The Daily Carnage

The savvy marketer's hub for industry news, insights, resources, and culture.

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Trendspotting: Why All the Market Leaders Are Doing It

OCTOBER 19, 2021

“If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” It’s a sentiment that rings true for a lot of marketing initiatives and trends. Seeing trends before they are happening is a marketing superpower, so let’s get into how to be a trendspotter hero.

First thing’s first: Following trends and trendspotting are NOT the same. Trendspotters identify the upcoming trends and capitalize on them early (like the hipsters of strategy, they do it before it’s mainstream).

The 3 types of digital trends often found:

Fleeting trends that burn bright and fade fast.
Consolidative trends happen when smaller trends merge over time, creating a bigger, wide-reaching trend.
Macro or society-shaping trends that can span multiple audiences, demographics, or cultures.

We are gonna note that trendspotting is a little different than traditional market research. Here’s a visual:

Where trendspotting fits into your digital strategy:
Now that you have the definitions down, how do you get it done? Keeping your eyes and ears open on top of your daily grind (we know, that’s easier said than done). Monitor market behavior

Monitor market behavior – This is where data tracking is gonna be your bestie. The best snapshots are usually found in YOY trends, but spotting trends ahead of time means knowing that data well and seeing monthly changes, too.
Analyze search trends within an industry – now it’s not very often you’ll discover a major trend across the whole wide world of marketing. Get granular and pay attention to industries and the sub-businesses within an industry. For this, that means throwing yourself deep into something. After all, where did TikTok come from? A niche app called Musical.ly.

Check out Similarweb’s full article for more trendspotting advice and resources.

The Netflix Effect in Effect

OCTOBER 18, 2021

Back at it Again with the White Vans: What happens when you have an absolute hit show that features a simple wardrobe staple around Halloween? You get shoes flying off of shelves. Case in point: Squid Game’s influence on a 7,800% spike in white slip-on Vans sales. READ MORE
The Witcher Multi-verse: Nerds rejoice! The Witcher is an adaptation to the video game series, which is an adaption of a book series. Upon the Netflix series release, a new wave of interest in the franchise came about just in time for a surge in Witcher 3 video game sales. READ MORE
A Whole Gambit of Sales: How does one of the oldest board games become one of the hottest selling Christmas gifts of 2020? Netflix. The show created a phenomenon in retail, online game forums, and the original novel of the same name. It makes you wonder what else Netflix can influence if it can boom something like chess. READ MORE
All is Fair in Love and Binges: Book-to-streaming adaptations are expected to boost book sales. Bridgerton was no exception as people flocked to the novel series. What the Netflix show also helped was pop culture obsessions over the romantic genre and, more importantly, social discussions around representation. READ MORE
Amplify the Vamps: Castlevania was an otherwise obscure video game before being adapted by Netflix. Now Reddit threads are everywhere trying to find the game. This is also an example of Netflix influencing its own sales possibilities. Boosting the subculture around Anime, Netflix can bolster merch and additional content. READ MORE

Download the examples for yourself or check out the INTERACTIVE VERSION.

12 Brands and Their 12 Strategies on TikTok

OCTOBER 17, 2021

TikTok is growing more and more, especially for brands trying to make good content. But who is doing it right? Let’s get into brands that are working with TikTok to their advantage and what strategies to use.

Flighthouse Media Company, the GOAT: Flighthouse is a media company with an approach around quantity.
Netflix, the UGC champs: Netflix knows their users based on what they watch, making it pretty easy for them to make challenges users want to join. Their bios are 🤌
Dunkin’, the ambassadors of ambassadors: UGC comes naturally to this brand with a big subculture. Dunkin’ wins points for their strategic use of endorsed content from TikTokers like Charli D’Amelio.
e.l.f. Cosmetics, the trendsetters: These guys can get out-of-the-box with pop-culture-themes, gaming cross-overs, and creative collections. E.l.f.’s strategy is to go all out with TikTok.
P&G, the sponsors: Procter and Gamble doesn’t do much for creating content. Instead, their strategy is to sponsor content and hashtags.
Amazon, the hashtag kings: Amazon uses a well-rounded paid strategy of influencers and ad campaigns. Where they excel is well-made hashtags.
Red Bull, the entertainers: Red Bull maintains its brand image of extreme sport-loving sponsors by posting stunts and bloopers. Their strategy is just to keep followers’ attention.
Gymshark, the OGs: These guys were an early brand on TikTok and their strategy is similar to Flighthouse’s by being consistent. The difference is they aren’t trying to make viral TikToks, just helpful ones.
Blue Diamond Almonds, the late bloomers: It’s never too late to join TikTok! Blue Diamond doesn’t have a unique strategy other than they aren’t sleeping on TikTok.
Marc Jacobs, the duet masters: The company advertises on TikTok by launching Branded Hashtag Challenges that uses the duet feature.
DICK’S Sporting Goods, the experimenters: DICK’s is all about TikTok ads trying out the whole suite of options the platform gives advertisers.
Chipotle, the content kings: These guys are TikTok pros and they love “content-only” campaigns and it works for them.

