Mediaboss Marketing

Spin is spin, even when it is written by journalists. (Image: scyther5 / iStock / Getty Images Plus)

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I first started writing articles when I was a teenager, as one of the ways I could contribute to the movement to stop the war on Iraq, to free the refugees from detention in Australia and to stop a waste dump being built where I lived (one of the poorest parts of Sydney).

I've been a journalist for 16 years now, writing from Bolivia, Mexico, Venezuela, Pakistan and other countries -- aiming to center the voices of those who aren't usually heard, and covering the other side of the story. But now, as a freelancer in Mexico, like many journalists and writers, I'm forced to do content writing between the journalism in order to pay the bills. As a result, I've learned a lot about how this huge and booming marketing industry works. I'm alarmed by how many people don't realize the supposed blogs they're reading are simply well-concealed marketing, and about the serious social impact of this calculated, dollar-driven invasion of the internet.

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Nearly half of millennials (43 percent) have been misled by medical information on the internet. A recent Harris Poll found that people tend to click the first article that comes up in a search, even though such articles are often advertising content aimed at selling medicine or medical devices.

When people aren't searching, they are often coming across such misleading content via social media. Of the 20 most-shared articles about cancer on Facebook last year, over half, according to TheIndependent, contained claims discredited by doctors and health authorities.

How does this misinformation make its way into widely circulated articles? Often, it is there on purpose: Content marketing -- corporate advertising disguised as articles, videos and information -- is being systematically manufactured on an industrial scale.

The global spend on content marketing is predicted to reachUS$313 billionby 2019 -- around double what it was in 2014. Companies are devoting more and more effort to creating advertising that doesn't look like advertising: content that consumers want to interact with, such as blog articles, infographics, reports and studies, moving emotional YouTube videos, social media content and "native advertising" (ads that look like news or opinion content).

Content marketing aims to be useful or entertaining so that consumers invest time reading or interacting with it -- unlike other forms of advertising that can easily be ignored. Companies are also mass producing content for their sites and social media pages, as more pages mean better search engine optimization, more visitors or social media views, and higher brand awareness.

The number of "news" stories has increased by 36 percent each year, Christopher S. Penn, VP of marketing technology with SHIFT Communications, toldEContent. He said that in 2016, his company expected 88 million stories to be published. "No matter how amazing we think our content marketing is, customers are drowning in media," he said, referring to the phenomenon as "content shock."

The overall composition of internet information is shifting toward strategically executed corporate drivel: substandard health articles aimed at convincing readers to consume more wine, real estate articles pretending to enable consumers with helpful "tips" to find the house they can't afford and emotionally manipulative Pepsi videos pretending to understand rebellion and social justice struggles.

The proportions of junk food we consume affect our bodies. Similarly, the composition of the information we're fed affects our collective knowledge, our ability to think critically and the focus of our collective attention.

The Quality of Content Marketing

"One's mouth becomes watery when, people around you boast of fried foods. Weather one is male or female, young or old, maximum people have the fondness for the shiny, greasy food," opens onearticleon Listovative. Though clickbait rather than content marketing, the article showed up at the top of two separate Google searches, showing that with the right strategy, low quality can make it to the top.

Then there'sthisunsound mortgage advice with bonus grammar mistakes on real estate site Trulia, including oversimplified statements like, "It might be five years before you recoup the initial costs of purchasing a home." Companies like Trulia employ a strategy of mass production of such content in order to attract clicks and readers. Typically, they content farm their "blog articles" from extremely underpaid and often inexperienced writers. Often, this means unqualified people are producing content that provides what is portrayed as serious health, parenting, diet and financial advice. The content pretends to be useful for the reader, but it could in fact be counterproductive, or even dangerous.

WebMD, for example, earned $561.3 million in 2016 from advertising and sponsored content -- 79.6 percent of its total revenue, according to itsannual report. Because the site produces good, reliable information, it can be hard to weed out the sponsored content, such as a depression test, sponsored by drug giant Eli Lilly, maker of antidepressant Cymbalta. Now removed from the site, the test gave everyone who took it the result: "Youmay be at risk for major depression."

