Wooing brands with the promise of better engagement and greater accountability, Twitter is now testing a performance-based Promoted Video program. Part of Twitter’s Amplify program, Promoted Video equals easier uploading, distribution and measurement of video on Twitter, according to David Regan, a senior product manager in Twitter’s TV and Video department. “We now offer advertisers the ability to run ads with a new Cost Per View (CPV) ad buying model,” Regan explained in a Tuesday blog post. “This means advertisers only get charged when a users starts playing the video.” Brands using Promoted Video have access to various video analytics, including completion percentage, and a breakout of organic video views compared to paid views. Twitter has also expanded tests of its native video solution with select content publishers and verified users -- the names of which Regan declined to share on Tuesday. The beta launch follows tests of a new Twitter Video Card, which the company hoped would streamline video playback by adding a one-tap viewing experience to users’ Twitter timelines. Conducted earlier this year, the tests showed that tweets containing native Twitter video generated better engagement and more video views, according to internal measurements. While user engagement and growth remain concerns for investors, Twitter’s advertising and media strategies appear to be thriving. Last month, the micro-blogging leader reported second-quarter results that safely exceeded Wall Street expectations. Indeed, revenue soared 124% to $312 million, while monthly active users increased 24% to 271 million. During the second quarter, ad revenue grew 129% from a year ago to $277 million, while mobile ads accounted for 81% of the total. Strengthening its media ties, Twitter recently agreed to buy SnappyTV, which powers a popular platform for the live-clipping, editing and distribution of video across the Web. The service was already a go-to for many of Twitter’s brand and media partners via its Amplify ad program, Baljeet Singh, director of product management at Twitter, said at the time of Snapp’s acquisition. The investment tied into Twitter's efforts to drive TV viewership -- an area in which the company claims to specialize. Industrywide, Twitter accounted for 0.5% of global digital ad revenues in 2013, according to eMarketer -- a figure the research firm expects to increase to 0.8%, this year. Stateside, eMarketer estimates that digital advertising will reach $50.71 billion in 2014, with Twitter taking a 1.5% share -- up from its 1% share, last year. Beyond Regan's blog post, Twitter declined to discuss the Promoted Video program, on Tuesday.
Music is the food of ethnic marketing. A new study from Nielsen says multicultural consumers — the one-third of the U.S. population who identify as African-American, Asian American or Hispanic — respond more positively to music in brand marketing than does the population at large. They are also more likely to be technology early adopters, to use mobile devices and streaming services, and to buy digital albums and songs. And per Nielsen, they are more likely to react positively when brands engage them with music-oriented promotions. Nielsen's report, “Listen Up: Music and The Multicultural Consumer,” notes that the multicultural population, about 37% of the population and growing, is 17% Hispanic, 14% African-American and 5% Asian American. The media measurement company, citing Census stats, says that in just four years under-18 multicultural Americans will outnumber under-18 whites. Right now, 46% of the population of Americans between 2 and 17 years of age are multicultural and half of all multicultural Americans are under 35, per the firm. They are more likely than others to pay for streaming services via Pandora One, Spotify Premium, Google Play Music, RDIO and Grooveshark. Pandora has the lion's share with 36% of multicultural consumers favoring the streaming channel, versus 34% for YouTube and 13% for iHeartRadio. On average, per Nielsen Music 360, multicultural Americans spend $7 more on music than the total population — $111 per year versus $104, or 31% of the total spent on music. And they over-index for using YouTube as a digital-music discovery channel, 36% versus 28% for non-Hispanic whites. Their top source of music during a given week are Internet streaming radio services, favored by 50% of multiculturals, versus 44% of non-Hispanic whites. And they are more musically active on social: 48% "like" Facebook posts from music artists; 43% share music through social channels; 37% comment on Facebook posts; 37% have shared a playlist; 31% repost from musical artists; 26% retweet band tweets; and 16% use "Scrobbling" to track songs. African-American, Asian American and Hispanic Americans also respond to brands that lead with musical score: 61% respond favorably to brands offering a free download of a new single; 55% respond to ads featuring music they like; 51% respond favorably to brands whose sweepstakes dangle CDs, and band-centric merchandise and concerts. Forty-eight percent respond to a brand sponsoring a tour and to brand sponsorship of concerts; 45% like brands that allow music downloads through proof of purchase. Nielsen points out in the study that technology is dissolving musical genres. "A fan can move from rap to K-Pop to rock to reggaeton with a simple click of a finger," says the study, noting that Comcast and P. Diddy's Revolt TV, serves up a stew of genre mixes. "The hit song 'Hangover,' a pan-cultural collaboration between Korean dance-pop superstar Psy and hip hop icon Snoop Dog, tapped a global audience with more than 7 million views on YouTube." The study says that multicultural Millennials over-index for R&B and Hip-Hop. The "total market" over-indexes in — you guessed it — country music. They also have a slightly greater propensity to favor top-40 and rock.
