What if mobile advertisers could identify the mobile user who has intent to buy? What if they could also pinpoint those users who are in a state of mind to actually make a purchase?

While audience data and targeting capabilities have been around for years, the use of custom audience creation methodologies is gaining momentum. (See our full report, released this week: Intelligent Audience Creation.)

It’s all about “big data” these days, in which publishers and app developers are gathering more and more data from their users and developing new ways to collect, store and leverage that data to target their advertisements. And this means that identifying the mobile users with an intent and with a state of mind to make a purchase is actually feasible.

Behavioral targeting has become one of the most critical components of mobile advertising. By examining a mobile user’s past actions, demonstrated interests and purchase intent, advertisers can hone in on a very specific subset of consumers that will be the most receptive to the campaign. And that can make for a higher ROI and a more effective ad spend. Because at the end of the day, now matter how captivating the ad, it falls flat if you don’t reach the right audience at the right time and in the right context.

So just how can we accurately observe and understand a users behavioral activity patterns? That’s where the practical use of the data comes into play. By capturing large amounts of data over a significant amount of time and from a series of contextual events, patterns and habits become evident.

Past behavioral patterns have proven to be particularly accurate indicators of future actions. Take for instance a user who has installed apps in the past as a result of a response to an ad. That means he is more likely to do so in the future, so advertisers are more inclined to show them a similar type of ad, and expect a similar type of response. Users who have not installed an app in the past, on the other hand, might be shown a lower paying “house” ad, since the expectations of that user to make the purchase are also lower.

The time of day and week also seem to have an influence on a users engagement with advertisements. For example, in Western Europe, user engagement over the course of a 24-hour day showed two primary engagement periods: one in the morning (6-10am), which was driven primarily by an interest in news, and one later in the day (6-9pm), where we see an increased interest in sports, weather and social networking.

Another component of behavioral targeting involves determining whether mobile users are in a “need” or a “want” state. In a “need” state, the user accesses a mobile site or app with the intent to satisfy an immediate desire or purpose, such as searching for a nearby Starbucks or locating the right tool for a home project. And in this case, the user is not receptive to advertisements. In a “want” state, however, the user is most receptive to brand advertising messages, as they appear to be browsing in a more recreational manner, and are more open to discovering new information.

The frequency in which a user accesses a site or an app is another important metric when it comes to understanding his or her behavior. Some sites, like sports, news and social sites, typically see their users early in the time cycle. For example, over the time span of a month, sports sites will more than 50% of their monthly users within the first week, with an additional 20% identified in the next 10 days. Other sites, such as style and fashion or food and drink sites, may go much longer before they acquire the same amount of users.

While frequency does reflect interest, helping mobile advertisers decide which period of time to focus on, the time spent on a particular site or app is another important consideration to make. After all, if the user is on only briefly, they must not have a vested interest. It’s also important to consider that time spent is influenced by such factors as cost of data plans, the availability and quality of high-speed networks and the mode of engagement (web vs. app).

Now, up until this point, data on user behavior has mostly been collected and analyzed through their use of a single site or mobile application. But with the advent of cross-site activity analysis, behavioral targeting just became next level. Not only does understanding cross-site activity provide a deeper understanding of a user, it allows mobile advertisers to develop a more complete view of who their audience really is, and as a result, how they should gear their advertisements.

Behavioral targeting helps mobile advertisers get more granular in their selection of audience variables, and ultimately, achieve a higher ROI. With that said, it is important to recognize that the more granular the audience segment becomes, the smaller it will be. So mobile advertisers will need to learn how to balance targeting efficiency with scale potential. After all, the idea is still to increase your audience and grow your piece of the pie.

Written by Falguni Bhuta

Source:Opera Mediaworks

The world has many popular brands but only a select few have the magnetic power of irresistibility.

Now a new study from TNS has revealed what it takes to become an irresistible brand – and why it is so important to do so.

Irresistible brands have a power that goes beyond being recognisable and popular. When faced with a choice in their category, consumers are magnetically drawn to them, unable and unwilling to see any alternative. The power these brands exert today makes their success appear almost magical, but the fact is that they have very specific characteristics that make them irresistible brands. They have been deliberately designed and carefully managed over time to exert such a powerful pull.

Brands become irresistible by appealing to both of the systems that govern human behaviour: the fast, frugal ‘System 1’ brain that drives much of our daily decision-making through emotion and intuition; and the slow, resource-intensive ‘System 2’ brain that operates consciously to rationalise our System 1 choices. In this way, they are able to align with consumers’ deeper priorities and motivations whilst generating an immediate, often automatic response whenever a choice is made.

Analysis of NeedScope’s database of over 1,000 brands proves just how important irresistibility can be. Brands with a high Irresistibility Quotient or IQ show significantly higher usage than those with lower scores. A brand with an IQ of 80 for a particular needstate delivers twice the share in that needstate of a brand with an IQ of 50.

