Retailers See Many Benefits From Recurring Revenue ProgramsGreater revenue, profitability and customer loyalty are just some of the reasons why subscriptions are so appealing to retailers.January 17, 2019

Marketing leaders typically spend more on acquisition rather than retention, but the results of a recent Ordergroove survey [download page] of more than 150 retail industry professionals may indicate a growing emphasis on winning repeat business: some 83% of... READ MORE

The Top TV Programs of 2018 Were…While the NFL features heavily, it doesn't take all of the top 10 spots.

Unlike in previous years, NFL telecasts did not completely dominate 2018’s top TV single telecast programs list. Nielsen has revealed that while NFL programming like the Super Bowl LII took 5 of the top 10 spots (compared to 8 in 10 last year), other... READ MORE

What Issues Are Keeping CMOs Up At Night?Scores of issues are worrying marketers, but the old ROI bugaboo is chief among them.January 16, 2019

Marketers are faced with increasing pressure as their role expands and grows. But which issues are keeping the most CMOs and brand managers up at night? As it turns out ROI, big data and the need to establish consumer trust are in the heads of at least 95%... READ MORE

Social Media Continues to Top Email in Perceived Effectiveness for MarketersEmail marketing - long a digital workhorse - falls behind not only social, but SEO too in this survey.

Social media marketing seems to have found the marketing sweet spot between effectiveness and ease of use. A new Ascend2 survey [download page] of more than 200 B2B and B2C marketers has found that social media is perceived to be the most effective tactic... READ MORE

Mobile Still Lags Desktop in US B2B Digital Ad SpendWhile B2B mobile ad spend is growing faster, a significant lead persists for desktop.January 15, 2019

B2B ad spend in the US is slated to top $6 billion in 2019, but marketers are still putting more of their spend towards ads on desktop and laptop devices than on mobiles. However, data from eMarketer suggests that mobile is not lagging quite as far behind as... READ MORE

Enterprise Companies Use More Scalable Channels in Their Sales CycleNearly 8 in 10 small businesses sell in person, compared to 6 in 10 enterprises.

While small businesses are still using the personal touch throughout their sales cycle, enterprise businesses are relying on more scalable channels, per Copper’s CRM Benchmark Survey Report [download page], which surveyed more than 2,500 professionals... READ MORE

These Factors Are Driving Budget Increases for B2B Tech MarketersAn increased priority given to marketing is fueling budget growth for B2B tech marketers.January 14, 2019

It looks like B2B tech marketers won’t be battling too hard for budgets this year. Eight in 10 B2B marketers at technology companies expect their budgets to increase or remain the same, according to a survey of more than 350 B2B tech companies across... READ MORE

Tech Adoption Among Americans Ages 50 and Up Sees Steady GrowthSome 91% of Americans age 50+ own either a laptop or desktop, while three-quarters own a smartphone.

Older Americans are not being left behind in the age of technology, and are adopting dominant technologies like smartphones, computers and tablets at a steady rate. In fact, three-quarters reported owning a smartphone in 2018, which is up some 5% points from... READ MORE

US 2019 Consumer Technology ForecastSmart Speakers like the Amazon Echo and Google Home continue to be the leader in emerging tech unit sales, but may be slowing as voice permeates other devices.January 11, 2019

As CES wraps up another annual visit to sunny Las Vegas, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has forecasted [press release] a strong year ahead for the US consumer technology industry. Artificial intelligence and high-speed connectivity are... READ MORE

Mobile Gaming Friction Leads to Wasted Ad Spend8 in 10 American mobile gaming app users say that having too many in-app ads will put them off from playing.

Gaming should be an enjoyable experience, and finding something to play shouldn’t be frustrating. But an average of 88% of total global mobile gamers (84% in the US) have experienced at least one friction point when looking for a game to install and play.... READ MORE

Parents Show Above-Average Adoption of Subscription ServicesAlmost every type of subscription area has at least 1 in 10 US parents spending their cash for the convenience.January 10, 2019

It seems today almost any item can be purchased on a subscription basis, and this might be appealing for busy parents. Indeed parents with kids under the age of 18 are more likely than non-parents to subscribe to a service across every single category,... READ MORE

Ride Hailing Apps Grow in PopularityMore than one-third of Americans used a service like Uber or Lyft in 2018, but the data highlights a significant rural/urban divide.

