Intuit promotes its suite of products with engaging entrepreneurial animation

Intuit Video

Most people know of QuickBooks and TurboTax, but until last year, many may not have known the name of the company behind those popular financial help products.

With the release of its latest brand campaign, Intuit puts a stake in the ground as the go-to ecosystem of financial products – QuickBooks, TurboTax and Mint – with an animated tale of an entrepreneur who uses those products to get her business and her financial life in order.

The 60-second spot, ‘A Prosperity Story,’ a girl named Luisa sits in her father’s coffee shop, designing a hat and coffee cups. When a customer gives her a tip, a new entrepreneur is made. She is seen selling the design on clothes at a street stand, where she loses receipts to the wind. Knowing she needs a better way, she is visited by the Intuit giant – a character introduced in last year’s campaign during a four minute film. The giant shows her positive cash flow through QuickBooks, financial health and tax cuts with TurboTax and financial management with Mint. She finds a storefront and is on her way to her version of prosperity.

Intuit states that it fundamentally believes that everyone deserves, but many Americans live paycheck to paycheck, where even the smallest emergency can send a family into financial crisis. Half of all small businesses fail, according to the company.

“Everyone deserves a prosperous life, but the path to prosperity not easy for everyone,” Lauren Stafford-Webb, head of global corporate marketing for Intuit told The Drum. “We’re committed to turning those realities around. Intuit provides the financial tools so people can take control of their financial realities.

“The giant is a metaphor showing the power of our products,” she continued, stating that those products are powered by the company’s continuous data and advanced technology. “We’re working on behalf of our customers, giving them the confidence they need.”

The reason that Intuit chose an entrepreneur for its tale is that it brings it to a personal level. Stafford-Webb said that all people have some level of challenging financial problems, and that there are 750 million people around world who work for themselves in some way. They all need to manage their finances while following their passions. The commercial animation demonstrates how Intuit can use its suite of products to work on their behalf.

The campaign was created and produced by Intuit’s agency of record, Phenomenon and the film was directed by Against All Odds of Oscar-winning production company Passion Animation Studios.

To get to the story the team worked with, Intuit spent a lot of time with its customers, researching all over the country to find out how people dealt with their financial lives. “The truth (we found) is that people have passions in their lives and are working super hard to achieve prosperity for them. They’re going out on their own, managing their finances. That was really inspirational to us,” said Stafford-Webb.

She added that the first animated campaign exceeded expectations, with 25 million views, and a view-through rate on YouTube that went past the average movie trailer. The name recognition for Intuit is still an ongoing process and one that doesn’t happen overnight.

“We are a 35-year-old company. For the first 33 years, we were building our product brands,” said Stafford-Webb, adding that with people seeing Intuit as the umbrella company, there is relevance. “Knowing the ecosystem of the products, they know they can work seamlessly across them with confidence…It’s only year two for the Intuit brand. We do have a journey ahead of building equity in the brand.”

Intuit also had a 30-second ad, ‘Power of Giants’, in the AFC and NFC championship games, and it plans to unveil 60-second ‘A Prosperity Story’ during the Grammys. The media buy will then cover other big events, plus integrated television, online and social elements.

On social media, Intuit is inviting its customers to tell the company what prosperity means to them. Luisa was decided on as a character after the company talked with numerous self-employed artists. For many of those people, said Stafford-Webb, it was getting to live the life they want, and the company decided to champion that dedication, while providing the tools for people to live that life.

Scoring the film is a newly debuted song by Raiche, an up-and-coming Latina singer-songwriter who identifies with the spot’s protagonist, Luisa, from her own self-determination to achieve her goals as a musical artist. The song in the spot is called Shine, and Stafford-Webb said the walking beat helped create the drive behind Luisa.

Article source: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2019/02/08/intuit-promotes-its-suite-products-with-engaging-entrepreneurial-animation

6 digital marketing predictions for 2019

Marketing, Social Media — Image credit: Pixabay

By Kent Lewis

As the momentum of 2019 rolls in, it is a great time to look ahead to what we can expect in the digital marketing industry in the year ahead.

