Here are 5 stories that caught my attention this week.

 

#1. PURCHASE BRANDS vs. USAGE BRANDS

Fantastic insights on the differences between legacy/traditional brands (purchase-oriented) and newcomer/digital brands (usage-oriented).

• Legacy/traditional brands, also known as “purchase” brands because they focus on creating demand to buy the product. It’s all about the advertising and the promotions.
• Newcomer/digital or “usage” brands, on the other hand, focus on creating a phenomenal experience around the use of the product and how it makes your life easier, better, more efficient. A usage brand marketer would rather have a five-star rating in their online reviews than win an advertising award at Cannes.
• Examples of these twin concepts include: Shave Club/Gillette, Venmo/American Express, Warby Parker/Lenscrafters.

Not surprisingly, loyalty and consumer advocacy (i.e. spontaneous recommendations) are much higher for the newcomer/digital brands than for traditional brands.

 

#2: APPLE PAY ACCEPTED AT 50% OF STORES?

I cannot believe this is true.  I have tried (and failed) to use Apple Pay while shopping in NYC for years.  However, according to Jennifer Bailey, VP of Apple Pay, 50% of stores accept Apple Pay.

 

Read on below for more on paywalls, employee influencers and the rise of the data curator.

 

#3: Paywalls are suddenly everywhere

 

 

 

Has anyone else noticed how many media properties are suddenly – but randomly – using paywalls? Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been blocked by Business Insider, Bloomberg and the Los Angeles Times, among others.

I can’t blame them but it is interesting to see how many are now experimenting with paywalls. I’m not sure if it’s a desperate move or a smart move. Bloomberg gave up almost half of their readership after adding the paywall but called them “low value readers.”

The three situations I run into most often:

• You’ve reached your monthly free article limit.
• THIS article is only available to subscribers (generally something very timely and desirable)
• Answer a few survey questions in order to continue reading

I currently only pay for the NY Times (digital) but have no plans (or budget) to pay for others.

For the widespread information-gathering that I do, I can not be reliant on just one or even a handful of sources – especially if those come in at up to $400 for annual subscriptions.

How many sources (and which) do most of you subscribe to?

 

#4: Rise of B2B Influencer Marketing: Using Employees as Influencers

I haven’t seen this in action myself but can imagine this will work extremely well

• Per Marketing Profs, 90% of brands say they are either pursuing employee advocacy programs or have programs already active.
• Employee influencer programs will become more prevalent across industries as companies start to realize the benefits not only for brand recognition and trust but also for company culture and employee satisfaction.
• It is a win-win strategy: Companies gain visibility and credibility, and employees get to build their profiles as thought leaders and feel more engaged and enthusiastic about the company they are working for.

 

 #5: Rise of the data curator

 

 

• The data curator is responsible for understanding the types of analysis that need to be performed by different groups across the organization, what datasets are well suited for this work, and the steps involved in taking the data from its raw state to the shape and form needed for the job a data consumer will perform.
• The data curator sits between data consumers and data engineers.