Mediaboss Marketing

Zoho

Zoho announced this week Zoho Marketing Plus, its solution to unify its marketing products into one platform. Zoho is a company that I follow closely as a leader in business SaaS, offering a suite of over fifty web-based business applications that is scalable vertically and horizontally within a business.

Zoho greatly emphasizes its customer experience (CX) within its customer relationship management platform (CRM). Its enterprise-level operating system Zoho One does just that by connecting all lines of business (LOB) and with customers. I mentioned in my coverage of Zoho One that Zoho's long-term goal is unification at every level, from experience to the applications and right down to the infrastructure and networks that run in the background.

Zoho Marketing Plus is just thatconnecting the multiple moving parts of marketing to create a seamless collaborative experience for stakeholders, customers, and marketing organizations. The key point that I want to make is that this is not Zoho's jump into marketing. Zoho has successfully offered marketing SaaS within its Zoho operating system for almost a decade. Zoho Marketing Plus looks to unify Zoho's marketing platform allowing for more personal CX and continuity across the Zoho operating system. Let's take a look.

A shared view of everything

When it comes to marketing, there can be a lot of moving partsteams, content, and partners that are all trying to work together on the same goal. There are thousands of people working on one product launch, marketing project, or campaign in some cases. It becomes difficult to see all of the collaboration across projects and per team progress while keeping the shared customer in view and being as efficient and impactful as possible.

Campaign Overview dashboard within the Marketing Projects page. Source

Zoho has taken a top-down approach by implementing a dashboard that allows the marketing leader to keep track of what is going on with respect to time. Zoho included a shared view of projects with schedules, tasks, and history of what is happening within a project or campaign. As someone who has been a chief marketing officer (CMO) and has been a part of many high-level multi-million-dollar marketing projects, I can attest to the amount of juggling that is done, and being able to see where everything is in a uniform manner opens up the marketing team to focus on improving the overall customer experience.

Similarly, Zoho has included a shared view of content with documents, spreadsheets, and decks so that teams have one place to see all of the artifacts of the projects. It is one centralized place for teams to conveniently pull out whatever content they need while also allowing other teams to do the same with continuity. I believe this method is a convenient way to ensure all assets are uniform in design, content, etc. I see this repository of marketing content is most helpful for marketers who are still learning the ins and outs of the marketing team. The repository of data gives marketers a glimpse of how content within a campaign or project should look based on what assets are already present.

Zoho has also made it to where marketing teams have a shared view of performance on a specific project with segments and metrics. Zoho has integrated other Zoho applications, including Campaigns, Social, Webinar, Analytics, Marketing Automation, Workdrive, PageSense, Survey, and Backstage within Marketing Plus for real-time data aggregation and analytics. Zoho gave examples of a heat map for a desktop page within the PageSense tab that showed which part of the page visitors to the sight was going. I believe feedback is paramount to improvement, and every marketing organization should be asking how to improve next go-around. Zoho has made this an important component of its push for unity within the Marketing Plus and this shared view of marketing data for all of a marketing team is a great idea.

Zoho heatmap on PageSense.

Collaboration

Zoho has also consolidated its collaboration across projects and other LOBs. Zoho says marketing teams will be able to connect and collaborate on projects in tandem and with ease, with the ability to maintain version control. Collaboration is one of the SaaS topics I have written about most over the past couple of years as we have seen the digital transformation of businesses. Zoho recognized that collaboration happens around the content and assets being created for a project. The productivity suite that Zoho has for creating content has enabled features like commenting and version management for content collaboration.

Zoho has expanded this collaboration, recognizing that collaboration with other LOBs is also important. Zoho has enabled cross-functional collaboration with sales teams. So for example, marketing teams can see the pipeline status of leads and see what is working and what is not. Zoho has included analytics dashboards that can pull from other LOBs or third-party solutions so that marketing teams can adjust projects for better revenue growth.

Zoho has also enabled cross-functional collaboration across services like social media websites. I believe this is strategic because it gives marketing teams a closer and more accessible line to customers through multiple diverse channels.

