Proliferation

Oct 20
0

Trends Defying Digital Marketing

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Digital marketing began in 1981 when IBM launched the first personal computer. In the 1990’s there were 16 million Internet users who spent an average of 30 minutes online at a time. By 2002, the users of the Internet skyrocketed to 558 million. By 2007, the first smart phone was born.

Nowadays, Americans spend upward of 11 hours online each day either on their mobile devices or laptops. Sixty seven percent of people check their phone without the push of a notification. From the time the first computer was launched to now, digital marketing companies have drastically changed the way they reach their audiences. It will continue to change and advance.

No Longer a Human’s World

Most companies understand this view, but some companies are still rather slow to accept it. We have a lot to learn from the companies that have been around for a long time and are well established. But the times have changed.

Bigger companies need to take note and learn from the startup companies. Businesses today have to embrace the data they engage with daily. At IBM, they launched a website called THINK Marketing. This is a place where employees, and marketers can learn about what is new and what is next.

Social Influencers Are on the Rise

There is so much information available to consumers. We, as humans, can’t process all of it. Now, it is becoming more and more popular to seek other consumers purchases. A person’s most valuable shopping partner is no longer their best friend, but rather their phone, fully equipped with exactly what their peer expert’s recommendations.

Pictures Are Worth a Thousand Words

At digital marketing agencies and marketing firms, words are out and pictures are in. Videos and visuals have skyrocketed, especially amongst Millennials and Generation Z. Pictures are the new way to share information. Advertising agencies should share more visual content because that is what consumers tend to gravitate towards. Consumers want visuals that are live-action, storytelling and authentic.

Sources:
https://blog.marketo.com/2016/12/10-trends-that-defined-digital-marketing-in-2016.html

Digital Marketing Trends Overtaking The Beauty Industry

Oct 12
0

The Power of Social Media During Hurricane Season

By | Social Media | No Comments

Hurricane Harvey hit on August 25th, 2017. Homes flooded and streets quickly turned into canals, which boats floated down to rescue people. The damage done to Texas is unspeakable, and was quickly followed by Hurricane Irma, which tore up Florida. In fact, Hurricane Maria is well on its way to cause similar damage. Social media has become a tool that saves lives in these situations.

Donate Now

Everyone that wants to help victims of these hurricanes but can’t physically get there to make things better now have the power at their fingertips. There are digital marketing companies, marketing firms, celebrities and social media influencers trying to raise money for hurricane relief to get families hit by devastation back on their feet. A simple text is all it takes to donate.

“Please Send Help”

Many victims turned towards Facebook and Twitter for help. As the water continued to rise, families searched for help on social media platforms. People that were stuck in their house and needed rescue got on social media platforms and used hashtags like #HelpHouston and #sosHarvey. People took their own personal boats to help rescue neighbors and strangers. Social media played a role in saving Texans lives.

Raising Funds

Here in Utah, there have been companies selling necklaces, shirts, and anything of the sort. All proceeds they make will be donated to the victims of these record breaking hurricanes. There are social media influencers gathering money and taking it to the damaged cities to be hand delivered to families who need it most. Celebrities have used social media to share how they have donated and encourage others to do the same.

As times get tough and hurricanes destroy the towns we love, the people of the United States of America continue to band together through any digital means to help. From website design to flying to Texas to volunteer, we show time and time again that money isn’t the only help we’re ready to provide.

Sep 01
0

What Bigger Screens Mean For About Media Usage

By | advertising, digital marketing, marketing | No Comments

It seems like technology has been evolving for quite some time now — because it has. These advances have brought about a lot of innovation when you think back to how medicine, business and even things like music used to be.

As an advertising agency in Utah, we here at Fusion 360 wanted to get the dirt on how the evolution of screen size has impacted — and will continue to impact — media usage.

The Art of Multitasking

This day and age, the thought of only focusing on one thing at a time seems crazy. With cellphones, music and television, it seems like multitasking is more a natural way of life.

Because the average American spends over 12 hours per day using media, there really isn’t much time for Americans to do anything else without its presence. In addition, most screen interactions people have are now multiscreen, which means the media can be displayed on various devices of different sizes. This multiscreen phenomenon only further increases the amount of time spent with media.

What It Means to Have a Larger Screen

Smartphones especially have continually increased their screen sizes — so much that they now resemble a small tablet. Last year after studying 4,500 smartphone users, the smartphones that rocked the larger screens encompassed 11 percent of the 4,500 phones. In the last year alone, that percentage has increased so much that it is now 28 percent.

Larger screens mean more app usage. Social media apps are the most common, closely followed by navigation, video, retail and music. The larger screens are easier to see and use, making them a hot commodity.

Screen Size and Media Usage 

Today, the bigger the screen, the more tempting it is to interact with what’s on it. In America, people who have larger phone screens (4.5 inches and larger) use about 44 percent more data than those who still have the smaller surfaces. 

It doesn’t help that almost everything can now be accessed from your smartphone either; it only increases the amount of time we spend in front of the not-so-little screens.