As we’ve done for the past 12-plus years at Anvil, we sat down as a team to discuss our 2019 digital marketing predictions, and we want to wish you the happiest of holidays with this special gift. Enjoy.

Video trends will increase in marketing, messaging and media.

Live video content, i.e. streaming, encourages high engagement and will be an even more valuable tool for brands in 2019. This type of video content will be more search friendly with more prevalent use of closed captioning and the power of artificial intelligence. AI can transcribe audio to make video more searchable. Video previews will auto-play on most platforms. With the ease of video production essentially being in everyone’s phone, video will also take on more of a 1-to-1 approach. Personalized video messages will start replacing chat, email and phone calls as ways brands communicate with customers. Videos will be created to thank a customer, deliver support or follow up on customer questions.

Brands will make major strides with in-game and esport sponsorships and related advertising opportunities.

While online gaming, especially multiplayer, has been around since Doom in the early 90s, recent explosive growth — thanks in part to games such as Fortnite — has changed the game for brands looking to target Generation Z in particular. Online gaming enthusiasts range in age from 10 to 65, yet a whopping 73% of 14- to 21-year-olds in the US identify as a competitive gamer (including 56% of females in that same age group), according to a WaPo study. Anvil believes game makers will not be able to resist lucrative partnerships, sponsorships and advertising opportunities. Recent examples include “Wreck-It Ralph Breaks the Internet” and Fortnite; the game had a brief cameo in the movie and an Easter Egg from the film was embedded in the popular game. Look for more crossover partnerships in the future. There is another large audience relating to gaming and that is spectators and fans. Esports are increasingly a spectator sport, drawing millions to global competitions, physically and virtually. While most gamers play for social reasons, 35% play to win prizes or acclaim. Look for brands to increase sponsorship budgets to get in front of gamers by associating brands with high-profile players.

Generation Z will call for increased brand transparency and purpose.

Brand transparency and purpose will go beyond affecting ad targeting and be a critical component to developing successful marketing strategies & campaigns. As Generation Z ages and their buying power grows, it will be important for brands to think about their story and how to connect with this new consumer group. To effectively connect with Gen Z, brands will not only have to authentically convey their values and purpose but actively live it and prove their commitment.

With search growing more prevalent, Google will introduce campaigns specifically for voice-assisted devices.

With voice search becoming more prevalent, we believe the trend will affect Google search with a new campaign type. This campaign type would specifically be for voice search and would allow targeting with bid adjustments by the type of voice search device including mobile phone voice search as well as the specific voice-assisted devices such as Amazon Echo and Google Home.

AEO and REO will replace the outdated SEO model.

Search Engine Optimization will fall by the wayside in favor of Answer Engine and Research Engine optimization. SEO is becoming a broad term that is beginning to encapsulate digital marketing as search engines are more and more able to anticipate user intent. At the same time, SEO is becoming more siloed as websites are beginning to focus more on their own specialty. As a website’s optimization aligns more and more with where users are in their specific journey, websites will have to think about how to optimize to answer questions, allow for research or convert from search engine results pages directly.

Amazon will create its own SEO position zero.

As Amazon gains a larger share of not only online shopping but consumer purchases in general, it will become more and more like its own search engine. We expect increased importance on SEO for product pages, and possibly even position zero and “featured snippets” in the form of a promoted product that matches one’s search query.

Have a happy, wonderful 2019!

Kent Lewis is the president and founder of Anvil Media.

Article source: https://www.smartbrief.com/original/2018/12/6-digital-marketing-predictions-2019

Creating an Emotional Connection with Customers

Social Media, Management — Image Source: Convenience Store Decisions

By John Lofstock

It’s no secret that we are experiencing unprecedented times across retail.

Customers now have access to anything and everything they want in seconds right from their smartphones. Delivery is available on demand for everything from a new car to breakfast sandwiches.

Frictionless retail, where customers can walk into a store, pick up what they want and walk right out—completely bypassing the checkout counter and those important impulse sales—is not only here, it’s expanding to markets around the country.

