Five smart choices to make this month

As the first report of the new year, we’re kickstarting with a good dose of data driven energy. Whether that’s putting more attention on user needs, providing virtual holiday experiences over a brew or cutting down on daily vaping through tech.  See this report as the new years resolution rolled into one…

1.  Data Transformation

Data has a lot to learn from design. Building data products requires the same level of empathy with users, understanding what they need and delivering it in a way that is useful. As towards data science call it, build a trust infrastructure!

Conduct interviews with users before starting data analysis and strategy

Dive straight into the data wihout getting the business context

2.  Content Strategy

Yorkshire Tea brought their print campaign to life by including a QR code that was scannable with the Shazam app. The code unlocked educational AR content that takes the user through a journey across three continents – with the magazine on the reader’s lap serving as a stage.

Consider Shazam’s large user base and exploit their QR feature. Use it to add a digital element to print work and allow users to explore the brand’s universe

Expect users to engage with QR content without substance. The novelty value of QR features has long passed

3.  Creative Content Delivery

Consumers are more savvy than ever when it comes to advertising. Recent surveysshow one fifth of people use ad blockers and advertorial content is no more effective than traditional marketing. Marketeers are now looking for more and more innovative ways to seemlessly integrate advertising into your everyday life.

Embrace the power of a new format. Sponsored Instagram story posts, for instance, allow brands to utilize the entire screen of a user’s phone

Go full dystopian future with hyper-specific, targeted personal ads from your home assistant

4.  Immersive Experiences

To encourage positive daily habits, a recent trend is to give users the opportunity to understand, control, test and fix every aspect of their experience enabled through smart tech. Pax vape are a good example, locking out users when they’ve hit their desired daily limit of vaping.

Look at how putting your users in control through both digital and physical experiences brings added value to your product

Pre-conceive what your users want, allow your solution to be tested by users, then iterate your solution based on the results

5.  Amplification

The volume of brands posting content on Instagram Stories has quadrupled over 2018. A reason for its strong uptake may be because businesses can embed links in an otherwise closed social network. The ‘swipe up’ action reveals a browser window that lets you explore without leaving the app.

Ensure that your promoted instagram story images are thumbstopping with just enough copy to persuade users to swipe up

Just use the story feature to lead followers to your profile. Stories is an experience in its own right. Use it wisely

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