Liam Machin, Author at SmartFrame

AI and visual search: How brands can win in SEO

Liam Machin — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 09:34:01 +0000

Visual search is reshaping how people discover products online. As AI advances and platforms like Google and Instagram integrate visual results, brands must evolve their SEO strategies beyond keywords to stay competitive.

Remember the days when you spotted something you liked but couldn’t search for it using Google Lens? You’d type clumsy descriptions into Google, hoping the right words would lead you to it.

Thankfully, those days are over. The technology behind apps like Google Lens – visual search – is transforming how people discover products online. And with the rise of GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), brands relying solely on text-based SEO risk falling behind.

So what’s driving visual search growth? Why does it matter for your business? And how can you better position yourself in rankings? Read on to find out.

Visual search: What it is and why it matters

Visual search allows people to find products and information using images instead of text.

While the concept isn’t new, recent improvements have made it far more accurate, powerful, and accessible than ever before.

When someone sees a product they love – a unique piece of clothing, for example, or a pair of shoes – they can simply snap a photo (or take a screenshot) and let technology do the detective work.

The artificial intelligence behind visual search has evolved dramatically, becoming much better at analyzing images and finding similar products or information.

It’s perfect for those moments when you can picture exactly what you want, but can’t find the words to explain it.

Over the past few years, Google, Pinterest, Apple and others have upgraded their visual search capabilities to make them more powerful.

For consumers, this creates a smoother, more intuitive shopping experience. Instead of experimenting with multiple keyword combinations, they can simply show the product they want and get instant, relevant results.

These developments go beyond convenience. Visual search is changing how people shop and discover products, making the process more image-led than ever before.

Research shows that 62% of millennials prefer visual search over other ways of seeking information.

More and more users are starting product searches with images instead of keywords, expecting quick, accurate results. For businesses, that means rethinking how they present themselves online.

Google now indexes Instagram: What this means for visual search

Here’s where it gets interesting for brands: Instagram content from public accounts can now appear in Google search results – a game-changer for visibility.

For example, a handmade ceramics brand might see its Instagram posts surface in Google searches for “unique coffee mugs,” reaching audiences beyond its usual followers.

That opens the door to a whole new group of prospective customers who’ve never heard of the brand before.

This is important because Instagram is inherently visual. Those carefully curated product shots and behind-the-scenes videos that perform well on the platform now have the potential to drive traffic from Google searches too.

It’s like getting two marketing channels for the price of one — but only if brands optimize their content so it’s truly discoverable.

How e-commerce democratization is accelerating visual search growth

Platforms like Shopify, Etsy, and social marketplace apps such as Vinted have made it easier than ever for anyone to sell online.

The result? An increasingly crowded and competitive e-commerce landscape.

This accessibility has turned consumers into savvy deal hunters. With countless sellers offering similar products, shoppers are more determined than ever to find the best value.

Visual search fits perfectly into this behavior, making comparison shopping faster and easier.

A customer can spot a lamp they like, run it through visual search, and instantly see similar options from multiple sellers – complete with prices and reviews.

For brands, this democratization offers both opportunities and challenges:

Opportunities

Great product photography and smart visual search optimization can help small brands compete with major retailers in search results.
Visual search breaks down language barriers, making it easier for products to be discovered by international customers.
High-quality images can work across multiple platforms and search systems, often delivering better ROI than traditional advertising when starting out.

Challenges

More competition means brands must focus on value, customer service, and standing out.
Higher expectations for visual quality often require better gear or professional photography.
Staying competitive means keeping up with changing visual search algorithms.
Brands need to produce fresh visual content regularly to stay relevant.
Search isn’t “set and forget” – it needs ongoing attention even after early success.
The playing field may be more level, but getting in front of the right people is still the main challenge.
Visual search can put small boutiques on the same stage as big brands – but only with smart targeting and measurement.

AI search and its impact on image search

AI is the engine behind modern visual search – and it’s advanced dramatically.

Today’s AI tools can identify not just objects and colors but also styles, moods, and even specific brands from partial views or unusual angles.

It can interpret context within images, detect brand logos in real-world settings, and identify products under varied lighting conditions.

This AI shift is blending traditional text-based results with richer visuals, making visual searches more accurate than ever.

For businesses, this means quality imagery is no longer just about aesthetics – it’s a must for discoverability.

The best results come from pairing strong visual content with accurate, descriptive metadata. Think of it as giving search engines multiple clues to understand and rank your content effectively.

What the growth of visual search means for brands and SEO managers

The ongoing evolution of visual search is pushing brands to think beyond keywords and blog posts.

While traditional SEO has focused on text, modern strategies must also factor in how images perform in increasingly sophisticated visual search results.

This shift means making some practical changes to how visual content is handled.

Products should be photographed clearly from multiple angles, for example, with lighting that shows accurate color and details.

But it’s more than just taking nice photos — images need descriptive file names instead of generic codes, and alt text should naturally explain what’s in the image so AI can interpret it correctly.

The growing link between social media and traditional search results means consistent visual branding is now critical.

That Instagram aesthetic isn’t just for Instagram anymore — those images could appear in Google search results, so they need to represent the brand well across all contexts.

Some key strategies for riding the visual search wave include:

High-quality, well-lit product photography: Clear images that show products accurately and stand out in visual search results.
Consistent visual branding: Maintaining the same look and feel across all platforms as search becomes more interconnected.
Descriptive file names and alt text: Help AI understand image content and improve discoverability.
Mobile optimization: Ensure images load quickly and display sharply on all devices.

Visual search: How far can it go?

Visual search isn’t a passing trend. As AI continues to advance, expect it to become more accurate and a bigger part of everyday online experiences.

We’ll likely see more platforms and search engines boosting their visual search capabilities, further blending text search with image-led discovery.

The brands that come out on top will be the ones that adapt early – investing in high-quality, strategically optimized visuals that work for both people and algorithms.

It’s not just about hiring a great photographer; it’s about understanding how visual search is evolving and creating content that serves human audiences and AI equally well.

We’re moving from a world where businesses could get by with great written content and okay images, to one where visual excellence is essential for being found.

The future belongs to brands that can tell their story visually and make it easy for both humans and AI to find and understand their content.

The post AI and visual search: How brands can win in SEO appeared first on SmartFrame.

NFTs: What went wrong?

Liam Machin — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 10:28:00 +0000

NFTs promised a future of digital ownership, but the hype faded and the market collapsed. But could these still have utility in the future?

Non-fungible tokens. Remember those?

The fun little JPEGs that exploded onto the scene, promising something truly revolutionary: true digital ownership.

The reality, though? Rampant speculation, reckless spending, and rug pulls aplenty.

The narrative went that, through blockchain, you could prove authenticity and trade digital assets just like physical art.

But it fell far short of those lofty expectations.

Trading platform OpenSea reportedly went from over $6 billion in monthly sales volume to dropping by as much as 90% in just a few months.

So, what exactly went wrong?

What exactly is an NFT?

An NFT, or non-fungible token, is essentially a digital certificate stored on a blockchain that points to a specific asset – often a piece of art, a song, a video clip, or even a tweet.

Think of it less as the thing itself and more as a digital receipt that proves you own a unique version of that thing.

What makes NFTs different from cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin is their uniqueness. One Bitcoin is always equal to another Bitcoin, but NFTs are one of a kind – or part of a limited series. That uniqueness – its “non-fungibility” – is the whole point; it’s what gives the token its supposed value.

In theory, it works. But in practice? You don’t actually own the art. You own a claim to it in a digital world. As a Hacker News user put it bluntly:

An NFT is just the “bragging rights” part of the original painting, and the JPG that anyone can access is the “thing that looks like a painting”

The token doesn’t usually contain the actual image or file. Instead, it links to it. The artwork or asset typically lives “off-chain,” stored somewhere else online.

The blockchain simply holds proof of ownership and a pointer to where the file is located. That’s part of what makes the concept confusing.

You’re not really buying the digital object itself, but a kind of verified record saying, “Yes, this one is yours.”

If you haven’t explored blockchain or digital wallets before, it can all feel somewhat abstract.

There’s a lot of jargon, multiple layers of technology, and plenty of noise. But, at its core, the concept is simple: it’s about using blockchain to confirm digital ownership in a way that can’t easily be faked, copied, or disputed.