New Customer Tools

Zoho has given marketing teams a more comprehensive view of customer databases with new search capabilities and contact lists. Marketing teams can segment customers through a list of criteria. In talking with Zoho, it is not making moves on customers' privacy, as there is no new accumulation of customer data, but rather giving marketing teams tools to understand customers better. I do not believe this is an evasion of privacy for customers because there is a right way to use information about customers and a wrong way. So, for example, there is public and private information about a person (customer), but there is also information we as consumers give to companies so that they are better able to supply our demands. Zoho simply makes it easier for marketing teams to utilize the data that customers have entrusted to business. Through many talks I have had with Zoho, it holds privacy for customers to a high degree and I do not believe this compromises that principle.

Zoho has enabled marketing teams to gather insights within the automation process by aggregating a marketing team's automation process. The Marketing Automation dashboard in Zoho Marketing Plus shows the automation of a project or campaign. It has AI-powered data analytics that optimizes customer preference and tracks the engagement of customers. Based on this feedback from customers, marketing teams can change automation processes within a project.

The Marketing Automation dashboard with a webinar as an example.

Wrapping up

By unifying Zoho's marketing platform, it is continuing its goals to unify the entire Zoho operating system as one well-oiled platform. Zoho has unified the entire marketing process, creating a shared view of everything and collaboration across LOB and customers. The most compelling point of Zoho Marketing Plus is that Zoho has been successfully offering marketing products for quite a while, and this is Zoho aggregating the entire platform. The more Zoho can unify its products, the more valuable its tools become and the better CX.

Note: Moor Insights & Strategy junior analyst Jacob Freyman contributed to this article.

Moor Insights & Strategy, like all research and analyst firms, provides or has provided paid research, analysis, advising, or consulting to many high-tech companies in the industry, including 8x8, Advanced Micro Devices, Amazon, Applied Micro, ARM, Aruba Networks, AT&T, AWS, A-10 Strategies, Bitfusion, Blaize, Box, Broadcom, Calix, Cisco Systems, Clear Software, Cloudera, Clumio, Cognitive Systems, CompuCom, Dell, Dell EMC, Dell Technologies, Diablo Technologies, Digital Optics, Dreamchain, Echelon, Ericsson, Extreme Networks, Flex, Foxconn, Frame (now VMware), Fujitsu, Gen Z Consortium, Glue Networks, GlobalFoundries, Google (Nest-Revolve), Google Cloud, HP Inc., Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Honeywell, Huawei Technologies, IBM, Ion VR, Inseego, Infosys, Intel, Interdigital, Jabil Circuit, Konica Minolta, Lattice Semiconductor, Lenovo, Linux Foundation, MapBox, Marvell, Mavenir, Marseille Inc, Mayfair Equity, Meraki (Cisco), Mesophere, Microsoft, Mojo Networks, National Instruments, NetApp, Nightwatch, NOKIA (Alcatel-Lucent), Nortek, Novumind, NVIDIA, Nuvia, ON Semiconductor, ONUG, OpenStack Foundation, Oracle, Poly, Panasas, Peraso, Pexip, Pixelworks, Plume Design, Poly, Portworx, Pure Storage, Qualcomm, Rackspace, Rambus, Rayvolt E-Bikes, Red Hat, Residio, Samsung Electronics, SAP, SAS, Scale Computing, Schneider Electric, Silver Peak, SONY, Springpath, Spirent, Splunk, Sprint, Stratus Technologies, Symantec, Synaptics, Syniverse, Synopsys, Tanium, TE Connectivity, TensTorrent, Tobii Technology, T-Mobile, Twitter, Unity Technologies, UiPath, Verizon Communications, Vidyo, VMware, Wave Computing, Wellsmith, Xilinx, Zebra, Zededa, and Zoho which may be cited in blogs and research.

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Zoho Continues To Unify Its Operating System With Zoho Marketing Plus - Forbes

The social media accounts of a number of political holders and government agencies in Singapore, including president Halimah Yacob andprime minister Lee Hsien Loong,have been spammed with comments from supporters of Indonesian preacher Abdul Somad Batubara. Batubara,who arrived in Singapore on Monday with six travel companions, was denied entry and sent back the same day due to his history of extremist teachings, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement.

