Greetings!

Welcome to our first issue of 2022! Our January issue of Key Notes - Marketing Keys' monthly newsletter! As you start getting back into the swing of things after the holiday break, we hope this quick read gives you ideas for planning your successful 2022. Key Notes is an informative, quick-read newsletter to get you caught up on all things media and marketing. Our goal is for you to be informed and entertained with the latest media and marketing happenings quickly and efficiently. 
Are these some of your biggest memories from 2021?
Back to the office
After more than a year of remote work, agencies and media companies were ready to return to the office. However, the delta variant had other plans and the September plans were moved back to January '22. Now, the omicron variant is changing plans again. Many employers are currently following a wait-and-see strategy to see what happens next. 
 
Looking for a job? There are plenty of positions available.
Almost 3 million baby boomers decided to retire at the start of the pandemic which caused major labor shortages. Marketers turned to creative strategies to help recruit workers. They turned to programs like Tik Tok Resumes and other innovative ideas to reach their target audience. 
 
Goodbye Facebook. Hello Meta!
Facebook switched its focus from social networking to holograms and virtual reality. This change came in late October after Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee said the company intentionally put profit ahead of its customers. 
 
Supply chain delays
Online shopping brought products from all over the world straight to your front door in no time. However, the pandemic brought on some delays. Supply chain delays were all caused by COVID-19 factory closures, an uptick in costs of shipping containers in addition to a shortage in labor including workers and drivers.
 
Aaron Rodgers' Immunization and State Farm
Aaron Rodgers had been one of State Farm’s spokespeople for roughly a decade until he admitted to not being vaccinated against COVID-19. This came after contracting the virus before a November NFL game. He had stated to the media before the season that he was 'immunized.' State Farm began pulling planned ads starring Rodgers. Despite rising public pressure to break with Rodgers, State Farm released a statement reversing their initial decision and supporting Rodgers. State Farm stated that even though they don't agree with Aaron's position, they respect that everyone is entitled to form their own opinion.
Will anyone be left attending CES this weekend?
As the latest variant, Omicron, continues to spread like wildfire, many companies opted out of attending this week's CES in Las Vegas in person.

CES - Consumer Electronics Show - is an annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). It is being held today through this weekend at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Winchester, Nevada. The event typically hosts presentations of new products and technologies in the consumer electronics industry. Lately, Automotive has become a major part of CES with a focus on innovation in electric vehicles, infotainment, telematics, autonomous capabilities, and ride-sharing. There is also a marketing and advertising emphasis.

P&G joins a growing list of companies, including General Motors, Google, and TikTok, that are pivoting their in-person plans to virtual ones. Microsoft also said that it would not participate in-person at CES, but has “digital CES plans” with an online hub called the Microsoft Partner Innovation Experience. Google, GM, and Waymo also won't have an on-the-ground presence. 

Even main CES sponsors have reassessed going to Las Vegas. Intel, Lenovo, T-Mobile, AT&T, and IBM decided against attending CES in person. They are among the “featured exhibitors.” MediaLink’s opening night party, which is always the place to be, was canceled, as was MediaLink’s exclusive executive dinner.

Still, the organizers of CES are promising a successful in-person conference. Samsung and Sony are appearing in person in Las Vegas. CES has vaccine and masking requirements. Additionally, organizers have been giving free rapid tests to attendees, encouraging people to test before entering key areas of the show.
Is the way you look at me that powerful?
Does the way someone makes eye contact with you impact ad performance? VidMob found that the gaze of the model can lead to major differences in campaign performance.

The findings of the study are based on an analysis of 1.1 million digital ads that ran on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Google between January 2018 and December 2020. It shows variation in eye gaze can influence click-through rates, view rates and return on ad spend (ROAS). The analysis considered how eye gaze during the viewability window, defined as the first three seconds of video on Facebook and Instagram and the first two seconds on all other platforms, correlated to ad performance based on the unique campaign goals.

The findings group the gaze into two categories, direct gaze and indirect gaze. Direct gazes were associated with higher click rates when brands looked to purposefully engage viewers in the dialogue, such as with educational and gaming content. Indirect gazes were seen to lift click and view rates for sports, lifestyle, and medical content. Notably, the study also found that pairing direct gazes with positive facial expressions had a beneficial impact on app installs.
Are you still going to the movies?
As the new variant spreads like wildfire, are people still going to the movie theatre? A recent YouGov poll showed 39% of American respondents aged 45 to 64 were less likely to attend theaters. This makes sense, as young audiences make up most of the theater business. This is in part because younger-aged consumers tend to feel invincible when it comes to getting sick with Covid, while older Americans are more concerned.

