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  • Key factor to meet Black Friday 2021

    Date: November 18, 2021

    Category: Social Media

    This 2021 has been a different year where the need for social distancing, the impending economic crisis and the existence of a more conscious consumer make brands rethink their strategies for this Black Friday, one of the most consolidated and relevant events in terms of sales for companies.

    The 10 keys to Black Friday 2021

    Local proximity

    Until the advent of the pandemic, most of the BF conversion revolved around deep markdowns and discounts. However, with all that has happened, there has been a change in the consumer, who is more inclined to small businesses, the neighborhood, in short, local consumption. These smaller businesses cannot afford big sales, but they can participate in the BF with a small extra gift or free shipping of their product.

    Proof of this is Amazon, which in 2020 was the brand with the most mentions on BF, because it is a place where consumers can purchase products from different brands, many of them from small brands.

    Responsible consumption 

    The trend is towards sustainable and conscious consumption. As a result, brands are encouraging their consumers to follow this conscious consumption and, instead of offering massive markdowns, are focusing on appreciating their most loyal customers. 

    The more discerning consumer group is more willing to invest in brands that strive for positive change, revolve around social causes and support small businesses, indicating a shift towards sustainable shopping.

    Growth in gaming

    Undoubtedly, the sector that is experiencing the greatest growth, and that at BF will be one of the most demanded, is gaming. Consumers have the opportunity to enhance their gaming experience with the most expensive devices (headsets, new consoles…).

    Given this consumer trend, brands have the opportunity to gamify this Black Friday around these products. Engagement through call to actions is key for brands’ target audiences.

    In addition to gaming, technology in general, beauty, fashion and entertainment dominate the Black Friday social conversation. Already in the 2020 campaign, 63% of mentions corresponded to these four industries: technology (26%), beauty (15%), entertainment (14%) and fashion (9%).

    The power of technology

    The pandemic has accelerated digitalization in such a way that new technologies have been implemented that improve people’s relationships, habits and lifestyles.

    For example, augmented reality is enhancing the reality of online shopping especially in fashion and home décor. High volume and growing participation of voice-enabled solutions with Alexa and Google Home will be experienced.

    In addition, AI (Artificial Intelligence) is helping stores learn about their shoppers, and personalize their online shopping experience, where big data plays an important role in creating personalized experiences for those customers.

    Anti-BF campaigns

    Covid-19 has changed the order of consumer preferences. Brands are aware of the continuous change and have taken advantage of the great communication milestone of Black Friday to join important movements that, in some way, go against the traditional BF. An example of this is the Blue Friday campaign where the Sea Shepherd brand encouraged consumers to buy sustainable holiday gifts.

    On the other hand, the general trend of consumers to consume less in the BF has generated a response from brands to advance their offers and keep them for longer, thus creating more opportunities for more conscious customers to avoid compulsive consumption.

    Video, the star format

    Videos in which influencers describe their favorite products resonate with a better audience and come across more naturally to users. The positive comments posted by users show the authenticity of the video and how influencers are received with more trust than brands. Part of the positive impact of video is triggered by the popularity of Tik Tok. Carousel formats also work well to get the message across quickly.

    Call to actions

    Calls to action along with BF promotion are well perceived by users. The best-received posts are those asking users to choose their favorite products or to comment or click on them. Also to click on the link in the bio to join a “close friends” list or a loyalty program to get exclusive offers.

    Memes

    Memes also attract a large majority of positive comments on BF posts. They are mostly used by small companies with a creative approach that keeps them active in these days of so much competition, although big beauty brands are also assiduous with them.

    Contests and gifts 

    Contests and giveaways are a must that works perfectly in this campaign. To get these gifts, brands ask users to tag their acquaintances, to like and follow the brand to win. It is a simple way to gain followers, engagement, to please and to make users aware of your products. In addition, for the influencers who are the voice of the sweepstakes, it is an opportunity to gain trust with their loyal followers, who are rewarded for their loyalty. 

