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Generative AI is everywhere now. You see it in content, campaigns, customer experiences, and even internal workflows. It promises speed, scale, and efficiency, but there’s a harder question sitting underneath all that progress; Do your audiences actually trust it?

Trust in the Age of AI: What Consumers Really Think About AI Generated Content

Today, PR teams aren’t just tracking media coverage and share of voice. They’re also measuring how their brand shows up in AI-generated answers, search summaries, and large language models (LLMs). This new LLM visibility layer is quickly becoming a critical part of PR performance.

15 Must-Have PR KPIs and How to Track Them

See how one platform can power every decision across PR, communications, and marketing.

The Meltwater Blog

Blog Topics: Generative Engine Optimization, Media Intelligence, Media Relations, Social Listening, Consumer Intelligence, Influencer Marketing

Find out how you can leverage Facebook to boost your brand's online presence and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

Facebook Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage Instagram to boost your brand's visual appeal and gain a competitive edge. Explore our category page today!

Instagram Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage LinkedIN to grow your professional network and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

LinkedIn Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage TikTok to elevate your brand with creative content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

TikTok Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage X / Twitter to engage your audience effectively and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

X / Twitter Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage YouTube to create engaging video content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

YouTube Blog | Meltwater

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is transforming how brands show up in AI-powered search. Explore insights, strategies, and best practices to help your content rank and resonate across conversational engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

Explore insights and strategies for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to help your brand stay visible and discoverable in AI-powered search.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Blog Collection | Meltwater

Every day billions of conversations take place on social media: tweets, posts, comments, blogs, reviews, podcasts, and much more.
Learn how to use social listening to make sense of all of that data.

On our social listening category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around social listening and social media monitoring. Read more.

Social Listening Blogs | Category

Business Reputation Management: What does it take to add reputation management to your marketing strategy? More importantly, how do you keep your reputation sparkly and shiny? Here’s your all-access guide to online reputation management for the long term.

On our reputation management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around business reputation management. Read more.

Reputation Management Blogs | Category

From your brand's logo to your website, your social media presence to your customer support—these elements combined are what constitutes a brand in the minds of customers. But, there are thousands of other businesses that have a logo, website, social media presence, and website. So, how can you position your business on the market and make it stand out from the competition?
The key to success is branding & brand management!

On our brand management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around brand management. Build your strategy and reach your goals!

Brand Management Blogs | Category

Competitive intelligence and the act of collecting competitive data can be seen as growth drivers for a company. Our guide will help you understand the concept of competitive intelligence (CI) by answering questions such as: What is the definition of competitive intelligence? How is competitive intelligence useful to organizations? What is the goal of competitive intelligence? And more.

On our competitive intelligence category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around competitive intelligence. Learn how to stay ahead.

Competitive Intelligence Blogs | Category

Let’s dive into the customer journey framework and how to optimize the process by creating a customer journey map and using metrics that matter when analyzing the customer journey.

On our customer journey category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Customer Journey Blogs | Category

What Is Data Analytics? [Beginner’s Guide 2023]
How can I grow my business? 
How do customers interact with my newly launched product?
How do I increase the productivity of my employees?
How do I know if my marketing efforts are working?
We have just two words for you...Data analytics!

On our data analytics category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around AI and data analytics. Technical and still easy to understand.

AI & Data Analytics Blogs | Category

Public relations and media relations can add impact to any marketing strategy. It’s an opportunity for brands to grow their reach beyond traditional sales messages. PR helps to shape the image you want people to have of your brand.
So, what is PR and how do you use it? This guide shows you everything you need to know to build a strong public relations foundation.

On our public relations (PR) category page, you find all our blogs covering public relations and communications topics. Step up your PR game.

Public Relations (PR) Blogs | Category

We all know exactly what the roles of sales or accounting are in a company, right? We might even have a slight idea of what the IT guys are doing.
But there is another business discipline, that plays a crucial role in organizations, even more so during the pandemic – internal communications!
But what exactly do we mean by that, what purpose does it serve and what steps can you take to ensure you and your employees will communicate effectively?

