Proliferation

Jul 18
0

In-App Advertising or In-App Purchasing?

By | marketing agencies, Mobile marketing | No Comments

In the world of advertising and marketing, we’re always looking for the next big thing. Marketing agencies thrive on being ahead of the game, leading the pack, blazing new trails and all that good stuff. The best marketing agencies tackle the questions that actually affect the industry. Here’s one we’d like to take on: Which business model is better — in-app advertising or in-app purchasing?

In-App Advertising

We’ll take on in-app advertising first. Right now, in-app advertising works like this: Developers offer app downloads for free with the idea that a growing base of app users will provide data to help drive advertising sales. It’s basically the same approach that began two decades ago with internet banner ads. But they were boring, so today video ads are all the rage.

In-app advertisers use video ads during apps’ natural breaks and pauses, some even incentivizing consumers with app perks for watching an entire advertisement. The Interactive Advertising Bureau released a study forecasting that mobile video ad revenue in the United States will exceed $4.4 billion in 2018. Not too shabby.

In-App Purchasing

On the other side of the aisle for marketing agencies is in-app purchasing. This advertising model depends on revenue from users paying to purchase the app and then continuing to purchase virtual or physical products within the app. The newest approach to in-app purchasing is sponsorship. Basically, this means an app developer joins up with advertisers who reward users for completing certain tasks within the app. The overall goal? Work ads into the app in a way that helps the app engage users.

Two Is Better Than One

So which is better for business? We say, why choose? Both strategies can work together as app development becomes more refined. App developers can start with an in-app advertising approach and offer the app for free download with ads. Then, developers can pull in the in-app purchasing model by offering added paid features. When it comes to in-app purchasing and in-app advertising, two is better than one.

Jul 15
0

The Most Influential Advertising Execs of All Time

By | advertising, Utah | No Comments

We don’t know about you, but when we think of advertising geniuses, we think of “Mad Men,” Don Draper, Roger Sterling — basically anyone from the AMC hit series. But there are real Don Drapers in today’s market of advertising, and they have killed the advertising world. Advertising agencies not only in Utah but around the globe have looked to these individuals for inspiration and tips on how to be a better advertising agency. They have mastered the art of advertising and have made billions of dollars in revenue for their companies.

Not all advertising is about giving great presentations and using the right colors, and these advertising agency execs, can prove that to you. Some of these names you might not recognize, but their companies you just might.

infuentialadvertisorsREDO

Jul 13
0

The First Advertisement Was Aired 75 Years Ago

By | advertising, commercials, Utah | No Comments

Advertising agency employees from Utah to the East Coast use the month of July as one of remembrance. No, we aren’t mourning a loss. Seventy-five years ago, on July 1, 1941, the first legal commercial ran during a baseball game and television would never again be the same – except for baseball, that’s always the same *yawn*. This date is a reminder of the continuous cycle of innovation.

The Illegal Ads

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) originally ruled that advertisements weren’t allowed on television. Advertisers across the country were about as bothered by that fact as Tyrion is bothered by being short (“Game of Thrones” spoiler: he’s not).

Ad men thought television lacked the prestige that came with traditional media. As the men who “drink and know things”, they weren’t questioned. Radio reached 90 percent of American homes. It was hard to picture anything that could top that.

In the 1930’s the rebels of advertising who proved to be “bad to the bone” created product placement. The announcer of the baseball game ran an ad for Proctor & Gamble, Socony Oil and General Mills. He held a bar of soap, wore a cap and sliced a banana into a bowl of Wheaties — though it’s hard to imagine how awkward this looked, the loophole was a doorway for advertisers.

The First Legal Ad

Television’s first legal commercial was reminiscent of the radio ads that would run. Bulova, a watch company, ran a grainy, shaky, 10-second ad during another baseball game. During the live ad the announcer read, “America runs on Bulova time.”

The first ad cost Bulova’s advertising agency a whopping *gasp* $4 to create and didn’t even reach those in Utah. Television has now become a $70 billion market place.

The Future of Television

What was once considered the bread and butter of the advertising agency industry is now questioned for its viability. In an age where viewers can skip the commercials to see if Khaleesi will finally rule the seven kingdoms, it leaves professionals from the state of Utah wondering where the innovation will shift next.

