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Streaming Keeps Music Consumption High in H1 2019On-demand music streams topped 500 billion during the first half of this year.
The number of on-demand music streams grew by 31.6% year-over-year during the first half of 2019, according to Nielsen’s latest look at the industry [download page]. For the first time, music video streams (+39.6%) have grown at a faster rate than music... READ MORE
Customer Success Execs Outline Their Priorities. How Are They Aligned With Marketing?Only two-thirds of customer success professionals collaborate with marketing.September 19, 2019
Although marketers think they own the customer, is this really the case? In a recent study [download page] of customer success professionals from Totango, respondents said they collaborated with marketing less often than other departments such as sales,... READ MORE
TV Universe Adds 700K Homes for the Upcoming 2019-2020 SeasonThe number of Americans in TV-viewing homes is up 0.8% in 2019.
After only increasing by 300,000 in 2018, the number of TV homes in the US has grown by 700,000 this year, reaching 120.6 million for the upcoming 2019-2020 season, according to Nielsen’s latest TV Universe estimates. An estimated 307.3 million Americans... READ MORE
Four Points About Direct Mail’s Usage and EffectivenessTwo-thirds of direct mail marketers have at least a moderate level of martech integration with the channel.September 18, 2019
Although many marketers are either decreasing their investment in direct mail or have never budgeted for it at all, others are still finding value in the channel. So, while email and social media are the most frequently used channels for marketing campaigns,... READ MORE
Instagram Benchmarks: Use of Video IncreasingVideo posts garner 49% more interactions than images on Instagram, according to a new analysis.
Videos used in Instagram Stories have been found to have higher engagement rates than photos – which could be why Instagram business pages tend to be transitioning more to video posts, per a study from Quintly. As part of its report, Quintly analyzed... READ MORE
Given the Opportunity, Marketers Would Invest More in Data, Analytics and TechTwice as many marketers would invest first in data and tech than in digital if provided with extra budget. September 17, 2019
Even though marketing budgets are expected to rise and account for a larger share of overall company budgets in the next year, chances are marketers will always be happy with even larger budgets to put towards their efforts. So if they had an extra marketing... READ MORE
Desktop Display Ad Viewability Improves Again in H1 2019Desktop video viewability also improved from H2 2018.
Desktop display ad viewability rates have improved globally in the first half of 2019 with a viewability rate of 69.2%, an increase of 12.3% year-over-year from H1 2018, according to Integral Ad Science’s (IAS) media quality report [download page]. The... READ MORE
Marketing Accounts for Larger Portion of Firm Spend: 4 Notes About BudgetsMarketing budgets currently account for 12% of total company budgets. September 16, 2019
CMOs are more bullish about their budgets in the next 12 months than they were this time last year. In fact, marketers predict a rise of 8.7% in their budgets in the coming year, with the B2B and B2C services sectors forecasting the largest increases. Along... READ MORE
Consumers More Likely to Believe Brands Benefit From Data Than They DoFewer than half (44%) of US adults agree that data collection and usage benefits consumers.
Six in 10 US adults say they are at least somewhat concerned about data privacy, with younger generations being less concerned about their data privacy than older adults. And, while a majority of the more than 1,000 US smartphone users aged 18-65 years... READ MORE
Positive Perception of the Advertising and PR Industry Hits 7-Year LowSlightly more people have a negative than positive perception of the advertising and public relations industry.September 13, 2019
Just when it looked like people’s perception of the advertising and public relations industry couldn’t fall any lower, it has. Indeed, according to the latest Gallup survey on industry perception, the advertising and public relations industry’s positive... READ MORE
What Are Some Differences Between TV-Connected Streamers And Non-Streamers?People who stream video to their TV set present an appealing demographic.
While a small majority of US adults stream video to their TV through connected devices such as smart TVs and streaming sticks, there are still more than two-fifths (44%) of adults that don’t stream to their TV set. So, what sets streamers apart from... READ MORE
These Are the Top Product Categories by Cinema Share of Ad Spend in the USCinema accounts for less than 1% of US media budgets on average.September 12, 2019
The global cinema advertising market is expected to grow by 6.8% year-over-year in 2019 to reach $4.6 billion. And, despite accounting for a small share (0.7%) of global ad spend, cinema is one of the only media (along with internet) expected to not lose... READ MORE
Premium Products Gaining Share in Private Label MarketThe top 2 tiers of products (by price) now account for almost one-fifth of private label dollar sales.
