Marketers continue to spend rampantly on digital advertising. If you’ve read this far, then I managed to get your attention. In today’s media-saturated world, that’s no easy feat. So, thank you. Like an effective headline, digital advertising is designed to gain your (very limited) attention, hold it for long enough to initiate (or continue) a conversation, and then […]
Mobile
Google turns to artists to mold Assistant into an amiable companion
Dive Brief: Google has brought on board Emma Coats, a storyboard artist who worked on Pixar’s movie “Brave,” as part of a Personality Team assembled to make Google Assistant more chatty, according to multiple reports. Coats writes dialog for Google Assistant and told the BBC she comes up with “fun things the Assistant can say […]
“Alexa, how can my brand shine in the age of ask”
There are more than 10,000 Amazon Echo skills available for the Alexa digital assistant, according to recent reports — an impressive number for a platform that’s just over two-years-old. While brands’ opportunities on it are currently limited to repetitive, utilitarian tasks, more sophisticated engagements are on the way, meaning marketers should be thinking now about how […]
Twitter amplifies branding opportunities in Periscope broadcasts
Dive Brief: Twitter is letting brands customize the hearts viewers of Periscope videos use to signal they are enjoying live and on-demand broadcasts, according to a Twitter blog post. Custom hearts can appear throughout the duration of videos, and viewers can send them by tapping the screen. Custom hearts mix with Periscope’s typical multicolored hearts. […]
Piper Jaffray: Snapchat’s reign over teen social media use continues
Dive Brief: Snapchat is holding firm atop teens’ social media hierarchy. Almost 40% of teens declare Snapchat is their favorite social platform, compared to 35% in the fall of last year, and 81% use Snapchat at least once a month, up from 80% in the prior period, according to Piper Jaffray’s semiannual consumer insights project […]
Finish Line tries for competitive edge with enhanced loyalty app
Dive Brief: Finish Line has launched an upgraded loyalty app free to download on iOS and Android devices, according to a press release. The app features a product feed meant to inspire customers, customized product recommendations, information on upcoming product releases and in-app shopping and checkout. It also doles out status updates, rewards and access […]
L’Oreal Paris sponsors The Glam App content, educational program
Dive Brief: The Glam App, an on-demand beauty service provider, is collaborating with L’Oreal Paris on an educational program called The Glam App Academy, according to a press release. The collaboration officially kicks off on May 8. The partnership deepens a relationship between L’Oreal Paris and The Glam App that was limited to sponsored events […]
Study: IMessage dominates digital sticker engagement
Dive Brief: Half of all branded digital stickers are being shared through iMessage, according to a six-month analysis of 8 million stickers by Bare Tree Media. Facebook Messenger is the platform with the next highest volume of digital sticker traffic, contributing 20% of digital sticker sharing. Snapchat is responsible for 10%, and WhatsApp, Facebook and […]
Hockey promotion: Budweiser, StubHub team up via social, SMS
Dive Brief: Budweiser and StubHub are doling out $100,000 worth of StubHub credits to hockey fans in Quebec, according to a press release. The beer purveyor has enlisted hockey personalities, including Patrick Scebba of Hockey Collective and TVA Sports host Dave Morissette, to distribute 250 StubHub credits valued at $400 each to Quebec hockey fans. […]
Gorillaz promotes new album with AR/VR mobile app
Dive Brief: The band Gorillaz has unveiled a free iOS and Android mobile app that incorporates a smorgasbord of immersive technologies, including augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and 360-degree video elements, according to multiple reports. The app’s AR offering allows users to overlay components of Gorillaz’s recent music videos onto their surroundings, and the VR […]
Image Search capabilities ~ Google adds ‘Similar Items’ feature
First Published on Dive Brief: Google is augmenting its Image Search capabilities through Android apps and the mobile web with a new “Similar Items” feature that helps users find products similar to those they see in searched photos. Google Image Search accomplishes this by using machine vision technology, a form of machine learning that identifies […]
Facebook lets friends split dinner bills in Messenger
Dive Brief: Facebook is supporting group payments within Messenger, according to a Facebook video post. The group payments allow users to request money from or send money to individuals or all users in a group conversation. A given amount can also be split between the users. The feature is free to access with Mastercard and […]
Shopkick extends mobile rewards app into grocery stores
Dive Brief: Shopkick, the shopping rewards app, has launched Shopkick Grocery to encourage customers of Kroger, Publix, Safeway, Target and Walmart to patronize stores with opportunities to earn free gifts cards while grocery shopping, according to a press release. The company’s biggest launch to date, Shopkick Grocery is available in more than 37,000 stores nationwide. […]
How Acura Built Its New TV Campaign for Mobile
Most Popular In Acura’s new campaign, it’s hard to tell what moves faster — the car or the ads themselves. The marketer crammed roughly 50 unique images in each one of its five 30-second spots and about 25 images in each of its seven 15-second ads. Each scene shot is vertically and layered into the […]
Twitter invites developers to ramp up chatbot creation
Dive Brief: Twitter has released new APIs to broaden access to developers creating customer service chatbots in its Direct Messages, according to a blog post by Twitter group product manager Ian Cairns. Cairns said the tools enable faster and richer conversations between Twitter users and brand chatbots in private Direct Messages as well as public […]
Facebook courts publishers with Instant Articles call-to-action capabilities
