Mediaboss Marketing

(Natasha Pszenicki)

Reach the tender age of 16 and a brown envelope arrives on the doorstep of your home assigning a National Insurance number our first encounter with taxes. Part of me itches to send it back to HMRC in the manner of the apocryphal recipient who wrote a note declaring: This is an interesting scheme, but I have no wish to join it.

The row currently roiling the Conservative Party on plans to fund long-overdue social care reform from a rise in National Insurance rests on the mysterious nature of NI and its position in the tax, welfare and pensions system. Its precise function is elusive, even to the majority of us who pay it and that is not incidental in the new controversy engulfing the Government, as it announced a hike in NI by about 1.25 per cent raising extra cash to fill a terrible gap in social-care provision for the elderly and adult social care.

This is intended to raise (potentially) a hefty 12 billion with a message that this will be ring-fenced for health and social care and pump 5.4 billion into an emergency NHS recovery fund to address waiting lists in cancer care and other postponed treatments in the Covid era. To address the obvious point that this is tough on younger earners who will pay a lot more NI over their lifetimes than their parents the Tories will need to take ownership of health and social territory which is historically Labours and where many advocates and staff are not natural allies.

It is a mighty gamble and it might just work. But it is also an obvious sleight of fiscal hand. NI is intended to build up an entitlement to claim benefits, state retirement pension and to support us when we are not able to work. It is all a bit mystical-maths though. National Insurance cannot even keep up with future demands of pensions and welfare, let alone fund anything else. The Commons Librarys last report says as much in conceding that the NI Fund is notionally used to finance contributory benefits, but in years when the Fund was not sufficient to finance benefits, it was topped up from general taxation revenues.

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Notionally is the word to watch. It means that any talk of hypothecating elderly care insurance is largely a political marketing trick to make the tax rise more palatable. It all relies on the same tax and revenues pot as everything else in public expenditure because NI does not raise enough to fund what it promises. In a job market in London where wages are higher than the UK average but living costs are a lot more demanding, it is also an extra burden on young workers scraping to get on the housing ladder.

In a Cabinet meeting today, the PM will remind doubting colleagues that NI was raided by Tony Blair deployed in the early 2000s to boost health spending without breaking tax pledges. And he will say that NI is that it is paid both by employers and employees which can be spun as a fair division of fiscal labour. Changes are coming to the triple-lockof pensioner benefits too. So the pain will be shared around.

Later he will hold a press conference with the holy trinity of Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who bore the brunt of concern about backlash last night at a reception for MPs, during which he was, as one put it, put in a headlock from the Right on those who think this will kill jobs and from the Left of the party worried about the generational inequality.

This three-line whip underlines the importance of todays announcement and also Johnsons determination to co-opt his Cabinet. It also signals a laudable determination to confront an issue which has been dodged and ducked by governments for a very long time. In a better political scenario, he wouldnt have made himself hostage to fortune with a pledge against tax rises. But the pandemic, he will claim, means resetting the clock on promises and a noisy upcoming debate with Labour will smoke out Keir Starmers equivocations.

On this calculation, the public, while grousing and reaching for the calculator and an aspirin, will grudgingly respect the Johnson-Sunak-Javid trio for taking the needs of the NHS and social-care system seriously.

It is a decisive moment for a flighty PM his first attempt at making a serious argument to voters about tax and spending, with winners and losers. A long way indeed for sloppy slogans on health spending on the side of a bus. Reality bites.

Anne McElvoy is senior editor at The Economist

What do you think about the National Insurance hike? Let us know in the comments below.

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Anne McElvoy: Were told NI will fund social care but this is a political marketing trick - Yahoo News UK

Looking for ways to optimize your TikTok marketing approach?

The platform continues to see high engagement and download rates, and with the holiday shopping season fast approaching (Christmas is now 115 days away), a rising number of brands are now considering the potential of the platform for their outreach efforts.

But the key to effective TikTok marketing lies in your creative, and how well you can align with the platforms aesthetic and feel.

Do you know what works on TikTok, and subsequently, what might work best for your brand?

To help with this, TikTok has added a new section into its Creative Center ad tips platform, which presents a range of data insights as to what users are responding to from brands.

As explained by TikTok:

Creative is sometimes overlooked as a core component of performance marketing, and as a result many ads don't reach their full potential in terms of ROI. To help you achieve your business goals with breakthrough creative on TikTok, we looked at the data to identify the best-performing creative attributes such as video duration and closed captioning so we could share some universal and category-specific best practices and help your ad performance soar.

