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Future Focus 2019: Searching for Trust
In Future Focus 2019, we examine how brands that are built on credibility, relevance, and reliability will see trust as the very foundation for their success in the digital economy. In Future Focus 2019, we examine how brands that are built on credibility, relevance, and reliability will see trust as the very foundation for their success in the digital economy. The digital economy has brought new opportunity for development and innovation in every business sector. While the majority is “good innovation”, we continue to see a significant gap at a societal level, driven by a continued disparity in access to technology based on socio-economic factors. In today’s hyper-sensitive media landscape, how should brands and publishers navigate the notion of truth and authenticity? We interviewed more than 300 global marketers and leaders across a broad spectrum of brands, including FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies, and used the real-time responses to outline key insights and priorities necessary for businesses to thrive in our fast moving, high expectation digital economy. Feedback shows that trust is at the forefront globally with 88% of marketers making trust in their brand a priority in 2019. Marketers see gaining consumer trust as vital to business growth with 76% stating that trust is important to keep consumers buying their brand. Digital will play a clear role in this with 60% believing that the rise of AI will increase consumer trust as it allows for more relevant and personal experiences. 83% don’t believe brands will dominate over convenient experiences in the future. 62% don’t have a proactive role in approaching online reviews, although they think reviews represent the greatest risk to consumer trust. 62% say the quality of their purchase experience and after-sales service will be a priority for 2019. 69% think the rise of digital assistants represents an opportunity to become closer and develop stronger relationships with consumers. The report also includes exclusive interviews with global leaders from businesses, such as The New York Times Company, IBM, Microsoft, Hilton, The Economist, Rachel Zoe, Inc., IKEA, and AccorHotels. Chapter One: Credibility in the Age of Doubt Outlines the role of purpose in the digital economy and how immediate benefits for brands will be bestowed to those who can use digital to build and reinforce their credibility in the eyes of consumers. By protecting the integrity of their brand online, communicating their values, and leveraging the power of technology, brands will see a steady increase in trust of their brand. Includes exclusive interviews with: Mark Thompson, CEO and President, The New York Times Company, on leading the battle against misinformation and fake news. Armin Molavi, Interim VP Media, Hilton, on trust in the travel industry, social responsibility and the new place for data. Mark Cripps, Chief Marketing Officer, The Economist, outlines opportunities in the new value exchange and the notion of being data-responsible. Chapter Two: Relevance in the Age of Noise Explores the rise of shrinking consumer attention and an increasingly fragmented consumer landscape. Successful brands will be those who focus on relevant experiences, outplay the influx on digital content, and make the most of the Assistance revolution. Includes exclusive interviews with: Vanja Mlaco, Digital Growth Strategist, Transavia, on the importance of putting the consumer ahead of conversion, and using technology as a goal, not a means to an end. Carrie Seifer, Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer, IBM Watson and Weather, on the unstoppable rise of AI and how trust and transparency must underpin all action. Laurent Tiersen, Country Marketing Manager, IKEA UK & Ireland, on the constant focus on staying relevant to their customers. Jonathan Foster, Principal Experiences Manager, Microsoft, on how he builds Cortana, using personality goes a long way to building trust, and using art to show humanity to humans. Chapter Three: Reliability in the Age of Convenience Focuses on the rise of convenience as it intersects with the more traditional power of brand, and highlights the subtle balance between building brands and designing highly convenient solutions. Successful companies will dominate by focusing on the convenience of their digital properties, media assets, and presence on third-party reseller platforms. Includes exclusive interviews with: Antoine Dubois, SVP Marketing Global Strategy, AccorHotels, on the convenience, artificial intelligence and the war for talent. Rachel Zoe, CEO, Rachel Zoe Inc., on navigating the rise and influence of digital in the fashion and luxury landscape, and why adaptability is key. Download Future Focus 2019 for key insights and success stories on navigating truth and authenticity in 2019. Trust. It's not an issue; it's the issue. 04 min read
Facebook Releases Search Ads in Newsfeed and Marketplace
It’s official. After a five-year hiatus, Facebook is resurfacing its involvement with search advertising. On December 11th, Facebook began Alpha testing ad inventory in the app’s native search results with a small group of select U.S. advertisers in retail, automotive and e-commerce. Dependent upon initial results, the social giant could expand this offering to a larger number of Beta advertisers for further testing. Currently, Facebook Search ads are designed for both Newsfeed and Marketplace search results. Creatively speaking, it will mimic the same features of a standard link ad or carousel, including a headline, image and body text. No video creative is supported at this time. In terms of buying inventory, search ads are only available in a fixed cost model. If Facebook decides to implement search ads on a larger scale standard auction, buying will be available and the inventory will be added as an additional placement within Ads Manager. The big question: how this will compete with traditional Google search ads? Although Facebook search ads will only appear within the app itself, they could inevitably compete for the same advertising dollars as Google CPCs have been on the rise. If Facebook search ads prove to drive lower CPCs, marketers will have to see if it will be more beneficial for their ads to show up in the SERP for Google or Facebook. Although there are plenty of similarities between Facebook and Google search ads, there are a few differentiators. Unlike Google ads, Facebook does not have an option to bid on specific keywords. Instead, Facebook search ads will appear in searches related to the business’s general offerings. It’s up to the platform’s algorithm to match a marketer’s search ad to its appropriate keyword or phrase. Search inventory is no stranger to the paid social channel, either. Platforms like Pinterest, Amazon and Yelp have proven to be serious competitors. It’s only natural that Facebook would develop its own version. What It Means for Marketers Since 2017 iProspect advertisers have been testing search placement inventory with Pinterest and the performance results