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The Thoughtful Entrepreneur

The Thoughtful Entrepreneur 2211 - Chatbots and Beyond The Future of Website Development in an AI World with Commexis' Len WardEmbracing AI in Marketing: Insights from Len Ward, CEO of CommexisIn this episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, host Josh Elledge talks with Len Ward, Founder and CEO of Commexis, about how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing marketing strategies. Len shares how businesses can move beyond traditional marketing models and leverage AI tools—from chatbots to custom GPTs—to streamline decision-making, improve customer experience, and drive meaningful ROI. If you’re a business leader looking to future-proof your marketing efforts, this conversation is a strategic roadmap for embracing AI-driven solutions.Why AI Is Changing Everything in Market...

2025-06-1516 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey The Double-Edged Sword of Retailers Partnering with Amazon - August 15, 2018On today's Commexis Cast we discuss Party City, and other big name retailers, choosing to sell their products on Amazon despite worries that Amazon could undersell them with a 3rd party alternative. For more, visit our blog: https://goo.gl/Pgcj5b -------------------------------------------- Sources: Suman Bhattacharyya on Digiday: https://digiday.com/marketing/party-city-selling-products-amazon/ -------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media for more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Commexis1/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/commexis1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Commexis ------------------------------- It is Wednesday, which means it's time to talk about the purchase phase of the Buyer's Journey. Purchase is the third step...

2018-08-1511 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Client Advocacy and Influencer Marketing! - Aug. 10, 2018On today's Commexis Cast we cap off the the final day of Influencer Marketing week with a reminder of just how vital influencers can be in the advocacy stage of the buyer's journey. For more, visit our blog: https://goo.gl/CWeHYP -------------------------------------------- Sources: eMarketer: https://retail.emarketer.com/article/loss-of-consumer-trust-costly/5b60d04bebd40005bc4dc73d?ecid=NL1001 -------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media for more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Commexis1/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/commexis1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Commexis ------------------------------- Subscribe to our podcast and take us on the go! Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/commexis-cast iTunes...

2018-08-1010 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Meme Accounts + Instagram = ROI? - Aug. 9, 2018On today's Commexis Cast we kick off Influencer Marketing Week Day 4 with a look into brands using meme accounts in place of human influencer marketing tactics, and some are finding a better ROI than expected. For more, visit our blog: https://goo.gl/Y37haj -------------------------------------------- Sources: Lucinda Southern on Digiday: https://digiday.com/uk/better-roi-influencers-meme-accounts-attract-growing-interest-instagram/ -------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media for more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Commexis1/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/commexis1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Commexis --------------------------------------- Digiday's Lucinda Southern spoke to social media agency Cult LDN about campaigns their running for clients using meme accounts...

2018-08-0913 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Small Businesses Seeing Great Success with Micro-Influencers - Aug. 6, 2018Today's Commexis Cast kicks off Influencer Marketing week! We discuss small businesses having great success with micro-influencers, and seeing increased ROI compared to influencers with increased followings. For more, visit our blog: https://goo.gl/1h7AoJ -------------------------------------------- Sources: Dinah Wisenberg Brin: https://www.forbes.com/sites/dinahwisenberg/2018/07/31/small-businesses-find-micro-influencers-a-good-marketing-avenue/#53a228b36f9f -------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media for more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Commexis1/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/commexis1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Commexis ------------------------------- Dinah Wisenberg Brin on Forbes spoke with the team behind Mason Jar Storage, creators of "Mom's Mason Jar Rack". The team tapped...

2018-08-0610 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Facebook Launches Playable Ads for App Developers - Aug. 3, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses Facebook newest ad type: playable ads! These ads can feature demos of mobile app games that allow users a taste of the full experience. For more, visit our blog: https://goo.gl/2TMo8w -------------------------------------------- Sources: Ginny Marvin: https://marketingland.com/facebook-launches-playable-ads-tests-retention-optimization-for-app-advertising-245312 -------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media for more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Commexis1/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/commexis1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Commexis -------------------------------------------- Ginny Marvin on Marketing Land reports that new ad type was announced by Facebook last Friday at the ChinaJoy gaming convention, and has released globally. Rick Kelley, VP of...

2018-08-0308 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Why Twitter's Bot Purge Is Great For Marketers - July 27, 2018Twitter’s latest bot purge has dropped follower counts in the 6 digits for some, but marketers say they love that drop. On today’s Commexis Cast we explain why engagement is the number one metric for social media measurement, not follower count. For more, visit our blog: https://goo.gl/i7DYAH -------------------------------------------- Sources: Kerry Flynn: https://digiday.com/marketing/twitters-bot-purge-welcomed-agency-execs/ -------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media for more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Commexis1/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/commexis1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Commexis -------------------------------------------- Kerry Flynn on Digiday spoke with many media execs who are happy to see Twit...

2018-07-2709 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Google Giving Marketers More Data, Show Popular Search Keywords - July 25, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses Google's announcement to show marketers more data in their Google Analytics and Google My Business profiles, including popular search keywords for businesses. For more, visit our blog: https://goo.gl/n43BWX -------------------------------------------- Sources: Laurie Sullivan on Media Post: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/322170/google-starts-to-give-marketers-more-access-to-dat.html -------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media for more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Commexis1/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/commexis1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Commexis -------------------------------------------- Laurie Sullivan reports on Media Post that the Search Analytics API in the search console will also allow users access to 25,000 rows of data...

2018-07-2507 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Amazon Advertising Working Directly With Brands, Bypassing Ad Agencies - July 24, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses Amazon's advertising working directly with some brands, leaving advertising agencies completely out of the picture. For more, visit our blog: https://goo.gl/wD5ggS -------------------------------------------- Sources: Shareen Pathak on Digiday: https://digiday.com/marketing/amazon-advertising-working-directly-brands-now-cutting-ad-agencies/ -------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media for more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Commexis1/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/commexis1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Commexis -------------------------------------------- Shareen Pathak on Digiday has an excellent write-up of the various ways Amazon is working with brands, in particular eCommerce brands, without advertising agency help. Lego in particular has found success with a direct relationship...

2018-07-2409 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey eSports' Continuous Rise and Marketing Possibilities - July 23, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses the growing popularity of eSports and the vast marketing potentials waiting to be seized. Visit our blog for more: https://goo.gl/vWyC2W -------------------------------------------- Sources: Mallory Locklear on Engadget: https://www.engadget.com/2018/07/11/overwatch-league-air-abc-espn-disney-networks/ Sahil Patel on Digiday: https://digiday.com/media/turners-esports-league-aims-for-growth-with-new-games-advertisers/ Lucia Moses on Digiday: https://digiday.com/media/fortnite-themed-talk-show-coming-twitch/ -------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media for more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Commexis1/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/commexis1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Commexis -------------------------------------------- The Overwatch League (OWL) will begin having its games aired on the Disney, ESPN, and ABC family of...

2018-07-2315 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey The Hidden Significance of Amazon's Influencer Program - July 20, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses a problem facing many brands: Facebook's automated political ad authorization system is blocking non-political ads, some for keywords that are reminiscent of politics, and some that are not. Visit our blog for more: https://goo.gl/35pn3a -------------------------------------------- Sources: Nikki Baird on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nikkibaird/2018/03/01/one-year-later-amazons-influencer-program-has-not-changed-the-world/#1ecae087b630 Amazon: https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/influencers/ -------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media for more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Commexis1/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/commexis1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Commexis -------------------------------------------- The program quietly launched in March 2017 in an invite-only beta test for...

