Do You Have A Video Content Strategy?

In the pre-digital days there really wasn’t a need for brands to produce more than the ads that went on traditional media. Now we have entered a new era. No longer is it good business practice to only produce the print ads for the brand. Retailers and manufacturers need to produce an almost constant stream of fresh content to keep up with digital channels and social media and mobile capability. For most companies it’s a pretty big order because making content is a completely different business from what most manufacturers and retailers know. It gets even harder when so much of the content that they now need is video.

Tony Quin in imediaconnection.com attacked this issue in a recent article. “Since inexpensive bandwidth has made high-quality video so easy to get, people want more and more of it. Projections have video representing over 85% of all Internet traffic in a couple of years. So brands need to make lots of videos. The problem, of course, is not just the quantity, but how does a brand make videos that are good enough to stand out? While cameras and equipment are cheap and easy to get, creativity and know-how are still in short supply. Of course, what makes a video good is in the eye of the beholder, but most of us know bad video when we see it, and the last thing any brand needs is to be spreading bad videos.

The challenge is for companies to put in place the capability to produce lots of “good” videos, consistently over time. The problem is that because the budgets are much smaller, it’s not like producing TV commercials, which brands have a lot of experience with. According to the 4A’s, the average cost to make a TV spot is over $300,000 — but for video content, that may be your entire budget for the year.

Question is — do you try and do it in-house or hire pros? For most brands the answer is to hire pros. The advantage, of course, is the wide range of talent and capabilities you can access. The problem is how to keep the costs down. Most agencies focus on developing the creative, and produce a quality product. Thus companies and agencies that specialize in video content for digital channels is ideal.”

But you must have digital content strategy. A company that can do all of that…and that is set up to produce a lot of video content over time, cost-effectively…is the perfect solution. Of course, the videos still have to be good in the eye of the beholder, which to start with would be you.

It’s a new time and a new era in business thinking. Video, whether you like it or not, is THE most important tool you have to communicate with your target audience today. It is time for the entire home furnishings industry to make the move into video now.

We live in a new DNAge. Think MOBILEFirst.           

Consumers Around The World Think Retailers Need To Improve Their Cross-Channel Integration

Forty-Nine (49%) percent of U.S. consumers believe the best thing that retailers can do to improve their shopping experience is to better integrate in-store, online and mobile shopping channels, details a survey conducted by Accenture. That notion is shared by forty-eight (48%) of consumers in the UK, Germany, France, Sweden and Brazil and thirty-eight (38%)in China and Japan. The results point to a desire for an increasingly seamless cross-channel experience, where personalized experiences are provided across every engagement channel.

For example, fifty-three (53%) of consumers want to receive unique pricing, automatic discounts, free returns, or pre-sales based on their loyalty/purchase history…across all channels. Similarly, fifty-three (53%) percent want to be able to earn and use their loyalty rewards in-store, online or on a mobile device.

Consumers also expect integration of product, promotion, and pricing across channels: fifty-one (51%) expect product assortment to be the same across the channels, while forty-nine (49%) share that view of promotions and sixty-three (63%) percent of pricing.  

Nevertheless, there seems to be higher expectations placed on the online channel: eighty-one (81%) percent expect product assortment to be the same or less in-store, while eighty-three (83%) percent expect price (including tax and delivery) to be the same or more in-store. 

Eighty-nine (89%) percent of US respondents said it is important for retailers to let them shop for products in the way that is most convenient for them, no matter which sales channel they choose.

Ninety-four (94%) of US consumers find in-store shopping easy, compared to seventy-four (74%) percent for online shopping and twenty-six (26%) for mobile shopping.

Seventy-three (73%) of US respondents reported showrooming at least once in a 6 months prior to the survey, a figure that rises to seventy-seven (77%) percent among respondents in the European markets and Brazil, and eight-five (85%) percent among those in China and Japan.

Other findings show that same day delivery is not very important. Only twenty-four (24%) percent of US consumers think same day delivery is very important, aligning with research from Boson Consulting Group showing similar apathy to same-day delivery. 