However, the disconnect between on-chain ownership and genuine legal rights quickly tarnished public trust.

Why has the NFT hype faded away?

NFTs weren’t driven by genuine use – they were fueled by frenzy. In 2020, NFT sales were roughly $82 million. By 2021, that figure had exploded to $17.7 billion.

But as prices skyrocketed, so did fraud: wash trading, rug pulls, and phishing scams ran rampant.

The market began to look less like a place of innovation and more like a casino – one rigged with insider manipulation and empty promises.

NFT ownership exists in a legal gray zone. Holding an NFT doesn’t mean you own the copyright (unless explicitly stated).

High-profile disputes, including those involving Damien Hirst and Quentin Tarantino, exposed cracks in the system and forced regulators to take notice.

Then came the environmental backlash. Early NFT platforms ran on energy-intensive blockchains, and minting just one token could leave a carbon footprint equivalent to a short-haul flight across Europe.

For many, that ethical cost outweighed any potential benefit once it became widely understood.

Artists and collectors who had initially celebrated NFTs as a progressive step forward suddenly found themselves on the wrong side of sustainability conversations.

The irony was hard to ignore: a technology hailed as the future was fueling one of humanity’s greatest problems.

As media coverage intensified, headlines painted NFTs as not just speculative but irresponsible. And while Ethereum, for example, has since transitioned to a more efficient proof-of-stake model, the damage to public perception had already been done.

Where NFTs might actually work

For all the noise around NFTs, they did tap into a very real human instinct: the desire to own digital things in a meaningful way.

But if we strip away the blockchain hype and focus on what ownership actually means – security, rights, provenance, and control – there are simpler and more functional ways to achieve that.

In fact, the real utility of NFTs might not lie in digital art at all.

Here are a few areas where the underlying technology could prove more useful:

Gaming

NFTs can represent in-game items like skins or characters that are owned by the player rather than locked to a single platform.

In theory, these assets could be traded between games or resold by players themselves – giving gamers more control over their digital property.

Games like NBA 2K have already begun integrating branded digital goods from more than 75 partners. In the future, these digital items could evolve into NFTs that offer real-world value.

Ticketing

NFTs could serve as unique, tamper-proof digital tickets that verify entry and track resale conditions.

Artists and venues could set resale royalties or limit markups, gaining more control over pricing and access.

Loyalty and membership programs

Brands and creators could use NFTs to reward loyal followers with exclusive access, early product drops, private content, or special event invites.

Since NFTs are verifiable and trackable, the experience becomes personal and portable.

Credentials and certification

NFTs could store proof of achievements, such as university degrees, professional training, or identity verification, in a way that’s instantly verifiable and secure (and not reliant on third-party databases).

Unlike PDFs or paper certificates, these credentials could be publicly validated, reducing fraud and making them more portable across borders and between institutions.

What is the future for NFTs?

If NFTs are to survive, owning one has to actually mean something.

That means providing their owners with real rights, building on sustainable platforms, and delivering genuine value – not just cool-looking pictures.

It’s time to move past the hype and promises. Instead of chasing fast money and attention, the focus should be on making NFTs truly valuable in everyday life.

This could mean tickets, gaming items, digital art with enforceable rights, or verified identity.

These changes won’t happen overnight. Technology takes time.

Adoption may be slower and quieter than the 2021 boom, but the core idea of NFTs – true digital ownership – still holds promise.

But for that promise to be fulfilled, the people building the next phase need to learn from the mistakes of the first wave.

The post NFTs: What went wrong? appeared first on SmartFrame.

How can publishers use AI responsibly?

Liam Machin — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 09:30:00 +0000

Can digital publishers use AI responsibly across content creation, personalization, editorial workflows, and user data protection – all while maintaining ethics and trust?

Digital publishing has become an expansive field, embracing a broad spectrum of content creators, from bloggers and online magazines to established news outlets with global reputations.

Many publishers are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline content production and distribution processes. These tools promise enhanced efficiency, increased engagement, and quality assurance.

However, responsible integration is important. The core mission of journalism – reporting the facts with impartiality, accountability and ethics – must not be jeopardized by new technology.

AI has already altered the way publishers identify trends, create content, and personalize user experiences. Platforms have begun to explore everything from AI-written news summaries to recommendation engines that tailor articles to individual reading habits.

Yet, as AI continues to reshape the publishing landscape, ethical considerations such as transparency, accuracy, privacy, and bias mitigation have become more important than ever.

Maintaining the public’s trust depends on how responsibly these systems are implemented and how proactive publishers are in addressing potential pitfalls.

Given the pace of innovation, now is the time for digital publishers to define clear standards for responsible AI usage.

This article will explore several applications of AI in digital publishing, highlight the ethical and operational challenges involved, and recommend ways publishers can strike the right balance between leveraging emerging technologies and adhering to journalistic principles.

How AI is transforming digital publishing

Content creation and curation

AI’s impact on content creation has grown significantly in recent years, offering automated solutions for everything from financial report summaries to sports updates and localized weather forecasts.

These tools aim to lighten the workload for editorial teams by handling repetitive writing tasks. The Associated Press, for example, uses automated systems to produce corporate earnings reports at a greater volume and speed, freeing human journalists to focus on more complex and investigative pieces.

Beyond writing briefs and summaries, AI can sift through vast amounts of data to identify emerging stories and trends. A publisher might use AI-driven tools to monitor social media or analyze online search patterns to pinpoint topics gaining traction in real time. This helps editors and writers quickly produce relevant content that keeps pace with fast-changing news cycles.

AI-enabled curation from companies such as Curata is also transforming how publishers compile articles and multimedia from various sources.

Automated systems can filter through large data sets, select relevant pieces, and categorize them based on topic or sentiment. By automating portions of the curation process, editors can save time and maintain consistent quality standards.

Improving reader engagement with AI personalization

The capacity for personalization is arguably one of AI’s most significant contributions to digital publishing.

By analyzing user behavior, reading history, and click-through rates, AI algorithms can deliver tailored article recommendations, boosting engagement and enhancing overall reader satisfaction.

Indeed, the BBC recently announced the creation of an entirely new department to focus on this area.

This study from McKinsey and Company outlines the benefits of personalization. Such results could likely have a direct impact on user retention because readers who consistently see articles aligned with their interests could be more likely to spend additional time on a platform.

Another potential benefit of personalization engines is that they can help readers discover archived or niche content that might otherwise remain underexposed. This allows publishers to maximize their entire content library.

AI-assisted editorial workflows and quality control

Editorial teams can benefit from AI tools that assist in proofreading, fact-checking, and content structuring. These systems can quickly detect typographical errors, grammatical inconsistencies, and possible factual inaccuracies, taking on much of the routine quality assurance process.

High-profile publishers such as The Times, Der Spiegel, and The New York Times are already making use of such technologies.

With AI handling simpler tasks, editors are freed to concentrate on arguably more important aspects of their role, such as strategic decision-making, investigative reporting, and opinion pieces.

In more advanced setups, machine learning algorithms can detect subtle semantic patterns and flag language that might appear biased or misleading, like the technology used in this research from herEthical AI. This technology could be a powerful tool in ensuring balance and impartiality in the newsroom.

AI tools can also help editors fact-check AI findings with trusted databases, reducing the risk of misinformation.

Proper integration of these applications could support a higher level of accuracy and consistency, and could also play a role in enforcing a publication’s style guide, house style, and tone across all content – although human input is still essential.

Transparency and trust in AI-generated content

As AI-generated or AI-enhanced content becomes more common, transparency about these processes is vital. Many readers value the integrity associated with traditional journalism and therefore may be cautious about automated content.

When adopting AI, a sure step publishers can take towards garnering ongoing trust is to clearly disclose when AI plays a role in generating or recommending articles.

Alongside this, developing explicit editorial guidelines is a key part of maintaining consistency. These guidelines could define the categories of content where AI might contribute, such as automated summaries or personalized recommendations, while also outlining how human editors review output to ensure quality and accuracy.

A well-crafted policy may also require disclosure statements where AI is involved, signalling to readers that certain content was generated or enhanced by automated systems.