As long ago as 2010, a Nottingham Universitystudyof health advice on the internet found that none of the sponsored or commercial websites provided correct medical information. A similar study from 2013 found that in searches about sports injuries, nearly half of the top results came from companies trying to sell something. Theresearchers-- doctors -- had noticed that many of their patents were coming in and, based on what they had read online, would request medical devices that were not appropriate for them.

Another type of content marketing with little integrity is "newsjacking," where companies use trending hashtags to promote themselves. A few of the more infamous examples of this include designer Kenneth Cole taking advantage of the Cairo protests in 2011 andtweeting,"Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online." The Golf Channel used Martin Luther King Day in the US totweet,"Tweet your 'golf' dream on the anniversary of MLK's 'I have a dream' speech."

Meanwhile,62 percentof business-to-consumer marketers use infographics as a tool as well, seeing that this didactic format works well as an advertising weapon.

The proliferation of junk content is aided by economic inequality. The internet is not a level playing field, and just like in the real world, those with more money often hog the limelight. Those companies with more money to spend on page creation, advertising, analytics, influencers (people with high social media followings can be paid to promote content) and social media campaigns skip to the front. Social media signals like retweets, shares, retweets by influencers and so on, candrastically affecta site's Google search ranking, and those retweets, likes and shares can be bought through companies like Mechanical Turk or Boostlikes.com.

The Business-Run Newsroom

On the other hand, the newsroom is being taken over directly by corporations, with businesses boycotting traditional channels and creating their own "newsroom" as part of their corporate website. (For instance, Red Bull may encourage you to find out the latest sports news by going to its site.) Meanwhile, traditional newsrooms are using their editorial teams, or setting up special native advertising teams, just to provide disguised content for companies.

CocaCola'snewsroomincludes not only articles about the product, but also listicles about topics vaguely connected to the product, such as16 Things You Didn't Knowabout Vending Machines in Japan and Around the World, and news sections, such as community, business and innovation. Plus, the site offers ways for consumers to participate -- by submitting photos of their "Coke moments," for example.

Red Bull'sContent Poolis focused on the sports and culture events the brand sponsors, as well as a quotes corner, photos of the week and "premium" film and music content. Red Bull TVstreams similar content live.

Nestl,according toColumbia Journalism Review(CJR), creates more than 1,500 pieces of content daily, with its subsidiary, Purina, a pet food company, having its ownanimal story site.

Still, there's an advantage for businesses if content they produce (or pay for) appears to be independently produced or published. This is where news outlets like BuzzFeed come in. In BuzzFeed videos, people try food and products, and their sometimes-critical responses lend credibility and interest value to the marketing, at a time when the newer generations are increasingly skeptical of direct advertising.CJR notesthat BuzzFeed employs a team of 65 people to produce work on behalf of corporate clients, while a larger team produces other editorial content.

The world of "native ads" is growing. Fairfax Media launched its native advertising business, Brand Discover, in 2015, and it has since grown from a team of three, to a full-time team of28, plus more than 3,000freelancers. In a campaign for the South Australia tourism authority, Fairfax created and published over 200 content elements, including listicles, infographics and itineraries. Time Inc., meanwhile, also launched its native advertising agency, The Foundry, in 2015, and itsteam of150has since served companies like Bank of America, Volvo, Emirates, Merrill Lynch and California Tourism.

Meanwhile, many consumers struggle to tell the difference between journalism and marketing, with nearly half of the respondents for onesurveynot knowing what native advertising was.

Fewer Journalists

With this mega shift towards news that is more directly produced by (or for) corporations, journalism is changing: Writers and journalists are expected to be able to write advertising copy, and those writing for company "newsrooms" are considered journalists.

More people are working in native advertising teams and as content writers, and the number of actual journalists is decreasing. In the US, the number of journalists in daily newspapers dropped by39 percentbetween 2005 and 2015 -- from 54,100 to 32,900. In the UK, the number of journalists dropped from70,000in 2013 to 64,000 in 2015, but the number of UK workers describing themselves as public relations professionals jumped from 37,000 in 2013 to 55,000 in 2015.

