Marketing, PR & Communications - Industry News

The Importance of Creating Human Connections with Your Brand in Social Media

One of the best things about social media is that people are becoming more real, revealing more about themselves. People are showing more courage in putting themselves out there – sure, some guy you went to school with might judge you for sharing your feelings, but there are others with whom your opinions will resonate, and those are the people you really want to connect with. Social media facilitates better connections with likeminded folk, leading to the creation of online communities that foster encouragement, creativity and genuine relationships. It’s really great to see, really heartening to see people who might have felt out of place in the world finding others who feel the same way. I was reminded of this when Bryan Kramer did a presentation recently where he summed this up perfectly from a business perspective: ‘There Is No More B2B or B2C: There Is Only Human to Human (H2H)’ It’s a simple, inspiring summary that’s been rightfully praised by many in the industry. It underlines that community spirit, that tangible sense of belonging that people are finding in the social media landscape. Inspiring is the best word for it, and I applaud Bryan for his clarity. [Read More…]

Protecting the brand at the Sochi Olympics

With companies such as Visa, Samsung and McDonald’s shelling out tens of millions of dollars to be official Olympic sponsors, the Olympics’ governing body and its regional arms are cracking down on companies suspected of trying to get a share of the glory. Olympic organizers fiercely protect their commercial partnerships, which they say account for more than 40 per cent of Olympic revenues. Only official affiliates are allowed to use the five-ring logo and words or phrases such as “Olympics” and “Sochi 2014.” Last week, the Canadian Olympic Committee filed suit against apparel maker The North Face, alleging the company’s Villagewear line infringed on Olympic trademarks. And this week, the COC reportedly raised concerns that the Budweiser Red Light campaign suggests an association between the Olympic movement and the beer made by Labatt Brewing Co. Ltd., which is not an Olympic sponsor. [Read More…]

Mozilla Looking to Add a New Revenue Stream by Selling Its Ads in Firefox

Open-source browser Firefox revealed in the blog post that it is planning to sell its ads for its new tab page. Publishers will have the provision of purchasing the sponsored titles that will be displayed alongside the normal titles that has a clear promoted label. In the first sight, Mozilla is eager of pre-populating the new tab page. When you usually open the new tab page in Firefox, it is empty and contains the link to the Firefox site. The Firefox uses the browsing history to put up your speed dialing features in the new tab. If there is no history, then the new tab will show up as empty. [Read More…]

Firefox ads will push brands in popular Web browser

Mozilla, the company behind the Firefox Internet browser, will start selling ads as it tries to grab a larger slice of the fast-expanding online advertising market. The company said in a blog posting on Tuesday that it has reached out to potential corporate sponsors about its fledgling “Directory Tiles” program, targeted at first-time users. Novice Firefox users now see nine blank tiles when they open up the browser, which fill in over time with their most-visited or recently visited websites. Now, Mozilla intends to display the most popular sites by location, as well as sponsored websites that will be clearly labelled as such. [Read More...]

What brands should know about Facebook’s Paper

The new app enables users to view updates in a newspaper-like format. Here’s a run-down of the app, as well as ways to keep readers’ attention online. The Internet has changed the way we communicate. This became increasingly true with Facebook’s announcement of its new app, Paper. Paper will allow users to view Facebook in a way that is more like reading a newspaper (with short updates, news stories, photos and videos) than scrolling through a social media feed. While the news feed revolutionized online communication, Paper takes it to a new level. What does this mean for the way your brand communicates with its followers? How will marketing change with new tools that shorten users’ attention spans and ability to focus? Keep reading. [Read More…]

Point Your iPhone at Something You Like, and Amazon’s New App Buys It

Amazon just keeps making it easier for you to buy everything on the web. If the company continues to have its way, you’ll never need to go to the store again. Today, Amazon is announcing a new feature inside its mobile shopping app that lets you scan items in your home using your smartphone’s camera and quickly order all of your packaged goods online. The new feature, called Flow, will be available inside Amazon’s shopping app for iOS. It’s iPhone-only for now, and the company isn’t saying when it will arrive on other smartphone platforms, or on the Kindle Fire. Instead of taking a photo of an item or scanning a barcode, Flow recognizes items via their shape, size, color, box text, and general appearance. Hold your iPhone up to a row of items on your shelf or counter, and within seconds of “seeing” it with the iPhone’s camera, every recognizable item is placed in queue that can be added to your Amazon cart. [Read More…]

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Brand Optimization – Now offered in a new format for busy brand and marketing professionals

The Canadian Institute’s Brand Optimization Webshop, February 25, 2014, will provide you with access to the latest cutting-edge strategies that are being used by Canadian branding experts to create and manage an empowered brand in today’s competitive market – all from the comfort of your own office! Join us for an exclusive webshop between 3:00-4:30PM EST on February 25^th to learn how successful brand managers are attacking and navigating three of most confusing aspects of brand management in today’s modern world, featuring an in-depth case study with Shelagh Stoneham, Senior Vice President & General Manager Brands & Marketing Communications, Rogers Communications.

When: Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Where: online, webcast

To Learn more visit: www.CanadianInstitute.com/BrandOptimization

Tags: advertising, Amazon, app, Brand, branding, canadian institute, Facebook, Firefox, iPhone, marketing, Mozilla, social media