Amazon Dash brings us closer to automatic retail

April 29, 2016

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Press the white, round button on the Tide-branded Amazon Dash Button on your washing machine. It’s lozenge-shaped, about three inches long, faced with a black bezel sporting the washing powder’s logo. The smooth, concave button is a pleasure to push. A white LED flashes, and you have ordered Tide, or Depends, or Kraft Mac & Cheese, or a dozen other household products.

Your product arrives two days later. Amazon Dash is a big deal.

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It’s already successful-  75% growth in the last quarter with 1500 products ordered off it every day.

Secondly, it brings us a step closer to fully automated retail.

What is e-commerce but an attempt at convenience? Amazon Dash goes further by moving the act of buying something slightly closer to the moment when the need for it arises.

It’s Amazon’s 1-Click button made flesh and the first tangible sense of the internet of things.

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The ad agency landscape is changing (even more than normal)

April 29, 2016

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The agency landscape is more competitive than ever.

The typical ad unit is no longer telling a 30-second story for a TV ad. Today, it is all kinds of things that require tech-savvy and know-how.

Large, traditional, full-service powerhouse agencies are struggling to cover all the various ways ads can be served. They are facing competition from smaller, tech-focused players offering pre-packaged approaches at a fraction of the cost.

That’s why, after Omnicom and Publicis called off their merger, Publicis acquired technology services and web development firm Sapient Corp. for $3.7 million.

For brands, choosing an agency has gotten more complicated.  Brand agencies (50 to 500 people) can provide creative direction and strategy guidance but may come short in technological capabilities.

However, for brands that do not need traditional advertising (billboards, television), specialty agencies may be best suited to their needs.

These agencies are nimble and focused, and fill in the gaps missed by traditional agencies – i.e. SEO/SEM, social media strategy and management, digital analytics.

They can also offer platform-specific technology services such as CMS or e-commerce packages.

So, paradoxically, the ad industry is consolidating and becoming fragmented at the same time.

 

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One of Apple’s biggest stakeholders has sold his shares because he’s worried about Apple’s relationship with China

April 29, 2016

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Carl Icahn just broke up with Apple.

The billionaire, once one of the company’s biggest stakeholders, said he sold his shares because he was worried about Apple’s relationship with China’s government.

The company’s second-largest market is facing a potential crackdown by the Chinese government.

Apple sales in Asia have dropped by almost a fifth, which accounts for 40% of the company’s worldwide sales.

Meanwhile Apple users in China can no longer download books and movies from the company’s massive online collection, after Beijing’s top media regulator reportedly called for iBooks and iTunes movie store to be shuttered.

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The bigger question is whether Apple will ever have another product as successful as the iPhone, the most lucrative in the technology business to date. Enthusiasm has waned for some of its other older products, such as iPads, and its newer ones remain niche offerings.

As The Economist acknowledges, there are lingering doubts about whether CEO Tim Cook can produce the sort of smash for which his predecessor Steve Jobs was so feted.

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The ten beauty brands on digital in the UK

April 28, 2016

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The U.K. Beauty market is becoming increasingly good at digital. Here’s a list of the best.

 1. Benefit Cosmetics

Benefit has a sophisticated site, where product pages lead to a rich ecosystem of connected content including videos and User Generated Content.

The site also offers solid Direct To Consumer e-commerce. Last but not least, Benefit displays the strongest social media performance across platforms among all EU beauty brands.

2. MAC

MAC’s strengths lie in mobile. The brand’s app offers a visual selection finder and filter to help users narrow in on the perfect shade and finish, and its mobile site offers live chat and e-commerce capabilities as well as collapsible FAQs. MAC is also a clear leader in SEO, appearing in 63% of organic searches for Colour Cosmetics terms.

3. Rimmel London

Rimmel maintains strong merchandising and search visibility on Amazon and Boots, as well as a branded storefront on FeelUnique.com. The brand also thrives on social platforms, launching unique campaigns such as a competition for vloggers to become Rimmel brand ambassadors.

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4. Bobbi Brown

Bobbi Brown boasts one of the strongest mobile sites in the category. The brand’s mobile-optimized tutorials and videos are broken into short segments, making them easy to watch on the go, and shoppers can get personalized, relevant content by selecting models of different skin tones.

But it’s the surrounding content that really sets these tutorials apart: step-by-step instructions are located below the video, and relevant products that can be directly added to the viewer’s cart accompany each step.

5. L’Oréal Paris

This brand focuses on e-commerce. An aggressive paid social strategy ensures visibility for L’Oréal Paris across platforms.

