ICYMI: The Big Data Effect

Behind The Brand: Citi’s Digital-Marketing Game Plan
In this article, Forbes talks about how Citi’s shift in marketing strategy is helping it build better relationships with consumers. The point: Marketers that aren’t using big data to guide their marketing will be left behind in a couple of years.

Why Customer Experience Is The Only Thing That Matters
Continuing on this theme of big data and the effect it has on brands, Fast Company talks about customer experience. Big data could help guide the customer experience, in terms of features and functionality that customers prefer. At the end of the day, it’s not how many Facebook fans you have or how funny your television spots are. A good experience is what’s going to seal the deal and get you a sale.

Facebook tests another mobile ad format
Although this story by Internet Retailer discusses only Facebook, it is evidence of a bigger issue going on in the industry: The mobile revenue gap is a big challenge. Publishers are grappling with figuring out a way to monetize mobile, just like Facebook. With some publishers now claiming that almost 20 percent of their site traffic is coming from mobile, now’s the time to figure out how to monetize. Because when we get to 50 percent of total site traffic coming from mobile, that’s when the publishing industry is really in trouble.  

Google, Isis put aside competition in mobile payments to drive adoption
As Mobile Commerce Daily reports, everyone initially thought that NFC would dominate mobile payments. But the technology is taking way too long to catch on, and other payment options, like Square, are being accepted by both merchants and consumers.