Blog

Google Launches Generative AI Ads in Search: A Game-Changer for Digital Advertising

Are they listening? How did they know I was looking for patio furniture and I am interested in trying a new shaving cream gel? One may ask when you receive ads relevant to your thoughts and conversations. AI struts into the room and proclaims, “It was me!”. In the ever-evolving landscape of digital advertising, technology continues to redefine how brands...

Are You Reaching Road Warriors This Summer?

When looking at the days of the week, my favorite day isn’t Saturday or Sunday, or even Friday; it’s Thursday. Thursday is when you’re close to the weekend and you have the whole weekend to look forward to, including a Friday night. May is my version of Thursday when it comes to months because we are getting so close...

A safer way to advertise with TikTok

TikTok has taken the world by storm with its unique blend of music, dance, and social media. The platform has become a go-to destination for young people seeking entertainment, information, and connections. With its massive user base and unprecedented reach, TikTok has become a prime platform for advertisers looking to target a younger audience. Having a teenager at home, it...

Do You Know How to Read Your Facebook Insights?

When I think of Facebook, there is one thing that comes to mind and it’s the song “Changes” by David Bowie, because they are always ch-ch-ch-chaning things up! Some of the most recent changes that Facebook made has been discontinuing the use of Job Listing ads, no longer showing ads in Instant Articles, and only being able to target...

What digital advertising products to use for Summer festivals and attractions?

Cowabunga Dudes! Summer is just around the corner, and for festivals and summer attractions, it’s time to start thinking about how to best use your marketing budget to help increase business this year.  Using Digital Advertising will allow you to pinpoint the audience you want to reach and invite them into your business. There are many ways that you can do...

OTT effectiveness can be measured.

How often do you ask someone, “What’s a good show you are binge watching right now?” or “I need a good new show to watch?”  Probably a lot nowadays. Over the past few years, the rise of OTT (Over-The-Top) services and streaming platforms has transformed the way we consume entertainment and media. With the proliferation of these services, advertisers...

Are You Using a List to Target Consumers?

You make one for the week, you make one for grocery shopping, you make one for going on vacation, and you even make one for the big guy in red to check over in December, and he does that twice. Lists. They have been around forever and are very helpful for making sure you don’t forget anything, and that...

Influencer Marketing for Social Mirror Ads

In today’s world, digital marketing has become a crucial aspect of every business.  With social media personalities on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube becoming increasingly popular, businesses have started to shift their focus toward influencer marketing.  Influencer marketing has proved to be a powerful tool in reaching out to a vast audience and generating more leads. What are some...

The Evolution of Display Advertising

Digital Display advertising refers to the promotion of products or services through display ads on digital platforms such as websites or mobile apps.  Over the past two decades, digital display advertising has revolutionized the way businesses reach their target audiences and has become a cornerstone of modern marketing. The history of digital display advertising dates back to the early days...

Are You Advertising During The Super Bowl?

I grew up in Syracuse, New York which is known for two things: snow and Syracuse University sports. While most people are familiar with the longtime Syracuse basketball head coach, Jim Boeheim, but my favorite thing about Syracuse University is football. It is the home of the legendary number 44 for Jim Brown, Floyd Little, and Ernie Davis. Growing...

Sporting Event Success Story: Professional Soccer Team Dominates Ticket Sales with Digital!

A professional soccer team needed to boost Season tickets for their upcoming season as well as single game ticket sales throughout the year. Digital Strategy: Our client is a professional soccer team that hosts over 30 games a year at a stadium that holds 7900 attendees.  Previous media strategies for ticket sales included traditional tactics like TV and Radio. With a...

Should You Advertise During Your Slow Season?

How are you doing with your New Year’s Resolution? Have you skipped the gym already? Have you polished off that bag of Cheetos all by yourself? Have you already thrown out your 40oz Stanley mug because carrying around 40oz of water turns out to be way more annoying than you thought? Or maybe you have changed out water for...