Like a powerful magnet, irresistible brands pull large numbers of consumers towards them, but there will be some for whom they do not exert the same level of attraction. For irresistible brands this is an active choice; they have identified the needs that they appeal to and they have built their brand propositions and business models single-mindedly around them.

These brands differentiate like they mean it – and they know that the benefits of irresistibility far outweigh the risk of turning some consumers away.

However, irresistible brands are rare. Only 16% of those in the analysis achieved an IQ of 70 or higher. All of these brands shared 8 key characteristics, 8 irresistibility apps that drive their magnetic attraction. For marketers, these apps form the playbook for achieving true domination within a need-state.

Key action points for marketers:

App 1: Know-how

Is your brand a credible expert for its need-state?

Examples of Know-how: Bang & Olufsen, Dyson, Nike

App 2: Momentum

Can you stay ahead of the game?

Examples of Momentum: Coca-Cola, Samsung

App 3: Differentiation

Do you have the courage to stand for something?

Examples of Differentiation: Dove

App 4: Emotion

Do you know what your emotive meaning is?

Examples of Emotion: Stella Artois, Red Bull

App 5: Symbolism

Do you have your own emotive language?

Examples of Symbolism: Chanel

App 6: Nexus

Do the different elements of your brand add up?

Examples of Nexus: Simple

App 7: Alignment

Is your brand consistent across touchpoints?

Examples of Alignment: Audi

App 8: Unity

Could your brand remain recognisable across products and categories?

Examples of Unity: Johnnie Walker

Can you afford to be resistible?

Aspiring to irresistibility makes many demandsof marketers – but the risks involved in leaving irresistibility to others are far greater. A glance further down the NeedScope IQ index shows what happens to those failing to stake out clear, emotively coherent positions that can make them an inevitable choice for consumers. For brands with an IQ under 50, market share starts to erode quickly; those with an IQ of 20 or below are less than half as likely to be chosen than the average for their category. When such brands come up against a rival with more of the characteristics of irresistibility, there is usually only one result.

Many try to address such threats by copying the spending or energetic activity of successful brands, but without the discipline and coherence of true irresistibility, much of this effort could be wasted. Irresistible brands don’t have to be big - although they inevitably grow - and they don’t have to be expensive - although irresistibility allows brands to charge a premium over their competitors. What characterises them above all is their understanding of the complex, emotive position they occupy within consumers’ brains and the determined courage with which they use the 8 apps of irresistibility to become and stay that way. Those apps provide a powerful framework for any brand with the ambition of becoming irresistible. And that is an ambition that every brand should have.

Read the full report HERE

Source:TNS

CNN and Jada Pinkett Smith join forces for a CNN Freedom Project on sex trafficking in the U.S.

In a CNN Freedom Project special report, actress and long-time advocate Jada Pinkett Smith travels to Atlanta – a trafficking hotspot - to try and unravel the complicated web of human trafficking that’s happening in the United States.

The hour-long special report is a gritty, raw look at the human trafficking industry in the United States, the lives of children caught in its web, and those fighting back against this form of modern-day slavery.

In this powerful report, Pinkett Smith and CNN delve deep into the heart of this heinous crime, following undercover officers on raids and rescues of underage victims, accompanying aid workers on outreach missions, and spending time with the survivors in shelters as they share their harrowing stories.

“For me, this project is extremely important because I want the world to understand the dangers that every kid in America is susceptible to,” Pinkett Smith says. “Human trafficking is one aspect of the vulnerabilities and obstacles that we are confronted with. People who sell children are monsters.”

Sex trafficking hit Pinkett Smith head-on when her then pre-teen daughter asked her about the crime in the United States. In disbelief, Pinkett Smith began to research and is now a vocal activist and advocate. Where does sex trafficking start? How do girls get manipulated into it? How hard is it for law enforcement and others to save them? And how can communities help protect children from the men and women who prey on their vulnerabilities?

To get answers, Pinkett Smith sits down with survivors who courageously share their horrifying stories of exploitation and the triumph of their survival.

Pinkett Smith and CNN follow Sergeant Tory Kennedy, head of the Internet Crimes Against Children Division, as he conducts undercover raids to arrest suspected traffickers and rescue underage girls.

Lisa Williams, founder of a safe house and rehabilitation facility for trafficked teens, is featured as Williams counsels the exploited teen highlighted in this special report. And Pinkett Smith comes face-to-face with a convicted female trafficker. Viewers will also hear from aid workers and prosecutors who are working to eradicate this crime.

CNN Freedom Project ‘Children for Sale: The Fight to End Human Trafficking’ was executive produced by Jennifer Hyde, the Director of the CNN Documentary Unit, produced by Senior Producer Ken Shiffman, Producer Tina Matherson, Executive Editor of the CNN Freedom Project Leif Coorlim, and overseen by Michael Bass, CNN’s Executive Vice President for Programming.