Many freelance journalists, writers and other creatives are also being forced to turn to content writing to supplement their income. This means journalists are writing more about food, celebrities, tech and companies than about social justice or global issues. On top of this, content writing can be extremely exploitative. Sites like iWriter pay rates of $1.62 for a 300-word article, and $4.05 for a 700-word article. Clients (in my experience) will then often read over the finished piece, keep the text and use it, then rate the writing low in order to not have to pay even that. Other sites like Upwork see freelancers competing to bid the lowest for their labor, while Upwork keeps 20 percent of the wage for itself.

Social Consequences of More Corporate Information and Content

The digital information we have access to is increasingly corporate-made and sponsored. Of course, collaboration between much of the big media and the business world isn't new, but this collaboration is increasingly pretending to be content worth reading -- and since the internet provides infinite space for articles, infographics and video content, we're seeing a deluge of this type of clandestine marketing.

The era of sponsored content portends a vulnerable fate for the next generation of consumers, when it comes to misinformation and manipulation. A2016 Stanford studyof US high school and university students found that their ability to analyze information on the internet was "bleak" and "they are easily duped." In one test, 80 percent of students believed native advertising was a real story. In the example, a picture of a homepage, the native advertising was marked clearly with the words "sponsored content." In another test, 40 percent of students felt that photos on their own -- without context, explanation or coming from a reliable source (in this case, uploaded to Imgur) -- were a reliable source.

Whether the content is low quality and uninformed or part of an expensive, well-resourced and multichannel corporate campaign, spin is spin when it comes from corporations -- and now, that spin is dominating the information quickly available to us on the internet.

Continue reading here:
Journalism Is Dying and Content Marketing Is Taking Its Place (I Know Because I Do Both) - Truth-Out

Photo by Alan W Silberberg

Not only is the cyber attack surface area ever widened, but so is the reach of digital marketers into you and your organization with each set of connections. Whether it is through tracking for ads, geo targeting or things like beacons, proximity awareness or previous visits in browsers to other digital outlets; persistent tracking that comes along with digital marketing is part of the cyber security and reputation security landscape for all of us.

So what happens when something that was not online; suddenly appears and re-arranges the alchemy of search results for you, for your company, or group? Is there a response plan? Have you any clue of what to do? Or is it something you never could imagine happening in a million years, and suddenly you need to call an expert to fix it for you? You have to apply cyber security and reputation security tactics and strategy; along with a digital marketers approach to putting the delicate alchemy in your favor.

But what happens what someone/some group intentionally puts fake or false information out there, and tries to tie you in some way to something nefarious or illegal or immoral; but in which you have nothing to do with the situation at all?

Or when some legal documents get dumped on the internet or when a video camera gets hacked or a "hot mike" situation with a recording device? All of these factors can instantly re-arrange the alchemy of search results; and sometimes bring media, legal or political attention that is totally unwanted or unmerited.

Nation state generated attacks thru social media, fake news and or "leaks" can be devastating to an individual, a company or an organization. The short term effects can overwhelm even the biggest companies and government organizations. The long term effects can lead to bankruptcy, loss of time, money, intellectual property, and even criminal situations.

Same is true for non nation state but well funded attacks and digital crisis that are intentionally caused. Same is true for attacks coming from really pissed off former employees, vendors, opponents. The age of artificial intelligence is creating a permanent situation where long forgotten documents are proving long made allegations, and making it so really nothing is hidden anymore. The cost of projecting such attacks is rapidly decreasing thus making it easier and easier for non nation state players to create nation state like attacks.

Multiply this on a scale factor depending on the size of your organization or group. Ignoring the needs of either cyber security or reputation security is asking for trouble. Ignoring the combined needs is asking for a search related disaster, in addition to whatever other problems might be caused by either cyber or reputation breach.

