REMARKABLY MRY

What happened:

Starting September 16th, Discover cardmembers will be able to add their Discover cards to Apple Pay, making it the final major credit and debit card provider to work with Apple Pay.

The main point of difference for Discover is that unlike the other payment providers, Discover is encouraging use of Apple Pay by rewarding cardmembers with a 10% Cashback Bonus® for a year, every time they use their Discover cards through Apple Pay.

Why it matters:

Discover is trying to change consumer behavior and increase adoption, as well as usage, by rewarding cardmembers for signing up and using the mobile payment.

New Apple Pay TV Spot Features MasterCard & American Express

What happened:

Late last week, a new Apple Pay 0:30 TV spot launched, which demonstrates an iPhone loaded with Apple Pay moving between points of sale while showing multiple product benefits, like ease, acceptance, and security, using the Touch ID functionality.

American Express is prominently displayed as the default card, and Bank of America-MasterCard is also featured within the spot, along with participating merchants like Whole Foods, Foot Locker, Toys "R" Us and McDonald's.

Why it matters:

This new Apple Pay commercial is very timely, given the growing competition from Samsung Pay, in addition to the initial launch of Android Pay earlier this week.

Although mobile payment acceptance continues to expand across issuers and merchants, many consumers are still weary of leveraging this technology due to lack of education.

Uber & Amazon Planning On-Demand Delivery Service Expansion

What happened:

Reports indicate that Uber is planning a partnership announcement this fall with large luxury retailers and fashion brands in New York City and San Francisco. Uber has also reportedly been in contact with software companies like Bigcommerce and Shopify, which help small businesses set up online storefronts.

Reuters also reported that Amazon is trying to launch a food delivery pilot program in Seattle and New York, similar to Seamless or Postmates.

Why it matters:

This expansion of both Amazon and Uber services indicates a growing trend of on-demand delivery.

An on-demand delivery service brought to consumers by various merchants could serve a unique utility during the holidays. However, it’s important to note that these types of partnerships could be difficult to scale, given they are in their pilot stages, and should be positioned as a “buzzworthy” innovation play.

What happened:

In Canada, Nature Valley launched its latest advertising campaign, encouraging youth to explore the outdoors.

As part of the campaign, the brand took underprivileged kids from urban areas out to experience nature for the first time, resulting in the digital spot “Field Trip.” The latest TV spot is a compilation of interviews between kids, parents, and grandparents about what they did for fun when they were young, which reveals a growing addiction to technology.

Why it matters:

By tapping into the growing concern that children and adults are becoming disconnected from the outdoors due to technology, Nature Valley is elevating itself as a brand that values the outdoors, rather than just a granola or snack brand.

Target Launches Digital Design Tool for Designing Dorm Rooms

What happened:

Target is helping first-time college students furnish their dorm rooms with an online platform that plots out a decorated room using a variety of the 400 products in the system’s catalog. Which is based on the students’ Facebook likes and interests, color palettes of their Instagram photos, and a quiz. 

Target is hoping the promotion will appeal to digitally plugged-in millennials who have grown up saturated with social media, by curating the images they like, and helping them with seeing a completed room ahead of purchasing the products in store. The back-to-school season is typically second only to the holidays as its customers’ biggest spending spree of the year.

Why it matters:

Target is evolving college back to school shopping, which has traditionally been rooted in store planning and shopping, to be online first prior to purchasing the products in store.

This approach of providing personalized content is showing how brands are working to stay relevant with their target and offering a customizable utility, with a clear purchase opportunity, as a way to move them down the purchase funnel.

GE Launches “Brain Decoder” Site

What happened:

Earlier this year, General Electric launched an unbranded site called     BrainDecoder; its mission is “to cover the most interesting neuroscience news… to unravel the mysteries of the brain….” To support the site,     General Electric launched a Twitter profile for content distribution. Readers can additionally subscribe to the BrainDecoder newsletter.

General Electric focuses on facilitating the operation of consumer’s everyday life with its products and mission. This unbranded presence capitalizes on that theme through distinctive content that is not brand or product centric, however, the ethos of the brand is still intrinsically linked. The site bridges the gap of exploring rich content that is still relevant to their audience without being contrived.

Why it matters:

Through the site, General Electric is positioning itself as a thought leader in science within its respective vertical, which bolsters its credibility as an innovation brand, serving as a case study for how brands can position themselves as an industry leader within their vertical.

MasterCard Doing Good with Every Swipe

What happened:

MasterCard and Sustain:Green are offering a credit card that offsets purchases with a promise to reduced carbon dioxide emissions. For every $1 spent using the card, anywhere MasterCard is accepted, Sustain:Green guarantees that 2lb of CO2 will be eliminated.

With environmental issues getting more attention and consumers working to go green and recycle, they are also looking to companies to work in some eco-friendly operation.

Why it matters:

With MasterCard partnering with Sustain:Green, their emphasizing the importance of doing good for the environment that appeals to a variety of individuals while still working to be top of wallet. Brands can align themselves by creating products and services that are directly connected to eco-responsible initiatives.

GoPro Launches Video Licensing Service

What happened:

GoPro announced its licensing platform, which provides marketers access to cost-efficient, high-quality, stock video content. Through this licensing service, GoPro aims to become for video what Getty Images and Shutterstock are to still imagery.

The platform currently features 600 videos from amateur and professional videographers. Videos start at $1,000 per piece of content, depending on commercial use and distribution.

