Does real-time marketing need to take an alternative route?

My role at Waze has seen me speak to hundreds of brands and agencies about how to reach drivers when they’re on the move. Increasingly, questions have centred around data and how targeted advertisers can be in reaching drivers.

As the sheer number of ads we experience on many of the services we use every day has increased - often at the detriment of the user experience - the mobile advertising industry has also had to consider the ethical implications of using consumers’...

13 September 2019 | Advertising

Marketers should be double mobile optimising content – here’s why and how

We all know that our time spent on mobile phones is increasing, but this year, for the first time, our time spent on mobile overtook TV. That’s more hours checking social media, watching content and viewing ads on our phones, than watching television, or on desktop. It may have been a long time coming, but surpassing that tipping point is a momentous shift for brands.

Customers are more likely to be viewing your ad during the three hours and 43 minutes they spend on their...

12 September 2019 | Advertising

VRJAM and Agora partnership aims to provide sleek – and sustainable – VR event experience

The events industry in the UK is worth somewhere in the £40 billion area today. 2014 figures from BVEP put it just below that figure, while an AV Technology piece from last year spiked it at £42.3bn. 

This includes everything from the events themselves to travel costs - many readers will understand the 'on the road' mentality that comes with frequent executive international travel. But with climate awareness continuing to gain traction - Greta Thunberg...

26 August 2019 | Customer Experience

Why marketers need to engage rather than enrage to solve the mobile advertising divide

Keeping a lid on problems doesn’t solve them — as the publishers still losing almost £1 million to ad blocking can confirm. Over the years, the ad block fight has slipped from the number one spot of industry problems; with declining general levels of blocked impressions and increasing advertising investment creating a perception the issue is under control. But that isn’t necessarily true.

Mobile is not only set to be a key driver of 2019’s £14.7...

29 July 2019 | Advertising

Halo effect reveals importance of mobile ads in high quality environments

How does the environment in which an advert resides influence its performance? According to a new report from Integral Ad Science (IAS), adverts viewed in high quality mobile web environments were perceived significantly better than those in lower-grade versions.

The study, titled 'The Halo Effect: Ad Environment & Receptivity', observed 50 participants and their reactions to articles and creative content across 30 minutes. 

The report found three quarters...

17 July 2019 | Advertising

Everything marketers need to know about Gen Z: Authenticity with individuality

After years of reading about the woes of marketing to millennials, it’s time for a new group of headlines. We’ve already seen articles that exhort the challenges of connecting with the first generation of consumers who have practically grown up online: Gen Z.

But Gen Z, for all the ways they seem to be changing the world around us, aren’t a mystery. We know exactly what these consumers want and, even better, we know exactly how to connect with them.

This is...

1 May 2019 | Best Practice

The harm of social media validation: A question of responsibility and protecting the vulnerable

Humans have an innate desire to be liked by peers and to feel a sense of belonging — and nowhere is this more prevalent than social media. The more likes, comments, and shares a post gets, the more socially validated the poster feels.

In fact, studies show that just these online reactions release dopamine in our brains, which makes us feel happy. Like gamblers at a slot machine, we anticipate a certain response when posting something online: Who will like my...

18 April 2019 | Ethical Marketing

Five things to consider when planning an app: Usage, UX, and more

The app designing process will be a bumpy road if you don’t take a methodical approach. Your business doesn’t just need an app: it needs a user-friendly app that provides substantial value. If you know you want an app, then break out the whiteboard and start drafting out your plan.

There are some vital considerations you’ll have to make during the formative stages of mobile app development to assure that things stay budget-friendly and none of your efforts are...

11 April 2019 | Advertising Technology

Oh Snap: Snapchat launches new gaming and AR features in bid to play catch-up

Snapchat has announced the launch of various new features focused around augmented reality (AR) and camera search.

The launch, at the company’s first Snap Partner Summit, sees greater integrations with Lenses and Scan. The social media network is updating Lens Studio, its desktop app which enables users to build and distribute Lenses on Snapchat, to include capabilities such as hand and body tracking. The company has also launched a series of lenses which aim to bring iconic...

8 April 2019 | Advertising Technology

Blink and you’ll miss it: How to get the most out of short-lived social content

It is no secret that social media marketing is an ever-moving target. Up until recently there was a firm belief that the longer content remained accessible the more impactful it would be. Now, as counterintuitive as it may sound, there is a swing towards short-lived content, which has to do with Instagram’s rise in popularity.

Instagram is increasingly being seen by brands as a dynamic platform from which to share their more informal side in an almost off-hand manner....

20 March 2019 | Best Practice