2018-07-2011 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Facebook's Political Ad Authorization System is Blocking Non-political Ads - July 19, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses a problem facing many brands: Facebook's automated political ad authorization system is blocking non-political ads, some for keywords that are reminiscent of politics, and some that are not. Visit our blog for more: https://goo.gl/pDn2L9 -------------------------------------------- Sources: Amy Gesenhues on Marketing Land: https://marketingland.com/facebooks-automated-systems-to-monitor-political-advertisers-are-blocking-the-wrong-ads-243760 Sarah Frier on Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-02/facebook-s-algorithm-blocks-ads-for-bush-s-beans-singers-named-clinton -------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media for more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Commexis1/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/commexis1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Commexis -------------------------------------------- Following the revelations in the Cambridge Analytica scandal, as...

2018-07-1911 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Facebook Mid-Roll Ads Are Kind of Working? - July 18, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses publishers finding more success this year with Facebook mid-roll ads than previously expected. Is this a sign of more mid-roll ad to come? Visit our blog for more: https://goo.gl/xfqFVh -------------------------------------------- Sources: Sahil Patel on Digiday: https://digiday.com/media/facebook-video-ad-breaks-signs-of-life/ -------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media for more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Commexis1/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/commexis1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Commexis -------------------------------------------- Digiday's Sahil Patel spoke to six publishers about their stats with Facebook's video ad breaks program. In essence, advertisers could place midroll ads in videos that were at...

2018-07-1810 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Key Influencer Marketing Concepts At VidCon - July 17, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses three important influencer marketing concepts discussed at Vidcon: trust, authenticity, and creative control. For more, visit our blog: https://goo.gl/4MQgm1 -------------------------------------------- Sources: Nicol Bitette on V by Viacom: https://v.viacom.com/vidcon-revealed-future-brand-creator-collaboration/ -------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media for more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Commexis1/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/commexis1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Commexis -------------------------------------------- Vidcon, a convention full of panels by creators and brands on how to make influencer marketing more successful, had upwards of 30,000 attendees; some fans eager to meet their favorite creators, some brands looking for marketing potential...

2018-07-1708 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Brand Safety: Instagram Clarifies Verification Process - July 16, 2018Ever wondered how to get a blue verified check-mark on Instagram? Today's Commexis Cast dives into Instagram’s new process for verification that hopes to stop scams that have cost some users up to $15,000! For more info, visit our blog: https://goo.gl/S4mR4h -------------------------------------------- Sources: David Cohen on Adweek: https://www.adweek.com/digital/instag... Kerry Flynn on Mashable: https://mashable.com/2017/09/01/insta... -------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media for more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Commexis1/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/commexis1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Commexis ------------------------------- David Cohen on Adweek reports that the Facebook owned so...

2018-07-1607 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Three Big Announcements from Google's Marketing Live 2018! - July 12, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses three of the biggest announcements from Google's Marketing Live keynote in San Jose, California. For more, visit our blog: https://goo.gl/8o2xuh -------------------------------------------- Sources: Ginny Marvin on Search Engine Land: https://searchengineland.com/google-marketing-live-here-come-fully-automated-ads-campaigns-for-local-shopping-more-301746 -------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media for more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Commexis1/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/commexis1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Commexis ------------------------------- Ginny Marvin on Search Engine Land reported on every new feature that Google showed at the keynote, but our Paid Placement Specialist James Van Horn had a couple that he thought were particularly interesting. The f...

2018-07-1209 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey YouTube Puts $25 Million Towards Fake News Fight - July 11, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discussed YouTube's latest initiative against conspiratorial and "fake news" content on the platform that comes with a hefty $25 million dollar price tag. For more, visit our blog: https://goo.gl/8SZQq8 -------------------------------------------- Sources: John Glenday on The Drum: http://www.thedrum.com/news/2018/07/10/youtube-allocates-25m-enhance-credentials-authoritative-news-source -------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media for more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Commexis1/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/commexis1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Commexis -------------------------------------------- John Glenday on The Drum explains that the initiative involves a push to have YouTube viewed as a more "authoritative" news source. You may remember the myriad...

2018-07-1110 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Google's Page Speed Update Rolls Out! - July 10, 2018Today's Commexis Cast breaks down what the Google's "Speed Update" means for their search algorithm and your rankings. For more, visit our blog: https://goo.gl/FZiGdn -------------------------------------------- Sources: Barry Schwartz on Marketing Land: https://searchengineland.com/google-speed-update-is-now-being-released-to-all-users-301657 Barry Schwartz' FAQ: https://searchengineland.com/faqs-new-google-speed-update-amp-pages-search-console-notifications-desktop-pages-289929 Google's Original Speed Update Blog Post: https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2018/01/using-page-speed-in-mobile-search.html -------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media for more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Commexis1/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/commexis1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Commexis -------------------------------------------- The update that focuses on mobile page speed in particular, Google says, will only effect the slowest of...

2018-07-1006 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey YouTube May Be Increasing The Number of Ads On Videos - July 6, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses an anecdotal report of YouTube's increase ad serving on longer videos, as well as creators tweaking their content length to better match YouTube's algorithm. For more, visit our blog: https://goo.gl/FUpTjx -------------------------------------------- Sources: Tim Peterson on Digiday: https://digiday.com/media/creators-making-longer-videos-cater-youtube-algorithm/ Amy Gesenhues on Marketing Land: https://marketingland.com/is-youtube-serving-up-more-pre-roll-mid-roll-video-ads-243505 -------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media for more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Commexis1/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/commexis1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Commexis -------------------------------------------- Amy Gesenhues on Marketing Land reported that Dan Shure, SEO consultant and podcast host, found that 6 ads were...

2018-07-0609 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey The Crippling Effect of Slow Page Load Speed - July 2, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses how a slow page load speed can increase bounce rates, hurt conversions, and general dissatisfy and frustrate an end user. For more information, check out our blog: https://goo.gl/Q7ukqs -------------------------------------------- Sources: Chris LoRusso on Digiday for Nativo: https://digiday.com/sponsored/nativo-nativosbl-slow-death-latency-weight-dragging-publishers-bottom-lines/ Akamai Study: https://www.akamai.com/us/en/about/news/press/2017-press/akamai-releases-spring-2017-state-of-online-retail-performance-report.jsp -------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media for more! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Commexis1/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/commexis1 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Commexis -------------------------------------------- Chris LoRusso, svp publisher solutions at Nativo, wrote a fantastic piece...

2018-07-0210 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Facebook Battles Patreon with Subscription Group Tests! - June 28, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses Facebook testing subscription based models for groups, allowing users to pay to have access to exclusive content and posts. The new feature will allow group admins to create an internal subscription group with prices ranging from $4.99 to $29.99. Group members will be able to see descriptions of the content, as well as the price, to determine if they are interested in subscribing. If a user does, they will be given access to the exclusive content. If a user cancels their subscription, they will still have access to the group until the end of that month. Facebook announced...

2018-06-2809 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Instagram Video is Going Long-form with IGTV! - June 25, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses IGTV, Instagram's newly announced app that is hoping to go toe-to-toe with YouTube with long-form video content! Instagram made the announcement of IGTV at an event in San Francisco, finally proving the rumor of extended length video on the platform. The announcement comes on the heels of the platform reaching 1 billion monthly users, up from the 800m monthly users in September. IGTV will be a standalone app that allows all users to upload videos of up to an hour in length, far exceeding Instagram's typical video length of a minute. IGTV differs from sites like YouTube, h...

2018-06-2511 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Google Releases a Podcast App! - June 20, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses Google's release of a podcast app for Android devices with plans for integrate artificial intelligence to offer transcriptions and other features. Google released the new app, called Google Podcasts, yesterday on the Google play store (click here to get it now), and there is no word that the app will be released for iOS. According to Jon Fingas on Engadget, the app "will sync across virtually everything Google, including Assistant, Home speakers and search." Certainly an advantage over Apple's own native podcast app. But that isn't the only potential advantage the app has. In the future, G...

