Nearly 70% of all smartphone users look at their phones within 15 minutes of waking up each morning. Their uses may vary; glancing at the morning’s news stories, catching up with friends or watching videos that entertain them. All said and done, we tend to place our mobile devices right smack-dab in the center of our lives. Brand marketers have been adept at transforming content for mobile devices, and the advertising industry is continually striving to keep up.

Brand marketers will give up a record $5 million for a 30-second ad during the FOX broadcast of this upcoming 2017 Super Bowl. However, things are a bit different this year. Because of the chatter about the game happening online, those wanting to market their goods in conjunction with the big game are also pouring record amounts into their digital advertising platforms. According to Jesse Cahill, head of planning for North America at Essence, “You don’t necessarily need to be in the live broadcast with the rise of the cultural wave for particular events.

According to recent research, less than 30% of small businesses use website analytics. In fact, 18% of them admit that they do no tracking at all. Also, one third of advertisers indicate that they don’t know which digital marketing tactic produces the largest positive impact on their bottom line. As an example, 26% say that it’s email, 17% say it’s SEO, 15% indicate that it’s paid search and 5% speculate that it’s online display advertising.

A High Bounce Rate is Not a Problem … As a Matter of Fact, It’s to Be Expected! Here’s why: People are watching something else, or possibly involved in a project when they see an ad They may be watching the game, or a movie, or even funny YouTube videos that they don’t want to break away from … BUT … they may click on the ad to get the name of the company, with intentions of going back to it when they get a chance Because cookies can be dropped after a set amount of time, by the time the viewer eventually gets to the customer’s site, it may not be credited to the ad, but it will count for organic, direct traffic or even a paid search ad With new and broadening knowledge of conversion optimization and website design, users needn’t navigate deeply into a website to locate info they are seeking.

The future has arrived, and it’s called 360 Degree Immersive Video. Viewers can now submerge themselves into the middle of a scenario rather than watch it from the sidelines. This goes for all kinds of productions, including sports, music, tours, exploration and more. With traditional film and video, the director films what he wants. The editor then determines the right moments and the proper angles that he deems most effective.

There is no denying that mobile digital advertising has become a key component for brand marketers. Recent data indicates that there are more than 200 million smartphone and tablet users in the United States. Mobile now represents 65% of all digital media time, with mobile applications dominating that usage. Since 2013, desktop has lost 12 percentage points and has now receded to 35% of digital time spent. But, while it’s pretty clear that mobile is continually on the rise, marketers would be remiss to place all their eggs in one “digital basket,” and allocate 100% of their advertising budget to mobile.

Marketing advancements working hand-in-hand with technology are once again undergoing major breakthroughs, and Genius Monkey is, as always, on top of the action. We want you to be aware of this up-and-coming tech-assisted form of advertising that is creating quite a buzz in the advertising world … it’s called a “beacon.” Beacons are inexpensive pieces of hardware. They are small enough to be attached to a wall, or placed on a countertop.

Technology is continually advancing in the world of programmatic advertising. And as technology changes, so does Genius Monkey. We have always been on the cutting edge of advancements, ready to implement whatever we can to further the targeting efforts for our clients. As new technology comes along, we like to share it with our followers. Virtual Reality is one of those advancements that may one day be commonplace in the advertising industry.

In July of 2011, consumers were introduced to a new way of acquiring razors and the blades that go with them. They became available at a fraction of the cost of purchasing them from a retailer, and the goods would be delivered right to customers’ doorsteps. It was called Dollar Shave Club. In July of 2016, the multinational consumer goods company, Unilever, acquired Dollar Shave Club, reportedly paying $1 billion dollars in cash.

The Arizona Technology Council (AZTC) and Business Marketing Association (BMA) Phoenix Chapter are excited to present the eighth annual Marketing Technology Summit, presented by Genius Monkey This event is billed as the largest gathering of B2B marketing professionals in the entire state. It is to take place on Thursday, August 18, 2016 at ASU SkySong, located at 1475 N Scottsdale Rd in Scottsdale, Arizona (Room 130). Registration opens at 12:30 pm and the opening remarks begin at 1:00 pm.