About the data; The data is based on a survey of 6,000 consumers across 8 countries, conducted in November 2012. There were 750 respondents in the US.

We live in a new DNAge. ThinkMOBILEFirst.

“Buying American” Generally Matters More To Women

A majority of American adults believe that it is important to “buy American” across a variety of product types, according to results from a Harris Interactive survey, even if the definition of what constitutes an “American” product is not universally shared by respondents. Interestingly, while there were few gaps in the importance placed on “buying American” among Republicans and Democrats responding to the survey, women were more likely than men to feel it more important for each product category identified. Women are the key.

For example, women were:

10% more likely to consider it important for furniture purchases (78% vs. 71%);

11% more likely to consider “buying American” important when purchasing major appliances (79% vs. 71%);

15% more likely to place importance on this factor when buying clothing (77% vs. 67%);

14% more likely to find it important for car purchases (74% vs. 65%); and

20% more likely to consider it important when buying home electronics (72% vs. 60%).

On each count, 18-35-year-olds were significantly less likely than any other generation to believe that “buying American” is important to them.

The survey finds that the definition of what constitutes “buying American” isn’t universally agreed upon. Three-quarters agree that a product needs to be manufactured within the US for them to consider it “American,” while a slight majority believe that it needs to be made by an American company for them to consider it “American.” Close behind, 47% agree that a product needs to be made from parts produced in the US for them to consider it “American.”

As the researchers note, the company perceived by respondents to be the most “American” – Ford – increasingly has cars that include parts produced abroad. Other companies showing up in the most “American” list – such as GE and Levi Strauss – also outsource some of their operations overseas.

Regardless of the extent to which these companies’ products meet consumer definitions, “Made in America” packaging can influence consumers. A study released last year by Perception Research Services found that about 8 in 10 shoppers notice “Made in the USA” claims in packaging, and about three-quarters of those believe that such claims make them more likely to buy the product.

According to the Harris survey results, the most commonly-cited important reasons for “buying American” are to keep jobs in America (90%), to support American companies (87%), and due to quality (83%) and safety (82%) concerns with products assembled outside of the US.

About the Data: The Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between December 12 and 18, 2012 among 2,176 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

Data for the “What company do you consider to be most ‘American’” question was conducted online within the United States between January 2 and 4, 2012 among 2,126 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

We live in a new DNAge. Think MOBILEFirst.           

1 in 2 Global Customers Open To Trying New Brands

Innovation appears to be the key to consumer attitudes when considering what new product to buy. 

In a new Nielsen report, looking at consumer attitudes to new products, it was found that consumers around the world are generally willing to switch to new brands. That should be encouraging news for those brands that are not #1 in the marketplace. However, respondents who were surveyed online, displayed some caution. 6 in 10 preferred to wait until a new innovation has proven itself before purchasing. The same percentage preferred to buy new products from brands that they are familiar with.

Value played a significant role as 64% of respondents said they would purchase a store brand or value option. An Ipsos study released last May found that two-thirds of consumers in the US believe that store brands are as good as national brands, if not better, in offering innovative products.

What constitutes new products? It can be a brand new product brought into the marketplace for the first time. Or, it can be an old product revised and brought back with new life.

What constitutes new brands? A new brand can be one that no one has heard of. Or it can be an old brand that is rediscovered and brought back. Without continuing to build the brand, a brand can wither and die. It becomes out of date, old fashioned. It no longer holds the key to value in today’s marketplace. It is as out of date as Lux soap. However, a brand that has been dormant can have the possibility of finding new life in today’s social interactivity.

This new report obviously values branding. However, it also opens up opportunities for brands that have been inactive. Part of Nielsen’s “Global New Products Report” indicate that 59% of respondents like to tell others about new products. Word-of-mouth communications play a critical role in new product purchase decisions. 77% of respondents said they were much or somewhat more likely to buy a new product when they learned about it from friends and family, while 2/3rds said the same about their decisions when becoming aware of a new product from a professional expert.

This bodes well for brands who are active in social networking. Online channels are growing in influence, with two-thirds of respondents pointing to active search as an influence in their buying decision.