2018-06-2010 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Improving Facebook Audiences with Instagram! - June 19, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses brands using Instagram to improve their audience retention and engagement on Facebook. Tim Peterson reported on Digiday that media companies such as First Media were boosting their Facebook audiences using Instagram as a way to offset the loss of engagement from Facebook's January algorithm change. In particular, First Media cross-posted Instagram stories to Facebook Stories on their So Yummy and Blusher accounts. Peterson writes that within 10 days, "So Yummy was increasing its Instagram followers by 34 percent to 6,358 new followers a day from what it was adding previously, said Yuval Rechter, First Media’s head of digital. On...

2018-06-1909 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Pinterest Expands Their Marketing Partner Program - June 18, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses Pinterest's expansion of their Pinterest Marketing Partners Program with partnerships of seven new creative services companies. Pinterest's Business Blog says that brands will be able to work with Popular Pays, QuickFrame, Shutterstock Custom, Social Native, Vidmob, Vidsy, and The Online Studio when looking to craft video assets for the platform. "These Creative PMPs have built solutions through the Pinterest API that will give brands access to creative development tools that make it easy to build, manage and launch engaging Pins. Marketing Partners can help with everything from developing high-quality creative content to managing complex campaigns to refining...

2018-06-1809 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey What You Need to Know About Facebook's New Feedback System - June 14, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses Facebook's brand new ad feedback system, which allows users who have clicked on an ad to rate their satisfaction with that business' services and products, and could result in a business being banned from advertising on the platform if they receive enough negative feedback. Here's how the system works: A user clicks on an ad. Sometime in the near future, a Facebook notification will ask the user to leave feedback on the service of that business. Users can choose one of three smiley face emoji that showcase satisfaction, neutrality, or dissatisfaction. Then, users pick whether product...

2018-06-1411 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Two Important Marketing Lessons You Can Learn from IHOb's Rebranding! - June 13, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses the reactions to IHOP's rebranding to IHOb, the International House of Burgers, and two major lessons every marketer and brand can learn from this change. HOP has rebranded into IHOb for a limited time. A week's long speculation on what the "b" in the name stood crafted theories suggesting "breakfast" or "bacon". But alas, it was burgers. And it didn't take long for other social media accounts to begin tweeting about the odd change. But what can we learn from IHOb's latest marketing move? 1. Don't be afraid to try something radically different. Doing something different is sc...

2018-06-1310 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey GDPR's Affect on Paid Search and Social Ad Prices - June 12, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses what's on every marketer's mind: how has the GDPR has affected ad prices in the EU and the US following the May 25 "launch" date. eMarketer's Ross Benes explains in depth the rise of ad prices in the US, and their fall in EU, following the GDPR. Benes writes, "Ezoic analyzed CPMs for 126 different publishers, to see how the GDPR may have affected their ad prices. An equal number of publishers in the study—42 each—came from the US, the EU and the rest of the world (excluding Asia). Ezoic found that while ad prices dropped in the E...

2018-06-1213 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Big Improvements To Facebook Live! - May 11, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses the latest improvements to Facebook Live including cross-posting functionality and a rewind feature! The news comes from a blog post by Facebook Product Manager Matt Labunka. The major announcement of these updates is the live cross-posting ability. Now, brands can have a Facebook Live stream to their own brand page, a sponsors page, and much more. Labunka gives an example of the World Surf League that streamed a competition on their page, while a sponsor and an athlete cross-posted it on their pages. By doing so, the World Surf League was able to acquire "more than 1.5...

2018-05-1100 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Instagram Introducing Native In-App Payments! - May 08, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses Instagram's silently releasing in-app payment options for some US and UK users and brands. As Tech Crunch's Josh Constine first reported from a reader tip by Genady Okrain, Instagram has updated their app to include payment options. Users can register a credit or debit card to their profile, and then crate a pin number for added security. You can read Constine's piece here: https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/03/instagram-payments/ Dinner reservation app Resy is the first to take advantage of these new features, with some of their clients' Instagram pages taking full advantage of the time-and-click-saving effort. Instagram...

2018-05-0810 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Brands Taking Advantage of the eSports Boom! - May 04, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses three brands using eSports sponsorships to create brand awareness and target younger demographics. You may have heard your child's screams of delight and frustration while playing Overwatch, or saw them with eyes fixed on the screen watching the League of Legends World Championship, or read their tweets about a Fortnite live stream featuring Drake (or, frankly, have seen the Fornite craze in the newspaper). Whether you've heard or not, eSports are becoming a massive business and a fantastic opportunity for advertisers and sponsors to get their products and services in front of a large, typically young, a...

2018-05-0411 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Facebook's Newest Tactic in the Fight Against Fake News - May 02, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses Facebook's latest tactic in the fight against fake news. Now, articles Facebook deems to be inaccurate will appear significantly smaller on the Newsfeed and appear next to fact checking links. Tech Crunch's Josh Constine reported on the announcement which took place at the Fighting Abuse @Scale Event in San Francisco. Facebook's previous attempts to fight fake news have been particularly ineffective. Originally, the social network flagged content it believed to be false. However, that only increased the likelihood of it being shared, I suspect because of individuals who didn't appreciate those sites being labelled as "false"...

2018-05-0210 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Google Puts a Stop to Review Curation! - April 25, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses Google's update to their Google My Business guidelines that bans that use of review gating and filtering. Specifically, Google has added this passage: “Don’t discourage or prohibit negative reviews or selectively solicit positive reviews from customers.” So, what do you do now that review gating is out of the question? Respond to your clients and customers openly and honestly. It is no surprise that Google would like to paint a fuller picture of a business listing by making negative reviews available. This gives a fantastic opportunity for your business to come in and "make right". Not ev...

2018-04-2511 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Another YouTube Brand Safety Controversy! - Apr. 24, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses CNN's latest investigation that found over 300 brands had ads running on YouTube channels that promoted Nazism, white nationalism, pedophilia, conspiracy theories, and North Korean propaganda. CNN reports that companies such as Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, Under Armour, and more unintentionally helped financed these channels. Many of the brands said they had no idea their ads were running on this content before it was brought to their attention by CNN, and those that did were already in talks to have it removed. This comes following a multitude of YouTube brand safety controversies in the past. From the first w...

2018-04-2310 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Publishers Disappointed With Google Amp Stories Thus Far - April 20, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses publisher disappointment with Google AMP Stories, Google's offering of a Snap/Insta story equivalent in search results built through the AMP page structure. The feature released about six months ago, and made available for all publishers to test the platform in mid February. We discussed on the show previously the the potential for Google AMP Stories to potentially change the way users read stories on search results, as well as the potential SEO boosts you'd receive to your site for having these pages. However, it doesn't seem that all has panned out as some expected. Max...

2018-04-1909 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Google Updates Their Acceptable Ads Policy! - April 17, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses Google's acceptable ads policy update which will allow drug rehabilitation facilities to begin advertising on the platforming, so long as their ads are vetted through a service called LegitScript. Paresh Dave broke the story on Reuters on Monday, where Google told him they would begin allowing rehab centers to advertise starting July. Dave's Piece on Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-alphabet-google-ads-exclusive/exclusive-google-unveils-vetting-process-for-drug-rehab-ads-idUSKBN1HN28X Google typically retains high "editorial" control over the ads that can be run through their ad network, restricting ads for fireworks, firearms, and most recently bitcoin. Previously, advertising for drug rehabilitation...