    Influencers, the visible face of campaigns

    When e-commerce meets social networking, it is known as social shopping. This involves aspects of social media, such as groups, communities, recommendations and discussions, as well as the core function of e-commerce: selling products and services online. To help with all this, influencers are the best bet to achieve this.

    There has been a shift from “like” buttons to “buy” buttons, and platforms are making it easier for users to purchase through the platform. Influencers can speak intimately to their audiences, driving choices and sales directly to e-commerce.

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  • Top 10 key consumer trends in the automotive industry

    Date:

    Category: Tech & Entertainment

    The automotive industry has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic. Not being able to go outside and working from home, vehicle purchases ceased to be a priority for many, leading to a decline in sales in 2020. A 14.6% recovery in the global light vehicle market is expected in 2021, with projections to return to 2019 levels by 2023*1.

    The car of the future is described as EASCY: Electric, autonomous, shared, connected and yearly updated, the five buzzwords in the automotive industry.

    Brands are taking advantage of the transformation of the automotive industry and are investing in influencers to promote their new vehicles, especially electric models. One example of this is Volkswagen, collaborating with influencer Chang Yan to test the performance of its electric vehicle.

    The 10 keywords of the automotive industry

    Electrification

    Electric cars are projected to see strong sales in the coming years. Their advantages include lower emissions than gas-powered vehicles, although electricity generation still involves fossil fuels; they have lower maintenance costs and tend to have fewer breakdowns; and they benefit from less intensive and more affordable maintenance.

    Autonomy

    The focus is on vehicles that can operate without human intervention, even in complex traffic situations.

    More than 33 million self-driving vehicles are predicted to be on the road by 2040, and about 55% of small businesses anticipate adopting autonomous driving technologies in their operations over the next two decades*2

    Shared mobility

    More and more users are shifting towards a model of “using” rather than “owning” a vehicle. There are two forms of shared mobility: carsharing, where vehicles can only be picked up at predefined locations and where the car is owned by a company, and ride-hailing, where customers request personalized trips online, usually via smartphone apps.

    Numerous social media profiles are basing their communication on vehicle-related content, from those covering current affairs to those sharing their collection of vehicles. The interest is there and creators are establishing themselves in this area.

    Connectivity

    There are two types of connectivity. Car2Car communication, where connectivity is maintained between different vehicles in order to share information related to traffic, accidents, road conditions, safety and other issues to ensure the safety of drivers; and Car2X connectivity, which refers to the synchronization between a vehicle and the infrastructure present on the roads (signs, cameras, radars, sensors or traffic lights) to improve road conditions and reduce risks.

    Innovation

    The implementation of the points above will lead to an increase in the pace of innovation in the automotive industry. As a result, 5 to 8 year model cycles could shift to annual updates in order to integrate the latest hardware and software developments. 

    Lack of information or even misinformation are two key aspects that hinder the switch to electric vehicles. Producing informative content to post on social networks can help convince potential buyers to take the plunge and secure purchases.

    Online Retail

    Buying vehicles online is a trend that could be established in the near future, with users buying a car online without having to set foot in a showroom. Forecasts suggest that this could happen by 2030.

    As a brand, having a presence on different platforms and adapting to each of them ensures a broader and more effective communication. To that end, creating entertaining and interactive content for Instagram, as well as informative videos on YouTube or conversational content on Twitter, can help you reach the right audiences in the right way.

    Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain

    Cryptocurrency as a means of paying for vehicles is a reality. Tesla accepting payments in Bitcoin has helped put the spotlight on cars and cryptocurrencies. Although this initiative was temporarily suspended due to environmental concerns two months after its announcement, interest is still very much present and it appears that car sales via Bitcoin will resume if a more sustainable scenario is achieved.

    Gaming

    Video games are spreading in the automotive industry through new proposals and gamification models, real games or game-like controllers in cars. Brands are seeing the opportunity to “transform” vehicles into real controllers, allowing users to use dashboard screens, steering wheels and pedals to play games inside their vehicles. Prime examples are Tesla with its Beach Buggy Racing 2 or Mercedes Benz with the famous SuperTuxKart game.