On our internal communications category page, you find all our blogs about internal comms topics. Learn about the intranet, internal newsletters, and more.

Internal Communications Blogs | Category

As the internet has taken root in more areas of our lives — everything from entertainment to shopping to paying bills and more — traditional marketing is becoming less impactful. As any marketer knows, you need to focus on where your audience is if you want to reach them. Since the average person spends about seven hours a day online, it’s no surprise that content has maintained its hold on marketers.

Here's a closer look at what content marketing is and why it matters more than ever in our digital-first economy.

On our content marketing category page, you find blogs about content marketing topics. Learn about strategies, KPIs, tips, and more. Make your content king!

Content Marketing Blogs | Category

The rise of the influencer marketing space – today a $10 billion industry, growing 50% per year – is one of the clearest examples of how social media is transforming traditional marketing. These days having a business website, presence on social, PR coverage, and your own content isn’t enough to compete.
We'll dive into the intricacies of influencer marketing to help ensure that you're equipped with the insights needed to be successful in this space.

On our influencer marketing category page, you find blogs about influencer marketing topics. Build your strategy, find influencers, and measure results.

Influencer Marketing Blogs | Category

Have you just launched a new product or service that you want to get the word out about? Maybe you want to share with consumers why it is awesome and how it is so much better than the one your competitors offer.

Well, then, there is one thing you can't do without...Marketing!

On our marketing category page, you find blogs about marketing topics. Learn about all the different angles and types of marketing and improve your results.

Marketing Blogs | Category

In this guide, we want to give you a peek into the definition of social media management, the daily schedule of a social media manager, social media platforms to promote your business, and the do’s & don’ts of social media management.
Are you ready to begin the journey of becoming a social media superstar?

On our social media management category page, you find blogs about social media management topics. Build and manage your online community.

Social Media Management Blogs | Category

Building a following and using social media platforms to reach a wider audience requires a well-planned social media marketing strategy. In this guide, we’ll be looking at why social media marketing is so essential and how you can make it work for your business.

On our social media marketing category page, you find blogs about social media marketing topics. Learn how to get the highest paid social ROI!

Social Media Marketing Blogs | Category

In the fast-evolving realm of digital marketing and public relations, utilizing the right tools is crucial for success. Our interdisciplinary category showcases all the pertinent tools for digital marketing & PR. These tools help in enhancing your online presence and effectively reaching target groups, whether through reputation management, influencer marketing, or social media management.

On our digital marketing and PR tools category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Digital Marketing & PR Tools Blogs | Category

Most B2B brands may not immediately turn to Instagram when deploying social media marketing campaigns, with the assumption that the visual-rich platform is too lifestyle-focused and only works well for consumer brands. That’s where they’re wrong. 

According to TrackMaven’s research, B2B companies receive the largest engagement on Instagram, out of all major social sites. This means the platform delivers the highest number of interactions per number of followers. Besides that, all media is hosted directly on the platform so users don’t have to click elsewhere to see the content.


In fact, when executed well, Instagram marketing for B2B brands can be a powerful way to reach your target audience. Remember, there are over 1 billion users a month on the social platform. So it would only be wise to tap on that user pool. 

But first, how has Instagram marketing evolved over the years?

What started as an image sharing platform has evolved into a visual storytelling platform with the release of various features. Instagram now offers up a whole suite of options for marketers to explore and be creative beyond the grid. 

Instagram is no longer a platform to only share photos – in a square format. You can now play around with photo dimensions and even upload videos to tell a more engaging story. Additionally, you can upload up to 10 images in one post as a carousel. This gives you greater room to play with storytelling through visuals. 

Similar to Snapchat, Instagram launched Instagram Stories as a way for users to share photos and videos on-the-go. These posts disappear after 24 hours. As an additional boost, for marketers running a business profile with more than 10,000 followers, you can add a swipe-up link to stories, directing users to a landing page. Otherwise, ads on Instagram Stories also give you the added advantage to immediately integrate links. 

According to Digiday, the popularity and versatile functionality of Instagram Stories have pushed advertisers to shift more of their ad spend to the platform. Completion rates – the percentage of users who viewed the entire story – for Instagram Stories are also on the rise, and younger age groups have been gravitating toward them. So it’s a good move for brands to consider jumping over to the ephemeral side. 

