid media, whereas PR seeks earned media. This means that advertisers pay for content to appear on TV, radio, billboards and websites. PR professionals also create content, but do so in order to create chatter around a business naturally. This can also be done via events, social media conversations and more.

Related Article: Why Your PR Agency Should be Using Bylines for Lead Generation
5. Go With Your Gut

When considering multiple PR agencies, choose the one that clearly understands your business, vision and goals. You should feel a connection with the PR team, and confident that they can interpret your brand’s message clearly to the media. PR is a driving force behind the success of a company, as advertising alone can’t convince customers that your product truly is the best. With good PR, your company has proven it can be trusted—a vital aspect for any successful company.

Resource: http://www.business.com/public-relations/5-things-to-consider-before-hiring-a-pr-agency/

Digital PR Content – Campaign or Conversation?

In a recent article Joe Pulizzi of CMI offered 5 reasons why content marketing efforts fail to hit the mark. The first one is operating with the old campaign mindset, rather than focusing on generating conversations.

This is a mistake that Digital PR practitioners should not fall prey to – after all PR as a discipline is about creating conversations. It’s supposed to be about building relationships with stakeholders and fostering understanding between the organization and it’s publics. That takes much more than one campaign. If anyone understands why content should be aiming at creating ongoing conversations, it’s PR folk.

No wonder then that 51% of corporate execs polled by staffing firm The Creative Group think the PR and communications staff is best equipped to handle their social media content – a 12% increase over a similar study done 2 years ago.

Great content must be meet the needs of your audience. How do you figure out what content that is? Start by listening. Remember that old adage: you have two ears and one mouth, so use them in that proportion.


There are so many tools available today that can help you do this effectively. If your budget is small, use Sendible. For those with larger budgets and needs there’s Visible Technologies and Digimind.

Start by identifying the conversations you want to participate in.

    Who is your audience? Be very specific
    What issues and problems does your product or service solve?
    Watch for intent statements
    Look for requests for information and questions you can answer

Once you have an idea who you should be talking to and what their needs are, figuring out what content you should be creating will be much easier.

Digital PR content is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. It’s a bit like dating. If you start a relationship with someone today, call them everyday for a few weeks and then go silent, don’t expect them to be thrilled to see you when you show up a year later.

It’s not rocket science!

There are many examples of digital campaigns: one was a toothpaste brand that targeted college kids. They ran an excellent campaign that got the attention of tens of thousands of young adults, got them interested and engaged with the brand and then ended the campaign. Patted themselves on the back for a job well done. They created a community of brand advocates. But why would you expect this group to hang around and stay engaged if no one keeps talking to them?

Way back in 1999 The Cluetrain Manifesto stated that Markets are Conversations and corporate America had not figured that out. Seems like we’re still learning the lesson.

Resource: http://www.business2community.com/public-relations/digital-pr-content-campaign-conversation-01419581#YjQw0hsWITTPLTvK.97

Negri Firman PR & Communication Is Seeking Fashion Week & Digital PR Interns In NYC

 This PR internship will provide first-hand fashion experience and will allow candidates to work fashion shows and events during New York Fashion Week in February.

Negri Firman PR & Communication is looking for Fashion Week interns and a Digital PR intern for its New York office.

Negri Firman is a PR agency that represents a full range of luxury ready-to-wear womenswear, menswear and accessories clients. This PR internship will provide first-hand fashion experience and will allow candidates to work fashion shows and events during New York Fashion Week in February.

Fashion Week Interns

The candidate will support the PR team on the day-to-day office activity including managing RSVP's for press and guests, updating lists, support on site during the event, door management, deliveries of invitations, magazine filing and small administrative functions. The ideal candidate is responsible, detail-orientated, hardworking and must have a strong interest in digital trends, blogs, and social media as well as a strong knowledge of the fashion industry. The fashion week interns will ideally be available to start the week of January 25th and Monday – Friday, 9:30am – 6pm. 

Digital PR Intern

The candidate will support the PR team by sourcing and compiling print and digital press and formatting to send to clients on both a daily and monthly basis. You will assist with celebrity and editor gifting and must have a strong knowledge of bloggers, online media, and social media platforms. The digital PR intern will ideally be available immediately, Monday-Friday, 9:30am - 6pm

This is an international, fast paced and fun environment. Our goal is to provide our interns with a meaningful hands-on experience and professional exposure to the fashion industry.