    Luxury

    Porsche, Bugatti and Ferrari are among the top brands with the highest interaction values in the broader industry conversation. Tesla also stands out in both the electric and luxury conversation.

    Although the United States has the largest share of the luxury car market, sales are expected to decline. On the other hand, it is expected that sales will increase in Europe and that the Asia-Pacific market will lead the sector due to the presence of numerous large-scale manufacturers in this region.

    Social Networks

    Tapping into the proactive conversation that users have generated around the automotive industry is crucial, and influencers can be of great help in achieving this. Collaborating with content creators could help communicate new products or services and achieve greater reach, spark conversation around the brand, drive traffic to the site and brand profiles, and reach wider audiences.

    *1. GlobalData
    *2. Builtin, Statista.

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  • Instagram Live Shopping Events

    Date: November 11, 2021

    Category: Social Media

    How does this new technology impact sales? Find out the five keys that brands should deploy for Black Friday and Xmas campaigns.

    It is a reality that social media is a storefront that companies can use to benefit and enhance their advertising campaigns. Instagram is perfectly aware of it and this is why they have improved its tool “Live shopping” now allowing direct sales of products through the app. How can brands be influenced by this improvement? 

    These are the top five benefits of including Instagram Live Shopping in your marketing strategy:

    Great boost for direct product sales

    Thanks to the inclusion of this type of technology to Instagram, there can be a heavy increase in direct product sales for this Christmas. Users will no longer have to remember which product their favorite influencer mentioned in the last live. With this new feature, users can buy the product instantly, without leaving the livestream.

    Exclusive products for exclusive users

    Instagram aims to get closer to its users and offer fun and differential live shopping tools. Therefore, it has launched a series of live shopping that, together with brands, will incorporate exclusive products and recommendations from influencers that will help maximize interest. Instagram lives are special because they have an immediacy that the rest of contents don’t have. Being able to buy exclusive products encourages the user to keep watching this type of content even more.

    Proven technology

    As a first approach, Instagram has created a series of additions that will take place during the months of November and December, which are the most important months in terms of sales. The content of its additions ranges from gift ideas to influencer collections. Due to the fact that this new addition is being tested, brands must be agile when implementing it to their strategies, since after December no one knows what may happen.

    Assured visibility

    It’s hard to make an estimation around the extra sales that Instagram Live Shopping will generate, because this will depend a lot on the brand and its strategy. However, it seems that Instagram is going to really support this channel and will encourage users to use it. In fact, during this first launch, Instagram will support brands to help maximize their sales by offering the users a 20% discount on their first purchase in the app, they will also offer free shipping on certain products.

    Ad hoc content

    With all of this, brands are going to be able to create specific content for this new functionality and add it into their marketing strategy, amplifying the message through the different streams of communication with the users.  In addition, it will help improve the engagement and sale of products.

     

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  • Big Data: Myths vs reality

    Date: November 10, 2021

    Category: Data & Metrics

    The phenomenon of big data (understood as the ability to generate, record, process, analyze and obtain intelligent information from a huge amount of data) is marking a before and after in many aspects of life and could be equivalent to the revolution that led to the development of the Internet. No business area or segment of our life is going to be left out of the reach of big data and its exploitation, for example, by artificial intelligence. There are not a few authorized voices that defend that the result of this pandemic would have been different if they had had better data to analyze.

    Let’s get an idea of ​​the dimension of what we are talking about. Already in 2012 – practically 10 years ago – the giant IBM stated that if all the bytes of data that we generate annually were saved on CDs and we piled them up, we would create a great round-trip tower from the Earth to the Moon. Since then, the increase has been exponential.

    And it is that cities are full of sensors that collect weather information, traffic, financial transactions, our footprint on the Internet, in social networks, in purchases, in the consumption of content, in how we travel, our health … We are the users and citizens anonymous, those who leave an impressive data trail, not only of what we do, but also of what we think and even how we feel.

    Data as a bargaining chip

    Data is the new bargaining chip. They are a new power. A few years ago, terrorist groups from the East discovered the location of American military bases in the area from access to data generated by the wearables of American soldiers… and yet we shared ours without thinking twice.