Why it matters:

For brands this licensing opportunity means accessibility to high-quality video content at a fairly efficient price point, especially for lines of business with smaller budgets or truncated timelines. However, brands should be considerate of usage and exclusivity rights. Currently there are only 600 different pieces of content to choose from, therefore the same content could potentially be used by multiple brands, including competitors.

Because of brands’ and agencies’ limited control of content, they may want to consider sourcing video content to supplement larger, social video narratives, especially content that is seasonally or geographically relevant and more difficult to capture via shoots.

Brands Hosting Real-Time Video Chats on Facebook

What happened:

BumeBox, a conversational marketing platform through Facebook, is hosting live chats for brands like VH1, Discovery Channel, and MTV, similar to what Periscope is to Twitter. This partnership helps Facebook’s plan to turn the site into a video platform for brands, publishers and creators.

The social videos aren’t live-streamed like Periscope and Meerkat, the idea is to send out responses through clips quickly to fans’ questions. The videos are uploaded and saved to brands’ pages.

Why it matters:

For brands, this is one more way to utilize its brand ambassadors and/or scale live events beyond the activation to further engage fans. Since these videos aren’t live-streamed there’s less of a legal implication over live-streaming, to vet before posting to the brands’ page.

Facebook Launches Shoppable Brand Pages Within Site

What happened:

Facebook announced the platform is beta testing a new “shop” tab with Shopify, on select retailer Facebook pages. This tab won’t pop up in the newsfeed (like the sponsored “Buy” buttons released earlier in June) but rather sit alongside the “about” section of a brand’s Facebook page.

The function will resemble an excerpt of the retailer’s e-commerce store. Within that mini-store is a collection of buy buttons accompanying the items the brand is featuring on Facebook. All transactions take place within the platform.

Why it matters:

The functionality is optimized for mobile, making purchases more seamless and allowing quicker load time for consumers on mobile devices to make more “impulse buy” transactions.

Since there is little to no data on how often fans visit a brand’s page, it is too soon to tell how successful this added functionality will be. 

Meerkat's “Cameo” Feature Could Unite Brands and Influencers in Exciting New Ways

What happened:

Meerkat released a new feature, called “Cameo,” where users can enable viewers to take over their livestream for a period of time.

The platform disclosed several brands, including MasterCard, Refinery 29, and Southwest Airlines will be leveraging this new feature. With this functionality so new, there are no confirmed details around tracking performance yet.

Why it matters:

Although this may be an exciting new way brands can continue engaging with consumers and further amplify awareness within specific initiatives, the platform is still too new to determine how successful this feature will be for brands.

MasterCard Took Apple Pay Out to the Ball Game

What happened:

MasterCard gave cardholders at the 2015 MLB All-Star Game the ability to use Apple Pay at contactless merchandise and concession acceptance locations, while also promising “Priceless Surprises” such as branded premiums, autographed memorabilia, prepaid cards and more.

MasterCard cardholders could also utilize the MasterCard Nearby app to find merchants accepting contactless payments like Apple Pay.

Why it matters:

Beyond highlighting the Apple Pay service, MasterCard is positioning itself as top of wallet with its MLB partnership and using its overarching “Priceless Surprises” campaign, encouraging cardholders with additional incentives/surprises when they use their MasterCard cards.

American Express Launches ‘Journeymakers’ Campaign

What happened:

American Express launched the ‘Journeymakers’ campaign to celebrate the 100th anniversary of American Express Travel. The Journeymakers website allows travelers to submit handwritten notes and postcards to individuals who have made their trips memorable – anyone from tour guides to bartenders.

The site also allows you to book a trip or “journey” and take advantage of special travel offers.

Why it matters:

This campaign further demonstrates how the brand’s efforts are expanding among its affluent traveler audience, by highlighting “everyday” influencers as inspiration the journey, over the destination, of travel.  

Twitter Just Made It Easier to Target College Grads, Parents and Small Businesses

What happened:

Twitter unveiled a new feature called "personas," which lets brands target groups of consumers based on whether they have college degrees, are parents, make more or less than $100,000., run small businesses, and more. Specifically, this goes beyond just targeting college grads to pinpointing alums based on their gender, location and interests.

The ability to specifically target college students has become a growing trend with social platforms (geo-fencing with Snapchat and Foursquare).

Why it matters:

Although Twitter doesn’t have access to as much demographic information as Facebook, this ability to tap into key life milestones will provide social campaigns with smarter and more efficient ways to hyper-target audiences with relevant messaging.

Citibank Is Working On Its Own Digital Currency

What happened:

Citibank is running a test platform for digital currencies and is working for its own solution, CitiCoin. Citigroup has built its own digital currency based on bitcoin and the blockchain.

Citigroup has said previously that the adoption of Digital Money is inevitable though the specific digital currencies are not.

Why it matters:

Citibank is working to get ahead of and become a leader of digital currency as this landscape is evolving. Also, with a big bank corporation getting involved, it will help streamline, make secure and increase adoption of digital currency.

Social Good Advertising: Genuine or Just a Gimmick?

What happened:

Over the past few months, a variety of brands across verticals have found success in advocating for social and environmental causes that align with their brand values.

Most notably, Visa, MasterCard, and American Express took a stance on the Marriage Equality announcement. Although case studies indicate consumers reacting positively to this “social good” approach, some brands have been met with criticism (for example, the NFL and “pinkwashing”).

Why it matters:

By taking a strong stance on social issues, brands can achieve an impactful lift on brand equity. However, brands should be wary of joining conversation just to join conversation and keep in mind the importance of authenticity.