When the live video streaming apps Meerkat and Periscope were first released in early 2015, many marketers weren't sure whether they'd be a passing trend or here to stay.
Turns out, the live streaming apps have been growing rapidly over the past few months. In August 2015, Twitter-owned Periscope reported it'd surpassed 10 million registered accounts only four months after launching -- and it has almost two million daily active users.
Live video streaming is here to stay, so if your marketing team hasn't experimented with real-time video yet, now's the time.
Search ranking is a critical component of any inbound marketing strategy. When it comes to designing and writing content for your website, it's important to have search engine optimization top-of-mind.
After all, the top three results on a search query get 61% of all search clicks -- and 75% of search engine users never scroll past the first page of search results.
If you find yourself struggling to gain exposure in search engines, it could be because your website isn't optimized for search.
Want to increase your website traffic via organic search? Start by ensuring you aren't making any of the most common SEO mistakes on your website. Mistakes like keyword stuffing, broken links, duplicate content, and non-unique title tags can really hurt your chances of being found in search.
Think back to your first memory: Can you still see the watermelon pink dress you wore? Do you remember the unique checkered pattern of your father's jacket?
Our memories are often linked to visual and sensory elements, while the words spoken or read can be more hazy. That's because our brains have a high capacity for storing visuals in our long-term memory, while text enters our working memory, which is limited.
This contributes to why infographics and the inclusion of visual content in online information has been so successful. Readers crave visual breaks from the overload of text-based information that floods our daily browsing and work-related activities.
NeoMam Studios studied how people process visual information, how visuals affect the way we read, and why graphics are so appealing. Discover the science behind why our brains crave infographics:
There's an old saying that goes, "The best way to a man's consumer's heart is through his stomach."
Think about it: We swoon over free samples at the mall, grab one too many treats when we come face-to-face with a candy bowl on someone's desk, and broadcast practically every meal we eat on Instagram.
As a society, we love food. That's really all there is to it.
Traditional advertising on the other hand ... not so loved. When it comes to mediums such as billboards, many businesses struggle to determine whether or not it's worth the investment anymore -- except for these brands, that is.
By combining food and advertising, the following 10 brands were able to create some jaw-dropping creations that commanded the attention of their hungry audience.
10 Billboards That Make You Want to Take a Bite
1) Virgin Media Cheese Billboard
This is nacho average advertising campaign. (Too cheesy? Sorry. I couldn't resist.)
In 2010, Virgin Media -- with the help of artist Prudence Staite -- created a billboard that proved that dreams really do come true. Weighing in at just under 250 pounds, the ad for its broadband campaign was made entirely out of cheese. Yes, cheese.
The masterpiece took Staite and her team eight days to create. Once completed, it underwent a 100-hour chilling process before the big reveal.
"I have been asked to craft many a strange thing in my time, but a cheese billboard certainly takes the biscuit, or should I say cracker," joked Staite.
2) Mr. Kipling's Cake Billboard
"Let them eat cake," thought the British baked goods company Mr. Kipling when it decided to create a massive billboard made entirely of sweet treats.
During the course of seven hours, artist Michelle Wibowo carefully placed 13,360 colorful cakes to create a design worth drooling over. With the words "Life is better with cake" piped playfully over the edible background, the display was a showstopper.
While it was almost too pretty to eat, the company handed out pieces of cake to lucky passersby at the Westfield shopping center in Sheperd's Bush, where the billboard was constructed.
To stay true to KOO's commitment to giving back, the team created a billboard made entirely of canned food. Once revealed, the 2,104 cans used in the process were passed out to members of the community.
When all the cans were removed, a hidden message was revealed: "KOO, helping to feed a nation."
For more on this inspiring campaign, check out the following video:
"In a country where 12 million people go to bed hungry every single night, it's beautiful thing for us in advertising to be part of an initiative that helps those people," said Nicole Glickman, who worked on the campaign.
4) McDonald's McFlurry Billboard
This past July, McDonald's in the Netherlands created a heat-activated billboard housing 100 McFlurry cups. The empty cups were locked behind glass that would open up if, and only if, the temperature reached more than 101 degrees Fahrenheit.
