Category: Media Planning and Buying

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Campaign Creation & Development Digital Targeting Services Insights Media & Analytics Media Planning and Buying Programmatic Buying
Nextdoor Blog
Nextdoor Blog

Most marketers already understand that growing consumer concerns over data privacy have prompted new regulations. Now, the issue has even sparked device updates from manufacturers. Beyond regulations, these companies want to satisfy their customers by offering additional privacy protection. This has an effect on your integrated digital campaigns in more ways than one.

For a recent example, Apple announced that they would soon roll out a new privacy update for iOS 14. This change focuses on limiting the amount of cross-website data marketing companies can track on smartphones. Where Apple leads, other phone and computer manufacturers will probably follow.

Why Consider Changes to an Existing Integrated Digital Campaign?

Apparently, Apple’s news has generated new concerns from marketers and some of the largest advertising platforms. According to CNET, even Facebook admitted that recent changes would hamper their ad targeting abilities. At the same time, Google started to modify its advertising platform to comply with new standards.

More safeguards may represent a win for consumers. Still, they present additional issues for digital marketers who already struggle with increased competition and bid prices. Of course, marketers can explore other marketing sandboxes to expand their advertising strategy beyond the biggest advertising platforms. With that in mind, explore the benefits of adding Nextdoor, Yelp, Pinterest, and TikTok to an integrated digital campaign.

Beyond Facebook and Google: Integrated Digital Campaign Alternatives

No digital marketing agency can offer a one-size-fits-all advertising strategy. Even more, last year’s perfect marketing platform might not continue to serve businesses as well in 2021 and beyond. Instead of struggling to get traditional ad platforms to continue performing, maybe it’s time to look beyond them. 

The best new platforms to consider may depend upon the company’s products, marketing style, and target demographics. Find out how such alternative advertising platforms as TikTok, Nextdoor, Yelp, and Pinterest can help marketers expand and target B2C marketing audiences with less hassles and lower costs. 

Nextdoor: The Hyper-local Advertising Solution

Nextdoor doesn’t just serve neighborhoods as the place to find lost pets or complain about the neighbor’s fireworks. They also know where their members live, making it simple to tune geographic targeting down to the level of neighborhoods.

As an example, Modern Retail found grocery brands have recently turned to Nextdoor. Rather than use platforms that also run their eCommerce competitor’s ads, these businesses can target the customers in their preferred delivery or physical service areas. Nextdoor also offers ad formats designed to spark two-way communication and engagement. That makes this community-based social site a great way for businesses to meet some new neighbors.

Yelp: High Purchase Intent with Local Targeting

Some of the planned updates to iOS 14 target cross-platform data, which tends to limit the large, general platforms like Google and Facebook the most. Even seasoned marketers sometimes find the way these platforms learn about internet-wide browsing habits almost spooky. In contrast, Yelp uses its own search and location data to assist advertisers with audience targeting.

For both local and non-location-based businesses, this platform can target ads based on search intent to help marketers unlock highly motivated audiences. While some people think of Yelp as a restaurant platform, it’s also a very trusted source for information about all kinds of businesses.

Pinterest: A Visual Ad Platform for Sparking Inspiration

According to WordStream, Pinterest offers a fantastic gateway into the homes of affluent, millennial women, along with many other demographics. Even though they’ve mostly attracted women, almost 30 percent of signups come from men. Top categories on Pinterest include DIY, crafts, home decor, art, fashion, and beauty.

In short, people turn to Pinterest for visual inspiration and ideas. Since eCommerce relies so much on images, the image and video ad formats work well in all stages of the marketing funnel. Some of the best Pinterest marketing tips include supplying consumers with inspiration to encourage them to check out new products and traditional items used in new ways.

TikTok: Engage on the Fastest Growing Social Site

While many people associate TikTok with a very young audience, Social Media Examiner found that 64 percent of users have at least passed their 20th birthday. Alright, TikTok mostly appeals to younger people. At the same time, the very engaged audience will age. Also, TikTok users spend an average of almost an hour a day logged in.

Besides the sillier content, many users see plenty of business, DIY, and parenting videos in their personalized feeds. Very effective ads usually emulate the appearance and tone of organic posts.

While the platform differs from Facebook, most experienced Facebook advertisers should find it familiar and easy to get started with. Even better, Social Media Examiner found that TikTok offered lower bids, particularly once ads have matured and show the right kind of content.

Why Move Beyond Facebook and Google for B2C Marketing?

Facebook and Google still retain their spots as two of the biggest and most general advertising platforms for all kinds of businesses. In fact, even most recent lists of the top sites for marketers usually rank these two giants as first and second.

On the other hand, rising prices and increased privacy protection may have limited their usefulness as part of a cost-efficient and effective advertising strategy. Most advertisers admit that they struggle to find low-hanging fruit on the larger advertising sites these days. Successful marketers should always keep their eyes and ears open for new opportunities to engage, target, and sell to other audiences.

For a quick summary of these marketing tips:

  • Consider Nextdoor for hyper-local targeting and community engagement.
  • Find highly motivated, local buyers on Yelp in a variety of niches.
  • Image-oriented Pinterest ads can supply site users with inspiration and motivation to buy.
  • Creative video ads for somewhat younger audiences have a great chance to go viral on TikTok.

Nobody should declare Google or Facebook dead. Obviously, these two giants command massive audiences, and they’ve both shown an uncanny ability to survive and thrive in a rapidly evolving environment. At the same time, businesses with certain demographics may enjoy better targeting and lower costs elsewhere. Instead of interpreting this as a call to abandon traditional sites, think of it as a chance to keep exploring and testing for better returns.

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Audience Campaign Creation & Development Consumer Insights Insights Marketing/Business Media & Analytics Media Planning and Buying Over-The-Top(OTT) Video Production
TV 4
TV 4

This article is part of #TheBigeyeLens series exploring the future of consumer behavior, purchasing decisions, and marketing trends.