TIME Magazine’s introduction of an AI chatbot for Person of the Year is an example of transparent use of the technology. By openly indicating that a bot, rather than a human editor, is responding to user queries, TIME maintains trust and integrity.

Addressing AI bias in publishing workflows

No algorithm is free of bias because AI models learn patterns from the data on which they are trained. If that data includes narrow perspectives or historical prejudices, the AI may perpetuate them in content recommendations or even in the tone of generated articles.

A notable example of this was when Amazon’s AI-based recruitment tool was allegedly found to be biased against female candidates, as reported by Reuters.

This bias resulted from the algorithm being trained on resumes submitted over a ten-year period, predominantly from male applicants, reflecting the tech industry’s gender imbalance. Consequently, the system favored male candidates, highlighting the risk of perpetuating existing biases through AI.

From an ethical standpoint, publishers need to make deliberate efforts to address this issue. Failing to do so can damage a publication’s reputation and potentially alienate readers, who expect balanced reporting.

Publishers should ensure their AI models use diverse training data that includes a wide range of sources, demographic groups, and cultural contexts.

Regular audits of AI-generated outputs are equally important to identify any biased language or skewed coverage.

Involving editorial staff from varied backgrounds can help, since human review of flagged content may catch subtle biases that automated systems fail to recognize.

Continuous evaluation and iterative improvements in the training process help maintain both credibility and fairness.

How publishers can protect user data while using AI

Personalization and audience analytics – core strengths of AI – rely on collecting and processing user data. This increases publishers’ obligations to protect that information under evolving privacy regulations.

Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California’s Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) are two prominent frameworks, with many other countries also implementing or contemplating their own data protection laws.

Complying with these regulations involves carefully managing data collection and usage. One best practice is data minimization, whereby publishers only gather the information essential for specific AI-driven tasks.

Another is obtaining transparent user consent, allowing readers to opt in or out of data collection and providing them with clear explanations of how their data will be used.

Additionally, publishers must safeguard the data they collect by implementing robust security measures, from encryption to anonymization, to reduce risks of breaches and misuse.

Respect for privacy is not only a legal requirement but also an important way to maintain reader trust, which can easily be lost if mishandling of data comes to light.

AI accountability in journalism

Even sophisticated AI requires human oversight. Issues arise when AI-generated outputs contain inaccuracies, perpetuate offensive stereotypes, or misinform readers.

To mitigate such risks, organizations should establish accountability frameworks, such as The Global Principles for Artificial Intelligence, developed by a group of 26 global publishing organizations.

Frameworks like this make it clear who is responsible for reviewing AI-driven content and addressing any inaccuracies or ethical concerns.

This oversight typically involves regular monitoring and clearly defined escalation protocols for disputed or erroneous outputs. When a correction or retraction is necessary, publishers should offer transparent updates – much like they would for human-generated copy.

A recent notable case was that of The Los Angeles Times, which faced criticism over AI-generated content discussing the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). This, according to the Guardian’s report, “appeared to downplay the KKK’s racist history”.

AI in the newsroom: Employment and legal considerations

The rise of AI in the newsroom and across editorial departments inevitably raises concerns about potential job displacement.

Although automation can handle repetitive tasks, editors and journalists can harness AI to amplify their productivity and delve deeper into creative and investigative work.

Rather than viewing AI as a competitor, many organizations benefit by training staff to collaborate effectively with these emerging tools.

Offering professional development programs that teach data analytics, AI collaboration, and digital storytelling can help employees adapt to new demands. Creating hybrid roles, where editorial expertise is blended with technical skills, can encourage a culture of innovation.

When staff members understand that AI can complement, rather than replace, their expertise, anxiety over job loss tends to subside. Maintaining open communication throughout these transitions also helps preserve morale and sets a forward-thinking tone within the organization.

What are the legal considerations when adopting AI in publishing?

AI-driven content presents evolving legal questions about copyright, intellectual property, and liability.

Who holds the rights to an article generated primarily by an algorithm? How should publishers handle potential plagiarism or unauthorized use of source materials by an AI engine? At the time of writing, debates are continuing.

These issues underscore the need for media organizations to remain proactive and stay informed about new regulations and case law.

Clear contracts with third-party AI vendors help provide clarity on licensing and ownership rights, reducing the risk of disputes down the line. Indeed, there have already been major partnerships formed between publishers and AI developers, such as AP signing a deal with Google and ProRata.ai partnering with various UK publishers.

From the point of view of a publisher using AI tools to create content, maintaining a level of human oversight and editorial review ensures that AI outputs align with the organization’s brand and ethical standards.

Periodic reviews of AI processes and outputs can also help detect inadvertent infringements or replicating of copyrighted material.

By actively engaging legal counsel who specialize in media and technology, publishers can better navigate the complexities posed by AI-generated or AI-assisted content.

Conclusion: Building a responsible AI strategy in publishing

AI is steadily reshaping the future of digital publishing, driving changes in the way content is produced, curated, and consumed.

For online magazine and news publishers, the potential to automate repetitive tasks, enhance personalization, and optimize editorial workflows is both exciting and challenging. These innovations promise efficiency gains and better engagement but also require well-designed strategies to address ethical, legal, and social implications.

Implementing AI responsibly is not just about embracing new technology. It’s about renewing commitment to transparency, accuracy, and reader trust. As the global regulatory landscape evolves, so too must editorial guidelines and data practices.

Publishers that adopt a collaborative approach, inviting insights from technologists, regulators, industry peers, and readers, are best positioned to thrive. Over time, a balanced integration of AI will likely become a hallmark of forward-looking, ethical publishing, ensuring that journalism remains grounded in integrity even as it evolves.

By taking measured steps now, publishers can harness AI as a tool for creativity, efficiency, and enhanced reader engagement, without compromising on the ideals that have long defined quality journalism.

As the technology matures, ongoing education, policy refinement, and public dialogue will help publishers refine their AI strategies. The future of publishing may indeed be powered by algorithms, but it will still rely on human integrity and judgment to guide the way.

The post How can publishers use AI responsibly? appeared first on SmartFrame.

Influencer marketing: Where does it stand in 2024?

Liam Machin — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 08:45:00 +0000

Influencer marketing is now well established, but the emergence of micro influencers has altered the landscape somewhat. So what shape is influencer marketing in today?

Influencer marketing has firmly established itself as a means of promotion – and its prevalence certainly suggests it’s working.

But while the industry boasts some impressive statistics, the reality remains unclear.

According to HubSpot, influencer marketing holds the “second-highest ROI of any marketing trend“. Other research claims that the industry is projected to have an overall value of $22 billion by 2025.

This makes it a strategic mainstay, particularly for brands with larger budgets, which are in a position to take greater risks.

However, despite all this positive forecasting, more than a quarter of marketers (28%) admit they struggle to keep up with influencer marketing trends.

Consumer behavior and regulation around influencer advertising have also undergone significant changes in recent years, which makes it tougher for brands to ensure sustained success.

People want brands to be authentic – just ask Merriam-Webster – and not just onboard a bunch of familiar faces to run campaigns. They want, among other things, to see alignment of both the brand and the ambassadors chosen with their values.

But does influencer marketing continue to yield the results brands are looking for? Let’s take a look.

A brief overview of influencer marketing

With the growth of the internet came the birth of influencers – and at first, it really was the Wild West.

In the early 2000s, celebrity endorsements dominated the scene, but this was largely confined to television.

It was only as the decade went on that influencer marketing, using individuals with large followings on social media platforms rather than widely recognized celebrities, would start to come to light, with bloggers and early social media influencers becoming the first real organic influencers.

It’s often said that word of mouth and conversations with people you trust are the most valuable forms of marketing; if there are certain levels of trust and/or hype, it stands to reason that your campaign will likely achieve better results.

The 2010s saw an explosion of Instagram and YouTube influencers. This fundamentally changed the landscape as it created a direct connection between creators and viewers.

People had more opportunities to watch and engage with people’s content that they enjoy.

Influencer marketing has bridged the gap, and now, when your typical consumer spends more than two hours a day on social media, they can be that source of truth.

The number of micro influencers, loosely defined as content creators with somewhere between 1,000 to 10,000 followers, has also boomed since the pandemic, when everyone was forced inside their homes and had time to create content.