Amazon and Google have developed devices that allow customers to reorder products and have them delivered right to their front doors in a matter of hours with the simple push of a button. Scared yet? You should be. When you combine these growing trends with other concerning issues, such as the FDA’s assault on tobacco and the growth of electric cars and alternative fuels, which are curbing visits to the convenience store, concerns abound.

All hope is not lost, according to Justin Champion, author of “Inbound Content: A Step-by-Step Guide to Doing Content Marketing.” That’s because customers respond to emotional connections. That’s why convenience stores must work harder at creating a story for your brand that resonates with your customers.

“Stories create emotion and emotion is what people remember,” Champion said. “They help you engage and, more importantly, remind customers who you are, what your values are and why you’re a good business for your community.”

People are bombarded with messages these days. Google processes over 3.8 million searches per minute. That’s a lot of people looking for information. This is happening because the way people buy has changed.

For retailers, the message is clear: You must provide…Continue reading

Article source: https://cstoredecisions.com/2018/12/03/creating-an-emotional-connection-with-customers/

Eye On The Future: Top Five Digital Marketing Strategies Of 2019

Digital Marketing, Inbound Marketing — Image credit: Shutterstock

By Hafiz Muhammad Ali

You’re reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

As 2019 approaches, there could be a dramatic shift in the digital marketing scene which encompasses SEO, social media, content marketing and more. In a constantly changing high-tech era, companies continue to wrestle for attention online.

With less than two months until the year closes out, it’s critical to consider the advertising landscape and rethink your marketing strategy, because what worked for you then might not work for you now. Let’s discuss five business-critical digital marketing trends, old and new, to shape the coming year.

Let’s Get Visual: Five Tips to Visually Market Your Restaurant

Restaurants, Marketing, Management — Image source: Modern Restaurant Management

By Shem Szot

In today’s world, it’s all about the visuals.

In restaurants especially, visual marketing is crucial in growing and maintaining a customer base, and keeping them hungry for more. How can you make the most of your restaurant’s visual presence?

Create #Food

As of the time of this writing, there are well over 170 million posts on Instagram under #food, and over 75 million posts to #foodporn. And that number will only continue to grow. People are increasingly choosing restaurants to visit based on their social media presence, and just as many are taking pics of the food they order and posting it online. The way your food looks online is incredibly important.

visual

Choose a selection of your top dishes, and hire a professional food photographer to take the shots, and share them on your website and social media platforms. Sharing photos on social media can be a great way to advertise new dishes, drink or food specials, upcoming events and more.

Maximize Your Space

If your walls could talk, what would they say? The interior and exterior of your restaurant space is filled with opportunities for further cementing your brand and engaging customers. Get creative with your space: hire an artist to paint a visually stunning mural, hang chalkboards on the walls or use erasable decals to list daily specials or list your social media hashtags on the front of your menus. Try floor decals pointing customers towards the restrooms, artistic window signage that advertises happy hour specials or badges and customized t-shirts for staff to wear that support your brand.

Continue reading: https://www.modernrestaurantmanagement.com/lets-get-visual-five-tips-to-visually-market-your-restaurant/

5 Instagram Marketing Trends We Will See in 2019

Artificial Intelligence, Social Media — Instagram has been growing since it was first launched eight years ago undefined – undefined/iStock

By Robert Katai

Instagram is one of the most important and most powerful marketing channels of our time. It is great for content marketing and paid advertising and, at the same time, for communication and customer service. It has the capacity to drive great engagement and better-than-average return on investment for a marketer, brand or agency.

Instagram has been growing since it was first launched eight years ago. As we can see from the following graph shared with us by Statista , the Facebook-owned photo- and video-sharing network reached a milestone of 1 billion monthly users in June.

This is an impressive number and, when it comes to marketing, impressive numbers are great. It means that you have access to a huge audience worldwide and, at the same time, due to this channel’s nature, you have access to a dedicated and engaged audience.

Moreover, there are more than 4 billion likes per day on Instagram, and each image posted on this platform gets an average of 23 percent more engagementthan its Facebook counterpart.

