Mediaboss Marketing

(CBS Local) Fear, anxiety, grief, and chaos has swept the nation as the COVID-19 pandemic claims thousands of lives.As somber as these times are, experts argue that humor can be a powerful coping mechanism in a crisis, so long as its within the bounds of good taste. Enter motivational speaker and Medium contributor Beau Cowan, who relies on humor when he writes and speaks about the ups and downs of living with cerebral palsy and being in a wheelchair.

Now, Cowan is trying to spread a little laughter during the coronavirus quarantine for everyone from his home in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Im disabled and Im in a wheelchair and Im trying to tell people to keep going and to be thankful for what they have, said Cowan in an interview with CBS Locals Katie Johnston. I dont want people to take for granted the abilities that they have.

Cowan has taken to social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok) to share his daily jokes on video and drive home his tagline, Dominate the day.

How do catch a unique bird? he asked on day 3. Unique up on them.

What did the plate say to the refrigerator? Cowan asked on day 18. Stay cool, dinners on me.

And on day 35, he offered: If a kid refuses to sleep at nap time, are they accused of resisting arrest?

Cowans daily dad jokes (as he calls them) always include words of encouragement for everybody in pandemic lockdown.

I always say that your worse nightmare is someone elses dream, said Cowan in an interview with CBS Local. Thats what it comes down to. Your struggles may be someone elses fantasy. If your problem is you dont know what to wear that day or your hair looks terrible that day, thats a pretty good day.

Cowan, who is writing a book, says hes looking to go to the next level to spread his message and plans on doing jokes until he is out of quarantine.

On Tuesday, he appeared on Tea With GaryVee for some insights from host (and one of Cowans heroes) Gary Vaynerchuk, chairman of VaynerX, a communications company that specializes in digital marketing and social media. Cowan hopes his jokes can inspire people all over the country.

Do your best to overcome everything and the obstacles of your life, said Cowan. Dont let it stop you from doing what you want to do.

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Man With Cerebral Palsy Shares Daily Jokes On Social Media To Cope With Quarantine, Bring Laughter To All - CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

Two global reports have surfaced in the past week indicating a desperate need for the advertising and media industries to work together to rebuild public trust. But amid an enormous public health crisis, can consumers concerns be remedied?

Earlier this week, Kantars Dimension study revealed a brewing mistrust among consumers towards both advertisers and social media platforms.

The report surveyed 8,000 people in eight markets, including the US, UK and China, which have a combined total ad spend of $400bn. It found advertising to be the least likely source people would use to garner information about a business, with just 14% saying they trust advertisers in this respect.

When it came to seeking out news and information, social media which captures $84bn worth of global ad budgets) was ranked as the least trusted medium, with just 17% of respondents citing the likes of Facebook and Twitter as a reputable source.

Across the world, newspapers ranked the highest in the media category with 37% of people saying they had conviction in print. TV and radio followed with 31% and 32% of respondents respectively saying they had faith in these mediums to carry accurate information.

Kantar found UK consumers to be among the most cynical globally, with Brits showing a concerning lack of trust in social media.

70% of people in the UK said they dont trust a lot of what they see on social platforms, including posts from brands. Theres trouble afoot for premium publishers from a brand perspective too; though the medium emerged as highly trusted, some 39% of UK consumers said they didnt feel it was acceptable for them to be targeted by news stories paid for by an advertiser.

In the UK market especially, concerns over privacy following the fallout from scandals like Cambridge Analytica have led to widespread mistrust in advertising.

Though advertisers like Unilever and LOreal are continually seeking out ways to make first-party data work harder for them post-GDPR, there is scepticism in the market about how tailored content from brands compromises privacy with 58% of Brits citing this as a concern.

Just 43% of people in the UK said they preferred to see ads relevant to their interests and needs, versus 54% of people globally.

The study also revealed low perceived authenticity around advertising on social channels, numbers that could spell trouble for the nascent influencer marketing industry.

35% of UK consumers said they felt strongly that branded content posts on social media should be labelled in some way a nuanced issue that the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has been seeking to remedy by working with publishers and influencers directly for the past 12 months.

Elsewhere, the spring update to Edelmans Trust Barometer which surveyed 1,200 people across Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, the UK and the US showed trust in news media to have reached record levels globally amid a search for reliable information related to the pandemic.