See the TikToks for yourself on Mediakix’s full post.

11 Top Digital Marketing Youtube Channels in 2021

OCTOBER 13, 2021

We are so thankful for all the educators out there that make it easy on us by making a video content disgestible.

Here are the 11 YouTube channels that do it best:

Ahrefs – You probably know Ahrefs for their software, but these guys also have a YouTube channel on backlinks, keywords, SEO research, and how to get the best out of their software
Backlinko – Backlinko knows link building! Well, Brian Dean does. The founder of Backlino runs this YouTube channel, too.
Digital Marketing Institute – On top of having certifications and courses, DMI has a YouTube channel that covers everything from case studies to current how-to’s for all things marketing.
GaryVee – Gary Vaynerchuck is the Chairman of VaynerX and CEO of VaynerMedia, but on top of all that he’s a public speaking master.
Google Analytics – C’mon, how could Google, the ultimate go-to for EVERYTHING and owner of YouTube, not be on the list? Get your tips right from the source.
Kimberly Ann Jimenez – Kimberly is the founder of The Business Lounge and her YouTube channel has tips and coaching on productivity, blogging, and sales strategies.
Moz – Another SEO Titan on the list! They have a Whiteboard Friday series and some of the best how-to’s around.
Pat Flynn – Pat is a digital marketing coach with content all about content, audiences, and especially passive income. Need inspo for your hustle? He’s your guy.
SEMRush – On top of having amazing SEO software, their channel is all about the best way to use marketing tools.
Unbounce – Unbounce is a landing page platform with a Youtube channel covers all things digital marketing and web design.
Brandastic – Brandastic is a digital marketing and advertising agency with a YouTube channel for strategies and tips.

Brandastic also wrote up this list! For more online acaemdies from some of these channels, check out their full blog.

The Streaming Wars: Everything Marketers Should Know

OCTOBER 12, 2021

If you say you aren’t streaming entertainment in some form, we might have to call you a liar. Streaming platforms are everywhere and that means so are the advertising opportunities.

While some platforms are ad-supported, many don’t run commercials. That doesn’t mean advertising isn’t possible on them, it just takes a little bit of creativity (more on that later). Luckily, AdAge gave the rundown on everything marketers need to know about advertising with streaming services. Let’s get into it.

Who is Who?

Like we said, streaming is everywhere. Over the past decade, more and more networks and platforms are choosing to stream content. The biggest 3 players currently are Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.

What is What?

For the most part, 30-second or 60-second TV commercials can be utilized for streaming platforms. But remember when we mentioned getting creative with it? Brands are getting more in-depth with their advertising making sponsored talk shows, pause screen ads (that appear when a user hits pause), binge ads (that appear after several episodes in a row), and sponsored content spots within apps.

Why?

Streaming platforms are not going anywhere, so you can’t ignore them as a channel. While the lines of traditional TV and streaming platforms are blurring (meaning they’ll likely be transforming soon), there’s no denying that streaming is the where to turn.

Want to learn more streaming lingo and ad examples? Check out Ad Age’s full post!

Graphic Design to UI/UX: A Comprehensive Guide to Transitioning

OCTOBER 11, 2021

We’ve talked before about designers expanding their skillset. But like, how do you do that? There’s a lot of overlap in the design world when it comes to visual and product design.

The thing is there are a lot of nuanced skills involved with aspects of UI and UX. How do you transition to a completely different set of design skills? Designer up has the full guide of how to do it.

The big differences between Design and UX:

Graphic designers and visual designers usually deal in static visuals, they are concerned with color, texture, shadow, shape, and light. They don’t instinctively think in terms of movement, action, and tasks. UI/UX designers are always thinking in terms of user actions and components for a design. But one of the biggest differences is the reliance on user data and feedback has on UX and product design.

Where to Expand Your Disciplines:

Focus on the thinking process and techniques for these disciplines:

User Research
User Experience Design
Information Architecture
User Interaction Design
Usability Principles
User Interface Design

Once you play in these areas, you can begin honing in the skills you are strongest in. When it comes to UI/UX design, you don’t want to label yourself as a generalist. Find your niche!

Portfolio Time:

UI/UX designers have to put on their marketing hat when it comes to presenting their work. It’s not just about creative eye and execution. It’s about product performance. Designers making a transition should focus on selling outcomes and the ROI they can bring to digital projects. It’s important to track your work as you go rather than all at once when you think to build out your portfolio.https://designerup.co/blog/transitioning-from-graphic-design-to-ui-ux/

Check out DesignerUp’s full guide to how you can take your design career into the thick of UI and UX design.

5 Ways to Prepare for the Cookieless Future

OCTOBER 10, 2021

Maybe it’s a not-so-welcome reminder, but we’re just giving the people what they want!