It seems as though the platform is not fully fleshed out as yet, with only a selected few insights in some verticals available, but it does provide some valuable pointers as to what approaches are seeing best response, and what you should be looking to include in your TikTok ads.

Each element includes expanded detail on the flip side of the info panel, where there are also up and downvote buttons to register whether you found the data helpful in your planning.

That seems to suggest that, eventually, as more of these tips are added, TikTok will then be able to rank the listings by relative visitor value, which may make it a more helpful resource for such info over time.

Theres some helpful info here, and while it doesnt cover all industries as yet, it may be worth bookmarking as a potential resource for your future planning, and mapping out your TikTok marketing approach.

You can check out the new Creative Insights section here.

Go here to read the rest:
TikTok Shares New Creative Peformance Insights to Help Marketers Improve their Strategic Approach - Social Media Today

The Impact NFT Alliance was created to bring together a global community of people interested in the role that blockchain technology can have on society.

The project was specifically designed to catalyse a cross-industry alliance that can promote, explore and discuss ideas where NFTs can be used to drive social impact in line with the UNs Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Project Ark a blockchain-powered conservation platform built between Carbonbase and the World Wildlife Fund Panda Labs is an online marketplace for ImpactNFTs that fund animal and environmental conservation efforts. Arks most recent ImpactNFTs include its WWF Egg Genesis Drop, SnarkySharkz and Purple Penguins.

NFTs are non-fungible tokens, a unit of data stored on the digital leger that represent items like photos, videos, audios and other digital files.

According to Max Song, founder of Project Ark and CEO of Carbonbase, there are clear synergies between minting NFTs and making the world better specifically between issuing NFT green bonds, payments for environmental services and NFTs as carbon credits.

Lays ImpactNFT is a first-of-its-kind for both PepsiCo and the brand, and incorporates social marketing with blockchain technology to get important messages out to blockchain newbies, conscious consumers and the general public.

An celebration of Lays Romanias efforts to unite the nation through the Share smiles with Lays campaign, Lays Smile NFT showcases the key elements of the initiative, namely, education, social and environment, with 100% of the proceeds going to four organisations recognised for their work in addressing some of Romanias biggest challenges in these areas.

Lets Do It, Romania! identifies polluted areas, organises clean up and has constructed the largest environmental education campaign in the country.

Bicycle-sharing service i'Velo, powered by GreenRevolution, has developed Romanias first and largest network of automated bike stations with a proprietary app.

The Adi Hdean Association provides those in need with nourishment through social and education projects.

And finally, Teach For Romania trains teachers to bring creative approaches to the classroom and develops educational leadership to codify their vision for future generations.

The Smiles by Lays NFT is a celebration of all the people and communities that got together through the Share Smiles with Lays campaign in Romania. Were excited to transform this campaign into digital art, said Vlad Vldescu, senior brand manager of Lays Romania.

Added Song, The Smile ImpactNFT is an example of cross-industry partnership that can drive social impact in a creative way that adds ongoing value.

To guarantee a negligible carbon footprint, Project Ark has minted Lays NFT on the Polygon network a Layer 2 protocol offering fast, economic and energy-efficient transactions, which is backed by the security of Ethereum open-source blockchain.

We are built for minting NFTs with a positive impact. Our partnership with Project Ark fits perfectly within our ethos of energy-efficiency and accessibility, said Amartya Hari Pilaka, Polygons NFT lead.

Continued here:
Lay's Romania makes an ImpactNFT by investing in miles of smiles - BakeryAndSnacks.com

Would you consider the time you spend on TikTok as time well spent?

Thats the core of what TikTok sought to find out via a new survey conducted in partnership with Kantar among more than 7,000 global TikTok users.

The results show that TikTok users are increasingly getting enjoyment and connection from the app.

As explained by TikTok:

They come to TikTok for the community, stay for the creativity, and leave feeling happy and inspired. People love the positive experience that our platform provides, so they scroll longer and dive deeper.

Which is no real surprise. TikTok usage has surged during the pandemic, with the apps never-ending stream of short video clips providing a means of escape, and light-hearted fun, away from the often depressing stream of news updates which now dominate many other apps.

Among the reports other key findings:

These are some interesting notes, which could help to shape your TikTok marketing approach. For more, you can check out TikToks full report here, or take a look at the infographic highlights below.

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TikTok Shares New Insights into Usage Trends, and its Impact on Audience Behaviors [Infographic] - Social Media Today

The metaverse is morethan trending just ask Google, Facebook, Snapchat, Microsoft, Epic Games (owner of Fortnite), and Roblox.

Is the metaverse a buzzword or buzzworthy? The next internet?

Marketers need to be in the know!