The percentage of Americans using ride-hailing apps has more than doubled in just three years. A full 36% of Americans used services such as Uber or Lyft in 2018 compared to only 15% in 2015, according to a new Pew Research Center survey of more than 10,000... READ MORE

What Are Brand Marketers’ Top Challenges in 2019?More than 1 in 6 list growth in a slow economy as their top challenge for 2019.January 9, 2019

In recent weeks, poor performances on the stock market, particularly among tech stocks, have been the topic of much discussion in business news. This general malaise may also be affecting brand marketers, as growth in a slow economy has been cited as the... READ MORE

Event Marketers See Increasing Importance for MarTech in Year AheadEvent marketers brim with enthusiasm, with 7 in 10 believing technology has "limitless potential".

Virtually all event marketers use technology to enhance their marketing efforts, with some 84% using tech inside their tradeshow exhibits and 54% incorporating it into their companies’ corporate events. That’s according to the latest marketing... READ MORE

The Most Popular Radio Formats of 2018News/talk radio leads listening, but that isn't the case for all age groups.January 8, 2019

Radio has the broadest reach of any medium, and with new devices such as smart speakers potentially augmenting rather than detracting from the listening experience, it doesn’t appear to be going anywhere soon. But what formats are winning when it comes... READ MORE

For Box Office Revenues, Digital Channels Seen More Efficient Than TVStudy also claims a 6% shift in budgets from TV to digital would increase box office revenues by an average of 7%.

Headline figures for movie budgets typically center around production costs, but film studios spend substantially on marketing, with an average of $27.4 million to market a release. The majority of that money is spent on one channel in particular —... READ MORE

These Issues Proved Most Important to B2C Content Marketers in 2018SEO and social algorithms lead the list of important issues, with revenue coming a close third.January 7, 2019

Marketers typically find figuring out algorithms and how to optimize their content around them as a challenge. So it’s not a big surprise that a Content Marketing Institute (CMI) and MarketingProfs study [PDF] of almost 300 B2C content marketers, the... READ MORE

ABM Initiatives Mean B2B Marketers Need More Account DataMore than half of B2B marketers say that scaling ABM makes expanded contact and account data a priority for their business.

Understanding your target audience is a critical foundation for any marketing, and in the digital age this means having the right data. Among B2B marketers, some 8 in 10 are making data a priority for both better insight and analysis and improving the... READ MORE

Predictive Analytics Considered Highly Effective For PersonalizationMore than half of marketers (56%) list predictive analytics as one of the most effective applications to deploy in a hyper-personalization strategy. But that doesn't make it easy.January 4, 2019

Marketers keeping an eye on trends will know that chatbots make frequent appearances in case studies for artificial intelligence (AI). But when it comes to hyper-personalization, a survey from Ascend2 [download page] shows that open-question chatbots come... READ MORE

US Teens Are Most Interested in These Types of Online Groups and ForumsHobbies, gaming and humor lead the way, but gender differences are substantial.

Around half of American teens spend time in online groups or forums, with just 22% never frequenting such sites, according to a a recent study from Pew Research [download page] on teens’ social media habits and experiences. Close to 1 in 8 teens say... READ MORE

B2C Content Marketers Succeed in Generating Awareness More Than SalesMost report having executive buy-in for their efforts, though, and feel that their performance is improving.January 3, 2019

The New Year provides the opportunity to reflect on achievements, and for nearly 8 in 10 B2C content marketers (78%), creating brand awareness is a goal they succeeded with over the past 12 months. However, just 52% succeeded in generating sales and revenue,... READ MORE

OTT Devices Continue Their Ascent For Premium Digital Video Ad ViewsOTT devices are on track to deliver half of premium digital video ad views.

Video advertisers have a wide variety of devices through which to reach consumers, but OTT devices have rocketed ahead in viewers’ use the past year, now taking by far the largest share of US premium video ad views. That’s one of the key findings... READ MORE

Responsiveness on Social Media Drives Millennials’ LoyaltyTwo-thirds say their loyalty to a brand is impacted by speed of response on social channels. January 1, 2019

Nearly 4 in 10 American Millennials (38%) are providing at least weekly feedback to companies via social media channels, according to research from TELUS International [infographic]. Given the fact that such a significant proportion is being regularly vocal,... READ MORE

Advertising Professionals Remain Distrusted by the PublicAmerican adults are almost twice as likely to trust bankers as advertising professionals.

Advertising professionals remain among the least trusted professionals in America today. This finding comes from Gallup’s most recent report on honesty and ethics in professions, which puts advertising  practitioners 4th from bottom in the rankings.... READ MORE

The State of Traditional TV: Updated With Q2 2018 DataTwo very interesting stats come out of this latest analysis. See if you can find them.December 26, 2018

[By MC Editor, JC Lupis] Well, here we go again, taking a look at the latest quarterly Total Audience report [download page] from Nielsen, this time covering data from Q2 2018. We’ve known for at least a couple of years now that youth are watching less... READ MORE

What B2B Tech Marketers Are Planning for 2019Video marketing is expected to grow significantly in 2019 - but niche trends are also on the agenda.

