Mediaboss Marketing

Facebook

Presence is more important now than ever. Many around the globe are staying home and limiting their physical, social contact. Families and friends connect via Zoom calls or drive-by birthday parties. Professionals spend countless hours on screens talking with colleagues and clients. "Zoom fatigue" is a new saying among remote workers.

Spatial presence - the feeling of "being there" in a virtual space can unlock doors to social experiences and give people a sense of belonging and fulfillment in a world changed by a pandemic that keeps many physically apart.

The hours we spend on social media have also increased. A recentStatistasurvey showed that 29.7 percent of U.S. social media users used social media 1-2 additional hours per day.eMarketernotes that 51% of U.S. adults are using social media at higher rates during the pandemic.

Social virtual reality, or social VR, has seen an increase in users too. Social VR apps like Rec Room, BigScreen, VRChat, and AltSpace have all seen an increase in traffic. AltSpace is even hosting one of Burning Man's virtual worlds from this year's virtual event. This week, Facebook announced the launch of the public beta for its social VR experience,Horizon,

"I believe the next phase of social media is presence," says early beta Horizon content creator and social media consultant, Navah Berg. "Imagine a place where a brand can invite their brand ambassadors to try out a product without hopping on an airplane? A place a brand can launch a press release without writing a press release but actually being there and sharing the news with a community of journalists in a get together in social VR. There are so many opportunities for brands and content creators. I can't wait to see what happens next."

Berg adds that currently, in social media, people learn through shared passions and build relationships by relaying stories/content via a screen. For her, VR takes it to another dimension, where new friends and new memories converge through an immersive lens that feels as though they are in the same shared space while given tools to use together, before ever meeting IRL. Social VR allows you to learn and build meaningful relationships with your audience by being there creating together vs. watching from a screen in a flat 2D newsfeed.

Navah Berg has been creating worlds inside Horizon and has become one of the top social VR voices.

Sneak peeks of Horizon screenshots are flooding social media. Facebook dropped the gameplay trailer for Facebook Horizon after months of anticipation. The trailer shows avatars playing games in Horizon, building their own worlds, and having fun with other avatars. Facebook Horizon's beta access is currentlyinvite-only.

Facebook has been one of the flagship companies for building VR headsets and promoting social virtual reality. The company bought Oculus in 2014, and since then, they've released a variety of headsets from the tethered Oculus Rift to the standalone Oculus Quest. For them, virtual reality isn't just another way to get people to use Facebook. They see it asthe next computing platformthat will "help people feel more present with each other, even when we're apart" whether at work or at play.

As the pandemic continues to affect our society and the way people socialize, social VR apps and experiences like Horizon can give people a place to gather, play, and create as they may have in real life. Social VR offers those types of interactions in one place - one where users are already connected to their friends who have a compatible VR device.

Facebook Horizon may create a shift in what "social media" means. Instead of consuming articles or reading friend's updates, Horizon offers a different type of online social interaction. Gameplay or world-building takes some of the strain out of being social that feeds creation.

So what do social VR and spatial presence have to do with the future of social media marketing? Well, everything.

Facebookdefines virtual, social presenceas "authentic and lifelike collaboration between people and colleagues in a virtual setting" It's where anyone can manipulate objects, use their hands, and have a sense of touch. Avatars display the same expressions as their human counterparts. Spatial presence includes audio, where the closer you move to a noise the louder it gets. Horizon provides marketing opportunities in three areas: representation, play, and world-building.

Suddenly, relating to a target audience isn't through ads (text, image, or video). It's becoming part of a customer's world and presenting a brand or business as a real being they can interact with in a natural way. Facebook is demonstrating this in Horizon bydeploying staffwho will act as guides or hosts in public spaces. Facebook is suddenly changing the customer service experience from submitting a request to being able to virtually walk up and talk to a Facebook employee.

