Brian Meert's Blog, page 91
February 27, 2019
Video Ad Revenue Boosts Original Forecasts for Twitter
February 28, 2019Anna Hubbel, writer at AdvertiseMint, Facebook marketing agency
There has been a drastic uplift in the original forecast of US ad revenues for Twitter. Marketing analyst Emarketer has bumped up its previous prediction of 9.5 percent between December 2018 and December 2020 to 22.8 percent for the same time span.
Image Courtesy of Emarketer
Why such a big jump? According to Emarketer, Twitter’s Q4 2018 revenues came out higher than expected. The analyst site attributes the success to Twitter’s effective leverage of real-time conversation appeal to boost video ad sales. Twitter accomplished this during major news events within the past year.
Specifically, ad spend went up around the US midterm elections and the FIFA World Cup Championships, capitalizing on Twitter’s news-geared platform.
Video advertising, in particular, generated more than half of Twitter’s 2018 ad revenues, reports Emarketer. Emarketer says video advertising will continue to grow on Twitter, eventually accounting for 60 percent of the platform’s total US ad revenues by 2021.
Image Courtesy of Emarketer
“Twitter has developed deep partnerships with premium video publishers, such as Bloomberg, NFL, ESPN, NBCUniversal and BuzzFeed and innovated high-engagement video ads to feature alongside that premium video content,” said Monica Peart, senior director of forecasting at Emarketer.
Twitter’s new video ad formats, such as Video Website Card, in-stream pre-roll, and First View ads, have also contributed to the drastic growth of video on the platform. The company is also currently prototyping a News Camera feature that resembles Snapchat.
“Advertisers are investing in the innovative video ad products that Twitter offers which are highly engaging when appearing alongside major headline and sporting event video,” said Peart.
In contrast, Twitter’s monthly active user (MAU) struggles to achieve any significant growth. Emarketer expects no growth for this particular measurement. Recognizing this fact, Twitter is shifting its focus to monetizable daily active users (mDAU), which includes users who log in at least once a day via an ad-supported app or browser.
Whether this shift in focus will benefit Twitter down the line, it’s too soon to tell. However, as far as ad revenue is concerned, the platform is doing better than alright.
By Anna Hubbel , writer at AdvertiseMint, best Facebook advertising agency
The post Video Ad Revenue Boosts Original Forecasts for Twitter appeared first on AdvertiseMint.
I Nominate These 2019 Oscar Ads to My List of Favorites
February 27, 2018Anne Felicitas, editor at AdvertiseMint, Facebook advertising agency
Last Sunday night people squeezed themselves inside their couches, gathering around their television sets to watch the highly anticipated 2019 Oscars. As much as we love to see our favorite celebrities tearfully gush their speeches, golden Oscar in hand, there’s another part of the show we (at least the advertising buffs among us) like to enjoy—the ads.
Although many brands brought their A games during commercial breaks, producing ads worthy of theater screens, only a few made it to my list of favorites.
The Voice Actress, Styled by Sarah Swennen
An allusion to Hitchcock’s Psycho, this black-and-white Walmart commercial opens with a character whose perspective viewers are seeing. As the character walks down a long hallway, suspenseful music plays in the background. The first scene creates a sense of danger and intrigue, pulling viewers closer to the edge of their chairs as they watch in anticipation.
The scene cuts in front of a shower curtain, which the character opens to reveal a screaming woman. The scene quickly cuts again to voice actress Maria Howell in a recording studio, screaming into a microphone. The commercial’s tagline is then spoken in the background: “We style the actress behind the scene, in Walmart fashion.”
In this commercial, Walmart successfully pulls viewers’ attention and finishes, in rapid scene changes, its main message: check out Walmart’s fashion line. Before the commercial ends, a URL for Walmart’s fashion line appears underneath.
The commercial is quick, containing a hook, a concise marketing message, a call to action, and branding, elements that make a successful video.
Depth Control
The perfect Instagram photo can easily be ruined by a photobombing person lurking in the background. It not only ruins the picture, but it also takes the focus away from the subject of the image. In this Apple iPhone commercial, the company showcases its background-blurring capabilities in a funny and relatable situation.
