Internet banking has had a revolutionary impact on the way we handle our finances.
No longer do I have to spend my entire lunchtime queuing in my local branch of Natwest just to set up a direct debit.
Let us start with the bombshell. There isn’t anything new on the digital marketing horizon for 2015 that excites me much in isolation.
In previous years entire new disciplines emerged. Last year was big for content marketing, data, native advertising, programmatic.
Before that we had marketing automation, inbound marketing and going back further still social, mobile, video and so on. “Search engine marketing” was coined as a discipline back in 2001.
Last week, Snapchat’s announcement that it will charge $750,000 for a disappearing ad on its platform drove an audible gasp from the industry.
Although this has resulted in mass shock across Marketing Directors and Community Managers, it does highlight one thing: the (always inaccurate) myth that social media is free is certainly over: 2015 is the year for paid amplification on social.
As Instagram surpasses Twitter for monthly active users, I set the microscope on the social network and explore how brands should use the platform to tell their story visually in 2015.
With more than 1.3m apps available in Google Play and 1.2m apps available in the Apple App Store, how can you increase the chance of yours being discovered by searchers?
As an occasional and quite dreadful guitar player I have a vague interest in what goes on over at Gibson and Fender.
The marketers at these two iconic brands could probably rest on their laurels to a certain extent but both do a great deal in the way of content marketing and community management.
One in four people use their mobiles to book (28%) or pay (24%) for their daily commute, a figure double that of 2013.
This is according to new research from BuzzCity revealing the habits of today’s connected traveller. Not yesterday’s though, that traveller just read a book or did a crossword.
This is the second instalment in my series of posts looking at brands that use storytelling as part of their marketing activities.
I won’t bore you with my full definition of what I think storytelling should mean in a marketing context, but suffice to say that I think it should be used to describe authentic content that reveals something interesting and truthful about the business, such as the origins of its products or a look inside the company culture.
According to a recent survey, 81% of people abandon online travel bookings, with ‘just looking’ the biggest reason for this.
53% abandon when they see the full price, though 87% said they would consider returning to the booking.
So what, if anything, can travel websites do about this?
China. We all know it’s a huge market and that it will be part of our business efforts in the future.
But at our recent Digital Outlook 2015 event I think even the most savvy were surprised at the scale of the Chinese market – and how different it is to the West.
Instagram is proving to be a hugely important social network for brand marketers.
The limited functionality restricts the ability to drive any direct traffic or sales from the app, but it’s a great way to shape a brand’s image and improve reach among a younger audience.
Controversial new EU VAT regulations came into effect on 1 January 2015.
How do they affect your business?