Mediaboss Marketing

As part of its broader effort to maximize inclusion, and ensure optimal freedom of representation on its platform, Twitter has announced a new #TwitterPrism initiative which is designed to help marketing partners integrate more inclusive approaches into their outreach efforts.

As explained by Twitter:

Inspired by the work already happening, and aware of how much more there is to be done, were announcing #TwitterPrism to bring together existing and new efforts that support diverse creators and publishers. #TwitterPrism encourages and enables our advertising partners to create campaigns that are rooted in culture, and center diverse, intersectional voices.

The program aims to help marketers develop more inclusive strategies, while also encouraging more media spend among historically excluded communities.

An additional element within Twitters Marketing Partner program, #TwitterPrism will provide market insights support, so brands can better understand specific aspects of the communities they want to engage with, while it will also facilitate Cultural Context workshops to expand knowledge and understanding in these key areas.

The program will also facilitate the co-creation of campaigns, in conjunction with Twitter ArtHouse, through which Twitter will connect advertisers with diverse visual artists and influencers to build more relevant ads.

Change is happening. A broad spectrum of brands are working diligently to meet the demands of a rapidly-evolving market by connecting with diverse communities of customers and fans. #TwitterPrism helps our advertising partners develop more inclusive marketing strategies and channel media dollars to diverse communities.

In addition to this, Twitter will also look to increase the number of minority-owned and led providers in its Amplify marketing partner program, providing more ways for brands to invest in diverse publishers and creators.

The announcement comes as part of Twitters broader commitment to maximizing diversity and inclusion, which also incorporates its internal hiring practices.

And as Twitter notes, change is happening in this regard, and more consumers now expect brands to make more effort to incorporate inclusion and diversity within their marketing.

As such, #TwitterPrism could be a key gateway for brands to make more informed approaches on this front, with direct input from these communities to help integrate more representative elements in a more authentic and engaging way.

You can learn more about the #TwitterPrism initiative here.

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Twitter Announces New #TwitterPrism Initiative to Maximize Inclusion within Advertising - Social Media Today

People all over the world have been increasingly holding a talk about the rise of social media space and the digital realm overall. A few years back, when social media was still rising, many brands and businesses hardly paid much attention to growing their digital footprint, thinking they would survive with the name and image they had created through traditional forms of media and word-of-mouth. However, this scenario has totally changed and for the better. Today, brands can't think to survive without a digital presence, and more and more companies are coming forward to heighten their digital presence and visibility through these online platforms. Mik Zenon from Toronto, Canada, who serves as one of the top social media influencers and content creators for his videos on Amazon Finds in the affiliate marketing space, explains that being on social media today is like doing a favour to oneself, such is the growth opportunities it offers, and gives people a chance to grow beyond boundaries, which wasn't possible with traditional marketing methods.

Mik Zenon's channel on social media initially featured a series titled "Amazon Products You Need (Or Don't)" as a 100-part Amazon Finds series; however, his videos garnered so much love, recognition and presence that he had to extend the same into a 365 parts series. It is natural to wonder what really helped him thrive so much in the ever-so-competitive affiliate marketing industry as a social media influencer. He credits a major part of his success to the passion he feels for the medium, which gives him the chance to express himself the way he wants to as many people as possible across the world. In addition, he feels that his comic touch to his videos with meaningful reviews and also an entertainment factor has allowed him to connect with his audiences in incredible ways.

The storyline he creates with each of his videos has raised standards in the industry and has helped him achieve immense recognition with 3 million followers in just 14 months as an influencer of products with 1 billion views, generating millions of dollars in revenue in the e-commerce space.

Mik Zenon is excited for his future projects, where currently he is developing a multi-year collaboration with a giant in the Amazon Selling Space, "Lifewit". He has been accepted into the official Amazon Influencer Program and is now thrilled to enter the e-commerce space to launch and promote his own brands of products in the coming months.

Mik Zenon truly has been riding high on success as a one-of-a-kind social media influencer in the affiliate marketing space.