What Digital Products Are Businesses Using To Promote Their Business?

Looking at the entire landscape of digital advertising, there is a plethora of digital products out there.   Here at Vici, we have a wheel that we introduce businesses to that incorporates 14 top level products, with lots of elements within each product.   In 2022, we saw two products take the lead in usage from our partners.  Those two products are...

The Future of Cookie-less Technology brought to you by ChatGPT

          ChatGPT is the new AI writing tool that is sweeping the Internet and potentially putting copywriters out to pasture and making non-writers look like geniuses. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/chatgpt-for-google/jgjaeacdkonaoafenlfkkkmbaopkbilf What Is ChatGPT? ChatGPT is a large language model chatbot developed by OpenAI based on GPT-3.5. It has a remarkable ability to interact in conversational dialogue form and provide responses that can appear surprisingly human. Large language...

What Were the Most Popular Verticals in 2022?

December is always the month where we reflect on the last 12 months and see how we grew and what we can do to move forward. Personally, I like to see what technology thinks of how I lived my last 12 months with things like Spotify’s “Wrapped”, and Instagram’s “Top 9”. According to Spotify, I don’t branch out much...

What Digital Products Work Best for Colleges and Universities?

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen a surge in spending for colleges and universities.  At first, a lot of campuses started to promote their online classes.  Since then, online classes are still a topic for discussion.  But now, we also see an increase in the promotion of specific schools or programs at each college. From English as a Second Language...

A safer way to advertise with Twitter

Twitter safety is all the buzz right now and advertisers are jumping ship. Should you? Twitter has historically been an advertising giant with over $4B in ad revenues last year. Top advertisers on Twitter have included big names like Anheuser-Busch, Apple, Capital One, CBS, Coca-Cola, Best Buy Co, Google, IBM,  Mondelez, P&G, among others. Musk promised brand safety, but the initial rollout...

Is Your Google Business Profile Updated?

You probably don’t even know it, but you have most likely experienced the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon. What is that exactly? It’s a frequency illusion and it occurs when something you’ve just noticed starts to pop up everywhere. For example, if you recently bought a new white car, now you start to realize how many white cars there are on the...

Where should I spend my Digital Advertising dollars in 2023?

As the holidays come into view on the calendar, so do the budget meetings, review meetings, and strategy planning for the upcoming year.   A question that we get asked quite often is “How much should I invest into digital advertising next year?” This is a great question, as we are seeing an increase in digital advertising spend throughout the United...

How Does Amazon Know So Much About You?

I have always been a pretty neat, clean, and tidy person. I don’t like clutter, I like seeing the lines on the carpet from a vacuum in a room, and everything (and I mean everything) has a place. Well, having kids changes that because now my living room looks like a bomb went off at any given point with...

Introducing the Insights Report for Consumers and Businesses

Ever want to be a mind reader? Be in a crowded room and read the thoughts and interests of those around you? Or even in a restaurant and wondering what the other guests are talking about or into? Now it is time to look into your digital crystal ball with Insight Reports. Is it mind reading…well no, but it...

How Are You Engaging With Consumers on Your Website?

Let’s play a game where you guess what generation I am classified from clues that I give you. First clue is that I am in bed every night at 8:30pm. Second clue is that I don’t have a TikTok account. Third clue is that I have seen Engelbert Humperdinck live in concert…twice. From those three stats, you might say...

How to Use Digital Advertising During the Holiday Season

Turkey Trots, Macy Day Parade, Black Friday, Menorahs, Hanukkah, Santa Claus, Tree Lightings, and New Year’s!  Throw in a few other days like Columbus Day and Veterans Day and you have a whole lot of celebrating being done over the months of October – December. For ideas on Halloween, make sure you read this blog. It’s true.  No matter how hard...

