Financial curveballs sent many American families reeling in 2023. Household budgets were squeezed by rising interest rates, surging prices on everyday goods, and a stagnating housing market. Consumers were feeling strapped. That sentiment, however, appears to be waning. The question is, to what extent?
To take the pulse of consumers’ feelings about their financial well-being ahead of a highly anticipated election, ThinkNow conducted a nationally representative quantitative survey. The survey highlights consumers’ hopes and anxieties as we move into 2024. Let's unpack the key findings to gain insights about where we stand.
Come learn how YOU can Animate and Illuminate the World with Generative AI's Explosive Power. Come sit in the driver's seat and learn to harness this great technology.
A.I. (artificial intelligence) platforms are popping up all the time, and many of them can and should be used to help grow your brand, increase your sales and decrease your marketing costs.In this presentation:We will review some of the best AI platforms that are available for you to use.We will interact with some of the platforms in real-time, so attendees can see how they work.We will also look at some current brands that are using AI to help them create marketing messages, saving them time and money in the process. Lastly, we will discuss the pros and cons of using AI in marketing & branding and have a lively conversation that includes comments from the audience.
Key Takeaways:
Attendees will learn about LLM platforms, like ChatGPT, and how they work, with preset examples and real time interactions with the platform. Attendees will learn about other AI platforms that are creating graphic design elements at the push of a button...pre-set examples and real-time interactions.Attendees will discuss the pros & cons of AI in marketing + branding and share their perspectives with one another. Attendees will learn about the cost savings and the time savings associated with using AI, should they choose to.
The session includes a brief history of the evolution of search before diving into the roles technology, content, and links play in developing a powerful SEO strategy in a world of Generative AI and social search. Discover how to optimize for TikTok searches, Google's Gemini, and Search Generative Experience while developing a powerful arsenal of tools and templates to help maximize the effectiveness of your SEO initiatives.
Key Takeaways:
Understand how search engines work
Be able to find out where your users search
Know what is required for each discipline of SEO
Feel confident creating an SEO Plan
Confidently measure SEO performance
In this presentation, Danny Leibrandt explains the impact of AI on SEO and what Google has been doing about it. Learn how to take your SEO game to the next level and win over Google with his new strategy anyone can use. Get actionable steps to rank your name, your business, and your clients on Google - the right way.
Key Takeaways:
1. Real content is king
2. Find ways to show EEAT
3. Repurpose across all platforms
Monthly Social Media News Update May 2024Andy Lambert
TL;DR. These are the three themes that stood out to us over the course of last month.
1️⃣ Social media is becoming increasingly significant for brand discovery. Marketers are now understanding the impact of social and budgets are shifting accordingly.
2️⃣ Instagram’s new algorithm and latest guidance will help us maintain organic growth. Instagram continues to evolve, but Reels remains the most crucial tool for growth.
3️⃣ Collaboration will help us unlock growth. Who we work with will define how fast we grow. Meta continues to evolve their Creator Marketplace and now TikTok are beginning to push ‘collabs’ more too.
Mastering Local SEO for Service Businesses in the AI Era is tailored specifically for local service providers like plumbers, dentists, and others seeking to dominate their local search landscape. This session delves into leveraging AI advancements to enhance your online visibility and search rankings through the Content Factory model, designed for creating high-impact, SEO-driven content. Discover the Dollar-a-Day advertising strategy, a cost-effective approach to boost your local SEO efforts and attract more customers with minimal investment. Gain practical insights on optimizing your online presence to meet the specific needs of local service seekers, ensuring your business not only appears but stands out in local searches. This concise, action-oriented workshop is your roadmap to navigating the complexities of digital marketing in the AI age, driving more leads, conversions, and ultimately, success for your local service business.
Key Takeaways:
Embrace AI for Local SEO: Learn to harness the power of AI technologies to optimize your website and content for local search. Understand the pivotal role AI plays in analyzing search trends and consumer behavior, enabling you to tailor your SEO strategies to meet the specific demands of your target local audience. Leverage the Content Factory Model: Discover the step-by-step process of creating SEO-optimized content at scale. This approach ensures a steady stream of high-quality content that engages local customers and boosts your search rankings. Get an action guide on implementing this model, complete with templates and scheduling strategies to maintain a consistent online presence. Maximize ROI with Dollar-a-Day Advertising: Dive into the cost-effective Dollar-a-Day advertising strategy that amplifies your visibility in local searches without breaking the bank. Learn how to strategically allocate your budget across platforms to target potential local customers effectively. The session includes an action guide on setting up, monitoring, and optimizing your ad campaigns to ensure maximum impact with minimal investment.
