This month, Time Out magazine revealed a new look for its print product, as well as a refreshed strapline ‘Discover, Book, Share’. According to the publisher, the changes aim to “create a cleaner layout for the magazine, with a punchy, graphic feel and a distinct partnership between immediate, browsable content, and longer and richer stories”. As demonstrated by its strapline, however, the brand also aims to place a bigger focus on ecommerce. Sarah Bartlett, chief marketing officer at Time Out Group, told Marketing Week: “No longer just a content publisher, Time Out is a content and commerce platform. Our business model has evolved in line with how we can help people make the most of their social journey, and we want to maximise the opportunities to deliver a full end to end experience.” According to Bartlett, consumer insight and research showed that consumers look to Time Out for inspiration but “also want [it] to help them make it happen, whether that is booking a restaurant, buying a theatre ticket to a new show or experiencing a Time Out curated event”. She added: “By the nature of what we do – inspiring people to make the most of their city – we had an obvious stepping stone to close the loop and offer our users the chance to book it too. Our job is to bring our content and commerce together, to create a future-proofed platform that can ride the inevitable changes in today’s digital & mobile led world.” Time Inc. makes a data and ecommerce play Time Out is not the only publisher to have shifted its attention to ecommerce. In February, Time Inc., which publishes titles including Marie Claire, InStyle and Look, launched Powder in a bid to push its beauty credentials. The platform aims to provide its users…

Speaking at the brand’s annual results conference today (2 March), Crozier said that numerous “big advertisers” have voiced their concerns when it comes to online advertising and measuring its effectiveness. He said: “That [advertisers] can compare a three-second online ad to a 30-second ad in terms of impact, often that’s not right. While on paper it looks like they were being more efficient when it comes to their advertising, in reality they weren’t being noticed or generating fame for the brand. That has driven a lot of advertisers back onto TV.” Crozier added that ITV[1]’s outlook remained positive in the face of digital’s increasing popularity, stating: “We have the unique ability to provide three million or five million-plus audiences. That’s our proposition and that’s what we sell.” The brand has seen its sixth consecutive year of double-digit profit growth, with total revenue up 15% year on year at £2.97bn. It also experienced a 6% growth in net advertising revenue to £1.7bn. ITV was more positive about it’s own online offering. According to figures supplied by the company, its online, pay and interactive revenue increased 23% to £188m in 2015. Online demand for its content is also growing strongly, with people spending 42% more time watching ITV online in 2015 than the previous year. Part of this success is down to the brand’s ITV Hub, the replacement for ITV Player that relaunched last year[2]. “As digital media and consumer behaviour continues to evolve, there is an opportunity for us to monetise high-value content in new and efficient ways. The successful relaunch of the ITV Hub was key – it was a massive step forward for us and now we have a technology platform that is easy to evolve and adapt from here,” Crozier explained. Besides expanding its digital offering, the brand…

Mondelez was rapped by the ASA in 2014 for using vloggers Thomas Ridgewell (image below) and Phil and Dan (above)The size of the digital marketing opportunity for brands is vast. As the digital sphere expands, the need for training in the regulations surrounding digital technologies, channels and platforms grows too. Protecting the consumer is certainly of utmost importance for regulatory authorities in the UK and the rules are growing tighter all the time. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), for example, has recently begun cracking down in earnest on digital advertising formats such as sponsored videos and ‘native advertising’ that fail to make commercial relationships with brands clear. Paid-for articles produced by The Telegraph and Buzzfeed for Michelin and Dylon Colour Catcher, respectively, have been censured since last December. In 2014, Mondolēz[1] similarly breached rules by using YouTube[2] vloggers in its ‘Oreo Lick Race’ campaign[3], without clearly identifying the content as advertising. Meanwhile, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) promises more challenges for brands as regards training marketers in their legal responsibilities. Penalties for breaching consumers’ data rights are set to become harsher, with companies facing fines of up to 4% of turnover. Other notable changes to existing law, such as the ‘right to be forgotten’ and the need for brands to have ‘unambiguous’ consent for data collection, data usage and marketing will require careful preparation in time for when the GDPR comes into effect in 2018. Education for evolving fields “As marketing professionals, it is important we do not abuse the information that we now have at our fingertips and that philosophy runs through everything we do,” says Elly Cockcroft, head of marketing at Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). “The explosion of data-driven marketing inevitably means that it becomes open to abuse and that in turn fosters the need for…