Wednesday 22 July at 4:40PM and 8:30PM IST

Saturday 25 July at 08:30AM and 06:30PM IST

An initiative to kickoff the European Football Season

To celebrate the beginning of the 2015/16 European football season, BBC World News is hosting a 5-A-side football tournament called ‘BBC World News Football Connect 2015’, bringing together teams from the top media agencies to battle it out and claim the event’s top title .

Taking place at Cooperage ground Astro Turf field in Mumbai on Friday, 17th July, BBC World News Football Connect 2015 aims to showcase the international news channel’s significant sports offer both on TV and online at BBC.com. Around 250 guests will attend the event from agencies along with CEOs as well as senior planners. The tournament will begin with league matches and conclude with a final match and an award ceremony.

As the teams take on each other on the field, there will also be plenty of action on the sidelines.  At the event there will also be two fan zones; team dugouts which will be near the playing turf and a VIP box where fans can cheer the teams and even participate in a foosball competition or try to save a penalty kick from a world champion with 3D augmented reality oculus experience.

The VIP box will also be home to the BBC World News’ Be Everywhere campaign experience. Using the latest in virtual reality technology, BBC Global News Ltd has launched a dramatic new interactive trade campaign to showcase how it delivers personal, portable and on-demand news for the digital age.

With the Be Everywhere augmented reality experience, people can join presenter Babita Sharma in a virtual studio.  The 360 experience means viewers can have a peak behind the scenes as Babita demonstrates the leading news brand’s digital products and the advertiser benefits, highlighting the BBC’s international news services’ position as a leader in digital innovation.

Looking forward to BBC World News Football Connect 2015, Naveen Jhunjhunwala, COO for BBC Global News India Ltd said:

“BBC World News Football Connect 2015 will be like a carnival for the sport enthusiasts. The event also stands for the attributes of sportsmanship and team playing that is essential in every field. With BBC World News as the global home of football and our online offer being the no1 international news site in India, it is an excellent way to grab the essence of the football season and reach millions of engaged audience. So whether people are into football, Formula One, tennis or golf we offer a truly global perspective and are on hand to bring them the action, expertise and analysis as well as capturing their passion as fans.”

As the build-up to the European football season intensifies, BBC World News will produce a series of online guides to take fans through everything from the Premier League to Serie A and Bundesliga to La Liga. BBC World News will also carry match highlights from Germany's Bundesliga, and results from all the major European football leagues. In addition, Sport Today will show sports news features on the top clubs and players, and analysis from our roster of football experts.

India.com to deploy Outbrain’s guided personalisation platform across all its digital properties including Zeenews.com, dnaindia.com, Bollywoodlife.com - delivering personalised content recommendations and real-time decision-making tools and analysis to support editorial teams

India.com, India’s third largest online publisher and Outbrain, the world’s largest content discovery platform, today announced the details of a multi-year strategic partnership.  The deal will empower the media company and its properties - including Zeenews.com, dnaindia.com, Bollywoodlife.com, Cricketcountry.com, OnCars.in, Prepsure.com, BGR.in, Careerfundas.com, TheHealthSite.com, Travel.india.com and Video.india.com - to fully leverage the Outbrain guided personalisation platform.

The platform will empower India.com to manage their own content recommendations maximizing the monetisation of their audience to other content publishers, driving increased audience engagement, and providing key insights and analytics about their core digital users.

India.com has also confirmed their plans to implement Outbrain’s recently launched product, Native In-Feed. The product, announced last month, allows publishers including India.com for the first time to use the Outbrain platform to serve native, in-stream advertising. Through Native In-Feed, Outbrain partners will now be able to sell their own campaigns and use Outbrain’s UI and tools to seamlessly deliver these campaigns to their audiences.

Sandeep Amar, Chief Operating Officer at India.com said: “We are really happy to partner with Outbrain, and use their technology and products to makes sure our users and advertisers get benefits from it. We are confident they will deliver the highest quality recommendations and best monetisation options for India.com. We look forward to bringing the Outbrain solutions to our advertising partners in India.”

Gulshan Verma, General Manager SEA & India at Outbrain, commented on the announcement: “Over the last few months, we’ve increasingly observed publishers integrating their services into their sales platforms, allowing for more native placements. Previously, most of the Outbrain content was contained in a widget at the bottom of the page but, by working with the publisher's direct sales teams, we have now started serving content in premium locations like the right rails, homepages, mobile pages, thus providing better customer experience for the reader and monetisation opportunities for publishers in India.”

Outbrain has spent the past 3 years on the ground in Asia building the largest network of premium sites for content discovery. India continues to be one of the company’s fastest growing markets.