Digital marketing companies and marketing firms all over the world should always know what prompts their audiences to interact with media. Whether it’s screen size or content, both play an important role. Noticing where your audience retrieves all this media should affect how marketing agencies go about their advertising and integrated media planning.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/18/tech/mobile/phone-size-data-usage/index.html

Aug 08
0

Why Aren’t Millennials Buying Stuff?

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As the Millennial generation is graduating from college and entering the workforce, finances and student debt are now a forefront issue for this age group. While the average student has $37,172 in student debt at graduation, saving every dollar is essential to financial freedom later down the road.

While many Millennials are quick to point at student debt to the sole contributor, there is also a lack of connection to consumers about their products. Millennials enjoy feeling connected and marketing firms are trying to figure out various routes to connect their consumers.

Here are some products that are lacking in the understanding and connection front.

Fabric Softener

While the title may seem self explanatory, many millennials have no idea what this product is supposed to do. If the purpose or value is not explained as clearly as possible, the potential for purchase is extremely low with this age group.

Also, brands such as Downy do not resonate with these consumers as they deliver no further value to their lives. Lastly, it is not a necessity in doing laundry, only an added bonus. With money being tight with this age group, they want to spend it only on necessities.

Golf

The sport of golf is extremely traditional, slower-paced and expensive. These three attributes do not align with this age group very effectively, resulting in a decline in revenue for some major golf brands. Also, the sport is extremely difficult to self-initiate. Many people were influenced into the sport by a family member or friend. Unless it is a group of friends hitting golf balls for an afternoon, this sport is lacking connection to the new age of adults.

With these products not aligning with the values of the new marketplace, Millennials will be quick to eliminate them because they’re unnecessary. Content marketing companies are constantly trying to figure out what these very complicated consumers are looking for in order to drive sales.

Many an advertising agency has zeroed in on what the consumer wants from major brands, and are bringing it to them through whatever means necessary.

Jul 26
0

How Advertising Agencies Keep You Updated on Current Events

By | advertising, content marketing, digital marketing, marketing | No Comments

If you’re wondering how a marketing agency knows what’s going on in the news and portrays that news to you then wonder no more. An advertising agency is about doing just that: advertising. Here’s how they keep you in the know on what’s going on in your town and the world.

Clients and Communication

Marketing agencies typically do work for one or more clients. With all these clients, it is important to watch the news and stay updated on current events that could relate to one of their clients specifically. Here at Fusion 360, we have all eyes on the news so we can use events happening now and create awesome content that is relevant to our audience at that moment.

We are lucky in that we’re not only professionals at advertising why our clients are amazing, but we’re also experts at relaying that applicable information about the news and relating it back to them to make them stand out among the rest.

The Agency

All marketing firms have clients, yes, but they are also responsible for taking care of their own content and social media channels as well. Just one quick visit to Fusion 360’s social channels or blog and you will most likely not only realize how fun Fusion 360 is, but also learn something new about what has happened in Utah or the world and how advertising agencies play a role.

Blogs and Social

What many people don’t realize is that almost every big company or business that has a website also has a blog page. These blogs are not just there to add professionalism to the look of the website, but for the consumers to read and enjoy.

If you’re reading this than you obviously know about Fusion 360’s blog, which is fortunate for you because Fusion 360’s blog is stuffed full with current events and facts that you might have missed out on. Blogs are the perfect way to get questions answered that you probably didn’t even know you had. It’s as if they read your mind before the question has even come into your head. It’s exciting.

Thanks to Fusion 360 and other marketing companies, you’ll be able to show off your dazzling wit to all your close friends and they’ll envy you.

 

Jul 12
0

The Downfall of Malls and Rising of Digital Commerce

By | advertising, content marketing, SEO, Social Media, Utah, web development | No Comments

Written by Ascari Pena

 

In 2017, various businesses are either rising or crashing. Right now, we are seeing the beginning of the end for malls. Studies have shown that in 2021, 25 percent of malls will be closed. With the emerging rise of e-commerce, Americans are starting to ditch large retailers like Macy’s, JC Penney’s and Sears for digital companies such as Amazon. To understand this downfall, let’s look at the past, present and future of the American consumer.

Digital marketing companies have predicted this downward trend occurring over the past 15 years and are beginning to capitalize on their correct predictions of the fall of the American mall lifestyle. With marketing firms targeting consumers with extremely competitive pricing of products and the inconvenience of driving to a mall and walking, malls will become obsolete. Property management companies must begin to restructure their business model to deliver further value.

Past

To give a bit of a history lesson, let’s step back in time a bit. In 1956, the very first indoor shopping mall called Southdale opened outside Minneapolis. After the exploding popularity of malls, there was a large retail boom in the United States.

In 1960, there were 4,500 malls that made up 14% of retail sales. In 1987, there were 30,000 malls accounting for over 50% of all retail dollars spent. Malls were the emerging destination for commerce, hanging out and community gathering events.

Malls were the place to be and quickly became a staple in the American lifestyle.

Present

Since 2006, no new indoor malls have been built. This is around the time that online commerce began to emerge. Digital marketing companies have taken notice of this and capitalized on the shift of attention from malls to iPhones. Since 2004, the net sales revenue of Amazon has risen from 6.92 billion to nearly 136 billion dollars.

