Exverus' Associate Director of Programmatic Marketing, Sean Edwards, published a full article on Adweek explaining why food and beverage brands should advertise on YouTube. For more marketing & advertising tips, research, & analysis, subscribe to our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter here .

Disproportionately focusing on short-term performance over long-term brand-building will hurt your overall success. The Long and Short of It If you took any marketing classes in college over the last decade, chances are good that you've read that reliable staple The Long and Short of It (TLASOI) by Peter Field and Les Binet. On the book's 10th anniversary, the concepts inside still feel fresh and relevant to our brand campaigns today. Nationwide, brands have been cutting their marketing budgets due to inflation and fears of recession. When times are tight, many marketers feel the pressure to close the sale and place a disproportionate emphasis on short-term performance metrics -- that's understandable! But be careful not to lose sight of the long-term brand trajectory. While the immediate ROI metrics can look attractive and seem to reinforce this approach, we caution marketers not to get short-sighted and overlook the importance of long-term brand-building. This mistake is called short-termism -- here's why it must be overcome to ensure brand success. W hat is Short-Termism? The Difference Between Long and Short Tactics Any Channel Can Support Long or Short Goals Balancing the Duality What is Short-Termism? In TLASOI, Field and Binet identified two distinct yet interconnected communication approaches. The "long" refers to a focus on brand-building over a three-year-plus timeframe, while the "short" emphasizes sales activation within a 12-month horizon. Short-termism is the marketing fallacy of focusing too heavily on acquiring new customers and activating sales, at the expense of building long-term customer retention and loyalty . Forces such as the rise of digital media suppliers, the emphasis on proving advertising value, and a lack of statistical skills can steer marketers toward shortsighted strategies. The Difference Between Long and Short Tactics Identifying what constitutes the "long" and the "short" in real-world scenarios can be challenging. It's important to recognize that both share the same overarching purpose but operate at different speeds. The short-term, sales activation component is evident in calls to action like visiting a website, purchasing a product, or responding to limited-time offers. In contrast, long-term initiatives aim to create lasting memories that drive enduring changes in behavior, such as building awareness among new consumers or driving consideration for premium products. Both long-term brand building and short-term sales activation contribute significantly to commercial success. The key lies in striking the right balance between these approaches for optimal results. Any Channel Can Support Long or Short Goals Misconceptions often arise when assigning media exclusively to one approach or the other. While certain media may align more closely with either the long or the short, any medium can serve both purposes effectively. Digital media, often seen as a short-term tool, can also be harnessed for long-term brand-building objectives. “You have to produce results in the short term. But you also have to produce results in the long term. And the long term is not simply the adding up of short terms.” - Peter Drucker, The Practice of Management Balancing the Duality The infamous 60:40 rule of marketing recommends 60% of a marketing budget be allocated to brand-building and 40% to sales activation. Though certainly oversimplified, the 60:40 rule still holds up as a general guideline to help marketers maintain a perspective of their overall goals and avoid short-termism. Of course, you should modify those percentages to serve your specific brand! The professional media planners and buyers at Exverus help CMOs and brand leaders overcome short-termism and set their brands up for lasting success every day. If you have questions about media strategy or balancing the many available channels, drop us a line on the contact page or comment below. We'd love to hear from you! This piece originally appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For more tips, research, and analysis; subscribe for free here .

For brands looking to take customer interactions to the next level, we're in a new era in conversational AI. If you've ever been on the receiving end of a wrong reply or misinterpreted AI command, you'll know it can make you question the validity of everything the bot has to say. ChatGPT is looking to bridge the gap between AI and direct customer engagement with its new plug-in architecture. How do brand plug-ins work? Companies like Instacart, Kayak, and Klarna are already using ChatGPT’s plug-ins to seamlessly integrate their platforms with users. With the Kayak plug-in enabled, a potential customer headed on a trip can ask ChatGPT open-ended questions like, "How much would it cost to travel to Bali in September?" and the system will relay Kayak's data. Or if a person is tasked with preparing a celebratory meal for their partner, they can ask ChatGPT, "What's the best meal to cook for my wife's birthday?" and receive recipe ideas with an ingredient list to turn into an Instacart order. In addition to driving more revenue for brands, plug-ins solve one of the most significant issues of AI-powered platforms: accuracy. With full knowledge of a brand's data in tow, ChatGPT will be able to effortlessly answer any question a potential customer may have. How should brands prepare? For starters, brainstorm ways to integrate your brand's digital experience with ChatGPT's plugin architecture. How can you provide personalized, contextual journeys for your customers within a conversational framework? Another way of thinking about it might be: what information do I wish I could more easily convey on my website without needing to rebuild or redesign my site? What would make the digital experience more user-friendly and dynamic? Next, examine how the early adopters are leveraging AI. Take note of the nuances that make their integrations successful and start mapping out ways to optimize your customers' experiences with your own plugin. But look before you leap. The first-to-market plugins are revealing issues with UI/UX on apps and websites. If you are pushing buyers to make a purchase - á la Instacart - ChatGPT can't process the purchase, it will redirect back to the brand's e-commerce platform. Lastly, there are security concerns. With plugins, ChatGPT can now interact with live websites, PDFs, and real-time information which has opened a whole new world of possibility and risk. Security researchers are warning ChatGPT users of "prompt injections," which essentially means that third parties can "hack" the AI responses by adding commands to content that would change the information the user receives without his knowledge. Is all of this terrifying, or terrifyingly exciting? It's surely a bit of both. Staying close to this topic is critical for understanding and preparing for the next chapter of how consumers will behave and businesses will operate. This originally appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For more tips, research, & analysis, subscribe for free here .

