Mediaboss Marketing

Nine in 10 people (91%) across APAC and Japan (JAPAC) believe it is not enough for businesses to say they are prioritising environmental, societal, and governance (ESG) - they need to see it in action and proof. According to the study "No Planet B" by Oracle and Pamela Rucker, CIO advisorfor Harvard Professional Development, even though half of the respondents (50%) believe businesses can make more meaningful changes on sustainability and social factors than individuals or governments alone, 75%are fed up with the lack of progress by businesses to-date.

Close to three in four (74%) respondents wouldbe willing to cancel their relationship with a brand that does not take sustainability and social initiatives seriously, with 72% saying that theywould even leave their current company to work for a brand that places a greater focus on these efforts. On the other hand, 89% said that they would bemore willing to pay a premium for their products and services if organisations canclearly demonstrate the progress they are making on environmental and social issues, along with 87% and 86% who said they would work for and invest in such companies respectively.

Close to nine in 10 respondents (89%) also believe businesses would make more progress towards sustainability and social goals with the help of AI, while 66% believe that "bots will succeed where humans have failed".

Human bias and operational challenges are holding businesses back

Almost 93% of business leaders believe sustainability and ESG programmes are critical to the success of their organisations. Around nine in 10 business leadersbelieve sustainability and societal metrics should be used to inform traditional business metrics, and 92% want to increase their investment in sustainability.

Yet business leaders face major obstacleswhen implementing sustainability and ESG initiatives. Obtaining ESG metrics from partners and third parties (39%), a lack of data (37%) andtime-consuming manual reporting processes (35%) were some of the common barriers cited by business leaders.Nonetheless, business leaders want to step up on their sustainability and social efforts as they help increase productivity (42%), strengthen the brand (40%) and attract new customers (37%).

The study also revealed that business leaders will trust bots over humans alone to drive sustainability and social efforts, with 91% saying organisations that use technology to help drive sustainable business practices will be the ones that succeed in the long run. Almost all of them (97%) also admitted thathuman bias and emotion often distract from the end goal.

About nine in 10 (94%) business leaders would trust a bot over a human when it comes to making sustainability and social decisions.

Some of the most common reasons cited include bots being better atcollecting different types of data without error (48%), makingrational, unbiased decisions (46%) andpredicting future outcomes based on metrics and past performance (45%).

On the flip side, business leaders also said that humans are still essentialto the success of sustainability and social initiatives as people are better at implementing changes based on feedback from stakeholders (51%); educating others on the information needed to make decisions (48%), and making context-informed strategic decisions (45%).

Juergen Lindner, senior vice president and CMO, global marketing SaaS, Oracle said thatit has never been more critical for businesses to invest in sustainability and ESG initiatives as people are looking for decisive action and are demanding more transparency and tangible results.Business leaders understand the importance, yet often have the erroneous assumption that they need to prioritise either profits or sustainability. The truth is this is not a zero-sum game. The technology that can eliminate all the obstacles to ESG efforts is now available, and organisations that get this right can not only support their communities and the environment, but also realize significant revenue gains, cost savings, and other benefits that impact the bottom line," he added.

Theevents of the past two years have put a spotlight on sustainability and social efforts, with 81% of respondents saying thatthe events over the past two years have caused them to change their actions and95% saying thatsustainability and social factors have become more important than ever. Among them, establishinghealthier ways of living (53%), saving the planet for future generations (49%) and helping to create more equality around the world (49%) were among the commonly cited reasons for wanting to makeprogress on sustainability and social factors.

However, 94% of respondents believe society has not made enough progress. Common attributes cited by respondents include increased emphasis onshort-term profits over long-term benefits (43%), people being too busy with other priorities (40%) and people being too lazy or selfish to help save the planet (37%)

The findings for this study were based on a survey conducted between 25 February to 14 March 2022 with 11,005 global respondents, among which 4,000 were from JAPAC.The survey explored attitudes and behaviors of consumers and business leaders towards sustainability and social efforts along with the role and expectations of artificial intelligence (AI) and robots in ESG efforts.

Related articles:Mixed progress in SG green transformation, sustainability manager role on the riseStudy: Singapore's SMEs need a lot more help in creating sustainable practicesAPAC firms' sustainability progress 'inconsistent', plans remain performativeWhat works better in advertising: Guilt or hope?

