Monday, 23 December 2013

Paid ads on Twitter combined with TV ads reduced acquisition costs for mobile networks in the UK

"In an analysis conducted for Twitter, MarketShare – the leader in advanced marketing analytics – has found that TV ads were more effective when combined with Twitter paid advertising for the category examined. This study – which focused specifically on new mobile service subscribers in the UK – found that for mobile carriers, TV advertising generated new customers at an average of $131 each when there wasn’t Twitter paid advertising. But for those carriers combining television ads with Twitter advertising, customer acquisition cost for TV advertising dropped to about $83, a 35% improvement.
“Now more than ever, major brand marketers need to understand the complex interplay between different marketing channels, and online-offline in particular,” says Jon Vein, Co-founder and CEO of MarketShare. “This analysis for Twitter is shedding new light on today’s complex consumer journey and how companies can profit from these insights in an increasingly multi-screen world.”
“We have always believed that Twitter is a powerful complement to television, and this study supports that,” says Adam Bain, President of Global Revenue for Twitter. “MarketShare’s ground-breaking work, using big data techniques and leading edge analytics, helps us quantify how Twitter can be a force multiplier, making television advertising even more effective than ever”.
Study Goals and Findings
MarketShare’s analysis aimed specifically to measure the impact of Twitter paid products – promoted tweets, accounts and trends – on driving subscriber growth for mobile carriers in the UK. Results shed light on Twitter’s role in driving new mobile subscribers, the role of marketing spend in stimulating Twitter engagement and increasing sales, and how Twitter advertising affects TV ad performance.
Results indicate an “amplification” effect from Twitter promotions that helped mobile carriers improve ROI on their television ad spending. Paid Twitter programs also drove increases in other business outcomes for UK mobile carriers, including positive user commentary about marketing campaigns and branded search volume.
The study showed that Twitter paid advertising at a relatively small amount of spend – about 1.5% of total budgets on average – produced 9.5% of marketing’s overall contribution to sales. By comparison, online display ads consumed 5.1% of ad spending and delivered 5.5% of results. Print spending, meanwhile, was 31.7% of the total, while delivering 34.5% of the results.
MarketShare also measured how “share of voice” in the world of Twitter conversations (tweets; re-tweets, mentions, etc.) contributed to a lift in sales for UK mobile service providers. The study established that a simulated 10% increase in positive share of voice for service produces a 0.5% lift in sales. Likewise, a 30% boost in positive service-related conversations would lift sales 1.5% percent.
As marketing complexity continues to expand, big brands are seeking new insights into how marketing channels interact, and how best to allocate marketing dollars. Now, with the help of MarketShare’s advanced marketing analytics expertise, Twitter has quantified the financial impact of paid advertising on its platform with true return-on-investment (ROI) metrics that help brands make more informed marketing choices. Future analysis will further explore the interplay between Twitter, TV and other marketing channels across more categories and geographies."
Source:  Press release by MarketShare, 19th December 2013

Parcel deliveries in the UK

"Britons are keen online shoppers, with internet sales as a per cent of the overall retail spend outstripping even the US. According to Boston Consulting Group, online retailing is expected to account for 23 per cent of the UK’s total retail spend and 12.4 per cent of GDP by 2016.
Data from PwC show the UK parcels market has risen from about 1.3bn items in 2005 to 1.7bn items in 2012 and is expected to rise to 2.3bn items by 2023.
The evidence is borne out in its own post room – PwC said that its offices on the banks of the Thames had received up to 6,000 parcels from retailers such as Amazon in the past few weeks, double the usual level."

Friday, 20 December 2013

Hulu has 5 million subscribers

"Hulu has revealed it has topped 5 million subscribers and $1 billion in revenue in 2013. New CEO Mike Hopkins says the $1 billion revenue is an increase from $695 million the year before.
Hulu says “living room viewing” accounts for more than half of the consumption from users. The app is available on several home entertainment devices including Roku, Chromecast and the just-launched video game consoles Xbox One and PlayStation 4."

Thursday, 19 December 2013

Kik has 100 million users

"Kik, a popular messaging app for teenagers has reached 100-million registered users - more than half in the US - and it is also “quietly becoming a browser as well,”reports Forbes magazine.
One part of the appeal is having user names and not having to give your phone number. The free, HTML 5-based platform is adding 250,000 users a day . It is said to be growing quickly in terms of features to challenge similar apps like LINE, WeChat and now Instagram too."

Top 'life events' on Facebook in 2013

"1. Added a relationship, got engaged or got married
2. Traveled
3. Moved
4. Ended a relationship
5. First met a friend
6. Added a family member, expecting a baby or had a baby
7. Got a pet
8. Lost a loved one
9. Got a piercing
10. Quit a habit"
Source:  Facebook's end of year round-up, 9th December 2013
Note - lots of other data in the full post

The proportion of parcels as a percent of all mail


Click to enlarge

Source:  Ofcom's International Communications Market Report, December 2013

Weekly access of video clips by device


Click to enlarge

Source:  Ofcom's International Communications Market Report, December 2013

Mobile internet activities by market


Click to enlarge

Source:  Ofcom's International Communications Market Report, December 2013

Smartphone operating system share by market 2012-13


Click to enlarge

Source:  Ofcom's International Communications Market Report, December 2013

Smartphone penetration by market 2012-2013


Click to enlarge

Source:  Ofcom's International Communications Market Report, December 2013

The profile of mobile internet users by age


Click to enlarge

Source:  Ofcom's International Communications Market Report, December 2013

Ownership of PVRs and smart & 3D-ready TVs in 2013


Click to enlarge

Source:  Ofcom's International Communications Market Report, December 2013