2018-04-1707 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey More Than Half of Marketers Make a Huge Mistake When Advertising on Digital Radio - April 16, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses a major marketing mistake: half of marketers are using their terrestrial radio ads on digital radio platforms like Spotify and Pandora without creating alternatives. George Slefo on AdAge has a full report, plus the above stat that comes from a study by Edison Research and NPR. Slefo spoke to Tiffany Ray, managing director of digital strategy at Mindshare North America. "[B]ecause you can access these platforms across personal devices, your car and the connected home, there's an opportunity to engage consumers depending on how they're listening, by the device. [Yet] many marketers still put out th...

2018-04-1613 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Snap Publishers' Views Are Dropping Significantly Since Redesign - April 13, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses Snap publisher's woes with the latest Snapchat redesign, some saying their views have dropped by more than half. Madison Malone Kircher has the full story on NYMag, where many publishers anonymously spoke to her about their worries since the latest Snapchat retooling. For those unfamiliar, Snapchat released a redesign to their app that aimed to separate content from user's friends and content from publishers. Previously, the content had lived one page where users could find their friend's Snap stories, and then the publisher content. Now, a page is devoted to each. One source that Kircher spoke...

2018-04-1309 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey New Report Shows Tailored E-mail's Effect on Consumers - April 11, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses Bluecore's latest report on Business Wire explained the benefits of tailored e-mail marketing and what brands can do to increase their success rates. Bluecore's report, which gained "proprietary insights isolated from a sample set of more than 350 million emails aggregated across more than 400 retail clients" from October 2016 to September 2017, exemplified the following: E-mails that show a product a consumer has already seen while "window shopping" or had already placed in their shopping carts had open rates of 40 percent. E-mail reminders for abandoned shopping cards generated sales 2 percent of the time. Shoppers love discounts on items they're...

2018-04-1110 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Facebook Live Broadcasts Have Doubled YoY Since Debut in 2016 - Apr. 09, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses the two year anniversary of Facebook Live! To celebrate, Facebook released a ton of statistics on the streaming tool's success including a year over year doubling of FB Live broadcasts. Amy Gesenhues on Marketing Land has a full breakdown of Facebook's stats, which I'll list briefly below: The number of daily average broadcasts has rise 1.5 times for verified Publisher pages. Live videos often have 6 times the amount of engagements/interactions than with regular videos. Since 2016, there have been 3.5 billion Facebook Live videos. And there have been more than 150 billion reacts to Live videos. Facebook says that...

2018-04-0909 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Zuckerberg Says Most Facebook User Should Assume Their Data Has Been Compromised - April 5, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses a recent comment from Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg that most of Facebook's 2+ billion users should assume their public profile information has been compromised at some point. Katie Canales on Business Insider has a great explanation of what data could have been taken by bad actors, as well as ways that you can protect yourself from the scrapers in the future. Here's a rundown of what the minimum amount of info that can be gathered from your "Public Profile": Name Gender Username and user ID (which is in your profile's URL) Profile Picture Cover Photo ...

2018-04-0510 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Facebook Will Not Extend GDPR Privacy Standards to US + Non-European Users - April 4, 2018UPDATE 04/05/2018: a few hours after our show went live, Mark Zuckerberg refuted Reuters' story that Facebook would not extend the GDPR privacy restrictions to all users. Facebook later clarified that all privacy restrictions, and all standards that are GDPR compliant, will take effect for all users. TechCrunch has more information about Zuckerberg's statement: https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/04/zuckerberg-gdpr/ --------------------------------- Today's Commexis Cast discusses Mark Zuckerberg's decision to not extend the GDPR European Union law restrictions to non-European users, which results in lesser privacy restrictions in non-European countries. Plus, Instagram is lowering the number of times developers can gain information from it's API...

2018-04-0511 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Cat Adoption and Fostering with The Voorhees Animal Orphanage! - Commexis Cats Daily, April 02, 2018APRIL FOOLS! We've taken this (belated) day of levity to stray away from the typical digital marketing news we cover, and instead focus on something closer to home (and frankly, much cuter). Today's Commexis Cats Daily is all about adoptable cats and what you can do to help the great people at the Voorhees Animal Orphanage. Plus, we've got tons of adorable cat footage to share with you. For info on kitten fostering: http://www.vaonj.org/foster/ For info on volunteering: http://www.vaonj.org/volunteer/ Donation Information: http://www.vaonj.org/wishlist/ VAO's Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com...

2018-04-0511 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey How The Facebook And Cambridge Analytica Controversy Affects Ad Buyers and Marketers - 3/28/2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal which involved the capturing the data of millions of Facebook users without their consent, and what that means for marketers and ad buyers on the platform. The Facebook and Cambridge Analytica controversy began when it was revealed that Cambridge Analytica acquired data collected via the "yourdigitallife" app, a survey that prompted users to allow the app access to their personal information. The app didn't just collect information on that user, but also on every person on that user's friends list. The data was then used by political campaigns to form...

2018-04-0519 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Researchers Find New Facebook Vulnerability - Mar. 26, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses a new vulnerability in Facebook's custom audiences tool found by researchers at Northeastern University. Ginny Marvin reports for Search Engine Land that the vulnerability lies within the audience reach estimate portion of the tool. According to Marvin and the researchers there is a rounding metric within the tool. When uploading a set of e-mails that perfectly hit the center margin, the next e-mail added to the list can be used as a "victim" to determine various pieces of information about the user. Marvin gives the example of determining gender. If her e-mail was added to the r...

2018-04-0509 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey YouTube Kid's App Suggesting Conspiracy Videos - Mar. 19, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses YouTube's Kids app algorithm suggesting conspiracy theory videos in the "related videos" and search results. Ideally, the YouTube Kids app is meant to allow children to access child friendly content on YouTube, while also blocking access to more "adult content". However, Business Insider's James Cook found that conspiracy theory videos are finding their way into the "related video" area of the site, as well as in specific search results such as "moon landing". The oversight comes on the heels of an announcement made at SXSW that YouTube would be adding Wikipedia excerpts underneath flagged conspiracy theory...

2018-03-2009 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey The Best Stories of the Week! - Mar. 16, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses the best stories of the week! We talk Chatbots, YouTube using Wikipedia to fight conspiracies, and an eMarketer report on A/B testing. First, YouTube announced at SXSW that the company will be embedding excerpts of Wikipedia articles underneath videos that discuss, or are related to, popular conspiracy theories. It seems Wikipedia wasn't made aware of the decision, however. Katherine Maher, the Executive Director at Wikimedia, said in a tweet thread this morning (you can read the first tweet in the thread below) that the decision was made independently by YouTube. Wojciki said the Wikpedia articles...

2018-03-1915 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Digital Transformation and P&G Cuts Their Digital Spend - Mar. 02, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses Grant Thorton LLP's latest survey on digital transformation, and the reasoning P&G's cuts to their digital ad spend. Digital transformation is the topic of the 2018 and a new survey by Grant Thorton LLP in conjunction with CFO research found that 69% of CFO's and senior financial executives plan to increase their spending on digital transformation this year, with four out of 10 increasing by more than 10%. One particular thing of note in the study is the lack of ROI analytics. "Still, the more than 300 CFOs and financial leaders who participated in the survey fret about measuring success...

2018-03-0211 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Google Expands Featured Snippets, Makes Them Multifaceted - Mar. 01, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses Google's latest announcement expanding feature snippets in SERPs to "multifaceted feature snippets" which aim to tackle certain search queries with multiple answers based on algorithmic interpretation. Google made the announcement on their blog, where they revealed the thought process behind the expansion of features snippets. Simply, some searches are so broad that definitive answers can't be provided. Now, Google's algorithm will take that query and interpret it into different potential questions, as you can see below. Michelle Robbins on Search Engine Land compares this new feature to Bing's multi-perspective answers that rolled out in December 2017. Bing's s...