In the UK alone, newspapers and magazines are poised to lose 50m if over-zealous digital brand safety measures around the keyword coronavirus continue to eat into profits. However, the latest numbers give advertisers yet another reason to reconsider their blocklists.

Traditional media has gained seven points with global audiences over the past five months with trust levels reaching 69%. Owned media saw the biggest gain, with its trust score rising from 44% in January 2020 to 52% in May.

Despite these high levels of trust in news sources, it is clear there is still is an urgent need for credible and unbiased journalism. Concerns about fake news still loom large among global audiences, with 67% of respondents worried about false and inaccurate information being spread about the virus.

While business saw a four-point uptick in trust to 62%, the pandemic has still exposed several areas of deep concern for brands according to Edelman.

Half of people said they believe business is doing poorly, mediocre or completely failing at putting people before profits; only 43% agreed that companies were protecting their employees sufficiently from Covid-19, and 46% did not agree that business was helping smaller suppliers and business customers stay afloat.

The poor performance of the business sector during the ongoing crisis means brand bosses have fared badly too, with most customers agreeing they have failed to demonstrate public leadership.

Despite advertisers investing in ad-hoc campaigns to demonstrate their commitment to customers in these trying times, just 29% of people believe chief executives are doing an outstanding job responding to demands on them placed by the pandemic as compared to scientists (53%) and world leaders (45%).

To increase trust, Edelmans report has suggested businesses should focus on solutions, not selling, with respondents calling for the private sector to collaborate with competitors and redefine their companys purpose and goals around fighting the pandemic. The suggestion that brands should switch production of what they currently make to masks, respirators, and other items in short supply due to the crisis was also floated in the report.

Dame Helena Morrissey, financier, author and campaigner, discussed the outcomes of the latest Trust Barometer at a launch event on Thursday (14 May).

She said the brands she has been working with have been focused on operational issues, like staff wellbeing and remote working, but there hasnt been enough external dialogue around helping people and the economy recover post-Covid.

Businesses need to show that theyre open to working on solutions with the government and not waiting on the government to tell them what to do," she added.

Each report paints a worrying picture for advertisers who are both belt-tightening and taking advantage of social media to remain relevant in the time of coronavirus.

Mark Inskip, chief executive at Kantar UK & Irelands Media Division, said the advertising and media industries need to work together to rebuild consumer trust.

Steps can be taken to reinstate that trust by enforcing responsible use of consumer data across the board, but everyone in the industry must come together to agree on a clear and unified approach, he argues.

In the current context, Covid-19 has driven larger audiences than ever to traditional broadcast media, so not only is trust in this platform high, its reach has also increased.

However, it is imperative that advertisers clearly disclose their content and display sensitivity in engaging audiences on any platform at such a difficult time.

The findings also follow on from a 2019 study commissioned by the UK Advertising Association (AA) and thinktank Credos that public trust in advertising had hit an all-time low.

According to the Trust Working Group research, public favourability towards advertising was just 25% in December 2018. In 1992, that figure was 48%.

Respondents said they felt bombarded by advertising due to the volume of ads theyre seeing as well as constant repetition. They also said they felt overwhelmed by the obtrusiveness of advertising, particularly online where they said brands unfairly delay or disrupt the user experience. Others bemoaned the creative execution of ads, lamenting 'irritating jingles' and 'poor humour'.

Over the past six months, the AA has been working on a five-point plan to address the issue. The blueprint includes developing best practice around data privacy and showing how brands can drive societal change.

Inskip argued that while the findings published in Kantars report were concerning, they have simply highlight the need to rebuild trust in communications.

Still the smartest approach for brands remains an omnichannel one, he suggested.

The advertising and media industries rely on one another to survive, so during trying times its imperative to ensure consumers receive accurate and relevant content, in an appropriate context across all platforms.

If authenticity, transparency and consistency are properly maintained, consumer trust can be rebuilt."

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Advertising and social media face fresh trust issues amid global crisis - The Drum

Here is a round-up of coronavirus-related articles from across Indian publications. From preparing for community transmission after lockdown, to relief for homeless migrants, and how to wear and remove a mask properly read these and more in todays India dispatch.

