Kicking off 2024 with our eyes on Cookies, Marketing on the Holidays, & a Focus on Organic Growth

This week you’ll learn:

• 🔍️ The latest troubles for Google’s Privacy Sandbox

• 🥮 Do’s and don’ts for Lunar New Year Branding

• 🫘 A can of beans that managed to go viral

• 💰️ Why your traffic isn’t converting to revenue

• ⚡️ Quick Hits: 5x your TikTokContent, new Google Analytics Features, “Micro Communities”

But first…Behind the scenes

Here’s a quick glimpse into what we’ve been working on recently.

This past week we gathered our design and copy team to review performance across all our brands. It was a great opportunity to take a critical eye to everything we’ve created over the past 3 months to identify what worked best and what lessons we can take from each brand to apply to future initiatives.

Being an agency that doesn’t stick to just one vertical means that we can experiment across industries, and leverage those learnings to improve outcomes.

Google's Privacy Sandbox in Limbo

Google's ambitious plan to phase out third-party cookies has hit a snag, facing industry backlash and regulatory scrutiny.

The Industry Backlash

On February 8th, the Interactive Advertising Bureau's Tech Lab released a scathing critique of Google's proposed alternatives to third-party cookies. It argued that Google's Privacy Sandbox fails to address critical advertising functions properly, like audience management, auction dynamics, and creative delivery.

This could threaten the livelihood of brands, agencies, and publishers. Google can fill this gap with data from its massive always-logged-in user base. Smaller players cannot.

One percent of all Chrome traffic is now served without third-party cookies in a gradual phase-in. Early sentiment from advertisers is that these issues have not been properly addressed.

Google just hit back and published their detailed point-by-point rebuttal to the IAB. Expect to see a continuing back-and-forth as Google gets closer to fully disabling third-party cookies.

Regulatory Hurdles

Google's Privacy Sandbox initiative is also under the microscope of regulatory bodies, particularly the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

The CMA's investigation focuses on whether the Privacy Sandbox could be anti-competitive, with concerns including:

• Google's governance of the sandbox

• Potential advantages for Google's tools over other third-party cookie alternatives

• The design, use, and viability of sandbox tools

The CMA's scrutiny reflects broader apprehensions about Google's dominance in the online sphere and the potential for the Privacy Sandbox to reinforce this dominance.

Privacy vs Competition

Despite these challenges, Google remains committed to its Privacy Sandbox, arguing that it represents a step forward in balancing user privacy with the needs of the online advertising industry.

Stakeholders are still skeptical. Adform’s chief technology officer, Jochen Schlosser, said, “If you were to talk to an anti-competition lawyer, and to a privacy lawyer, neither would be able to tell you how a compromise could be found here.”

Google's Privacy Sandbox could remain in limbo if it fails to secure broad acceptance and regulatory approval. Google is not operating in a vacuum and will be forced to take into account the impacts of its actions.

Read More: Digiday

And if you missed it… Avoid the risk of lost or blocked emails by ensuring you’ve setup your email domain’s properly, because Google and Yahoo's email sender requirements coming into effect!

Our blog post goes through all the details

Lunar New Year Branding: Hits and Misses

Lunar New Year is a time of rich cultural traditions and celebrations. It presents a unique opportunity for brands to connect with consumers all over the globe. However, the line between celebration and cultural exploitation can blur.

The Pitfalls of Cultural Branding

Brands often face backlash when their Lunar New Year campaigns miss the mark. This backlash not only alienates consumers but also highlights a lack of cultural understanding.

• Dolce & Gabbana: In 2018 they launched campaign featuring an Asian model struggling to eat Italian food with chopsticks. It was criticized for perpetuating stereotypes and demonstrating a shallow understanding of the holiday's significance.

• Burberry: Their 2019 campaign felt like an eerie Asian horror movie and failed to capture the festive and celebratory essence of the Lunar New Year, showing a disconnect with the audience's expectations.

• Lululemon: Despite featuring Michelle Yeoh in a short film, the brand faced criticism over its founder's controversial remarks and the collection's poor designs that failed to resonate with the holiday.

• Ralph Lauren: One seasonal design especially failed to acknowledge its origins and crossed into cultural appropriation. A red shirt inspired by the Chinese tunic suit (i.e., The Mao Suit) said nothing about its history or cultural meaning, just calling it a "reimagined Oxford shirt with frog closures along the front."

Half-hearted, off-key attempts like these do more harm than good. Learn more about all the holidays to embrace this year in our latest instagram post.

