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The internet is saturated. Creating online ads that don't blend into the background but genuinely engage and convert audiences is a must. The key? Organic advertising. These are ads that feel less like traditional promotions and more like natural, engaging content that speaks directly to your audience. How to Create Organic Ads That Work In an ideal world, ads would never look like ads. Instead, they would feel like natural exposure points. Unfortunately, this has become increasingly difficult. But with the right approach, you can make your ads look a bit less forced and more organic. Here are a few suggestions: 1. Know Your Niche The foundation of effective organic advertising is a deep understanding of your audience. You need to know more than just basic demographics. Dive into their interests, challenges, needs, and online behaviors. Utilize analytics tools, social media listening apps, and customer surveys to gather as much information as you can. Understanding the nuances of your audience's daily lives allows you to create content that speaks directly to them, addressing their specific pain points, hopes, dreams, and goals. When your ad resonates personally with viewers, it feels less like a sales pitch and more like a conversation with a friend. 2. Master the Art of Storytelling People connect with stories much more deeply than with standard sales copy. Use storytelling in your ads to engage your audience emotionally and psychologically. Craft narratives that reflect scenarios or problems your target audience faces, and show how your product or service can solve these issues or improve their lives. For example, if you're selling eco-friendly products, tell a story that illustrates the impact of sustainability on the environment and how the individual's choice makes a difference. Stories help your ads feel relatable and memorable, fostering a stronger connection between your brand and your audience. 3. Leverage UGC Nothing feels more organic than content created by fellow users. Encourage your customers to share their experiences with your product or service and use this user-generated content (UGC) in your advertising. Whether it's reviews, testimonials, photos, or videos, content created by users enhances credibility and trustworthiness because it provides real-life proof of your brand's value. Ads featuring UGC often see higher engagement and conversion rates because they offer authentic insights into what new customers can expect. RTA Outdoor Living, which specializes in modular outdoor kitchens, does a really good job of using UGC in their content. This content is perfect for running ads (as opposed to using generic pictures of outdoor kitchens, like many companies do). 4. Optimize for Seamless Integration Your ads should blend smoothly into the platform they appear on, matching both the form and function of organic content. This is easier said than done - so make sure you do your research ahead of time and really get familiar with the platforms you're using. For instance, if you're advertising on Instagram, your ad should mimic the visual and aesthetic style of the typical posts seen on a user's feed. Use high-quality images or videos, maintain a style consistent with the platform, and keep overt branding to a minimum. If you're advertising on, say, TikTok you'll probably need a different approach. When you create platform-specific content, it decreases ad fatigue and increases the likelihood that viewers will engage with your content without feeling like they are being sold to. 5. Be Transparent and Ethical While your ads should be organic and engaging, they also need to be transparent. Clearly disclose that your content is promotional if it isn't obvious. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook provide features to tag posts as sponsored or paid partnerships, which can help maintain trust with your audience. On top of that, ensure that your ads uphold ethical standards, promoting only truthful claims and respecting user privacy. Transparency is important for complying with advertising standards and builds long-term trust and credibility with your customer base. Adding it All Up At the end of the day, the ultimate goal of advertising is to make the sale. Whether your ads are organic or overly-promotional, the challenge is to ensure they resonate with the right people. It just so happens that we're currently at an inflection point in the market where organic, natural ad placements tend to perform at a slightly higher rate. By focusing on this approach, you should be able to get better results in 2024 and beyond!
