Oh Google, you did it again. You changed with the times. And this time, you sent a bunch of email marketers scrambling to figure out what to do before those precious margins slipped away. I'm speaking of course about the new changes to Gmail, including the much-discussed email service's new promotions tab.
The move has caused a bit of an uproar among marketers who can't help but bash Google for making their lives more difficult and for cutting out commerce—the same sad song that surfaces every time a new change to Gmail's search algorithm sends SEO and other experts into a tizzy about how “unfair” it all is.
Now that email marketers have had their chance to stand up and declare that their channel is under attack (!!) it's probably time to take a holistic look at what the de facto digital trendsetter is actually doing with consumers and the digital ecosystem.

Target has made headlines of late with a very clever positioning against Walmart, clothing retailers and frankly, malls across America and is somehow winning the perception war that these massive stores are actually hip alternatives to the real big box retailers. In an age when Walmart has a budget to fight the petitions that inevitably pop up for the launch of a new store, Target is somehow making gains in its desired perception as a different sort of big store. And in that tapestry of carefully crafted product, marketing and channel decisions, it is weaving a masterpiece that in many ways sets the pace for big brands. So it should come as no surprise that Target’s new mobile app lays a groundwork that marketers at brands and especially retailers will find interesting.

With the spotlight on the NSA wiretapping programs and the smell of Big Brother still fresh, it’s worth reviewing a bit about those who have the most data, are best at using that data and have the most to gain from data. I am not talking about you, Uncle Sam, I am talking about you, the data-savvy marketer.

Whether we’re out to lunch or window shopping, mobile is playing a bigger role; it’s more than a distraction from your date or vibration in your pocket. It’s our tether to the world – from text alerts and app-driven push notifications to mobile-enabled websites and social media streams. And more often, it’s an up-sell being added when we agree to have our receipt sent to our email or our phone.

The appeal of automation makes sense: in a time where marketers are held to high standards and spread thin across an increased workload, anything you can set and forget is a welcome time saver. What companies didn’t predict, though, was how much time is attached to establishing automation. And while there are risks involved in automation’s perceived easy button, companies are still embracing it in droves. So how do marketers keep from blowing it?

As published by Direct Marketing News

You have probably noticed hashtags during broadcasts, tweets streaming across the screen, second-screen applications where viewers can check in to watch a TV show together online and numerous other examples of the TV industry transforming itself into something more than a lean-back experience. The multi-billion dollar TV industry is fast undergoing a realignment from appointment television on the couch to a real-time, 24/7 entertainment anywhere business. So what can brands outside of the TV ecosystem learn from this?