In the world of home furnishing, few brands are familiar with the public. Thomasville, Serta, Sealy are three of the names which are continuously mentioned in brand awareness polls. The rest battle for name recognition and identification along with top-of-mind awareness.                                                                                                         

Today, it is easier than ever to reach her with your brand’s message. With mobile, we can reach her and she can become interactive with the brand. We live in a new DNAge. Think MOBILEFirst.

(The Nielsen Global Survey of New Product Purchase Sentiment polled more than 29,000 online consumers in 58 countries throughout Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and North America.) 

Luxury Brand Shoppers Prove To Be Mobile-Friendly

Many believe mobile users are those who are younger, coupon seeking consumers. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, according to a new study from ForeSee, 59% of luxury brand shoppers say they’ve used mobile to interact with a company they are buying from. This makes luxury brand shoppers 40% more likely than shoppers at the top 100 e-retail sites (by sales volume) to have ever used their mobile device to interact with a brand (59% vs 42%). Among those who have used their device, one-quarter of luxury brand shoppers said they made a purchase compared to 16% of top-100 shoppers. Luxury mobile shoppers also were more likely to research products on their devices (56% vs 40%), compare products or prices while in store (24% vs 18%), and use retailer-developed mobile shopping apps (13% vs 10%). 

It seems that luxury shoppers are astute in using their mobile devices for shopping purposes. In fact, those who used their mobile while in-store, 65% of luxury shoppers accessed the store’s website, while 39% visited a competitor’s website and 24% a shopping comparison website. 

The researchers cautioned that customer satisfaction ratings have a strong bearing on brand loyalty and should be taken seriously. Compared to dissatisfied customers, highly satisfied luxury website visitors report being:

. 76% more likely to buy from brand online;

. 71% more likely to purchase from the brand the next time;

. 69% more likely to recommend the brand; 

. 69% more likely to buy the brand offline; 

. 65% more committed to the brand overall; and

. 65% more likely to return to the brand.

A dissatisfied customer is roughly 40% less likely to display any of those characteristics.

It is important to understand luxury shoppers also own mobile devices and use them. Mobile is an appendage of today’s consumer. It is with her constantly. 

We live in a new DNAge. Think MOBILEFirst.

People Are Spending A Lot Of Time Social Networking

Only the young kids are on social networks. That is the claim of many who are not active nor want to believe that people are spending a lot of time social networking. Today, a wide spectrum of people are on the social sites letting the world know what they are doing. In fact, Americans aged 18-64 who use social networks say they spend an average of 3.2 hours per day social networking, according to new research released by Ipsos Open Thinking Exchange. Factoring in survey respondents who don’t use social networks, the survey finds that the average online American spends 2 hours a day social networking from a computer, tablet and/or mobile phone. Unsurprisingly, American social networkers aged 18-34 self-report spending more time than their older counterparts, and women outpace men in consumption, also.

Specifically, among American social network users:

18-34-year-olds report spending 3.8 hours a day;

35-49-year-olds report spending 3 hours per day; and

50-64-year-olds report spending 2.4 hours per day.

In terms of the gender difference, female social networkers spend almost 40% more time daily with social media sites than men (3.6 hours vs. 2.6 hours), a finding consistent with earlier research from MyLife and from Burst Media showing women to be more active than men on social media.

Some other interesting demographic gaps emerge from the Ipsos research. Those include:

. Social networkers with low household income spending more time than those with high household income (3.7 hours vs. 3.1 hours). Note: both are over 3 hours;

. Those with low education levels spending more time than those with high education levels (3.5 vs. 3);

. Business owners spending almost 50% more time than those who don’t own a business (4.4 vs. 3);

. Senior executives and decision-makers spending 40% more time than those not in those positions (4.2 vs. 3); and

. Unemployed social networkers spending 3.5 hours a day on social media, versus 3 hours for the employed.

The study breaks down actual hourly estimates per day, with some striking results. For example, roughly 1 in 5 users aged 18-34 claim to spend 6 hours or more per day social networking.