A quick check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE confirmed that other accounts that were targeted include Lee's Twitter page, senior minister Teo Chee Hean's and foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan's Instagram accounts, the Singapore Government's and Ministry of Law's Twitter pages, as well as the Instagram pages for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore Tourism Board and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE also found that the hashtags#SaveUAS and #saveustadabdulsomad were most commonly used by the spammers. Most of the spam comments were hashtags, and complaints the matter. For instance, one netizen said, "Singaporeans do not deserve to treat our teacher Ustad Abdul Somad, a person we respect, like that."

According to the ministry, while Batubara had attempted to enter Singapore ostensibly for a social visit, the Singapore Government takes a serious view of any persons who advocate violence or espouse extremist and segregationist teachings.

"For example, Batubara has preached that suicide bombings are legitimate in the context of the Israel-Palestine conflict, and are considered 'martyrdom' operations. He has also made comments denigrating members of other faith communities, such as Christians, by describing the Christian crucifix as the dwelling place of an 'infidel jinn (spirit/demon)'," MHA added.

Separately, IMDA banned the release of a controversial Indian film,The Kashmir Files. According to multiple media outlets includingChannel NewsAsia,Reuters, andThe Straits Times, the film centres on the exodus of Hindus from the disputed Muslim-majority Kashmir region.

After assessingThe Kashmir Filesin consultation with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the Ministry of Home Affairs, media outlets reported that IMDA found it to be beyond its film classification guidelines. The agencies then decided that the film will be refused classification for its provocative and one-sided portrayal of Muslims, as well as the depictions of Hindus being persecuted in the ongoing conflict in Kashmir, media outlets said.

Photo courtesy: 123RF

Related articles:IMDA bans The Kashmir Files for 'one-sided portrayal of Muslims'Vietnam bans Sony's movie 'Unchartered' over South China Sea imagesDreamWorks' Abominable film revoked in Vietnam over South China Sea map

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SG govt officials and agencies' social accounts spammed as Indonesian preacher denied entry - Marketing Interactive

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MONAT Gratitude announced today that it is accepting applications for the third cycle of its grant program to enrich youth education programs across the globe. Eligible nonprofits in the U.S., Canada and Europe can apply for grants ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 through June 4.

The grants are a result of MONAT Gratitudes $1 million pledge to close achievement gaps in underserved communities around the world by supporting new and existing initiatives in arts and culture, youth sports and recreation, and youth entrepreneurship. So far in 2022, MONAT Gratitude has invested more than $380,000 in youth education programs through the grant program.

Students everywhere are in need of increased opportunities and resources to help them be successful, and thats exactly why we created this grant program, said MONAT Gratitude CEO Lu Urdaneta. We are committed to investing in the next generation by supporting nonprofit organizations who are providing impactful youth programming, and we look forward to discovering new initiatives through this next grant cycle.

To be eligible for grant support, U.S.-based nonprofit organizations must currently be recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity or equivalent. The grant program is also open to international nonprofits in select countries in which MONAT Global operates. Eligible organizations can learn more and apply for a grant by visiting the MONAT Gratitude grant page at monatgratitudegoal.com.

About MONAT Gratitude, Inc.

MONAT Gratitude is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formally established in 2020 in South Florida. Initially founded as a movement in 2014, MONAT Gratitude partners with innovative nonprofit organizations in communities around the world that support efforts under its three pillars: families, children, and education. Leveraging a global network of community leaders, MONAT Global distributors, and partnerships with local organizations, MONAT Gratitude champions meaningful community service across the globe - bringing to life the foundations global vision with a local impact in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Poland, Lithuania, Spain, and Australia.

About MONAT Global

MONAT Global is an international healthy aging haircare, skincare and wellness brand founded to help people everywhere enjoy beautiful, healthy, fulfilling lives through exceptional, naturally based products; a fun and rewarding business opportunity; and a culture of family, service, and gratitude. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Miami, Florida, MONAT provides ground-breaking opportunities through a novel Social Marketing approach to Direct Sales. MONAT's product development is led by Chief Science Officer Alan J. Meyers and supported by a Scientific Advisory Board comprised of eminent professionals in medicine, cosmetics, haircare, science and health. MONAT offers a unique and exciting business model and one of the most generous compensation plans in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, Spain, Lithuania and Poland.