Global mobile advertising nearly doubled last year -- jumping from $10 billion to $19.3 billion, according to a new estimate by the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Mobile Center of Excellence in partnership with IAB Europe and IHS Technology. North America accounted for the largest share of mobile advertising at 41.9%, just ahead of Asia-Pacific (38.9%), with Europe at 17.3%, the Middle East and Africa (1.2), and Latin America (0.7%). Coming off its small base, Latin America saw the highest growth in 2013, at 215% (to $144 million), although North America was still up 122% to $8.1 billion despite being a mature market. Mobile spending in Europe increased 90% to $3.3 billion, Asia-Pacific, 69% to $7.5 billion, and the Middle East and Africa, 45% to $225 million. In terms of ad type, mobile display had the most growth -- surging 123% to $3.6 billion -- while search was up 92% to $4.9 billion. Both categories were driven by wider adoption of smartphones and more affordable data plans driving mobile content use and local search. Ad revenue from messaging climbed 19.4% to $1.5 billion, with growth in SMS and MMS likely slowed by the shift to alternative platforms like WeChat, Line and WhatsApp. The $9.5 billion in search overall accounted for almost half (48.9%) of mobile ad revenue, with display representing 41.5% ($8 billion), and messaging, 9.6% ($1.9 billion). Anna Bager, vice president/GM of the IAB’s Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence, suggested that the figures indicate mobile is becoming a key part of the marketing media mix. “In particular, as mobile ad campaigns become easier to plan, create, buy and measure — in great part due to programmatic strategies — these operational efficiencies are spurring the growth of the mobile display ad market,” she stated. Townsend Feehan, CEO of IAB Europe, however, added that many publishers still have to sharpen their mobile ad strategies and capabilities since growth to date has mainly come through in-app and native advertising rather than through brand campaigns. The study findings are based on reported data by local IABs and a “statistical and econometric model.” The data was harmonized to adjust for discounts and agency commissions. The IAB said the modeled data is based on variables such as smartphone penetration, 3G subscriptions and messaging volume.'Mobile users, India" photo from Shutterstock.
Capturing breakfast share is one of today's biggest opportunities for both packaged foods makers and restaurant chains. Two-thirds of U.S. consumers eat breakfast; the challenge is understanding the shifting breakfast landscape and what's most important to various consumer segments. Case in point: While Millennials' true level of adventurousness is often exaggerated, when it comes to breakfast, they're indeed more open than other age groups to new concepts, according to research by Datassential. In a recent survey on breakfast dishes, flavors and trends among 1,280 consumers, Millennials showed more interest in all of the breakfast trends tested, including healthier options and ethnically-influenced dishes. Nearly 65% were interested in elevated comfort foods (premium versions of traditional breakfast comfort foods like waffles and biscuits and gravy), and 63% were interested in "monster" or mini breakfast sandwiches. In short, innovative breakfast offerings are key in luring Millennials – a point clearly informing more restaurant menus, including Taco Bell's new breakfast offerings. Also key for restaurants, in particular, is that Millennials are more inclined than any other age group to skip breakfast, and to eat breakfast foods outside of traditional morning breakfast hours. For instance, 16% of Millennials reported eating breakfast items as an afternoon snack, compared to 5% of those in Gen X, 2% of Boomers, and none of the Silent Generation respondents. For restaurant operators, this means that offering breakfast foods during lunch, dinner or snack times may drive Millennial consumption, points out Datassential managing director Maeve Webster. CPG Opportunities While CPG makers are being increasingly challenged by restaurants' expanding breakfast options, 83% of consumers reported that they ate their last breakfast at home. Overall, consumers