Photography by: Mik Zenon

Read the rest here:
Mik Zenon Rides High on Success as a One-of-a-Kind Social Media Influencer in the Affiliate Marketing Industry - Ocean Drive Magazine

Before a rapidly growing smartphone user base and rising internet connectivity propelled digital advertising and marketing as an effective tool for brand promotion, few had expected online media to take off the way it has over the past few years. Back in the early 2000s, the number of brands trying the effectiveness of digital advertising channels were far and few in between.

So, when Vikas Chawla saw his company a leading bicycle manufacturing company dabbling with digital solutions and social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook for brand awareness, he was surprised to know the insights that were in store for him.

I learnt a lot about how one can leverage these digital platforms and target specific audience groups like teenagers. We also saw that while there were several global agencies, very few Indian companies were offering digital and social media marketing for local brands, recounts Vikas, who has years of experience in the advertising industry. He got together with his brother Sunil to launch Social Beat, an end-to-end digital marketing agency based out of Chennai in 2012.

A consultant who had launched his own e-commerce company, Sunil was the perfect business partner as he had the experience of working in the digital spectrum, he feels.

The two brothers doubled down to build a presence for the company across sectors, but a rude shock awaited them. We had a tough time convincing our clients that the digital medium is here to stay and they need to leverage it. Back then, the digital medium was not seen as important as it is today. During the first 2-3 years, we spent a lot of time not just selling our services, but also convincing clients about the potential of the digital medium, says Vikas.

The nascent stage of digital marketing also made it difficult for them to find the right talent for their company. So, how did they tackle these challenges? With a ROI-driven approach where we focussed only on business outcomes and not on metrics like the number of likes and social media followers our campaigns were garnering, answers Vikas.

In fact, our first client was one where we were to be paid only if we delivered the results. Plus, we diligently followed up on our clients' feedback which helped us refine our own business model,'' he adds. Plus, their focus on leveraging data-driven marketing has been a key growth driver for the company.

The two brothers groomed professionals from the ground up and showed them how digital brands are built and the approaches that work.

We encouraged a culture of experimentation and let your team unlearn and relearn. Today, it's the agility of the team that is the secret sauce behind Social Beats success, says Vikas.

While starting a digital-native brand, both Vikas and Sunil knew that an interactive website could be instrumental in demonstrating the impact Social Beat was trying to create. Going against conventional advice, they opted for a .in domain name that is offered by the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI).

We wanted a domain name that stressed on our Indian origin while helping us boost business growth and engage with the Indian audience. The other reason behind the team's decision was that they wanted the name 'Social Beat', come what may," says Vishal.

The move helped Social Beat not just ramp up its online presence and audience engagement, but also draw clients from across sectors.

NIXI has helped hundreds of businesses across sectors and sizes distinguish themselves as a brand with its .in or .Bharat domain which is Indias Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD). Its among the only internet exchanges in the world to offer a ccTLD in multiple languages.

Recalling his experience with a .in extension, Vikas said, When we registered for a .in domain, we had heard that search engines like Google prefer a .com domain name. But, it turned out to be just a myth as we started getting a lot of organic traffic right from the get go as the domain name made our connection with India very clear, he adds.

Social Beat was among the businesses who were able to find the silver lining in a dark cloud like COVID-19 crisis. He said the pandemic pushed digital mediums to become a mainstay for marketing campaigns. Earlier, digital marketing was usually a part of the overall strategy, he added.

The agency looks forward to developing its influencer platform in the near future and helping more brands scale with the help of digital marketing.

The Shaping India Inc's Online Growth series chronicles the journeys of startups and SMEs in India and how creating an online presence on the .in or .Bharat domain powered their success stories.

