From the hype of SuperBowl 50 to Instagram adding support for multiple accounts, it’s been a great month! Now let’s recap some of our most exciting happenings from February:
Nancy Kohlreiter Appointed Chief Operating Officer of lotus823
Big news! lotus823 recently appointed Nancy Kohlreiter Chief Operating Officer of our award-winning integrated marketing communications agency. Nancy brings 20 years of experience to the role with expertise in product development and proficiency in assessing new business opportunities. In our recent blog post, managing partner and co-founder, Allison Hernandez, weighs in on Nancy’s new role with enthusiasm and excitement for the future.
3 Ways Teambuilding Helps Spark Creativity
After long days at the office and even longer conference calls, our creative juices stop flowing and we can end up running in place. We are all about team building here at lotus823 and so, we decided to share some ways that getting out of the office as a group can help boost morale and increase productivity.
Public Relations vs Digital Marketing
Public relations and digital marketing are hot buzzwords in the business world right now. Everyone wants a piece of the pie when it comes to exposure. Often times, however, the line between these two services can get blurred for those not working in the marketing industry. We reached out to our Chief Operating Officer, Nancy Kohlreiter, and Vice President of Business Development, Brian Herlihy, to set the record straight on what the difference between public relations and digital marketing really is and why they both matter.
The Marketer’s Guide to CES 2017
Planning for CES is nearly a yearlong project, aside from a brief breather in Q1. While we know it feels like CES 2016 just ended, but the truth is, now’s the time to start planning for CES 2017. Don’t let waiting be the reason your brand does not succeed at the year’s largest consumer electronics show. We’ve put together this comprehensive guide for any marketer looking to make a splash at next year’s CES. With this blog post in your back pocket, you can start taking steps towards success at CES right away.
Raising Awareness for Women’s Heart Health
On February 4th, lotus823 took a stand against heart disease as we dressed for the American Heart Association’s #GoRedWearRed campaign. Women’s heart health is a subject that hits close to home for us, as our Director of Digital Marketing, Christine Rochelle, happens to be a stroke survivor. We were honored to host NJTV as they met with Christine and cardiologist, Dr. Aliya Browne, to discuss risks, symptoms and prevention for women of all ages.
Some of our favorite marketing stories from February:
Facebook & Instagram Against The World
Facebook remains on top as the platform to beat, when it comes to B2C digital marketing. In February, Facebook added automated captions to video ads, while offering content creators tips for improving video post performance.
Facebook’s News Feed also received an algorithm overhaul this month. The new News Feed will rank stories based upon what Facebook thinks people might take action on and what Facebook thinks people want see at the top of their News Feed. Your audience and your posting activity will no longer have an effect on ranking. Facebook’s goal is to increase the relevance of the stories a user is served, but how will this effect Business Pages?
If you think Facebook forgot about Instagram this month, you’re wrong! Facebook not only added Instagram insights into its monthly “Hot Topics” report, but as a way to entice advertisers, announced 60-second video ads.
Instagram wants household brands, like T-Mobile and Warner Brothers, to advertise on the platform just as they would on TV. With Facebook’s powerful Ad Manager behind Instagram advertising, this could give television quite the run for its money!
“Internet Television” Continuing to Take Shape
YouTube Red, YouTube’s new ad-free subscription service, has decided to release its first original series on February 10. Different from the competition, however, YouTube is allowing some of its top content creators to run these shows. With channels like PewDiePie and AwesomenessTV landing some of the first YouTube original titles, it looks like this is just the beginning for the iconic video platform.
Interestingly, on February 2, Instagram jumped into the game as it announced “Shield 5,” its 28-episode thriller that will be posted to the photo-sharing platform in the form of daily videos. While the news of an Instagram original series came as a surprise to some, we think the competition is about to get fierce in the “internet television” space.
Twitter Continues to Struggle, Adds GIF Search
In a desperate attempt to re-engage its fan base after losing 2 million users in the last three months of 2015, Twitter has added GIF search to tweets. You’ll now have quick access to numerous (and hilarious) animated images to share alongside your posts. Will this be enough to save Twitter? With the controversial re-hire of co-founder, Jack Dorsey, we shall see if this dying network can make a comeback. Rumblings of a 10,000-character limit are still on the table for Twitter, which could possibly generate native content on the platform.
And of course, SuperBowl Ads…
This wouldn’t be a marketing roundup without a little love for this year’s Super Bowl commercials. And so, we’ll refer to Business Insider’s 4 best ads of Super Bowl 50 to get you up to speed.