reported that time, ease, convenience and health were the most important factors when choosing to eat breakfast at home. They prefer foods that are quick to prepare and eat, while noting that cost is the critical factor deterring them from eating breakfast away from home. At the same time, 65% said that they prefer to make or assemble breakfast from scratch. In other words, manufacturers need to offer convenient, economical products that also cater to consumers' demand for healthy ingredients and preference for scratch preparation – no small feat. Datassential suggests that retail opportunities lie in convenient "speed-scratch" products that allow consumers to prepare or assemble at-home meals more conveniently, such as ready-to-use egg mixes or health and trend-driven carriers like waffle "skinnies." Flavor and Cuisine Trends Understanding breakfast flavor and format trends is of course critical for both restaurants and manufacturers. While traditional breakfast favorites like eggs and bacon continue to dominate, Millennials aren't the only ones expanding their horizons. More than half of consumers surveyed expressed interest in key breakfast trends such as elevated comfort foods, single-focus restaurants (such as ones dedicated to artisan donuts) and better-for-you concepts (like egg whites). Also, trends found on lunch and dinner menus are increasingly showing up on breakfast menus, according to Datassential's MenuTrends database. Southern ingredients like pulled pork, sweet potato and cornmeal, as well as ethnic flavors like salsa verde, cotija and plantains, were among the fastest-expanding breakfast options during the past year. Other trends showing major growth include "premiumization" of breakfast items (for example, using premium cheeses like fontina and aged cheddar) and "better-for-you" options. Healthy trends are now seen in breakfast products in supermarkets' perimeter, QSRs and casual chains, the lodging industry and foodservice venues, the researchers point out. The breakfast survey and trends data are from the first report in a new MenuTrends Keynote report series being marketed by Datassential.
Coming off the hugely popular World Cup this summer, NBC Sports is hoping to grow football-fever into a new national pastime for its Barclays Premier League soccer broadcasts beginning this weekend. “It’s a very short off-season,” Bill Bergofin, senior vice president of marketing at NBC Sports, tells Marketing Daily. “We promoted it into the World Cup and through it and right into [the new] season.” First, NBC Sports has brought its soccer-clueless character Coach Ted Lasso back for a second go-around in an online video. The character (played by SNL alum Jason Sudeikis) continues to be confused by the sport, but is now working as a commentator for the network. Lasso, who last year was recruited and fired as coach of the Tottenham Spurs, still doesn’t understand the game, confused about the offsides rules and the details behind “relegation,” which calls for the bottom three teams to be ousted from the league. (The video also features a cameo by U.S. World Cup goalie Tim Howard.) “Year two was purposefully [set up] to put him back on American soil,” Bergofin says. “We want to create a buzz around the [BPL] and educate the audience about it.” The video is only one component of the buzz-building campaign. NBC Sports is also targeting more dedicated fans with co-branded Topps trading card packs, which feature the channel’s on-air talent (Rebecca Lowe, Arlo White and Kyle Martino) as well as a Ted Lasso card. Meanwhile, the network has partnered with Uber in New York City, through which the car service will offer free rides (with a promo code, BPLonNBC) in specially decorated Mini Cooper Countryman cars. The Speak Football app will also be available to non-Uber users as a way to help determine which team they should be supporting by providing answers to questions. It will also offer fans a crash-course in football lingo (and also send “translated” tweets in British football lingo) and teach new fans team chants and songs. “Uber is a hot company and a lot of our goal is to create buzz,” Bergofin says. “[Speak Football]” is another tool coming out of this that pokes fun at the lexicon of the announcers.”