Americans first learned to love watching TV way back in the 1950s, and some folks still refer to that time as the Golden Age of TV. Even during today’s digital age, people still spend a lot of time watching dramas, comedies, documentaries, the news, and other kinds of TV shows. At least, Nielson recently reported that the average U.S. adult consumes over five hours of video content every day. OTT advertising offers brand the opportunity to reach niche, captive audiences.

How do People Consume TV Shows in 2021?

Of course, the way people consume TV programs has changed a lot in the past few decades. As an example, in the 1950s, some businesses closed and people stayed home to catch the latest episode of “I Love Lucy.” Today, TV watchers hardly ever need to restrict themselves to “appointment TV” because they can catch shows whenever it’s convenient for them.

In fact, the number of 18-to-34-year-olds who watched traditional TV dropped by over 23 percent in the third quarter of 2020 when compared to the previous year. Viewers, especially younger ones, tend to use over-the-top (OTT services) and connected TV (CTV) services to stream their favorite shows whenever they want to. And judging by the statistics, they still want to watch a lot of TV.

Before discussing how OTT advertising and CTV can benefit advertisers, it’s helpful to understand that they are both similar but not exactly the same. For some quick definitions:

• OTT: This stands for over-the-top TV, and it refers to streaming services that serve content directly via the internet. Some well-known examples of OTT TV services include Netflix and Hulu. Viewers might access these apps on their laptops, smartphones, or even internet browsers on their smart TV sets.

• CTV: CTV stands for connected TV. It refers to content viewed through internet-connected, streaming apps on smart TVs, plug-in devices like Roku or Chromecast, and even gaming consoles.

How CTV and OTT Services Benefit Smart Advertisers

One might say it’s a new Golden Age of TV for TV fans and marketers. For some examples:

• In the early decades, TV advertisers could only cast a wide net and expect to engage a tiny fraction of the viewers of a popular program. People didn’t have that many shows to watch, so most popular shows attracted large but general audiences. Today, viewers have plenty of choices, so the shows that they watch may attract particular demographics.

• Since viewers often have to play the ads to keep watching their programs, advertisers can also enjoy very high engagement when compared to many other placements for video ads. For instance, internet users may simply mute or ignore the video ad on a website or social network; however, they’ll generally play through the ads included in TV-type programming to resume the show.

Today, more viewing choices and platforms capable of gathering data about viewers mean that a CTV or OTT advertising agency can send exactly the right message to the perfect audience. An experienced OTT and CTV media agency would advise its clients to take advantage of the information they have about their own customers and how it aligns with data provided by  OTT advertising and media buying services in a few important ways:

Gain an Understanding of the Intended Audience and the Media They Prefer

Start developing brand personas from market research, customer information, outsourced marketing data, and/or industry demographics. These snapshots of typical customers should help uncover the type of content they enjoy and how they prefer to have it delivered.

For some examples:

• Is the brand’s typical customer a Boomer who occasionally logs into Hulu, a cord-cutting Millennial with a high-end smart TV, or a Gen Z who mainly streams on a smartphone?

• Are they likely to prefer major league baseball, true crime documentaries, or made-for-cable dramas?

Answering these questions will help determine the best platforms to target and the slant to use when crafting advertising content.

Exercise Creativity to Enjoy the Full Benefits of New Media Platforms

With so much power to understand viewers and the type of content that engages them, marketers should use their information and creativity to craft the sort of content that can also engage users.

As one example, Hulu is a popular OTT platform that displays advertising to members at some service levels. Hulu suggests answering a few questions to help develop the best ads:

• Has the brand already generated awareness? New brands need to work harder to educate their audience. In contrast, a well-known brand may need to invest effort in changing the audience’s perceptions.

• What’s the typical buying process? Some products may benefit from impulsive purchases, but other products generally need to coax customers through their journey. Either way, it’s important to develop content that will help move customers along in the intended step in the buying process.

• Which advertisement lengths best serve goals? On platforms like Hulu, ads can range from 15 seconds to a few minutes. Short, punchy ads can be memorable and help develop brand recognition, but longer ads give marketers time to provide more information. As a tip, Hulu mentioned that their highest performing short ads focused on branding in almost every frame. In contrast, longer ads could focus on storytelling.

A Successful OTT Advertising Example

There’s not one right way to develop an OTT or CTV ad that would apply to every marketing campaign. Still, a CTV or OTT advertising agency will certainly want to gain inspiration from successful examples of high-performance ads.

For instance, like many companies, Bassett faced pandemic-related business issues that forced them to reduce and optimize their overall media budget. At first, some marketers might not think that a 120-year-old furniture company would make a good candidate for new media.

This example of a Bassett advertisement showed how they use a 30-second spot to tell their brand’s story in the words of actual furniture makers. The company replaced their entire traditional TV budget with only OTT ads. This campaign helped them sustain sales and even traffic to brick-and-mortar Bassett stores.

Optimize, Test, and Tune

As with almost any kind of marketing, great CTV and OTT campaigns are typically made and not born. That means that an experienced CTV and OTT media agency will expect optimal performance after periods of testing and tuning messaging and audiences.

On the positive side, sophisticated platforms can help track relevant metrics, even including visits to physical locations and eCommerce websites. Some examples of the metrics commonly provided on self-serve advertising platforms include impressions by network, day, and device, completion rates, click rate,

Work with an Experienced CTV and OTT Advertising Agency

Here at Bigeye, we appreciate TV’s power to inform, educate, and entertain. Of course, we also work hard to maximize TV’s potential to grow our client’s business with the right audience targeting, content format, and media placement. Contact us to tell us more about your brand, and we’ll let you know how we can help optimize your experience with OTT and connected TV buying services.