5 big bets to drive growth in 2024 without one additional marketing dollar AND how to adapt to the biggest shifting eCommerce trend- AI.
1) Romance Your Customers - Retention
2) ‘Alternative’ Lead Gen - Advocacy
3) The Beautiful Basics - Conversion Rate Optimization
4) Land that Bottom Line - Profitability
5) Roll the Dice - New Business Models
How to Run Landing Page Tests On and Off Paid Social PlatformsVWO
Join us for an exclusive webinar featuring Mariate, Alexandra and Nima where we will unveil a comprehensive blueprint for crafting a successful paid media strategy focused on landing page testing.With escalating costs in paid advertising, understanding how to maximize each visitor’s experience is crucial for retention and conversion.
This session will dive into the methodologies for executing and analyzing landing page tests within paid social channels, offering a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical insights.
The Pearmill team will guide you through the nuances of setting up and managing landing page experiments on paid social platforms. You will learn about the critical rules to follow, the structure of effective tests, optimal conversion duration and budget allocation.
The session will also cover data analysis techniques and criteria for graduating landing pages.
In the second part of the webinar, Pearmill will explore the use of A/B testing platforms. Discover common pitfalls to avoid in A/B testing and gain insights into analyzing A/B tests results effectively.
Most small businesses struggle to see marketing results. In this session, we will eliminate any confusion about what to do next, solving your marketing problems so your business can thrive. You’ll learn how to create a foundational marketing OS (operating system) based on neuroscience and backed by real-world results. You’ll be taught how to develop deep customer connections, and how to have your CRM dynamically segment and sell at any stage in the customer’s journey. By the end of the session, you’ll remove confusion and chaos and replace it with clarity and confidence for long-term marketing success.
Key Takeaways:
• Uncover the power of a foundational marketing system that dynamically communicates with prospects and customers on autopilot.
• Harness neuroscience and Tribal Alignment to transform your communication strategies, turning potential clients into fans and those fans into loyal customers.
• Discover the art of automated segmentation, pinpointing your most lucrative customers and identifying the optimal moments for successful conversions.
• Streamline your business with a content production plan that eliminates guesswork, wasted time, and money.
When most people in the industry talk about online or digital reputation management, what they're really saying is Google search and PPC. And it's usually reactive, left dealing with the aftermath of negative information published somewhere online. That's outdated. It leaves executives, organizations and other high-profile individuals at a high risk of a digital reputation attack that spans channels and tactics. But the tools needed to safeguard against an attack are more cybersecurity-oriented than most marketing and communications professionals can manage. Business leaders Leaders grasp the importance; 83% of executives place reputation in their top five areas of risk, yet only 23% are confident in their ability to address it. To succeed in 2024 and beyond, you need to turn online reputation on its axis and think like an attacker.\
Key Takeaways:
- New framework for examining and safeguarding an online reputation
- Tools and techniques to keep you a step ahead
- Practical examples that demonstrate when to act, how to act and how to recover
10 Video Ideas Any Business Can Make RIGHT NOW!
You'll never draw a blank again on what kind of video to make for your business. Go beyond the basic categories and truly reimagine a brand new advanced way to brainstorm video content creation. During this masterclass you'll be challenged to think creatively and outside of the box and view your videos through lenses you may have never thought of previously. It's guaranteed that you'll leave with more than 10 video ideas, but I like to under-promise and over-deliver. Don't miss this session.
Key Takeaways:
How to use the Video Matrix
How to use additional "Lenses"
Where to source original video ideas
It's another new era of digital and marketers are faced with making big bets on their digital strategy. If you are looking at modernizing your tech stack to support your digital evolution, there are a few can't miss (often overlooked) areas that should be part of every conversation. We'll cover setting your vision, avoiding siloes, adding a democratized approach to data strategy, localization, creating critical governance requirements and more. Attendees will walk away with actions they can take into initiatives they are running today and consider for the future.