Jun 22
0

What the Obama Administration’s New Overtime Rule Means for Advertising Agencies

By | marketing agencies | No Comments

If you haven’t already heard the news, the Obama administration has recently authorized a sweeping overhaul to the nation’s overtime rules and regulations — a change that will reportedly affect 4.2 million salaried workers and potentially millions more.

This change is by no means a small one and will affect workers from the restaurant industry to those in the academic research field. But what does this new overtime rule mean for marketing agencies?

New Overtime Legislation

According to the U.S. Labor Department, the new overtime rule mandates that any salaried employee making under $47,476 a year must receive time-and-a-half pay for any labor beyond 40 hours per week. This new threshold is double the current limit of $23,660, and probably explains why you haven’t made any overtime pay this year (or ever).

The new rule change is authorized under the Fair Labor Standards Act, part of the New Deal-era legislation designed to protect and strengthen the American middle class. Whereas more than 60 percent of salaried workers were eligible for overtime pay in 1975, today a mere 7 percent of salaried workers are eligible for overtime.

Advertising Often Means Long Hours and High Job Stress

As those of us in the industry know well, advertising is one of the more stressful fields to which to work. Compared to other industries, employees at marketing agencies often work long and irregular hours in order to complete projects and make deadlines — it’s no wonder advertising jobs regularly rank in the top 10 for career stress.

These new overtime regulations may not relieve the stress of working in advertising, but they could ensure that you’re at least getting paid for all that late night and weekend work — especially since a large percentage of employees at marketing agencies in the U.S. currently make less than the new $47,476 salary cut-off.

What’s Next for Ad Agency Higher-Ups?

While these new overtime rules are great news for millions of employees, they present the ad agency higher-ups with a dilemma: cut back on employees’ hours or pay the price.

Opponents of the legislation argue it will force marketing agencies to demote currently salaried workers back to hourly status, potentially stripping them of their health care and other benefits. Other people think agencies will cope with the changes by laying off some of their salaried staff.

Proponents of the legislation, however, see it this way: salaried employees are either going to get more money or have more time to spend with their friends and families. Instead of encouraging lay-offs, proponents argue the new legislation could encourage employers to hire more workers instead of paying time-and-a-half to their current employees.

For an industry with an already higher-than-average growth rate, this could make for even more opportunities for those working in the adverting industry.

The new rule change goes live December 1, 2016. Until then, marketing agencies must face the ultimatum: to cut back on all those nights and weekends hours — or pay the price.

Feb 25
0

These Content Marketing Statistics Are Changing the Game

By | content marketing | No Comments

Content Marketing and SEO

Close to 70 percent of all marketing companies lack a steady, cohesive and effective content marketing plan. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Utah or in the Midwest — not having an effective content marketing strategy dates your company considerably. There is a compelling collection of statistics regarding this field that shed a substantial amount of light on the current state of content within the marketing hemisphere. While navigating the highly competitive nature of this field, here are some of the major stats you should be aware of.

Trade Secrets of Effective Content Marketers

Thinking about skipping that weekly content meeting? You might want to stick around. Approximately 61 percent of the most effective content marketing companies in Utah and around the country meet on either a daily or a weekly basis to brainstorm and collaborate. Additionally, the most successful B2B (business-to-business) content marketers dedicate nearly 42 percent of their entire budget almost exclusively to this area. Statistics don’t lie — the right verbiage is an integral part of any successful advertising strategy.

The Cohabitation of Content and Color

Although black and white color schemes have made a notable comeback in certain modern realms, recent research confirms that a vibrant color scheme can increase consumers’ willingness to engage with a written piece by 80 percent. If adding a little color to your layout can propel someone to read your content by this large of a margin, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be analyzing color schemes for your site right now.

Pairing Images and Content for Long-Term Impressions

If an 80 percent increase in content readership isn’t convincing enough, the next statistic might shock you. On average, people only remember 10 percent of information they hear when asked about it a couple of days later (approximately three days). However, if that same information is presented with a corresponding image, people retain close to 65 percent of the information. Whether you’re targeting audiences in Utah or on the East Coast, don’t underestimate the potential of pairing visuals with your content marketing strategy — it’s a critical combination that can make or break your online presence.

Feb 24
0

Dissecting the User-Generated Content Revolution

By | content marketing | No Comments

Numerous Hands Using Mobile Devices

User-generated content, or UGC, is the hot new marketing buzzword of the day. Yet what is UGC, and how does it work? And not only that, but how well does it work? Content marketing companies from Utah to the Midwest are using UGC tactics for authentic, effective campaigns.