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Active Adult & Senior Living Homebuilder/Construction Media & Analytics Media Planning and Buying Multi-Family Real Estate Search Engine Optimization Student Housing
3 Ways to boost occupancy rate using property management marketing 1
3 Ways to boost occupancy rate using property management marketing 1

Good property management marketing can bring ideal tenants to your properties easily and effectively. Instead of competing on price or square footage, a well placed ad from a media buying agency or curated social media posts can bring your community, neighborhood, and units to life.
Help prospective tenants discover and choose your property with three of the best kept secrets every multi-family marketing and property management firm needs to start using today.

1. Invest in a responsive, mobile-friendly site

According to GogoDigital, 98% of renters use mobile devices on a weekly basis to power their apartment search. Of them, nearly half said they would opt out of a property or unit if the site didn’t work effectively on their cell phone or tablet. Work with a digital marketing agency like BIGEYE to ensure your website works across devices and creates a seamless experience between all your channels such as social media, advertising, and email.

This simple update lets prospective renters know you operate a trustworthy, modern business. This is especially important as more and more renters expect to conduct the leasing process online using virtual signing tools to execute their leases and 360 digital tours to screen properties and make their final decisions.

2. Content is king and search engine optimization is queen

The best property management marketing site in the world needs to be search-friendly in order for your business to thrive. Prospective residents often start their apartment hunt on search engines, either to discover and explore properties, or to find companies that can assist with the leasing process.

Understanding what your specific goals are (think: promoting your property managed community versus offering a white-glove realtor service) will help you create engaging content that catches prospective residents’ attention and boosts your ranking in Google and other search engines.

3. Demonstrate your authenticity through social media and community engagement

Put words into action by reinforcing the values your property management marketing efforts are promoting by creating an authentic social media presence and participating in community events that are aligned to your ideal residents’ needs.

As an example, if your brand focuses on LEED certification and eco-conscious buildings, you may want to co-sponsor a beach clean up near your property to demonstrate your commitment and make like-minded individuals aware of your units. If you aren’t sure where to start, a local, top Florida advertising agency can point you in the right direction to build partnerships and activate events via social media.

Learn more about how our team at BIGEYE has helped single- and multi-family marketing managers like you succeed in today’s digital landscape by contacting us today.

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Marketing/Business Media & Analytics Media Planning and Buying Search Engine Optimization Video Production
coronavirus marketing 1 scaled 1
coronavirus marketing 1 scaled 1

As the coronavirus continues to grip the world, companies must act now to ensure marketing campaigns are able to weather the crisis.

The effects of COVID-19 on business and business marketing

From the plummeting Dow Jones averages that are rocking Wall Street to the forced closures and loss of consumer activity that are devastating Main Street, businesses of all sizes are on shaky ground during the ongoing coronavirus crisis. As social distancing continues to force events to cancel and bring face-to-face interaction to a grinding halt, certain industries have already suffered catastrophic damage. And other industries are bound to follow as factories shut down and companies fall into dormancy.

As they lose customers to the terrible but temporary chaos of COVID-19, business must take care to ensure that these customers ultimately return to them when the crisis is over. This typically means significantly altering, if not entirely redesigning, their marketing efforts with a dual focus on immediate risk management and long-term goals.

Wise companies are already getting ahead of this issue by taking immediate and comprehensive action. Take, for example, the recently launched ad campaign of the fast food giant Chipotle. Like other major restaurant chains, it has rapidly created, produced, and distributed, television and digital video commercials that stress the safety and reliability of take-out and home food delivery.

As you formulate and execute your response to the coronavirus crisis, make sure that you are retooling your marketing campaign to meet the demands of the present and look forward to the opportunities of the future. Here are just a few tips and guidelines to help you bring your business through these uncertain and difficult times.

Managing your marketing efforts to survive the coronavirus

1. Put Safety First

Few industries have faced as much immediate damage from the COVID-19 outbreak as the global tourism industry. This makes the words of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) all the more urgent as its stresses putting safety first. By stressing customer safety, the HSMAI strives to protect overall company reputation as well as individual guest health. Businesses that do so earn “trust, respect, and loyalty.”

A big part of putting safety first is keeping customers well-informed of relevant coronavirus facts and response protocols, particularly those that may affect your company’s operational processes and/or the goods/services that you offer. When providing this information, it is important to refer to and cite respected authorities such as the Center for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and the various local public health agencies at work in your area.

Think carefully about the ways in which COVID-19 is likely to impact your specific industry specifically as well as the greater community at large. What value you can provide as an organization to help keep people safe? As you contemplate this question, remember that this crisis is evolving rapidly and will probably continue to do so for the foreseeable future. This means that your commitment to safety will require flexible planning and your marketing plan must adapt to the moment as conditions continue to fluctuate.

2. Assemble Your Crisis Management Team

If your company is exceptionally large or specialized to deal with a specific type of risk, you may already have a dedicated crisis response team in place. Most companies, however, fail to prioritize crisis management and have never even considered developing a valid crisis plan. Well, now is certainly the time to do so.

Gather functional leaders from across your organization under the leadership of its top communications executive or chief executive officer. Other crisis team members to consider for inclusion might be legal counsel, human resources professionals, operations/facility managers, sales/customer service directors, and any leaders in the fields of public relations marketing, and communications. All team member should clearly understand their specific responsibilities and areas of concern.

For smaller companies without a dedicated PR or marketing team, MarTech Advisor contributor Indrajeet Deshpande recommends contracting with a qualified outside agency. In any case, your business should have in-house spokespersons at the ready in case you are approached by any independent media outlet or news publication. These spokespersons must be property trained to faithfully and effectively answer any question that they are asked.

3. Choose the Proper Media Mix

As part of your crisis response and overall marketing plan, you must remember the famous words of Marshall McLuhan: “the medium is the message.” In the wake of the coronavirus crisis, choosing the right media channel for your public outreach is more important than ever. In other words, if you fail to choose the right forms of communication to deliver it, your marketing message will likely fall on deaf ears.