2. Existing Product
This is a screenshot of a game that I
discovered called ‘Pixel Quest’ and
it’s a platform game. You use the
keys ‘A’ and ‘D’ to move left and
right and click space or ‘W’ to jump.
The aim of the game is to collect the
box objects and complete each level
in a timer. The timer on the first
level is about 3 minutes. You will
have to face challenges through
each level such as dodging fire pits
and jumping to the next platform.
The setting of the gameplay is in a
jungle and is similar to how I want
my gameplay to be like. The
character looks like a typical explorer
and there is green and brown colors
used to make it look like a jungle
scene.
The gameplay view is from a side
angle and show’s the full platform,
unlike games like temple run where
you are a first person runner and are
playing the character from behind
The creator of the game has made the
background lighter where the
character is crossing so it is clearer to
see the character as the character has
darker colors on it.
Music and sound effects:
The music on the home screen
is quite cheery and lasts about 6
seconds before looping again. I
quite like the music used for
this as the music isn’t annoying
or high-pitched
In the actual game itself, the
music seems to be quite
relaxing. The music isn’t really
on a loop as some of the notes
keep changing throughout the
song so this is good as the
music shouldn’t be seen as
repetitive and boring to the
players.
There are also quite a lot of
sound effects used in this game.
Firstly, there is a short high-
pitched sound when the
character jumps. Also, when the
fire rises every 2 seconds there
is a sound effect for the fire
rising.
Lastly, as you move your mouse
across the different button
choices on the menu there are
sound effects that happen as
you hover over them.
3. Existing Product
This game is ‘Temple Run
2’ and is an app that
players can download
onto their phones. It is
the perspective of a first
person runner and has an
endless timer as you play
the game. The aim of the
game is to keep
outrunning the jungle
monster until you die
(falling off edges, tripping
over, etc) and then repeat
and beat your high score.
The location of the gameplay is set in
a jungle-like environment and a lot of
the main colors used for this game are
colors that I find I could use for my
game e.g. the different shades of
greens and browns.
The games visuals are highly animated and
not pixelated or created in blocks. What I
find interesting about the game is the
objective and also the challenges you have to
face along the way such as collecting coins
and jumping over barriers. These are
challenges that I will likely be using in my
video game.
‘Temple Run 2’ does have
music in the background as
you are playing the game.
You mainly hear drums
playing, like Moroccan or
African drumming. The
music is quite dramatic
and speedy so this is
supposed to make the
player feel like they should
be going quite fast and
hurrying up.
There are some sound
effects used in this game.
For example if you trip
over some stone or barrier
then the jungle monster
will make a noise and be
closer to catching the
character. Other than the
noise of the jungle
monster there is just the
music playing in the
background.
4. Existing Product
This game is called ‘Raymon Jungle
Run’ and is a platform game set in a
Jungle. The main aim of the game is
to collect as many of the yellow flying
objects as you can and complete the
level without falling down holes, etc.
The levels get harder as you go along,
more enemies to attack and more
complex platforms to get across.
There are levels in this game where
you are in different locations
throughout the jungle e.g. the trees,
sky, the volcano stone walls, etc. It’s
good that the game has different
locations in it as it is more interesting
and fun when there are new locations
and enemies each time.
The creator of the game has made
sure that the objects to collect are a
bright color (yellow) so it’s clear for
the player to see what to collect.
There is music in the background of
the game. There is a different song for
each level most of the time (some
levels don’t have any music). The
music most of the time is quite jolly
and you can hear things like the drums,
or the tambourine. In the ‘scary’
locations such as the volcano the
music is faster and more worrying for
the player.
Lots of sound effects are used for this
game. For example when the character
is collecting the coin objects you hear a
shimmering sound. Also, you can hear
the characters footsteps as they are
running. The character also comes out
with small words like “yipee!” if he
reaches a platform of completes a
level. This lets the player know that
what they are doing is right.
5. Existing Product
This is a platform game called
‘Fireboy and Watergirl: In The
Forest Temple’. This game has
a similar objective to my game:
you have to cross the
platforms to get to the end
door where you will have
completed the game. I also like
the layout of this as the
platform is all on one screen.
