MARKETING/SOCIAL MEDIA

Levi Straus is the second most patriotic brand in America. And Ralph Lauren isn't far behind.    That's according to the 15th annual Brand Keys survey of iconic American brands, which asked 4,860 consumers, balanced for age and political party affiliation, to evaluate which of 280 brands were most resonant as to ‘patriotism.’ Jeep took the top spot in the survey for the second consecutive year. (For complete listing of the 50 most patriotic brands, which includes several retailers, see end of article.)

Amazon is giving new meaning to the phrase "Christmas in July."  

Walmart leads the pack when it comes to paid search advertising in the grocery category.   That’s according to new research from AdGooroo. The search marketing intelligence provider analyzed 124 non-branded grocery store and grocery delivery keywords from June 2016-May 2017.  

When it comes to mobile, department stores have a ways to go.   That's according to an annual report by L2's annual L2 Digital IQ Index: Department Stores 2017, which benchmarks the digital performance of 64 department stores operating in 14 markets globally. The report examines a brand's strengths and weaknesses across the four digital dimensions of site and e-commerce, digital marketing, mobile, and social.   

Pinterest is giving its image-based search engine an upgrade.   Pinterest introduced Lens in February. Since then, users have been pointing their mobile cameras at objects they see out in the real world, from apparel and accessories to decor, and Lens serves up similar styles or related information on their mobile device’s screen.   

Reading business news and talking to retailers, I often hear about marketers’ disappointment in not reaching their email marketing goals. It’s become a real issue that they try to solve by sending more appealing emails with better offers more often. But still, it’s an uphill battle. Why? Because retailers aren’t really missing goals with email; the truth is that you can’t look at email as a stand-alone agent any longer.   Today’s Elusive Shopper

Not only is user-generated content (UCG) the go-to source for 90% of shoppers making a purchase — it outranks all other forms of marketing.   This is according to “Hearing the Voice of the Consumer: UCG and the Commerce Experience,” a report from TurnTo and executed by Ipsos. the report represents responses from more than 1,000 U.S. shoppers who made an online purchase in the past 12 months.  

Despite the many sales that showrooming has afforded Amazon over the years, the retailer surely doesn't want to become a victim going forward.