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.

Exverus VP Sifat Ullah published a full article in Adweek on the pros and cons of retail and social media buying. Learn how to make the most of each! This news appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For more tips, research, & analysis, subscribe for free here.

Ad Buying by AI Roku is the latest to take a deep dive into the power of AI, and it will reimagine how brands advertise on the platform. The company recently announced its plans to integrate contextual AI into its ad placements, allowing marketers to serve ads that better align with their audience's wants and needs. This news comes on the heels of the hardware and software company's announcing better-than-expected earnings last quarter ($741MM). Coupling this update with more ad placements on Roku's home screen, screensaver, and within the company's original content; the platform is positioned to be a powerful option for companies looking for more access to their niche. How does contextual AI work? Roku has developed a way to scan what they're calling "iconic plot moments" that closely align with the tone, messaging, and concepts of a brand's campaign. Companies start by sharing what their campaign is about -- the overall theme of their offer. Next, Roku's AI-powered tech will rummage through its content library to find the perfect moment to share the message. The Results Since it's still in the early stages, the data on Roku's contextual AI integration effectiveness is limited; however, you can expect much more information to come. With access to better consumer personalization technology, a business's campaigns will stand out from the competition and become top of mind for customers. We've always believed in the power of contextual relevance and find it especially powerful in culture-defining television programming. What do you think about Roku's adoption of contextual AI for their ads? How will aligning your brand with the right story or setting inspire your customers? This article originally appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For the most up-to-date news and tips to improve your media strategy, subscribe for free here.

With TikTok's future uncertain in the United States, parent company ByteDance is aggressively pushing another digital lifestyle platform. Although the platform isn't new, Americans are just starting to catch on to Lemon8 as a creative outlet and, potentially, a social media marketing tool. So, what exactly is Lemon8? On the surface, Lemon8 looks a lot like Instagram. A grid layout displays images and videos posted by its users; followers can interact and engage. But that's where the platform departs from past social media trends. On Lemon8, users post "Microzines," consisting of 3-5 photographic slides (sometimes more, sometimes with video) on trending topics. Lemon8 is attempting to offer a more editorialized and templated approach to social media than any other platform (think Pinterest but with a bit more panache). Instead of an endless vertical scroll, as with Instagram and TikTok, Lemon8 clusters content by categories and interests. Want to browse beauty supplies? Click the beauty tab. Want to see what new albums are out? Check out the music tab. The categories are a shortcut to finding niche content faster than with a search bar (or waiting for the FYP algorithmic gods to serve you the right video). Marketing & Monetizing on Lemon8 By shifting the focus to polished content, it seems as though Lemon8 will be an ideal place for influencers to monetize their audiences and for the digital marketing industry, in turn, to do business with creators. But as of right now, it's unclear how the moneymaking portion of Lemon8 will operate. Will creators receive donations? Will Lemon8 sell user data to advertisers running sponsored posts? Or will it become a subscription service? Will it become flooded with advertising and lose users looking for a more organic experience? All of these questions will be answered in time. It's early days yet, but with some sources reporting 6.3 million worldwide downloads in the last 6 months, Lemon8 marketing is definitely a tactic to consider in your next social marketing plan -- especially if your target audience is Gen Z or Gen Zennial. Speaking of Gen Zennial... Exverus Media recently published original market research into the microgeneration between millennials and Gen Z, Generation Zennials. They have some surprising consumer & media habits -- (did you know they listen to AM/FM radio significantly more than their millennial counterparts?) Download our free whitepaper below and get an edge over the marketers approaching this cohort all wrong. This article originally appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For the most up-to-date news and tips to improve your media strategy, subscribe for free 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.

Exverus Managing Director Talia Arnold lent her expertise to MarTech Series in a guest article on cookie-less marketing for the future. This news appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For more tips, research, & analysis, subscribe for free here.