Social commerce (buying products directly thru social media apps) hasn't fully caught on in the West as it has in Asia. But we think it still can! Exverus President Bill Durrant explains how in a full-length op-ed published on MediaPost . For more marketing & advertising tips, research, & analysis, subscribe to our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter here .

Exverus Media Director Ian Clark spoke to Lisa Lacy at Campaign about how post-cookie UX will (or won't change) for digital consumers as Google phases out its third-party cookie data. For more tips, research, & analysis, subscribe to our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter here .

Digiday exclusively published our research on Generation Zennial, the microgeneration between millennials and Gen Z, which most marketers misunderstand. This news appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For more tips, research, & analysis, subscribe for free here .

Exverus President Bill Durrant wrote an op-ed in MediaPost about why performance media (or performance marketing) no longer works the way it used to. This news appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For more tips, research, & analysis, subscribe for free here .

Exverus received a glowing, feature-length review from Michael Burgi, Senior Editor at Digiday. We talked about our expansion into programmatic marketing, something not many small agencies can do. This news appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For more tips, research, & analysis, subscribe for free here .

According to multiple studies (and our own experience), mobile traffic has grown exponentially in daily media consumption over the last decade. It's more important than ever for marketers to optimize for not just the mobile experience but your company's SEO. Optimization is essential for your content and SEO strategy, and that's where Google AMP can step in, but it has some conditions: Advantages of AMP - Faster load times that improve and boost search rankings - Better UX; AMP offers the meat of a webpage without all the extras - Lower bounce rates meaning visitors are less likely to go to a competitor's website Disadvantages of AMP - High implementation effort, a developer will need to build an AMP template which equals time and money - Possibility of lower engagement; there are reports of other AMP users getting less engagement on their content So, Is AMP right for your website? AMP is primarily about improving user experience through faster site speed. Ensure that your site's user experience and content are optimized to get the most media dollars driving people to your business. And keep in mind that AMP is only one of many tools available to help with faster loading and streamlining websites for mobile devices.

The holiday season is almost upon us, so now is the time to consider where your brand will show up during the most competitive time of year. One overlooked platform with tons of potential? Gift review sites. Visits at product and gift review sites (Strategist, Wirecutter, CNET, Consumer Reports) were up an average of 690% from November to December 2020 YOY. This season’s traffic could be even bigger. Remember that not all gift review sites are created equal. Many of the top-searched and most-visited gift guide results don’t accept paid placements at all, or only work with affiliate links. On the other end of the spectrum, fashion and beauty publications like Elle, Vogue, and Glamour offer paid spots and product-focused editorial content. However, these sites do not have as many visits. The trick is to find the balance between quality, trust and scale. This will mean different sites for different categories, or integrating your own gift guide natively into the content on popular sites. Gift guides are a trust-based entry point for brands, especially those with low awareness, to encourage consumers to make an online purchase. By placing your products in gift guides, you can simplify the consideration process for consumers. The rise in ecommerce has magnified the importance of gift guides this holiday season. Many consumers are expected to look to online gift guides for their holiday shopping so meet them where they are. ‘Tis the season (almost).

The next frontier for ads may very well be mobile gaming. Sound far-fetched? A Deloitte Digital survey shows that more than 70% of Gen Z and millennials are open to viewing ads to reduce the cost of games. An additional survey found that 26% of Gen Z rank gaming as their favorite entertainment activity, a 7% increase from last year. But while mobile game ads may have potential, it’s important to keep the content fresh: 78% of gamers say there’s too much repetition in ads they see in mobile games, and they want to see more relevant ads. Why is this important? Mobile game ads could be a great option for brands who want to target millennials and Gen-Zers. Not only is this demographic receptive to ads on this platform but the usage numbers are significant. Mobile phones are the most popular gaming device with more than 150 million monthly mobile gamers, making up over 89% of all digital gamers. Additionally, the rise of mobile gaming may also influence viewership on streaming platforms such as Twitch. For brands seeking to find influencers, 65.8% of total hours spent on gaming video content was watched on Twitch. This gives marketers more options when it comes to deciding where to advertise. Final Takeaways Younger generations do not mind seeing advertisements in mobile games, as long as there is a true value exchange. Gaming is growing increasingly popular as a form of entertainment, giving advertisers more ways to reach their desired audience. Gamers are diverse and should not be generalized as one audience. Specific audience targeting is critical to ensure content resonates and performs.

What Snapchat’s AR Adoption Means for Marketers Augmented Reality (AR) is set to become a core focus in the coming years for brands and opens the door to new marketing, communications, and discovery possibilities. No longer is AR just for gaming. Snapchat conducted a study on AR, and has big plans to become a key player. Why should marketers pay attention? Here’s what Snapchat uncovered in their report: AR is already influencing people's shopping process , with more than 100 million people currently shopping using AR-enabled processes, such as virtual try-on options and digital product placements. AR keeps consumers engaged with new, relevant content that engages with their real life environment, and helps them make strong, confident purchase decisions. There is a gap in the market. Most AR-focused apps include home goods, furniture sellers, and other retailers including Houzz, IKEA, Sephora, and Warby Parker. But as far as social media apps, Snapchat is the only social platform created with a strong foundation centered on AR. The consumer appetite for AR is already here, with consumers far more likely to pay attention to brands who adopt AR into their marketing strategy. As a brand, now is the time to meet the demand and gain success in this market share for the future and utilize existing platforms such as Snapchat, Houzz, IKEA, etc., to participate in AR. - Bill & Team Exverus