Digital Marketing

By Bret Cunningham, president, BestFit Mobile

The challenges for a small/medium CPG company today, competing against the multibillion dollar conglomerates, are greater than ever before. With the skyrocketing cost of freight, manufacturing, raw materials, sales and marketing, the small/medium CPG company does not enjoy any of the economies of scale that the established multi nationals do. Competing in the low margin highly competitive beverage category, as we do at Celsius, only accentuates the challenge.

Pittsburgh – GNC Holdings Inc. is launching a new national brand campaign: "Beat Average." The campaign is designed to open a conversation with health-and-wellness consumers about their daily personal wellness goals and how GNC can be their ongoing partner and ally in beating average.

GNC Holdings latest national brand campaign, called "Beat Average," includes a mix of network prime, premium and targeted cable, out-of-home, newspaper, magazine and online media.

Usage of Facebook’s social media platform continued to expand during the first quarter with mobile advertising now accounting for 59% of the company’s revenue.

Facebook’s revenues grew 72% to $2.5 billion from $1.5 billion and earnings increased to 25 cents a share from 9 cents a share with operating margins expanding to 43% from 26%. The company also highlighted the fact that mobile advertising revenue now accounts for 59% of total revenue compared to 30% during the same period the prior year.

Phoenix – TV personality and fashion designer Kelly Osbourne is joining the omni-channel marketing campaign to promote PetSmart’s new “Pet Expressions” line of grooming services. Osbourne will serve as a “trend spotter” and also offer tips and advice on pet grooming.

The Pet Expressions campaign will include videos and postings on social media sites including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Rakuten Marketing experienced strong results for the first quarter of 2014 across all of its digital marketing channels.

The company especially highlighted the double-digit growth that advertisers realized through its affiliate, mobile and search marketing technology and services. Additionally, the company signed several new advertisers throughout the quarter that were either new to Rakuten Marketing, or have expanded their existing investments with the company to include additional marketing channels.

RetailMeNot has some interesting plans in store for mall goers following an agreement with General Growth Properties allowing it to serve as the mall operators preferred digital coupon provider.

Plans call for RetailMeNot to test new marketing formats and beacon technology in select malls that will allow RetailMeNot mobile app users to be served hyper-targeted offers. In addition, the company said it will work with General Growth Properties on various undefined initiatives to enhance the shopping experience at its 120 malls, increase traffic and drive sales for tenants.