Imagine accessing a virtual universe where you can create an entire world, bringing your physical world experiences with you.

It was only thirty years ago that the internet became publicly available, and twenty years ago that many businesses realized that a website was a necessity for marketing.

And lets not even talk about how long it took for social media networks to catch on.

Now, virtual reality experts predict that 58.9 million and 93.3 million people in the United States will use VR and AR respectively at least once a month this year thats 17.7% and 28.1% of the total US population, respectively.

At a conceptual level, the metaverse can be thought of as the successor-state to todays internet just as todays predominantly mobile internet was built on top of fixed broadband internet of the 1990s and early 2000s, according to Matthew Balls Metaverse Fund.

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The convergence of 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), and edge cloud processing will soon make it easier to deliver more seamless, enjoyable, and cost-effective AR VR experiences across a variety of connected devices.

Just like the internet, industry insiders are predicting the metaverse will become a necessity for all brands.

Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that Facebook is turning itself into a metaverse company, for what thats worth. Meanwhile, tech journalist Tara Swisher says the jury is still out and thinks Apple or Google might be better suited to lead the metaverse revolution.

1. Google Trends shows a significant climb in people searching the term metaverse in the last 12 months, hitting the 100 mark in March.

2. Top-tier media are all in. Forbes has a weekly round-up covering all corners of the metaverse news written by tech futurist and metaverse strategist, Cathy Hackl.

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3. Theres a fund. Matthew Ball, a media analyst and co-founder of the metaverse Investment Fund Metaverse ATF (NYSE: META) published The Metaverse Primer, a primer in 9 free essaysthat is a good starting point and someone to follow.

4. Chief Metaverse Officer and other metaverse titles. Search LinkedIn for the keyword metaverse, and you will find about 2700 results of people using metaverse in their profile title, headline, or experience.

5. Google News shows 175,000 search results for the keyword metaverse news.

6. On Twitter, #metaverse gets about 500+/- Tweets an hour depending on the news cycle.

7. Instagram shows more than 43K posts using #metaverse. Once known as a mobile photo-sharing app, Instagram insiders hint at a shift from photos to videos as the charge towards the metaverse marches on.

According to Wikipedia, the metaverse is the sum of all virtual worlds, augmented reality, and the Internet. Its a collective virtual shared space created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical reality and physically persistent virtual space, including the sum of all virtual worlds, augmented reality, and the Internet.

A metaverse is a place where everyone will have an avatar. Its a virtual experience in 3D whether you are playing, creating, gaming, or exploring.

There is a shift in business mindset and adaptation from looking at a virtual reality beyond just gaming to using VR to create, explore, identify, express, collaborate, and socialize.

Thanks to the pandemic push of new technologies and opportunities, VR is quickly moving away from the traditional stigma of being a waste of time to the next technology revolution much like mobile technology has shaped our culture from the first version of the iPhone to now.

Brands such as Gucci, Nike, Disney, Snap, and Facebook are in the midst of creating virtual communities, content, assets, fashion, art, experiences, and worlds.

We can now step out of our real world and into virtual worlds where we will have a new economy, environment, currency, and behaviors.

On todays agenda: Using new technologies wrapping virtual reality around augmented reality, and artificial intelligence as part of the digital marketing strategy.

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Much like the evolution of the Internet and the impact of mobile technology, savvy marketers will educate for change and adapt to new virtual worlds of opportunity.

Hackl points out that:

Brands will need to rethink their narratives in three dimensions and that marketers will need to embrace emerging technology at a faster speed. In the metaverse, everyone is a world builder, including brands.

Matt McGowan, Snap Director and General Manager Canada, says:

For brands and marketers, its important to remember the value of Gen Z and millennials or the Snapchat Generation, as we like to call them.

Consider what happens in a persons life between the ages of 13 and 34. They move out of the house for the first time, get their first apartment, first credit card, first car and they start buying the day-to-day products that they will need at various points throughout the rest of their lives.

The Snapchat Generation has over $4.4 trillion in global spending power, and beyond that carries a massive influence on household purchasing (over 80% of parents of Gen Z report that this generation influences household spend).

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McGowan also noted:

There is deep, long-term value in our audience, which is why its important to reach them where they spend so much of their time on their phones using apps like Snapchat.

Heres a starting point when it comes to SEO, social media, and public relations to get you started.

Just like marketers transitioned into optimizing to get found in search engines like Google, YouTube and Bing, its time to start analyzing how to get found in the metaverse.

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Brands can achieve this by staking their claim in a world, community, or platform that matches your audience.

