January

Finally, we are at the end of January. At times it truly felt like a day that would never come. Whether January has felt like the calm after the storm that is Black Friday and the holiday season, or a frantic ramp-up as the new year begins, let’s take a look at what’s happened this month in the world of marketing.?

We’re looking at the big brand’s marketing plays ahead of next month’s Super Bowl, analyzing the data-driven trends already emerging for 2024, and discussing the imminent deliverability changes coming from Google and Yahoo this February.?

Up your standards

Let’s kick off with the thing on most email marketers’ minds, the shake-up to email deliverability requirements from Google and Yahoo. As marketers, we have enough to keep up with, and change can always be a bit of a pain. Don’t fear though, it’s actually a good thing. Google and Yahoo are doing this to protect consumers from phishing and scam emails, and by tightening up email standards the whole industry will benefit.?

It may sound unsettling, and there are a few acronyms coming up, but really it is all very simple. The changes all focus on three things. Senders must now authenticate emails, enable easy unsubscribes, and keep spam rates low. You’re likely doing these things already as they’ve been best practice for a while, but now they are enforced rather than preferred. Google and Yahoo have actually shared in detail what they will be looking for and measuring against, which gives marketers a clear goal.?

If you’re a Dotdigital customer, then most of this is already taken care of. SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is set up for all sending domains, all emails are always signed with DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) using your sending domain, and you will have a DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting & Conformance) policy by default. Plus, an easy unsubscribe in the email header is also always included by default for marketing emails.?

The key area you need to focus on is keeping your spam complaints low. This is achieved by only sending emails you know your audience is interested in, the best way to do this is by asking them for their preferences via a preference center. Of course, the other key thing to remember is that we’ve come a long way from quantity over quality, so don’t spam your subscribers with overly frequent campaigns.?

Our Deliverability team has written a simple but in-depth blog sharing everything you need to know about the changes, and how you can ensure you stay compliant. As well as the blog the team has also filmed an on-demand webinar walking you through it all, which you can watch now.?

Data-driven insights for the year ahead

For some good news, the GfK consumer confidence report for the UK has announced that consumer confidence has risen. The headline score now sits at -19, the highest since January 2022. Early reports show that consumer‘s view on personal finance for the coming year has left the minus points for the first time in 24 months and now sits at zero. ?

Whilst it’s still early days and the cost of living crisis and global events are still impacting consumer’s attitudes and ability to spend, this is a positive change for marketers. Selling to people who feel optimistic about their personal finances is a lot easier than selling to those cutting down on their personal spending.?

Across the pond, the Winterberry Group has forecast that in the US, marketing and advertising spend will grow by 10.7% this year to reach $570 billion. It’s also predicting a growth rate of more than double the rate seen in 2023, this is expected to be driven in part by political spending as the 2024 election looms.?

Other predictions for 2024 include marketers’ obsession with generative AI continuing and a renewed appetite for data-powered insights and segmentation due to the (rather long-drawn-out) death of cookies.?

At Dotdigital we’re continuing to focus on these areas as we know that data-driven marketing works. Marketers need data, or you’re just guessing what will work, and who has the budget for that? As marketers lose the insight provided by cookies, it makes sense that investment into data technology is going to rise as we try and harness data from elsewhere across the customer journey. Naturally, we’re all for it.?

Marketing Dive stated that “Obsessions with generative artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) will be another theme even as consumer appetites are an open question.” It’s not a surprise that AI is tipped to have another big year. We’re only just getting started. Plus, AI and data go together, AI is not simply ChatGPT and chatbots. At Dotdigital, AI is what enables our customers to run reams of data in seconds to spot an opportunity and discover how to optimize campaigns. ?

All of that is to say that things are looking brighter. As consumer attitudes improve, marketing budgets follow, and the tech continues to drive up productivity and boost accuracy, 2024 is looking to be a year with tons of opportunities for growth.?

“Chatbot that can’t help you”

You’ve probably already heard about the DPD chatbot that went rogue, and then viral. In case you missed it, delivery firm DPD’s chatbot was led astray by a disgruntled customer who told it to disregard its own rules and from there it all went south. There was swearing, and a poem, in fact, the Chatbot’s messages almost read like a negative Glassdoor review. The results were comical, but also damaging to the brand, and perhaps also to AI in general.

The customer in question said “These chatbots are supposed to improve our lives, but so often when poorly implemented it just leads to a more frustrating, impersonal experience for the user. I think it’s really struck a chord with people.”?

Ultimately, this was a glitch due to an update, it was quickly reverted by DPD and service resumed. AI has exploded onto the scene in the past year and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. On the other side of the coin, appliance brand Lēvo just announced that around 30% of interactions with the company’s AI chatbot, Herb, have resulted in upselling. So chatbots are very much a valuable tool for brands, when done right.

AI is fantastic technology, and when used well, it’s a key part of any marketer’s toolkit. However, this incident is a stark reminder to everyone that AI is still in its infancy, and consumers have a healthy dose of skepticism. AI shouldn’t be replacing jobs, but enhancing them.?

Generative AI is having a moment, but AI is so much more than that. If you want to explore new ways you can utilize AI, our brand new cheatsheet shares five ways you can employ AI can improve your customer experience, increase AOV, and protect your bottom line - with no poems required.?

The Superbowl LVIII is coming?

The Super Bowl is one of, if not the biggest, advertising events of the year. The slots for an ad during the Super Bowl are reportedly $7m for 30 seconds. That’s a lot, and that’s not even including the cost of making the ad or paying the celebs to star in it. I will always have a soft spot for traditional advertising, so I love seeing that TV commercials still hold value in a world of social media and on-demand, skippable content.?

Whilst the in-game ad slots are still marketing gold dust, AdWeek has written about how brands are branching out from the coveted prime-time spots. Brands are instead tapping into the Super Bowl hype, and saving money, with Super Bowl-adjacent campaigns. Brands including Cheetos, Coors Light, and Tums have all launched competitions ahead of the event to capture audience attention and maximize the build-up to the ultimate sporting event. The style most brands are running with is some sort of event or party around the Super Bowl, all expected to create a social media buzz.

The Super Bowl ads are one of the strongest examples of traditional media reigning supreme over online. Is this shift simply an extension of that hype, or a move towards a Super Bowl where the most impactful ads are on your smartphone not your TV? This would give brands more power over their budget, but can something as sacred as the Super Bowl ad slot ever be beaten for audience share? I guess only time will tell.?

You can check out Marketing Dive’s Super Bowl ad tracker here to stay up to date ahead of the big game on February 11.?

We’ve previously written about the ads at the Super Bowl as they can often indicate marketing trends for the year ahead, and it turns out that American Football is a lot like marketing automation, who knew??

It has to be Heinz?

A final shoutout to the new Heinz commercial. Not many brands are so established that they can make an instantly recognizable campaign despite the product not even appearing in the ad. Heinz launched their ‘It has to be Heinz’ messaging previously, and the new campaign continues with that narrative.?

The new ads are a series of 15-second shorts depicting a diner at a restaurant choosing not to eat their food until the iconic red condiment is present. The ads show the diners trying to grab the attention of waiters, to no avail. The copy reads: ‘If you’re willing to wait, it has to be Heinz’.?

The campaign is a result of research showing that over two-thirds of diners would rather wait than eat their food without ketchup. ?It also found that almost 20% of Heinz fans would wait up to ten minutes for Heinz vs eating their food without. It’s a horrible conundrum of dry food or cold food, but Heinz has come out on top and is making the most of its prestige. ?