Google parent Alphabet is betting big on Lyft with a $1 billion investment that values the ride-hailing service at $11 billion. Alphabet had earlier invested in rival Uber, but that relationship has more recently suffered from differences over developing self-driving cars.
An AdColony survey finds rewarded videos to be the single most acceptable format in mobile apps, preferred by 40.1% of mobile users surveyed. However, only 14.2% of respondents expressed favorable sentiments over pre- or mid-roll ads.
With $135 billion in investment this year, video is becoming the top digital format for marketers, according to research by Magisto. The reports credits the influence of social media and millennials' preference for video as driving the rise in marketing spend.
Google aims to optimize TV marketers' digital video audiences by bringing automation and programmatic to ad buying. TV Made Smarter with DoubleClick allows customized variations of successive ads within a slot by automatically optimizing ads relevant to each viewer.
Microsoft is beginning to gain some traction with brands for its HoloLens mixed-reality headset technology. Among those taking advantage of the technology so far are Scotch whisky brand Macallan, Remy Martin and Ford.
The amount of time US children under the age of 9 spend using mobile screens has increased from 15 minutes in 2013 to 48 minutes today, based on a Common Sense Media report. Part of this is likely driven by increased access to mobile devices, as industry data indicates 98% of homes with children ages 8 and under in them have at least one mobile device, if not more.
An app inspired by Arianna Huffington and developed with Samsung allows users to schedule disconnection periods on their devices. The Thrive app can also be used to track and even limit the time users spend on other apps.
MMA forms the Marketing Organization Structure Think Tank (MOSTT)
The MMA’s second think tank, MOSTT has the vision of defining and developing the organizational marketing capabilities and best practices required to help CMOs accelerate marketing performance and business growth.