2018-03-0111 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Twitter's Second Wave of Bot Bannings - Feb. 23, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses Twitter's latest bot bannings which coincide with a policy update that prohibits sending the same tweet, or "liking" or "retweeting" a tweet from multiple accounts at once. The policy update hit on February 21st and comes in response to growing criticism of the platform for allowing a hive of bot accounts to pop-up over the years. Yoel Roth, the head of API policy at Twitter, wrote in a blog post announcing the three big changes to Twitter. Do not (and do not allow your users to) simultaneously post identical or substantially similar content to multiple accounts. D...

2018-02-2307 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Are Google Search Results Too Crowded? - Feb. 21, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses publishers' worry that Google search results are too front-loaded, causing overcrowding on pages and lowering potential referral traffic. Digiday's Lucia Moses reported that while publishers have been warming to Google due to their recent changes AMP, ending first-click-free, and the willingness to work with publishers more than Facebook has, there are still some points of contention. No, the problem isn't Google's Chrome AdBlocker. Instead, some publishers worry that the amount of information being displayed to consumers is hurting referral traffic. Google has doubled the number of characters allowed in website descriptions to 320, a significant increase in s...

2018-02-2106 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Edible Arrangements Sues Google Over Keyword Infringement! - Feb. 20, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses Edible Arrangement's $209 million lawsuit against Google for alleged trademark infringement and unfair competition. The suit, reported by Greg Sterling on Search Engine Land, focuses on Edible Arrangements claim that when users "search for “Edible Arrangements” (or versions of that name), they’re seeing product ads for competitors, such as 1-800-Flowers." While Sterling was unable to replicate the search results that Edible Arrangements claims is infringing, I was. Below is a screenshot of my Google Shopping page search, taken around eleven-thirty in the morning (slightly cropped so you don't have to see my 20+ open show research tabs). ...

2018-02-2008 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Google AMP Comes to Gmail! - Feb. 19, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses Google's latest announcement that bring AMP to gmail, and AMP Stories (think Instagram and Snapchat Stories) to Google search results. In a Google's blog post last week, Google announced the Gmail Developer Preview of "AMP for Email." The goal is to bring the same quick loading pages people are used to with AMP while offering greater functionality and customization in e-mails. Google says "you’ll be able to quickly take actions like submit an RSVP to an event, schedule an appointment, or fill out a questionnaire right from the email message." Check out a small .gif sa...

2018-02-1910 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey P&G Will Not Pull Digital Spend - Feb. 13, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses P&G Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard's announcement that the company will not pull spending from Facebook and Google following last year's demands for change. Jack Neff on Ad Age reports that the P&G has seen enough change regarding agency transparency to be satisfied. Pritchard said, "We found we needed to build in some stronger contract language on rebates at the holding-company level." In our discussion, Len and Phillip agreed that agencies have, for the most part, become far more transparent. Going forward, the goal will be to show clients the buyer's journey in greater de...

2018-02-1309 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Why Your Brand Can't Tweet About The Olympics - Feb. 09, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses why your brand can't tweet or make social posts about the largest international sporting event in the world, which is taking place right now in the East, and may or may not involve torches at the opening event. We're of course talking about the Olympics taking place in Pyeongchang, South Korea. If you were hoping to show some support for the United States' team, you're out of luck. Adweek's Robert Klara explains the infamous Rule 40 found in the Olympic Charter that dictates which brands can, and which cannot, post on social media about the big event. F...

2018-02-0908 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Commexis Cast Rewind - The Best Stories of the Week! - Feb. 02, 2018Today's Commexis Cast recaps the best stories of the week. Twitter's bot problem is coming to a head, voice assistant and voice search use are rising in public, and Google makes a comprehensive guide to featured snippets. Today's cast: Phillip Brooks (Commexis Lead Strategist), Amy Leach (Commexis SEO Project Manager), and Matthew McGrorty (Commexis Videographer/Podcaster). Join the Commexis team as we add context to these stories for the busy CMO. All the news you need to know–from our inbox to yours.

2018-02-0215 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Google's Featured Snippets Explained - Feb. 01, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses Google's featured snippets: what they are, how they're helpful, how your brand can get one, and the ways Google has messed them up in the past. I don't need to go in depth on why Googling a question, or asking your voice assistant, is a popular practice. People want information and they want it fast. One way Google has attempted to improve their search engine is by offering featured snippets towards the top of certain search queries. Simply put, feature snippets offer the what Google considers to be the best answer in an easy to read...

2018-02-0109 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Facebook Changes Their Branded Content Policy - Jan. 26, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses Facebook's change to its branded content policy which is aims to clarify what is acceptable branded content and what is an ad. Marketing Land's Tim Peterson defines what branded content is, and what it can turned into. "In theory," Peterson writes, "it refers to an article or video that a brand paid a publisher or creator to produce or star in and to distribute to their audience. However, in practice, it can simply be an article or video that a brand paid a publisher or creator to distribute to their audience; it may not even be...

2018-01-2606 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Apple To Add Business Chat to iMessage - Jan. 25, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses Apple's foray into B2C communications with their business chat features on iMessage. Sarah Perez on Tech Crunch reports that the feature is set to debut this spring, "with launch partners including Discover, Hilton, Lowe’s and Wells Fargo." Apple will be facing steep competition in Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp's business app, Google, and Twitter all of which businesses use to reach their customers. Messenger and WhatsApp in particular are utilizing payment options for brands, which Apple says users will be able to do, as well, using Apple Pay. The Cast dives into what this means for the...

2018-01-2506 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Chatbots and Digital Transformation - Jan. 23, 2018Today's Commexis Cast is all about Chatbots. From implementation to early successes on Facebook Messenger, chatbot use is growing at an incredible rate. Digitally transforming your businesses using burgeoning technology can be intimidating, but we've got the information to help set your mind at ease. Columnist Jay Baer on Martech Today writes three things you'll want to keep in mind while implementing chatbots to enhance the user experience. The most important takeaway from Baer's piece is to remember that chatbots are a tool, not a means to replace customer service employees to save some cash. The success or failure of y...

2018-01-2310 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey YouTube Changes Ensure Brand Safety - Jan. 17, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses YouTube's changes to its Partner's Program that are meant to ensure better brand safety for advertisements on the platform. AdWeek's Lauren Johnson reports that the YouTube Preferred Partners Program, which has seen major controversies in the past, will now have each second of each video vetted for adherence to the site's guidelines. All videos globally will be vetted by March, Johnson writes, with videos in the U.S. being vetted by February. That's not the only change Google is making to YouTube. Channels hoping to monetize their videos must have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of...

2018-01-1709 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Facebook's Radical Algorithm Change! - Jan 12, 2018Today's Commexis Cast was live on Facebook, discussing the social media platform's dramatic algorithm change that could completely change the way your business does social media marketing. Last night, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook's algorithm was changing to show more posts from a user's friends and family, and much less content from business pages, in an effort to increase user interaction. One of the reasons behind this shift is the mental well-being of the user base. Zuckerberg wrote in his Facebook post: "The research shows that when we use social media to connect with people we care about, it can...

2018-01-1210 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Amazon's Key Role in the Buyer's Journey! - Jan. 11, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses how Amazon plays into the buyer's journey, and how ad retargeters are sneakily trying to gain consent from users in the advent of the GDPR regulations being enforced in May. A new study by Feedvisor surveyed 1,500 Amazon buyers found that "Amazon is often the first place consumers go to conduct product research: 44 percent of all respondents always check Amazon prices before purchasing a product from another brand or retailer site." In addition, the study found about 85% of Amazon Prime users check the site everyday. Phillip and Matt examine the numbers and breakdown the why's and the h...