TikTok in particular has helped to democratize influence and allow people with even relatively small followings to promote their brands.

They are often seen as more authentic and trustworthy than traditional influencers, and can offer brands a more niche audience with a better understanding of what it is their interested in.

Furthermore, with a tendency to have higher engagement rates from their audience, they are likely to be more valuable partners for brands aiming to boost awareness and drive sales.

Why consumer and regulatory behavior has changed influencer marketing

Today’s audience is thought to be more exposed to advertising than at any other point in history – so it should come as no surprise that the majority of people value authenticity over perfection.

Indeed, some of the most polished influencer campaigns have backfired spectacularly.

This is mostly because people can quickly spot inauthentic endorsements and are increasingly distrustful of traditional advertising.

In response, influencers have adapted their approach by prioritizing genuine connection with their followers, focusing on transparency in partnerships and maintaining their style of content.

If an influencer works with a brand that isn’t aligned with their audience’s values, they risk losing them and harming their long-term relationships.

The challenge lies in creating sponsored content that feels organic and valuable to the audience, even when it’s clearly labeled as an advertisement.

How to measure success in influencer marketing campaigns

Like many different forms of marketing, knowing what you want to achieve from influencer marketing and applying the right advertising metric allows you to understand whether a campaign is working.

If brand reputation is the objective, then engagement metrics such as likes, shares, and saves, in addition to brand sentiment, will provide the clearest indication of success.

Connecting with a micro influencer might seem like a risk because they won’t reach as many people as influencers with larger followings. That said, one study found their engagement rate to be more than three times higher on average by comparison.

Those looking for more tangible success metrics should look towards conversion strategies such as discount code usage and referral link clicks.

On platforms like YouTube, where viewers often engage with longer-form content, these techniques have become increasingly effective due to the high level of audience attention.

The focus on data-driven decision-making and measurable outcomes can sometimes make it difficult to allow a creator to be … well, creative.

But, again, if you’re a brand that wants to connect with a certain influencer and their audience, nobody knows them better than themselves.

How to identify the right influencers for a brand

As more micro influencers continue to appear and YouTube stars become more influential than more conventional celebrities, brands are refining their strategies for selecting and partnering with influencers.

Rather than solely focusing on the number of followers an influencer might have, brands are now tasked with analyzing things like audience demographics, engagement rates, content quality, and overall brand alignment.

Rigorous vetting involves analyzing an influencer’s past content, including a careful review of controversial posts or problematic brand partnerships.

Some brands might like to implement trial periods or small-scale collaborations as a first step before committing to larger campaigns.

Of course, this understanding of brand alignment also applies to influencers.

Recently, a group of British YouTubers received backlash for partnering with the British Army on a campaign.

There were two key reasons for this. First, the campaign involved a game that featured a certain level of violence (namely Fortnite, which, although set in a cartoon world, contains guns). Furthermore, the YouTubers’ primary audience was relatively young, which made this type of advertisement seem inappropriate.

Frequent changes in social media algorithms also force both parties to stay on top of what is happening, as trends come and go, sometimes in a matter of hours.

There is, however, also an argument that it’s the simplest collaborations that create the greatest impact.

For example, British retailer Marks & Spencer recently teamed up with The Only Way Is Essex star Mark Wright and Made In Chelsea’s personality Spencer Matthews for a new fashion campaign.

Given their names, it was seen as the perfect fit. And with the company currently undergoing a rebrand to attract younger audiences, many in the UK picked up on the campaign, creating multiple earned media opportunities in the tabloids.

What does the future of influencer marketing look like?

As important as strategic partnerships and data-driven decisions are, the only way influencer marketing can maintain the impact it has had in recent years is through authenticity.

As the line between influencers and everyday consumers blurs, brands must adapt to stay relevant and achieve the desired results.

Discovering, vetting, and managing relationships with a larger pool of smaller influencers takes time and resources, and algorithm changes make larger investments riskier.

And whatever they choose to do, brands need to remain agile, constantly monitoring performance metrics and adjusting their approach with each piece of content they roll out during a campaign.

The integration of e-commerce features into social media platforms is likely to continue, and this makes the path from influence to purchase even faster.

Ultimately, by building a foundation of trust, fostering sincere relationships with the influencers they choose, and enabling them to create freely – within reason – brands will keep their audiences engaged and see the best results from these kinds of campaigns.

The post Influencer marketing: Where does it stand in 2024? appeared first on SmartFrame.

How advertising techniques have changed and the importance of creativity

Liam Machin — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 08:02:32 +0000

The way we advertise products has changed drastically in the last decade. We take a look at what resonates with audiences today as well as the importance of creativity and authenticity.

There’s no doubt that the increase in digital media and social platforms has revolutionized how we advertise.

Brands can no longer rely on traditional formats like newspapers or radio; the advertising ecosystem is now more complicated than ever.

When it comes to potential advertising reach, some of the stats are mind-boggling:

Facebook’s potential advertising reach is more than 2 billion people
TikTok’s potential advertising reach is more than 18% of the total adult internet users
YouTube’s potential reach extends to 31.5% of the total population on Earth

With so many digital platforms to choose from, brands are constantly battling for attention. Understanding what makes a person interested in your campaign on a specific platform is a science.

We’ve already looked into whether AI tools are a threat to creativity. And now, with the help of some creatives in the field, we’ll examine the role of creativity in advertising in 2024.

What advertising used to look like

It used to be the case that brands and agencies could only communicate their messages through billboards, TV commercials, print ads, and radio spots.

These methods were effective in reaching large audiences but lacked precision, provided minimal performance data, and could not prompt direct action from the audience.

It was purely a matter of the ad looking interesting enough for the audience to consider a purchase.

Key to the success of these kinds of ads were catchy jingles, striking visuals, and easy-to-repeat phrases to capture attention.

All of these still hold some relevance today, but, for the most part, the world has moved away from product-centric advertising and embraced the power of narrative-driven strategies.

Long gone are the days of simply showcasing features; today’s buyers (in both B2B and B2C scenarios) want stories that resonate in some capacity with strong, well-thought-out narratives.

As Mina Luce Liang, former Agency Strategist and Founder of sticky icky designs, explained: “From my experience, the best ads are the ones that make you truly ‘feel something’.

“That feeling can be anything from intrigue to humor to relaxation, but its clear objective is to make an impact on the viewer’s emotions some way or another.”

How the internet brought about a new way of advertising

The explosion of the internet and social platforms has allowed brands to connect with customers in different ways.

Targeted ads based on location, demographics, interests, and behaviors all came into play thanks to elements such as third-party cookies.

Moreover, the internet has given birth to content marketing, where brands can provide valuable information and engage with their audiences through a variety of mediums such as blogs, videos, audio, and social media posts.

This interactive, two-way communication channel enabled brands to build relationships and foster loyalty, rather than just pushing products.

Adobe is a prime example of a company that has excelled at content marketing.

What a view 🌤️ by @AnarkyDesigns pic.twitter.com/cJ1sfpVWYI

— Adobe Photoshop (@Photoshop) May 23, 2024

Given Photoshop’s position as the image-editing software market leader, Adobe is able to partner with creators to generate content that is both educational and entertaining.

This technique has provided the company with another avenue to connect with its audiences through great content, while also promoting its products through the medium its target audience enjoys the most: creativity.

Furthermore, the inclusion of its target audience’s favorite creators, as well as competitions and prizes, creates a link between the person who is already likely to be aware of the product and the creator that Adobe has decided to work with. This can often create a stronger bond between all parties involved.

Yasmin Bligh-Hasan, a freelance creative and alumni of the Gen Z copywriting community Word Tonic, also highlighted the importance of inclusion in terms of accessibility.

She said: “Ads need to be to-the-point, snappy, and be designed for accessibility by using fonts such as sans-serif.

“They also need to consider elements such as contrasting colors, easily digestible and clear language, strategic use of white space to reduce sensory overload, and providing alt text, captions, and other suitable ways of intaking information for people with various processing needs.”

Creativity in a world of metrics

In an age where consumers are increasingly skeptical of polished advertising, authenticity stands out.

Research shows that when it comes to choosing which brands to support, 88% of consumers value authenticity the most.

Yet, marketers and agencies are often held accountable for proving how effective a campaign has been, and this might cause a clash when it comes to reporting on success.