• There are challenges you
need to overcome
• There are higher platforms
the character will need to
reach
• You can collect objects (the
blue and red diamonds
The pace of the music is
quite slow and mysterious.
This is good background
music as in this game you
take your time with it so
the player won’t want fast-
paced, high-pitched
background music. It may
stress the player out as the
song doesn’t fit the pace of
the game.
There are some sound
effects, for example when
one of the characters turn
the lever you will hear the
sound of the lever turning.
You can also hear the
sound of the diamonds
once you collect them.
You get the jungle vibe as you play this game, you see
the effects and colours used (the different shades of
green and brown) which are the main colours I will be
using in my game.
The visuals of the game has lots of detail in it and
collectives which makes the game appealing to
the audience as players will want to overcome the
challenges. The layout changes as you get to the
next level and the game is supposed to get harder
so the player is always expecting the unexpected
when playing.
6. Research Analysis
In all my research that I have looked at and analysed, all the games have the same colour theme, with different
shades of green and brown to fit the jungle theme. This is the kind of colour theme that I will be sticking to when
it comes to my production work.
Also, during my research I have looked into games that all have similar objectives. For example, in the games ‘ Raymon
Jungle Run’ and ‘Fireboy and Watergirl: The forest temple, both the games are platform game and the aim of the game
is to get passed all the challenges you face and reach the end of the level so you can move onto the next level. In both
games you can collect objects like coins and diamonds as you play the game and this is an aspect of the games that I am
going to use in my game. I could create objects such as diamonds, or shiny objects, or I could stick to the jungle theme
and add in objects like coloured leaves, or animals, or health resources.
In the games ‘Pixel Quest’ and ‘Fireboy and Watergirl: The forest temple’ they both have the same kind of layout. The
level that you have to complete is all set out on the screen and the player has to guide their character through the
platforms to reach the final door/point to reach the next level. The platforms are above each other and you have to
basically keep climbing and jumping from platform to platform, collecting objects and passing challenges along the way.
This is a layout that I am most interesting in using for my game, with platforms rising above each other. I may add in
techniques in my game that aren’t used in these existing products, such as moving the platforms up and down or side to
side.
7. Bibliography
1. Developer: HardCircle (Year of Release: 2011) Game: Pixel Quest
https://www.coolmathgames.com/0-pixel-quest
1. Developer: Imangi Studios (Year Of Release: 2013) Game: Temple Run 2
(mobile game)
2. Developer: Pasta Games (Year Of Release: 2012) Game: Rayman’s Jungle
Run (mobile game)
3. Developer: Olso Albert (Year Of Release: 2007) Game: Fireboy and
Watergirl: The forest temple
https://www.coolmathgames.com/0-fireboy-watergirl-forest-temple
Editor's Notes
Choose a recent product similar to your own and annotate it- screenshot, GIF or gameplay video.
Type of image- studio/location, angle, effects, post-production
Use of lighting/composition/mise en scene/costume/props/location/colours/fonts etc.
Use of sound/ music/ effects
Audience appeal- how does it make its audience want to buy/watch/play it?
Choose a recent product similar to your own and annotate it- screenshot, GIF or gameplay video.
Type of image- studio/location, angle, effects, post-production
Use of lighting/composition/mise en scene/costume/props/location/colours/fonts etc.
Use of sound/ music/ effects
Audience appeal- how does it make its audience want to buy/watch/play it?
Choose a recent product similar to your own and annotate it- screenshot, GIF or gameplay video.
Type of image- studio/location, angle, effects, post-production
Use of lighting/composition/mise en scene/costume/props/location/colours/fonts etc.
Use of sound/ music/ effects
Audience appeal- how does it make its audience want to buy/watch/play it?
Choose a recent product similar to your own and annotate it- screenshot, GIF or gameplay video.
Type of image- studio/location, angle, effects, post-production
Use of lighting/composition/mise en scene/costume/props/location/colours/fonts etc.
Use of sound/ music/ effects
Audience appeal- how does it make its audience want to buy/watch/play it?
List all products researched in previous sections. Include anything additional you have watched/read in preparation for production. Alphabetise your list.