2018-01-1109 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Want Incredible User Engagement? Try Coloring Book Apps!? - Jan. 09, 2018Today's Commexis Cast discusses the success of advertising in coloring book apps! From Lionsgate to Kellog's, brands are getting amazing engagement rates compared to other forms of advertising. Ilyse Leffreing on Digiday reports that "branded coloring books on Recolor" a popular coloring app, "see an average engagement rate of 10 minutes. For comparison, the average engagement rate of a custom interactive ad is 43.7 seconds." More often than not, these brands are using banner ads that give users video content to watch, followed by additional coloring book pages. If those metrics weren't enough, many brands are drawn (pun intended) to these types o...

2018-01-0907 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Chrome's Ad Blocking Update Gets a Release Date! - Dec. 20, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses the announcement of the release of Google Chrome's ad blocking update in early 2018, influencer marketing requiring "authenticity", and video being 61% of mobile app marketing. There's been a lot of discussion earlier in the year about when Google Chrome's ad blocking update will hit the browser. Yesterday, Google announced February 15th as the release date for the update. Ads will be blocked based on violation of standards set by the Coalition for Better Ads (CFBA). This includes "autoplay videos with automatic sound and prestitial countdown ads, which are full-page takeovers that activate before entering a site." If...

2017-12-2007 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Twitter Stock Rises and The Debut of Tic-Toc! - Dec. 19, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses Twitter's stock prices rising by over 20% from a new report by J.P. Morgan, who cites livestreaming potential as a major force. Plus, Twitter debuts the first 24/7 news network on the platform, and the important of digital transformation. Twitter's stock has risen following a new report by J.P. Morgan classifying the social network as "overweight" from its neutral position on Monday. The report details many reasons behind the new classification, including the popularity of live streaming services, as well as expected user and revenue growth in 2018. On the same day, Bloomberg launched Tic-Toc, the first...

2017-12-1912 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Google Says Goodbye to "First Click Free" - Dec. 14, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses Google's decision to end their "first click free" policy for publishers. Plus, 5 ways to maximize your video strategy on Facebook, and new stats on using Instagram to reach millennial women. Marketing Land's Ben Barokas details the end of Google's "first click free" much to the delight of publishers. Now, the decision of whether or not to paywall content, and how to do so, will be completely in the publishers hands. And with that, Barokas comments, "almost a fifth of online users are willing to pay for an ad-free browsing experience, according to Nielsen Media Labs, it...

2017-12-1409 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Tweet Threads and Insta Hashtag Following - Dec. 13, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses the integration of tweet threads into Twitter's native UI, Instagram allowing users to follow hashtags, Facebook Watch and Facebook Marketplace's slow growth, and Pinterest tops the 3rd most used search engine. People love them, but on desktop tweet chains, threads, or storms (pick your poison) are a nightmare to read. With that in mind, Twitter now has a dedicated Tweet thread button, allowing users to quickly chain together their tweets. In addition, users can now easily read tweet threads by clicking a "show thread" button beneath a tweet in that thread. Twitters expansion of it's platform...

2017-12-1311 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey The Dark Side of E-mail Trackers - Dec. 11, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses Wired's report on e-mail trackers: their prevalence, the usefulness, and the unexpected dark side of the data. Plus, traditional advertising is still an importance piece of the puzzle in a growing digital world. Wired's Brian Merchant explains the rise of embedded e-mail trackers in correspondence, and the users aren't just businesses, but friends and family, too. 269 billion e-mails are sent everyday, Merchant explains, and over 40 percent of those contain trackers. Merchant warns that scammers could use the data gathered from these trackers (Time Opened, IP Address, Location, Type of Device That Opened the E-mail) for nefarious...

2017-12-1109 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Omni-Channel Video Ad Spend Rising! - Dec. 08, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses eMarketer's latest report on cross platform video ad spending. Plus, the dangers of non-disclosure influencer marketing. eMarketer's latest report dives deep into omnichannel video ad spend, revealing some interesting thoughts and eye-opening numbers. The rise of ad share budget spend on cross-platform tv/video has risen 4% since last year. Not to mention the sheer number of simultaneous internet & TV users, which is expected to jump 20+ million by 2019. Finally, programmatic ad spend for cross-platform video is expected to increase, as well, taking up 75% of video ad spend total. The Cast weighs in on what all of these c...

2017-12-0809 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Visa's New Signature Sound - Dec. 07, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses Visa new "signature sound", a sound that will play during transactions in store and after online and mobile purchases. Plus, Wish.com's viral Facebook Dynamic Ad mix-up. Alexandra Bruell on the Wall Street Journal reports that after a year of development, Visa is debuting their new signature sound this coming year. The sound was the chosen out of 200 contenders with the criteria of being "energetic and optimistic and not overly intrusive." The sound will also play on Google Home and Alexa devices. You can read more about just how much time and effort went into designing t...

2017-12-0708 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Are YouTube's Mishaps Hurting Their Bottom Line? - Dec. 05, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses YouTube's Year of Year decline in video ad spend compared to OTT services such as Hulu and Roku, and brand safety issues may be a cause. Plus, Google PLA impressions rise 42%! Digiday's Yuyu Chen breaks down reasons why YouTube's video ad spend has declined 9%, citing a multitude of recent YouTube controversies as a potential culprit with YouTube finding it's own way to help ease the mind of ad buyers. In addition, more video ad spend is being sent to OTT services such as Roku, Hulu, and Amazon. Are YouTube's mishaps really the cause of this decline, o...

2017-12-0507 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Facebook Embraces the Pre-Roll Ad! - Dec. 04, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses Facebook's latest testing with pre-roll ads for Facebook Watch, and amazing numbers on the Duopoly's ad growth for 2018. Digiday's Shareen Pathak breaks down Facebook's experiments with pre-roll ads despite the company's prior distaste for the ad type. The goal is to potentially reduce the amount of views lost to mid-roll ads which many publishers are receiving complaints about from watchers. Alison Weissbrot on AdExchanger dives deep on Google and Facebook's projected ad growth for 2018. The industry is expected to grow, Weissbrot explains, to about $535 billion by the end of this year, and Google and Facebook’s cur...

2017-12-0406 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey E-mail Marketing is Gonna Be Hot this Holiday! - Nov. 17, 2017Today's Commexis Cast recaps the best stories from this week's show. Adobe predicts over $20 billion revenue generated from e-mail marketing this holiday season, co-viewing on streaming services opens doors for brands that'd otherwise be closed, and you use your phone 47+ time a day. First, Adobe predicts over $20 billion will be generated from e-mail marketing this holiday season. Jess Nelson dives into the findings on MediaPost, which include predictions "that online sales will increase 13.8% year-over-year to $107.4 billion, with Cyber Monday becoming the largest online shopping day in history with $6.6 billion in sales." Second, eMarketer's latest report shows how powerful co-viewing can...

2017-11-1712 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey You Check Your Phone At Least 47 Times a Day - Nov. 16, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses eMarkter and MediaPost's breakdowns of Deloitte's latest "Global Mobile Media Survey" on mobile usage. eMarketer reported "most people check their device approximately 47 times per day" with younger audiences checking their phone 86 times per day. The Cast share some anecdotal evidence that maybe these numbers are much higher than they seem. And to no surprise, smartphones are almost always by a consumers side when shopping, and doing various other activities. Check the image below for more. MediaPost's Tanya Gazdik focused on the mobile carrier statistics in her Deloitte write-up. "Sixty-three percent of consumers have visited a carrier st...

