“Things I’ve Learned from Lately” is a regular compilation of articles that have made me a smarter marketer. Hopefully, they’ll help you, too.
This Week: An Open Internet for Better or For Worse, The Cost of Showcasing Our Best Selves, Trends! Trends! Trends! and Thanks for Everything, Walt.
Read MoreMary Meeker’s Internet Trends Report never ceases to ignite conversation and drive reflection across the industry on what the future of the Internet means for marketing. There’s no shortage of highlights and key slides, but one that really stood out came from Candace Payne’s Facebook Live video.
When Candace Payne put on the Chewbacca mask on Facebook Live, the Internet was like a powder keg ready to explode. The Facebook Live video drove 153 million views, but what’s more powerful is what it did for the Kohl’s brand, which was only mentioned twice in the video.
Kohl’s quickly became one of the most talked about brands out there, and more importantly for the brand, the Kohl’s app became the leading app in the iOS App Store.
All of this is important because Kohl’s had nothing to do with making this happen, but it certainly became the primary beneficiary (which they capitalized on). All of this points to a golden rule of marketing that’s been true since the beginning of communication. Buyers want information from each other, and in an era of constant connectivity that information from other buyers is near infinite and always available, allowing buyers to go into a purchase with near perfect information. The one voice that’s left out of that conversation is that of the brands themselves.
Read MoreIt’s no secret that the world has gone mobile and that people have gone from looking up at big screens to looking down at their mobile screens whenever they get the chance. But, if marketers’ budgets are any indication, one might think this is the best kept secret in the industry.
Read MoreFacebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social platforms have experienced impressive user growth, some more than others. But growth across the board has slowed among what we think of as traditional social networks. Mobile messaging platforms are quickly gaining traction and building massive user bases.
Mary Meeker has predicted that “messaging apps will become the primary digital media channel for most consumers in many countries within the next two years, they will subsume social platforms in that social platforms will morph into messaging apps."
LINE, Snapchat, WeChat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, KakaoTalk and other messaging apps are quickly gaining share of consumers’ time and attention.
Read MoreMary Meeker’s digital trends report is always a fantastic and insightful look at where things have been and where things are probably going. Her latest report is full of insights that I still want to explore further, but one, in particular, stood out in my initial read-through.
The most important social networks for teens (in order from most to least), according to Meeker, are:
Not only is this different than what we typically hear (Snapchat is where teens are, teens don’t care about Facebook, etc.), it’s also in contradiction to what most marketers are prioritizing when it comes to their social footprints.
Read More“Things I’ve Learned from Lately” is a regular compilation of articles that have made me a smarter marketer. Hopefully, they’ll help you, too.
This Week: Are We Wasting Our Time?, Beauty Brands Have Met Their Match: Vloggers, News Flash: The Internet's a Big Deal and How Beats Became Worthy of $3 Billion.
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