Walmart’s tech acquisitions hint at ecommerce ambitions

by Marketing ON 19 June 2013

The world’s largest retailer, Walmart, has acquired small start-up company, Inkiru, which focuses on on real-time predictive analysis. The acquisition appears to be the retailer’s latest effort in accelerating and expanding its ecommerce capabilities.

Inkiru is joining Walmart’s innovation division in the latest move in what has now been a series of tech-centric acquisitions as the company looks to build upon its online sales. Walmart has already seen a more than 30% increase in ecommerce in the first quater, according to internetretailer.com.

“The similarities between Inkiru and @WalmartLabs are uncanny, with both having an innovative spirit and the ability to leverage big data to improve the customer experience,” the company wrote in a blog post.

Inkiru will provide the company with added analytics and access to data that will boost Walmart’s site personalisation, search, marketing and fraud protection. The brand has also invested heavily in mobile commerce, including mobile checkout stations and apps.

“Our goal is to create shopping tools that become second nature to the customer, providing assistance with every part of the retail experience from pre-store planning to in-store shopping and decision making to checking out,” Gibu Thomas, global head of Walmart’s mobile division told delegates at CTIA 2013 in May.

“The future of retail is the history of retailing. It’s about a personalised experience for each shopper delivered through the smartphone.”

Need to get up to speed on data marketing? Here’s a free course

by Rebecca Hagan ON 19 June 2013

Here’s a little plug for a free course that many marketers might find useful. Open University Australia’s (OUA) free Open2Study program will offer a new course on managing big data, aptly titled ‘Big Data for Better Performance’.

The new subject has been developed with digital training firm Digital Chameleon and is aimed at people who want to broaden their understanding about data as it relates to marketing, from either a professional or a general interest perspective.

Digital Chameleon worked with Cubic Consulting and RichMedia Consultancy to develop and produce the free online subject.

OUA’s director of free online learning says on the new partnership, “Open2Study is centred on providing high quality, free online education. Digital Chameleon’s expertise in digital learning makes them a perfect partner for us. Offering a subject in big data makes sense as it is highly relevant to learners interested in digital marketing today.”

“We’re delighted to have been selected by Open2Study as their partner in developing coursework for this key aspect of digital marketing. It is pleasing to be part of the process of de-mystifying big data for both those looking to make a home in the marketing industry, as well as those who just want to add to their current knowledge,” adds Digital Chameleon’s managing director Patty Keegan.

The Big Issue goes digital and Fairfax reveals paywall pricing

by Marketing ON 6 June 2013

The Big Issue is going digital, launching a digital version of its print magazine from tomorrow, while Fairfax has revealed details of its digital subscription packages for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Customers will be able to buy online access to The Big Issue from vendors in the form of a digital access card that will be sold alongside print copies.

The Big Issue CEO Steven Persson says the digital edition would not replace the magazine, but instead give people a choice in how they read it.

“We recognise that an increasing number of people now prefer to read magazines online,” Persson says. “By offering a digital version, we hope to meet the needs of customers and reach out to new audiences to help increase sales for vendors.”

The Big Issue in Australia will be among the first ‘street papers’ in the world to offer a digital edition, with the UK’s The Big Issue in the North launching an online edition last October.

The digital edition will have the same content as the fortnightly print edition and the will vendors continuing to earn $3 from every sale.

Fairfax Media has today announced that digital subscriptions for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age across Australia, New Zealand and other Asia-Pacific countries will commence from 2 July 2013.

The announcement follows the successful overseas launch of digital subscriptions across North America, Europe and the Middle East in March this year.

Digital subscriptions for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age websites and m-sites will operate as a meter model, allowing free access to 30 articles a month. The tablet apps will use a freemium model, which means certain sections will be free, with others will only accessible to paying subscribers.

“The introduction of digital subscriptions for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age websites, m-sites and tablet apps is the single most significant development to our digital strategy since Fairfax Media began producing digital content and products. It is an important step in our strategy as it provides our business with additional revenue streams,” says managing director, Australian Publishing Media, Allen Williams.

“Fairfax Media has invested a considerable amount of time researching audience-centric digital subscription models. Our approach is simple; visitors will be able to continue to enjoy our content just as they do now, with minimal disruption, and subscribers will have access to a higher level of content plus additional benefits,” he says.

Infographic of the week, about infographics!

by Marketing ON 31 May 2013

A picture is worth a thousand words, and Californian digital marketing agency, Bixa Media, have illustrated (pun intended) by creating an infographic about the importance of… well, infographics.