Please submit your resume along with availability for interview and start date. 

Please email: newyork@negrifirman.com

Resource: http://fashionista.com/2016/01/negri-firman-pr--communication-is-seeking-fashion-week--digital-pr-interns-in-nyc

Drapes of style

 It’s a collection of saris fit for royalty; a real collector’s edition of fine weaves. No wonder fashion entrepreneur and designer Sheila James has chosen to call her new boutique Czarina Royale. It’s a store for pure silk saris, especially Kanjeevarams and Benaras weaves.

This is Sheila’s 30th year in the business and her fifth store in the city, after Bodytunes, Czarina, Czarina Designer Wear boutique and Cotton Studio. “I love designer saris and over the years I have tried my hand at just about everything to do with sari designing by experimenting with all manner of hand-embroidery on variety weaves from across India and abroad, in various hues. Designer silks have always been a personal favourite but apart from the odd collection here and there I’ve never really turned my attention to Kanjeevarams and Benarasi saris. Then, last year, I brought in a few bridal saris, which I stocked in small cupboard in a corner of Czarina, and was pleasantly surprised by their popularity with customers, who began asking me for more. That’s when I decided to open a store just for silks, to cater to the wedding crowd,” says Sheila.

At present she has a collection of over 400 silk saris, sourced directly from weavers in Kanchipuram and Varanasi.

“It’s not your regular collection of Kanjeevarams with those bright yellow silk borders and pallus in traditional designs. I’ve chosen saris with antique zari borders. I’ve tried to mix the traditional with the contemporary patterns, colours, motifs and designs. Each sari in the collection is unique,” says Sheila. As such there are Kanjeevaram saris with ‘partly’ pleats (pleats in a different colour to the rest of the sari), saris that have pallus with checks and stripes, three and even four ‘tone’ saris, horizontally-divided two tone saris, those with big motifs... Most of the Kanjeevarams are in the dark shades – gorgeous red and maroons, elegant purples and magentas, pretty pinks and greens, royal blues and the like. She’s also got a small collection of the light-weight, party wear Kanjeevarams that are in vogue. “I’ve stocked only the light-weight saris that are woven in Kanchipuram and not the ones that come out of Arni, near Vellore,” says Sheila.

For the Benaras collection too she’s mixed and matched complementary colours such as blues, greens and reds with intricate, traditional floral and foliate motifs to give it an edgy touch. “Weavers there tend to work with basic designs. So, I’ve got them to change the colours and patterns around a bit to make them more modern to suit the tastes of the clientele here,” says Sheila.

She adds: “The clientele in the city is a discerning lot. Nowadays, I have third generation customers. They are all very up-to-date and tend to have a style that's not too over the top and is soothing on the eye.” Just like her collection of silks.

Czarina Royale is at Catholic Centre, General Hospital Junction. The Kanjeevarams cost upwards of Rs. 9,000 and the Benaras silks are priced between Rs. 8,000 and Rs.25,000. The store is open from 9.30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Contact: 9387721322

Resource: http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/fashion/trendy-silk-saris-at-sheila-james-new-boutique-czarina-royale/article7896025.ece

What made WATConsult ‘Boutique Agency of the Year’ at Media Ace Awards?

The exchange4media Group’s Media Ace Awards were recently held in Mumbai.

From the ten categories, WATConsult took home the Radio City Boutique Agency of the Year Award. Commenting on the win, Rajiv Dingra, CEO, WATConsult said, “I’m deeply humbled to be in the same category as all the large agency networks. Initially when the award ceremony was announced we were not even sure we should enter because I was not sure that we’d win. So we entered very few categories but it’s heartening and motivating for the team at WATConsult to win in the Boutique Agency of the Year category.”

The Boutique Agency of the Year Award is based on the work by agencies with billings below Rs 250 crore and the winner was decided by a panel of industry veterans.

WATConsult is a 170 people full service social and digital media agency that has both media buying and creative capabilities. Rajiv Dingra founded the agency in 2007 when he was just 22 years old. Today it is part of the Dentsu Aegis Network and continues its work in the digital field.

Business pours in…

In the last year WATConsult has focused its growth across markets beyond Mumbai. Hence Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata have been growing fast with several business wins coming from these markets. They have also expanded from winning purely social media pitches to complete digital media pitches over the last one year.