One of the features of Horizon is playing games like mini golf, escape rooms, paint balloon, or a battlefield with a hybrid sword. Facebook wants Horizon to be collaborative and interactive. This gives brands a chance to get in on the action. Who wouldn't want to see Wendy's vs Burger King in a virtual paint ball fight - the winning team gets a free burger.

Part of Horizon is world-building. Marketing in virtual reality takes a different approach in this new evolving space. Companies could build their own world for users to explore, hiding Easter Eggs (hidden items places in movies or games) for explorers to find leading to discount codes or free items. Companies could harness the excitement that Ready Player One brought to VR by building a world where one lucky winner could rule it for a day.

Creating a world for a brand within Horizon or branded virtual objects that Horizon users can reuse in their own designs are one way to take part in this new, social world. Instead of shooting a commercial in real life (which may be impacted due to the pandemic) brands could shoot one in Horizon, using real platform users as extras. The commercial (and making of it) could be livestreamed to Facebook and shared across platforms.

getty

Collaboration, gameplay, and world-building are all tools marketers need to get familiar with. Social presence in spatial computing will only get more advanced, especially as companies like Facebook ease the barrier to entry.Liam McKill, a Horizon beta world-builder said, "My biggest piece of advice for new creators in Horizon is to experiment constantly. You are in a world that can't be broken and is still relatively unexplored;"

Marketers should take that piece of advice to heart. Marketers would do well to experiment now, so they can be part of the virtual worlds like Horizon.

The future of communications is presence. The convergence of both the physical and virtual worlds will create new opportunities in the future in the way friends, families, and even colleagues connect. The future of connection will push the boundaries of today's technology, one virtual world at a time. The metaverse is coming, and it's a very big deal.

Go here to read the rest:
Social VR, Facebook Horizon And The Future Of Social Media Marketing - Forbes

It doesn't feel like it's August - nearly September - already, does it?

The relentless news cycle of 2020 feels like it's warped our perception of time - or maybe it's simply being locked indoors for so long, or a mental disassociation with time itself as we all look to just get through the days in the hopes of bringing us closer to a resolution, and a return to normalcy.

Whatever it is, 2020 is a year very much like no other. And for marketers, that's made it increasingly difficult to get a solid handle on what to say, how to say it, when to say it, and what's relevant and important - in alignment with your business goals - amid the various crises.

No doubt you're tackling the same at your business - and recently, the team from PAN Communications sought the opinions of some leading experts in the field to help provide some guidance on how the marketing landscape has changed, and what businesses should be considering in their messaging in 2020.

There are some interesting notes, worth factoring into your approach. Check out the infographic below.

Read the original:
CMO Reflections on the State of Marketing in 2020 [Infographic] - Social Media Today

New York, Sept. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Location-based Services Market by Component, Technology, Application, and Industry Vertical : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202027" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05955142/?utm_source=GNW