How to Create Compelling Online Videos

Video is Hot Hot Hot and stats prove that it is in high demand by digital users. User-generated and professional videos increase brand engagement by 28%. Particularly millennials trust user-generated content and video twice as much. And 80% would rather watch a live video than read a blog. https://livestream.com/blog/62-must-know-stats-live-video-streaming Hopefully you keep reading this blog to learn more about how to create online...

How do Clients use Digital Advertising in October?

The Starbucks Pumpkin Spice latte debuts today, August 30, 2022.  Yes, there’s a feeling in the air with marketers, that October is right around the corner.  That means pumpkin-spiced everything. Walks to raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness. A high volume of commercials from the politicians who are running for office.  Fall is officially upon us, and advertisers have...

Are You Investing in Digital this Political Season?

The “ber” months are approaching quickly and that means cooler weather, reasons to eat a lot of pie, and everyone’s favorite- political season. That’s right, political season is already ramping up and we are seeing and hearing ads for all sorts of political races from local ballots to nationwide races. This year, political ad spending is set to smash...

Are You Following the Proper Steps to Close Digital Sales?

ABC is an acronym for a lot of things. If you’re learning CPR, they teach you ABC to look for Airway, Breathing, and Circulation. If you’re a parent, ABC could mean “Another Blowout Coming”. In the broadcasting world, ABC stands for American Broadcasting Company. In sales, ABC is most commonly known as “Always Be Closing”, and in this case,...

Getting Started with Google Business Profile: Your Ultimate Guide

Your Google Business Profile allows business owners to have more control over the information which Google displays about businesses when it populates Search results pages and Google Maps.  This used to be called Google My Business but has since been renamed. If you’ve ever been to Google and searched for a business name directly, you’ve probably come across something that...

Health & Wellness & Digital

When the pandemic hit in early 2020, I do not think anyone had any idea how it would impact our daily lives. Work environments changed, school dynamics changed and the world of 6 feet of separation changed every industry, especially the health care world. Common conversations in any household include words and phrases like “exposure”, “contract tracing”, “vaccines”, “is it a...

Do You Know How to Speak Digital?

It’s one of my favorite episodes of Friends; The One Where Everybody Finds Out. Monica and Chandler are dating, and Joey is the only one that knows but Rachel and Phoebe eventually find out, except Monica and Chandler don’t know that they know. “They don’t know that we know they know we know.” Sometimes this is how it can feel...

How Are You Overcoming Digital Objections?

Being in sales can really make you relate to the life of a toddler in the sense that they are constantly told “no”. For example, when my three-year-old wants to wear shorts but it’s snowing outside, he hears “no”. When he refuses to eat his dinner but asks for ice cream before bed, he again hears “no”. When he...

What are Google Image Extensions?

Move over Google Text Ads, PPC just got a lot more visual! Now introducing Google Image Extensions! Tada!             What used to be a somewhat boring text ad on the Google Search Engine Results page, now when a user searches keywords related to a business, it can feature engaging images to really draw attention. Image extensions can help drive performance for advertisers,...

Are You Using “Free Money” to Help Pay for Your Advertising?

Love makes the world go around, right? Sure it does, but so does money, and Jerry Maguire said it best; “Show me the money!” What could possibly be better than money? How about free money! In the advertising world, that is a real thing for certain businesses, and it is called Cooperative Advertising, or Co-Op. This is when advertisements...

Can Digital be Used for Marijuana Campaigns?

Yes, it CANnabis! Cannabis is a budding industry and is really starting to grow like a weed as more states start to legalize recreational use of marijuana. Support for legal marijuana is at an all-time high (no pun intended) of 68%, with the percent being even higher among 18 to 29 year old’s at 79%. With more and more...

What Digital Products work best for Banks and Credit Unions?

Banking.  So many choices to choose from.  Do you go with a private bank or credit union?  Or do you go with one of the big players with locations all over the country?  Now, there are even online banks.  How do you know where to go?   More importantly, how do they all differentiate themselves? If you’ve been online at any...