5. The Body Shop

Failure to distribute on local e-tailers and a significant grey market problem on Amazon pushed The Body Shop down in the chart. However, best-in-class SEO keeps the brand in contention.

7. Maybelline New York

Official distribution on Amazon and investments on Boots and FeelUnique ensure high performance and visibility across e-tailers.

Maybelline benefits from being part of L’Oréal’s Consumer Products Division, which brings with it strong content integration and a focused distribution strategy – qualities that helped the brand crack the top ten.

8. Clarins

Navigating the Clarins site rarely poses challenges thanks to a suite of features including advanced filters for gallery pages and product reviews, as well as strong user accounts.

The brand’s loyalty program is also well coordinated, sending emails to notify members when products are back in stock and offering reward points with purchase.

8. Estée Lauder

On Facebook, Estée Lauder emphasizes product-focused posts, maintaining a strong link between content and commerce. Organic search results link to a store locator, ensuring that those interested in products will move through to purchase.

10. Clinique

The brand site features an extensive array of content, including advanced diagnostic tools and strong product page features.

Clinique is also one of the top 10 brands in terms of search visibility on Boots.com, where almost two-thirds of brands – in both the mass and prestige categories – distribute their products.

Need social media training for advertisers? Contact Furthr

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Vote for the best UK magazine covers of 2016

April 27, 2016

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Welcome, fellow Divas to the annual PPA Front Cover Of The Year Chase, decided as always by public vote, writes Furthr’s Creative Director Andy Cowles.

Just like Miranda Kerr (Pictured, above), you can cast your vote here, but to guide you in your deliberations here is Honest Andy’s annual guide to this year’s big British race-off.

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NME (4-5 Favourite)

Rihanna looks by far the toughest filly in the field, and given her legions of adoring fans she must be a clear favourite to take this year’s trophy. Odds-on though to bring it home on June 30.

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FourFourTwo (2-1)

The legendary French stallion Zidane was for a while unbeatable at any distance until a stewards’ enquiry over a very public head-butting incident ended his brilliant career. Now he’s back, and with this sort of strong eye contact is expected to do very well.

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Stylist (4-1)

The most consistent stable in the field, producing winners week-in week-out.

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Hot Rum Cow (5-1)

I fully expect this Scottish insurgent to take out Heat at the first bend, but whether it has the legs to last the distance remains to be seen.

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Harper’s Bazaar (8-1) 

Easily the best turned out, and with the nicest of silks. Exquisite breeding and carrying the lightest weight, Harper’s is certainly the purists’ pick here.  I simply cannot see such a fine serif being able to stand up to some of the rougher boys here. I’m saying tears before bedtime for this one.

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The Economist (12-1)

This is the first time they’ve made the cut for a race such as this, so frankly, it’s a hard one to price. All that said, Honest Andy reckons this could be a good value each-way bet.

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Kent Life (50-1)

An extraordinary bloodline stretching back 800 years makes this cover well worth its place in such a field.

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Country Life (50-1)

Another storied bloodline, but with the advantage of having legendary jockey Will Shakespeare aboard.

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Shortlist (50-1)

Excellent bloodlines again here, but this one looks so sleepy there’s a real risk the public will simply overlook it. I suggest the stable slip something in its feed, and fast.

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Heat (100-1) 

Getting Dave Cameron up top seemed like a good idea back when he was winning every single race, but Dave was a faller at Newbury, threw a shoe at Towcester and looks like he could be unseated at Westminster. And Heat should really change their silks, all that red and yellow is making my eyes go all funny and now I need to lie down for a bit.

Remember, cast your votes here and see you all for the weigh-in on June 30!

 

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Self driving trucks will automate away more jobs than anything else

April 27, 2016

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A convoy of self-driving trucks recently drove across Europe and arrived at the Port of Rotterdam.

That is a very big deal and points to the profound effect artificial intelligence will soon have for all of us.

Shipping a full truckload from L.A. to New York costs around $4,500 today, with labor representing 75 percent of that cost.

While human drivers are restricted by law from driving more than 11 hours per day without taking an 8-hour break, a driverless truck can drive nearly 24 hours per day.

That means the technology would effectively double the output of the U.S. transportation network at 25 percent of the cost.

Trucking represents a considerable portion of the cost of all the goods we buy, so consumers everywhere will experience this change as lower prices and higher standards of living.

In the US this year alone, more people will be killed in traffic accidents involving trucks than in all domestic airline crashes in the last 45 years combined.

But the loss of jobs representing 1 percent of the U.S. workforce will be a devastating blow to the economy.

The truth is no technology will automate away more jobs than the driverless truck.

But a 400 percent price-performance improvement in ground transportation networks will represent an incredible boost to human well-being.

 

 

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