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Marketing and Advertising
It's almost that time again, folks: we're about to find out about some of Google's big ideas for the year ahead at its I/O developer conference. Most of the big news will come from the opening keynote on May 14, which will almost certainly give us more info on Android 15 as well as a whole bunch of AI updates. There will surely be some surprises, though we'll more than likely need to wait until the fall to get the full lowdown on the company's latest flagship hardware. As always, the rumor mill has been churning away with a number of reports highlighting what Google is likely to discuss at I/O. To that end, here's what to expect from the Google I/O 2024 keynote: Android 15 Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget I/O is a developer conference first and foremost. This is always where Google gives third-party devs the full lowdown on the next major Android version so they can start working on apps for it or modify their existing products. The first Android 15 betas are already out in the wild. Among the features are an updated Privacy Sandbox, partial screen sharing (so you can record or share a certain app window instead of the entire screen) and system-level app archiving to free up space. There's also improved satellite connectivity, additional in-app camera controls and a new power efficiency mode. However, Google is saving the bulk of the Android 15 announcements for I/O. The company has confirmed satellite messaging is coming to Android, and we could find out more about how that works. Lock screen widgets may be a focus for tablets, while Google might place an onus on an At a Glance widget for phones. A status bar redesign may be in the offing, and it may at long last be easier for you to monitor battery health. Wake words may once again be in the offing for third-party assistants such as Alexa and even ChatGPT. Rumors also suggest there may be a feature called Private Space to let you hide data and apps from prying eyes. AI, and lots of it Google If you drop a dollar into a jar every time someone mentions AI during the keynote, you'll probably stash away enough cash for a vacation. The safe money's on Google talking about Gemini AI, which may end up replacing Assistant entirely. If that's the case, we could find out some of the details about the transition at I/O. Back in December, it was reported that Google was working on an AI assistant called Pixie as an exclusive feature for Pixel devices. Pixie is said to be based on Gemini and may debut in the Pixel 9 later this year, so it would make sense for the company to start discussing that at I/O. It wouldn't be a surprise to learn about generative AI updates for key Google products such as Search, Chrome, Maps and G Suite. AI-driven accessibility features and health projects may be in the offing too. Meanwhile, with Google once again delaying its plan to kill off third-party cookies in Chrome, it may see AI as a solution to ad targeting and spill the beans on any plan for that at I/O. Everything else Google The full I/O schedule offers some insight into what else Google will discuss, even if those products and services won't necessarily get airtime in the keynote. Google has lined up a panel on the future of Wear OS, which will include details on "advances in the Watch Face Format," so expect some news about its smartwatch operating system. There will also be updates on Google TV and Android TV. Meanwhile, Google's quantum computing team will talk about what's feasible in the space and attempt to separate fact from fiction. An Android Auto panel is on the schedule too, hinting at developments for multi-display and casting experiences. What not to expect: Pixel 9 or Pixel Fold Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget It would be a major surprise for Google to reveal a Pixel 9 or a new Pixel Fold this early in the year. The company is probably going to save those details for the fall ahead of those devices going on sale around that time. However, it did formally reveal the Pixel Fold at I/O last year, so we could get a glimpse of some hardware especially if it wants to get out ahead of the leakers and control the narrative. On the other hand, Google recently consolidated its Android and hardware teams under Rick Osterloh. His team may want a little more prep to make sure new devices are ready for primetime under the latest regime. As such, any hardware news (including anything to do with Nest or wearables) could be a little farther out.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/what-to-expect-at-google-io-2024-gemini-android-15-and-more-174535938.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
More than anything, Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace is a fascinating cultural object. It's been 25 years since I saw the film in theaters, and over a decade since I last rewatched it (in a vain attempt to help my Trekkie wife catch up to the prequels). I've had enough time to process the initial disappointment and embarrassment of introducing my wife to Jar Jar Binks. So when Disney announced it was bringing the prequel trilogy back to theaters, I was practically giddy about revisiting them to see how George Lucas's final films compared to the onslaught of Star Wars media we've experienced over the past decade. Was The Phantom Menace as bad as I'd remembered? Well, yes and no. Disney/Lucasfilm Boring but full of imagination In 1999, I knew Episode 1 would be a bit of a slog as soon as we hit the second line of the opening crawl: "The taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems is in dispute." Really, George? This was what Star Wars fans were waiting for since 1983's Return of the