How you report on any given campaign depends on its main objective. For example, if the campaign is about engagement, metrics such as likes and shares will prove how far the message has been spread.

If it’s all about conversion, then click-through rate and sales will be the two main measurements that will indicate success.

However, when it comes to building an authentic brand, an easy mistake is to focus solely on metrics.

Those who think outside the box and use more personalized messaging might see better results in the long term due to the impact it has on the consumer.

One way to remain creative while maintaining a brand identity is through personalized ads via dynamic creative optimization (DCO).

DCO allows for the creation of multiple ad variations that are tailored to different audiences, and these can tap into what’s happening around the world at that current moment.

In the world of sports betting, this can be effective because of the live nature of sport; if the brand stays on top of the game, it can offer potential customers the best possible odds at any given time.

However, these types of creatives take up a fair amount of time and money.

For most businesses, whether they choose static or video ad formats, their products are timeless. An organization should only consider using DCO if they want a specific action at a specific time.

Another example is influencer marketing. Partnering and allowing established creators to produce their personal style of content with your product can create more trust with the brand as it respects their relationship with the audience.

Liang stated: “I found the biggest challenge to be brands that held onto previous campaigns and ways of working, instead of leaning into what works for performance creative.

“They can no longer base their advertising ideas on a one-size-fits-all type of messaging. Engagement, trends, and attention all move so quickly that if a brand applied traditional ad logic to online campaigns, the results would be poor overall.

“When I worked on the agency side of things, it was difficult to explain this to more traditional brands. But I believe most marketers will now admit that flexibility is essential for success.”

The role of user-generated content (UGC)

User-generated content (UGC) continues to be a powerful tool for brands as it is considered to be one of the most authentic, relatable, and often more engaging forms of content than that which is professionally produced.

It involves customers sharing their experiences and stories, which in turn creates a sense of community and trust around the brand.

UGC advertisements have up to four times the click-through rate of other forms of advertising, with 84% of consumers trusting recommendations from people they know over other forms of advertising.

However, according to Liang, this form of storytelling doesn’t always resonate with an audience. She said: “It all depends on the product. I’ve had clients who generate most of their revenue from UGCs and others for whom this creative format has never stuck.”

She elaborated further by explaining that most people nowadays are savvy enough to understand if something is too focused on pitching the product, rather than remaining authentic and the creator giving an honest opinion.

Liang added: “I’ve found UGCs work for products of lower price points, especially those that come across as a ‘hack’-like designer-inspired fragrances. In this context, UGC ads feel most authentic; as if they were a boosted organic video.

“Viewers can sniff from a mile away if it comes across as forced, which means the success of UGCs comes down to quite a few elements, including product fit, organic script, visuals, and delivery.”

The key to a thriving UGC campaign is understanding your target audience, their content preferences, and what resonates with them.

By speaking their language in a less structured manner, a brand might have a new form of content that fuels both engagement and reach.

That’s one reason why Bligh-Hasan believes that UGC content is non-negotiable. She said: “It creates a sense of inclusivity and accessibility. Without seeing yourself represented through the product, you feel misunderstood and less likely to interact further.

“Gen Z loves humor, sustainability, wild aesthetics, inclusivity, accessibility, and cutting the fluff. Companies whose product has these attributes and are promoted authentically by real customers will see the most success.”

Creativity and authenticity – a match made in advertising heaven

As consumers are met with more advertisements than ever, brands are expected to do more to get their attention and convey their messages effectively.

From long-form emotive videos to giving complete control go to online creators, there are many different avenues for brands and agencies to explore.

The key to success in any approach lies in establishing an authentic connection with the audience, which takes both time and freedom.

This means empowering creatives to think outside the box and craft content that resonates on a deeper level.

Bligh-Hasan highlighted the potential challenge of opposition from brands accustomed to older practices. “Brands being resistant to change is a huge problem for many young creatives.

“If a brand isn’t employing its target audience to bring them the knowledge they’re lacking, it’s unlikely they’ll see great success as they won’t understand what makes this new generation light up.”

Metrics remain important for measuring success, but prioritizing genuine audience engagement is becoming the quickest way to build brand loyalty.

Standing out from feature-heavy ads and predictable content might feel risky, but it should be seen as an opportunity.

By using data to understand what truly connects with your audience, and then having the freedom to experiment, you can create something with impact.

As Bligh-Hasan summarized: “Brands face the challenge of standing out in a market where ‘uniqueness’ and ‘authenticity’ is everyone’s USP. How is anyone supposed to create a completely fresh brand/product/service that blows people’s minds if everyone else is trying to do the same thing on every other platform?

“It’s about making a simple solution to a simple problem from a unique angle. You don’t need to be the next Elon Musk, but you do need to know what specifically you’re solving, who you’re solving it for, and how you’re going to appeal to them consistently in the places you find them.”

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The revolution will not be televised … but it will be streamed: How streaming took over

Liam Machin — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 15:41:40 +0000

Streaming has established itself as an indispensable part of everyday life – and it’s arguably still in its infancy. Here, we explore the journey of this technology from its inception.

Streaming has revolutionized the way we consume media – and it would be difficult to imagine life without it.

In fact, streaming services are the preferred method of video consumption for almost three-quarters of adults (73%), outperforming traditional TV (15%) and broadcast (6%), according to Adtaxi’s 2024 TV & Video Streaming Survey.

From films and TV shows to music and even video games, streaming technology has altered the way in which we interact with media and each other.

But how did we get here? And why has streaming become the format of choice for so many different kinds of media?

1990s: The humble beginning of internet streaming

Streaming may feel like a recent innovation, but the roots of its technology go back to the early days of the internet.

During the mid-1990s, companies like Xing Technology and Starlight Networks began experimenting with streaming audio and video.

However, these early efforts were limited by the slow nature of dial-up internet, which caused poor playback and longer buffering times, providing a frustrating user experience.

Rob Glaser, informally titled the “the king of streaming” in a 1999 article published by WIRED magazine, and his company RealNetworks played a crucial role during this era with the introduction of RealAudio in 1995.

RealAudio allowed users to listen to music online without downloading entire files, a significant step forward at the time.

Following this, the company launched RealVideo to extend these capabilities to video content, marking some of the first steps towards on-demand streaming services.

2000s: The internet’s global takeover

The early 2000s saw a dramatic shift in accessibility as the internet boomed and began entering homes across the world.

Improvements in speed, technology, and reliability allowed ambitious developers to create more exciting platforms that better utilized the capabilities of streaming.

This included a certain music platform called Napster.

Launched in 1999, Napster is often viewed as the precursor of Spotify. Several copyright issues, however, including well-publicized battles with Metallica and rapper Dr. Dre, meant it met a swift end in 2001.

Nevertheless, the concept of peer-to-peer file sharing was born and Napster demonstrated the potential for digital music distribution.

This lit the match for the fire that was the development of new streaming services.

Founded in 2005, YouTube transformed online video by allowing users to easily upload, share, and view content, making the potential for user-generated videos clear.

Still considered the most popular video-streaming platform in the world, despite the rise of Netflix and other TV subscription services, YouTube’s success underscored the growing appetite for on-demand video content.

During this same period, image-sharing platforms like Flickr and Instagram started to gain popularity.

While these platforms did not use streaming technology as such, they did introduce features such as image editing and social sharing, which made the process of publishing images online more interactive.

Here arguably began the trend of platforms using new content, personalization, and engagement features to keep users hooked and maintain their attention, a now-familiar principle in many of today’s online environments.

2010s: Streaming embeds itself into our daily lives – and goes further than expected

The widespread adoption of smart devices, together with advancements by tech-enabled platforms like Netflix and Spotify, gave users access to a greater number of libraries of on-demand content than ever before.

This convenience and affordability spurred a dramatic change in media consumption habits, which we still see today.

The rise of streaming platforms fueled a boom in US scripted television, with a record-breaking 532 scripted shows produced in 2019. This marked a staggering 153% increase from 2009, when there were just 210 series.

Netflix soon became a household name, while Amazon launched its on-demand video service. But, arguably, the most successful company to adopt this streaming–subscription revenue model was Spotify.

In the 2010s, Spotify began offering a freemium model, with huge amounts of music available across all devices.

