Tag: advertising

Advertising trends

FabrizioLeave a comment

A couple of considerations looking at the charts in the tweet below.

The growth of Facebook (including Instagram) is surprising, in that it comes at least in part from erosion of the share of Google (including YouTube). That means, of course, that Zuckerberg and friends will change very little of what has made that growth possible, even if at the expenses of social and civic well-being.

It is quite a thing that print still gets 7-8% of ad spending, despite people spending just 1-2% of their time with print. Considering a similar ratio was also valid in 2010, print had probably been seen for a while as a cheap option to spread the brand. And perhaps one that can get pretty granular (niche and lifestyle magazines) in front of a pretty high level of control (that companies lose with programmatic, for example).

Despite the attempts of innovating and the limitless potential of the platforms, advertising on digital (both mobile and desktop) is still pretty much a copy of what was previously happening on television, radio and print: interrupting the attention of somebody who is there to do something else. Nothing particularly new regarding what advertisers are looking for.

A new wave

FabrizioLeave a comment

Three opportunities for a new wave of social media.

Subscription based – As they say, there is no such thing as a free lunch. Social media is no exception. For years, we have thought it was free (or very cheap, if you are an advertiser), but the costs we have all been paying are actually higher than most can appreciate. Asking the audience to pay a subscription fee would force social media to actually narrow their scope and become niche products that need to innovate to thrive.

Verified identity – The past few years have proven that anonymity online is not going to work. Opening a social media account should not be as easy as getting a new e-mail address, and the part of audience that should not be allowed to use them (kids) need to be forbidden access right from the get go. People are not as toxic when their name and reputation is on the line, and that would go a great length to make social media a more pleasant arena.

No second guessing – Algorithms behind timelines and promoted content are hugely unsatisfactory for the audience. What if instead their task would be to ask? Interruption is always annoying, and banner blindness has been discussed and studied for at least twenty years now. Putting people back in charge of what they are offered (also in terms of ads) can only increase engagement and make for a better user experience.

Weak signal

FabrizioLeave a comment

Companies are about to send a signal to Facebook. But a signal, as strong as it can be, is stuck in a single moment in time. What about when July is over? Losing 1% of ad revenue for one month is not going to change the way Facebook carries out its business.

So, what is next?

Seeking attention

FabrizioLeave a comment

Pure advertising is still something many companies invest heavily into, often along with the complementary public relations. I am sure they are important and they matter to some brands, but before putting resources behind it, particularly startups and small business should consider one simple fact.

People hate advertising so much that when given the choice many prefer to pay to skip it.

Netflix (vs cable TV), Spotify, YouTube are the most popular examples. And if that’s the case, what kind of attention will your ads get the next time they air?

Content frenzy

FabrizioLeave a comment

In the content frenzy of these pandemic days, there are few exceptions that stand out.

What the people at Velocity Partners (B2B marketing agency) did in their last newsletter struck me. Here is why.

  1. It is possible to use a widely overplayed concept (Working From Home) and one of the most frequently felt feelings nowadays (worry) and mix them together with a funny and relieving result.
  2. The content shared (as well as the tone used) denotes a crystal clear understanding of their audience, of their current pain points, of what they want to read right now, in this present situation.
  3. It is possible to call for a donation to a charity without going out of brand (the charity chosen is focused, specific, unknown to the masses) and without sounding cheesy or promotional.