Based on the company’s research and insights, they found that visual data is absorbed 60,000x faster than text and people will only read about 20% of the text on a page.

Enjoy!

Grow to thrive in the new ‘experience economy’

by Gavin McDonough ON 30 May 2013

The Internet revolution didn’t just change the way we communicate, socialise and consume entertainment, it changed the way we experience things.

Today, experiences no longer live only in moments, but along a time-line from their first happening to their broadcast and then well beyond as they’re shared.

This shift in human behaviour has seen experiences become a powerful form of social content and currency and affirmed for most brands, the value of experiential marketing (EM).

The following are some handy tips for thriving in the new experience economy.

A promise is a promise

Brands commitment to consumer-centric marketing is a commitment to delivering rich and relevant and continuous brand experiences. Why? savvy consumers expect brands to meet, or ideally exceed experiential promises – and they are quick to oust those who don’t.

Digital is crucial – but real world interaction still rules

It’s true. Digital and social make it easy to achieve many of the same things we used to do in the real world, but with a lot less effort. The downside however is that digital and social media have become victims of their own incredible success. People have maxed out their friends’ circles, online advertising has become wallpaper and brands’ online ‘engagement’ tactics now often fail to deliver. Digital strategies that integrate and encourage real world participation provide crucial context.

Experiences have become a powerful social currency

We know people now live equal on and offline lives. Experiences new, old, good and bad – are immediately broadcast and shared. Experiences have become a powerful vehicle for social expression, conversation and earning status amongst online friends.

Take an integrated approach to maximise reach and ROI

The most effective EM strategies are integrated and deployed through a mix of live, online and in-store channels. This ensures experiences are anchored in real-world interaction, whilst being geared to achieve maximum reach and are measurable against hard business objectives. An integrated approach also reflects the media and entertainment consumption habits of today’s consumers.

Be crystal-clear about your core objectives

The evaluation of any EM campaign relies on the clarity or single-mindedness of the campaign objectives. There are many metrics available for measuring EM campaigns, from awareness to sentiment and sales. Ensure activations are geared to succeed by focusing your expectations on no more than two key measurables.

Design robust, ROI-focused experiences

Derived from traditional user-experience design, choice architecture and experiential marketing principles, rigorous experiential design processes ensure equal consideration is given to tracking return on investment and return on engagement. Identify objectives, activities, outcomes and measures (rational and emotional) at every stage of the experiential campaign.

Identify the core emotion you want to elicit

Identifying a specific or core emotion you want your EM activations to elicit from your target audience is critical to the experiential design process. Remember, the primary role of your experiential agency should be to create and develop emotional connections between you and your target audience.

Embrace the new experience economy, because it’s here to stay

As a consumer-centric marketing discipline, EM is inseparably linked with, and shaped by, constantly evolving media consumption behaviours.

While markets and economies will continue to fluctuate, shifting the balance of consumer influence from ‘value’ to ‘experience’, one thing will prevail: ‘experience’, as a key consideration in brand and campaign strategies, is here to stay.

The ABS is letting Australians ‘run the town’

by Marketing ON 29 May 2013

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), in conjunction with Leo Burnett Sydney, has launched a mobile game called Run That Town, which allows players to get involved with Census data by letting players take control of any town in Australia.

The game is the first of its kind to be released by a national statistical agency using real Census data and is part of the ABS’s effort to make Census data more relevant and compelling to Australians.

When playing the game, players are challenged to make planning decisions based on 2011 Census data to boost their popularity, grow the town and keep the locals happy.

Sue Taylor, director in the 2016 Census, says, by using core demographic data, the game demonstrates, in a simple and visual fashion, the many ways Census data can be used by everyday Australians in a light-hearted and entertaining way.

“Run That Town offers a unique insight into how Census data can be used. The game is an innovative and fun way to communicate with the public, while embracing digital media.”

“Run That Town is a strategy game with a twist that is intended for a wide audience offering both one-time and ongoing users a unique insight into the value of Census data,” she says.

“The response so far to Run That Town has been overwhelmingly positive. People are finding a game about statistics fun and surprisingly addictive. And they’re discovering more about their local area as well,” says Andy DiLallo, chief creative officer of Leo Burnett Sydney.

“The great thing about this project is we’re not just telling people about the data – we’re giving them a chance to use it for themselves. It’s an innovative way to make those numbers really mean something to the people using them, and to get the community more involved in Census data,” DiLallo adds.

Run That Town can be downloaded for free from the App Store and played on all current Apple devices. It was created by Leo Burnett and Millipede Creative Development.