In his March 20 article “Why Companies Turn To Digital Marketing To Survive COVID-19,” Forbes writer Bernard Marr points out that businesses will have to become more and more reliant on digital media channels. “Without wanting to sound too alarmist, he states, “in many cases it will be the deciding factor in whether they make it through the tough times ahead.”

As people continue to practice social distancing, they will connect more than ever via the Internet. This makes leveraging your online marketing capabilities absolutely essential over the comping months. Ensure that your company website and social media pages contain helpful information and present a positive brand image at all times. While emphasizing digital marketing channels that range from banner ads to email newsletters, remember to keep an appropriate amount of traditional media outlets in your media mix.   

4. Practice Careful Media Buying

As part of your media mix planning, don’t fail to consider the supreme importance of cost. If it is to survive the COVID-19 crisis, your business will likely need to implement some fairly austere budgetary restrictions in the short term. Simply put, you will have to use every one of your marketing dollars wisely and make it count.

The Wall Street Journal reports that companies looking to mitigate immediate risk often cut advertising spending first and foremost. “With the coming U.S. presidential election and Summer Olympics, 2020 was expected to be a good year for advertising,” writes WSJ contributor Suzanne Vranica. “Then came the coronavirus.”

Careful media buying will look different from business to business and from industry to industry, but most organizations can benefit from gravitating toward digital media channels, which are not only generally less expensive but more suitable to a market under the ongoing effects of diligent social distancing. To learn what effective media buying can do for your particular company, you may want to contact a qualified marketing agency.

5. Develop Creative Campaigns Driven by Common Sense

In today’s challenging marketing environment, it is more important than ever to find extremely creative ways to keep your brand in front of their customers. Even companies that are temporarily shuttered must plan for a future in which brand positioning will become absolutely essential to survival.

In light of this, place an incredibly high value on unique and striking marketing campaigns that are carefully designed to turn heads. Just make sure that your creative content is properly vetted and above reproach.

In the words of Google’s global marketing vice president for media Joshua Spanier “in the spirit of reassessing campaigns, we’re finding that all kinds of creative elements need scrutiny right now.” As an example, he warns against any use of “slapstick humor” that might come off as tone deaf in the midst of the serious times in which we live. Certain imagery – such as actors using “handshakes, hugs, and high-fives” to interact with one another – may also turn off your existing and potential customers.

6. Employ Key SEO Techniques

Among the other benefits of digital media outreach, search engine optimization (SEO) reigns supreme in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. As quoted in Forbes, 123 Internet Group Chief Executive Officer Scott Jones points to SEO as a key way to reach new audiences in the current market.

As brick-and-mortar shopping becomes increasingly impossible, consumers are turning to ecommerce in numbers that are rising exponentially. SEO can help to ensure that your company appears at or near the top of the list when people search online for the goods and/or services that you provide.

By maximizing your online marketing through SEO, you can also benefit from the practice of geo-targeting. This involves optimizing not only for search terms that relate to your goods/services but for search terms that relate to your location as well. This is a great way to attract consumers from within your state, your city, or even your particular neighborhood.

7. Leverage the Power of Video

In addition to benefiting from the incredible audience targeting power of SEO, digital marketing gives you the versatility to present your message in a range of compelling ways. And, at present, consumers are responding to video messaging in droves.

In fact, the independent authority Quicksprout recently released research showing that consumers report a 74% increase in their overall understanding of a product or service after watching a video. And this engagement can lead to a significant improvement in your bottom line. Quicksprout goes on to report that a well-made video boosts the likelihood of a purchase by 64%.

In terms of general public relations and effective branding, the eye-catching and attention-retaining nature of video makes it a great way to remind consumers to stay with you, or to come back to you, as a company.

To learn more

Contact a skilled and knowledgeable Bigeye representative today for more information on the current impact and lasting effects of the coronavirus on your marketing campaign. A highly innovative and forward-thinking marketing firm, Bigeye prides itself on its ability to respond quickly to the challenges of a constantly evolving marketplace.

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Active Adult & Senior Living Marketing/Business Media Planning and Buying Multi-Family Real Estate Student Housing
apartment programmatic media buying scaled
apartment programmatic media buying scaled

Apartment complex owners who want to cut their marketing budget while strategically targeting their advertising are turning to programmatic media buying.

Programmatic Media Buying Explained

Do you remember how difficult comparative shopping and informational research used to be before the Internet? If so, you certainly know the incredible value of software algorithms and data analysis.

In short, when you search for something online, you are letting state-of-the-art technology do most of the work for you, thereby making your search far easier, faster, and more efficient. Online searches can also help you focus your efforts in the most fruitful areas and save you a tremendous amount of money.

Programmatic media buying works much the same way in the world of Internet advertising. While traditional manual methods of purchasing online ads is both time-consuming and labor intensive, programmatic media buying employs automated processes to executive targeted purchases across a wide spectrum of digital channels that include desktop/laptop, tablet, mobile, connected TV, and outdoor digital media formats.

Programmatic media buying involves the use of a particular type of software called a demand-side platform (DSP), which allows agencies and advertisers to buy media inventory across a multiple channels. Because the automated DSP purchasing process is so fast, it can sort through incredibly large amounts of digital advertising options to target the exact right consumer at precisely the right time.

Through a DSP, marketers can also buy media inventory at an exceptionally good price. This is because programmatic media buying works through automated platforms that employ cost effective processes such as real-time bidding (RTB). Also called “open auction,” RTB sells media inventory to the highest bidder, allowing marketers to target the most viable consumers at rates that are often far below average market value.