Video marketing is slated to be a top trend in B2B marketing in the coming year, with more than two-thirds (68%) of tech marketers reporting they will focus on video in 2019. This is according to an early snapshot of data from the 2019 State of IT Marketing... READ MORE

Trust and Transparency Key to Success for Influencer MarketersBetter data and metrics will improve transparency and authenticity - but ROI remains elusive.December 21, 2018

More than half of marketers (56%) cite changing expectations from digital native consumers as one of the biggest drivers of change, per a recent report [download page] from Econsultancy’s Influencer Intelligence. These young consumers prefer more... READ MORE

How Direct Response Marketers Are Allocating Their BudgetsDirect response marketers are turning to social media for conversion purposes.

Paid display emerges as the channel with the largest slice of direct response marketers’ budgets, according to the State of Ad Tech 2019 report by Criteo and Euromonitor [report download]. The study, which surveyed over 900 direct response marketers... READ MORE

Here’s How Our Media Platform Preferences Fluctuate Throughout the DayTV cannibalizes time with digital devices, although there's plenty of multitasking going on too.December 20, 2018

US adults spent a plurality 42% of their daily media time with live and time-shifted TV during the second quarter of this year, reports Nielsen in a recently-released study [download page]. Digital media – including internet on computers and mobile... READ MORE

How People Get The News: TV > Radio > Social Media > NewspapersAmerican adults still prefer to watch rather than read or listen to the news.

As consumers’ media behaviors shift, so are their ways of getting the news. In fact, people are about as likely to get news from a website or app as they are from watching local TV, and they’re now more likely to get news from a social media site... READ MORE

Google’s Top Trending Searches of 2018, and Other Year-in-Review ListsA variety of top trending searches, social media topics, and entertainment choices.December 19, 2018

It’s that time of the year again, for the most special of retrospections… year-in-review lists. Google’s top trending searches of 2018 show that natural disasters and celebrity deaths were atop our minds again this year, though nothing... READ MORE

B2B Marketers Cleaning Databases More Frequently, But Still Suffer from Old DataNearly twice as many B2B marketers cleanse their data quarterly, but challenges around data age remain.

Old and outdated data continues to be the most commonly cited database quality challenge among B2B marketers, according to the latest report [download page] on database strategies and contact acquisition from Demand Gen Report and DiscoverOrg. More than 7 in... READ MORE

How Can AI Deepen Customer Relationships and Drive Business Outcomes?3 in 4 marketing leaders who have embraced AI are seeing benefits from deploying the technologies in their marketing efforts.December 18, 2018

Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t yet a core component of marketing strategies, but for about 1 in 8 marketers AI technologies have become critical to carrying out marketing strategies. That’s according to a report [download page] from Quantcast... READ MORE

Mobile Email Click-to-Open Rates Jump in Q3While the increase in mobile email CTO rates was a good sign, marketers might be facing some troubles attracting new subscribers and keeping existing ones engaged.

Email click-to-open rates continued to climb in Q3, and as such while slightly fewer subscribers opened emails those who did were more engaged than in previous quarters. That’s according to the latest quarterly email benchmark report [download page]... READ MORE

[New Report] US Media Audience Demographics: 5th Annual EditionMaster your media strategy with this definitive data-driven analysis of major media audiences, the 5th edition of our most popular report.December 17, 2018

People are spending more time with media than ever before. While that may present marketers with additional opportunities to reach people, it’s also true that media fragmentation and shifting consumer behaviors add layers of complexity for marketers to... READ MORE

US Firms’ Data Spend to Grow by 17.5% This YearSpending on audience data and activation solutions will near $20 billion this year.

By the time 2018 ends, US firms will have spent more than $19 billion on third-party audience data and data activation solutions supporting their advertising, marketing, media sales and associated efforts. That’s according to the second annual IAB-led... READ MORE

Loyalty is Fleeting, Consumers SayThere continues to be tension between consumers' desire for personalization and their hesitance to share data that could enable those experiences.December 14, 2018

Three-quarters of consumers across 5 key global marketers agree that they’re loyal to certain brands, but will move on as soon as they have a bad experience with them. So finds Acquia in a customer experience-themed report [download page] that finds... READ MORE

Netflix Takes Top Global Ranking for the Simplest Brand ExperienceThe study's authors report higher shareholder performance for industries that put simplicity at the heart of doing business.