For more information and to download the game, visit http://runthattown.abs.gov.au.

New Lean Cuisine campaign confession: “behind every successful woman is her microwave”

by Marketing ON 28 May 2013

Simplot Australia will launch an updated Lean Cuisine campaign targeted at working women. The ‘Thanks Lean Cuisine’ campaign is an advancement of last year’s creative, and reinforces the brand offering: quick and tasty meal options, conveniently packaged for women on-the-go.

Kicking off this month, the strategic above-the-line campaign will target key women’s magazines, and digital display among other avenues and the media plan works in syndicate with the sponsorship of this year’s Cleo Bachelor of the Year competition, extending the reach to a younger audience.

The ads were created by Hello I’m Venus and celebrate the modern woman’s mission to eat well, while managing a busy work and social life.

Bec Brideson, founder of Hello I’m Venus explains: “This campaign reinforces the nutritious, convenient options for women that Lean Cuisine provides. The campaign is a cheeky shout out to her. We know that behind every successful woman is her microwave.”

Simplot Australia general manager of retail marketing, Tara Lordsmith, agrees saying, “Our loyal community of over 55k Facebook fans have told us they enjoy the cheeky and sassy attitude that comes with the Lean Cuisine creative. The development of this campaign demonstrates our understanding of the modern woman and her vision to succeed in all aspects of life.”

Guardian Australia goes live

by Marketing ON 27 May 2013

The eagerly-anticipated Guardian Australia led by editor-in-chief Katharine Viner has this morning launched with the digital edition.

The cyber newsroom leads with an interactive feature going into detail about the January bushfires in Tasmania with the striking imagery of the Holmes family clinging to a jetty, submerged in the waters.

Add to this an exclusive video interview between prime minster Julia Gillard and Guardian Australia political editor Lenore Taylor, and Australian readers are due for a fresh perspective on Australian and world news with the site offering an ‘open and unique’ approach to digital storytelling.

“The Guardian has a long established tradition of high-quality, independent journalism combining editorial integrity and journalistic innovation,” says Viner. “We already have a large and loyal Australian readership, who tell us they want more of what we do.”

“Our research indicates that Australians are looking for an alternative that is truly independent, both global and local, which offers serious reporting and lively commentary, and is all-embracing in its use of everything that the digital sphere has to offer,” she adds.

Retailers: Start taking your mobile infrastructure seriously

by Shaun Dobbin ON 14 May 2013

Think long-term investment when it comes to your mobile strategy, Shaun Dobbin urges, noting that mobile works wonders… if it’s done properly.

Over 54% of Australians own a smartphone and just over 22 million Australians own some sort of mobile device. It’s now almost critical for businesses to ensure they are accessible over multiple mobile channels.

But is your retail business ready for this investment?

It’s time to take a step back and have a look at your digital infrastructure – is it second rate? Did you choose a cheaper system because you felt it would be better to invest money into a more tried, tested and traditional marketing strategy? If the answer is yes, then we need to have a frank discussion.

Too often I see retailers regret the fact that they didn’t spend that little bit more money and go for a higher quality digital infrastructure. Now they’ve realised mobile is the place for businesses to be and all of a sudden we have some problems.

Many organisations made the decision long ago to not put in a serious investment when it came to creating and building a digital product or service.

Today, as a mobile marketing solutions agency, we are seeing so many retailers and businesses coming to us for help with mobile, but having to delay the initiative due to some serious issues with the current infrastructure.

Instead of updating the system, however, sometimes we see organisations that are forcing their prior systems to be used, due to having neither the time nor the inclination to treat it as important for creating the best customer experience. Because of this, retailers are failing to deliver on great experiences for customers – experiences that their competitors can and will deliver better.

It’s now time for retailers to start thinking of mobile as one of their core marketing channels. Many retailers make the mistake of thinking that mobile is a one-off, short-term campaign that is going to deliver fast results in a cheap and easy fashion.

So who holds the mobile mantle in your business? Every business needs someone to take ownership and start to champion mobile internally to deliver the best customer experiences.

Mobile is a fantastic way to target on-the-go consumers and ensure a brand is visible, no matter what the target market is doing or what device they are using.

It’s not a quick fix, however. Mobile can be a slow burn and it must be considered a long-term investment – one that will be critical for business success in the upcoming years.

Take eBay for example; it is extremely successful in the mobile space and it’s because it put its money into investing in mobile early. It understood the shift that smartphones were going to provoke in consumers and began to prepare its business to accommodate this shift.