In a time when more US consumers across all income levels are turning to private labels in an effort to save money, there has also been a rise in premium private label sales. The growing interest in premium private label products, according to new data from... READ MORE
How Are Marketers Improving Lead Gen Quality?Improving content and content engagement is both a top strategy and a top challenge in generating quality leads.September 11, 2019
Improving the quality of lead generation remains a priority for marketers, with the majority (88%) allocating more of their total budget towards improving the quality of leads generated. How is this being done? For 3 in 5 marketing influencers surveyed for a... READ MORE
Audience Targeting Proves A Crucial Search Marketing TrendMarketers are putting more emphasis on visual than voice search.
Paid search is expected to one of the top contributors to global ad growth in the next year. As click-through rates for Google paid search for many consumer categories sees considerable growth in 2018, what technologies will be will be informing search... READ MORE
US Out-of-Home Advertising Enjoys Biggest Growth Rate In Over A DecadeThe OOH ad industry is now up by 7% for the first half of the year.September 10, 2019
Out of home (OOH) advertising revenue grew by 7.7% year-over-year in Q2 2019, the highest growth OOH has seen in any quarter since 2007, according to figures released by the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA). This growth has lifted the... READ MORE
About 1 in 4 Consumers Say They’ve Made A Purchase After Hearing A Podcast AdSix in 10 podcast listeners have looked up a product after hearing a podcast ad.
The US population has embraced podcasts, with the majority of Americans over the age of 12 years listening to them on a weekly basis. And, per a survey [slideshare] by Adobe, more than half (52%) of these podcast enthusiasts are listening to podcasts while... READ MORE
So How Many Millennials Are There in the US, Anyway? (Updated)Americans aged 18-34 comprised almost one-quarter (23.3%) of the total population as of July 1, 2018. September 9, 2019
Marketers focus a lot of energy on Millennials. Their lives are deconstructed on many different levels, from their entertainment choices to their views on companies’ ethics and their socioeconomic characteristics. Those analyses are all helpful in... READ MORE
SVOD Services Now Reportedly in 3 in 4 US HouseholdsMore than 3 in 10 adults stream an SVOD service on a daily basis.
The number of US households with a subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service has now reached 74%, continuing its steady rise from 69% last year, 64% in 2017 and 59% in 2016. Also on the rise, according to the latest annual survey on the topic from... READ MORE
Does the Promise of More Personalization Lead to More Data Sharing?Spoiler: consumers are less likely to share data if told it is to provide more personalization. September 6, 2019
Consumers have had a low level of trust in advertisers for years and that lack of trust has not changed. In fact, recent research [download page] by the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) shows that only 27% of the 1,100 US consumers surveyed say they... READ MORE
These Are the Top Metropolitan Cities for TV-Connected Video StreamingWell over half of US adults have streamed video on internet-connected TV devices.
This year, the number of people who subscribe to video streaming services is greater than those who subscribe to a pay-TV service – and connected TVs continue to account for a growing share of premium video views. To put it into perspective, a recent... READ MORE
More Than One-Quarter of US Adults Go Online “Almost Constantly”Eight in 10 US adults are also going online daily.September 5, 2019
With an increasing number of devices such as smartphones, tablets and smart TVs that all allow individuals to access the internet, it’s no wonder that more adults are going online and with a greater frequency than ever before. Indeed, almost 3 in 10 (28%) US... READ MORE
Who’s Using CBD Products?Young adults are more likely to have tried a CBD product than older adults.
The production and sale of hemp-based products such as cannabidiol (CBD) was made legal (for the most part) in the US with the signing of the 2018 Farm Act. Although CBD has only been legal for less than one year, about 1 in 7 US adults (14%) say they have... READ MORE
Here are the Highest-Ranking Brands Among American AdultsThe list is relatively devoid of tech brands.September 4, 2019
Tech brands like Google, Amazon and Apple have made a strong showing on other ‘top brands’ lists this year, including most loved brands, most ‘intimate’ brand, and most loved on social media. However, when it comes to YouGov’s BrandIndex, which... READ MORE
Older Adults Show Greater Propensity to Click on Social Video AdsYoung adults continue to comprise the majority of video ad impressions on Instagram and YouTube.