No doubt about it -- Snapchat continues to gain fans who admittedly "love" the platform -- although it remains unclear what the reported Snapchat-authorized sale of 17.4 million preferred shares in a Delaware filing made Monday means for the company. No one wants to say it, but compulsive behavior seems to be a trait. A new study reveals that the majority of fans are women, so what does that insinuate about the female population. The Millennial generation -- the company's biggest fans -- love the ability to get something out in the open and make it disappear. Remember the photo you wish you hadn't sent? After the fact, you search for it on Bing, Google or Yahoo and find it, cringe, and wish you sent it as a Snapchat instead. Understanding this demographic can help marketers draw a correlation between disappearing photos, social media and purchase habits. Here's how. The Insight Report from consumer polling and insights company CivicScience looks beyond the demographics to provide a deeper understanding of Snapchat fans. It's based on more than 18,000 anonymously researched U.S. respondents, 13 years of age and older, and analyzes responses from the 1,221 participants who admittedly "love" the platform by gender, East Coast vs. West Coast, income, city vs. rural living, and more. The report reveals that fans who love Snapchat are more than two times more likely to get fashion inspiration from social media sites, 87% more likely to say fashion trends impact what they wear, and 86% more likely to say their friends and other contacts on social media influence the products they buy. And about 59% are more likely influenced by comments or recommendations, rather than TV or online ads Snapchat fans are more likely influenced by their social media friends when it comes to movies and television -- at 95% -- and twice as likely when it comes to music. They also are 50% more likely to try new products before others, and 33% more likely to always seek out online reviews for items they want to purchase. About 14% of U.S. consumers have used Snapchat, and half of those say they love it. An additional 4% of the total respondents have not used it yet, but plan to give it a try. While the low numbers suggest plenty of room for enormous growth, gaining a better understanding of the millennial generation loving Snapchat will make it easier to develop and market products to this generation. A recent comScore post highlights the importance of knowing this group of consumers. Snapchat holds the No. 3 spot on the most popular social app list among the millennial generation, 18- to-34-year-olds, per comScore. The app holds 32.9% penetration, trailing only Facebook at 75.6% and Instagram at 43.1% among smartphone users. The fans who are 29% more likely to live in a city, two times more likely to live with their parents, and nearly two times more likely not registered to vote. Women make us about 69% versus men at 31%. The general population accounts for about 51% women and 49% men. This generation is 25% more likely than the general population to have a household income of less than $25,000, and at least 58% are not yet parents. Not all regions feel the same way about the technology, per CivicScience. Millennials living in the Northeastern United States are 55% more likely to say they love using Snapchat, compared with Millennials in the Western U.S., a CivicScience study conducted in July 2014.
Wooing brands with the promise of better engagement and greater accountability, Twitter is now testing a performance-based Promoted Video program. Part of Twitter’s Amplify program, Promoted Video equals easier uploading, distribution and measurement of video on Twitter, according to David Regan, a senior product manager in Twitter’s TV and Video department. “We now offer advertisers the ability to run ads with a new Cost Per View (CPV) ad buying model,” Regan explained in a Tuesday blog post. “This means advertisers only get charged when a users starts playing the video.” Brands using Promoted Video have access to various video analytics, including completion percentage, and a breakout of organic video views compared to paid views. Twitter has also expanded tests of its native video solution with select content publishers and verified users -- the names of which Regan declined to share on Tuesday. The beta launch follows tests of a new Twitter Video Card, which the company hoped would streamline video playback by adding a one-tap viewing experience to users’ Twitter timelines. Conducted earlier this year, the tests showed that tweets containing native Twitter video generated better engagement and more video views, according to internal measurements. While user engagement and growth remain concerns for investors, Twitter’s advertising and media strategies appear to be thriving. Last month, the micro-blogging leader reported second-quarter results that safely exceeded Wall Street expectations. Indeed, revenue soared 124% to $312 million, while monthly active users increased 24% to 271 million. During the second quarter, ad revenue grew 129% from a year ago to $277 million, while mobile ads accounted for 81% of the total. Strengthening its media ties, Twitter recently agreed to buy SnappyTV, which powers a popular platform for the live-clipping, editing and distribution of video across the Web. The service was already a go-to for many of Twitter’s brand and media partners via its Amplify ad program, Baljeet Singh, director of product management at Twitter, said at the time of Snapp’s acquisition. The investment tied into Twitter's efforts to drive TV viewership -- an area in which the company claims to specialize. Industrywide, Twitter accounted for 0.5% of global digital ad revenues in 2013, according to eMarketer -- a figure the research firm expects to increase to 0.8%, this year. Stateside, eMarketer estimates that digital advertising will reach $50.71 billion in 2014, with Twitter taking a 1.5% share -- up from its 1% share, last year. Beyond Regan's blog post, Twitter declined to discuss the Promoted Video program, on Tuesday.