Obviously not everyone can be eBay, and not all retailers have a massive budget for marketing, but the point is that the mobile device is becoming the central control system in consumers’ lives. Many consumers would prefer to leave their wallet at home than their smartphone. It’s a very, very powerful tool.

I understand it is human nature to stick with what you know and it’s a common mistake made at board level to go with the status quo, because it’s what’s been done previously and it works. It’s so easy to think, ‘But what if it doesn’t work? How about we just stick with what we know has worked before, like our brochures?’

The problem with this mentality is consumer behaviour is changing so quickly that what has worked today, or last week, just may not have the same effect tomorrow and businesses need to keep up with these behaviours or risk being left behind.

There have been numerous reports created that show the high increase of ROI in mobile. It works, but you need to give it the attention it needs to execute an appropriate strategy. Don’t just put in money for mobile marketing – make it a core part of your business.

For those of you who are deciding to move into the mobile space, but may be worried about cost or the quality of your dedicated web infrastructure, I suggest moving your system into the cloud. There has been a massive shift over the last two to three years from dedicated infrastructure to organisations moving into the cloud, and it’s of great benefit to any organisation that takes mobile marketing seriously.

The cloud, when configured in line with best practices, allows your server system to scale infinitely-able to handle major increases in traffic during peak times. This is something that could have been avoided by the retailers involved in the Christmas Click Frenzy fiasco had they leveraged industry best practices. In case of a service disruption to a data centre, the cloud provides services that are across many regions to avoid downtime.

This is something that couldn’t have been achieved four years ago, but, more importantly, it could never have been achieved at the cost benefit that you can get now. For smaller businesses that are looking to invest but feel as though they can’t compete with the big retailers, this is the beauty of cloud computing.

Gone are the days where you had to create and build up a dedicated infrastructure and agree to a lengthy contract. Now even the smallest business can get started for as little as a couple of hundred dollars a month and this has really levelled the playing field.

The greatest characteristic of cloud computing infrastructure means it can expand as your business expands. Retailers don’t need to have million-dollar budgets anymore to set up a great customer experience online and on mobile.

So please, if you are seriously interested in investing in mobile and are dedicated to creating the best customer buying experience possible, then invest in a quality infrastructure, put together a serious mobile budget and strategy, and begin working with mobile as one of your core marketing strategies.

News Limited moves to metered paywall

by Marketing ON 9 May 2013

News Limited has announced the launch of a new digital subscription service for The Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun called news+.

The metered paywall includes the integration of content from FOX SPORTS with News’ masthead sports content and an enhanced ability to serve local audiences with targeted content, which meets specific interests and needs.

The new subscription service will come into effect on May 16, with The Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun online to be the first sites to implement new product offers incorporating news+.

Other News Limited publications, AdelaideNow and The Courier-Mail are set to launch online additions in June this year.

New Limited says the new-metered sites will contain up to 20% more content and models will vary slightly across Australia, in accordance with each local market.

News Limited CEO Kim Williams says, “Our new digital subscription service for the Herald Sun and The Daily Telegraph with the exciting addition of news+ marks an important landmark for News Limited as we continue paving the way for commercially sustainable models for quality journalism and digital innovation in Australia.”

“The refreshed sites follow from extensive customer research and user testing. The new designs reflect what our customers tell us they want – they are faster, offer easier and more intuitive navigation, have up to 20% more homepage content than the sites they replace with better presentation and auto-adjustments tailored for a wide range of different digital devices.”

The new digital subscription products will also enhance New Limited’s data capabilities and their new approach will put a heavier focus towards targeted advertising.

IAB announces new CEO: digital and mobile key focus

by Marketing ON 7 May 2013

Former GroupM Interaction regional chief operating officer Alice Manners has been announced chief executive of the Interactive Advertising Bureau Australia.

She takes up the key position after the exit of outgoing CEO Paul Fisher who resigned in 2012 to take up a regional role as head of media for audience measurement firm Nielsen.

After a four-month search, Manners begins work in August, and IAB chair Mark Britt is embracing the change, while looking to leverage her 14-plus years in both local and international digital worlds.

“The online industry has gone through a huge transformation in the past year and with more change ahead, it is perfect that we’ll now have someone of Alice’s calibre and experience heading up our peak trade association for online,” he says.

With the internet set to pass television in 2013 as the country’s biggest medium by advertising spend, Manners explains that, ”Digital will undeniably begin to lead discussions at the top table, and the opportunity to manage IAB Australia’s transition through this growth was one that I could not resist,” she says.