Then came the launch of IGTV, a dedicated space within Instagram for users to upload longer videos, effectively bringing users away from YouTube. Here you can create mini-episodes, tutorials or product run-throughs that resonate with your audience and create conversations around them.

Catering to the growth of e-commerce, Instagram launched a feature that allowed brands to add shopping tags to images. This meant brands can easily inform users of what products are in the image and direct them to a purchase page with a link to buy. Eventually, Instagram aims to make the platform completely shoppable, such that transactions can take place without having to leave the app. How’s that for seamless social shopping? 

Now that Instagram offers up a whole lot more on their platform, many brands have embraced it and delivered varying degrees of creativity to engage potential customers. Below, we’re going to highlight brands that are nailing Instagram marketing and show you what you can learn from them and apply to your own Instagram marketing strategy. 

Additionally, with these suggestions you might have a greater chance of landing on the Explore tab of Instagram, further boosting your overall engagement levels.  

Everyday relatability with comics: Evernote

It’s easy to lose the attention of your audience in the sea of content posted on Instagram. Hence, Evernote takes on the challenge to engage with users by creating highly relatable comics. These comics cleverly depict everyday situations where one would find themselves and offer a solution that comes in the form of Evernote. 

Not only does it ensure users pause to read, it also serves as an easy way to introduce humour along with your product line. Who knows, the decision-makers who determine whether or not to use Evernote could just be the ones amused by your comic. 

Produce creative service examples: Invision

As a digital product design platform, Invision can showcase its platform’s prowess through real-life examples of user interface designs. By taking it to Instagram, the company regularly uploads videos of innovative designs produced by Invisioners.

Through this, Invision is able to promote its platform and at the same time credit the creators who’ve used the platform – increasing engagement with existing customers. 

Add a dose of humour to office life: Zendesk

In order to build closer connections with its audience, Zendesk delved into creating short videos of office life. Uploaded as an Instagram Story, these snippets are often a hilarious stab on what happens in the day-to-day. 

Additionally, such posts give a peek into the life of a Zendesk-er at work, showcasing the company’s fun corporate culture. There are even mini-meditation and relaxation tips featuring current employees for a personal touch. 

User-generated content with IG Stories: Canva

Canva takes it to Instagram Stories to garner better engagement. However, instead of giving users content that’s intriguing or funny or about the platform, the graphic design platform attempts a different direction. 

They launched a regular Q&A series and utilised the Question sticker tag on Instagram to gather design questions from their users. Beyond simply engaging with users, the responses are also a great way to naturally provide answers to common questions their customers might have. At the same time, it’s a quick way to generate a regular stream of content. 

Create Giphy stickers for added creativity: MailChimp

Is it gif or jif? Let’s not debate the pronunciation because whichever it is, we can’t argue that everyone loves these animated graphics. On Instagram, the Giphy stickers are especially popular with users who want to add a little pizzazz to their stories. 

So what better way to get users to mention you or keep you on the top of their mind than by creating your very own set of Giphy stickers on Instagram? The email marketing service, MailChimp did just that. 

Couple that with irreverent and anything but boring posts, the business is consistently making email marketing fun again. 

Share studies with digestible IG Stories graphics: SurveyMonkey

Most brands would create e-books and focus on marketing it through gated landing pages, banners within articles or via email marketing. Survey Monkey goes one step further to market their studies on IG Stories.  

By taking snippets of data in their studies, SurveyMonkey creates digestible graphics in the form of IG Stories. These individual IG Stories are then strung together to form an IG highlight so new users visiting the profile can always view it. 

This effectively allows the survey development company to naturally reach out to a whole other target audience who’s active on Instagram – but without overwhelming them. It also helps that the study topics are relevant to the younger demographic on Instagram, such as the Emoji Study. 

Seen the possibilities and now you want to get started on B2B Instagram marketing? Before you jump right in, be sure to have certain guidelines in place – you don’t want to commit a faux pas. 