Ladies and gentlemen, the feeding frenzy has begun. And that can only mean one thing: It’s Shark Week. Originally launched in 1988, Shark Week is the longest-running cable television event in history. While it started as strictly a TV promotion, Shark Week has exploded into a social media phenomenon. In the last few years, many brands have managed to join the conversation with campaigns that are both engaging and relevant. In 2013, Tide used Vine (then, a still relatively new and innovative Twitter extension), to tweet out a video with the tagline “We get blood out, too.” Volkswagen also made a splash, using tweets and RTs to donate money for ocean preservation. This year, Dunkin’ Donuts is working hand in hand with Discovery Channel, asking users to “Take a Bite” of their favorite breakfast item, then share the photo using the hashtag #DDSharkWeek for a chance to win recognition and a variety of prizes. Can you compete with these marketing sharks -- or should you swim for safer shores? This is the quintessential question for social media markers. Forced messaging with little or no paid support doesn’t stand a chance in these waters. Then, we balance that with the powerful force of FOMO (fear of missing out) and we are left with quite a quandary. For those brands daring enough to enter the fray, it will require fully integrated “war room” strategies like those we’ve seen for World Cup, Academy Awards, Super Bowl, etc. In addition to jumping on opportunistic moments, marketers can win by creating “always-on” campaigns composed of posts triggered by real-time signals like trending hashtags, engagement rates, and TV commercials. Let’s revisit the Dunkin’ campaign. Imagine if the company accelerated spend for “Take a Bite” Promoted Tweets immediately after any of its commercials aired on the Discovery Channel. Likewise, if Volkswagen were to run a similar campaign again, it could use internal data to trigger a series of Promoted Tweets that automatically went live each time a new fundraising milestone was reached. Not sure you have the stomach or budget for this? It’s not too late to get out of the water. Sales executives at the big social platforms have been known to say that “every day is the Super Bowl.” This correctly implies that the audience is always there, living in their News Feed, and tuning in to conversations. As marketers, our job is to align with moments, big and small, to connect with customers and prospects. You may never “own” the moment, but you can certainly win it before it passes to the bottom of the endless scroll. For decisions like this, there is no definitive right or wrong answer. Just remember, there are a lot of other big fish -- and the sea is vast.
Music is the food of ethnic marketing. A new study from Nielsen says multicultural consumers — the one-third of the U.S. population who identify as African-American, Asian American or Hispanic — respond more positively to music in brand marketing than does the population at large. They are also more likely to be technology early adopters, to use mobile devices and streaming services, and to buy digital albums and songs. And per Nielsen, they are more likely to react positively when brands engage them with music-oriented promotions. Nielsen's report, “Listen Up: Music and The Multicultural Consumer,” notes that the multicultural population, about 37% of the population and growing, is 17% Hispanic, 14% African-American and 5% Asian American. The media measurement company, citing Census stats, says that in just four years under-18 multicultural Americans will outnumber under-18 whites. Right now, 46% of the population of Americans between 2 and 17 years of age are multicultural and half of all multicultural Americans are under 35, per the firm. They are more likely than others to pay for streaming services via Pandora One, Spotify Premium, Google Play Music, RDIO and Grooveshark. Pandora has the lion's share with 36% of multicultural consumers favoring the streaming channel, versus 34% for YouTube and 13% for iHeartRadio. On average, per Nielsen Music 360, multicultural Americans spend $7 more on music than the total population — $111 per year versus $104, or 31% of the total spent on music. And they over-index for using YouTube as a digital-music discovery channel, 36% versus 28% for non-Hispanic whites. Their top source of music during a given week are Internet streaming radio services, favored by 50% of multiculturals, versus 44% of non-Hispanic whites. And they are more musically active on social: 48% "like" Facebook posts from music artists; 43% share music through social channels; 37% comment on Facebook posts; 37% have shared a playlist; 31% repost from musical artists; 26% retweet band tweets; and 16% use "Scrobbling" to track songs. African-American, Asian American and Hispanic Americans also respond to brands that lead with musical score: 61% respond favorably to brands offering a free download of a new single; 55% respond to ads featuring music they like; 51% respond favorably to brands whose sweepstakes dangle CDs, and band-centric merchandise and concerts. Forty-eight percent respond to a brand sponsoring a tour and to brand sponsorship of concerts; 45% like brands that allow music downloads through proof of purchase. Nielsen points out in the study that technology is dissolving musical genres. "A fan can move from rap to K-Pop to rock to reggaeton with a simple click of a finger," says the study, noting that Comcast and P. Diddy's Revolt TV, serves up a stew of genre mixes. "The hit song 'Hangover,' a pan-cultural collaboration between Korean dance-pop superstar Psy and hip hop icon Snoop Dog, tapped a global audience with more than 7 million views on YouTube." The study says that multicultural Millennials over-index for R&B and Hip-Hop. The "total market" over-indexes in — you guessed it — country music. They also have a slightly greater propensity to favor top-40 and rock.