Expert Speak

A mental health crisis is brewing: How ready are we as a populace or as individuals for the post-Covid-19 world? What is happening to us right now as we sit at home and engage with our families? Are issues we should have been grappling with or are grappling with perhaps have an impact as we emerge back into the real world? Read this interview on the impact of the lockdown on mental health, with Shekhar Saxena, professor of Practice of Global Mental Health at Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Amit Malik, who has spent 13 years in the National Health Services, and Neha Kripal, co-founder of Innerhour, a digital mental health platform.

Opinion

Covid-19 is teaching us that force of nature is bigger than combined force of science and technology: According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the recession triggered by the Great Lockdown will be more intense and more extensive than the Great Recession in the wake of the global financial crisis (GFC). But that is not the only factor that separates the corona financial crisis (CFC) from the GFC. There are other critical differences between the two crises, and it is important to recognise them for they have implications for the nature and effectiveness of the solutions. Read here.

The pandemic and the challenge of behaviour change: Containing Covid-19 and restoring our economies require not just good policy decisions and medical advice, but also continued compliance with the recommended behavioural changes that in many ways go against social and cultural conventions. The science of social marketing use is known as marketing principles and behaviour change theory to influence peoples behaviour for the benefit of both the target audience and of society. Public health, safety and environmental concerns are some of the areas where social marketing can have a huge impact. Read more here.

Citizens Under Lockdown

They walk 30 km. Wait four days for a train. No ones told them theyre at the wrong station: Millions of working-class Indians have been stranded far away from home, mostly without wages and food, for nearly two months.

Many have walked over 1,000 km to get back to their villages. Over 120 have died in accidents on the way. Read more here.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus: BMC planning to use Wankhede Stadium as quarantine centre

How to ensure all homeless Indians get lockdown relief? With no money and no documents to help them access relief measures related to food, health, water, sanitation, shelter and livelihood, the homeless have become the most vulnerable to the immediate impact and aftermath of the Covid-19 crisis, an analysis shows. Read more here.

Managing Covid-19

Koyambedu India's coronavirus cluster at a vegetable market: Koyambedu market in Chennai was temporarily closed because several vendors and labourers at the market tested positive for coronavirus, and it was linked to a spate of cases in Chennai and surrounding areas. Asia's largest fruit and vegetable market, trading in millions of tonnes of fresh produce daily, is quickly becoming a cause for concern. Read more here.

India must prepare for community transmission of Covid-19 after lockdown: When the lockdown opens, there will be much greater mobility of people, there could be more widespread transmission of the virus, so we have to maintain as much physical distancing as possible, continue practices like wearing masks and hand-washing as precautionary measures. Things are going to be difficult in overcrowded areas, especially slums, according to Public Health Foundation President K Srinath Reddy. Read here.

ALSO READ: Trump gift of ventilators welcome, India needs each machine coming its way

If flights resume, study estimates outbreak risk: Air travel is currently on hold to check the spread of Covid-19, but a new study of 1,364 airports worldwide has found that if flights resume, cases could spread unevenly across the globe, with many of the airports in India and China posing the highest risk of the spread. Read more here.

Why Bihars door-to-door screening could be underreporting Covid-19 cases: The Bihar governments door-to-door screening campaign for Covid-19 is marred by poor adherence to guidelines about data collection. Health workers conducting the screening are skipping entire households and conducting incomplete, perfunctory interviews. Read more here.

Understanding Covid-19

How to wear and remove a mask properly: Cloth masks reduce the number of droplets that are spread into the environment when people breathe, cough or sneeze. Medical masks protect the wearer from these droplets. Its important to wear and remove a mask properly. Read more here.

India overtakes China with 85,000 confirmed cases: How did we reach here? With 85,940 Covid-19 cases on Saturday, 16 May, India has now exceeded China, which has 84,038 cases. While India has surpassed China in the total number of cases, China is still way ahead in number of deaths. China has a case fatality rate (CFR) of 5.5 per cent, against India's 3.2 per cent. Read more here.

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India coronavirus dispatch: Pandemic and the challenge of behaviour change - Business Standard

The Covid-19 pandemic has taken a grip on all activity across the globe. We live in unprecedented times and people are going through extreme restrictions and difficulties not seen in multiple generations.

Economic activity too has come to an almost halt in most sectors, other than those deemed essential for public good or critical for fighting this pandemic. In this scenario, students are particularly hit hard. Apart from disruption to class schedules, ongoing commitments towards internships have also suffered as either companies have suspended work altogether or movement restrictions do not allow execution of work.

