Marketing April - May 2016

* CONTENT PARTNER: a Marketing Content Partner is an organisation with which we’ve entered into a partnership to collaborate on content for the magazine (see page numbers listed for each) and/or exclusive benefits for Members of Marketing Advantage. See marketingmag.com.au/advantage for more information. Marketing would like to recognise and thank the members of its Editorial Advisory Board for their invaluable guidance, including but not limited to Dr Michael Valos (chair), Caroline Ruddick, Erik Zimmerman, Mike Harley, Shannon Peachey, Trisca Scott-Branagan, Skev Ioannou, Cameron Woods and Peter Little.…

In this issue we talk about social in the context of media and as a personality trait. Sérgio Brodsky discusses the move from open, global community style social interaction to more closed private micro groups. This makes absolute sense to me as both a B2B publisher and a social media introvert. I’m not interested in sharing photos of my kids and things I find interesting or funny with people I don’t really know. Nor am I inclined to attempt to engage the interest of a facility manager with a graphic design story from our desktop platform. I am very interested, though, in the opportunities this shift in behaviour represents. It is already difficult enough for businesses not to be seen as uninvited guests/ pests in social media. Surely this shift…

Let’s kick off this issue with some housekeeping, some of it quite overdue. As Con Stavros points out on the last page (or first page, depending on how you read magazines) he’s hit a century. The June-July issue last year, if my calculations are correct, was his 100th as a columnist in Marketing. That’s a major achievement that stretches back through a decade of consistency and punctuality with deadlines that’s almost superhuman. He’s even got a hard-copy archive of every one of the magazines we’ve published that’s better organised than our own. Congratulations and thank you, Con, you are a pleasure to work with. Next item. This issue we welcome a man that will need little introduction to marketers. Mark Ritson has come on board as a columnist, bringing his…

Adjective: 1. Relating to society or its organisation. Inequality is a major social problem. 2. Relating to rank and status in society. Luxury brands are used as indicators of social status. 3. Needing companionship and therefore best suited to living in communities. We are social beings. 4. Relating to or designed for activities in which people meet each other for pleasure. He led a full social life. Origin: Late Middle English: from Old French, or from Latin socialis ‘allied’, from socius ‘friend’. Source: Oxford Dictionaries “It was just 15 months ago that the first paid ad was rolled out. The move was met with mixed reaction by users.” – Snapchat is the topic of the day, and we investigate the marketing ins and outs of the platform. Page 14. “Much…

If the notion that, in advertising, brands should be where customers are is anything to go by, then Snapchat is definitely a place to be. According to the company, stories posted in the app can draw tens of millions of viewers per day. With reach that high, it’s no surprise that brands are eager to associate themselves with the app. But the concept of advertising is relatively new to Snapchat. It was just 15 months ago that the first paid ad – a preview of Universal Studios’ horror film, Ouija – was rolled out. The move was met with mixed reaction by Snapchat’s users. It also seems that Snapchat itself is still coming to grips with the best way to monetise. (It’s by no means alone in that category –…

Snaps The disappearing-selfies feature on which the app was built, can be video or still photos. Chat As the name suggests it’s instant messaging but, like the selfies, each message only lasts a little while before disappearing. Stories The past day in the life of everyone you follow, comprising short clips. ‘Live Stories’ are available for brands to sponsor to get in front of users who don’t already follow them. Discover Feeds of text-based new articles, with some video, from old and new media players such as CNN, News.com.au, BuzzFeed and Vice, interspersed with advertising, in a layout reminiscent of semi-interactive iPad magazines. Lenses Graphic overlays on selfie photos or videos, including things like current city name, vintage filters, current speed and face-tracking animations that make you look like you’re…