Prepare, Plan, Attribute. Respond. But this only works if one looks at cyber security and reputation security as one - if kept separate, then one failure on either side of the equation will alter this delicate alchemy.

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Reputation is Cyber Security is Digital Marketing - HuffPost

At a United Synagogue Youth convention around 10 years ago, Talia Salzman was sitting on her best friend Frank Schiffs lap, when one of their counselors joked, You guys are going to get married someday.

The two teens had known each other since elementary school. They met as students at Yavneh Day School in Los Gatos, when Salzman was in fourth grade and Schiff was in second; she had made fun of him by calling him Frankenstein.

Later, during their middle-school-year bus rides from the South Bay to Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School in Palo Alto, they became close friends. But it was strictly platonic: Salzman was two grades ahead of Schiff, and was beginning to date.

So even though Schiff did harbor some feelings for his friend that could be described as romantic, their mutual response to the USY counselor was, No way!

Eventually, that changed.

Schiff, 26, from San Jose, is an account executive at Quantcast, an internet marketing firm. Salzman, 27, from Saratoga, is a doula and Lamaze instructor. They live in Alameda.

The two remained close throughout high school, mostly through USY, and through most of college (though there was a two-year period when they werent in touch at all). So when Schiff reached out after a long absence, Salzman was overjoyed to hear from him. When they were on breaks from college, theyd see each other; often Salzman would have parties and invite Schiff and whoever was his girlfriend at the time.

But things took a turn when Salzman was home from grad school and Schiff home from college. She was recently out of a three-year relationship, and as soon as she saw Schiff, she noticed something different: She no longer saw a boy; she saw a man.

They stayed up talking until 4 a.m. The same thing happened the next night, and the next.

We had never hung out together in our 20s as single people before, so on that first night, there clearly was a different vibe in the air, said Schiff. And while we could have broken the friendship barrier, we had been friends for almost 15 years. I didnt want to go back to college and not see her for another extended period of time. The timing wasnt right.

By the time they returned to their respective schools, they were falling in love even though they hadnt even shared so much as a kiss.

It wasnt hard for me to picture our lives together after that weekend.

On Valentines Day 2013, when she sent him a text wishing him a happy one, he joked about someday putting a ring on it.

That summer, Salzman was planning a trip to Israel to attend a friends wedding, and told Schiff she was going to stop to visit him in Baltimore (where he was attending Johns Hopkins University) on her way back.

Several hours after her arrival, he asked if he could kiss her. It wasnt hard for me to picture our lives together after that weekend, he said.

Frank is the person that makes me feel like the world is a good place and that its so important to be a good person, Salzman said. She also appreciated how when he saw she was unhappy working a corporate job, he encouraged her to do what shes passionate about, which meant becoming a doula.

Talia has always struck me as very genuine and a good-hearted person, said Schiff (whose uncle is Adam Schiff of Burbank, the ranking Democrat on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee). Shes really funny and down to earth and able to talk endlessly. Of course Im attracted to her beauty, but at the core of our relationship is our deep friendship, and that binds me to her for life.

Both felt they should live and travel together before marriage, so after a year of living together, they planned a trip to Costa Rica for the fall of 2015.

Before leaving, Schiff visited Salzmans parents to ask for their blessing; he brought along a cubic zirconia ring (not wanting to risk losing a diamond) on the trip.

On their first day, while admiring Arenal, a live volcano, Salzman was so busy photographing it that she was caught totally off-guard when she turned around to find Schiff on bended knee.

They married March 26 at Congregation Beth David, with a reception at the San Jose Womens Club.

Rabbi Philip Ohriner asked both sets of parents to give the couple a special blessing, which they did between the ketubah signing and the ceremony.

The reception was marked by a flash mob that the bride had planned and choreographed (she spent much of her bachelorettes weekend teaching it to her friends) surprising the groom and a slideshow not only featuring slides of them as children, but as children together.

