We are in a tech distraction epidemic: Leadership, teamwork and coaching will help fix it

For anyone struggling with workplace distraction; believe me, I’ve been there. For anyone who doesn’t think they are struggling with workplace distraction; believe me, you are.

As a digital anthropologist in Silicon Valley, I have studied this topic for years and should have known better, but a few years ago I was so mired in distraction that I missed deadlines and couldn’t finish an important book proposal. Concentrating for five minutes was an achievement.

11 September 2019 | Attribution

Social media users say they can spot fake news – but is their confidence misplaced?

Are you confident when it comes to spotting fake news? According to a new study, almost everyone is – and this confidence means they have no problems in changing their social media activity as the 2020 elections loom.

Data from B2B marketing and research firm Clutch has found that 97% of the more than 500 US-based social media users polled said they were confident in their ability to recognise fake news on social media.

Facebook is the most frequent platform for...

9 September 2019 | Attribution

Deepfakes and distortions, scare tactics and suppression: NYU report examines social and the 2020 US elections

A new report from the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights has explored the various forms of disinformation which could predicate the 2020 US presidential election – and how social media companies need to react to it.

Allegations around interference from Russia in the 2016 elections continue to be prevalent. As the Mueller report put it – and as reported by CNN – Russian hackers compromised local election systems of two Florida counties in 2016....

4 September 2019 | Attribution

Facebook aims to assuage user trust concerns with Off-Facebook Activity tool

Facebook is giving its users more guidance on data it holds on apps and websites interacting with the social giant.

The company is launching Off-Facebook Activity, which aims to ‘help shed more light on practices that are common yet not always well understood’, in the words of Erin Egan, Facebook chief privacy officer for policy and David Baser, director of product management.

Despite its dystopian name, users can see a summary of the information other...

21 August 2019 | Advertising Technology

Good news, fake news: The mediars fight for encryption – and against misinformation

According to reports, senior figures in the Trump administration held a meeting last month to consider whether to pursue legislation outlawing end-to-end encryption on US-made messaging apps.

While the ultimate outcome of the meeting is yet to be seen, it brings to light a serious question that we all - governments, consumers and businesses - need to ask ourselves: what do we lose when private messaging is truly private?

On the one hand, end-to-end encryption means that private...

15 August 2019 | Attribution

Why empathy is the most underrated weapon in the marketer’s arsenal today

In a 2014 New York Times article, Sam Tanenhaus argued that millennials were ‘Generation Nice’. He pointed to shopping habits (millennials prefer chemical-free goods and ‘disposable’ clothing) and food choices (vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free eating has become increasingly popular). He concluded that ‘these habits and tastes look less like narcissism than communalism. Its highest value isn’t self-promotion, but empathy.’

Whatever you think...

8 August 2019 | Best Practice

Opinion: Have marketers learned anything since Cambridge Analytica?

When the Cambridge Analytica story broke last year, it represented a real turning point. All across the country, Facebook users downloaded their data files and expressed shock at the information collected - especially considering these details could have been used by the consultancy firm to influence their voting behaviour.

However, I – and many other marketers – were not surprised by the contents of our data files. After all, for years, we had been using audience data...

5 August 2019 | Best Practice

A pertinent question: Do we put convenience before ethics when it comes to brand loyalty?

Most of us would like to believe that sound ethics and corporate responsibility is important to us when choosing a brand. But how many of us would say it matters more than convenience and cost?

We may not like to admit it, but it is purpose that attracts us to a brand. To grab the attention of consumers and progress past the courting phase of a relationship, a brand has to convince people that its purpose will meet their needs. If the goal is to provide things quickly and cheaply,...

16 July 2019 | Branding

New report examines brand affinity among Gen Z – and the companies getting it right

How should marketers prepare for the incoming move of Generation Z into the workplace? According to a new report, the narrative of a more conscientious, ethical generation is mostly true – but don’t feed any stereotypes.

The 2019 AFFDEX report, from student discount hub UNiDAYS, found Nike, Netflix and Instagram were the most popular brands across all categories. YouTube and Adidas completed the top five.

What marked them out was what the report put as part of...

11 July 2019 | Best Practice

How Gen Z is changing the rules of social: Moving from demographics to true communities

Social media usage continues to evolve at a rapid rate – and as Generation Z continues to flood into the working world, its applications for both users and brands who wish to take advantage of it come into much sharper focus.

That is the idea behind the first in a new series of reports from ZAK, a London-based creative agency which purports to ‘create big brand ideas that engage under 30s’, in its own words. The first paper explores the disparity between mainstream...

3 July 2019 | Case Studies