Emerging market social networkers are avid users. Looking across the 24-country sample included in the Ipsos research, some countries stand out in social network usage. Among social network users, Indonesians and Saudi Arabians spend the most time, at an average of 5.1 hours daily, followed by the Turkish (4.9 hours), Argentinians (4.7 hours), and Russians (4.6 hours). In fact, almost one-third of social network users in Indonesia report spending at least 6 hours a day socializing on social media sites.

On the other end of the spectrum, social network users in France and Japan spend the least amount of time daily, at an average of 2.3 hours.

Meanwhile, among all online survey respondents, rates of social network usage are highest in Mexico (91%), Saudi Arabia (91%), Turkey (90%), Brazil (87%), Indonesia (87%), and Argentina (86%). They are lowest in Hungary (62%), Germany (72%), Poland (74%), Great Britain (74%), and the US (75%).

Overall, 71% of respondents across the 24 countries reported using social networks for an average of 3.6 hours per day.

We live in a new DNAge. With the advance of mobile, social networking is at our fingertips and we are using it.

Today’s Marketing = Integration + New Media

The art of marketing has changed since the Great Recession, making for ‘fresh thinking‘ in reaching the target audience. According to Tom  O’Regan writing in bizbloggers.com, “For those ‘ancients‘ she could have been reached reliably through television and on occasion, print.” But the world has changed dramatically since that time. The digital shift of media along with mobile on her possession constantly, the woman is now in charge more than ever in history. “She has assumed a major role in the workplace as the middle class households face more economic pressure. She is more price conscious and less brand loyal. That’s not to say she doesn’t have a taste for luxury. She’ll indulge if engaged.”                                                                             

Today marketers have learned that integrated marketing demands all legacy and new media function in a combined effort to reach their target, engage their target and encourage their target to use their products. The leveraging of social media, email and legacy advertising are being used to recruit and engage potential and existing customers. Rich media, social media, mobile and video all represent NEW channels that are effective for reaching the target audience. HD video is a key in showcasing  products and how they are used.                                                                                   

Mobile and digital are perceived to be more effective than offline media in driving both favorability and online and in-store purchases because of results. The biggest problem is that while it all sounds good and is backed by powerful results, the majority of companies DO NOT invest significantly in new media. They are still clinging to the legacy media habits they have built through the years.                                                      

This provides your company…your brand…the opportunity to take a leadership position and steal the business while your competition is asleep. They may talk like they are doing something in the new platforms of social contact, but chances are they are trying to find a way to use them without spending.                                                  

Smart companies are allocating more than 20% of their marketing budget to mobile & digital. Why? It works.                                                                                                    

Mobile is shaping the future of marketing innovation.                        

Think MOBILEFirst.                                 

(Source: )

Drive Social & New Business With QR Codes

Today marketers understand QR Codes (Quick Response Codes) are extremely important in delivering a tremendous amount of information within a very small space. In the age of mobile dominance, this two-dimensional barcode, packs a wallop of a punch. Similar to a UPC barcode, manufacturers and retailers are using QR Codes to create an engagement with their target audience.

For manufacturers, it is used to deliver maximum information about their brand and the features and benefits to the intended consumer. For the retailer, it is being used to keep the customer in their store and become engaged to the point of sale…now. It can be used on the windows of your store; at key locations within your store to enable further connection with your customer in an ongoing manner.

On a broader view, QR Codes are being used to push potential customers and satisfied customers to various branded social media sites, creating a community of involved customers. It’s a great way to allow the consumer to find out more about what you have to offer in a very limited space.  

A QR Code is very easy to produce and adaptable to nearly every printed or electronic surface. For those who do not know, you can create a QR Code online by using a free tool from a host of QR Code generator companies. You can then download the image generated and add nearly anything you like, such as text for directions to your Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or Pinterest page; to your website; to a special limited time coupon offer…you name it and it can be placed within the QR Code. Note, you can produce a number of QR Codes so put one message on a signal code. Let’s not get carried away and pack everything into a single code. That defeats the purpose.

For some advanced retailers, ALL of their products have QR Codes on their product tages. For those who use digital displays, QR Codes on the digital displays make tagging simple and very cost effective.