Location-based Services Market Statistics: 2027 The location-based services market size was valued at $28.95 billion in 2019, and is projected to reach $183.81 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 26.3% from 2020 to 2027. Advent of digitalization boosts the need for location-based services (LBS), owing to its capability to offer customized marketing strategy solutions, which, in turn, creates new revenue growth opportunities for players opting for these solutions. Location-based services proliferate the demand for analytical solutions, due to their ability to provide and analyze real-time geo-data. For instance, retailers can strategize their marketing campaigns on the basis of customer locations for the nearest store or location-based offers. This is likely to help retailers with new and advanced revenue growth opportunities, which, in turn, is expected to boost the location-based services market during the forecast period. By component, the hardware segment was the highest contributor in the location-based services market in year 2019, due to the advent of digitalization among various industry verticals and high penetration of smartphones among individuals across the globe. Rise in penetration of smartphones and increase in usage of 3G & 4G networks drive the global market growth. In addition, key players have focused on developing low-priced GPS and other components to cater to the increasing demand of consumers, which significantly contributes toward the growth of the global market. Moreover, surge in adoption of mobile commerce and social media activities is expected to supplement the adoption of hardware components in the LBS market. However, services segment is expected to grow with the highest CAGR during the forecast period, due to increase in demand for services-as-a-solution in digital transformation activities among industries, especially in emerging economies. Thus, major players operating in the global location-based services market are investing in innovative location-based analytical solutions to gain competitive advantages. North America dominated the location-based services market share in 2019, as most of the top players operate from this region. In addition, presence of well-developed location-based IT infrastructure is expected to boost growth of market in this region. In addition, Asia-Pacific is expected to exhibit the highest CAGR during the location-based services market forecast period. The factors that drive the growth of the market in this region include rise in IT spending capability and upsurge in demand for location-based services from the transportation & logistics sector in this region. The outbreak of COVID-19 is anticipated to have a positive impact on the growth of location-based services market. With the emergence COVID-19, the use of location-based services is likely to enable governments to address the impact of social distancing and facilitate tracking patterns of movements of individuals and traffic patterns. Innovations and advances in location-based services post COVID-19 outbreak with features such as real-time tracking, location-based marketing, and geotagging, have further supported the market growth. The report focuses on the growth prospects, restraints, and location-based services market analysis. The study provides Porters five forces analysis of the location-based services industry to understand the impact of various factors such as bargaining power of suppliers, competitive intensity of competitors, threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, and bargaining power of buyers. Segment review The global location-based services market is segmented into component, technology, application, industry vertical, and region. By component, the market is categorized into hardware, software, and services. On the basis of technology, it is divided into GPS, assisted GPS (A-GPS), enhanced GPS (E-GPS), enhanced observed time difference, observed time difference, cell ID, and Wi-Fi. The applications covered in the study include location-based advertising, business intelligence & analytics, fleet management, mapping and navigation, local search & information, social networking & entertainment, proximity marketing, asset tracking, and others. Depending on industry vertical, the LBS industry is segregated into transportation & logistics, manufacturing, government & public utilities, retail, healthcare & life sciences, media & entertainment, IT & telecom, BFSI, hospitality, and others. Region wise, the market analysis is performed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA The key players operating in the location-based services market include Alcatel-Lucent SA, Apple, Inc., AT&T Inc., Bharti Airtel, LTD., Cisco Systems, Inc., Google Inc., HERE, International Business Machines Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Oracle Corporation, and Qualcomm Inc. These players have adopted various strategies to expand its business, strengthen its product portfolio, and increase their LBS market penetration, which, in turn, is expected to support the global location-based services market growth. Top impacting factors Rise in demand for location-based services owing to its diversified scope of applications is a major factor expected to drive the growth of the market. Surge in demand for location-based services among various industry verticals for applications such as location-based advertising, business intelligence & analytics, and fleet management is further expected to offer remunerative opportunities for the expansion of the global LBS industry during the forecast period. Diversified scope of applications The growth of the LBS market is driven by the diversified scope of applications across various sectors. For instance, LBS is used for navigation, traffic management, asset tracking, and proximity-based marketing. In addition, it finds its application in fraud prevention, mobile workforce management, and context advertising. Energy & resource management agencies use LBS for evaluation of land cover, vegetation, water resource management, and geology mapping. The defense & military sector utilize LBS for surveillance, battlefront analysis, and strategy formulation. In civil engineering, LBS solution is used for resource mapping, evaluation of geological information, and estimation of suitable location for building, planning, & construction activities. In addition, transportation, media & entertainment, insurance, and tourism sectors offer a wide scope of applications for LBS. Increase in demand for location-based services Location-based services are used to provide information about users location through internet by using real-time geo-data. The advent of smart devices, wireless technologies, cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT), and smartphone applications has led to aggrandized traffic on websites. This has fueled the adoption of LBS to improve services and enhance user experience depending upon the end users location, which, in turn, is expected drive the market growth. Therefore, LBS has gained importance across various sectors, including government authorities, defense & intelligence, transportation, telecommunication, manufacturing, e-retailing, energy, and natural resource management. Furthermore, increase in penetration of connected devices and machine-to-machine communication systems has notably boosted the need for real-time location-based data sets. This has significantly driven the demand for Internet of Things (IoT) devices across diverse sectors, which is helping companies to develop smart geo-mapping solutions. Thus, aforementioned are key factors are expected to fuel the growth of the global market growth during the forecast period.