The Popularity of Programmatic Media Buying

Considering the tremendous amount of work and lack of efficiency that go hand in hand with the traditional media buying process, more and more agencies and advertisers are benefiting from the speed, ease, and cost-effective benefits of programmatic media buying. In fact, trusted industry news outlets that range from Ad Age to  eMarketer have identified programmatic media buying as an essential component in the future of marketing.

In fact, eMarketing projects a considerable increase in programmatic media buying over the next year alone. According to this research, roughly 58 percent of live video and video-on-demand ad spending occurred as a result of programmatic media buying processes in 2019. By 2020, however, this figure will jump to approximately 80 percent.

Programmatic Media Buying for Apartment Marketing

As the number of advertisers using programmatic media buying continues to rise, companies across a wide range of business sectors and markets must leverage the benefits of this technology if they wish to remain competitive.

The unique characteristics of apartment marketing make programmatic media buying particularly valuable within this industry. In particular, apartment marketers stand to benefit from the highly targeted nature of programmatic media buying.

Since only a small percentage of the general public will be interested in renting any specific apartment unit at any specific time, multifamily residential marketers absolutely love programmatic media buying’s ability to reach out to an exact audience base that is severely restricted according to geography (where a prospective renter lives) and demographics (age, gender, income, etc.).  Programmatic media buying can even target digital media users according to their unique personal interests and daily behaviors.

Using a Qualified Marketing Agency for Your Programmatic Media Buying

A July 16 article by the independent news outlet Target Marketing has determined that nearly 47 percent of advertisers are now performing programmatic media buying in-house. However, article author Lina Lugova recommends that advertisers coordinate their programmatic media buying through a qualified and specialized marketing agency for a number of important reasons.

In particular, forward-thinking marketing agencies that were able to predict the tremendous value of programmatic media buying have employed the best and brightest of industry professionals with a depth programmatic skill, knowledge, and experience. These agencies are also well connected with multiple leading online traffic platforms and resources, enabling them to negotiate the absolute best prices for media inventory.

Contact Bigeye Today

Want to learn more about programmatic media buying and the apartment marketing solutions that it provides? An agency that has earned a widespread reputation for innovative thinking, Bigeye specializes in leveraging state-of-the-art technology to boost your bottom line. A skilled and knowledgeable Bigeye representative is standing by to explain how programmatic media buying can set you apart from your closest competitors.

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Creative & Production Media Analysis & Measurement Media Planning and Buying Video Production
next gen tv 2 1200x600 c default
next gen tv 2 1200x600 c default

Next gen TV, also known as ATSC 3.0, is redefining traditional broadcast TV by breathing new life into the aging medium.

So now we answer the first question, what is ATSC 3.0? It’s the update that broadcast TV has been severely lacking. This new system will leverage current technologies to enhance picture, sound, framerate, and overall range of the medium without losing a moment of your favorite shows. ATSC 3.0 technology enhances everything about broadcast to bring it into the digital age. This will reinvigorate traditional TV, and dramatically increase its value as an advertising medium.

What will Change

The short answer? Everything. But let’s start with picture. The current—let’s call it classic, broadcast system caps out at 1080p. Next gen TV will span all the way to 4K! Making the new ATSC standard an HDTV over the air experience. Raising the quality of the experience without adding cost, the ATSC 3.0 system will drive conversion like never before.

Furthermore, next gen TV is designed to be an ever-evolving technology. Building on the concept of technological adaption, ATSC 3.0 is designed for easy integration as new technologies develop. This way, broadcast television will not fall behind as time passes. Allowing room for future growth is an incredible capability for any technology in this day and age. This system will entice users who want to get the best service over time without paying to switch hardware or service providers as technologies evolve.

This broadcast method will also have a stronger, wider range. Meaning that every user will receive more channels in higher quality without the need for a large antenna. The system will even allow mobile devices to access broadcast shows. By building in capabilities across devices, broadcast TV is broadening its scope and making itself a far more advantageous advertising tool.

The Impact

Next gen TV enables stronger geo-targeting capabilities than cable or satellite TV. As over-the-air TV is intrinsically contained in a specific geographic area, it is a medium that lends itself to area-specific messaging. This makes next gen TV the perfect platform for local businesses such as community banks, mom-and-pop shops, and more to reach their target market without breaking the bank.

How it Works

This system is able to achieve its unique capabilities by connecting on more than one front. The classic broadcast system is accessed simply by an antenna while the next gen TV system uses both an antenna and a wi-fi connection to strengthen the quality and broaden the service range; This is also what allows it to be accessed across devices.

Not only is ATSC 3.0 perfect for geo-targeting, but by enabling tracking as well as use across devices it presents as both a traditional and digital media. With next gen TV, experienced advertisers can reach their audience on a whole new level.

The Takeaway

Broadcast TV is getting a much-needed facelift that will skyrocket its importance both as a service and as an advertising medium. Paying attention to this change now will open up avenues for effective, low-cost campaign strategies that will reach the right people, at the right time, for the right price.

When you’re ready to enhance your advertising strategy reach out to our innovative channel experts today!

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Media & Analytics Media Planning and Buying Public Relations
Understanding the intricacies of rebranding Slacks logo refresh 2 1200x600 c default
Understanding the intricacies of rebranding Slacks logo refresh 2 1200x600 c default

Rebranding an existing brand is no easy feat – especially with a widespread communication tool – jump into our breakdown of Slack’s new logo refresh.

Slack is a corporate collaboration interface. It’s been incredibly successful, growing into an $8 billion company with 8 million daily users in just over 5 years, and now it’s going public. To be more appealing to prospective investors they’ve rebranded, becoming more buttoned-up, sophisticated, and easy to scale. As a marketing research agency, we’re diving into Slack’s rebrand to learn more about these changes, why they were made, and discuss whether we think these changes will be successful… or not.