Excerpt from:
How an early bet on digital marketing is helping Chennai-based agency Social Beat reap rich rewards - YourStory

Prompted by the proliferation of social media advertising that often blurs the line between authentic content and sponsored posts, the Federal Trade Commission last week sent more than 700 companies a Notice of Penalty Offenses warning them against the use of deceptive endorsements in their online advertising. The Notice advises recipient companies that engaging in advertising conduct the FTC has previously determined to be unfair, unlawful or deceptive under Section 5 of the FTC Act can subject them to civil liability of up to $43,792 per violation. As we had previously predicted, these letters may reflect a shift in the FTCs focus towards reliance on 5 of the FTC Act, following last terms Supreme Court opinion in AMG Capital Mgmt. v. FTC which curtailed the FTCs ability to seek monetary relief under 13(b) of the Act.

Companies receiving the Notice include large household names including leading retailers and major advertising agencies. Recipients were also directed to distribute copies of the Notice to each of their subsidiaries engaged in the sale or marketing of products or services to consumers in the United States. While the FTC makes clear that recipients of the Notice are not alleged to have engaged in any wrongdoing, the scope of the Notices sent outand the Commissions 50 vote to authorize the Notice and its distributiondemonstrates that the FTC is highly focused on the use of deceptive endorsements in online advertisements and is willing to aggressively pursue advertisers that flout its directives.

The Notice sent to companies provides a non-exhaustive list of practices the FTC has found to be unlawful in previous FTC administrative orders, including:

Copies of the case decisions discussed in the notice are available on the FTCs website. The Notice also points advertisers to additional resources, including a staff business guidance document The FTCs Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking and the FTCs Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, 16 C.F.R. Part 255, for further guidance on their responsibilities under the FTC Act.

While navigating the evolving regulatory landscape regarding deceptive online advertising can present challenges for companies and their advertising partners, avoiding the practices outlined above will likely go a long way in mitigating the risk of facing an FTC enforcement action and subsequent liability. Our team continues to monitor these changes and will apprise our readers of any FTC enforcement actions that arise as a result of the Notices issued today. Watch this space for further developments.

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On Notice: FTC Issues Warning to Hundreds of Companies Regarding the Use of Fake Reviews and Other Misleading Endorsements in Online Marketing...

As eCommerce continues to rise, so too do deceptive methods of advertising, including fake reviews, undeclared paid endorsements and other practices that fall foul of federal laws.

And now, the FTC is looking to step up its action on this front, with the Commission this week sending out notices to over 700 businesses, including Facebook, Amazon, and LinkedIn, about their use, or facilitation of false reviews and ads to promote products online.

As explained by the FTC:

The rise of social media has blurred the line between authentic content and advertising, leading to an explosion in deceptive endorsements across the marketplace. Fake online reviews and other deceptive endorsements often tout products throughout the online world. Consequently, the FTC is now using its Penalty Offense Authority to remind advertisers of the law and deter them from breaking it.

The FTC says that by sending its Notice of Penalty Offenses to these organizations, its effectively notifying each of their need to either address these issues, or risk penalties of up to $43,792 per violation.

The Notice of Penalty Offenses allows the agency to seek civil penalties against a company that engages in conduct that it knows has been found unlawful in a previous FTC administrative order, other than a consent order.

So now that the FTC has sent out these warnings, it has a legal basis to implement penalties in future instances, if so detected.

What the specifics are in each case is unclear, but the FTC does explain that the range of violations highlighted in its notifications include:

These violations cover a broad range of practices, which are particularly applicable in social media marketing, and with the use influencers in promotions also on the rise, its worth familiarizing yourself with the latest regulations to ensure that you dont also fall foul of the FTCs rules.

The FTC has also created an overview guide to its endorsement rules to provide more assistance in this respect.

Itll be interesting to see whether this new push from the FTC actually leads to more specific legal action on this front, and what that will mean for the marketing sector. And again, with the use of influencer marketing on the rise, you can imagine that many will fail to meet the specific criteria, leading to further concerns.

As such, it is worth reading up on the latest rules.

The FTC has published a full listing of the 700 companies that its sent out notices to here.

Originally posted here:
FTC Sends Out Official Warnings to Over 700 Brands Over the Use of Fake Reviews - Social Media Today