Find your distinct flavour (also known as your voice)

Create a clear strategy and set measurable goals

Ensure your posts provide a clear value to your target audience

Ensure your posts are also relevant to your business 

You don’t necessarily need a fancy camera or editing software to make an impact on Instagram. What you will need is a brainstorm session with your team to gather all the creative angles that’ll show your B2B brand’s Instagram is clearly #owningit.

B2B Brands That Are Nailing It On Instagram

While we often hear content marketers talk about the difficulty of consistently producing fresh, engaging, brand content, they’re not the only ones who face this struggle. PR professionals also have to keep a fresh stream of content coming to fuel their campaigns, keep their media and influencer relationships active, and build executive thought leadership profiles. But when PR is dialed into the content marketing organization’s workflow, it opens up a whole new treasure trove of potential coverage, while turning PR into a corporate MVP by amplifying brand content.

Here are four everyday activities that PR pros can use to amplify brand content.

Include Brand Content in Influencer Outreach

As you cultivate influencer relationships over time, a big part of making them mutually beneficial is keeping an eye out for ways to promote their expertise through your channels. And involving them with your content marketing efforts is an easy and effective way to do so.

Before publication: Use content-in-progress as a reason to reach out to influencers with whom you are cultivating relationships, and ask them if they’d like to be included with a quote or a link to a resource.

After publication: Send completed content to influencers who frequently write on the topic as an FYI, either as simply a thoughtful gift of content or with an invitation to pitch a related follow-up collaboration.

Deepen and Promote Your Referenceable Customer Relationships

While it would be great if every media request for a quote was for our executives, frequently they’re looking for a customer to talk to instead. When this happens, the last thing you want to do is to scramble to try to find a referencable customer who is willing to talk to the media, and who may or may not be an interview pro. That’s why it’s important to nurture customer relationships over time, so when an opportunity for that dream story pops up, you know exactly who to ask. Here are two ways to do so:

When you are participating in brand editorial meetings, suggest customers who might have a relevant story or quote that could enrich the content.

After that content is published, pitch an interview with that customer to the media, using recently published content as your proof of engagement with the topic.

Integrate Content in Your Ongoing Media Relations Outreach

It’s always difficult to make your PR pitches stand out from the competition. But when the pitch is supported by relevant content, it’s got a better chance of piquing a journalist’s interest. Here are five easy ways to integrate brand content into media relations outreach:

Use content as proof of source subject matter expertise. Pitch the internal content author as a source in response to relevant media inquiries.

Repurpose written, audio, and video content. Turn the content into a visual and use it in your next PR campaign as a resource.

Increase the reach of proprietary data. Pitch proprietary data or research-based content to the media, either as a one-time story, or monitoring the trends over time and how they affects your audience.

Create a rich media soundbite. Have the content author record a video elevator pitch for the piece of content and/or the topic in general and include it in a media pitch.

Build inbound links. Include a request to link back to relevant owned content with every interview you place.

In the early days of the Internet, some brands could get away with publishing content through their owned channels and waiting for the audience to materialize. But those days are over. Now, to reach brand fans with your content, there needs to be paid distribution as part of the plan. For those of you who are wondering why I’m including paid media is part of the PR professional’s toolbox, that’s because I’m a proponent of Gini Dietrich’s PESO model. Media and influencer relations are just a small part of her framework.

With that perspective in place, here are a few ways PR professionals can use paid media to support brand content:

Content syndication. Syndicate the content through a third-party distribution tool such as Outbrain or Taboola.

Sponsored content. Publish the content as part of a sponsored content agreement.

Guest blog. Place it as part of a guest blogger agreement with an industry publication, such as a multi-blog series with Entrepreneur, or part of an executive’s Forbes blog.

Boost with a paid social post. Take your best organic social media post that’s sharing the content and put a small budget behind it to increase its reach beyond your brand followers.

By regularly incorporating your brand’s measurable content marketing metrics into your PR strategy, you will become better able to show the ROI on your PR efforts. And with the content team as your new BFFs, you’ll never be stuck wondering what story angle to pitch next for your quarterly campaigns.