Let’s start with the practical

Slack’s original design was a colorful hashtag. Sounds pretty simple, but it’s not. Creative services have to scale and apply this logo all over collateral and in its upcoming IPO. Going public means more applications and rapid growth. According to Slack’s blog, the hashtag is made up of 11 different colors and must be placed at exactly 18 degrees off center. If any shading is done incorrectly or it’s placed on a background that isn’t just the right tint of white…well then the whole thing will simply look wrong. That alone is enough to drive any digital marketing agency crazy, but throw in the fact that rapid growth means more differentiated collateral, and it’s more than enough to warrant revisiting the logo.

Using Pentagram as their marketing strategy agency, Slack is repositioning the brand from a fun, playful hashtag to a youthful adult brand. Keeping the logo bright and colorful, they’ve remained young, but moving to a more solid, static, and upright logo does age the brand a bit. To bring back in the hashtag’s lighthearted and lively energy, Slack’s branding agency added what they call “droplets” to mimic the movement and tilted alignment of the original logo.

The difficulty of rebranding

Moving away from the execution, there’s the fact that it’s difficult to rebrand a well-established, public company. Looking to the future, how would an 11-color hashtag age? 10 years from now, would it be an appealing logo? Our web design company is leaning on the side of no. The hashtag is a popular symbol right now, but as time goes on, trends fade. Objectively, a hashtag is not all that aesthetically compelling and the transparency levels throughout this logo can make the whole thing appear too soft.

An important angle to look at is recognition. The new logo is not all that similar to the hashtag. When put right next to each other, it’s easy to understand the progression… but apart? These “droplets” and “lozenges” don’t exactly scream Slack, which is why timing is everything. Yes, Slack is an established brand, but being released in August of 2013, it’s only around 5 years old. As a young brand, in more ways than one, this rebrand is perfectly timed: before going public, where they’d need shareholder approval and after achieving a solid consumer base.  

Building a brand foundation

When it comes to branding, it’s not just the symbolism, scalability, and awareness that needs to be considered—there’s also application. Branding needs to be a solid foundation for any company across platforms. As a successful multi-platform media buying agency, we like to explore the implications of redesign across media and devices. A static, non-transparent logo that can be applied on any background is far more effective. The old hashtag could only be posted certain ways on specific collateral due to its incredibly complicated execution, which limits the brand just when it’s about to grow exponentially. This new logo will drive brand awareness and recognition rapidly with the upcoming IPO.

The application applies to more than collateral and static postings. A logo should be dynamic, drawing attention at every single touchpoint. Let’s start with social media marketing services. On every social media platform, your profile has a picture. As far as business pages go, more often than not the logo becomes the profile picture. With how particularly the hashtag has to be placed, this new, much more dynamic logo would make building social pages so much easier.

Building out a video and social, influencers can be indispensable when assisting a rapidly growing brand to extend their reach. From what we’ve seen with our own influencer marketing agency, having the right people, in the right place, saying the right things can make or break your brand growth. As far as this aspect goes, the new branding is definitely the right choice. As mentioned before, the old logo is not easy to post anywhere, and influencers post using your brand aesthetics. The easier your logo, colors, and style are to apply, the more effective your influencers will be.

Mass communications

With the knowledge, we have from our own PR & media relations agency we know that the final PR posts are often not done by the company that has the announcement. This means that the company that is finalizing the post is the one that places the creative. This brings back in the hoops that an agency has to jump through to effectively apply the hashtag logo, the new logo streamlines the communications cycle to get Slack’s brand out there rapidly.

The takeaway

This new branding is a smart move that builds up Slack for long-term sustainability. When it comes to the application of logos, this new design makes life easier on almost all counts. The hashtag lends itself better to placement and collateral creation. This symbol made up of “droplets” and “lozenges” create a mark that is engaging, strong, and unique. Armin Vit from Brand New said it best in his review entitled “Hash it Out”, “It [the new logo] captures the premise of the platform in a more interpretive way than the literal hashtag and, again, it’s simply a good-looking mark.” As far as changing an established, well-recognized brand goes, now is the best time to do it. Once Slack goes public later this year, huge changes like rebranding would have to be approved by the shareholders. Also, this IPO should signify rapid growth, and after there’s widespread recognition for Slack’s logo changing it becomes a less appealing move. Lastly, Slack is young, just over 5 years old, so this redesign won’t hurt its standing much. In planning for widespread branding that lasts, this redesign is the right choice.

Categories
Branding Environments Marketing/Business Media & Analytics Media Planning and Buying
The secret to brand placement Location location location. scaled
The secret to brand placement Location location location. scaled

It’s imperative to place your brand in the proper locations to reach the right people, in the right place, at the right time through a media buying agency.

What does selling real estate and using media to sell your brand have in common? It’s all about one thing: Location, location, location. You don’t have to work for a top media buying agency to understand that context is critical when it comes to brand placement.
If you need evidence of the importance of location, look no further than this year’s Super Bowl — where one global beverage giant is preparing to go all in to maximize the effects of its advertising campaign.

Anheuser Busch’s massive Super Bowl bet

The Super Bowl is the most significant betting event of the year. It’s estimated that Americans bet nearly $5 billion on the game annually. Global beer giant Anheuser-Busch is making its own massive wager on this year’s Super Bowl, planning one of the largest ever media buys.

The brewer announced it has purchased five-and-one-half minutes’ worth of airtime, during which it will show commercials for five of its brands and seven of its products. That’s an impressive outlay, given that the average cost of a 30-second spot during the Super Bowl has risen to roughly $5 million. The Super Bowl, in fact, is so important to brands and the advertising industry that it represents 2.5% of all network broadcast advertising for an entire year.

Anheuser-Busch’s Super Bowl advertising expenditure will be roughly 30% higher in 2019 than in previous years. The company believes the increase is justified due to the extraordinary nature of the event; the Super Bowl regularly draws more than 100 million viewers in the United States.