This convenience, coupled with Spotify’s innovative features, made buying CDs or downloads feel outdated.

Streaming quickly became the go-to for music, with such services accounting for 67% of the industry’s total value in 2022, according to the World Economic Forum.

Around this time, live streaming also started to emerge.

While many social media networks have since absorbed this into their broader platforms, the most prominent of these to be based entirely around this concept was video-game platform Twitch.

Launched in 2011 by entrepreneur Justin Kan, Twitch ended up being acquired three years later by Amazon for almost $1 billion.

The platform, which eventually branched out to streaming music and other types of content, brought about a new way of streaming whereby individuals and broadcasters could communicate with each other in real time.

This ability to watch live entertainment and communicate with like-minded people further expanded streaming’s appeal.

2020s: Streaming is here to stay

The continued growth of streaming has not only changed the way we consume media, but also how it’s produced.

Many of the streaming services mentioned in this article now invest heavily in original content.

Since 2013, for example, Netflix has produced more than 1,500 original titles. Spotify, meanwhile, spent $200 million on a deal to have exclusive rights to the Joe Rogan Experience podcast.

There is certainly a case for subscription fatigue, which is perhaps an inevitable consequence of so many services adopting a similar model to one another.

But with 99% of US families having at least one subscription to a streaming service, and with a total industry value of more than $500bn, it’s undoubtedly here to stay.

The relationship between streaming and advertising

Most streaming platforms operate on a subscription basis, which means they rely on repeat custom. This shift has moved the entertainment industry’s focus from ownership to access.

In theory, by providing more access to people, you bring them into your ecosystem. And, from there, a company can begin to understand how to make a profit – hence the success of the freemium model.

A key aspect of the freemium model is the role of advertisers who embed themselves into the streaming service.

Most established streaming services offer tiered subscriptions, including an ad-free tier (YouTube Premium, for example), which generates an additional form of income for the service.

The streaming service can offset the cost of providing content to this broader audience by running ads for those who don’t take up the subscription.

Furthermore, streaming services can use user data to show more relevant ads. This means both free and paid users might see ads that match their interests, viewing habits, and Browse history.

For advertisers, this has created another channel to connect with potential customers and target them using data that previously wouldn’t have been available via broadcast TV.

Where do we go from here?

As technology moves on, we should expect a broader range of streaming services to emerge, offering specialized content catering to niche audiences.

As AI tools develop, streaming will likely become even more sophisticated and personalized, offering a more tailored user experience.

Perhaps the most intriguing question we should ask ourselves is: We stream music and videos. So why not images?

While the JPEG format has been the standard for online images for decades, it’s starting to show its age.

While widely adopted, issues around copyright and image manipulation continue to arise across various industries.

Image streaming can offer an alternative that protects against both. Unlike conventional images, streamed images cannot be downloaded or copied, and all activity can be tracked – much like with streamed videos and music.

Furthermore, since images are not stored on the user’s device, streaming also frees up valuable storage space on any given website.

Final thoughts

Streaming has already won the world over for its ability to deliver choice and convenience.

But the technology is still relatively young – and as artificial intelligence becomes more prominent, streaming will need to adapt to a growing set of demands.

With conversations around AI-related image theft and tools capable of creating songs in the style of a particular artist still being had, streaming’s role in safeguarding intellectual property is now being increasingly valued.

This will no doubt evolve as tools to ensure content authenticity themselves develop, an issue that has started to be taken more seriously by the most dominant tech companies over the past few years.

Where things go from here isn’t entirely certain. However, with technological progress, changing consumer behaviors, the potential for new regulatory measures, and the evolution of content itself to contend with, among other factors, the streaming services of the future are likely to be radically different from what we know today.

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Paywalls: A viable long-term solution for publishers?

Liam Machin — Mon, 27 May 2024 14:30:14 +0000

Newspapers and online publications struggle to balance user experience with revenue generation, and this explains the surge in use of now-ubiquitous paywall. But how much of a success have these been?

With fewer people picking up their local newspapers and more people consuming content on their mobile phones, the quest for sustainable revenue has caused a major challenge for publishers of all sizes.

Making things worse, advertising revenue – once a reliable income stream – has shrunk due to the prevalence of ad blockers, and managing the changes in third-party cookie support hasn’t been straightforward either.

Over time, paywalls have evolved into a reliable source of consistent revenue for publishers. But as these now compete with countless other sources on social media, driving traffic to their site to begin with is an even greater challenge than before.

The 2023 edition of the Reuters Institute Digital News Report highlighted the competitive nature of today’s media landscape. TikTok’s use for news gathering grew from 1% in 2020 to 6% in 2023, while Instagram’s has also increased, from 2% in 2014 to 14% last year.

With the ongoing financial pressures on publishers and the constant battle for attention, is there still a place for the paywall?

Peeking over the paywall: A brief history

Paywalls have been around since the 1990s, with the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) arguably pioneering the system, having implemented a hard paywall back in 1996.

At that time, most newspapers didn’t need to resort to these, as they made enough from advertising revenue and print margins were still positive.

Today, things are markedly different. In 2019, a Reuters Institute report showed that 69% of “leading newspapers” in Europe and the United States used some form of online paywall.

This trend has grown in recent times, especially in the United States, where statistics show it has increased from 60% to 76% over the past seven years.

So what changed?

One of the main explanations for this shift is the decline in the demand for print newspapers, which has forced publishers to look toward alternative sources of revenue.

The abundance of free news online has also reduced the incentive for people to pay for it (and this, in turn, explains why so many established news organizations have pivoted from straightforward reporting to analysis and opinion pieces).

Some might argue that the average person is more likely to try and find their way around a paywall than to simply subscribe to the publication in question.

In the UK, merely 9% of people surveyed in 2023 said they had paid for online news in the past year.

A similar attitude can be seen in the US market too, where 51% of those questioned as part of a 2024 Medill survey said that “no one should pay for local news.”

What are the different types of paywalls?

Publishers use a range of different paywall models to restrict access to content and generate revenue. Here’s a breakdown of the main approaches.

Hard paywalls

The simplest form is whereby this paywall restricts all content and forces the reader to subscribe before showing any meaningful level of detail.

For publications that have high-value stories, like the WSJ, this model can be effective as it helps build a loyal user base, but also limits the extent to which your news can reach.

Metered paywalls

Metered paywalls balance access and exclusivity by allowing readers to view a limited number of articles before blocking further access.

These can often be found with a clear pop-up telling readers how many articles they have left in a given time frame, the idea being that such regular reminders may encourage them to reconsider their level of subscription.

Freemium paywalls

This model provides a mix of free and premium content, whereby readers can access basic articles for free, while in-depth analysis or exclusive reporting requires a subscription.

This is common in B2B scenarios and allows users to experience the publication’s value before committing.

Dynamic paywalls

Dynamic paywalls personalize access based on user behavior, and aim to optimize their subscription offers.

Although it might take some time to set up, offering a more personalized approach that considers factors like reading habits and visit frequency should, in theory, increase the potential for conversion.

When paywalls have worked

Perhaps one of the most successful implementations of a paywall was by the New York Times.

Launched in March 2011, the company revealed its subscription funnel in an article titled How The New York Times Uses Machine Learning To Make Its Paywall Smarter, which highlighted the effectiveness of a layered, dynamic approach.

By using a limit system combined with AI, the New York Times allows visitors to access a certain number of articles before pushing the paywall in front of them to register.

After that, the user is in their loop and can access additional articles. However, now they’re part of their system and are gathering data, the organization can retarget more effectively and encourage them to subscribe to their wider product which generates revenue.

This bundle of entertainment and information approach has proven more successful than previous paywall strategies, with almost half (41%) of its subscribers having either “bundles or multi-product packages.”

This recurring revenue is what many publishers strive for in today’s environment and it creates a direct bond between the readers and the publisher, although it does rely on consistent levels of quality, or else they risk reputational risk and losing customers for good.

When paywalls haven’t worked

On the flip side, there have been a few instances where bringing in paywalls hasn’t quite worked, for whatever reason. British news outlet The Sun is one example of this type of u-turn.

The Sun’s publisher, News UK, originally decided to place all articles behind a paywall in August 2013, before backtracking just over two years later.