    We hate constantly entering our password so we “log in” to “unknown” pages using our RRSS with applications such as Facebook or Google. As consumers and individuals, our lives – our preferences, passions and prejudices – are encapsulated in many terabytes of data, in the cloud: from our purchase history on Amazon, through what we like on Facebook and Instagram, to our opinions on Twitter, who are our friends or family, what we Google and what we ask Alexa or Siri.

    To capitalize on this opportunity from brands and companies, it is necessary to understand what it is and what it is not and how we can apply it to our work. Next, we explore seven myths against as many realities around big data:

    Myth 1: EVERYONE USES IT

    The companies that are actually using their big data are very few. There are many top managers who are very interested in what it can offer, but when it comes down to it, they find it difficult to take the step towards a true digital transformation because of the ‘fear’ inherent to change. A strategic use of big data is not so widespread and, of course, much less in the field of communication and marketing.

    According to the report “Digital maturity in Spain. Data and Analytics ”of Indra’s subsidiary, Minsait, only 17% of the companies in our country had specialists in data analytics at the end of 2019.

    Myth 2: MORE DATA = BETTER DATA

    When people talk about it, the conversation is usually about the amount of data and how this amount grows. Size and speed seem the most important. Size is not really that relevant because, in fact, a very small percentage of all available data is actually being used today.

    The most important thing is quality. What makes big data really useful are the so-called 5 V’s:

    • Volume – How much do we have?
    • Variety – In what formats and with what variety of sources do we have the information?
    • Speed ​​- The speed at which is generated and added to existing data. Also, the speed at which we can analyze them, if it is in real-time, for example.
    • Veracity – The quality and veracity we have. The degree of trust.
    • Value – The value they bring us through their analysis.

    Myth 3: YOU NEED A LOT OF MONEY

    It is true that large corporations and governments are investing large budgets in hardware, software, storage and professionals with skills in these fields but, with each passing day, big data technology is getting cheaper and also increasing the number of software options that allows the analysis of that data. Increasingly, the use of big data is democratizing, allowing all players – from the largest to SMEs – to start developing their data-driven strategies.

    Myth 4: LEADERS SUCCEED WITH TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGY

    It is obvious that tools and technology are important, but it is not what success is based on. Success with big data is based, above all, on a company structure and culture based on data analysis. Being “data-driven” is more important than having a lot of it. Studies show that the more “data-driven” companies are considered, the better their performance and results. Being successful also requires fostering a culture of experimentation.

    Myth 5: THIS IS ABOUT IT PEOPLE, MATHEMATICS, ENGINEERS, ANALYSTS …

    Everyone wants to “build big data”, but very few people know how to structure this cycle. And, above all, the big question is what for? What do we want to know?

    Big data in itself is worthless. The question is not how much data we can have or analyze, but what we want to analyze it for, what we want to know, and therefore what kind of data we will need. And to adequately answer this, although it may surprise us, it is often necessary to have minds with a more “humanist” profile than a “science” one: philosophers, sociologists, linguists …

    The skills needed to use big data are only 50% technical or statistical. The other 50% are logical thinking: knowing how to formulate good hypotheses based on what we know and what we want to discover. The challenge does not lie with it, but with analytical thinking: the ability to recognize and solve problems using available information.

    Myth 6: BIG DATA IS THE NEW OIL

    Yes effectively. Despite the fact that the use of data to obtain information is nothing new at all. Like oil, it is useless in crude oil, it has to be refined and transformed into gasoline. Also big data is like a kilogram of flour or rice. They may have some value, but if we don’t know how to use them to make a recipe, they have no value because they are not edible.

    Myth 7: ALL DATA CAN BE ANALYZED

    There is a vast amount of data that cannot be tracked, measured, or analyzed. It is the so-called “dark social”: for example, all those visits to a website whose origin is unknown. Or all the occasions in which we share information via email or instant messaging such as WhatsApp, Snapchat or Messenger. This traffic is difficult to measure and essentially nearly invisible to most analytics programs. Several studies assure that the “dark social” supposes, at least, 50% of the traffic of any web.

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