Using digital advertising for political campaigns

The votes were out and now they’re in!  No matter what party you represent, your goal is to win the election.   Digital Advertising is capable of aiding in your soon to be victory.  In fact, in 2020, online spending captured 22% of political ad budgets. http://www.biakelsey.com/u-s-local-advertising-revenue-exceed-161b-2020-according-bia-advisory-services-forecast/ As this number continues to grow annually, it’s important to understand the ins and outs...

What Goes Into An SEO Campaign?

It’s crazy to think that you can have a full-blown conversation these days with just letters. Have we come that lazy that we can’t type out “by the way” and instead just type BTW? The answer, sadly, is yes. When texting or emailing, acronyms have become the norm. Some that you might be familiar with are ROFL, LOL, ICYMI,...

How can I use Social Media Stories to promote my business?

Storytelling, one of society’s greatest tools in sharing the narrative that you want people to understand, has changed a lot since the days of fireside chats and Shakespearean stages.    If fact, stories in general have, in my opinion, been lost unless they are written in the pages of books. While the art of storytelling has reemerged over the last 6...

Facebook is making more Chhhhhhanges

Facebook has made a whole slew of new updates. Lucky for you, Vici is giving you the latest and greatest information and how this can impact campaigns and Facebook moving forward. First things first, Facebook and connected entities like Instgram and WhatsApp, announced they will now be known as part of the Meta brand.         What exactly does this mean? Meta or...

Who’s spending money on digital advertising and what products are they using?

Whether you’re a business owner looking for the right product to carry your message to potential customers, or a salesperson looking to help a local business, it’s always nice to see success stories to help solidify your choice in your marketing efforts. There are so many different industries out there.  Last year, here are the top 15 verticals that we...

Digital Buzzwords and Acronyms

What’s the Buzz, tell me what’s happening!” All these words and phrases can make your head spin. We not only live in a world where things change daily, but we abbreviate and shorten everything. Take LOL. It does not mean “Love you Lots” it means “Laugh Out Loud”.  How about “Ok” or “kk”? When texting “Okay”, “Ok”, “k” and “kk” all have...

Are You Considering a New Digital Provider?

Update: Facebook shuttered Jobs on Facebook (February 2023) and Instant Articles (April 2023) Are you an ad agency considering or perhaps re-evaluating how to manage all your digital advertising for clients? Whether you are a one-person agency, a startup, or a team of seasoned professionals, everyone reaches the point where they can not efficiently do it all on their own....

How To Use Digital Ads To Target Travelers For Tourism & Travel Businesses

I’m leaving on a jet plane, don’t know when I’ll be back again. (Did you just reread that so you can sing it?)  OK, I’m not currently taking a trip, though that sounds amazing right now, but a lot of people are. It’s no wonder that people who were homebound for a majority of 2020, had a lot of time...

OTT & On-Site Visit Tracking: Two Great Strategies Come Together

In my last blog OTT/Connected TV AND On-Site Visit Tracking has ARRIVED, I referenced the Jetsons and Saturday morning cartoons, which I know showed my age. If you are old enough to have experienced Saturday morning cartoons and the Jetsons, you may also recognize this next reference as well! During those Saturday morning cartoon marathons, we also had awesome...

What Is Twitch And How Do I Use It For My Video Ads?

Sometimes it happens when I’m stressed. Sometimes it happens when my husband leaves his dirty clothes RIGHT next to the laundry basket. Sometimes it happens when I’ve had too much caffeine. We’ve all been there; we’ve all had an eye twitch at one time or another. Well, what if I told you we are now offering a new type...

Are You Using Digital for Recruitment?

Update: Facebook shuttered Jobs on Facebook (February 2023) and Instant Articles (April 2023) R-E-C-R-U-I-T- Find out how to do it dig-it-tal-ly! It seems like no matter where you’re going these days, you’re constantly seeing signs hanging in the windows or in the ground outside a business stating, “We’re Hiring” or “Apply Here” or “Join Our Team.”  I’ve seen it everywhere; the...