Celebrating with Authenticity

Some brands have successfully embraced Lunar New Year, demonstrating how deep cultural appreciation can resonate with consumers.

• Lady M: Their gift set with red bean mille crepes and a pop-up display of plum blossoms symbolizes prosperity and growth, showing a thoughtful celebration of the holiday.

• Elix: This wellness brand extends the tradition of "lucky cash" to its diverse consumers, fostering inclusivity and deepening cultural understanding through educational content.

• Elorea: By collaborating with Korean artisans for a roof tiles-inspired incense holder, Elorea honors the cultural significance of Lunar New Year and ancestral traditions.

• Rooted Fare: Their innovative spreads and storytelling around Chinese cuisine with modern twists engage consumers in meaningful dialogue about Lunar New Year traditions.

Brands that approach Lunar New Year with genuine cultural appreciation and understanding can build a deep connection. It's about celebrating the richness of traditions with authenticity and respect.

Read More - JoySauce

Heyday Canning's Viral Marketing Masterclass

Heyday Canning, led by Kat Kavner and Jaime Lynne Tulley, made their simple canned beans into a viral sensation.

Their strategic approach shows how creativity and precision can elevate even the most overlooked products to stardom.

The Blueprint for Virality

Their secret sauce was a blend of thorough market research, targeted objectives, calculated risks, and a dash of uniqueness.

• Market Validation: "We put together a spreadsheet of every single canned food product and mapped out what they were doing," Kat shared. None of their competitors were experimenting with any innovative marketing.

• Clear Objectives: Targeting TikTok's massive audience, Heyday introduced novel items like a Mr. Bean portrait and a snazzy bean plushie with a gold chain. They were conversation starters, specifically designed to make waves and draw eyes to the brand.

• Risk-Taking: Allocating nearly an entire quarter's marketing budget to a pop-up event was a bold move. "We wanted to focus all the money on one thing that had the potential to cut through the noise," Kat stated. This gamble paid off, generating over 230,000 views on TikTok and catapulting the brand into the spotlight.

• Be Unique!: By hosting live, interactive events—a first in the canned food sector—Heyday created a buzz that drew crowds and sold out products.

With the right strategy, even canned beans can be interesting enough to go viral.

Read More - Shopify Masters

Turning Organic Traffic into Revenue

Organic traffic is a goldmine for business growth, but it's not just about getting clicks—it's about converting those clicks into cash. Let's explore how to make your SEO work harder for your bottom line.

Fine-Tuning Your Audience

Misaligned traffic wastes your efforts. Ensure your visitors match your target demographic, particularly in complex sales cycles involving referrals or buying committees.

Make sure you’re clear on your target market and then test all your marketing messaging across channels to make sure it speaks to that target market. Download our Target Audience Exercise and use it quarterly to ensure your ideal customer is still clearly defined.

Boosting Lead Quality

• From Visitors to Leads: Check if your site's first impression compels action. A clear value proposition, social proof like testimonials, and streamlined forms are key. Use analytics tools, to pinpoint user experience improvements.

• From Leads to Sales: Not every lead is sale-ready. Cultivate them with automated email sequences that guide them through their decision journey. Marketing automation platforms like HubSpot can automate this nurturing process, keeping your brand top of mind.

Cutting Down Churn

High churn rates will bleed revenue. Implement retention strategies like:

• Automated Onboarding: Trigger-based emails for SaaS customers can boost engagement by providing timely training materials.

• Personalized Communication: For e-commerce, consider sending discount codes or repurchase reminders. Customer satisfaction surveys can also fuel referral programs.

Converting organic traffic to revenue is a multi-layered strategy. Tackle these areas and your SEO efforts will boost your bottom line.

Read More - Moz

⚡️ Quick Hits

• Multiply TikTok Content with a "wide base" strategy of multiple accounts.

• New Google Analytics Feature detects subtle, long-term data trend changes.

• Micro-communities are gaining popularity, offering marketers a chance to connect precisely.

• Google's AI Battles Fake Reviews by eliminating over 170 million fake reviews in 2023.

What we’re studying right now

Traction by Gino Wickman is a practical guide that helps entrepreneurs and business leaders implement a system called EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) to gain traction and achieve their business goals.

Why this book might be good for your business? 

Traction offered a practical, easily adopted system that helped give us structure and focus when planning annual and quarterly goals and breaking them down into achievable chunks.

Looking for more personalized marketing strategy?

We’re starting a new YouTube series where we take a deep dive into your business. If you’re looking for a free in-depth analysis, apply here to get started!