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In the News USA

Furious consumers 'abandon brands online out of frustration with mistargeting'

A new US study sheds light on mistargeting and how furious it makes consumers, with 94 per cent deleting emails, unsubscribing and generally taking steps to break off all lines of communication.

Janrain, a major provider of user management solutions for the social web, announced the results of their fourth annual US consumer survey, a Social Login and Personalisation study, that reveals 96% of consumers acknowledge having received mistargeted promotional information.

As a result, 94% break off communication and never visit the website again.

Simultaneously, 88% of consumers have encountered social login – the use of an existing ID from a social network such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc. for registration – with more than half (51%) using it to register and login to other sites.

Yet, while the vast majority of online consumers (91%) are satisfied with social login and most report a preference for personalised communication, brands have yet to seize the opportunity to improve online marketing as a result of the data they can collect in the social login process.

The study, conducted by Blue Research – an independent research consultancy, which surveyed a nationally representative sample of nearly 600 social media consumers last October – confirms that marketers are wasting money providing content to consumers – ads, offers, promotions, etc – that have nothing to do with their interests.

People are fed up and taking action.

Paul Abel, managing partner, Blue Research, said: “In the four years that we have conducted this study, what is interesting to note is the evolution of consumers that are now no longer willing to accept mistargeted communications.

“Today, of those who receive mistargeted communications, almost seven out of ten report automatically deleting the email without even looking at them. This should be of interest to marketers determining best practices related to personal customer communications.”

Another key finding is that, among non-users of social login, the number one barrier is lack of trust. Almost half reported that they don’t trust a company to use their information appropriately. Just over a third are concerned the company will post to their social network feeds.

Larry Drebes, CEO, Janrain, said: “This year’s study confirms that it’s paramount for marketers to establish trust and transparency about how personal information will be used.

“The good news is that once trust is no longer an issue, consumers are willing to be identified and recognised as customers across multiple devices to receive personalised content.”

Other key findings:  

  • 64% of consumers using social login are more likely to return to a website that remembers them without a username and password.
  • ·60% find suggested products/promotions based on their social login profile information useful.
  • 49% of respondents who use social login would allow mobile phone apps to offer special in-store offers.
  • Social login users are 78% more likely versus non-users to download a mobile app from a site that is personalised.

A 60-minute webinar is being given by Paul Abel on Wednesday January 29 at 11am (PDT), 2pm (EST) on Social Login and Personalisation and the above findings. Click here to register.

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In the News UK

‘Poor customer feedback measurement will cost you in sales’

Digital marketers urged to improve online customer feedback

Many businesses are failing to fully understand their customers’ needs because they are still using outdated feedback methods for modern online transactions.

So says Udesh Jadnanansing, founder and managing partner of customer feedback management software specialist, UK-based Mopinion. He is urging online marketers to look more closely at the way they gather feedback and to consider using more proactive tools to comprehensively understand their potential clients’ needs.

Jadnanansing (pictured) said: “Traditional online customer satisfaction surveys have always had trouble reaching customers at the moment when the experience is still fresh in memory. But the technology is available, so what are we waiting for?Udesh Jadnanansing, Mopinio (WEB)

“Many companies measure satisfaction and loyalty on relational and transactional level. On one hand, organisations would like to know what the relationship is with the brand (relational). On the other hand they want to receive feedback on all major touch points to be able to implement improvements immediately (transactional). Passive feedback methods are neither very reliable nor timely enough to react to the fast-paced world of modern online transactions.

For the transactional part, many organisations are still focusing primarily on traditional touchpoints, like telemarketing or contact with employees like support agents and account managers.

“Often, this method of measurement does not go beyond sending a questionnaire by email after contact and is based upon strategies designed to evaluate telephone-based sales and interactions.

“A few organisations are using telephone surveys by IVR (Interactive Voice Response) or SMS, but that’s it most of the time. We believe that many businesses are losing out by using such passive tools for such an interactive portal as online” adds Jadnanansing.