In the ad, a jealous boyfriend blurs out the image of a handsome man checking out his girlfriend in the background. The girlfriend says she had “so much fun” during the event where the image was taken and that the man checking her out from the background is “so funny.”
According to this commercial, when someone we don’t like appear in our photos, Apple’s photo-editing capabilities can make it as though that person wasn’t there. In a time when taking selfies is as common as breathing, who would say no to this iPhone feature?
Dream Crazier
Female empowerment is a subject that has penetrated the advertising scene and that has been accepted by most audiences. A Facebook IQ study found that US men and women who believe gender inequality to be a pervasive problem respond positively to ads that don’t feature sexual appeal. Even Carl’s Jr. has moved away from their sex-sells marketing tactic.
This Nike commercial follows the trend of female empowerment, splicing together scenes of athletic women playing sports. With each scene, the narrator lists all the ways women are faulted for their behavior: crying is dramatic, playing against men is crazy, and dreaming of equal opportunity is delusional. The video ends with the narrator saying “Show them what crazy can do,” and the words “It’s only crazy until you do it. Just do it.” appear on screen.
The video effectively appeals to the emotion, takes a political stand, and inspires female athletes to, as the Nike slogan goes, “just do it.”
Budweiser Reserve Copper Lager
Female empowerment is a pervasive topic in the Oscar commercials. Budweiser, too, features a strong female lead in its ad, hiring Atomic Blonde actress Charlize Theron for the part. In the ad, Theron defeats a group of men in several competitions: arm wrestling, pool, and darts.
Budweiser, an alcoholic beverage typically associated with masculinity, uses Theron for the ad to show that women, too, can be badass. While attracting viewers with a popular actress and referencing a blockbuster film, Budweiser expands its target audience to women and closes with clear branding.
Hennessy
With a commercial directed by Alien director Ridley Scott, you can’t expect anything less than extraordinary. In a few short minutes it depicts scenes of the ethereal, the otherworldly, and the divine.
The commercial features seven worlds, or the seven elements that give Hennessy its taste. As the commercial lists the seven worlds (sweet notes, rising heat, spicy edge, flowing flame, chocolate lull, wood crunches, and infinite echo), scenes appear of each planet and its inhabitants.
The commercial is stunning in its production, and the concept is creative and unique. Each scene lures viewers in, and for a moment, they forget that they’re watching an ad, not another sequel to the Alien series.
The commercial finishes with this punchline: “Each drop is an odyssey.” The ad ends with the labeled Hennessy bottle and a message that is short and memorable.
Of all the ads in this list, Hennessy is the most visually stunning. As you watch the story unfold, it’s hard to believe that you’re watching an ad, not a trailer for a fantasy film.
Hey Google, Let’s Go to the Movies
The advent of AI technology has made our lives so much easier. With the power of our voices, we can instantaneously access information, command our phones to play music, and even turn on the lights in our homes.
Google’s “Hey Google” commercial, the final nominee in this list (to save the best for last), reminds viewers of Google Assistant’s capabilities while referencing some of Hollywood’s best films. In my favorite version of the ad, Google borrows a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (which, by the way, made me too afraid to shower alone for a few days in my childhood) and edits it with voice overs and new clips to incorporate Google into the scene.
As Norman Bates’ first victim approaches the Bates Motel, she consults Google about nearby lodgings. After Google says Bates Motel has a one-out-of-five rating, the woman drives past, evading death.
In this commercial, Google retells the story of Pyscho by adding its AI technology in the mix. What can Google do for you? It can save your life, apparently. The commercial entertains, delighting viewers with its clever and humorous reimagining of Hitchcock’s dark movie.
#HeyGoogle, what happens when you need a motel review like your life depended on it? #Oscars pic.twitter.com/wNT9xt3KWX
— Google (@Google) February 25, 2019
It was nice to watch celebrities take the stage and accept their well-earned awards last Sunday night, but since there isn’t a grand awards ceremony for Oscar commercials, this will do for now.
Written by Anne Felicitas, editor at AdvertiseMint, Facebook advertising agency
The post I Nominate These 2019 Oscar Ads to My List of Favorites appeared first on AdvertiseMint.
Android Users Are Getting More Control over Their Facebook Location Settings
February 27, 2019Anna Hubbel, writer at AdvertiseMint, Facebook advertising agency
Image Courtesy of Facebook
Facebook is giving Android users more control over their Location Services. The company announced last week that a new update gives Android users background location control, a feature previously only available to iOS users.