A well placed QR Code will not cost more than a piece of paper and yield great results. It can drive more people to your branded or company website and increase interest in your brand. It can also add more people to your e-mail marketing list as well as to your mobile marketing list. Make sure you add it to your calling cards. As stated before, it can build a deeper connection with a potential customer through your social media page.

What Toyota first used in the mid-1990s, the QR Code has taken on a whole new way of acceptance because of the rapid rise in smartphones.

Don’t miss your opportunity to reach your prospective and existing customers.

Think MOBILEFirst.

TDN’s Revolutionary Disruptive Platform

The multiverse of screens to bring ‘her’ into the discussion.

It is ‘new blood‘ in the game. For an industry like home furnishings, it affords brands the opportunity to step out of the shadows of their second-tier status in the consumer spendable world and begin to compete with the auto, jewelry and apparel competitors through fashion and design, keeping “Her” at the center of attention 24/7.                                                                                                                              

Welcome to TDN… The Design Network, is an all-screens multiverse that allows brands the key into the door of the daily lives, activities and thoughts of their specific target audience, the female consumer. Now they have the ability to interact with “Her” on subjects that matter to “Her”. TDN will feature professional and user-generated content that will be advertiser-supported and distributed online, via mobile, digital and other devices and platforms that will come from designers, architects, interior designers, home builders, industry influencers, ad  agencies and production companies, as well as network viewers themselves.                                                                                                                                       

It is truly a ‘today’  interconnecting bridge between the brands of the industry and their consumers as well as their potential consumers in this, the 21st Century.                                                                           

We no longer live in a world where advertisers shout at the potential customer. Today we have to listen before we begin our dialog, listen to what she has to say, listen to why she is saying it and then begin to speak WITH her and not TO her.                                                                                                                    

TDN…The Design Network has been created to do exactly that. Interaction with the consumer is becoming the key to developing engagement. Once engagement has been created, then the process, leading to the sale can take place. But it is now at “Her” speed, not the advertisers. It is on “Her” timetable and not the advertisers. She is the center of this multiverse of screens.                                                  

Maya Angelou said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” It is TDN’s mission to make “Her” feel good about an industry that has taken her for granted for generations by engaging with “Her”.                                                

Think MOBILEFirst.                                 

IN-STORE MESSAGING INFLUENCING MOMS

It has been an age old task in advertising: attract the purse and you attract sales.

That tactic has been used for decades. Today it is as important as ever as the purse is more tightly controlled by moms. She is the target audience for so many retailers, especially within home furnishings.

Recent research shows that in-store messaging is influential in driving impulse buys, and new survey data from SymphonyIRI released in April 2012 indicates that in-store messaging has an excellent influence on mothers’ brand decisions. According to the survey, mothers are more than twice as likely as the general population to say that their brand decisions are influenced by in-store kiosks (with an index score of 235), 68% more likely to be influenced by signs or displays in the store, and 30% more likely to be influenced by an in-store circular. They over-index in these influencers more than for item price (126), shopper loyalty card discounts (122), and product label or packaging (102).                                                                                                              

Results from the survey show that mothers turn to digital media to find coupons at a far greater rate than the general population. They are 70% more likely to download coupons from retailer websites or from coupon sites (both at 39% vs. 23%), and 65% more likely to download coupons from manufacturer websites (38% vs. 23%). Mothers are also roughly twice as likely to use social media sources to get coupons (22% vs 10%) and to visit online deal sites (20% vs 11%).                                                                              

Most mothers are also looking to save money by shopping at multiple stores to find the lowest price, while 4 in 10 are adjusting their shopping schedules to make larger trips at the beginning of the month when more cash is available.                                            

Mothers are using digital and mobile more. With this study’s information regarding in-store messaging, one should consider that this is not just for food store shopping but for every type of shopping including shopping for home furnishings. The use of QR Codes is important in delivering critical information and in creating inter-activity between the store and the customer. We may be overlooking one of the most important sales connections in not using advancements in digital and mobile in stores.

We live in a new DNAge.