Will search engines be the gateway to getting found in the metaverse? Having the keyword metaverse in a brand name, product or headline is helpful for getting found in search and social channels by those seeking that type of interaction.

Have a local restaurant, small business, or retail shop? Googles AR/VR technologies create 3D experiences direct from your local listings and more.

According to Google:

Augmented reality overlays digital content and information onto the physical world as if theyre actually there with you,

Using AR for trying on shoes, training someone how to do CPR, or sharing tips for applying cosmetics are all examples of how a brands content strategy can impact search results.

Eric Enge, author of The Art of SEO and co-founder of Pilot Holding, says:

One of the key aspects of the Metaverse is the big role that image processing plays. Virtual reality augmented reality, and visual search all rely on it.

Yet its important to acknowledge that capabilities in this area are still developing and that practical applications remain limited in nature. However, some of these are quite interesting.

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Deep content is at the heart of any SEO Strategy. The more that content serves a users needs, the better in terms of driving SEO rankings and organic search traffic.

Images are a highly effective form of content. As Google gets better and better at understanding the content and quality of images, the bigger a factor this will become.

Take an audit of your current content strategy and see how you can implement AR, VR, and 3D experiences into your marketing plans.

As mentioned earlier, Facebook sees its future self as a metaverse company.

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Equipped with brands such as Oculus (the hardware), the virtual reality platform Facebook Horizon, and a newly formed Facebook Metaverse executive team, the social network seems ready to launch from 2D to 3D.

If you are ready to explore the metaverse through the eyes of Facebook:

No experience is necessary.

Navah Berg, Facebook Horizon Creator and co-founder of Women in Horizon, says:

Connecting 2D newsfeeds to a 3D community in Horizon where world-building with others is truly a community-building experience. Horizon is the heart of the social metaverse.

Once inside Horizon, you can do things like visit different worlds centered around specific interests and topics. Youll find everything from gardening to gaming to meditation, and even community groups tied to Facebook Groups.

Created by early alpha-beta testers Berg and Paige Dansinger to empower women to build in Horizon, Women In VR host monthly meet-ups and hosted Facebook Horizons community leaders Q&A for their first Accelerator program. The group also holds Horizon world-building classes, and in early March had an all-day International Womens Day event with meditation, speakers from Facebook, Futurists, and Social Media experts.

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Facebook allows you to share moments in Horizon through Facebook Groups such as sharing your selfies and worlds from your 3D world to a 2D audience. They are creating a bridge between worlds.

Its possible to create worlds, collaborate with others, host events, have meet-ups, take selfies, and create meaningful relationships, avatar-to-avatar.

McGowan shared how brands can easily get started with AR on Snapchat:

Our free Lens Web Builder tool is a great way to get started with AR on Snapchat. It offers an easy, fast way for anyone to build compelling, professional AR Lenses in minutes either through templates with a pre-selected combination of 3D assets or from scratch.

Released this week, Snapchat Trends is a public, web-based tool for advertisers, partners, and more to learn which words and phrases are trending across Snapchat and whats driving buzz for our community of 500 million monthly active users.

For partners, its a great way to understand and get visibility into the communitys interests in real-time, said McGowan.

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Snap is also snapping into 3D content at a steady pace. With its beta launch of Spectacles: The Next Generation, creators are pushing the boundaries of what our 3D world will look like.

Ready and willing to capture the hearts of 16-25-year-olds, Snap also recently launched new 3D, fashion-forward Bitmojis. You can dress your avatar with your favorite brand and be the best digital version of the real you.

Brands dipping their toes in the metaverse today are making headlines. 60 Minutes recently featured the story on how nonfungible tokens (NFTs) are making it possible for people to buy and sell goods, and use them in the metaverse.

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Its a convergence of the physical world with the digital world.

Creative ways to use AR, VR and dip your PR toes in the metaverse:

It is now possible to create (or hire) a virtual being, the new influencers for your brand can be the perfect spokesperson or ambassador, or concierge. Check out a recent podcast interview between Guy Kawasaki and Kuki, an artificial intelligence chatbot.

Virtual beings are already part of our daily lives just not in 3D.

Think Alexa and Siri.

Looking at the world through AR glasses and leveraging immersive technologies are the waves of the near future.

How are you planning to surf through these new ways of communication and venture out past the shore of today to take a plunge in the waters the metaverse brings for tomorrow?

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The internet might have taken 30 years to get where it is today, but the metaverse is poised for rapid growth with technology primed and humans ready to crossover into new worlds.

In the metaverse, I wear Gucci.

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Marketing in the Metaverse: The Future of Search & Social - Search Engine Journal