#MONATGlobalFacebook: /MONATOfficial | Instagram: @monatofficial | YouTube: /MONATOfficialTwitter: @MONATOfficial | Pinterest: /MONATOfficial

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Nonprofits Across the Globe Invited to Apply for Grants from MONAT Gratitude to Support Youth Programming - Business Wire

BY SETH MATLINS

Taking entrepreneurial risk is a lot easier when theres less at risk; after all, what do you have to lose? It becomes harder when youve passed unicorn status in a moment, and even more so when, as Natalie Guzman, co-president and CMO of Savage x Fenty, the lingerie brand founded by Rihanna, says it can feel like the eyes of the world are on us.

People in and out of the industry waiting and watching to see if youll fall or fail arent ideal circumstances for keeping entrepreneurial spirit and marketing alive at the four-year-old company reportedly considering an IPO that would value it at over $3 billion. But for a brand literally and figuratively designed to disrupt industry and cultural status quos, seeking safety and comfort in the tried and true is most definitely not, as Natalie says, what it means to be Savage.

Keenly aware that while the company manufactures and merchandises lingerie, it is marketing confidence, fearlessness, individuality, and, in Rihannas words, doing it for your damn self. But as the brands marketing leader, Guzman knows shes doing what she does for more than her damn selfshes doing it for a community of people whove been marginalized, ignored and underrepresented for too long.

At a time when marketings over and misuse of words like authenticity, inclusivity, diversity and disruption threaten to rob them of meaning, Savage x Fenty is elevating the breadth of human individuality and expression, as anyone watching their Amazon Prime-distributed, Emmy-nominated shows has seen writ large and beautifully.

We want women to have the power to define what it means to be sexy and beautiful on their own terms. Representing all individuals happened organically for the brand because there was still representation missing. Body positivity and diversity doesnt stop with gender, Guzman says.

Among the first to bring scale to sultry, lacy thongs and sheer underpants for those who identify as male and non-binary, the brandfrom its television-distributed fashion shows to its omni-channel retail footprint across e-commerce, social media and an expanding physical retail investmentshows up in ways that consistently invite and encourage humans of all shapes, sizes, colors and identities to show up equally as themselves.

Its no wonder the brands communityemployees, customers, members, talent, influencers, ambassadorshave such a personal relationship with the brand, and why theyre such an engaged and vital part of its content marketing and company culture.

Of course, when your brand is changing the game and conversation, staying ahead of expectations creates a lot of pressure, pressure to stay scrappy and keep being innovators and leaders, Guzman acknowledges, making something incredible with what weve got or building it if we dont.

Natalie makes clear that while the big strategic and creative swings are important, its equally crucial to recognize that entrepreneurial mindset and impact also happen in so many small ways. In creating a culture that challenges our team to think different, test new processes, tools, channels, mediums, talent, collaborations, fabrications, silhouettesEverything is on the table, and every problem is an opportunity to do things differently.

Fortunately for Savage x Fenty, Guzman grasps the importance of granting herselfand her teamsthe permission and tools to take risks. Risk is in my blood, says the only daughter of immigrant-entrepreneur parents. She credits her father in particular for her entrepreneurial spirit. Her tendency to challenge gender-based constraints began long before this job, and her career is both a product of and reaction to her upbringing, which took place amidst cultural traditions perpetuating many of the same gender-based double standards that Savage X is now working to tear down. Men were raised, she says, with the pressure of providing for and bringing pride to the family, while women had to avoid bringing shame.

Throughout her career, which began with her selling digital media, Natalie has drawn motivation from what she calls out as feeling undervalued as a woman. Its this same outlook thats brought her to this brand and roleone that now finds her leading the teams responsible for the strategy and execution of brand, PR, social, customer acquisition, CRM and creative, as well as overseeing the overall growth, performance and operations of the company and sitting on the board. But its also whats allowed her to find commonality with the brands community, a community that begins internally with their employees and extends out to their VIPs.

When asked what advice shed give to other marketers, she initially demurs. Everybodys personal experience is different, she says. But one thing is true: If you believe it, pursue it. This job has made me believe in myself more. Ive never felt more empowered and inspired, or that more was possible.