Global mobile advertising nearly doubled last year -- jumping from $10 billion to $19.3 billion, according to a new estimate by the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Mobile Center of Excellence in partnership with IAB Europe and IHS Technology. North America accounted for the largest share of mobile advertising at 41.9%, just ahead of Asia-Pacific (38.9%), with Europe at 17.3%, the Middle East and Africa (1.2), and Latin America (0.7%). Coming off its small base, Latin America saw the highest growth in 2013, at 215% (to $144 million), although North America was still up 122% to $8.1 billion despite being a mature market. Mobile spending in Europe increased 90% to $3.3 billion, Asia-Pacific, 69% to $7.5 billion, and the Middle East and Africa, 45% to $225 million. In terms of ad type, mobile display had the most growth -- surging 123% to $3.6 billion -- while search was up 92% to $4.9 billion. Both categories were driven by wider adoption of smartphones and more affordable data plans driving mobile content use and local search. Ad revenue from messaging climbed 19.4% to $1.5 billion, with growth in SMS and MMS likely slowed by the shift to alternative platforms like WeChat, Line and WhatsApp. The $9.5 billion in search overall accounted for almost half (48.9%) of mobile ad revenue, with display representing 41.5% ($8 billion), and messaging, 9.6% ($1.9 billion). Anna Bager, vice president/GM of the IAB’s Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence, suggested that the figures indicate mobile is becoming a key part of the marketing media mix. “In particular, as mobile ad campaigns become easier to plan, create, buy and measure — in great part due to programmatic strategies — these operational efficiencies are spurring the growth of the mobile display ad market,” she stated. Townsend Feehan, CEO of IAB Europe, however, added that many publishers still have to sharpen their mobile ad strategies and capabilities since growth to date has mainly come through in-app and native advertising rather than through brand campaigns. The study findings are based on reported data by local IABs and a “statistical and econometric model.” The data was harmonized to adjust for discounts and agency commissions. The IAB said the modeled data is based on variables such as smartphone penetration, 3G subscriptions and messaging volume.'Mobile users, India" photo from Shutterstock.