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Study: Will bots succeed where humans have failed in brand sustainable pushes? - Marketing Interactive

Whether you like it or not, influencers run the world. Personal training? Product recommendations? Fashion advice?Look no further than thehost of influencers that have become consumers be-all and end-all source for anything and everything. They may not be qualifiedbut does anybody really seem to care? The global influencer marketing industry is expected to grow to approximately US$24.1 billion by 2025 and, evidently, this new wave of social marketing is showing no signs of slowing. With all this power comes opportunity. Enter the virtual influencer, a digital persona that encompasses everything that the traditional influencer is, minus the inevitable scandal and burnout. In other words, a way for brands to have their cake and eat it too.

Managing the virtual influencer from an organisational standpoint

Are cartoons really going to take over the advertising world? In short, no. This is because behind the virtual influencers attractive appearance, clever remarks, and winning personality stands an entire team of skilled professionals. The virtual influencer may be a futuristic being, but, like today's music, it requires old-school techniques to render and manage.

Already there are over 150 virtual influencers in existence, with this figure expected to increase as influencer marketing spending for 2022 grows to a forecasted US$15 billion. From an organisational standpoint, the formula is simple and no different from managing a celebrity or politician: production + social media management = virtual influencer.

Virtual influencers should continuously be seen as a production effort, requiring a skilled team of CGI designers, 3D animators, storyboarding artists, copywriters, production and set designers, clothing and wardrobe producers, music producers, photographers, videographers, andas with every influencer or model in this day and agea healthy dose of Photoshop. See? Virtual influencers are human too.

Social media management for virtual influencers would be no different than any other branded initiatives, with tasks such as brainstorming relevant topics and social handles, and community management from a quick-strike standpoint on anything that is newsworthy or triggers the personality of the virtual influencer remaining at the forefront of management. In other words, the management of a virtual influencer follows the same classic approach of the traditional influencer.

Many may be wonderingthen whats the point? Besides avoiding scandal and controversy, the virtual influencer behaves on an as-needed basis, unlike a physical influencer which has to produce content almost daily. Rather than sharing every meal they eat in a day, the virtual influencer focuses on content that aligns with their point of view and therefore requires a much lower level of storyboarding, copywriting, and content creation compared to traditional influencers.

The golden ratio for virtual influencers

Is it a bird, a plane, superman? Close. While it isnt superman, the virtual influencer is the modern-day superhero for any brand. When we deconstruct the virtual influencer, the concept of its creation becomes far simpler. From the development side, something that will be integral for every brands virtual influencer is the creation of a personality. Just as every real-life influencer follows somewhat of an act and establishes a distinct personality through their content and aura, this needs to be accomplished with the virtual influencer.

The million-dollar question is,how can brands skip the trial-and-error period and perfect the virtual influencer from the get-go? Contrary to popular belief, the success of a virtual influencer does not rely on the way it is rendered. The core feature that will define a good or bad virtual influencer is its own definition of self. Who are you? What do you represent? What are your beliefs? Without a well-defined personality and character, the virtual influencers appearancewhether it is cartoonish, virtual, or hyper-realbecomes irrelevant.

The second feature of the so-called golden ratio for virtual influencers is self-awareness. Like any physical celebrity, virtual influencers can become too fake. For this reason, many are failing. The hyper-real, virtual beings with avant-garde hair and makeup and bizarre behaviours may be capable of garnering gossip, but they have failed to capture an influencer audience that would want to engage with the virtual influencer in a meaningful way. Virtual influencers should be looked at as a long-term investment rather than a trendy fad to succeed.

Like us, virtual influencers need to constantly level up

We live in the age of technologywhile the 20th century had the moon landing, the 21st century has the metaverse. It goes without saying that as technology upgrades, virtual influencers can be upgraded as well. From photo and video quality to producing 3D videos which are currently very expensive for virtual influencers, technological advancements will really only affect the aesthetic appearance of your virtual influencer and their content.

If your virtual influencer is focused on being hyper-real or uber-futuristic, then only time and technology will offer you the ability to heighten this experience. A word of advice? Dont put all of your eggs in one virtual basketthat is, dont base the success of your virtual influencer solely on appearance because technology doesnt evolve as fast as consumer sentiment does. Virtual influencers need to be consistently upgraded to uphold their personalities and worldviews. This is the key to remaining relevant and realistic. Take US virtual influencer Lil Miquela, whose global success and massive Instagram following (3.1 million) is credited to her transformative and ever-changing story and personality.

For brands, rendering a virtual influencer is an opportunity to graduate from the traditional influencer while continuing to wield their global influence. Just like the mobile phone in the 90s, the virtual influencer appears daunting and futuristic. The reality? Just like for any human being, authenticity remains at the core of their success.

Humphrey Ho is managing director of Hylink USA.