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Marketing When The Eyes Of The World Are On You - Forbes

Marie La France, vice president of strategy, Dash HudsonIn the last 10 years, social media has undergone a significant transformation. The last decade has primarily focused on building an active social community, with vanity metrics such as likes and followers perceived by brands as critical indicators of success. However, priorities are shifting as consumers social media use is becoming more understood, with entertainment at the forefront.

On the front lines of this shift toward short-form video is TikTok, with entertainment as the platforms most popular category, topping 535 billion hashtag views. It comes as no surprise that TikTok compares itself to Netflix, while Instagram is repositioning as an entertainment provider. Short-form video is at the heart of this change and has become a primary function for social channels, brands and creators, who are often defining trends. The era of social entertainment is here, and its the most effective way for brands to reach consumers.

According to Nielsen Catalina, 56% of brands sales lift from digital advertising can be attributed to the creative quality. In short: Marketers have complete control over creative, and if they master it, they can break through an incredibly crowded space. The days when the number of followers determined how many people saw content are over. Today, consumers are delivered content based on their interests, meaning that reach is uncapped, and the best content thrives.

TikToks offbeat nature suits some brands personalities well. Still, it is no secret that other brands have been slow to embrace the platform due to uncertainty about whether it aligns with their strategies legacy and luxury businesses in particular.

However, among the first luxury brands to embrace TikTok was Balmain, a brand that drives engagement with branded stories by understanding that quality content, not audience size, has the most significant impact.

Through creative insights gleaned from analysis of Balmains content performance, the team produced organic content and experimented with formats, such as podcasts, Netflix collaborations and festivals, while remaining true to the brands heritage as a luxury fashion house.

With a 279% increase in website clicks since employing a data-backed creative strategy, Balmain demonstrated how vital using the right insights can be in this new approach to content creation. We love how Dash Hudson handles data, said Jeremy Mace, head of digital marketing at Balmain. It allows us to drill down and explore crucial metrics seamlessly and create reports that we can share with other teams and internal stakeholders.

During the pandemic, consumers were accustomed to doing things online that were once done in person, such as socializing, attending concerts and shopping. In fact, 70% of consumers believe that online marketplaces make buying more convenient, allowing brands to merge shopping and entertainment into a single experience.

Social content that directly encourages customers to checkout is becoming the norm, with brands having more tools than ever to make content shoppable. While this may have felt overly commercial in the past, some social platforms are reporting a shift in how users are receiving content that actively sells to them. A report by TikTok found that users associated the advertising on its platform with being authentic, fun and genuine. In addition, 43% of users say that advertising on the platform blends in with the content.

In keeping with authenticity, TikTok has allowed brands that have been viewed as more corporate in the past, such as RyanAir, Grammarly and BMW, to push boundaries by going behind the scenes, leveraging humor if it feels authentic, or creating useful content for viewers. This content allows viewers to connect emotionally with a brands narrative and product, facilitating a more engaged community of buyers.

Creators are central to the social entertainment era. For years, brands have relied on influencers as a core part of their social marketing strategies, but there has been a gradual shift toward forming longer-term partnerships with creators.

In contrast to influencer marketing, creator marketing focuses on producing content that entertains rather than prioritizing product placements. This method helps brands form more meaningful partnerships with creators and produces lasting customer sentiment beyond a single sponsored post.

These long-term creator partnerships will likely become crucial for brands marketing strategies.

On TikTok, the most popular content features faces, not only because it humanizes brands but also because it allows them to build familiarity with their audiences. However, content creators do not necessarily need thousands of followers and a track record of entertaining viewers to become successful. By strategically analyzing the performance of their content and understanding how it can capture attention, social media managers are becoming increasingly empowered to represent their brands themselves.

Amid the rise of social entertainment, marketers must remember that creative is king delivering the best content is and always will be most important. On top of this, finding ways to merge shoppable and entertaining content and fostering long-term relationships with creators will leave marketers in a good place as social entertainment gains even more popularity.

Social media is only getting faster, and the brands that take bold steps will find significant success. With real-time insights, marketers can develop agile strategies geared toward delivering the best creative and, ultimately, driving real results.

Sponsored By: Dash Hudson

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The rise of social entertainment is causing brands to shift strategies - Glossy