We hope everyone had a nice MLK Jr. holiday weekend! We’re starting this week’s roundup of online and partner marketing news with an op-ed on AdAge by Chief Marketing Technologist Scott Brinker that caught our attention. His big prediction for marketing in 2017? Things will change. If this sounds a bit glib, read on to understand his pithy prediction as you look forward to what’s ahead this year and beyond…
The Only Marketing Prediction You Need for 2017
Technology is changing at an exponential rate, and with it, so are competitive dynamics and customer expectations. We may think we know where something is headed. But the exact trajectory it will take, and how it will apply to our particular business over the next 12 months, is hard to predict. Trying to win in this environment of accelerating change by guessing what’s next is risky business. Brinker contends a much more reliable strategy is, above everything else, to develop your organization’s general ability to adapt. Across the golden triangle of people, process, and technology, he shares his tips on how.
Some other items of interest:
The Era Of AI Will Be Ruled By UI
In an increasingly data-driven world where delivering a relevant customer experience makes all the difference, we have embraced complexity over simplicity, dealing in acronyms, algorithms and now machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). In an AdExchanger post, Chris O’Hara, Head of Global Marketing at Krux says one of the biggest trends we will see over the next several years is what could be thought of as the democratization of data science. As data-driven marketing becomes the norm, the winners and losers will be sorted out by their ability to build robust first-party data assets and leverage data science to sift the proverbial wheat from the chaff.
AOL’s New 360° and Live Video Studio Is a ‘Physical Embodiment of Native Advertising’ Manhattan Facility Makes Space for a Bevy of Brand Partnerships
As reported by AdWeek, AOL officially opened Build, a 13,412-square-foot studio in lower Manhattan that will become the stage for all sorts of interviews, performances and events shot both live and with 360-degree video. Build aims to attract a younger audience to AOL properties, both with the types of guests that will be featured and by having a street-facing studio to attract anyone passing by. The idea is to take the content filmed at Build and then repurpose some of it for other channels like Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. According to AOL vp of monetization Jesse Chambers, the space “opens up a lot of avenues” to create consumer experiences in partnership with brands.
How Fashion Brands are Using WhatsApp
Fashion brands are getting chatty on WhatsApp with the messaging platform’s 1 billion reported users. According to Digiday, brands like Diesel, Burberry, Clarks, Agent Provocateur and Kenneth Cole have begun testing the space, which attracts global users to data-free messaging groups, for new marketing and customer service initiatives. It’s still early days for brands on WhatsApp — most are approaching it as an experimental platform — but with retailer mobile app traction on the decline and Facebook Messenger still building out its offering to be more brand-friendly, quick adapters of the chat-driven technology could find themselves at an advantage.
How to Make an Effective Brand Film
Although it has taken time for more brands to experiment with the media, industry watchers note advertisers of all categories have gotten into the filmmaking business. Some, such as Nike and Chipotle Mexican Grill, have commissioned animated shorts; others, including Prada-owned fashion house Miu Miu and Häagen-Dazs, have done documentaries; and the likes of BMW and H&M have opted for cinematic fiction. Chris Daniels from Campaign US talks to the people behind brand films such as BMW’s “The Escape” and Samsung’s “Fighting Chance” and identifies the secret sauce that engaged viewers and persuaded them to watch.