It is said that adversity brings out the best in people, and this is true for our students who have applied ingenuity to ensure continuity. Internships have now moved into virtual mode wherein students complete their stints working from their location using information, data, calls, internet research, and online faculty reviews. Their work is facilitated by many trends that have been taking shape over the last few years, including: widespread broadband availability, low internet data tariffs, proliferation of industry and market generated data, faster processing speeds of hardware, and a growing comfort amongst industry and professionals for online modes of communication.

Key focus areas

Since the current pandemic is also a great learning and adaptation opportunity, many of the assignments are unsurprisingly about how to cope with and even seek silver linings in this crisis. The projects across functional areas like Finance, Marketing, HR, Economics & Policy, Operations, IT, and Strategy cover interesting topics such as:

Examining the paradigm shift in the buying behaviour of personal hygiene products during Covid 19 pandemic

Working of credit rating agencies and the effect of Covid-19

The impact of Covid-19 on Indian Restaurant Business

Use of Digital Platforms by Organisations for Social Marketing during Covid-19

A comparative study of Healthcare and Economic Policy Response by Countries to Covid-19 Pandemic: A search for Best Practices

Reviving business operations and uplifting them through various marketing campaigns and initiatives after the Covid-19 impact.

Forecasting the spread of Covid 19 using machine learning algorithms

Effect of culture on leadership styles of select world leaders during the 1st quarter of Covid-19 pandemic crisis.

Potential gains

In undertaking such assignments, the students are not only sustaining and fulfilling their requirements but are also contributing to a better understanding of the effects of this pandemic. The impact of such initiatives may not be fully understood now but will be fully realised once industry and commerce begin to slowly come back on stream. Another benefit comes from the fact that no crisis should ever be wasted, since it always offers learning opportunities. Such studies by academia will help us to prepare better for any such future events and understand implications more clearly beforehand.

On its part, Fore School of Management, New Delhi is encouraging students to pick up topics around the Covid-19 pandemic so that both our understanding of its impact and mitigation strategies is improved. The B-School has also developed guidelines for rewarding students who come up with publishable quality Virtual SIP work. These students will receive a cash prize of INR 5,000 and a citation. Around 25 such awards are planned in total across the PGDM batches and will be distributed across functional areas. The primary criteria for evaluation is publish-ability of the SIP work and selection of the cases for award will not be limited only to Covid-19 related SIPs but till extend to all Virtual SIPs.

More here:
Virtual SIPs: Fore students work on areas related to Covid - BL on Campus

Marketers are pretty intimate with content marketing metrics, data, and analytics these daysand if youre not, youd best get learning.

Weve long moved on from the days where follower and like counts were considered the apex of robust marketing engagement data. But the proliferation of measurement tools and the increasing number of platforms that let us speak directly with users have delivered a big challenge: measuring the true impact of marketing efforts on your brands bottom line.

So what are the metrics that prove your content strategys role in driving profits? And how can you defend them in C-suite conversations to unlock higher marketing budgets? For starters, youll need to speak like an executive.

Theres a fundamental gap between how marketers talk and the language the C-suite uses. For example, its common for marketers to inquire about the cost per click of a social ad or campaign. However, when CEOs and CFOs hear the term cost per from marketing, they may begin to view the team as a cost center rather than a strategic partner who influences growth.

Never, never talk about cost per anything with the leadership team, advises Bruce McDuffee of Manufacturing Marketing Group. Using this phrase cements an idea that is likely already in their mindsthat marketing is a cost and not a source of revenue. Always, always talk about revenue per or contribution with the C-suite, with the objective of creating the perception that the marketing function is a source of revenue.

Yes, the language we use when talking with the C-suite is of huge importance, as are the metrics we use when demonstrating our success. Think of senior leadership like you would your customer personas: Each member of the C-suite will have different pain points and needs, and you must appeal to these to get your message across. By choosing your words wisely with executives, youll have the best chance at securing the budget and resources your team needs to create best-in-class content.

Photo attrtibution: Diggity Marketing on Unsplash.

What are these magic metrics and buzzwords, then? Its easy to say steer clear of cost per click or talk about revenue, not followers, but what language can you use instead?