This is now where our eyeballs and dollars have all shifted to. With less hassle and lower prices, the incentive of going to the mall for relaxation or socializing has become a thing of the past.

Future

In the age of embarrassing viral videos of people stomping over each other at Walmart over a discounted TV on Black Friday, the experience of shopping amongst other American consumers is increasingly negative. If malls are not providing a product or event that requires in person attendance, they will fail.

Marketing firms that represent these properties are looking at new avenues of either providing further value to American consumers to re-attract them, or re-purposing these structures to self-storage, doctor’s offices or apartment structures.

 

Sources:
http://www.acrwebsite.org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx?Id=7196

https://www.statista.com/statistics/266282/annual-net-revenue-of-amazoncom/

 

Jun 12
0

Where are our Eyeballs Heading?

By | digital marketing, marketing, SEO, web development | No Comments

Written by Ascari Pena

 

The dictionary defines attention as “notice taken of someone or something”. Today, our attention has been divided into multiple ‘somethings’. With the evolution of technology, consumers have an enormous number of places that their eyeballs can focus. In 2016, media consumption in the United States amounts to over 12 hours of our day. Digital media, television and radio still dominate our time, with digital platforms leading the way at nearly six hours of our day. Marketing firms debate every single day as to where they should be spending their advertising dollars and efforts to speak to their targeted demographics. As attention is becoming extremely segmented, where is the advertising dollar best spent?

Video

Last year, Nicola Mendelsohn, the Vice President for Facebook in Europe stated that Facebook would be “all video” by 2021. Living in a world where everything is needed to be “Twitter length” or less (140 characters), consumers are demanding more video content to catch their attention. Consumers have become video centric and have found difficulty is consuming text content that is longer than a few sentences.

Non-traditional Television and Cutting the Cord

As cable peaked in the early 2000’s with over 68.5 million subscriptions, cord cutting has become an unavoidable trend for marketers to notice. While having 5,000 channels used to be the cool thing to have, now having access to commercial free and stream lined services such as Netflix and Hulu is the way to go. Twice.com reports that 25% of TV homes do not pay for traditional television. Millennials do not see the value in these services and simply cannot afford it with the rising costs of living and student debt being a large cost burden. Large advertisers, marketing agencies and digital marketing companies are taking full notice of this millennial spear-headed consumption trend and reprioritizing where they place their spending.

Digital

To add to the cord cutting, an estimated four in 10 Americans now get their news online. Whether it be through mobile or accessing a preferred news source website, Americans are ditching the traditional ways of sitting down for the evening news. As nearly 80% of Americans have a smartphone, phones have become the new television screen in 2017. Digital consumption trends show that these technologies are aging up into those that are in their 50s, 60s and 70s, driving forward the need for web development, video production and SEO perfection.

Sources:

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/09/14/facts-about-the-changing-digital-news-landscape/

http://fortune.com/2016/06/14/facebook-video-live/

http://www.marketingcharts.com/traditional/us-adults-daily-major-media-consumption-estimates-2011-2017-59995/

 

Apr 25
0

How Do Good Slogans Influence Public Perception?

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Good slogans are a mainstay of any successful marketing campaign. Since the dawn of advertising, these short, often simple phrases have been used to promote everything from diamonds to drain cleaner, cereal to cell phones, fast food chains and car insurance.

From digital marketing firms to old-school ad agencies, everyone in the industry knows the power of a good slogan. But how, exactly, do slogans work to influence public perception of your brand?

In essence, a slogan works by building a link between your brand and a higher purpose — whether that be a call to action, a broader concept or a far-reaching cultural norm. Through a powerful slogan, your brand transforms into something greater than the sum of its products; instead of selling a mere physical object, you are selling an idea. The more unforgettable the idea the better — as The Atlantic wrote in 2011, “The best slogans capture higher purpose in a memorable way.”

While it’s tempting to appeal to some grand, lofty purpose, a brand’s slogan still needs to have something to do with the brand itself. Stray too far from your brand’s original purpose and you’ll likely succeed only in confusing your target audience and digital marketing companies alike. Without a clear link to your brand’s identity, your slogan will bomb as badly as Dr Pepper’s “It’s Not for Women” (yes, that really existed).

A good slogan can also appeal to consumers subconsciously. Any digital marketing firms can tell you the importance of a call to action, but where slogans really shine is through call to actions that don’t have any specific endpoint. Consider the well-known Subway slogan, “Eat Fresh.”

The slogan itself is a clear call to action, but to what, exactly? “Eating fresh” is a rather vague concept; at what point has someone “eaten fresh?” In creating a slogan that primes customers for an unattainable goal, Subway ensures its consumers will always keep the sandwich company in some deep recesses of their minds, in endless subconscious pursuit of the elusive goal of “eating fresh.”

From digital marketing firms to multinational corporations, everyone relies on slogans to get their brand message across in one way or another. Whether your slogan speaks to family values, personal success or maintaining a healthy lifestyle, a company mantra that resonates well with consumers is one with staying power.