Revolution: March 2012 features list

Lifting the lid on Facebook deals

In the first issue of Revolution in 2012, we lift the lid on a growing trend for brands to make direct deals with Facebook, exploring the benefits and challenges such a relationship brings.  

Just last month, Heineken announced a global partnership with Facebook, where both companies will be collaborating on digital campaigns for Heineken’s brands around the world. One of the first campaigns is expected to be online activity to promote responsible drinking.  

Diageo too has strengthened its partnership with Facebook in the last three months to spend more than $10 million on Facebook ads in return for "early access to forthcoming features and consultancy to make its campaigns 'social by design’." Diageo claims that more than 950 of its marketers have been trained in Facebook-style ‘boot camps’.   

It’s clear that Facebook is increasingly targeting top brands as it seeks to narrow its ad revenue gap with Google.  

Social media campaigns are notoriously difficult to create and even harder to measure effectively so, talking to brands such as Diageo and Heineken, creative and media agencies, this feature will explore what exactly do these advertising partnerships involve and how successful are they in engaging consumers over other forms of advertising. Are these direct deals with Facebook the shape of things to come for brands and how can brands ensure they get the best deal possible? Who is threatened by such developments?  

Special Report: affiliate marketing meets mobile and social media

Social media, mobile and location-based marketing are gaining ground among affiliate marketers, who have continued to adapt to a rapidly changing digital landscape. According to a recent study from bigmouthmedia (October 2011), more than a third of respondents see opportunities in mobile while the biggest growth is in location-based marketing. While affiliates and advertisers can generate a large amount of mobile and social traffic, the devil is in the detail. To what extent does mobile traffic convert into leads or engage consumers further and how can this be measured?

Are affiliate marketers looking to adopt a blended approach to maximise return from these growing channels?

With an increasing number of consumers using smartphone-enabled devices, Revolution explores how affiliate marketers can best exploit mobile traffic and social media and the key challenges these areas present.

Battle of the Brands: affiliate marketing
 
The economic environment has radically changed consumer shopping habits – high-street sales have declined as cost-conscious shoppers scour the internet for the latest deals and discounts. Fashion retailers are increasingly turning to affiliate marketing to influence shoppers during their online research and decision-making process. 
 
Affiliate programmes within the fashion sector are extending across voucher code and email platforms as well as social media sites. 
 
Revolution looks at how two of the UK’s biggest fashion and homeware stores – Next and Marks and Spencer, compare in the affiliate marketing stakes and which brand has the edge when it comes to increasing site visits and maximising the number of consumer transactions.

Mobile World Congress

The biggest trends from this year’s show and what they mean for marketers and the future of mobile    

For further information please contact:  Kim Benjamin

revolution.magazine@haymarket.com

This article was first published on marketingmagazine.co.uk