To learn more about how to integrate your PR and content marketing efforts, download our ebook, Unlocking PR’s Potential with Content Marketing.

4 Smart Ways PR Can Amplify Brand Content

Everyone is on social media, except, all too often, for top executives. Here we'll guide you through any apprehensions you may have about the value of building a strong and engaged social presence. As you'll see, the benefits outweigh the risk and effort. Once you've bought in, you'll want some inspiration on how to do it right. For examples of social savvy business leaders—from GM, Apple, 23andME, and others—who are undeniably setting their companies apart, read our latest ebook on social media for execs.

Social media may be ubiquitous these days, but for busy corporate executives, it seems to be something to avoid. In fact, over 60% of Fortune 500 executives eschew social media use altogether.

There’s no question that social media use presents several challenges to busy executives and CEOs. Those challenges include:

A significant time investment and resulting impediments to personal productivity

A perceived lack of ROI, especially when the executive could be performing other, more traditional high-level tasks that help create

The perception of social media as a cesspool of outrage and cheap gossip, leaving many executives to fail to see any value or benefit in their direct participation

Potential exposure that may be created by off-the-cuff, unguarded comments, which may present legal, political, business, and personal risks

However, these same risks are inherent in multiple activities that executives engage in, activities that are perceived as yielding higher value and benefit to businesses and brands.

As it turns out, the benefits from strategic CEO and executive use of social media outweigh the risks, as long as that use takes place within strategic parameters and guidelines that support corporate goals and interests.

Here are five excellent reasons why business executives should be active on social media:

Every company and brand has a story. Origin stories, stories about lean early years, success stories about clients and customers—company executives have a unique viewpoint on all these stories. And these are often stories that only executives can tell, especially on social media. These are also usually the most compelling stories, ones that emotionally resonate with prospective customers on social media. They need to be told.

Sharing those stories with a self-selected audience of followers—people who want to hear from you and your brand—helps build brand awareness and attracts new prospects into your marketing funnel. It also creates a particular kind of transparency that is attractive to the right people.

2. The Executive Voice Attracts Top Talent

To succeed, your company needs the best possible talent. And as the executive face of your company, you represent it not only to customers and prospects but also to potential future hires. What factors will persuade the best in their fields to want to work for your business, instead of for your competitors?

Certainly, many such factors exist—compensation, benefits, culture, and more—but among those factors is a vaguely defined ‘X’ factor. Part reputation, part brand “personality, part vision, this indefinable quality means different things to different people. But, it often comes down to something quite basic: How badly prospective hires want to work with and for you, the CEO, the company’s leader. 

Being active on social media gives your personality, work ethic, and enthusiasm for your own company’s product a chance to take center stage. As a result, social media can draw top job prospects who’ll be best suited to join your team and fit into your organization effortlessly—and enthusiastically.

3. Social Media Is a Direct Line to Your Prospects

The most engaging executives on social media are the ones who recognize this salient point: The shortest path to your customer’s heart is a straight line.

You can use any social media account to connect directly with your customers, prospects, and targeted users, as well as with colleagues and partners. Do you want to know what they’re thinking about your vision for your industry and the products or services you provide? Ask them. They’ll absolutely tell you.

Moreover, if you respond to those who are kind enough to answer you, you’ll build trust and goodwill. This trust will extend to your company as well. Adding to your company’s intangible assets makes you a more effective and valuable CEO.

4. A Strong Executive Presence on Social Helps Steer the Ship in a Crisis

Crisis management should never be the overriding objective of any social media use. After all, if your company solely engages with followers and fans in times of crisis, it’s already working at a disadvantage. Establishing executive presence on social media and a pattern of regular use helps the company when a crisis does occur, because it’s easier to communicate the corporate message through an active profile.

An active executive account with a strong following means you have a ready-made channel and an interested audience ready to listen to what you have to say on your company’s behalf—especially when it’s time to right a wrong. This inevitably strengthens the message and helps it land more effectively. Your crisis playbook should always include social.