KEY BENEFITS FOR STAKEHOLDERS This study includes the location-based services market trends, analysis, and future estimations to determine the imminent investment pockets. The report presents information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities of the location-based services industry. The LBS market is quantitatively analyzed from 2019 to 2027 to highlight the financial competency of the industry. Porters five forces analysis illustrates the potency of the buyers & suppliers in the location-based services market size.

KEY MARKET SEGMENTS

By Component Hardware Software Services

By Technology GPS Assisted GPS (A-GPS) Enhanced GPS (E-GPS) Enhanced Observed Time Difference Observed Time Difference Cell ID Wi-Fi Others

By Application Location-based Advertising Business Intelligence & Analytics Fleet Management Mapping & Navigation Local Search & Information Social Networking & Entertainment Proximity Marketing Asset Tracking Others

By Industry Vertical Transportation & Logistics Manufacturing Government & Public Utilities Retail Healthcare & Life Sciences Media & Entertainment IT & Telecom BFSI Hospitality Others

By Region North America o U.S. o Canada o Mexico

Europe o UK o Germany o France o Spain o Italy o Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific o China o Japan o India o Singapore o South Korea o Rest of Asia-Pacific

LAMEA o Latin America o Middle East o Africa

Key Market Players - Alcatel-Lucent SA - Apple, Inc. - AT&T Inc. - Bharti Airtel, LTD. - Cisco Systems, Inc. - Google Inc. - HERE - International Business Machines Corporation - Microsoft Corporation - Oracle Corporation - Qualcomm Inc.Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05955142/?utm_source=GNW

About ReportlinkerReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.

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The location-based services market size was valued at $28.95 billion in 2019, and is projected to reach $183.81 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of...

2nd September, 2020 by Owen Bellwood

From Patrns Margarita-making smart coaster to new celebrity brand ambassadors for lowABV spirit Atopia and mixer producer Franklin & Sons, we round up some of the best initiatives from August.

Frankie Bridge is the first ambassador for low-ABV spirit brand Atopia

Technology drove a number of marketing pushes within the spirits industry last month, including Patrns smart coaster that teaches drinkers how to make a Margarita and a new online quiz from Licor 43 liqueur.

Meanwhile, High West whiskey and Vermont-based distillery Caledonia Spirits latest efforts saw them help raise money for charity, including the American Prairie Reserve and organisations that are dedicated to protecting bees.

Trade group the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC) also announced a threeyear campaign to increase awareness of the French spirit in the US.

Click through to the following pages to learn more about the top 10 marketing moves that caught our eye in August.

The rest is here:
Top 10 spirits marketing moves in August 2020 - The Spirits Business

Marissa Segundo, communications consultant at Resource Recycling Systems,is passionate about how she represents clients' recycling and recovery initiatives.

The Waste360 40 Under 40 recipient takes a strategic approach, "to ensure consistent messaging, and that it connects with operational success."

Segundo holds degrees in public relations and Spanish. While she began her career in the nonprofit sector, Segundo eventually became a recycling communications coordinator for a Florida municipality.

She comments, "we're always focusedon smart goals that we can create for any communication plan, rather than just making a flashy plan, to really make sure that we're focused on strategic communication."

Waste360recently spoke with Segundo about her current projects, what it takes to lead a successful campaignand how to break barriers across different audiences.

Waste360: What initiatives are you currently working on?