According to HubSpot, there are several marketing metrics you can use to grab the C-suites attention and get them to understand your value. These include:

Customer acquisition cost (CAC): This is what your brand spends in marketing and sales costsincluding ad spend, salaries, bonuses, overheadswithin a given time period, divided by the number of new customers in the same period.

Ratio of CAC to customer lifetime value (CAC:CLV): Most of the C-suite will be interested in the overall value a customer can bring to the company, especially if your brand operates on subscription or recurring revenue models. Being able to show the cost of acquiring a customer against the total value they bring can be incredibly powerful in demonstrating marketings value.

Time to pay back CAC: This is the amount of time it takes to earn back the customer acquisition costs. You take the CAC and divide by margin-adjusted revenue per month for the average new customer you just signed up, and the resulting number is the number of months to payback, explains HubSpot.

Marketing-oriented customer percentage: What percentage of new business is driven by marketing efforts? That is, what ratio of new customers came initially through marketing efforts? What was the first touch point?

Marketing-influenced customer percentage: Slightly different than marketing-oriented customer percentage, this metric looks wider at those sales where marketing had some influence. This could be initial contact, but it could also be where content or other marketing efforts, such as events, helped to nurture the prospect through the funnel.

But getting the C-suite to listen to your content strategy success will take more than just gathering these data points and putting them in a presentation. Youll also need to understand the individual needs of each member of senior leadership. This allows you to speak to them in their own language and demonstrate how your marketing efforts impact their personal business objectives.

These days, the chief marketing officer is an endangered species. As costs are cut and efficiencies are sought, this marketing leader often also leads sales and customer service under a chief customer officer title. To win them over, youll want to talk about customer needs.

Show how your successful content strategy will nurture prospects by helping them engage with the brand and by encouraging them to become loyal advocates. The CMO may also be interested in those cost per content marketing metrics but only insofar as it impacts the marketing budget and ROI.

Unsurprisingly, the chief financial officer wants to know the numbers. They want to know how much this is costing the company, as well as how much revenue and ultimately profit the company will make as a result. Remember the term net contribution: Its a percentage based on gross profit, which shows the CFO how your overall strategy and tactics will drive revenue. Its the best measure of efficiency, and it can help you show how their investment can lead to a more successful content strategy.

Image attribution: Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash.

To get accurate data for content marketing metrics, youll need to invest in martechand for that, youll need the chief technology officers backing, especially in large enterprises where the tech stack is tightly controlled. Demonstrate to the CTO how the application or platform in question will help you connect the dots and break down silos, how it will generate efficiencies, or how it will make the customers life easier.

Next to the CMO, the chief revenue officer or chief sales officer is your best friend. A successful content strategy from you can help their team nurture leads and build a loyal audience thats ripe for conversion. Show them how youll help with this by talking about more than just marketing qualified leads.

To begin with, ensure you bring sales along for the content marketing journey, getting their input into your strategy and making sure the content marketing assets you produce provide them with extra value. Get them involved by proving how your work will support their sales, showing that you have the right assets for the right stage of the nurture journey. For example, you could look back at previous conversions and track those customer journeys through the sales funnel. Map each time a prospect connected with a marketing output, and show how it was your content that helped convince them to sign on the dotted line.

Where does the chief data officer come into play? This is a newer C-suite role created to ensure compliance with the various privacy regulations coming into place around the world. They may not be as interested in hard content marketing metrics as their fellow C-suite members, but the CDO will want to be consulted on how youre getting content in front of customers and prospects. Get the CDO on board by demonstrating compliance with data protection legislation, such as Europes General Data Protection Regulation.

Remember, even though the C-suite doesnt care about marketing vanity metrics and may as well be jumping on the table crying, Show me the money! that doesnt mean they come from a different planet. The C-suite is ultimately looking for value from all of the companys teams and marketing isnt excluded from that.

Put in the effort to gather the right metrics and research to justify your content program, including those ROI and customer acquisition cost stats. Then, present your findings to senior leadership using their language. Do this and youll find the C-suite not only listens intently to what you have to say, but they may even celebrate your content strategy success.

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Featured image attribution: bruce mars on Unsplash.

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Content Marketing Metrics that Inspire C-Suite Buy-Inand How to Talk Them Up - The Content Standard by Skyword