As a consequence, we need to constantly stay updated with all of Instagram’s latest developments and, of course, the trends that govern it. This is why, with this article, I am going to shed some light upon the most popular trends that are expected to rule Instagram marketing in 2019.

Also, I questioned some of my peers regarding this issue and, fortunately, I received a series of answers from marketers and professionals regarding their expectations for 2019.

IGTV will be a big player

Announced and launched in June, IGTV is the new video platform dedicated exclusively to mobile users. Unlike YouTube and other videostreaming platforms, IGTV is dedicated to vertical video playback and, therefore, suitable for marketers and content producers that are addressing a mobile only audience.

Why vertical? Instagram wants to encourage people to create video content but, at the same time, to do it exclusively for mobile. We already know that people are more likely to use their mobile devices in a vertical position, hence the type of video.

Are brands using IGTV already? Chipotle was one of the first companies to create and distribute a video on Instagram.

“If you’re still not on IGTV, it’s time to hop on the train,” said Plannable’s Vlad Callus. “When thinking about the upcoming trends in Instagram marketing I believe IGTV and Instagram Stories are on the top of the list. IGTV will become the new YouTube in three to five years, and if you’re joining now, you will catch the big wave.”

Other big brands are on IGTV, as well. SocialChain is producing and distributing a regular podcast. All of its episodes are also being…Continue Reading

Article source: https://www.adweek.com/digital/5-instagram-marketing-trends-we-will-see-in-2019/

Two Hotel Brands That Have Mastered Influencer Marketing

by Kristin Burnham

In the era of celebrity endorsements and the Insta-famous, influencer marketing is having a moment.

According to one report, 86% of marketers used influencer marketing in 2017, while half reported it outperformed brand-created content. For the travel and hospitality industry, influencer marketing has become a key tactic for tapping into communities of engaged followers to grow and build lasting relationships with customers.

Hilton Garden Inn and Marriott are two well-known brands that have used influencers as part of their marketing strategies.

How Hilton Garden Inn Taps Celebrity Influencers
The guest experience at Hilton Garden Inn isn’t just about the accommodations; it’s about fine dining, too.

When customer research revealed that the upscale hotel’s food and beverage offering was “a really unexpected and powerful way to raise the perception of the brand as a whole,” said Amy Martin-Ziegenfuss, VP of marketing for Hilton’s focused service brands, the company launched a campaign to revamp its menu through a public voting process in late May.

The brand tapped Dan Churchill, a Food Network television host, to kick off the campaign with a Food Network Facebook Live event, during which he revealed some of the offerings in contention for a spot on the menu. That event received more than 5.6 million views, Martin-Ziegenfuss said.

After the launch, the brand leveraged the Scripps Lifestyle network of influencers to create buzz around voting through Facebook and Twitter posts. The winning menu items were announced toward the end of August by actor Judy Greer, who was signed on in 2017 for a series of ads promoting its accommodations and food.

Collaborating with influencers can be hit or miss unless you have the proper pieces in place, Martin-Ziegenfuss said.

“It’s really important that you find the right partnership—and I say ‘partnership’ because it shouldn’t be transactional in nature,” she said. “Like any good relationship, if you put a lot of work into it from both sides, you yield greater results. If the influencers feel passionate and invested in the cause, they become advocates for the brand.”

Hilton Garden landed on Churchill and Greer because they embody the brand and have a following that reflects its consumer target, she said. It also considered how they paired with brands in the past, their points of view, and the types of content they create.

Also key was the freedom the brand gave Churchill and Greer to tell the story in a way that’s authentic to them, Martin-Ziegenfuss said. While it’s natural for marketers to want to…Continue Reading

Article source: https://www.cmo.com/features/articles/2018/8/24/influencer-marketing.html#gs.js7Bolg

Artificial Intelligence: Are We Effectively Assessing Its Business Value?

