IPG Media Lab

The Problem With Market Share

IPG Lab — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:59:04 +0000

Think market share is the be-all end-all in terms of measuring success for Apple or Android? Then you may want to check out editorial from John Kirk breaking down the problems with that metric and why we might want to start considering a few more like, say, profit margin or product differentiation.

Disruption: Xbox One Focuses On Content

IPG Lab — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:50:09 +0000

If you take a look at some of the details on Xbox One, you’ll notice that a lot of it revolves around content, not gaming. From instantly toggling between programs like IE to Skype to incorporating interactive elements overlayed on live TV, Xbox is still positioning themselves at the center of home entertainment. What’s more is that Microsoft will even be producing their own TV content, beginning with Speilberg’s Halo series in a trend of content providers–think Netflix, Hulu, YouTube–becoming content creators. And yet, despite this programming push, the estimated $400 price tag will be hard to justify for someone not so into the “gaming thing.”

The Trigger: 5/24/13

IPG Lab — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:33:07 +0000

Twitter Debuts Amplify

IPG Lab — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:45:08 +0000

Twitter today took to the stage to announce that a new advertising and marketing service called Amplify will be launching. Amplify allows media brands to promote television clips on Twitter; examples include a key play in a basketball game, a short weather forecast, or a short spot for a car. Twitter debuted this product for ESPN and the NBA, which partnered with Turner Broadcasting to make the product effective. Additional media partners now include A&E, BBC America, Conde Nast, Discovery, Fox, Major League Baseball, and WWE. Twitter also announced plans to start working on a TV ad targeting dashboard, which will help advertisers target Promoted Tweets to people who have seen their ads on TV.

Pandora And Facebook Partner

IPG Lab — Wed, 22 May 2013 18:04:02 +0000

It’s now increasingly simple to share your Pandora on Facebook. Starting tomorrow, tracks, stations, and songs you give a ‘thumbs up’ to will be shared directly to Facebook. Listening habits are then aggregated and displayed as part of the ‘music’ section on your Facebook profile. The idea is to deeply integrate Facebook with their online identity as they consume content around the Internet, and this partnership with Pandora is probably the first of many across the Internet.

Twitter Unveils Lead Generation Cards

IPG Lab — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:08:02 +0000

Twitter today announced the Lead Generation Card, which is a new, expandable tweet format that allows users to show their interest in a particular discount or offer that’s being promoted by their favorite brand. When users expand the tweet, they’ll see a description of the offer and a button to send their name, Twitter handle, and email to the brand. All this is sent as soon as the card button is clicked. Twitter has been testing the cards with Full Sail and Priceline, and the iea is to give businesses more opportunities to discover new customers, while simultaneously reducing the amount of time spent between spotting an offer on Twitter and actually paying for the product online. It remains to be seen whether this is exclusively for promoted Tweets, but if it’s used broadly it could mean a very different Twitter for marketers, brands, and companies.

Pinterest Introduces Rich Pins

IPG Lab — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:40:13 +0000

Pinterest today announced the introduction of Rich Pins, which provide users with additional information about an item they view, putting the viewer in a better position to make a purchase. There are three types of Rich Pins: Product pins offer real-time pricing and availability, and Pinterest has already partnered with eBay, Home Depot, Modcloth, Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters, and more. Recipe pins allow brands to provide information like cook-time, ingredients, and servings on recipes they share, with brands like Bon Appetit, Chobani, and Epicurious already on board. Movie pins indicate things like content ratings, cast members, and other information that’s designed to provide a new layer of information about the movies. In total, these pins position Pinterest very well to face brands and open its doors to further marketing strategies; it’s the move the industry has been waiting for.

Square Cash Sends Money Via Email

IPG Lab — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:30:15 +0000

In what now looks like a direct, competitive move to combat Google’s latest announcements at their I/O conference, Square Cash announced that it’s not just for brick-and-mortar businesses, but for inter-personal cash exchange as well. It’s starting as an invite-only trial, and works essentially the same way as Google Wallet’s email function. What little is known is that the user will have to CC: Square in the email, and the subject line will determine the amount of cash transferred. Right now, the cost os $0.50 per transaction. It remains to be seen which, if any, of these money transfer apps (Simple, Google Wallet, Venmo, PayPal) will take the lead, but the basic social nature of cash exchange is hot again.

The Trigger: 5/21/13

IPG Lab — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:11:07 +0000

Monogram Launches Shoppable Magazine Platform

IPG Lab — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:31:53 +0000

Monogram, a fashion commerce startup, launched an iPad app last fall that attempted to be a mobile, shoppable magazine. It didn’t catch on, and the team went back to square one. The team decided to leverage the huge existing world of fashion bloggers to help create and share content through its platform. The new Monogram provides a full web editing suite, which allows bloggers to share their favorite fashions and build full ‘magazines’ of their favorite content, all of which is shoppable. For bloggers, the system effectively allows consumers to purchase items through their pages, and the platform provides an integrated search function that scours the web for the products bloggers want to share. For viewers, the new Monogram easily enables readability and sharing functions for blog posts. It’s designed as a web app with responsive design, and it can also be used as an app on devices.