More than half (55%) of consumers around the world are willing to pay more for simpler experiences, according to Siegel+Gale’s latest annual “Global Brand Simplicity Index” report [download page]. Willingness to pay for simpler experiences... READ MORE

83% of Consumers Say They’d Watch A Branded Video For A RewardConsumers favor immediacy and flexibility in their rewards, but the appeal of a small guaranteed reward versus a chance at a large one varies by age.December 13, 2018

Reviews are a critical factor in consumers’ purchase decisions, and it turns out that the vast majority of people would leave one in exchange for a reward, according to survey results from HelloWorld [download page]. The Merkle company examined what... READ MORE

Smartphones Reportedly At Half of B2C Email Clicks in Q3Smartphones were responsible for a larger share of clicks than opens, suggesting growing consumer comfort with the mobile email experience.

Half of all email clicks in Q3 occurred on a mobile phone, reports Cheetah Digital [download page] in a recently-released analysis. The study suggests that consumers are growing more comfortable with mobile email, as smartphones represented a larger share of... READ MORE

Where B2B Marketers Need Help With ABMMarketers are generally doing better at integration with sales than the more technical aspects, such as data and analytics.December 12, 2018

Two-thirds of account-based marketers report that their ABM accounts have achieved greater customer success with their solutions than other accounts, and two-thirds likewise say that their ABM accounts are more likely to provide positive references and... READ MORE

Business Leaders Take Note of Their Customers’ Increasing PowerAlmost 9 in 10 have a clear mandate to transform the customer experience.

Fully 85% of business leaders surveyed around the world agree that the needs of their customers are changing rapidly, and even more (93%) agree that their customers’ expectations are increasing. That’s according to the Global Trends Barometer... READ MORE

[Email Benchmark Report] Mobile, Database and Purchase MetricsYes Marketing's analysis of more than 6 billion emails details industry-specific engagement metrics you can use to benchmark your email program.December 11, 2018

[Sponsored by Yes Marketing] 47% of consumers say email is their preferred channel for brand communications, yet over the last quarter, active subscribers in brands’ databases declined by 16.7% and new subscribers fell by 24%, according to a new... READ MORE

Company Culture and Transparency Rank High in Attracting CustomersWhen it comes to factors other than price and quality, culture and transparency are the most important values that attract consumers.

While there has been ample talk about culture in the context of hiring talent, buyers are also attracted to companies that care. This is according to a new survey of 30,000 consumers conducted by Accenture Strategy [download page] that examines attitudes... READ MORE

How the Median Age of TV Viewers Differs Across PlatformsNetworks' live TV audiences have the highest median age, with VOD viewers considerably younger.

It’s well known that live TV audiences are generally “graying” – as older adults remain wedded to traditional TV and youth gravitate towards digital platforms. New data from Nielsen provides more evidence as to the differing age... READ MORE

Videos Get More Interactions Than Images, And Other Instagram BenchmarksTips on which post types generate the highest interactions on Instagram.December 10, 2018

The more followers an Instagram business page has, the more likely it is to include video in its mix of post types, according to a study from Quintly. As part of its report, Quintly analyzed more than 8.9 million posts during the Q1-Q3 2018 period from more... READ MORE

The Purchase Influencer Hierarchy: Friends & Family > Online Influencers > CelebritiesOnline influencers have swayed a purchase decision for more Americans than traditional celebrities, though.

Influencer marketing content can certainly hold sway over consumers, in particular youth, but it doesn’t appear to have nearly the same power as a recommendation from a trusted friend or family member. In fact, a recent study from SurveyMonkey finds... READ MORE

The Top 5 Most Popular Categories Purchased Online Are…The Fashion and Travel categories lead the way, while FMCG e-commerce is on the rise.December 7, 2018

A majority of online consumers around the world claim to buy entertainment (61%) and service (56%) categories more often online than in-store. And while fewer (38%) say they buy durables such as fashion, IT/mobile and electronics more often online, that... READ MORE

Local Marketers to Focus More on Organic Search As Most Feel Google is the New Local Biz “Homepage”Proximity to the searcher's address is seen as the top ranking factor, but Google may be favoring proximity too much.

Almost two-thirds of local marketers (64%) agree that Google is becoming the new “homepage” for local businesses, according to The State of Local SEO Industry Report 2019 [download page] from Moz. Within that environment, it makes sense that... READ MORE

Here’s How Marketers Are Evaluating The Success of Their Digital Display Ad SpendMarketers seem happy with their primary metrics, but also very much open to change.December 6, 2018

Roughly 8 in 10 marketers around the world agree that it’s essential for digital campaigns to drive a direct correlation with business results such as online and offline sales, and a near-equal percentage also agree that the ability to meet business... READ MORE