2017-11-1608 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Mozilla Breaks Up with Yahoo, LinkedIn Wants To Get You Hired - Nov. 15, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses Mozilla's move to break its contract with Yahoo, the power of co-viewing on OTT devices for brands, and LinkedIn's new career advice service. TechCrunch's Frederic Lardinois reports that with Firefox's latest update, Mozilla has terminated their five year contract with Yahoo in favor of using Google as the default search engine for the platform. Because of this break, Google will now be the default search engine for Firefox in most of the world, with the exception of countries like China and Russia. eMarketer's latest report shows how powerful co-viewing can be for brands advertising on an...

2017-11-1508 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Snapchat Context Cards Come to Filters - Nov. 14, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses Snapchat adding context cards to it's sponsored filters and lenses, Facebook's Events app is getting a rebranding, and e-mail marketing is expected to generate $20 billion this holiday season. Following Snap's painful third quarter earning's report, Snap has unveiled their latest advertising opportunity with the expansion of context cards. Business Insider's Alex Heath explains more. Originally, context cards allowed users to swipe up to gain more information on the places they saw in their friend's snaps, given that the friend was using a business geotag. Now, context cards are coming to sponsored filters and lenses, which will a...

2017-11-1408 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Snapchat's Painful Third Quarter Earning's Report - Nov. 10, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses Snapchat's third quarter business report. Following $443 million lost in the quarter, and stock continuing to fall, Snap turns to an app redesign. Rahul Chadha on eMarketer theorizes Snap may borrow some redesign ideas from Tencent, the owner of China's most successful messaging app WeChat which had 903 million daily active users in September, given Tencent's increase in share buying. An app redesign might help Snap significantly, as it currently stands at second lowest used social platform ahead of Twitter. Digiday's Ilyse Leffreing spoke with 21 Snapchat ad buyers to find the shortcomings of the platform, and what changes t...

2017-11-1009 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey 45% of Americans Use Facebook For News, Says Pew Research! - Nov. 09, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses the latest study from Pew Research Center revealing that 45% of Americans get their news from Facebook, LinkedIn and Microsoft are teaming up to help craft resumes, and Facebook has unveiled a budget optimization tool. Marketing Land's Amy Gesenhues breaks down the specifics of the Pew study which finds that 67% of Americans getting their news from social media overall. In addition, the next leading social site for news is YouTube at 18%, and then Twitter at 15%. Facebook has unveiled a brand new budget optimization tool in Facebook business blog post Wednesday. Facebook said, "advertisers can set one central ca...

2017-11-0909 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey A Major Facebook Messenger Upgrade is Coming For Businesses! - Nov. 08, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses Facebook Messenger's website plug-in beta launch, as well as the latest upgrades which allow for retargeting ads and sponsored messages. Tech Crunch's Sarah Perez explains all the new features of Facebook Messenger's website plug-in, now in closed beta. The service will allow users to interact with brands through an on-site Messenger window, and have all of the features that have been added such as payments, bots that understand natural language, and more. In addition, conversations will carry over into the Messenger app and Facebook desktop application, allowing more uninterrupted brand interaction. You can sign-up here to...

2017-11-0808 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Branded Content and The Average Cost of a Mobile User - Nov. 06, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses eMarketer's latest numbers on branded content headlines and the average cost of a mobile app user. Rahul Chadha reports that the clickthrough rate of headlines with 90-99 characters was 0.43% higher than those with fewer letters. How will this effect your content marketing, if at all? Phillip breaks down whether this info is helpful to your campaign or not. Mobile apps are still a hot ticket for many business, and eMarketer's Rimma Kats explains how much money a company will have to spend to get the users they want. For example, an app install of an app...

2017-11-0610 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Influencer Ad Fraud Stats You Won't Believe! - Nov. 03, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses the rampant numbers revolving around influencer ad fraud, and Amazon's latest roaming marketing tactic coming to a city near you. Digiday's Shareen Pathak reports reports that "a single days worth of posts with #ad or #sponsored contained 50% or more of fake engagement, " with only about 1/5th of total engagement coming from real people. Check out her break down for even more eye-opening stats. Plus, Andria Cheng follows Amazon's Treasure Truck in her eMarketer article. Is this a mainstay for Amazon, or just the latest marketing tactic? The Cast weighs in. Today's cast: Len Ward (Commexis President...

2017-11-0308 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Facebook's Q3 Revenue Gain Despite Controversy - Nov. 02, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses Facebook's Q3 earning's report, which declares a 79% profit jump from last year despite the Russian ad controversy. The Wall Street Journal's Deepa Seetharaman reports that Facebook plans to "double the number of employees and contractors who handle safety and security issues to 20,000 by the end of 2018," which could cause Facebook's "expenses [to] rise as much as 60% compared with 2017." The hope is this will reduce the amount of bogus accounts and bad actors from using the platform, which Facebook is currently dealing with in a Congressional hearing. How much will this cut into Facebook's bottom line in 2018...

2017-11-0206 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Pharmacies Beware, You're in for a Scare! - Oct. 31, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses rumors of Amazon entering the pharmaceutical industry, and Google's latest local search upgrade. AdAge's Adrianne Pasquarelli reports that health care companies are looking for new ways to stay relevant as rumors of Amazon's entry into the pharmacy spread. How will this shake up the health care industry? The Cast weighs in. Plus, Laurie Sullivan reports on MediaPost that Google will begin using location data to fuel local searches, replacing the URL identifier. Today's cast: Len Ward (Commexis President), Matthew McGrorty (Commexis Videographer/Podcaster), and Phillip Brooks (Commexis Lead Strategist). Join the Commexis team as we add c...

2017-10-3109 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Your Company's Digital Transformation - Oct. 30, 2017Today's Commexis Cast details the importance of digital transformations for growing your business and staying competitive. Marty Swant's latest piece on AdWeek breaks down what big brands are doing to not only stay relevant in an Amazon e-commerce world, but to continue to innovate. Plus, eMarketer's newest report shows Facebook dominating the last-click playing field for social media sites, as well as the multi-touch realm with the social platform being listed as the primary influencer nearly 1/3 of the time. Today's cast: Len Ward (Commexis President), Matthew McGrorty (Commexis Videographer/Podcaster), and Phillip Brooks (Commexis Lead Strategist). Join the Commexis team a...

2017-10-3009 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Google and Twitter's Earning's Week Success - Oct. 27, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses Google's continued success, and Twitter's improvements in their earning's reports. The Wall Street Journal's Jack Nicas and Laura Stevens reported on Google's explosive growth, reaching a 33% increase in profits in the third quarter. Twitter publicly revealed they had miscounted their total user numbers for the last three quarters, thrown off by third party apps, but still had more success in the third quarter with only a $21.1 million loss compared to last year's Q3 loss of $103 million, reports WSJ's Georgia Wells. And in news no one is surprised to hear, eMarketer's latest report shows that millennials prefer d...

2017-10-2710 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Amazon Key And Ad Platform Success - Oct. 26, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses Amazon Key, the pitfalls and the triumphs, as well as the eCommerce site's effectiveness as an ad platform. eMarketer's latest report shows that Amazon is the fifth largest generator of digital revenues in the U.S.. Also, Amazon announced their latest product Amazon Key to a lukewarm response. Amazon Key will allow package deliveries inside your home, as well as access for friends, family, or in home-services, such as cleaning or dog walking. Plus, some agencies are speaking out about Facebook's service reps. A new piece on Digiday by Yuyu Chen describes Facebook reps as unresponsive...

2017-10-2611 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Snap Shows Add Programmatic Advertising - Oct. 23, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses Snap's shift to programmatic advertising for their Snapchat shows, and Google begins replacing the first-click attribution model. Digiday's Sahil Patel reports that Snap will begin using programmatic advertising in its shows following some lackluster results filling in the ad space. How much will this help Snap gain ad dollars against other social platforms? The Cast weighs in. Plus, MediaPost's Laurie Sullivan reports that Google Attribution has been rolled out to thousands of marketers. The new tool hopes to eliminate the first click attribution model used in the past. Today's cast: Len Ward (Commexis President), Matthew McGrorty...