While assessing telephone contact was traditionally fairly straightforward, an agent asked questions and recorded the feedback. However, online customer traffic and interactions can be far more complex – but at the same time this offers a potential mine of more detailed and potentially more useful information – with a greater focus on non-transactions and clues as to why the business may be missing out on this custom.

Jadnanansing believes companies are focusing too much on the measurement of data, missing that the key to improvement is in qualitative data in combination with metrics about effort and use. “This requires another structure of online teams and handling with data. And, if online isn’t complex enough, companies also have to deal with different web devices like mobile and tablet. To get a good impression about the overall online experience, a company has to obtain feedback from all web devices.”

The advice is straightforward, as Jadnanansing concluded: “Companies should realise that every customer reaction is a possibility for a conversation that  can result in a better customer experience. In addition to collecting data, companies have to listen a lot more and take action immediately. Many companies are waking up to the benefits of fully monitoring their online touchpoints – which means it has never been more dangerous to be neglecting your customers’ needs. If you don’t fully understand and cater for these needs your competitors may well be doing so!”

 

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In the News UK

Investment in image & sound sharing app grows, following commercial interest from brands

Shuttersong, the first app to embed music and sound into a playable JPEG image, has secured an additional £300,000 investment as it looks to build on the commercial opportunities it can bring to UK brands.

The latest investment, made by former Accenture partner Gil Anderson, means total seed funding now stands at more than £1.3 million. Some 30,000 users – from teenagers sharing talking ‘selfies’ on Facebook to parents sending audio images of their loved ones to tech-savvy grandparents – have downloaded the app, and that number looks set to keep rising as photo-sharing continues to redefine social media habits.

However, the new funds will largely go towards the commercial expansion of the platform for use by brands and digital marketing agencies looking to implement Shuttersong’s patent-pending technology for social marketing campaigns, fan engagement and user-generated content. The company is already in talks with several companies including a large greeting card business, a major record label and a well-known online fashion retailer.

Gil Anderson said: “Shuttersong fills a void in the current marketer’s toolbox.Shuttersong

“Image and video-sharing have sky-rocketed in the last year. Shuttersong’s streamlined technology gives marketers a totally novel way to create, promote and share their content. Its potential is tremendous and I am thrilled to be joining the team at this exciting time in the company.”

The company’s chief executive and co-founder, William Agush, said: “The compelling thing about Shuttersong is that it gives you all the benefit of video with all the convenience photography.

“Every mobile user already knows how to take a picture and every company already has a photographic library, so the consumer and commercial possibilities really are huge.

“This investment is an important step forward for Shuttersong, as we continue to build out the app’s capabilities and evolve our commercial partnerships,” added Agush. “We’re really excited about how brands are beginning to engage with our technology to enhance their content offerings and bolster e-commerce.”

  • Shuttersong was founded by 58-year-old marketing veteran William Agush who was inspired by a ‘talking photo frame’ that played the toddler voice of his now-adult son. It is the first free mobile app that combines any digital image with up to 15 seconds of sound, forming a single, shareable anywhere, high-quality JPEG file.
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Data Management Global Insight Strategy and Management UK

Five simple steps marketers should take when employing Big Data

The huge amount of data available in this digital age can sometimes be daunting – so, when it comes to developing the ideal customer journey, where do companies start?

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In the News

'TV ads will become as personalised as online': 2014 predictions

2013 saw many technological leaps forward in the media and advertising industry, and if predictions for the new year from Sky IQ come true, we are now looking at another major period of change.

The UK company foresees  TV advertising becoming as personalised as online, new ad releases being hotly anticipated throughout the year, not just Christmas, and ads following you from your TV to online.

Below, Liam Plowman – strategy & propositions, Sky IQ Customer Intelligence Services – lists his predictions for the coming months. Sky IQ staff can be viewed here discussing the predictions.