Dive Brief: Facebook is increasing the business value of Instant Articles by allowing publishers to encourage readers to like pages and sign up for email newsletters within the mobile publishing format, according to a Facebook announcement from product manager Josh Roberts. Publishers will be able to access insights on the performance of the call-to-action units. […]
Snapchat’s Bitmoji is most downloaded app in US, 4 other countries
Dive Brief: Bitmoji is the most downloaded app in five major markets: the U.S., U.K, France, Canada and Australia, according to App Annie data investigated by Recode. Bitmoji’s ascension has been swift as the digital sticker specialist wasn’t among the top 10 downloaded apps in any of the 10 biggest iOS markets last year when […]
Synergy Pharmaceuticals’ poop emoji keyboard encourages discussions about constipation
Dive Brief: Synergy Pharmaceuticals has launched an emoji keyboard it calls Poop Troop with 14 dynamic poop icons, according to a press release from the company. The emoji are part of the company’s broader education initiative Confront Constipation intended to increase understanding of chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC). Synergy markets Trulance, a once-daily tablet approved for […]
Snaplications | McDonald’s solicits job applications on Snapchat
Dive Brief: McDonald’s and Snapchat are summoning Australians to apply for jobs on the social media app thorough so-called “Snaplications,” according to multiple reports. McDonald’s Snaplication recruitment process, the first of its kind, includes a branded Snapchat filter that places virtual McDonald’s hats and nametags on job candidates to offer glances at what they’d look […]
Lyft, Dollar Shave Club double down on merging branding and direct response via video
As mobile gadgets become handheld TVs with a wireless link to a cash register, marketers are transforming brand-building content into transactional platforms, with video content providing an emotional draw that can boost results. Mobile video is growing and marketers are diving in across a wide range of tactics designed to elevate awareness of a brand […]
Mobile Apps Are a Gold Mine for Fraudsters – eMarketer Interview
Amit Joshi Director of Product and Data Science Forensiq Fraudsters follow the money trail, which now leads to mobile’s two advertising channels—mobile websites and apps. Mobile apps are particularly appealing to fraudsters because in-app inventory commands premium prices, and because the industry has lagged behind in offering app-specific fraud detection services. eMarketer’s Cathy Boyle spoke […]
Twitter gets faster on mobile for users short on data
Dive Brief: Twitter has introduced a swifter Progressive Web App version of its mobile website called Twitter Lite, according to a blog post from the company. Available globally at mobile.twitter.com, Twitter Lite is designed to use less data and storage space, and support push notifications and offline usage. Twitter proclaimed Twitter Lite will load in […]
Sony Pictures extends new Smurfs movie to mobile bubble game
Dive Brief: Sony Pictures has launched “Smurfs Bubble Story,” a mobile game on Android and iOS tied to “Smurfs: The Lost Village,” the third movie in the Smurfs franchise, premiering Friday, according to multiple reports. Developed with Tic Toc Games and published by Sony Pictures Television Networks Games, the game is free, but players can […]
Facebook Messenger’s AI-powered assistant M offers intent-based tips
Dive Brief: Facebook Messenger’s AI-fueled assistant M provides suggestions amid conversations on the messaging app for U.S. users on iOS and Android devices, according to an announcement from Facebook Messenger product managers Laurent Landowski and Kemal El Moujahid. A small group of Messenger users have been receiving tips from M for a few months, and Facebook […]
Under Armour cuts jobs from Connected Fitness unit
First Published on Dive Brief: Under Armour is laying off about two dozen employees in its Connected Fitness unit (the group behind the sportswear brand’s array of mobile apps, include UA Record, MapMyFitness, MyFitnessPal, Endomondo and others), according to the Baltimore Sun. The report states that most of the affected employees are affiliated with the […]
Snapchat ups its ad game with targeting, app install ad initiatives
Dive Brief: Snapchat is diversifying its ad products. The social media network has introduced a new ad-targeting offering called Snap Engagement Audiences that retargets users who’ve previously interacted with Snapchat ads, according to multiple reports. Snapchat is also introducing goal-based bidding for app install ads or ads leading users to download outside apps. Marketing Land […]
Estée Lauder’s new Messenger chatbot helps identify the right foundation shade
Dive Brief: Estée Lauder has launched a chatbot-aided campaign on Facebook Messenger to promote its Double Wear Foundation range, according to a report in CEW Beauty Insider. The campaign started Monday and is limited to the U.S. On Facebook Messenger, Estée Lauder uses a chatbot to guide makeup wearers through a series of questions to […]
MMA: Clickthrough rates don’t translate to sales
Dive Brief: There’s no direct correlation between clickthroughs and important outcomes such as sales, according to the latest cross marketing effectiveness (SMoX) study from the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA). The study, conducted for Allstate Insurance, advises marketers to hone in on the right formats and targeting strategies for the mobile environment to shift sales and […]
MMA: Clickthrough rates don’t translate to sales
Dive Brief: There’s no direct correlation between clickthroughs and important outcomes such as sales, according to the latest cross marketing effectiveness (SMoX) study from the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA). The study, conducted for Allstate Insurance, advises marketers to hone in on the right formats and targeting strategies for the mobile environment to shift sales and […]
Apple Pay underperforms amid resistance from consumers, retailers
Dive Brief: Adoption of Apple Pay is greatly underperforming expectations, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. Loup Ventures partner Gene Munster told the publication he previously predicted Apple Pay would handle $207 billion in transactions last year versus the comparatively modest $36 billion it actually handled. Loup Ventures figures 13% of an […]