Movie analysts say it could be five or more years before the in-theater movie business recovers, which seems to count on those older adult viewers heading back to theaters.

Recent Christmas movie openings -- Warner Bros. “The Matrix Resurrections” and 20th Century Studios’ “The King’s Man,” may be the start. Both movies underperformed, $12 million and $6.4 million, respectively. Analysts believe part of the reason is those films appeal more to adults, who aren’t going to the theaters as much right now. 
Is buying TV still a reach?
TV continues to be the one medium where you can reach a massive audience at once. It is a tremendous reach medium.

CBS-TV should be happy with some of their programming. Here are some of the biggest TV programs from the latest Fall season:

CBS’ “NCIS” was over the 10 million viewers' mark for the first three months of the season. CBS’ “FBI” is the second-best for prime-time entertainment series, with 9.97 million viewers.

The next eight shows, NBC’s “Chicago Fire” at 9.95 million; CBS “Blue Bloods,” 9.74 million; CBS’ “60 Minutes,” 9.71 million; CBS’ “The Equalizer,” 9.67 million; NBC’s “Chicago PD,” 9.3 million; NBC’s “Chicago Med,” 9.2 million; CBS’ “Young Sheldon,” 9.1 million; and CBS’ “FBI: Most Wanted” with 8.7 million.
BLOG OF THE MONTH
Here is a recent highlight from Marketing Keys' blog page. Please start following our blogs and let us know what you think.


Get the latest insight here!
Get help from 'The Mouse'!
In my previous life, I worked for many media companies including the one headed by the Mouse. During my 20 year executive run with media companies, I had noticed that if an advertiser wasn't properly represented with a media expert helping them with their media planning and buying, then that company was at a disadvantage. Thus, I created a company to provide a solution to that problem.

Marketing Keys was formed in July 2007 to more than level the negotiation playing field between advertisers and media companies. We enabled advertisers to have a major leg up in the process.

We targeted Presidents, CEOs, Regional Managers, Marketing Directors, CMOs, etc. of small and mid-sized businesses. We then went to market with our 'key' differentiator and mission. During the last decade, the company has grown from 2 clients in 2010 to presently close to 20.

To find out if we can help build on the results that you had started and eliminate the inherent disadvantages of buying media on your own, please reach out to us HERE!

Thank you for your loyalty in reading our newsletters. If you know someone where this information is helpful, we appreciate you sharing it. In the meantime, we will continue to keep you at the forefront of the latest marketing strategies and news.


Until next month,


ROGER KEYS
MARKETING KEYS
New Client!
We'd like to welcome Mancini Law Group to the Marketing Keys family! Last year, there were nearly 320,000 traffic collisions throughout Illinois; almost half occurred in Cook County. Additionally, over one-third of these accidents happened in Chicago. Over 20% of these accidents resulted in an injury. If you have been injured in a car accident, you are entitled to a settlement. Mancini Law will work on your behalf to get the highest cash settlement for you. If you haven't already, you will soon see or hear Mancini Law's ads on tv and radio.
Caution:
You may get distracted
Make Hooters your home away from home for all of your sports viewing including the College Football Championship this Monday night! Catch Georgia taking on Alabama at 7pm. Then, make Hooters your home for the upcoming NFL Playoffs. This is one instance when 'winging it' is a good thing!
Your New Year's Resolution!
Make it your New Year’s resolution to get out of your existing home
and into your dream home! Grandview Homes makes the process easy! After a private and brief walk-through of your home, Grandview Homes will make a written offer for your home. Grandview will close and pay in cash in as little as 7 to 10 days.
And you pay NO commissions! For more, Click Here!
Are you Socially Challenged?
During my 14 years as a business owner, I have discovered there are many companies out there that are challenged with the task of managing their social media.

It may be that they are confused over the platforms that they should use, the content they should post, how to boost that content and/or the time or lack thereof that goes into managing their social media platforms. 
 
As a Social Media partner of ours, our Social Media expert will manage and strategize daily on your sites. We will also coordinate all communication so there are no surprises while all of your initiatives are scheduled accordingly. 
 
For more information, please contact Marketing Keys at (312) 375-5007 or you can email us HERE!
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Fill up your Lead Generation funnel!
In the days of Mad Men, creativity was everything. The goal was for a brand to be the most creative creating a tag line to resonate with the audience. Now, creativity takes a back seat to targeting through data and reaching your target synergistically through multiple mediums with an integrated marketing campaign.

Find out how Marketing Keys can help generate (on average) an incremental 30-35% more in leads and/or conversions through our system.

For more details, Contact us here!
We are Social!