have been fairly strong. So far, early adopters have reported 20-30% more efficient CPCs when comparing search feed ads vs. home feed ads, with 2x lift in traffic volume. If initial testing goes as planned, Facebook could see similar success. On the other hand, releasing search ads on Facebook could open the door to enhanced ad performance efficiencies and allow for extensive cross-channel learnings as social and search worlds collide. This would ultimately prove the need for more cohesive measurement strategies for brands and create a common theme for the digital customer journey. Opportunities for Marketers Facebook search ads could be a powerful way for brands to drive increased awareness, allowing advertisers to utilize the most utilized feature on Facebook to expand overall reach and visibility to prospective audiences. Additionally, it could provide a new take on competitor conquesting. If bidding capabilities become more advanced, this could allow advertisers to bid on competitors’ key words to redirect competitor traffic to their brand site instead. Challenges for Marketers Although promising in its beginning stages, Facebook search ads may not be as effective as anticipated. When users search for something on Facebook, they’re typically looking for something or someone specific and ads may end up negatively impacting their experience. Targeting abilities may also prove to be challenging for marketers since this relies so heavily on Facebook’s algorithm to determine who actually sees a search ad. It’s still unclear if custom or site retargeting audiences will be an option for this placement. All challenges considered, Facebook search ads should be viewed as an alternative tactic within the paid social channel. Once Facebook shares more data on performance and allows more keyword targeting capabilities, advertisers should consider reallocating budgets with other search partners i.e. Google. In a world where brands are constantly evolving their omni-channel strategy, Facebook search ads could aid in bridging the gap between paid search and paid social efforts. This could not only benefit the advertiser but also the entire buyer experience. Cody Faldyn, Manager, Paid Social and Sammie Anagnostis, Associate Director, Paid Search also contributed to this blog post. 04 min read
Sayonara Gemini Search. Long Live the Bing.
Verizon Media (formerly known as Oath) is putting the band back together and we’re predicting this sequel to outperform the original. With Verizon Media expanding its partnership with Microsoft, a ripple effect will form within the advertising industry, as Bing and the Microsoft Audience Network inevitably grow in strength. Bing and Verizon Media will have access to one another’s native network, however if you buy via Bing then you have the potential to gain additional insights via data overlap using Microsoft graph. The biggest news for us in Paid Search: we bid farewell to Yahoo Search as it will be powered by Bing going forward. … Earth shattering stuff, we know. Back in 2015 Verizon bought AOL, which it then merged with Yahoo in 2017 to form Oath. Over this same time period, Microsoft’s stock price tripled. If anyone was to dent an industry dominated by Google, surely the combination of these two juggernauts stand the best chance. The History Google and Yahoo confirmed a deal back in June 2008. The renewable 10-year deal was to go beyond paid search results on Yahoo and include contextual advertising on the Yahoo network and, potentially, on their partner sites. This faced continuous opposition until later that same year Google decided to discontinue its agreement with Yahoo, citing “a protracted legal battle, but also damage to relationships with valued partners.” Cue the introduction of Microsoft. With this legacy deal, Yahoo was obligated to show Bing ads on desktop, however there was a lot more flexibility with regards to mobile. Yahoo took full advantage of this and launched the Yahoo Gemini platform in 2014 search and native ads. Inevitably, in 2015, a new deal was negotiated in Yahoo’s favor and it was agreed that only 51% of desktop search traffic had to carry Bing ads. This most recent change takes us back to the future as Bing secures advertising on Yahoo, only this time with an even stronger offering and the exciting Microsoft Audience Network. Will this sequel turn out to be a rare great or fall into the bargain bucket along with Bambi 2 and Jaws: The Revenge? So what does this all mean for Paid Search? In the US, Gemini Search will be depreciated and Yahoo’s search engine will be powered by Bing. The changeover will begin March 15th, and conclude at the end of March. After this switch, Bing Ads will assume responsibility for all paid search ads on Yahoo and Yahoo’s partners/properties. Gemini Search was never a huge driver of traffic comparatively, however Bing predicts click volume for current advertisers will increase in the US by an estimated 10% to 15% once this transition is complete. Other countries are unlikely to see a meaningful impact. Since a significant portion of traffic from Gemini Search was mobile, we can assume mobile traffic makes up a large majority of that percentage. What can I do with this information? As things currently stand, Gemini Search traffic looks to be powered by Bing, thus an estimated increase of 10% to 15% in Bing Ads traffic may be seen. Here are the steps you can take to be prepared for these changes which will come into effect mind March: We first suggest that you look at your current Gemini Search account to help estimate the forthcoming impact. If not, no need to worry, simply follow the remaining steps. Ensure Bing parity! So often Paid Search experts suffer from Google Ads tunnel vision. Be sure to fully audit your Bing Ads accounts and confirm that all relevant opportunity is being captured. Analyze current mobile performance and determine an action plan to hopefully improve it. If we generalize that the majority of this increased traffic will come via mobile, then we must ensure that we are doing everything to optimize it. Check that all IO’s, budgets, and pacing plans can accommodate an increase in traffic (remember it may largely come via mobile). Reach out to your Yahoo and Bing reps for more details and any nuances which may occur with your accounts in particular. This seems to be a leap forward for both parties as Verizon Media increases the size of its tech stack and Microsoft increases their significance within the industry. Regarding Microsoft’s Bing Ads in particular, the platform is habitually treated as a secondary tactic, but this new partnership could change the general consensus. However, only time will tell if Bing and Gemini are simply trading market share vs. cutting into Googles governance. Regardless, Gemini’s platform and targeting capabilities have never been on par with Bing Ads or Google Ads, so I am certain Paid Search marketers will be ecstatic with platform consolidation at the very least. In the meantime, we can expect many more details to come out in the following weeks that will give a clearer sense of how this modified partnership will play out. 05 min read