Video accounts for a large portion of the advertising spend of major national advertisers, with marketers contending that video has higher conversion rates than other content. When it comes to video, advertisers are still turning to social media platforms,... READ MORE
What Qualities Do Consumers Want From Online Videos?More than two-fifths of consumers say more interactive video would help with decision-making. September 3, 2019
Video is having an impact on consumers, with three-quarters of global adult shoppers saying they have made a purchase after viewing a video for a product, a percentage that is even higher among Millennials. But what qualities make videos valuable to... READ MORE
Consumers Say That Diversity in Advertising Has An Impact on ThemTwo-thirds of US consumers say that a brand's level of diversity has an impact on them.
Six in 10 US consumers believe that diversity in advertising is important. Added to that, showing diversity in advertising can also lead to trust: almost 4 in 10 respondents from the more than 1,000 adults surveyed [download page] by Adobe say they are more... READ MORE
Instagram Stories on the Way to Half of the Platform’s Ad RevenuesStories accounted for 45% of all Instagram ad dollars among Marin Software's clients in Q2 - a big jump from the beginning of the year.August 30, 2019
Instagram has progressed from a little app where users shared photos of their beautifully presented meals to a social media platform that a majority of digital marketers consider to be essential to their business in the future. Instagram Stories, in... READ MORE
Here’s Some New Data on the Fast-Rising E-Sports IndustryMore than one-third of US adults have never heard of e-sports - but the growth of this industry is rapid.
The business of video gaming is big and getting bigger, with a majority of US adults playing this year. A burgeoning area of the gaming industry is much like with regular sports: when people aren’t playing them, they like to watch others play. Indeed,... READ MORE
What Keeps Online Shoppers From Creating User Accounts?One-third of consumers avoid user accounts because they don't want marketing emails.August 29, 2019
Having an online user account with a retailer can have its advantages, including faster checkout and the opportunity for a more personalized shopping experience. And while a report [download page] from DMI found that 46% of the more than 1,500 US adult... READ MORE
Streaming Video Quality Records Even More ImprovementVideo start failures decreased by about one-third y-o-y for Q2 2019.
Streaming video viewing has recently caught up in adoption with traditional TV, with about the same number of US consumers subscribing to streaming services as do those who subscribe to cable TV. For viewers making the switch, the good news is that the... READ MORE
Here’s How Sender Reputation Impacted Email Performance in 2018Senders with the lowest sender reputation score only saw 1% of their emails delivered. August 28, 2019
Every year spammers find it more difficult to get their emails into inboxes, thanks to efforts made by email providers. Last year only 16% of emails came from the least reputable senders – a figure down from 25% in 2017, per Return Path’s latest... READ MORE
The TV is Far From Being Youths’ Primary Medium for EntertainmentThis chart shows the stark divide between younger and older adults' primary entertainment vehicles.
Although half of US adults report watching online video daily, this number jumps considerably when looking at younger adults. A recent study [download page] by Manatt-Vorhaus reveals that two-thirds (67%) of younger US adults (ages 18-34) say they watch... READ MORE
Amazon’s Dominance of CPG E-Commerce Continues, But Seems to Be EasingAmazon's percentage share of CPG online dollars has dropped from 43% to 39% over the past couple of years. Who's picking up the slack?August 27, 2019
CPG e-commerce in the US has grown by three-quarters (76%) in just 2 years, reaching $65 billion during the 52-week period ending at the close of January 2019. While Amazon accounted for the largest portion (33% share) of the growth of CPG e-commerce over... READ MORE
1 in 4 US Adults Say They’re Likely to Shop with AR/VR in the Next YearRecently-released data indicates that 5% of US adults are currently using AR/VR to shop.
With shopping tools like Smart Speakers, subscription services and AR/VR now available, it’s safe to say that the shopping experience is changing. But, despite a majority of US adults being aware that these shopping tools exist, how many are actually using... READ MORE
Here’s What Digital Marketers Are Focusing On in the Coming MonthsDigital marketers are prioritizing both data-driven and hiring initiatives.August 26, 2019
More than one-third (37%) of digital marketing executives say that increasing brand awareness and brand health is their top goal for their digital marketing strategy, while one-quarter (26%) say their primary goal is to increase the number of new leads. So,... READ MORE
How Are Marketers Getting Their Data for Personalization Efforts?Email and websites remain the most personalized channels, but there are benefits to looking beyond the homepage.
Optimizing the customer experience has been deemed one of the most exciting opportunities for marketers this year. But that doesn’t make it easy: research [download page] from Ascend2 reveals that improving the customer experience (CX) is also one of... READ MORE
Newer Ad Players Instagram and Amazon Continue to Register GainsYouTube also experienced its own growth among Merkle's clients.August 23, 2019
Facebook’s investment in Instagram continues to pay off and appears to making up for the slow down in Zuckerberg’s original social network. In Q2 2019, brands advertising across both platforms spent 35% as much on Instagram as they did on... READ MORE
What Types of In-App Ads Grab Users’ Attention?Nearly three-quarters of mobile app users say they notice ads that align with their interests.