The Super Bowl…of ads

For advertisers, however, huge viewership is only part of the equation. The Super Bowl, in recent years, has become more than a football championship; it’s also a showcase for the ad industry’s very best work. Super Bowl commercials have become near-compulsory viewing for many Americans, as brands save their most compelling and engaging creative work for Super Bowl Sunday. The high quality of Super Bowl ads has made the event perhaps the only occasion where people are actually eager to watch advertising.

Anheuser-Busch knows this. The company’s U.S. CMO, Marcel Marcondes, recently told Adweek that  “attention is the new currency and (the) Super Bowl is such a unique moment in culture when people are paying attention, watching TV and more than that, they are willing and looking forward to watching TV commercials. So for that reason, we decided to bet big.”

In other words, it’s all about location strategy: Reaching the right people, in the right place, at the right time, and when they are in the right frame of mind — all accomplished through utilizing a smart media buying agency.

Why location is critical for brands

Anheuser-Busch is wisely betting that the benefits of Super Bowl advertising — and the singular nature of the event — will justify their $50 million ad spend. Yet few businesses, of course, have the resources to buy even the shortest Super Bowl ad.

That doesn’t matter, however, as virtually any enterprise can reap the advantages of brand placement in the proper media locations. Even if you scale down from the Super Bowl to advertising on a local network affiliate, the principle remains the same: Find the location, time, and context where viewers or listeners overlap with your customers or audience.

If you don’t have media buying experience, that might seem like a tall order. However, a high-quality media buying agency can partner with businesses to precisely identify and plan the best possible media locations for ad spending.

The takeaway

At BIGEYE, we specialize in helping businesses connect with audiences through compelling campaigns and finely targeted media buying. If you’d like to derive maximum value from your next media campaign, we urge you to reach out to us today.

Categories
Creative & Production Marketing/Business Media & Analytics Media Planning and Buying Video Production
shutterstock 569751493 1
shutterstock 569751493 1

If you’re the owner of a small to mid-sized business in Florida, you’ve probably thought deeply about how to make your enterprise more profitable. In most cases, this can be accomplished one of three ways: You can improve or expand your product or service; you can develop more efficient business operations and processes or you can execute on these five marketing tactics to drive more profit for your business.
Fortunately for most business owners, the third option is often not only the most effective, but also the most feasible. By understanding a few essential concepts — or by working with a top Florida marketing agency — you can put together a comprehensive marketing plan that wins new customers and generates more revenue.

To help you get started with this process, let’s take a closer look at five foundational marketing concepts that, when taken together, can form the basis of an effective overall marketing strategy.

Media Buying

Put simply, media buying is the act of paying for exposure for a product or service. This exposure can be through a TV commercial, a newspaper or magazine ad, or any other medium that connects businesses with their intended audiences. This process is often handled by an outside media buying agency that coordinates the process of buying media. This can be done by buying billboards, paying for TV programming slots or taking out space in print publications.

The act of media buying is typically part of a larger, overall media strategy that outlines how businesses — or the media planning agency they work with – can optimize the process of getting marketing messages in front of audiences. These strategies generally involve a detailed mapping of the media environment and a review of existing media content and distribution channels.

By engaging in the processes of media buying and media strategy — either internally or by contracting services with a digital media buying agency specializing in media buying services — companies can target audiences with marketing content more effectively and at lower cost. This means that any business seeking to generate more revenue from its existing operations should strongly consider optimizing its overall media strategy — and a top Florida media buying agency can help you formulate the proper plan.

Digital Marketing

Digital marketing can be simply described as the marketing of products and services through digital technologies, including mobile phones, the Internet, display ads and other digital sources. Businesses typically handle their digital marketing efforts one of two ways: By devising and executing a digital strategy internally, or by contracting with a digital marketing agency — sometimes also called a “digital media buying agency,” “Internet marketing agency” or “digital marketing consultant.”

Digital marketers use a variety of tactics to market products and services to consumers. These tactics include Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services, content marketing, influencer marketing, social media marketing, email marketing and search engine marketing. A top digital strategy agency also often specializes in high-level marketing techniques such as attribution modeling or data analysis.

Given the massive growth in digital content over the last two decades — with television networks and publishers migrating online and smartphones becoming a preferred method of content consumption  — businesses that make digital marketing a priority have been well-positioned for success.  Digital targeting and retargeting growth has tracked closely with this proliferation of digital content, with trillions of digital ads now being served each year.

Companies that make a priority of working with an expert digital marketing consultant, or top Florida digital marketing agency, can help generate profits by leveraging the wide reach, low cost model offered by digital ads.

Branding

Branding is a critical discipline within the marketing and advertising fields, as it differentiates the products and services offered by a business from its competition’s products and services. Businesses seeking to create a powerful brand story will often seek out the services of a top branding agency, one with the skill and experience to  to execute a complete brand strategy from the ground up.

This may include aspects such as brand naming, designing a product or service (or its packaging), brand logo design, taglines, symbols and other graphics and generating compelling brand messages.

Once branding is developed, businesses must focus on brand positioning. This refers to the process of positioning a brand within a certain market niche. A technology company, for example, may wish to position its product as the most sophisticated in its category and also the most refined, going after a target demographic that is both tech savvy and style-conscious.

By partnering with top creative agencies to assist with product branding or brand style guide, companies can help carve out a competitive edge in their marketplace, while also cultivating a loyal customer base. The right brand consultant or branding agency can help develop brand messaging that connects with audiences on a personal level.

Consider, for example, the case of Apple. While the company certainly makes great products, that’s not really the secret to its success. Apple’s devices don’t always have the most advanced features; yet they do have a very distinct, fully-realized aesthetic and a deeply compelling brand story. Apple’s most dedicated customers buy their products because they perceive themselves to be an “Apple person” — one in line with the company’s very refined branding. They personally identify with the brand they are patronizing.