Marissa Segundo: Because strategic communication is my main focus, I work with a variety of initiatives on the both the public sector and private sector and also the collaborative initiatives. I have worked recently with communities to add SMART communications goals when rolling out a single-stream programs and adding items. Another huge initiative was a recycling rebranding campaign that really focused on plastic bags as the top contaminants utilizing community-based social marketing to find measurable success in decreasing the amount of plastic bags in recycling carts. I like working with collaborations where you've got a mixture of representatives throughout the recycling value chain focused on how we can move the needle with recycling and make the difference, you know, together. Its really about why recycling and recovery is important and how each individual or business can really make a visible difference, its personal to them.

Waste360: In terms of team leadership, what does it take to get champion of these causes?

Marissa Segundo: I've always been guided by my passion, and through that passion, I really like putting in the time to have the right people in the impactful positions and on projects where they can really take ownership and shine. That, to me, is very gratifying. I've had the opportunity through my career to pursue passion projects and learn under leaders that had this same mentality of , I'll put you in a position. You may make a mistake, but that's okay. We'll learn from it and go from there. So, I really think if you're passionate about something, that that passion is contagious.

Waste360: What does it take to be innovative with the importance of recycling and sustainability?

Marissa Segundo: Unfortunately, it's not a one-size-fits-all solution. Each community and business has unique set of tools and resources, along with challenges for their program compliance or to reach sustainability goals. Working to breakdown siloes to make sure everyone is at the table and an active part of the solution is crucial. This is anyone from administration to custodial staff, drivers and customer service staff, to name a few. And we've really discovered that through collaborations and understanding we can bring people to the forefront through stakeholder engagement and other activities. In COVID times, Ive been able to implement engaging virtual events that encourage participation in a thinktank-like setting, partnering with national and state recycling organizations and for our clients. The aim is really to find a way to address each audience in their terms rather than trying to have one silver bullet to solve all problems.

Waste360: What are the challenges and opportunities with communicating with individuals who speak different native languages?

Marissa Segundo: For me, being bilingual has opened up so many doors to meet new people and to really be able to understand different culture. But being bilingual or even just translating a message alone is really not enough. There's so many nuances to the language and cultures within a community. So it kind of goes back to what I was saying where you're really researching an individual community and what their needs are and then looking at strategic communication from that lens. And the same is true with bilingual or any type of reaching any type of community that is a non-English speaking community.

Waste360: Do you have any advice about researching and learning more about communities that you want to reach?

Marissa Segundo: We do a lot of research on the motivations for people the benefits and barriers for people to participate in an activity, whether it's recycling, composting or whether it's pursuing solutions to create a circular economy. Starting with that research to find out the motivation is a good place and also doing research on where are places where people in whichever your target audiences gather, what are what are the channels that they use to communicate and currently are there ambassadors or champions that you can engage in your messaging to reach these communities, even if you don't speak the language. Its really important to take culture and really any kind of communication seriously realizing that recycling is a very personal issue. You're asking people to make a behavioral choice each time you ask them to recycle. Unlike throwing things away, it's a lot easier in a lot of places to just find a trash can and throw something away but with recycling, you're making decisions. And so that's important in your communications messaging.

Waste360: Do you have any other additional advice?

Marissa Segundo: We're entering into a really exciting time for recycling, despite the uncertainty of economics. And I've never really been more inspired. Right now, the technologies that are coming out of the space and the abilities through communications are really amazing. To show residents and businesses behind the scenes to see what it's like after [waste] leaves the bin just feels like magic. But now, I think we have so many opportunities to really connect on though why certain things are recyclable and why aren't they? I don't think it has to be that complicated. And we may be talking in 10 years about a completely different recycling system. That remains to be seen. But for now, I think there are so many tools in our toolbox. And if we really put the time in and invest in communication, you will see positive results.

Read more:
Marissa Segundo Talks Breaking the Communication Barrier - waste360