See the rest here:
Childhood best friends hit reset for romance as 20-somethings - Jweekly.com

Jul 23, 2017

While it's impossible to predict with certainty the trajectory of any evolving technologyafter all, none of us has a crystal ball to gaze into the futurehere are a few thoughts about where the IoT market might be headed, based on an online survey that Ayla Networks conducted in March 2017:

IoT 2.0 is well on its way. The IoT has progressed a long way in its transition from a novelty to a mainstream tool. More than half of our survey respondents said they already have IoT-enabled products on the market. Among those who don't, more than one-third work at companies planning to start IoT projects within the next 12 months. And experienced IoT implementers are increasingly looking beyond simple IoT connectivity to concerns about what to do with IoT data and how to scale their connected product offerings.

The benefits of the IoT will be well understood, while risks and challenges will be reduced. Comparing those looking back from the perspective of having launched IoT products with those looking ahead from the sidelines, it's clear that going through the IoT implementation process leads to a more positive perspective. In general, we predict that jumping into the IoT will be a good bet for the vast majority of manufacturersas well as the customers they serve.

Do-it-yourself IoT might not be dead, but it will continue to lose steam for most IoT implementations. In our survey, few respondents planned to depend entirely on their own internal resources to build their IoT solutions, and even fewer planned to hand over 100 percent of their IoT implementation to an outside party. The vast majority chose a mixed implementation, combining home-grown and outsourced resources. This realization points to the fact that in the classic build-or-buy question, the answer is "both."

Another point that emerged from our survey is that IoT technologies and expertise delivered in a specialized IoT platform will continue to be important for the foreseeable future.

Who Took the Survey? A total of 355 people responded to Ayla's online survey. Slightly more than half (53 percent) fell into the IoT-experienced campanswering "yes" to the question, "Are any of your products already IoT-enabled?"with the respondents answering "no" or "I don't know" making up our IoT newbies group.

Respondents work in industries including telecommunications; consumer electronics; industrial automation; smart home; heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC); health care; utilities; lighting; automotive; financial services; aerospace; education ; and government. Their job functions spanned C-level and other executives through product management, hardware and software product development, IT, systems design, business development, technical support/service, marketing and sales.

Rod McLane is the senior marketing director at Ayla Networks, located in Santa Clara, Calif. You can contact him at rod@aylabetworks.com.

More:
The State of Internet of Things Product Development - IOT Journal

Email and mobile are still viewed as separate digital marketing channels, but email marketers need to increasingly begin thinking about mobile, as the majority of Americans now engage with their inbox via smartphones.

Email messages opened on a mobile device have nearly doubled over the past five years, according to a report released this week by data and email solutions provider Return Path. Return Path analyzed more than 27 billion email opens between May 2016 and April 2017 using the companys email tracking solution, Email Client Monitor, and geolocation tool, Geo Email Monitor.

Fifty-five percent of emails analyzed during the study period were opened on a mobile device -- an increase from 29% identified in a similar study in 2012. Almost 80% of mobile email opens occur on iOS, quadruple the number of mobile opens on Android devices.

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Emails opened on an internet browser, on the other hand, have dropped 26% over the past five years. Whereas webmail accounted for 37% of email opens in 2012, only 28% of emails are now opened on an internet browser. Almost six out of every ten webmail opens occur on Gmail, a significant increase from 6% in 2012. Gmails growth has come at the expense of Yahoo, according to Return Path, as Yahoo webmail opens have declined from 37% in 2012 to just 5% during the study period.

Desktop email opens have likewise declined as mobile engagement has increased, dropping from 34% in 2012 to 16% today. Interestingly, both desktop and webmail email opens increase slightly during the workweek. Similarly, mobile opens rise to 60% of all email opens during the weekend.

Mobile technology has transformed the way consumers engage with their email accounts, so it is imperative that email marketers consider this when developing their email strategy. Mobile optimization is critical to ensure messages display correctly on any screen theyre opened on, as is A/B testing.

Email marketers may also want to consider tightening up their email content so that it is shorter, more precise, and easier to read on a handheld device.

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Majority Of Emails Read On Mobile Devices - MediaPost Communications