5. It’s What Your Customers Want and Expect

Last, but far from least, consider this: your customers and clients want to hear from the corporation’s leaders. In fact, 90% of consumers want and expect transparency from the companies with which they do business. Many will stop buying from companies that don’t deliver that transparency. Strategic social media use by engaged executives helps demonstrate your corporate commitment to authenticity and ethical conduct.

Without question, social media can turn into a time-wasting activity that can serve as a catalyst for corporate missteps. For that reason, clear, cogent guidelines should be drafted for social media use by all executives and company officers. Those guidelines should rest on a strong strategic foundation that addresses the company’s goals and objectives, serving the need to be transparent while also being mindful of legal and regulatory obligations and interests. Within those parameters, executive social media accounts can boost brand awareness, corporate goodwill, customer engagement, and lead conversion.

For examples of top executives—from GM, Apple, 23andME, and others—who have mastered social media and are delivering results for their companies, read our latest ebook on social media for execs.

5 Reasons Executives Should Increase Social Media Presence

The ease and widespread use of e-commerce and digital credit have made life in China so much different than it was before. The traditional physical space is losing out as e-commerce replaces the current system. However, there is still hope for retailers if they are able to bring the digital world into their physical retail spaces.

Conventionally, retailers have split the two arenas of shopping to online to offline segments or commonly known as the O2O model. Retailers who predominantly reached customers through their physical stores begin setting up e-commerce websites and engaging in digital marketing. Yet, barriers to purchase still exist in the new arena of making purchases. Many consumers still have the tactile desire to feel and try on their goods.  This need is first fostered when the consumer searches for the items he or she wants to buy online, makes a list, and manifests that desire by going to the physical retail store to make a purchase.

Tip: Check out our retail customer experience guide and take a look at the best eCommerce podcasts and at the best retail podcasts that could be helpful to you.

The Life of New Retail in China – Online Merge Offline

E-commerce companies in China such as Alibaba have noticed this nook of an opportunity and are looking to bridge that demand. Alibaba is leading the way and have pushed boundaries to develop a New Retail model called Online Merge Offline (OMO) commerce. With this new concept, every aspect of the shopping experience is enhanced – for both the consumer and the retailers of every scale.

Despite the internet providing the platform to satisfy the constant search for products and the consumer base becoming increasingly knowledgeable, consumers seek the comforts of physicality when purchasing products. This is when consumers visit a physical shopping space to touch and feel products. Once they are satisfied perusing the product and ready to purchase, they can just whip out their latest Huaweis and scan the product’s QR code to have the item delivered directly to their doorsteps.

This complete digitalisation of retail services becomes the new customer experience. This move by Alibaba eliminates all the barriers that are present on both sides of the consumer experience and in fact enhances to its optimal point. Consumers get the best of both worlds and there is no need to test out products at the physical store and frantically source for the best deals online. No queues and confirmed inventories are a boon for consumers too.

Tip: If you're interested in staying on top of all things retail, listen to the best retail podcasts!

One of Alibaba’s OMO creations, Hema (Chinese word for Hippo), was launched with much fanfare in 2015 and this integration has enabled cashless checkouts. A collaboration with the Bailian Group has further expanded retail options by including supermarket fresh goods and household items. Consumer data gathered from these offline choices can be used to enhance their online experience and vice versa. Chris Tung, Chief Marketing Officer of Alibaba Group said, “We want to bring Alibaba experience to support retail brands, to run the operation with our data capability. It’s about digitizing the footprint of the digital store and optimizing the shopping experience.”

China is leading the way with its OMO model and businesses will be wise to feature similar methodologies. Tung adds, “Online experience is [constantly evolving] because we personalize the web page for customers. Offline has always been the same, and we believe offline should be more exciting. You have to integrate the data to enhance the in-store experience.”

A quick look into social media for this year, there were more than 3,300 social mentions about Alibaba’s Hema and there were predominantly on forums. Comments from forums made up more than 77% of the total number of social mentions. To harness a greater understanding of what the consumer wants, social insights companies such as Meltwater are supplying retail organisations with rich knowledge about their consumers. This knowledge can further boost the quantitative insights drawn from the OMO model.