Beyond wins across newer markets business within the agency has also seen expansion. Clients like Tata group, Godrej Group have shown growth in both spends and newer brands have gotten added to the agency’s portfolio. Key brands added across Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata include IIM C, Emami, Peter England, Asahi Glass, JK Lakshmi, Tally Solutions, Himalaya Personal Care and Swarovski.

The key brands that have been added from current portfolio include Tata Swach, Godrej Prima, Swarovski Crystals.

Keeping and nurturing talent…

WATConsult takes great efforts to address employee morale with parties for employees as well as monthly incentives for good work done. They also have detailed employee feedback sessions conducted every two months. Group activities like the annual WAT Cricket tournament and WAT Football tournament are held for the staff. Also on Children’s Day, Women’s Day and Men’s Day activities are conducted to engage teams and bring them closer.

To improve the quality of work done by the agency, they hold regular trainings. 60 employees were trained on Google Adwords and became Adwords certified. Beyond this there are regular intra team training sessions that take place each week. On a companywide level the agency has a one hour knowledge and experience sharing session called WAT Wednesday where in employees discuss their latest piece of work and open up to suggestions or give insights.

Over the year the attrition rate was managed below 20 per cent and six employees completed five years in the company.

Client-focused approach…

The current client roster of WATConsult boasts of 80 plus clients which is a net addition of 20 new clients from last year. Their focus has been to win clients looking for brand solutions from Digital. Hence wins end up being clients across food and clothing retail like Keya Foods and Peter England or in FMCG like Himalaya Personal Care or in traditional brick and mortar businesses like Asahi Glass or JK Laxmi. One of the agency’s key values to ensure client retention is prompt client servicing. The team at WATConsult is young and quick to respond and address client queries and concerns. They also have a ‘get it done’ attitude which ensures things are turned around faster than what might be the industry standard.

In order to deliver across each aspect of digital brand advertising be it video content, social engagement or mobile reach WATConsult aims to focus on clients that are interested in brand solutions. This allows the agency to ensure clients get a well rounded value through their services and in turn are able to trust the advice given on brand related ideas and execution.

Variety of work…

Over the year the breadth of digital reach for clients has increased substantially with WATConsult growing across various media units. Earlier the focus used to be primarily social ads which included LIKE ads and promoted posts but over the last year or so their spread has increased to video ads especially YouTube, as they have been producing video content for their clients. There has also been a huge uptake in mobile ads due to mobile apps that clients are making via the agency or on their own but have been promoted via mobile units.

WATConsult’s key channels of advertising are Facebook, Google, YouTube, Yahoo, Indiatimes, ScoopWhoop and NDTV among others. They have also worked on first-in-category ads like the Click to Calendar ad done for Sony Six NBA promotions.

The work done by the media agency garnered over 100 million impressions served across social and digital banners. Significant campaigns included the HE Deodorant digital launch and the DHFL Shahrukh Khan Campaign.

Growth story…

WATConsult has seen a 100 per cent increase in media billings in the current year from previous years due to many factors. A primary factor has been the growth of digital media spends across the spectrum in the industry.

Another reason for the increase in volume of spends is the digital media agency’s keen focus on social, video and mobile. These three are the fastest growing verticals within digital media and the agency has invested in analytics and media planning and buying across these media.

Initiatives for innovation…

Several innovative campaigns for clients using technology, smart targeting and other creative innovations have been done by the media house.

One example of their use of technology is the use of RFID for a social sale campaign for Super Saturday which is a 60 per cent sale by Best Seller Group. They also installed offline Twitter kiosks which aided Mirchi Music Awards to take realtime selfies of the red carpet and share it with Twitter users. They have done smart targeting for Mother Dairy’s ‘Doodh Morning is Good Morning’ campaign to ensure it reaches the right audience. Overall, on the media front WATConsult has moved to a programmatic buying model with partners like Httpool which has helped improve their performance across media campaigns.

Awards in 2014…

WATConsult has won more than 50 awards won over the last year including the Won Young Social Media Entrepreneur of the year at CMO Asia and Most Progressive Digital Agency at CMO Asia. They were also awarded top Social Media Agency at Socialathon.

Resource: http://www.exchange4media.com/advertising/what-made-watconsult-%E2%80%98boutique-agency-of-the-year%E2%80%99-at-media-ace-awards-_61002.html