So we’ve covered some of the big changes coming to privacy from Apple and Google. To summarize: Google is going to phase out third-party cookies as online tracking tools. And Apple plans to make its mobile device ID opt-in only, meaning cross-application tracking of site visitors is out the window.

But are you ready for the cookie-pocalypse?

Don’t worry, they won’t be completely dead. Google just wants us to shift the strategy to first-party data use. A lot of companies are rolling with these punches and waiting until the 2023 deadline set by Google. But how do you shift to that strategy? Forbes has those five steps:

1. Create A Data-First Strategy for Real People: Data and insights should be at the core of every decision marketers make, but being reactive is the kicker. This way you can be delivering relevant personalization instantly.
2. For the 300th Time, Build a First-Party Data Strategy: Create your own people-based identifiers that don’t depend on third-party data. This can come from all of your channels, so maybe it’s time to see how each one is doing, or add new ones.
3. Build Partnerships with Trusted Data Providers: So marketers need to be collecting more of their own audience data, AND extend their connections to high-quality first-party data providers. A great place to start is with CRM systems.
4. Diversify Your Digital Marketing Toolkits: Spread out your marketing approaches. Forbes suggests account-based marketing (ABM) and contextual marketing. ABM is a personalized approach used to drive results for specific accounts. Contextual marketing is where marketers target their messages to audiences based on the context, content, and meaning of the user’s environment.
5. Get Yourself a Strong Measurement Partner: Expand the coverage of your advertising-effectiveness measurements and keep user privacy secure. Test your measuring partner (or yourself) with this question: how much of the overall digital ad spend be measured?

See the full Forbes article for more details on the full 5 things you can do to prepare.

Urgent Matters Facing Design (From 32 Experts)

OCTOBER 5, 2021

What in the world is going on?! Fast Company interviewed over 30 professionals to give a pulse on what’s important to product design, UI, architecture, and making a difference through design.

There were some interesting answers and overlapping topics, so here are some of the standouts that made us think:

Climate and Conversation: Sustainability is growing to be one of the fundamentals of all design. More brands are also being mindful of the growing climate situation, sparking green- and community-focused agendas. As Céline Semaan put it – “Waste is a design flaw.”
Data, Data, Data: Everything is run by data. And while that might not always be the best thing for creativity, data fluency from designers is essential for creating the best possible designs. Data quality is at the core of everything. However, between privacy and inaccuracy, data barriers are becoming more prevalent.
Throw-Away Culture: Designing “for the now” can be problematic. Convenience over longevity plus immediacy in all aspects of life (especially consumption) make for disposable design. It pulls from individuality and can stifle creativity.
Digital Overload: Our society is always-on, always-connected. Designers must help to create great products and services while also supporting healthy digital lives. Designing with mental health in mind is a great step towards this.
Equity and Inclusion: Design decisions can reveal disparities and sometimes you have the approach design from unique case instances first. As always, accessibility should be at the forefront of every design.

Check out Fast Company’s full list of incredible interviews about design challenges. We would like to add that the headshots are *chef’s kiss* lovely.

The Ultimate Spam Filter for Google Analytics

OCTOBER 4, 2021

Your Google Analytics data is supposed to be your guiding light for what’s working on your site. But when that data is muddied up by bots, how are you supposed to get a true analysis? Time to make the GA spam filter of all filters!

To get started, you’ll need Google Analytics*** and Google Tag Manager.

Let’s get into it:

STEP 1: Set a Custom Dimension Within Your UA Variable in GTM:

Create a User Defined Variable for your Google Analytics property ID. Go to “Variables” in the left-hand navigation, select “Google Analytics Settings” in the Utilities section, then add your Universal Analytics Tracking ID (UA-XXXXXXXXX-X) in the “Tracking ID” field.
Set a Custom Dimension for Container ID in Your User Defined Variable. Your GTM container ID should look like this: GTM-XXXXXXXX. Set a custom dimension within the user defined variable. Hit the “Custom Dimensions” button, use “1” as the Index number (if this is the first custom dimension you’ve created). In the “Dimension Value” field, add {{Container ID}}.

STEP 2: Register Your New Custom Dimension in Google Analytics

Set Your Custom Dementions in GA UA. Go to the Admin section, Within the Property settings, hit “Custom Definitions,” click on “Custom Dimensions,” then, hit the “New Custom Dimensions” button. Create a hit-scoped dimension with the name “Container ID” using the sameindex you used in GTM.

STEP 3: Create The Filter!

(Create this filter first in a Test View!)
Go to the GA Admin section. Hit “Filters,” then hit “Add Filter,” hit “Include” for the filter type, and set “Container ID” as your Filter Field, add your GTM container code as the Filter Pattern.

Boom! You’re on your way to more accurate traffic. Check out Root & Branch Group’s full post and easy video tutorial all about this spam filter!

***NOTE: You will need the Universal Analytics (UA) property type for this to work. GA4’s current limitations on filters can’t do it.