Until now, the Facebook app for Android only had an on/off switch for Location Services. But iOS offers a few options, one for sharing location information always, one for sharing information when the Facebook app is in use, and one for never. Now, Android users also have the option to share their location information with Facebook even when they aren’t using the app.
Previously, users were asked to enable Location History, which gave Facebook permission to share location information and store a history log of specific locations. The new update gives users more control over their location sharing preferences.
With the rollout of this update, Facebook says Android users who had their Location History turned on prior to the update will need to go into their settings if they want to switch it off. The setting is automatically kept off for users who had Location History turned off before the update. Users will need to manually turn it on if they wish.
“We’re alerting everyone using the Facebook app on an Android device who chose to turn on Location History in the past, letting them know about the new control, and asking them to take a moment to check that their settings are right for them,” Paul McDonald, the engineering director for Location Infrastructure, said in the announcement. “If you’ve never turned on Location History, you don’t have to do anything. We won’t turn either of these settings on unless you specifically tell us to.”
Facebook is not making any changes to the Location settings for iOS, but iOS users will receive an alert to review their settings to make sure they’re set to what they want if they’ve previously turned Location History on.
In addition, Facebook is updating Access Your Information so that it now includes estimates of users’ primary locations at the city or postal code level.
“Primary location is determined by information we use to support Facebook Products, such as the current city you might have entered on your profile; the IP address of your device; your activity on Facebook Products (like check ins); and precise location information if you’ve chosen to share it,” McDonald explained.
While users are getting more control, Facebook has been implementing new restrictions for advertisers.
By Anna Hubbel , writer at AdvertiseMint, best Facebook advertising agency
The post Android Users Are Getting More Control over Their Facebook Location Settings appeared first on AdvertiseMint.
February 26, 2019
New Instagram Profile Test Is Showing Up on Users’ Apps
November 26, 2018Anne Felicitas, editor at AdvertiseMint, Facebook advertising agency
On November 2018, Instagram published a press release detailing several tests to its app. Today, one of those tests is showing on users’ Instagrams.
My colleague posted a screenshot of the new Instagram redesign that highlights the bio rather than the follower count. Instead of appearing in large bold font next to the profile image, with this new design, the follower count appears underneath the bio.
This update hasn’t appeared to my app yet, but according to my colleague, Esteban Gudino, so far it has also appeared to two of his followers.
Instagram said it was testing a new look to its app back in November, adding that the test will appear to users “over the next several weeks.” It has been four months since the announcement, and it’s entirely possible that the update appearing to users now is still a test, not an official rollout.
There is still no response from Instagram for a request for comment.
The redesign, although jarring to users accustomed to the original layout, can make Instagram a possibly effective web traffic tool. Since users promote their websites on their bios (it’s the only spot where Instagrammers can include clickable URLs), the website link will likely gain more attention as it is prioritized on profiles.
The redesign also de-emphasizes follower count, shifting the focus from followers to brand information when determining credibility. This shift makes sense for the social media company, since too many brands buy followers to inflate popularity and reputation.
Written by Anne Felicitas, editor at AdvertiseMint, Facebook advertising agency
The post New Instagram Profile Test Is Showing Up on Users’ Apps appeared first on AdvertiseMint.
Top Google Searches Users Made about the 2019 Oscars
February 26, 2019Anna Hubbel, writer at AdvertiseMint, Facebook ads company
Image Courtesy of Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images
And the Google Search Award goes to…
Google Search was booming with activity related to the 2019 Oscars. The national award ceremony, which recognizes some of the best celebrities and filmmakers in the industry, was held this past Sunday, and for the first time since 1989, it was held without a host.
Naturally, as is the norm for the Oscars but even more so with the hostless element, Google users went to town searching various aspects of the 2019 ceremony. Google Trends gives us insights about users’ search activity related to the 91st Academy Awards event.
Top Best Picture Searches
Google Trends shows the top five best picture searches and how they changed between 8 p.m. and 11:24 p.m. on Sunday.
