COMPLACENT MARKETING requirements for businesses across the world and will need to be consented by the customers .
The need for customers to login or create profiles to access content will also increase as a first step to collecting customer data . The lack of access to consumer behavior from cookies will force marketers and advertisers to find more innovative ways to track customer behavior , even as consumer privacy is being prioritized more and more in the changing digital world .
As Google reduces the use of thirdparty cookies , YouTube has also made changes to its platform . The video streaming service no longer displays to viewers the number of dislikes a video has , even though this information will still be available to the content creators . While hiding the dislike button may not stop customers from giving their disapproval of the content , it may give brands more latitude to recreate content that did not resonate with audiences , manage a crisis better or express themselves better .
Removal of the number of dislikes a video has however may only send viewers to the comments section to express their disapproval which might be a much bigger problem for brands as they have to be on the lookout for negative comments , filter them and address them quickly before they get out of hand .
The dislike button was the quantitative review while the comments section offers the qualitative review . The move was aimed to shield brands from increasing cases of brand sabotage and cushion creators from being trolled on social media , but more may need to be done to track and filter negative sentiments from comments to make this feature fully effective .
Snapchat on the other hand will now allow marketers to buy multiple advertising formats in a set it is calling ‘ multi-format delivery .’ This new offering will include all of the platforms video ad formats including Snap Ads , Story Ads , Collection Ads and commercials and will feature the AR feature by mid next year . This will allow advertisers to better evaluate the performance of each format to determine the one that works best for their brand . Upon purchase ,
“ The fast paced changes present a continuous learning gap for today ’ s marketers and emphasize the need to study changing trends to remain relevant in the workplace , relevant to the brands they represent and in tune with the customers that they serve .”
advertisers only need to select multiformat delivery and the platforms ranking system will determine where best to fill in the ad within the selected formats . This will see advertisers get instant reports on the performance of their ads and will easily be able to determine who their audiences are and how best to reach them , information that may be relevant for other similar platforms .
Evidence of the rapidly changing online platforms is now being witnessed even beyond social media . The changes have now begun to break into online TV . Netflix recently launched video games on its mobile service . The games are available for android users and there are currently five different games on offer . One would imagine that the streaming giant would not be looking to distract audiences with games to increase viewership of the content that Netflix offers . Online gaming and online streaming services are almost direct competitors as they target the same people , same share of pocket and viewers would be doing either in their free time .
However , Netflix has a different view . The strategy is to have more of their users spend more time on the app either watching movies or playing games and through the games , they can track viewers ’ interest and collect data that helps them with future content decisions . For example , if one character is played more than the other , Netflix will further develop the character to star in a film . The games are part of the monthly subscription and do not include any ads .
This is an inexpensive way for Netflix to market the games , research on future films and influence trends related to online TV . The company has future plans to expand the gaming offering into a new business line and offer advertising on the platform for brands . Already , the video service has launched its website top 10 . Netflix where they share viewership data on shows and movies for both originals and licensed shows by region . The stats are updated weekly and gives any advertiser a clear picture of where to put their money .
This level of transparency about reach , coupled with the offer to advertise on the games and international reach that the company enjoys will disrupt advertising budgets for social media and even free-to-air platforms in the near future . Netflix will however benefit from increased revenues and traffic to the site .
As online marketing and advertising changes , and new entrants such as Netflix join the race to win over advertisers and marketers , marketing and communications professionals will have to get smarter with online executions and spend . Transparency of the sites will also need to increase to counter customer privacy issues even as customers continue to circumvent direct advertising on these spaces .
The reduced shelf life of content on these platforms for examples Snapchat and TikTok which offer a 24-hour lifespan of content means more time has to be spend by brands producing relevant content that fits into these consumption habits , keeping it fresh and serving it in multiple formats for maximum impact .
The revolution being seen with online marketing has only just begun and it may be safe to say the revolution is on the highway , we can only wait to find out where the road leads us . ■
Diana Obath is a seasoned Public Relations and Communications Specialist . You can reach her for this or related issues via mail on : ObathD @ gmail . com .
MAL 45 / 21 ISSUE 29