There’s good news for in-app advertisers: the majority (63%) of US mobile app users say that they believe the quality of the ads in both paid and even free apps is high. That’s according to the 1,500 US mobile app users (ages 18 years old and... READ MORE
What’s Holding Publishers Back From Selling More Inventory Programmatically?Bots, fraud and malware represent the main concern, but there are also other considerable obstacles.August 22, 2019
The monetization potential of inventory is the most commonly-cited top benefit for publishers selling programmatically, although publishers have concerns over diminishing margins, per a study by Advertiser Perceptions made available to MarketingCharts. Other... READ MORE
Printed Coupon Distribution Drops in H1 As Digital Coupons RiseThe number of digital coupons either printed or clipped (downloaded) grew by 8.5% year-on-year (y-o-y) to reach 4.7 billion.
The number of print coupons distributed in the first half of 2019 has fallen 12.4% from the same period in 2018. Recent data from Kantar shows that more than 118.4 billion print coupons were dropped in H1 2019, but that’s down from the 135.2 billion... READ MORE
Mobile’s Share of US Digital Commerce Keeps Growing. Here’s What It Looks Like by Category.Mobile rose to 28% share of e-commerce spending in Q1 2019.August 21, 2019
Retail digital commerce continues to thrive, reaching $137.9 billion in Q1 2019, an increase of 15% year-on-year (y-o-y). In fact, retail e-commerce has grown to account for almost 1 in every 4 (24.1%) discretionary dollars spent by consumers, per data... READ MORE
Back-to-School 2019: Stats & Research ReferenceTotal BTS spending is down this year, but per-family spending is predicted to reach a new record high.
Back-to-school season is in full swing once again (with some areas of the country already back) and while total back-to-school (BTS) and back-to-college (BTC) retail spending is expected to be somewhat lower than the previous two years, it still promises to... READ MORE
Report: The 2019 Hidden Metrics of Email DeliverabilityIn its annual 'Hidden Metrics of Email Deliverability,' Return Path by Validity uncovers seven engagement-based metrics you should be tracking now.August 20, 2019
[Sponsored by Return Path] Email is still the leading marketing channel to reach customers, and its effectiveness is continuing to improve. By understanding, tracking, and improving email engagement, marketers won’t only be able to boost their email... READ MORE
Healthcare Ad Spend Growing Faster in US Than GloballyUS healthcare ad spend is expected to grow by 6% in 2019, compared to 3.6% globally.
US healthcare ad spend growth continues to outpace not only global healthcare ad spend but also total global ad spend. As the leader in healthcare advertising expenditures, US healthcare advertisers spent $15.9 billion in 2018, per research from Zenith. The... READ MORE
What Keeps Consumers Loyal to a Financial Services Company?Fewer than 1 in 10 financial services customers rank data security as their main loyalty driver.
While common sense dictates that consumers choose to stay with a financial services company because they have trust in that company, the reality is that trust is far from the leading influence on customer loyalty. Receiving the best rates and lowest fees is... READ MORE
Multicultural Groups in US Remain Underrepresented in Media SpendMarketers are heavily invested in TV when targeting multicultural audiences - perhaps too much so?August 19, 2019
Multicultural media spend grew by 5.6% last year to $25.9 billion in 2018, per a report [download page] by PQ Media and the ANA. While this year multicultural ad spending growth is expected to slow to a 4.5% gain, the increase will return apace in 2020,... READ MORE
These Are Considered the World’s Most Innovative Market Research SuppliersAlso included are the most innovative firms by service area.
The majority of buyers and suppliers of market research have a positive outlook about the industry. Indeed, the latest GRIT report [access page] indicates that 7 in 10 of those purchasing market research have an upbeat view (16% ‘very optimistic’... READ MORE
How Have B2B Purchase Processes Changed?Nearly three-quarters of B2B execs are using more sources of information to evaluate purchases.August 16, 2019
The vast majority (83%) of senior-level B2B executives report that business needs and priorities have resulted in them either accelerating or postponing purchase decisions in the past year, according to Demand Gen Report’s 2019 B2B Buyers Survey Report... READ MOREFeel Like You're Always Playing Catchup?
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