Many eager people waited in anticipation as the temperature climbed. And when it hit just the right degree, the glass opened allowing individuals to grab a cup that they could redeem for a McFlurry at the nearest McDonald's.
Check out the video below to watch the sweet release in action:
5) Coke Zero's Drinkable Billboard
75 valves, four high-pressure pumps, 16 sensors, and a whole lot of Coke Zero made up the 23,000-pound billboard found in White River State Park in Indianapolis during the NCAA Men's Final Four competition.
The massive advertisement functioned as a "drinkable billboard," equipped with an enormous straw which hooked up to a public drinking fountain. The straw stemmed from a large Coke bottle and sprawled across the billboard, taking shape into the words "Taste It."
Coke skillfully tied the advertisement back to basketball by reporting that the billboard ran on enough compressed air to fill all of the basketballs used during the tournament.
6) GranataPet's Food Dispenser Billboard
In 2011, Germany-based pet food company GranataPet, created an interactive billboard that encouraged people to check in to the location on Foursquare in exchange for a treat for their four-legged friend.
This campaign served as a creative way to engage potential customers while also introducing a new brand of food to pet owners.
7) Carlsberg's Beer Billboard
"Probably the best poster in the world," read the eye-catching green sign outside the Truman Brewery in London’s Brick Lane this past April.
What was so special about it?
Well, other than the fact that it was a nice shade of green, it also came equipped with a beer tap. Enough said.
Those lucky enough to stroll past the billboard could take five and enjoy a free, ice-cold beverage. (There were staff members on-site to check IDs, of course.)
8) McDonald's Lettuce Billboard
McDonald's attempted to grow its business ... by growing a billboard?
In an effort to promote the fresh ingredients used in McDonald's salads, the fast-food chain planted thousands of heads of lettuce on a billboard and waited patiently for the seedlings to grow.
When the seeds finally bloomed, they revealed a clever message, "Fresh Salads."
According to McDonald's Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival entry, more than 500,000 salads were sold during the campaign period, deeming it an overall success.
9) Thornton's Chocolate Billboard
After reporting a "difficult" start to the year back in 2007, British chocolate company Thornton's used 10 chocolate bunnies, 72 chocolate eggs, and 128 chocolate panels to turn things around.
The first of its kind, Thornton's chocolate billboard was a bold advertising move ... while it lasted. The display -- which took three months to prepare -- was gobbled up by people in just three hours.
Sounds like a success, if you ask me.
10) The Fairtrade Foundation's Banana Billboard
To raise awareness for banana farmers living in poverty, The Fairtrade Foundation and banana farmer Foncho Cantillo worked side by side to create a billboard made entirely out, yup, you guessed it ... bananas.
The South London billboard -- made of 5,000 bananas and taking 11 hours of assembly later -- proudly displayed a raised fist holding a banana.
The best part? At the close of the campaign, all the bananas were donated to local food banks and Battersea Park Children's Zoo. (We imagine the latter resulted in some very happy monkeys.)
What was your favorite edible campaign? Let us know in the comments section below.
Believe it or not, in the early days of social media, Twitter was a healing place.
People used Twitter as a platform to share their shameful secrets with the world, and to connect with one another when they realized they were no longer alone. It gave voiceless people a voice -- and became a place not for shaming others, but for radical de-shaming, de-stigmatizing, and building up a strong network of support.
And then, things shifted. Because Twitter gave everyone the opportunity to have a voice and be heard, over time, people started hunting for each others' shameful secrets instead of supporting one another. Whenever anyone transgressed, whether they were a celebrity or a journalist or a high school classmate, Twitter became a platform for "getting" them; "hitting them" with the weapon of words.
I know you know what it feels like to want to give up.
To give in.
To be so exhausted that you just want to fall over.
To listen to the haters and wonder if they’re right.
To doubt yourself.
But guess what?
In The School of Greatness those are the moments that you get to learn the most important lessons.
Because when it’s game time, and everything you’ve been working for is at stake, that’s when greatness sets in and makes up the difference.
I’ve felt all of the above emotions in the past week. My book comes out in just a few days and I’m beyond excited. Everything I’ve been working towards for years is on the line. And it’s time to show up like I never have before.
Here’s my pump up message to myself and to you in 5 Minute Friday on Episode 243.
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