Jedi? During this rewatch, I was more tickled than annoyed by the many baffling narrative choices: The empty drama of a trade blockade; the confusing decision to establish a romance between a literal child and an older teenager; and throwing in Jar Jar Binks to appease kids amid the hideously dull dialog. It's as if The Phantom Menace was written and directed by an alien who hadn't actually seen a movie, or engaged in any aspect of pop culture, since the early '80s. At the same time, that near-outsider perspective is part of the film's charm. Seeing a society slowly lose control of an idealistic democracy to a power-hungry dictator is a lot for a PG-rated fantasy film. Yet that also sets up the first two prequels to feel eerily-prescient beside the global response to 9/11. By the time we reached 2005's Revenge of the Sith, the allusions to George W. Bush's Patriot Act and Global War on Terror were hard to miss. "This is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause," Padme says as her fellow Senators hand over emergency powers to Palpatine, turning Supreme Chancellor Palpatine into the Emperor, and transforming the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire. Disney/Lucasfilm Beyond political machinations, The Phantom Menace is filled with loads of gorgeous imagery: Naboo's lush palace and aquatic Gungan city; the designs of new ships and weapons; and, of course, every single outfit worn by Princess Amidala. It would have been nice if these visuals cohered into the narrative better, but their presence makes it clear that Lucas was surrounded by world-class talent, like renowned costume designer Trisha Biggar. The Phantom Menace also leaps to life in its handful of action set-pieces. Sure, maybe the pod-race goes on a bit too long, but the sense of speed, scale and bombastic sound throughout is still absolutely thrilling. (The film's sound team Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson, Shawn Murphy and John Midgley was nominated for an Oscar, but lost out to The Matrix.) And yes, the entire Duel of the Fates fight is still an absolute banger. There's no doubt that The Phantom Menace would have been a stronger film with less-clunky dialog and more character development shown through action. At one point in the fight, all of the participants are separated by laser barriers. Qui-Gon Jinn meditates, almost completely at peace. Darth Maul prowls like a caged lion. And Obi-Wan Kenobi is simply eager to get on with the fight, like a hot-shot student who just wants to show off. That sequence tells you more about those characters than the remaining two hours of the film. Disney/Lucasfilm A precursor to ubiquitous digital characters While I didn't come around to loving Jar Jar Binks during this rewatch, his very existence as a fully-CG character felt more significant than ever. Voiced by the actor and comedian Ahmed Best, Jar Jar was roundly trashed upon release and his implementation was far from seamless. But it was also the first time we saw a motion-captured performance be transformed into a fully-realized character. Now that technology is so common in movies we practically take it for granted. "You cant have Gollum without Jar Jar," Best said in a recent interview for The New York Times. "You cant have the Navi in Avatar without Jar Jar. You cant have Thanos or the Hulk without Jar Jar. I was the signal for the rest of this art form, and Im proud of Jar Jar for that, and Im proud to be a part of that. Im in there! In 2017, Best offered an expanded version of his thoughts in a Twitter thread (via ScreenRant): "Jar Jar helped create the workflow, iteration process and litmus test for all CGI characters to this day. On some days the code was being written in real time as I was moving. To deny Jar Jar's place in film history is to deny the hundreds of VFX technicians, animators, code writers and producers their respect. People like John Knoll, Rob Coleman and scores of others who I worked with for two years after principal photography was ended to bring these movies to you." Disney/Lucasfilm A great story stuck in a bad film I've learned the best way to watch The Phantom Menace is to take in the aspects that I like and replace Lucas's many baffling choices with my own head canon. The story of Anakin Skywalker being born through the sheer power of the Force and becoming the Jedi's Chosen One? That's interesting! Inventing Midi-chlorians to give people a literal Jedi power score? hat's bad, to hell with you! (Midi-chlorians are still technically canon, but they've been largely ignored in recent Star Wars media.) This time around, I couldn't help but imagine how a more natural and energetic storyteller would have tackled The Phantom Menace. Surely they wouldn't front-load trade disputes and taxation. A more skilled writer, like Andor's Tony Gilroy, could thoughtfully weave together the Republic's potential downfall. And I'd bet most people wouldn't waste Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan by keeping him off-screen for an hour, while everyone else goes on a pod-racing adventure. (It sure would be nice to have him spend more time with Anakin!) Disney/Lucasfilm I still haven't seen Topher Grace's fabled 85-minute edit of the Star Wars prequels, but his decision to start in the middle of Phantom Menace's climactic lightsaber battle makes sense. So much of Episode 1 feels entirely superfluous when the real story of Anakin Skywalker is about falling in love, being tempted by the Dark Side and ultimately betraying his master.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/i-guess-i-learned-how-to-appreciate-the-phantom-menace-173010855.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
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