Sky IQ is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BSkyB, specialising in TV viewing behaviours with a TV viewing panel of 500,000 households. This data-driven insight can be used to inform future marketing and advertising campaigns to steer strategy and investment.

1. TV Gets Internet Smart

By 2014, we will see the same level of personalisation you see in online advertising on TV. Using better insight from detailed viewing data, agencies and brands can track the success of highly targeted campaigns by linking all marketing activity from DM to online response.

2. Ads will become as anticipated as the TV programme

We are already seeing an element of this with the premiere of the Christmas ads being widely touted as the UK version of the Superbowl Weekend in the US. However, in 2014, we will see the importance of ads grow even further, with increasing emphasis on premieres, celebrity influencers and audience engagement.

3. Ads will become truly interactive and continue their story online

In 2014, for the first time, we will see advertisements begin during traditional TV viewing and follow the viewer online. While this may include sharing exclusive clips on Facebook [for fans] and tweeting viewers, it will be focused on tracking their online habits so they see the ‘second instalment’ of the advert.

4. TV and social (and dual screening)

Facebook and Twitter jostling to be TVs social partner and new Social TV measurement services coming on-stream will likely mean development of deeper relationships between programming, advertising and social, as consumer experience becomes more joined up.

5. Increase in ‘connected’ set-top boxes.

The number of internet-connected set top boxes will continue to grow strongly and this will have an impact on how we view content.

  • A decrease in ‘connected’ use of Smart TVs as set top box interfaces increasingly become the default for TV and on demand services.
  • The viewing of catch-up through iPlayer, 4OD, etc, increasingly accessed via set top box digital platforms rather than direct.

 

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Data Strategy Insight Strategy and Management

Data integrity is all about respect

Richard Noble says disregard for how valuable data is and how carefully it should be handled, can have disastrous repercussions for brands.

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In the News

‘Wake dormant subscribers with interactive gaming’, daily deal sites told

Daily deal sites, such as Groupon and Living Social, need to embrace social media gaming in order to re-engage with their dormant subscribers, according to the CEO of social media gaming site, WishFree.com

Zak Shah, who launched the gaming site earlier this year to cater for the bargain-hunter market, says the initial surge of uptake for daily deals tails off after a few weeks and there is little attempt to reconnect with customers on a long-term basis, other than to offer them more of the same thing.

Shah said: “Some daily deal sites are sitting on an estimated ten million subscribers in the UK, but the figures are worthless if no-one actually buys anything. Tales of poor fulfilment figures and poor value for money only add to the disinterest among subscribers, and this could prove damaging for the entire daily deals industry.

“The voucher market is saturated with hundreds of companies promising the same thing and, in order to survive daily deal fatigue, providers need to embrace new and innovative techniques that set them apart from their competitors.

“Forging a partnership with a gaming site not only gets people on board, but it also enhances user engagement by attracting new customers who take part in the game, then go on to purchase something via a link to the daily deals web page. This type of joint venture is mutually beneficial and provides an avenue for daily deal providers to reach their subscribers on a more personal level.”

WishFree.com is a new interactive gaming site that combines online ‘daily deals’ with a click-to-win competition, allowing players to win brand new products and services at no cost. It’s an interactive gaming experience that allows players to compete with others, both on WishFree.com and through social networks, and companies can sponsor any game to increase customer engagement and brand awareness.

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Case Studies Data Driven Channels UK

Brands breaking new ground in experiential marketing and gamification (especially in pee-time)

One small division of the marketing and advertising industry is defying the ongoing recession . . . in fact, you might say it is flushed with success.

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All content Best practice

Data and marketing teams across the UK are overlooking a vast talent pool

Neurodiversity isn’t a new concept but research and best practice in the public domain remains limited. Kate Burnett, MD of DMA Talent, discusses how its Neurodiversity Initiative is helping businesses to make adjustments that will help them to tap into this under-utilised and highly talented pool of people.

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