While writing our blog about Google’s announcement of their 3rd party cookie phase out the term contextual advertising came up as a possible solution. We found this topic worth digging into a little. Contextual ads are placed on web pages based on the content of those pages. For example, if you’re reading an article on Yosemite an ad for hiking boots may pop up. This keeps the user’s data privacy in tact while still getting the right information in front of the right audience.
Environmental Impact of NFT’s
We should all know what NFT’s are at this point. It is a hot topic right now, as is the metaverse. But what most people haven’t been made aware of is, their impact on the environment. These blockchains run-on high-energy consumption to be created and checked through what is called the “proof of work” system, through cryptocurrency companies such as Ethereum.
Google 3rd Party Cookie Phase Out & Advertising
What are third-party cookies? Well, think about it like this, you’re thinking about buying yourself a new pair of work boots. You research on the internet with search engines and end up on some of your favorite boot makers websites. Now every time you open up your browser you’re seeing ads for work boots everywhere. This is no coincidence and there is a reason you are now seeing these ads. It’s called third-party cookies.
Personalized Advertising
Friday Fun Favorite
Embracing Health & Wellness as a Brand
It seems to be an ongoing trend that we keep finding in all of our advertising research lately here at Locomotive. Consumer mindsets are shifting as a result of the pandemic. People want authenticity. They want transparency. They want brands that care about the environment and social economic issues. And… they want brands that care about health and wellness, not only for their customers but for their staff. This shouldn’t come as a surprise since we all faced a major health crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic for over 2 years. Many suffered from a mental health crisis due to mandated lock downs and for some, physical health fell off all together. It’s sad that it took this insane event to make people realize how important mental and physical health and wellness truly are but we say, “better late than never to this party.” Now, health and wellness are at the forefront of everyone’s minds after two plus years of bringing awareness to these topics. People realized how stressed they were in their old “normal” day to day lives with work, life and everything else in between and aren’t planning on going back to that way of life. People now want brands that are transparent about what they put into their products. They want their values to align with what type of impact their products will have on the environment. They want to be sure that what they are bringing into their homes is safe for their families. Today, this is becoming a the major factor in what is driving consumer choices, aside from “price and quality” according to a Media Post article. All brands must embrace this shift in choices by understanding and implementing what their market audience wants when it comes to these things. The health and wellness movement isn’t going anywhere and it shouldn’t. it’s great that this shift in mindset of consumers has happened and it’s an opportunity for every brand to become better.
DEI in Advertising
One of the biggest challenges that marketers face today is making sure that their brand embraces DEI. If you don’t know what DEI stands for it is diversity, equity and inclusion. After several recent movements, society has embraced new ideals that include DEI and it’s extending into the advertising world. People want to feel that they support brands that align with their values now more than ever. 83% of millennials to be exact, according to the Consumer PR Culture Report.
Outstream Video Advertising
A new popular topic of discussion in the advertising world is out streamed video ads. This is expected to be a new trend in the following years as opposed to in stream video ads. So, what’s the difference? Well, let’s start with what an in-stream video ad is. These ads are inserted into a video that is already being played. In stream ads require a static video player and they can be viewed as pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll. A.K.A. Before, middle, or after what the viewer is already watching. These tend to be somewhat of an annoyance and are usually unrelated to the content being played. We’ve all been through the, “your video will play after this ad” situation on YouTube before. Now, let’s talk about what an outstream ad is.
Creating Value Driven and Empathetic Content in Advertising
Why is empathy so important right now to consumers? The pandemic was absolutely dreadful BUT… it did drive some good shifts and this was definitely one of them. People want to feel some sort of connection with the brands that they decide to support. Now more so than ever. According to Harvard Business Review, “25% of people are healthy first, 16% planet first, and 15% are now society first.”
Friday Fun Favorite: Sexual Violence
Streaming Service Advertising
During the pandemic people were forced to inside due to the stay at home orders. This caused a major uptick in media streaming services all over the world. “With revenues of 15.2 billion in 2018 before the lockdowns it has spiked to 24.1 billion in 2020. It is predicted to hit atleast 30 billion this year alone in 2022 according to Business of Apps.
The Different Kinds of Marketing Videos
There are literally tons of types of marketing videos and categories within categories. In this blog we will touch on a few but wanted to preface with that. This isn’t intended to be an all-inclusive article and just merely a guideline to highlight some of the most useful types of marketing videos. Let’s start with “the spot” video. We’ve helped discover and curate hundreds of these. These are short 15-30 second commercials and are great because they can be used virtually anywhere. Between commercial breaks on streaming services, as ads on YouTube. You get the idea.
Video Advertising
92% of B2B prospects consume online video (Whiteboard Animation). This isn’t surprising since the rise of social media platforms that push video formats in the recent decade. In today’s society, banner advertising is a dying art form and the rise of digital video content advertising is here. There are many reasons for video format being at the forefront of the advertising space and, one of these being that little device that fits in your back pocket.
NFT’s…What’s the Big Deal?!
Non-fungible tokens. What are they? Why are they important? Everyone everywhere seems to be slightly confused on what these are exactly. We recently wrote a blog on the metaverse and what it is so now we want to dive into this topic of NFT’s a little deeper.
Full Speed Ahead/Earth Day 2022
Here at Locomotive, we like trains. However, we though it important to make a statement on the impacts that they do have on the environment. You see us post steam engines on our stories but we are not oblivious to the fact of the fossil fuel problems they can create. The CO2 they pollute the air with is substantial due to the burning of fossil fuels. The steam engine in particular produces higher emissions. That being said, railroads are still actually one of the most efficient ways to transport freight across the country, so most are modernizing their systems to reduce impacts on the environment.
Harnessing Influencers for Marketing
Influencers… we can all name at least one in this day in age. Jake Paul for example has set out and created a great business for himself through YouTube and now in the boxing arena. Although, let’s be honest the guy can’t box. They just feed him poor old men who were once previously good Mixed Martial Arts fighters. Big difference from real boxers. Nonetheless, he’s made millions through his marketing strategy as an influencer. But how can brands harness the power of these influencers and what are the reasons they would even want to?
Marketing Challenge Predictions 2022
Now nearing the end of the pandemic 2022, the marketing and advertising industries will be facing their own new challenges as a result. There are many different opinions of what types of hurdles will come this year but we’ve put together a list of the top 5 that seem to be on every bullet point list out there right now.
What is the Metaverse?!?
This term metaverse has been popping up everywhere as of late and if you’re like us, you’re still a little confused as to what this actually means and how it will affect businesses. It seems that people are being urged to grab their spot in this virtual world. But why? And to what benefit would one gain from this? We decided to do a little research of our own to better understand what this new virtual world really means
National Volunteer Week 2022
Destressing Your Work Life
April is National Stress Awareness month. Work stress tends to creep up on all of us despite how much we may love our jobs. According to the Mental Health Foundation, “people affected by work-related stress lose an average of 24 days of work due to ill health.” Whether it be in the office or working from home it’s important to realize what ways stress manifests itself in your body. Every-body is different. Here are 10 quick tips to destress your body and mind throughout the work day.