That kind of loyalty is priceless to businesses — and an excellent illustration of the power of branding.

Video Production

There’s no doubt about it: If you’re the owner of a video production company Florida is one of the most attractive markets in which to operate. After all, sunny weather makes for fewer missed photo and video shoots.

That’s not the primary reason Florida has become synonymous with video production, however. Florida is home to some of the most talented creative agencies in North America, some of whom specialize in the kind of compelling digital video production that moves the needle in a marketing campaign.

Why is digital video production such a difference maker? Part of it has to do with changing attitudes. Today, digital video content has exploded in popularity, thanks to ubiquitous smartphones, technological advances such as 4K HD and the desires of younger people, who often prefer video content consumed over apps and social media platforms rather than the printed word. These developments have made video –whether seen in a campaign over commercial TV or social media — an integral part of modern marketing campaigns.

This means that for those interested in corporate video production Florida is also an excellent place to find help with such a project. Video production companies in Florida can assist with both motion graphics design and commercial video production services, helping local businesses create campaigns that attract eyeballs and win new customers.

Website Maintenance

Businesses should consider their website to be the public face of the company. If your website is clean, professional, updated and well-designed, it gives visitors confidence. Conversely, if your website is visually cluttered, out of date, broken, confusing, or just offers a generally poor user experience, potential and existing customers can be immediately turned off. This is one reason why hiring a website maintenance company can have such a positive effect for small to mid-sized businesses.

By opting to partner with a website management firm (or website updates company), businesses can outsource tasks that they may not have the expertise (or time) to complete. This may include paying attention to critical Google Maps updates, monitoring WordPress maintenance and supplying a fast and ready solution anytime a panicked “fix website” order comes down from a business struggling to keep its site live and fully functional.

In addition to these critical tasks,  a website maintenance company typically offers a range of broader services to its clients. These may include a comprehensive website maintenance plan, a WordPress maintenance plan and other website maintenance services.

Perhaps the primary benefit of working with a website maintenance company is the knowledge that a company’s public face rests in qualified and experienced hands. Businesses don’t have to worry about missing critical updates, and losing functionality for customers — something that can quickly lead to outraged complaints and permanent loss of business. Additionally, the right website maintenance company can help ensure that all digital properties stay operational and user-friendly, something that will ultimately drive more revenue and profits to the businesses that own them.

The Takeaway

Marketing plays an absolutely critical role in the success or failure of a business. It helps differentiate products and services, and it also creates a story that resonates with audiences and helps them identify with the businesses they patronize. When done well, marketing is an incredibly powerful tool that can create significant competitive advantages.

By focusing on areas such as media buying, digital marketing, branding, video production and website maintenance services, businesses can drive more profits, reach new audiences and ensure that products and services are delivered in a consistent and reliable fashion.

If your Florida business could benefit from the help of one of Florida’s leading digital marketing agencies, don’t hesitate to reach out to BIGEYE today.

Categories
Marketing/Business Media & Analytics Media Planning and Buying
Orlando marketing agency learns from the Masters of Marketing 1200x600 c default
Orlando marketing agency learns from the Masters of Marketing 1200x600 c default

If you own or work for an Orlando marketing agency — or you just love advertising — it’s the most wonderful time of the year.
And we’re not talking about the holiday season.

The 2018 Association of National Advertisers (ANA) Masters of Marketing conference recently wrapped up in Orlando — and there was plenty to discuss, both at the event and afterward.

Let’s take a minute to review some of the highlights of the event, and some of the most important takeaways for advertising and marketing professionals.

The buzz around in-house agencies is mostly noise

You may have heard recent chatter about the reported trend of brands developing their own in-house agency capabilities — a conversation that dominated much of the discussion at this year’s Masters of Marketing Conference.

At least one observer, however, believes there is less to this than meets the eye. Speaking in an interview with Ad Age, Avi Dan, an advertising consultant with decades of experience on the brand side, said he hadn’t seen “a single brand-building campaign” that originated from an in-house agency.

Dan added that while some work may be best handled internally, the notion that in-house agencies would become a significant player in the near-term is groundless. Other presenters at the conference pointed out that many brands simply lack the expertise and resources (particularly in areas such as programmatic buying and data analytics) to effectively handle operations in-house.

The latest on the FBI and media buying

Another eyebrow-raising topic at this year’s conference was the FBI’s probe into the media buying practices of certain ad agencies. The topic was the subject of a talk given by the ANA’s top attorney, Doug Wood, during the conference.

The probe is exploring allegations that a handful of agencies engaged in deceptive and non-transparent practices, including collecting cash rebates from media vendors and not passing them along to clients. The ANA released a white paper on the topic in November to better explain the issue to the advertising community.

Wood said that the result of the probe (which could potentially spark reforms toward greater transparency in the industry) should be known in six to twelve months.

The word of the week was “purpose”

One buzzword made repeated appearances during conference presentations: Purpose. Marketing execs from FedEx, eBay and Ancestry repeatedly hammered home the importance of “brand purpose” during presentations.

Vineet Mehra, Ancestry’s Global CMO, defined brand purpose as the ability to “enable journeys of personal discovery that collectively inspire a world of greater understanding and belonging.”

Meanwhile, Rajesh Subramaniam, FedEx’s Chief Marketing and Communication Officer, concurred, saying that marketers are only just beginning to “unlock the power of purpose.” Suzy Deering, EBay’s North American CMO, called brand purpose “incredibly important,” also adding that it’s “is not going away.”

As Ad Age, cleverly pointed out, it seems that Orlando marketing agencies can already safely predict one of the key themes for next year’s conference.

Looking for a top Orlando marketing agency?

Our agency makes it a priority to keep our finger on the pulse of the advertising and marketing business. If your business is in the market for the kind of fresh, creatively inspired campaigns that win converts, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us today.