2017-10-2309 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Buzzfeed Busts Open a Huge Ad Fraud Scheme - Oct. 20, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses Buzzfeed News Media Editor Craig Silverman's latest report on an ad fraud scheme that affected over 100 brands such as P&G, Unilever, Hershey's, Johnson & Johnson, and more. The scheme involved using "zombie sites" that had little to no appeal for humans, but that when visited by a bot using a special URL would initiate what's called "ad hell", where ads would continuously play over and over with some playing multiple at a time. The article states the scheme could have stolen about $20 million this year. Plus, The Cast breaks down the latest piece by Digiday's Lucia...

2017-10-2010 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Fake News Ad Fraud Hits Snopes, Politifact - Oct. 18, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses fake news ad fraud affecting Snopes and Politifact, as well as potential Russian use of ad platform Outbrain. The New York Times' Daisuke Wakabayashi and Linda Qui report that Google Ad Sense placed fake news ads onto fact checking sites Snopes and Politifact. The sites stated that they had no ability to alter what ads displayed on their site through Google Ad Sense. The Cast lays out what this means going forward. Plus, Craig Silverman reports on Buzzfeed that content recommendation ad network Outbrain will begin investigating whether Russians used the platform to spread propaganda. Today's...

2017-10-1810 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Brands Seek Amazon Alternatives - Oct. 17, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses fake news ad fraud affecting Snopes and Politifact, as well as potential Russian use of ad platform Outbrain. The New York Times' Daisuke Wakabayashi and Linda Qui report that Google Ad Sense placed fake news ads onto fact checking sites Snopes and Politifact. The sites stated that they had no ability to alter what ads displayed on their site through Google Ad Sense. The Cast lays out what this means going forward. Plus, Craig Silverman reports on Buzzfeed that content recommendation ad network Outbrain will begin investigating whether Russians used the platform to spread propaganda. Today's...

2017-10-1709 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Safari's Attack on 3rd Party Tracking - Oct. 16, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses Apple's latest update to Safari, which aims to hinder the effectiveness of third-party tracking software. Marketing Land's Tim Peterson reports that Facebook's ability to track web visits on third-party pages has been reduced due to the browser update, which might spell trouble for advertisers. And Ross Benes on Digiday tells of publisher woes with the new app, some of which have lost 10-20% of their CPM going into the 4th quarter due to the update. What does this mean in the broader picture? And what should you do in the advent of these changes? Phillip and...

2017-10-1608 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Is Influencer Marketing As Good as It Seems? - Oct. 13, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses a story by Digiday's Shareen Pathak on DSW's use of influencer marketing. Other companies, such as Pinterest, are creating new initiatives to connect influencers and brands, as well. But some studies suggest that influencer marketing is rife with ad fraud potential. Is influencer marketing the next big thing, and will it work for our brand? The Cast weighs in. Today's cast: Len Ward (Commexis President), Matthew McGrorty (Commexis Videographer/Podcaster), and Phillip Brooks (Commexis Lead Strategist). Join the Commexis team as we add context to these stories for the busy CMO. All the news you need...

2017-10-1309 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Retailers and the 26 Year Old Millennial - Oct. 10, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses Ellen Bryon's report on the Wall Street Journal about retailers new targeted demographic: the 26-year-old millennial. These new homeowners are a different breed from their Gen X counterparts and often hit life milestones at a slower pace than previous generations. With extracurricular activities, video games, and other factors affecting their ability to learn certain home maintenance and improvement skills, many retail stores are creating video tutorials to answer simple questions. The Cast breaks down just how effect this has been for the retailers, and how important video can be for your business. Today's cast: Len Ward...

2017-10-1009 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Digital Marketing's Hot Button Issues - Oct. 06, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses Digiday's four burning issues for digital marketing on mobile. Plus, many marketers are growing fonder of Facebook and Google and blaming ad tech on industry problems such as ad fraud. Today's cast: Len Ward (Commexis President), Matthew McGrorty (Commexis Videographer/Podcaster), and Phillip Brooks (Commexis Lead Strategist). Join the Commexis team as we add context to these stories for the busy CMO. All the news you need to know–from our inbox to yours.

2017-10-0611 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Can Facebook Fix Its Russian Ad Flub? - Oct. 03, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses Facebook's latest announcement to stop questionable ads. The Wall Street Journal's Georgia Wells reports that the social media company will be hiring 1,000 new workers next year to review ads, though the platform will still count on users to flag questionable content. Is 1000 enough? Phillip and Len explain their worries. Plus, a new article on Digiday by Sahil Patel shows that some publishers feel their CPM for Facebook mid-roll ads is much lower than it should be. Today's cast: Len Ward (Commexis President), Matthew McGrorty (Commexis Videographer/Podcaster), and Phillip Brooks (Commexis Lead Strategist). Join the Commexis te...

2017-10-0311 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Twitter Says Goodbye to 140 Character Limit! - Sept. 27, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses Twitter's latest change! The platform is testing out a new character limit, potentially saying goodbye to 140 characters and hello to 280 characters. Is this a great boon for marketers, or will it result in longer winded toxicity on the platform? Phillip and Len break it down. Plus, The Wall Street Journal's Austen Hufford reports that Facebook and the NFL have struck a deal for exclusive replay content on Facebook's Watch platform. Will this deal offer anything new for NFL fans? Len gives his thoughts. Today's cast: Len Ward (Commexis President), Matthew McGrorty (Commexis Videographer/Podcaster), and Phillip...

2017-09-2710 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Advertising Week New York! - Sept. 26, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses some announcements and comments from Advertising Week New York! Instagram hits 800 million monthly active users, and Google's vice president of agency and media solutions calls this advertising era "The Age of Assistance". Plus, Len and Phillip remark on Mark Zuckerberg's trip for a Philly Cheesesteak. Today's cast: Phillip Brooks (Commexis Lead Strategist), Matthew McGrorty (Commexis Videographer/Podcaster), and James Van Horn (Commexis Paid Placement Specialist). Join the Commexis team as we add context to these stories for the busy CMO. All the news you need to know–from our inbox to yours.

2017-09-2607 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey Millenial In-Store Buying Habits! - Sept. 25, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses a new report by on Business Wire by First Insight about Millennial's in-store buying habits. Does the journey for the best deal increase brick-and-mortar traffic? Phillip let's you know. Plus, MarketingLand's Laura Collins writes on reducing ad fatigue, and our Paid Placement Specialist James Van Horn explains some new Facebook features for just that. Today's cast: Phillip Brooks (Commexis Lead Strategist), Matthew McGrorty (Commexis Videographer/Podcaster), and James Van Horn (Commexis Paid Placement Specialist). Join the Commexis team as we add context to these stories for the busy CMO. All the news you need to know–fr...

2017-09-2510 min $The Buyer\'s Journey$

The Buyer's Journey The Google-Facebook Duopoly Exceeds Expectations - Sept. 22, 2017Today's Commexis Cast discusses Google and Facebook's increasing success, surpassing even their own expectations. eMarketer reports that digital ad spend on the platform totals over 60%. Plus, Marketing Land's Tim Peterson reports that Facebook will begin targeting ads based on physical location visits. Who will this change be good for? Len and Phillip dive into the options. Today's cast: Len Ward (Commexis President), Matthew McGrorty (Commexis Videographer/Podcaster), and Phillip Brooks (Commexis Lead Strategist) . Join the Commexis team as we add context to these stories for the busy CMO. All the news you need to know–from our inbox to yours.

2017-09-2208 min