Bohemian Rhapsody held first place in the beginning, with Roma, A Star is Born, Green Book, and Black Panther following in second, third, fourth, and fifth, respectively. At 9 p.m., Roma took over the first place spot, and Black Panther pushed up to fourth, pushing Green Book down to fifth. A little after 10 p.m., Black Panther took the lead, followed by A Star is Born, Green Book, Roma, and Bohemian Rhapsody. At about 10:30, A Star is Born led the pack.
https://www.advertisemint.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2019-oscars-google-search-trend-movies.mp4
But by the end of the night, Green Book was the number one searched film, followed by Roma, Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star is Born, and Black Panther.
Actors
The top five searched-for actors during the Oscars started off with Bradley Cooper in the lead, followed by Rami Malek, Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, and Viggo Mortensen, in that order. Bradley Cooper remained the most searched for actor throughout the night until about 10:45 p.m., at which point Rami Malek took the lead.
At about 8:20, Christian Bale moved up to second, and Viggo Mortensen pushed Willem Dafoe down to fifth. Viggo Mortensen briefly spiked up to second at 9:24 p.m. before periodically swapping places with the other actors throughout the night.
https://www.advertisemint.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2019-oscars-google-trends-actors.mp4
Actresses
The top five actresses searched for on Google started off with Lady Gaga in first, Glenn Close in second, Melissa McCarthy in third, Yalitza Aparicio in fourth, and Olivia Colman in fifth. By 8:20, Glenn Close dropped to fourth, Melissa McCarthy moved up to second, and Yalitza Aparicio went up to third. This order held steady until about 9 p.m., at which point Melissa McCarthy swapped places with Yalitza Aparicio. These two kept swapping places throughout the night.
At about 10:45, searches for Glenn Close went up, bringing her up to second briefly, then down to third. Olivia Colman took the lead at about 11 p.m., but Lady Gaga went back up to first quickly and stayed the most searched for actress for the duration of the ceremony. The rest followed in search in the following order: Olivia Colman, Glenn Close, Yalitza Aparicio, and Melissa McCarthy.
https://www.advertisemint.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2019-oscars-google-trends-actresses.mp4
Top Questions on the Oscars
In the week leading up to the Oscars, the top five questions entered in Google Search throughout the U.S. were
When are the Oscars?
Who is hosting the Oscars?
What channel is the Oscars on?
Where to watch Oscar nominated movies?
Who has the most Oscars?
Most Searched “How Many Oscars Does … Have?”
US users also searched for the number of Oscars certain celebrities have won in the past. The top five actors and actresses users asked Google about were
Leonardo DiCaprio
Meryl Streep
Tom Hanks
Denzel Washington
Jennifer Lawrence
Most Searched Animated Feature Film
US users made the most searches for the following five animated feature films in the week leading up to the Oscars:
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Incredibles 2
Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse
Mirai
Isle of Dogs
Most Searched Oscars Hosts
The top five Oscars hosts searched for by US users were as follows:
Seth MacFarlane
Neil Patrick Harris
Anne Hathaway
James Franco
Billy Crystal
Most Searched Oscars Celebrities on Google Images
During the 2019 Oscars, the celebrities searched for the most on Google Images included
Lady Gaga
Billy Porter
Kacey Musgraves
Julia Roberts
Melissa McCarthy
Jason Momoa
Amandla Stenberg
Chris Evans
Angela Basset
Bradley Cooper
Insights like these provide valuable information about user trends on Google Search. If there was an award for online trend tracking, it would most definitely go to Google.
By Anna Hubbel , writer at AdvertiseMint, best Facebook advertising agency
The post Top Google Searches Users Made about the 2019 Oscars appeared first on AdvertiseMint.
February 25, 2019
Prototype Suggests Instagram to Make Collections Public
February 25, 2019Anne Felicitas, Editor at AdvertiseMint, Facebook marketing agency
Users can create a collection by saving feed posts. Instagram prototypes a public Collections feature, says Tech Crunch.
According to the report, Instagram has a prototype of Collections, only this version is viewable to the public. Software engineer and tipster Janne Manchun Wong discovered the code for the prototype buried deep within Instagram for Android Devices.
Wong also found a toggle feature that makes Collections visible to the public and an option to tag users, who can add items to the collection.
Tech Crunch says Instagram denies testing the prototype, although the publishing company did note that Instagram’s response is standard when pressed about products that are in internal development.
