Greetings!

Welcome to the June issue of Key Notes - Marketing Keys' monthly newsletter! As we head into our favorite season of the year, we are wishing that all of you are planning some fun time this summer away from the daily grind. 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. 
Will Amazon overtake Walmart?
More and more products are being bought online these days. In fact, it is getting to the point where Walmart will no longer be the retail giant it currently is. Even so, Walmart has been adjusting to the changes. They are keeping up with the times by having its own online retailer.

By 2024, Amazon is set surpass Walmart to become the largest retailer in the U.S. The online retailer will be adding more than $294 billion in U.S. sales between 2021 and 2026. 

Edge By Ascential’s annual 2022 United States Retail Landscape and Go-to-Market Planning Report predicts online shopping will account for more than 30% of the U.S. retail sales by 2026.  Amazon will take 14.9% of that followed by Walmart with 12.7% and Costco with 4.4%. Last year, the top five U.S. retailers were Walmart, Amazon, Kroger, Costco, and The Home Depot.

In 2021, U.S. online sales rose 15.2% to $907.7 billion, an increase from $787 billion in 2020. This is two times the growth of overall U.S. retail sales, which grew by 7.6% in 2021. Ecommerce is the top driver of retail growth in the U.S. and is estimated to exceed $1 trillion by the end of this year!
Are Fall TV lineups a thing of the past?
As TV viewers continue moving toward streaming, more and more platforms announce their ad-supported tiers. The emphasis on streaming caused this years’ Upfronts to shift focus. 

Fox decided to leave its fall schedule out of its Upfront presentation and instead focused on its strength across its portfolio—sports, news, entertainment, and streaming platform Tubi. On the other hand, ABC and CBS, have emphasized the importance and stability of their linear fall slate. NBC did a little of both by announcing its schedule and the shows it would debut on Peacock. 

Media buyers did not seem to have a problem with leaving out fall schedules. Most seasoned veterans know that the May schedules will likely get moved around. This is because viewers now get to watch the content they love on their terms. Thus, the notion of a set TV lineup schedule has become less relevant.
Is targeting still possible without cookies?
A cookie is a piece of data from a website that is stored within a web browser that the website can retrieve at a later time. Cookies are used to tell the server that users have returned to a particular website. When users return to a website, a cookie provides information and allows the site to display selected settings and targeted content.

Advertisers use cookies to track user activity across sites so they can better target ads. While this particular practice is usually offered to provide a more personalized user experience, some people also view this as a privacy concern.

Due to privacy concerns, the loss of the cookie is becoming a reality. Therefore, we compiled a list of what you need to know. Marketers are also going to have to understand what is and what isn’t true about the death of the cookie.

Metrics in a cookie-less world

Without cookies, you can still measure page views.  You can still measure video views.  You can still measure leads and opportunities.  However, what you can’t do is properly attribute an unknown prospect/user into a known prospect/user.   You can’t follow someone from an anonymous cookie into a known email address. 

You can still measure whether certain messages are driving engagement. Also, you can still measure what actions on a page are driving interaction. However, you may not be able to properly follow that person through the entire journey and properly deliver successive messages throughout.

Myth vs. reality

One myth is that without cookies those initial metrics of activity are gone.  If a user declines a cookie be placed, that doesn’t mean you lose visibility into basic page metrics like views and activity.  Your server data still provides that view.  You just can’t double-click down to get more granular about who went where and who clicked on what. 

Another myth is that cookie banners just invite users to decline cookies.  The fact is most consumers don’t care and they are already simply accepting first-party cookies because it’s easier and quicker to do so. 
Is TV advertising a thing of the past?
TV is not dead. Local TV stations are expected to see a 9% increase in advertising revenues this year and reach $23.4 billion, according to the latest MoffettNathanson Research. Projections for local TV stations include a spike in political advertising, which Kantar has estimated to be a record of around $5.5 billion for all TV. This is an increase from $4.5 billion in 2018 for the previous midterm election season.

Although total TV over-delivered in the first quarter in advertising revenue, the research firm expects some difficult periods later this year.

Still on the rise, premium streaming/advertising video-on-demand (AVOD) platforms are projected to grow 44% to $11.1 billion. In total, the research company expects 6.5% higher advertising revenue for “total television” to $86.1 billion.

Estimated total TV advertising for 2022 is expected to make up 27% of the total U.S. ad market.
Tired of paying higher ad rates?
Buy your own media company.
Like gas, advertising prices are on the rise. So, billionaire Manoj Bhargava, decided to take matters into his own hands. Bhargava became the majority owner of NewsNet, a 24-hour news channel available through traditional broadcasting networks and on streaming services like Roku. Bhargava seeks to deliver a credible, headlines-focused national news channel, free of political opinions. But the main goal is to find a less costly avenue for advertising his consumer products.

Bhargava's 5-Hour Energy drinks account for about $1 billion in annual revenue. He spends anywhere from $30 million to $80 million annually on advertising. Recently, his media-buying costs had been skyrocketing by 50 percent or more, specifically with TV advertising. Ad spends in general are on the rise. U.S. media spending is forecast to hit $320 billion this year, a 12.2 percent increase, according to a Magna forecast.

Bhargava acknowledge that the deal is largely an advertising play for some of his products. However, consumers shouldn't expect to see 5-Hour Energy ads plastered on the newscast.  The newscast will be focused on the news of the day, human interest topics, weather and other staples of broadcast news. Other advertising will also be typical of what is seen on traditional newscasts. 

Bhargava isn’t the only wealthy businessperson to purchase media companies in recent years. Elon Musk entered into an agreement to acquire social media company Twitter for about $44 billion. Additionally, Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post.
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 may be 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
Your golf game needs Swing Lube!
If you were one of the lucky hundreds of listeners golfing in this year's Links and Drinks Open last Friday at Klein Creek Golf Club, you probably had a chance to sample 'Swing Lube' and compete in The Swing Lube Challenge.

Swing Lube is a light German Kolsch characterized by a mild hop character with a slightly fruity finish. It is the perfect refreshing beverage for a hot day on the course.

On the #4 hole at Klein Creek, I sampled the beer and went on to hit one of the purest 7 iron shots. My shot was high with the perfect apex along with a beautiful draw to it. Unfortunately, the beer may have worked too well, as I was so loose and the ball was struck so pure that it just trickled over the green. However, I am sold! This is the perfect on course beverage.

For your next golf game, please make sure you have some Swing Lube nearby. Swing Lube is brewed by 93 Octane Brewery in St. Charles.

For more, Click here!
Take advantage of a hot market!
You may have heard that the real estate market is beyond healthy right now. This is especially true if you are a seller. Sellers are getting all time high prices for their homes. If your home needs some TLC and has that lived in look, you may want to contact Grandview Homes. Grandview Homes will make you a fair, cash offer within 24 hours without the need of you doing any work to your home or debating over which real estate agent to hire. To sell your home today, click HERE!
Are you Socially Challenged?
During my 15 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!