By: Richard Boire, Senior Vice President, Environics Analytics

As most data science practitioners know, artificial intelligence (AI) is not new and has been explored by academia back as far back as the fifties. The real core of AI is the branch of mathematics related to neural nets which have been explored both by academia as well as data science practitioners. A number of practitioners including myself familiarized ourselves with these techniques which became one more item within the data scientist toolkit. For those of us involved in using predictive analytics to predict consumer behaviour related to marketing and risk, logistic regression and decision trees in many cases performed at about the same level as neural nets. In some cases such as fraud where there were typically a much larger volume of records, neural nets did exceed the more traditional type of modelling techniques.

But the appetite for AI deployment was always negated by its lack of its explainability to the business stakeholder and as mentioned above the minimal examples of its superior performance relative to the more traditional techniques.

So what changed and what has led to all the excitement about AI. In order to better understand this evolution, one needs to focus on the research. Research in this area for decades always focussed on how these tools could better classify images. Back in the nineties, I remember reading numerous articles from publications where the ability to classify images was approximately 40%-50%. In the last 5 years, though, this accuracy has now achieved levels of 95%+. This game breaking change was caused by two factors with the first factor being related to technology and how data could be processed.

Data and Big Data could now be processed and consumed using parallel processing as opposed to sequential processing. Meanwhile, this newfound technical capability allowed practitioners to consume exponentially much larger volumes of data for analytics (both advanced and non-advanced) purposes. The consumption of these extremely large volumes then allowed users to explore the notion of more complex type neural nets or deep learning, which is the ability to utilize many hidden layers and many nodes as opposed to a single hidden layer with few nodes that was the common occurrence within a restricted sequential data processing environment. This ability to more fully leverage the power of artificial intelligence was the second factor which now improved the image classification accuracy to 95%+.

With this breakthrough, AI had to be more seriously explored as another option in improving results. But does that mean that we should blindly adopt AI in all our business processes. Certainly, we are seeing the emergence of applications to better detect fraud through improved image recognition while enhanced customer service is the outcome of improved AI-developed chat boxes. Many more applications are being explored and which are expected to provide further disruption to an already changing economy. But let’s discuss the notion of AI within the world of predicting consumer behaviour both from a marketing as well as a risk behaviour.

The use of data science and machine learning to predict consumer behaviour has been an ongoing business discipline for many decades. Success for seasoned data science practitioners in this area was never..Continue Reading

Article Source: https://www.predictiveanalyticsworld.com/patimes/artificial-intelligence-are-we-effectively-assessing-its-business-value/9736/

Snapchat and Amazon: A New Mobile Commerce Pairing

By VICTORIA PALLIEN, Digital Media Solutions

Snapchat and Amazon recently united forces to direct consumers to Amazon’s e-commerce site from Snapchat’s social media platform and make headway in the market against competitors like Instagram and Pinterest.

How will the Snapchat-Amazon partnership affect the Snapchat app?

User experience

This collaboration introduced Snapchat’s visual search feature, which allows users to take photos of products or barcodes in real life, whether on the street or in a store. Snapchat then links the user to Amazon for purchase or price comparisons.

Revenue

Leaders in the marketing industry noted this partnership is a smart step for both brands as Snapchat provides a dedicated user base and Amazon offers a large e-commerce platform. For Snapchat, partnering with an e-commerce behemoth like Amazon allows the brand to save money and avoid building visual search technology in-house.

This collaboration may be an effort to increase monetization on the Snapchat platform. While the platform is growing and expected to welcome 1.2 million new users by 2022, eMarketer now predicts Snapchat will only generate $662.1 million this year, as opposed to the $1.03 billion eMarketer had estimated for 2018 last spring.

How will the Snapchat-Amazon partnership hold up against the competition?

While Instagram has been building its ad revenue through shopping tags in storiesand their new streaming service, IGTV, Snapchat has been working hard to compete. Alongside efforts like the Nielsen partnership and Snapchat Shopping, the Snapchat-Amazon partnership is the latest punch thrown.

Snapchat currently holds 0.6% of the U.S. digital ad market, according to eMarketer, but 2019 and 2020 may be better years for Snapchat’s revenue as its recent addition of new advertising tools may entice more marketers. This collaboration could also threat brick-and-mortar shops if Amazon attracts even more consumers through Snapchat’s user base.