Research Shows Millennials Favor UGC

UGC is any type of content (such as blogs, videos, tweets and advertisements) that is uniquely created and shared by the end users of an online business or website. On average, 64 percent of millennials everywhere want more choices when it comes to sharing their beliefs regarding their favorite brands. These statistics show an overwhelming partiality towards UGC — so much so that content marketing firms from Utah to the East Coast are readjusting their marketing campaigns to focus specifically on UGC.

Marketing Agencies Increase Digital UGC Campaigns

Research shows that UGC is 35 percent more memorable and 50 percent more trusted than other kinds of content. So what does this look like for digital marketing from a practical standpoint? In lieu of creating content — although content is still as always a critical aspect of digital marketing — agencies are providing more opportunities for outside content development. Content marketing agencies from Utah to the Midwest are actively inviting their audience to participate in digital campaigns by challenging them to document fragments of their lives.

User-Generated Content Improves Marketing Think Tanks

Engaging in a UGC campaign serves a dual purpose: not only does it shed significant light on the thinking patterns, behaviors and preferences of a company’s consumers, it also creates a special interest in the product — usually in the form of a creative challenge. Instead of engaging in traditional “think tanks,” marketing teams are accessing the preferences of their target audiences via UGC campaigns.

Popular social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter are providing a dynamic stage for marketers to curate multi-faceted UGC campaigns. And due to consumers’ overwhelmingly high approval rate for UGC campaigns, it seems this strategy is here to stay.

Nov 23
0

How to Create the (Almost) Perfect Social Media Post

By | digital marketing | No Comments

Is there such a thing as a “perfect” social media post? Probably not. No single post can do everything you might want it to, or reach everyone you hope to connect with. Social media is just too fluid and subjective. Effective digital marketing companies know how important it is to ride the wave of trends, likes and favorites to success.

There are, however, time-tested tricks of the trade that can maximize your posts’ success. No two social media platforms are alike, and no two digital strategies should be identical. Each platform has its own eccentricities and knowing what works for each is crucial to increasing your brand’s digital footprint.

Fusion 360 - How to Create the (Almost) Perfect Social Media Post (Fusion 360 Agency)

Nov 23
0

Instant Classics: Advertisements With Staying Power

By | advertising | No Comments

When most people think of American pop culture, they think of the Kardashians, reality TV, hip-hop and Miley Cyrus. There is, however, a slice of pop culture that is routinely overlooked: advertising.

The creative juices of marketing agencies have helped shape American pop culture for decades. Jingles, logos and brands are as influential as Kanye tells everyone he is. From the Oscar Mayer wiener to Kit Kat’s “Give Me a Break” to the Nike swoosh, advertisements have etched a place into our hearts and minds.

Fusion 360 - Instant Classics - Advertisements With Staying Power (Fusion 360 Agency)

Nov 19
0

For Digital Advertising Companies, Surviving Life After Ad-Block

By | digital marketing | No Comments

For digital marketing companies, Apple’s recent support of ad blocking in iOS 9 for mobile and Safari for OS X had many running for the hills. The move came as a culmination of years of growth in the online ad-blocking industry, with the ever-increasing popularity of ad blocking browser modules.

While some big name companies can pay the price for whitelisting—here’s looking at you, Amazon—most smaller businesses are left to flounder in Adblock’s wake. Has the arrival of Adblock to mobile heralded the end of digital advertising as we know it? Probably not. But online marketers will have to seriously up their game if they want to stay competitive in an increasingly bare digital landscape.

Fusion 360 - Surviving Life After Ad Block (Fusion 360 Agency)

Nov 19
0

8 Writing Hacks to Be a Better Content Marketer

By | content marketing | No Comments

If you’ve spent any time at all in the world of content marketing, you’ve probably learned that writing is one of the most essential skills needed to become a successful content marketer.

Advertising professionals from Utah to the East Coast are well aware that quality writing can make or break a successful SEO campaign—as well as your career. No matter how creative and witty you may think you are, if you can’t write, you should probably find a different career path. With that in mind, here are a few important tips to make sure your writing is up to snuff.

Fusion 360 - 8 writing Hacks to Be a Better Content Marketer (Fusion 360 Content Marketing)