Whether or not Instagram will test the feature is uncertain, and if it does proceed, it’s not guaranteed that the company will roll it out. In the meantime, users can enjoy the current version of Collections rolled out two years ago, which only the creator can view and edit.
By Anne Felicitas , editor at AdvertiseMint, best Facebook advertising agency
The post Prototype Suggests Instagram to Make Collections Public appeared first on AdvertiseMint.
February 22, 2019
Facebook Ad Preference Tools Restrict Detailed Targeting
February 22, 2019Anne Felicitas, Editor at AdvertiseMint, Facebook marketing agency
At this time, Facebook is focusing on regaining public trust after past blunders shook people’s faith on the company, and part of winning that trust involves giving users more power over the ads they see. There are now tools located in the Your Ad Preferences page that allow users to prevent advertisers from using their demographics and interests for targeting.
The Your Ad Preferences page contains five tabs: Your Interests, Advertisers, Your Information, Ad Settings, and Hide Ad Topics
Your Interests contains items added to the “interests” section of users’ profiles that advertisers can use for ad targeting. The interests can include liked Facebook pages related to entertainment, hobbies, fashion, and more. Clicking an interest will reveal ad examples that Facebook may show to a user. The user can remove it from the list if it’s no longer relevant, consequently preventing advertisers from targeting that user based on that interest.
The next tab, Advertisers, contains all the businesses whose ads may appear on users’ feeds based on the websites and apps they visited. Users can click the Facebook page of those businesses, but they cannot remove them.
The Your Information tab contains the following demographic information that advertisers can use for ad targeting: relationship status, employer, job title, and education. From that tab, users can revoke permission from advertisers to target them using the listed demographic information.
Ad Settings contains more information about how advertisers use Custom Audience data to target users. This tab has three subsections. The first allows users to revoke permission from advertisers to target them using data from partners. The second stops advertisers from using Audience Network to target them for ads. The third allows users to hide their engagement from ads.
From the last tab, Hide Ad Topics, users can hide ads related to alcohol, parenting, or pets from their feeds.
Although Facebook evidently values advertisers (look at how often it tries to monetize non-feed features, like Marketplace and Watch), the company values users’ trust above all. These new transparency features are exactly what the public has been waiting for.
By Anne Felicitas , editor at AdvertiseMint, best Facebook advertising agency
The post Facebook Ad Preference Tools Restrict Detailed Targeting appeared first on AdvertiseMint.
The 26 Best Instagram Hashtags to Use for Fashion Brands
February 22, 2019Anna Hubbel, writer at AdvertiseMint, Facebook marketing agency
Everyone can appreciate a good #fashionista hashtag. But if you run a fashion brand, you have 78 million Instagram posts to compete with. That means your post with this hashtag will quickly be pushed to the bottom of the pile and will likely go unseen by most of your audience.
If you want to successfully reach your fashionista audience, you need to use hashtags that are popular, but not overused. A good rule of thumb is to avoid hashtags pushing one million uses and look for hashtags with at least 15,000 uses. You can still include commonly used hashtags in your post if you want, but don’t make them the only ones. Use them in addition to more unique hashtags.
For example, the hashtag #fashiongrammer has 178,725 uses. It’s popular, but not overused to the extent that your post won’t stand out when someone enters it in Instagram’s search. Use unique hashtags like these in your fashion posts. You can even include a post that uses both a #fashiongrammer and a #fashionista hashtag, but do so sparingly.
Additionally, your hashtags should be relevant to your brand. For example, you wouldn’t want to use the #burgermania hashtag in your fashion posts. Yes, the hashtag is unique with 105,706 uses, but it has nothing to do with fashion, making it irrelevant to your brand.
Here are some of the best fashion hashtags to use on Instagram that are both popular and unique, along with the number of uses they have.