Capturing breakfast share is one of today's biggest opportunities for both packaged foods makers and restaurant chains. Two-thirds of U.S. consumers eat breakfast; the challenge is understanding the shifting breakfast landscape and what's most important to various consumer segments. Case in point: While Millennials' true level of adventurousness is often exaggerated, when it comes to breakfast, they're indeed more open than other age groups to new concepts, according to research by Datassential. In a recent survey on breakfast dishes, flavors and trends among 1,280 consumers, Millennials showed more interest in all of the breakfast trends tested, including healthier options and ethnically-influenced dishes. Nearly 65% were interested in elevated comfort foods (premium versions of traditional breakfast comfort foods like waffles and biscuits and gravy), and 63% were interested in "monster" or mini breakfast sandwiches. In short, innovative breakfast offerings are key in luring Millennials – a point clearly informing more restaurant menus, including Taco Bell's new breakfast offerings. Also key for restaurants, in particular, is that Millennials are more inclined than any other age group to skip breakfast, and to eat breakfast foods outside of traditional morning breakfast hours. For instance, 16% of Millennials reported eating breakfast items as an afternoon snack, compared to 5% of those in Gen X, 2% of Boomers, and none of the Silent Generation respondents. For restaurant operators, this means that offering breakfast foods during lunch, dinner or snack times may drive Millennial consumption, points out Datassential managing director Maeve Webster. CPG Opportunities While CPG makers are being increasingly challenged by restaurants' expanding breakfast options, 83% of consumers reported that they ate their last breakfast at home. Overall, consumers reported that time, ease, convenience and health were the most important factors when choosing to eat breakfast at home. They prefer foods that are quick to prepare and eat, while noting that cost is the critical factor deterring them from eating breakfast away from home. At the same time, 65% said that they prefer to make or assemble breakfast from scratch. In other words, manufacturers need to offer convenient, economical products that also cater to consumers' demand for healthy ingredients and preference for scratch preparation – no small feat. Datassential suggests that retail opportunities lie in convenient "speed-scratch" products that allow consumers to prepare or assemble at-home meals more conveniently, such as ready-to-use egg mixes or health and trend-driven carriers like waffle "skinnies." Flavor and Cuisine Trends Understanding breakfast flavor and format trends is of course critical for both restaurants and manufacturers. While traditional breakfast favorites like eggs and bacon continue to dominate, Millennials aren't the only ones expanding their horizons. More than half of consumers surveyed expressed interest in key breakfast trends such as elevated comfort foods, single-focus restaurants (such as ones dedicated to artisan donuts) and better-for-you concepts (like egg whites). Also, trends found on lunch and dinner menus are increasingly showing up on breakfast menus, according to Datassential's MenuTrends database. Southern ingredients like pulled pork, sweet potato and cornmeal, as well as ethnic flavors like salsa verde, cotija and plantains, were among the fastest-expanding breakfast options during the past year. Other trends showing major growth include "premiumization" of breakfast items (for example, using premium cheeses like fontina and aged cheddar) and "better-for-you" options. Healthy trends are now seen in breakfast products in supermarkets' perimeter, QSRs and casual chains, the lodging industry and foodservice venues, the researchers point out. The breakfast survey and trends data are from the first report in a new MenuTrends Keynote report series being marketed by Datassential.
Coming off the hugely popular World Cup this summer, NBC Sports is hoping to grow football-fever into a new national pastime for its Barclays Premier League soccer broadcasts beginning this weekend. “It’s a very short off-season,” Bill Bergofin, senior vice president of marketing at NBC Sports, tells Marketing Daily. “We promoted it into the World Cup and through it and right into [the new] season.” First, NBC Sports has brought its soccer-clueless character Coach Ted Lasso back for a second go-around in an online video. The character (played by SNL alum Jason Sudeikis) continues to be confused by the sport, but is now working as a commentator for the network. Lasso, who last year was recruited and fired as coach of the Tottenham Spurs, still doesn’t understand the game, confused about the offsides rules and the details behind “relegation,” which calls for the bottom three teams to be ousted from the league. (The video also features a cameo by U.S. World Cup goalie Tim Howard.) “Year two was purposefully [set up] to put him back on American soil,” Bergofin says. “We want to create a buzz around the [BPL] and educate the audience about it.” The video is only one component of the buzz-building campaign. NBC Sports is also targeting more dedicated fans with co-branded Topps trading card packs, which feature the channel’s on-air talent (Rebecca Lowe, Arlo White and Kyle Martino) as well as a Ted Lasso card. Meanwhile, the network has partnered with Uber in New York City, through which the car service will offer free rides (with a promo code, BPLonNBC) in specially decorated Mini Cooper Countryman cars. The Speak Football app will also be available to non-Uber users as a way to help determine which team they should be supporting by providing answers to questions. It will also offer fans a crash-course in football lingo (and also send “translated” tweets in British football lingo) and teach new fans team chants and songs. “Uber is a hot company and a lot of our goal is to create buzz,” Bergofin says. “[Speak Football]” is another tool coming out of this that pokes fun at the lexicon of the announcers.”