Subscription services and paywalls are often a tougher sell for everyday news since there isn’t anything much exclusivity, so people can go elsewhere to find similar stories.

Similarly, the Toronto Star explained that paywalls only created a higher churn rate and reverted to focusing on paid editorial pieces and advertising.

Moving forward: Are paywalls sustainable?

Today’s online news space is filled with clickbait and entertainment-led articles, which are often produced simply to get attention rather than give true value.

This “true value” requires transparency; a clear explanation of the true cost of quality journalism and the consequences of not supporting it financially.

For publishers that decide to stay on the paywalled path, their future relies on convincing readers of their value.

Readers are more likely to subscribe if they believe they’re getting unique, high-quality, and in-depth reporting that they can’t find elsewhere – or, as we have seen, if they can gain additional value through the bundling of additional services.

Paywalls offer some level of financial stability, but a surge in unsubscribers is all it takes for a publisher to find itself in a worse position than before.

And no matter what, at least for the foreseeable, there will be a certain section of the public that believes news should be free.

As Richard Stengel writes for The Atlantic: “Democracy Dies Behind Paywalls”. Ironically, the article is behind a paywall.

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What does the future of journalism look like in 2024?

Liam Machin — Wed, 22 May 2024 10:20:36 +0000

In this piece, we look at the current state of journalism and speak with two respected journalists to talk about the future of their profession in an age where content is flooding the internet on a daily basis.

A combination of declining print readership and a rapidly changing online landscape has created a level of uncertainty over the future of journalism.

Yet, despite this, the average person is exposed to more information now than ever before, with social media platforms becoming hotspots for citizen journalism.

Theoretically, anyone holding a smartphone can share their version of events and become a news source.

The significant decline in newsroom jobs, with a 25% drop between 2008 and 2020, highlights the ongoing transformation of the journalism industry.

Meanwhile, legacy publications have rushed to build a digital presence to replace the decline in revenue from print, resulting in a greater number of clickbait articles appearing.

There are also many other headaches for the executives at these publications, from changes in regulations around third-party cookies and ad revenue to the persistent threat of misinformation.

We’ll break down some of the different elements that publications face, with insights from seasoned journalists Ed Walker and Harry Harris.

Dealing with a fragmented audience

With so many ways for people to consume information, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to identify where your target audience gets their news and what publications can do to attract new users.

The Local Media Survey revealed significant changes in how people access regional news. Here’s a breakdown of the most popular methods:

Social media (54%)
TV (53%)
Word of mouth (50%)

There’s a significant drop before you come across the websites of broadcasters and publications (35%) or printed newspapers (22%), proving a clear shift in behavior toward how we gather news.

Furthermore, a separate study by Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, highlighted the change in behaviors, especially when looking at the younger generation. Perhaps unsurprisingly, almost half (46%) of those aged between 16 to 24 say that social media is their most important news source.

“The landscape is becoming increasingly fragmented,” notes Ed Walker, Director at Alma and formerly Audience and Content Director at Reach PLC. “Some people will use multiple channels, others will be single-channel readers – and that fragmentation is only going to accelerate.

“The days of a single mass distribution channel in digital, when Facebook was rising rapidly and the dominant distribution platform then consumption was fairly linear online, but that’s changed dramatically in the last 18 months.”

This fragmentation challenges publishers to tailor their content and distribution strategies to meet various preferences.

The cookie jar is almost empty

To add more complexity to an already difficult situation, the commercial teams at publications across the country must handle the deprecation of third-party cookies with the utmost care.

The move is aimed at protecting user privacy, but it will drastically change the way advertisements can reach users and how newspapers benefit from ads on their websites.

According to the Advertising Association, despite a 15.9% rise in overall ad spend, data shows an overall decline in money spent on UK news publications, both national and regional.

This shift has affected how publishers consider advertising, a crucial revenue stream. “Third-party cookie deprecation will make first-party data more valuable,” added Walker.

“We may see more direct deals and direct deals focused on reaching and amplifying messages on specific distribution channels.”

With Google announcing another delay to the phasing out of third-party cookies, publishers that have not already taken steps to build stronger relationships with their audiences and collect first-party data may prioritize this now.

This should, in theory, allow them to provide better ad experiences for their audiences once they can no longer rely on tracking data from third-party cookies.

Searching for sustainability and security

The decline of local journalism paints a grim picture, especially in the UK, where independent high street businesses – once vital sources of local advertising – have disappeared.

Additionally, many businesses that might have previously looked at print advertising have now turned to other forms of advertising or self-promotion marketing activities, leaving some local publications struggling to survive.

For example, last year, Reach PLC closed 13 local newspaper websites due to a drop in demand.

And in the US it’s a similar outlook, with an estimated average of 2.5 news publications closing per week in 2023, according to research.

Away from his duties as SmartFrame’s Sports Development Director, Harry Harris is an award-winning sports journalist with decades of experience at publications such as the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror.

Harris acknowledged the harsh reality of the current climate of local journalism and explained that many local publications “have been hit hard by the high street recession.”

He continued: “Being acquired by major players has become one of the only ways they can guarantee survival. This, however, has resulted in a loss of local identity.”

Subscription models: Savior or temporary solution?

The subscription model has often been seen as a potential solution to this, representing a viable replacement for the losses to advertising and print.

Recent research from the Reuters Institute and Oxford University found that 80% of media leaders surveyed said subscription models and membership-type agreements will be an important revenue stream, ahead of both display and native advertising.

Subscription models have not always been as fruitful as expected, although there have been notable success stories, such as the likes of The Athletic and Mill Media.

However, most audiences accustomed to free online content are likely to hesitate before starting to pay for a service they can usually access without charge elsewhere, especially when there are several such options available.

Harris highlighted this public resistance: “The vast majority of the public believe access to information on the web is free and should remain free.”

Balancing valuable content with convincing audiences to pay for it remains a major hurdle for publications of all sizes.

What about the journalists themselves? What does their future look like?

Despite the challenges, the core function of journalism – to inform and entertain – remains as vital as ever.

In this age of information overload, audiences crave reliable sources they can trust.

Harry Harris emphasized: “A journalist’s role will never change. It’s to bring their audience news, features, and opinions with the ability to inform and entertain.”

However, the skills required to succeed in this new landscape have evolved.

Journalists must become specialists in their fields, offering unique insights and perspectives, but also be able to relay this in different ways.

Having the ability to navigate the digital world and curate content effectively across multiple platforms is essential for maximized engagement.

AI won’t replace journalists, but it can improve them

Artificial intelligence is here to stay, and while it might be a double-edged sword in the world of content creation, there’s no doubt it brings with it new challenges and opportunities.

While social media and AI-generated content have fueled misinformation and even defrauded advertisers, these same tools can also enhance journalists’ work.

Walker explained: “From recent conversations I’ve had with different publishers, their focus is on taking AI tools and training them to do something bespoke within a newsroom. This includes getting lower-value stories online in a more efficient way, or teaching them how to write in the style of a publication in order to reshape national content into the specific style and interests of a brand’s audience in a particular region.”

To do this, the upfront work on the prompts and training of the bots themselves is key.

Another way in which these tools can support journalists and publications is by automating and streamlining heavier tasks like data analysis, which will then allow journalists to dedicate more time to critical stories.

Walker added that AI tools can also assist with multimedia content creation, a critical component of engaging digital audiences.

“I think over time it will also help to make multimedia content quicker and easier for newsrooms to output on a greater scale e.g. captioning of video and audio content,” he said.

Conclusion

Declining trust, revenue shortfalls, and an increasingly fragmented audience are just some of the threats to the future of publications.

And while AI has the potential to be a valuable tool for journalists and publications, it has already accelerated the spread of misinformation.

Ultimately, the future of news publications is dependent on their adaptability.

Many revenue models for publications become outdated quickly, and publications that don’t take the time to truly understand their audience will struggle in the long term with changes in online behaviors and advertising regulations.

Though there are multiple opportunities to create new revenue streams, the fundamental principles of journalism remain unchanged – and people will always require reliable information.

Publications can move towards more sustainable models by embracing data-driven audience targeting, building trust through high-quality, relevant content, and leveraging new technologies to improve efficiency.

The post What does the future of journalism look like in 2024? appeared first on SmartFrame.

