By now, you’re aware that Apple will require all apps in the App Store to offer a prompt allowing users to opt in or out of tracking. This is called App Tracking Transparency (ATT), and it is being rolled out this week to iOS 14.5 users.

Initially, many experts were predicting that 20% of users would opt in to allow tracking. However, studies conducted by various mobile measurement partners have seen percentages as high as 42%. This is a welcomed upside to many app owners, but marketers as well. It will have the largest impact on apps and app-install campaigns; however, advertisers should be aware that it will impact some of your current and future advertising initiatives. Specifically, when it comes to campaign measurement and reporting. This is especially true if you are tracking events like sign-ups or purchases on your website.

Putting yourself out there can be really difficult, especially for those of us who are a bit more reserved and have quieter personalities. Pushing through the wall of self-doubt can be tricky. But you’re not alone. As a designer at an advertising agency, I go through the process of being vulnerable and putting my work up for approval and criticism regularly.

One of the biggest annoyances as a CPG marketer is to visit one of your ecommerce product listings and see the wrong product image, usually an outdated label or old packaging, or poorly written product descriptions. Then you have to take on the impossible feat of trying to figure out who you contact to get the content corrected. This frustration is further amplified when you have a portfolio of 50+ SKUs to manage.

Google and several of its fellow Internet conglomerates announced recently that third-party cookies are going away. Privacy advocates cheered. Ad sales reps fretted. But most people were left confused.

What the heck is a cookie? And why should I care if they’re going away?

Cookies are little pieces of data left behind when you visit a website. For those of you with kids, think of your fourth grader hanging out in the living room all day with a box of Oreos. You’d be able to tell exactly where he was by the crumbs left behind.

When people think of “market research,” most associate it with the quantitative type, which deals with numbers, graphs, surveys and statistics. While those methods are great for identifying or validating “the what,” qualitative research is better for explaining “the why.” And according to Keith Navratil, founder of needledrop, “Everyone needs the why.” From self-described “failed copywriter” to highly acclaimed market research consultant, Keith is the quintessential qual research guru, and we’ve partnered with him on many client projects. Join us for this episode of Marketing Then & Now as he discusses the difference between findings and insights, small data versus big data, and why data collection is meaningless without the proper context and wisdom to explain it. You definitely don’t want to miss out on this episode. Why? … Exactly. 

The Virtual Reality

VR, or Virtual Reality, has come a long way in our notably brief relationship with it over the last few decades. In its infancy, this technology may have rested on your brow as the humble, plastic artifact known as the ‘Viewmaster’, and even that is leagues beyond where it started. Printed film has made way for high-resolution LED screens resting but an inch from our eyes. Only recently has this sophisticated technology entered the hands of consumers, with some product lines entering their second iterations at increasingly more affordable prices.

We’ve all heard by this point how much the pandemic has created a monstrous shift in retail consumption and e-commerce sales. E-commerce retail now accounts for roughly 16% of total retail sales compared to only 11% pre-COVID-19. Amazon is still 6.7x larger than the next closest retailer but spots 5–10 are in a tight race. And in fact, Kroger for the first time has broken into the top 10. 

Two months into this new year, marketing can still feel too much like a round of Russian roulette. The Capitol riots and, more recently, the implications of February’s polar vortex added to an already exasperated nation dealing with sickness, joblessness, and unprecedented social isolation. It’s no wonder some brands continue to pull back on advertising. They’re struggling to know what to say and how to say it.

You might think you know social, but we guarantee you’ll learn something new from our guest on this episode of Marketing Then & Now. Bozell’s very own social media specialist, Christie Do, shares some insights on how to get the most out of your social platforms. She discusses the importance of setting goals and staying true to your brand values – especially during the cancel-culture era. And she also introduces us to 360 Listening—a service that Bozell provides that combines search listening, news listening and social listening—all so you can better understand what your customers actually want and need. So tune in and take notes. 

Bozell took home seven awards at Nebraska’s virtual 2021 American Advertising Federation’s American Advertising Awards ceremony on Thursday evening. The marketing agency earned silver awards in seven different categories.