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Deconstructing the virtual influencer | Analysis - Campaign Asia

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B2b Unlimited Lead Generation Tools? ictsd.org - ICTSD Bridges News

Dive Brief:

TikTok has skyrocketed in popularity over the past two years, rapidly becoming an important digital platform for the marketing world and a favorite app for many consumers. While it had 508 million monthly active users as of December 2019, TikTok is now one of the world's most popular social media apps at over 1 billion active users. In 2021, it dethroned Google as the most popular web address in the world for the first time.

That popularity among consumers has driven brands to increasingly experiment with the app, including with e-commerce,and further embed TikTok into their marketing strategies.

"It has moved well beyond its roots as a lip-syncing and dancing app; it creates trends and fosters deep connections with creators that keep users engaged, video after video. Advertisers want to reach a passionate, dedicated audience, and TikTok can deliver that," Debra Aho Williamson, Insider Intelligence principal analyst, said in the report.

Skyrocketing interest in the platform among consumers and brands alike is propelling TikTok's ad revenue, which is expected to overshadow Twitter and Snapchat's ad revenue combined, per Insider Intelligence's new report.

While brands clamored to reach users on TikTok last year, the app attempted to cozy up to brands in a push to win marketers' trust and snag a larger share of their budgets. The app in 2021 made significant investments to bolster its standing among marketers by doubling down on privacy, ad measurement and commerce, adding creator tools and launching a TV app that's designed to bring the app to bigger screens in gyms and restaurants through a partnership with Atmosphere.

"Another factor that will drive growth in ad spending is TikTok's unique take on social commerce. It pairs marketers with creators to help content go viral, and that can drive enormous demand for products that advertisers want to promote," Williamson said.

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TikTok set to surpass combined ad revenues of Twitter, Snapchat - Marketing Dive

Just anecdotally, tourist and commuter crowds seem to have really surged this week in Manhattan, which is especially notable juxtaposed with the ridiculous fear mongering about this city I see so often.

When I asked USFL Exec VP/Football Operations Daryl Johnston what constitutes success for the new league, he said: The rally cry here is getting to Year 2." That seemingly simple ambition has eluded just about every pro football league that has launched in recent memory.

If the USFL is to become the first 11-on-11 spring league to have a sophomore year in nearly four decades, it must do two things:

With spending in mind, consider a few points that really stand out compared to most startups:

Birmingham's Protective Stadium will house all USFL games in the league's debut season

In terms of the product, execs from the USFL, Fox and NBC will be thrilled if there are eight QBs who can remain vertical and consistently hit a receiver in stride, and four games each weekend that are still up for grabs in the fourth quarter.

But Johnston does hope for some innovation value-adds. The USFL will use sensors -- not chains -- to measure for first downs, and the games will have more production elements than any game Fox has ever broadcast, aside from Super Bowls, Johnston said. Theres going to be so many unique and good things to talk about when this thing is over, its really going to be something that grabs the viewers attention, grabs the football fans attention, he noted.

Also, Fox Entertainments Blockchain Creative Labs is launching an NFT marketplace, and players will be allowed to create and profit from their own NFTs. Players who wear helmet-cams will be able to use that video too. Empowering players to be entrepreneurial with their own brand and identity is key to the plan. I wouldnt be surprised if we have a couple guys who make more money in the marketplace than they do in salary, Johnston said.

The first game is Saturday at 7:30pm ET, on both Fox and NBC. Three more games are on Sunday (NBC, USA Network and FS1).

After this weekend, the USFL will be back in court with some officials of the original USFL, who claim the new league has no rights to the league and team IP. I dont predict the thinking of a judge Ive never met before, but industry sources dont consider this suit a serious threat.

If the USFL does make it to Year 2, it will have competition in the form of a new-look XFL. The USFL has its players under effective two-year contracts, hoping to block out its stars from considering the XFL.

Late last month, Chiefs CMO Lara Krug and VP/Corporate Partnerships Kim Hobbs joined a contingent of six other team employees and two retired players for an eight-day trip to Germany, where the team now has marking and media rights under the NFLs international program.

One day, they convened a focus group of about 25 local NFL fans over beer and Bavarian cuisine at Paulaner Nockherberg, a large beer hall in Munich. Krug passes on two key learnings:

Along with the focus group, the Chiefs met with potential sponsors and media partners, and also started generating Germany-specific content. Accompanying them on the trip was Bayern Munich VP/Marketing & Communications for the Americas Dee Kundra (the Bundesliga club has a partnership with Hunt Sports Group).

Former players Dante Hall and Tim Grunhard pose with Munich residents at an outdoor market

The platform, from 6Connex, allows Rams fans to gather together virtually in various rooms

Rams

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SBJ Football: The USFL steps up for its turn in the spring spotlight - Sports Business Journal