#fashiongo (13,878 posts)
#streetfashionstyle (219,742 posts)
#streetfashions (134,526 posts)
#fashiongrammer (178,725 posts)
#instastyles (285,711 posts
#fashionaddicts (370,037 posts)
#fashionforwardplus (306,579 posts)
#fashionistastyle (391,069 posts
#fashionweekparis (142,187 posts)
#fashionrunway (138,345 posts)
#fashionagency (105,187 posts)
#fashionbags (872,446 posts)
#travelfashion (146,427 posts)
#fashionforever (156,334 posts)
#styleinspirations (78,650 posts)
#worldfashion (257,550 posts)
#menstyles (386,908 posts)
#shoesforher (17,364 posts)
#shoesforhim (19,024 posts)
#fridayfashion (56,639 posts)
#russianfashion (113,632 posts)
#nycfashion (963,854 posts)
#nycfashionblogger (122,035 posts)
#traveloutfit (62,709 posts)
#whattoweartoday (49,798 posts)
#funfashion (130,702 posts)
With these unique hashtags now in your brand’s fashionable toolbelt, you’re ready to stand out on Instagram. However, be sure to avoid using too many hashtags or the same hashtags over and over in your posts. Instagram identifies such posts as spam, which can be harmful to your brand.
As long as you use your hashtags correctly, your fashion brand will be stylin’ to the top of Instagram’s feed.
By Anna Hubbel , writer at AdvertiseMint, best Facebook advertising agency
The post The 26 Best Instagram Hashtags to Use for Fashion Brands appeared first on AdvertiseMint.
February 21, 2019
F8 2019 Registration Now Open
February 21, 2019Anne Felicitas, Editor at AdvertiseMint, Facebook advertising agency
Once a year, tech geeks, social media nerds, and eager digital marketers from all over the nation gather to one speck of the map: San Jose, California. There, lanyarded guests sporting blue F8 t-shirts congregate at the McEnery Convention Center to hear notable Facebook engineers and executives speak.
The event, F8, is upon us once again. The F8 (Facebook Developers) 2019 convention is now open for registration—don’t dawdle with those admission purchases because tickets sell out.
And who wouldn’t want to attend F8? The event is (for most) the only chance to see CEO Mark Zuckerberg speak in person. Not only that, the convention is filled with like-minded individuals from various companies ready to network. Product demos, deep-dive sessions, snacks, and free gifts (last year, Facebook gave away Oculus Go) are only a few of the perks that await.
Of course, joining the fun comes with a price. This year’s ticket for the two-day event costs $595, which may be a steep fee for some. But not to worry, those who can’t attend in person can still attend virtually. What is a social media company focused on connecting communities that doesn’t offer online streaming of the event, after all?
To apply, simply visit the F8 website. Due to limited seating and huge demand, not all applications will be approved. Facebook does not disclose the characteristics for their ideal applicant, but judging from the application questions, being a developer, business owner, or marketer seem to affect application approval (although that’s just speculation).
Now who’s ready to geek out?
By Anne Felicitas , editor at AdvertiseMint, Facebook advertising agency reviews
The post F8 2019 Registration Now Open appeared first on AdvertiseMint.
Amazon’s New-to-Brand Metrics Help Drive Customer Acquisition
February 21, 2019Anna Hubbel, writer at AdvertiseMint, Facebook marketing agency
Image Courtesy of Amazon.com Amazon’s large platform makes tracking advertising metrics a daunting task. But Amazon recently introduced new-to-brand metrics for display, video, and Sponsored Brands advertisers so campaign performance metrics are clear and easier to understand.
The new set of metrics are now part of Amazon’s measurement suite and help advertisers develop strategies that drive customer acquisition and efficient business growth. The metrics’ key function is to identify whether a buyer is an existing customer or a customer that’s new to a brand, with no purchases of the brand’s products made on Amazon within the last year.
New-to-brand measures total new-to-brand purchases and sales, new-to-brand purchase rate, and cost per new-to-brand customer, among other campaign performance metrics. These metrics make it easier to calculate the approximate cost of acquiring new customers on Amazon, as well as determine which advertising channels and strategies will deliver optimal campaign performance. They also help advertisers identify areas where they can optimize strategies for maintaining brand loyalty with existing customers.
These new metrics are just one of the resources Amazon is dishing out to advertisers. For advertisers who want to see how their Amazon ads measure up against those on rival sites, Amazon is currently testing an attribution pixel
Written by Anna Hubbel, writer at AdvertiseMint, Facebook advertising agency reviews
The post Amazon’s New-to-Brand Metrics Help Drive Customer Acquisition appeared first on AdvertiseMint.