Image manipulation: Why it’s a problem and what we can do about it

Liam Machin — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 10:45:09 +0000

Tools used to manipulate images are more readily available than ever, and that can be an issue in terms of what makes something trustworthy. So what can be done to rebuild this?

Can you guess 2017’s word of the year?

The answer to that burning question is “fake news” – thanks in large part, of course, to the US president at that time.

But the fact that we’re still debating what can be done about disinformation and misinformation years later shows just how significant this issue has become.

When it comes to social media platforms, they rely on people being able to share content freely and easily.

Consequently, such platforms must also deal with the fallout from content created and used for harm.

Although it is worth noting that most of the largest platforms are now making greater efforts to educate users on the subject, a lack of protection and limited visibility over the origin of media means these issues will persist.

If these platforms can rectify this and demonstrate that they take the safety of their users seriously, they can rebuild the trust that has been eroded over the past few years.

With the online world facing the challenge of speed vs accuracy, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the WEF’s 2024 Global Risks Report found “misinformation and disinformation to be the top risk for the world in the next two years.”

At the heart of this epidemic is image manipulation.

Out-of-context images have repeatedly caused some sense of clouded judgment and made people more susceptible to believing any false narrative that might be attached to an image shared online.

But images that have been heavily altered, or that are entirely fictitious, to begin with, pose even greater issues.

What is image manipulation?

Image manipulation refers to the act of adjusting a digital picture in some way.

Often, this is done to help create a certain creative look or to fulfill a business objective. It can, for example, be used to fine-tune details make corrections, or even create entirely new compositions.

The history of image manipulation

The use of manipulated images has a longer history than you might think. While it’s reasonable to view it as a modern issue, the use of image editing to deceive the public dates back to the 19th century.

It’s claimed that the first case of image manipulation took place in the early 1860s – and that this particular instance shaped the future of money.

Abraham Lincoln’s face was edited onto the body of another politician, John Calhoun, to “distract from his ‘gangly’ frame.” As for the connection with money, this manipulated image was believed to be the basis of Lincoln’s original five-dollar bill.

The widespread use of image manipulation became particularly noticeable during the early days of fascism.

In Nazi Germany, for example, images were frequently edited to change their meaning, often to demonize minorities.

This can also be seen in a famous photo of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, which was edited to remove the horse handler to create a sense of “heroism”.

During conflicts, photographs were used to uplift spirits, vilify opponents, and manipulate events, to evoke and exploit the emotions of the public amid the turmoil of war.

These examples only scratch the surface of image manipulation’s complex history and impact on society.

With the constant availability of online content, one might assume that people are careful not to accept everything at face value.

Sadly, this isn’t the case.

Why is image manipulation becoming more of a problem?

Easy accessibility to image editing software, together with the growth of AI tools, means this issue stands to disrupt society in a way we haven’t seen before.

According to image search engine Everypixel, the growth of AI-generated images has led to more images being created in a single year than humans have produced in over a century, with over 15 billion images using text-to-image algorithms already generated.

People have also become somewhat desensitized to some degree of image manipulation because it’s usually used in ways that the average person would deem acceptable, such as for improving profile pictures or Instagram posts.

But in recent times, fake and manipulated images have made headlines for the wrong reasons, such as the Princess of Wales’s Mother’s Day post and Taylor Swift’s AI-generated explicit images.

The rise of deepfakes is also being used to create misleading celebrity endorsements, causing scam and fraud headaches for both internet platforms and their users.

What can be done to stop image manipulation from spreading fake news?

It’s, of course, impossible to stop image manipulation completely. But when it comes to viewing these images online, there are a number of options available to help people identify manipulation and fakery.

Industry standards, comprising standardized verification, clear editing guidelines, and ethical codes, can help fight against the proliferation of fake images.

Some governments have even taken it into their own hands and implemented education in schools to help people spot fake media, despite the constantly changing nature of the issue making this more difficult.

Social media platforms play an important role too.

To address the proliferation of manipulated images, these platforms could work more closely with fact-checking organizations to verify the legitimacy of shared content.

Digital signatures, watermarking, and other image analysis tools could also be integrated directly into social media platforms to help flag potentially misleading content.

The ease with which images can be stolen is arguably the most important enabler of many of the risks associated with manipulated media.

Part of that problem is that the longstanding JPEG file has been the default format for images since the internet’s inception.

Yet, it offers no meaningful protection against theft – simply right-click and save, and from there, anyone with some image-editing know-how can manipulate images any way they wish to do so.

How does Content Credentials intend to influence the future of imagery and image manipulation?

Content Credentials give users context on the content they’re met with. This in turn allows them to make better decisions on whether or not the image can be trusted as a source of information.

The Adobe-led initiative allows for proper attribution to all images posted online, ensuring that the original image and its producer are visible, creating more transparency.

Furthermore, it’s possible to see how the image was manipulated, including editing history and any use of AI tools.

Additionally, by embedding images to news articles using SmartFrame, images can have all of the above while being protected against both drag-and-drop attempts and right-clicks, with a copyright warning thwarting screenshot attempts too.

And, as every SmartFrame is encrypted and only appears when a user is actively Browse a website, the image disappears as soon as the viewer closes the browser tab or window.

Image manipulation isn’t new – but the need to highlight when it’s used is becoming non-negotiable

The targeting of celebrities and key world events, and the content used for this, clearly show the need for increased regulation and protection.

Through clear labeling, increased education, and added accountability with repercussions, we can help mitigate the spread of misinformation and rebuild trust in the images we see online.

As James Warren, NewsGuard’s executive editor, noted in a recent Substack post: “Kim Kardashian’s enhanced glam shot on a magazine cover is one thing, fiddling in the slightest with a photo of the Israel-Hamas war is another.”

The post Image manipulation: Why it’s a problem and what we can do about it appeared first on SmartFrame.

Framing the Future this Earth Day with Minden Pictures

Liam Machin — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 09:30:32 +0000

To celebrate Earth Day, what better way to highlight the most pressing environmental issues than by showcasing the reality through the work of wildlife and nature experts Minden Pictures?

What is Earth Day?

Earth Day is a yearly occasion established to support and enhance awareness of protecting our environment.

The first Earth Day took place on April 22nd, 1970 in the US. Since then, it has grown into a global event, with more than one billion people around the world participating each year.

2024’s edition focuses on raising awareness around the risks of continuing the use of plastics on our environment, especially single-use plastics.

Earth Day’s objective is to have a total reduction of 60% of all plastics by 2040.

The organizers are also lobbying for tougher support around plastic production regulations – and a pledge to end plastic pollution, with support from more than 175 countries, is set to be implemented later this year.

The organization also demands an end to fast fashion. This relatively new craze involves the rapid production of low-quality clothing to follow industry trends, and this is typically sold at a very low price.

Fast fashion has been proven to be drastically harmful from both environmental and ethical standpoints; many of these clothes are discarded after minimal wear and workers are often poorly paid.

Despite this, there are some alarming predictions of rapid growth ahead, with the total value of fast fashion expected to rise from $103.2bn in 2022 to $291.1bn by 2032.

To create a more sustainable future, they argue that, as a society, we should be more aware of the impacts of our choices. Like most things in life, small changes on a large scale can lead to significant impact.

The impact of pollution on our environment and wildlife

We asked Larry Minden, founder of Minden Pictures, to curate some photos from his team’s collection that highlight the impact of our plastic usage on the environment and wildlife.

In pictures: The beauty of nature

It’s important to remember that our world is not only our home but also the home of hundreds of thousands of species. It’s estimated that around one million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction due to climate change.

Here are just a few photos that show the beauty of nature and remind us why we must all do our bit to help combat pollution and climate change.

How to get involved with Earth Day

There are many ways to get involved with Earth Day, with numerous local events and activities.

Apple has also announced that it will allow anyone to recycle their old or damaged Apple devices for free via the company’s recycling partners.

But, perhaps the most exciting campaign we’ve seen comes courtesy of Disney+ and National Geographic: subscribers of the former can enter a competition to win a free cruise to the Galápagos Islands alongside highly respected naturalists, biologists, and photographers.

The post Framing the Future this Earth Day with Minden Pictures appeared first on SmartFrame.