Let's be honest: design, logos, colors, and other visually pleasing marketing materials are a lot of fun to create. However, the rise and popularity of audio have become pivotal for brands, and finding your audio identity is essential. In fact, countless studies have been done on the psychology of audio and how it informs and builds an emotional connection between brands and their audiences. Sounds like Netflix's logo animation intro, McDonald's jingle for "I'm Lovin' It," or even Liberty Mutual's "Liberty" jingle have become memorable and iconic. How would consumers associate with those brands if there were no sounds to accompany them? Think about what sounds should exemplify your brand, from podcasts to live audio, commercials, and social media. When a brand chooses the right audio, it can catch on and be more than just an ad or piece of content; it becomes part of your brand's identity. Here are three quick tips to help you get started on identifying your brand's audio identity. 1. Know your customers Whom are you selling to, and what sounds will appeal most to them? Research the average age of your customer, what kind of brands they enjoy the sound of, and what they're looking for from your company. 2. What emotion do you want to convey? Think about how you want your customers to feel when they interact with your brand. Do you want them to feel calm, happy, relaxed, or excited? Each will sound different from the others, so it's essential to choose the one you want your customers to feel and ensure your audio matches that choice. 3. Be consistent Like any marketing strategy, it's important to make sure your tone shines through in your audio branding, no matter where your customers interact with it. Whether through a jingle or a voice, make sure you select the right sounds for your brand, who share its voice, and the perception you want to create for your company.

Like consumers, brands can vote with their dollars, and that is precisely what they've been doing lately to align their media spends with their core values to take a stance. Unilever is one of those companies and led by example when they protested the irresponsibility of social media companies last year through a six-month social media advertising boycott, including its longtime partner, Facebook. So, how can your company also take a stance with your media dollars? Rob Master, Unilever's Vice President of media and digital engagement, suggests developing a “responsible framework.” He emphasizes the importance of making industry and media partners accountable for brand-safe environments. This model will hold both the industry and your company responsible for what it's putting out in the world. Your company's framework should also include determining KPIs on responsible investment goals, valuing these the same as business KPIs, and having the confidence to operate with a purpose knowing that it will lead to business success. In fact, there are many benefits to companies that choose to take a stance and lead with their values: - Increased sales - Better hiring pools - New branding opportunities that set your company apart from the competition, - An increase in exposure to news sites, influencers, and third-party blogs, - And increased customer loyalty because your company is aligned with buyer values A company with a great example of this is Ben and Jerry's. While Ben and Jerry's has been around for generations, many choose to support the brand because they are known for their environmentally-friendly practices, such as local sourcing. They have even created ice cream flavors to support environmental protection (Rainforest Crunch and Save our Swirled), with proceeds donated to help those causes. Consumers not only get a tasty treat from supporting Ben and Jerry's but the peace of mind that they are helping a brand make an impact in the larger world. More customers expect brands to take a stance on causes, and companies that fail to embrace that call-to-action risk being passed over for another brand practicing brand activism.

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.

Email marketing continues to have huge marketing potential, even with social media and other digital platforms increasing in popularity. But as we move into 2022, business will need to be savvier than ever to take advantage of this growing and increasingly important (first party data!) marketing channel. Here are the top two trends we are already seeing for next year: Trend #1: Using AI for Optimization Many businesses remain perplexed by the concept of artificial intelligence (AI), and even experienced marketers are skeptical of the use of AI in email marketing. However, there is more data available online than any marketer could ever handle, and I is necessary. AI can be used for: - Predicting outcomes with analytics - Testing and creating email subject lines and optimizing send times - Cleaning up mailing lists - Survey optimization - Increasing the speed of email marketing campaigns Trend #2: Hyper-personalization Customers want to feel valued and understood by the brands they purchase from. One of the most significant ways to make customers feel this way is through a comprehensive personalization strategy. Personalization is more than just a name. Analyze your customers' purchasing habits, preferred products, and services and create a series of emails related to their behaviors. You can also recommend content, products, tailored promotions, and messages by audience segments and trigger emails based on shopper/visitor behaviors and patterns. Trend #3: First party data We know that consumers will click on the products, headlines and deals of most interest to them. Use this data to segment your consumers, build first party data pools, and target them through other digital media. This will ensure you convert as many sales as possible. With 2022 approaching fast, take advantage of these email marketing trends now. Be sure to keep in mind how each will benefit your company and drive results.