Commenters on Chinese forums came out in full force on the topic of Hema and interesting insights on consumer perception towards the revolutionary retail concept. Many netizens discussed when and where a Hema outlet would open in their vicinity and they were generally delighted if one really did. They also discussed the user experience of the technology in Hema, primarily QR codes to enter the premises, auto payment when you end your OMO journey in the physical retail store, and the rapid delivery of the purchases.

All in all, I believe this relatively holistic business strategy needs to be quickly embraced and implemented by retailers as knowledgeable consumers establish positions to new trends. Retailers must be ready to step out of one or the other platforms and endorse a more streamlined and unified platform.

The old dichotomy of separating offline and online commerce is unsustainable to reach out to the larger consumer base. The many pain points that consumers experience with current retail models serve as exciting opportunities for retailers to innovate on. Understanding this importance will bring about great benefits and create an entirely new digitised shopping experience for consumers.

New Retail: The Best of Both (Physical and Digital) Worlds

On 7 July 2019, the rumble of 60,000 excited fans echoed through the stands of the Parc Olympique Lyonnais stadium in Lyon, France. They were eagerly anticipating the final showdown to the electrifying campaign that was the Women’s World Cup 2019. Just in the USA alone, another 14.3 million viewers tuned in to the game through their screens. The USA Women’s Football team clinched their fourth Women’s World Cup championship title after a convincing 2-0 victory over the Netherlands that evening – with goals from a penalty taken by Megan Rapinoe and an absolute screamer of a left-footed shot by Rose Lavelle. The team have now returned to their fans back home to celebrate their victory, but their mission to grow the sport is far from over. 

For years, Women’s football has always lived in the shadow of their male counterparts. With a disproportionate amount of tournament prize money going to the male sport and lack of investment to the sport, female footballers are facing huge challenges. But the toughest and longest battle is the one for equal pay. In 2016, the first significant step was made to correct this wrong when five senior US national football players filed a wage-discrimination action to demand equal pay. Since then, the movement has only gained momentum and the Women’s World Cup this year was the turning point. 

There was something different in the air this World Cup compared to the last. No longer were the US team regarded as the Goliath of the football scene trampling on the other teams that came their way. While they remained the strongest contender, they were faced with formidable opposition, advancing the competition by narrowly defeating their challengers with slim single goal margins on multiple occasions. The quality of football improved drastically across the board and this resulted in more thrilling clashes. People – both fans and journalists – shared their excitement online. This World Cup saw a staggering increase of 16K news mentions from the 2015 World Cup and a total of 46.65 million social media mentions across social platforms like Twitter, forums, blogs, Tumblr and Facebook. From controversial calls by referees to heated discussions over the behaviour of the footballers, the digital world was abuzz with chatter this season – a sign of the growing popularity that Women’s Football is garnering.

Now let’s take a look at some of the most talked-about moments of this campaign: 

The opening two weeks of the campaign saw a total of 930K mentions on social media, but online conversations only started gaining traction after the match between the USA and Thailand. The US National team were met with huge criticism online for their lack of sportsmanship when they defeated the Thais with a 13-0 thrashing. Critics were unhappy with the team’s unrelenting pursuit for goals despite an already huge margin, and how vehemently they celebrated after they scored each one. The US team defended back saying that going easy against their opponent is a greater sign of disrespect. This event also sparked a wider discussion of double standards imposed on male and female football and the lack of investments channelled towards female football teams in regions outside the US.

Many have said that this World Cup was more than just a matter of football. It was a stage to advocate for relevant social issues like institutionalised gender inequality and gay rights. Blazing the trail was the US National Team’s co-captain Megan Rapinoe. 

Throughout the campaign, Rapinoe was unapologetically candid in her interviews. Her big personality caused quite a controversy when she boldly claimed that she would never visit the White House. She was never shy to express her disdain towards President Trump for his divisive and non-inclusive policies and statements. This triggered an entire series of tweets by the President himself about how Rapinoe has been disrespectful to the country. People on the Internet began taking sides, as with all issues linked to American politics, and out of the 860K social mentions about the World Cup that week, 250K of them were in relation to Rapinoe’s comment.

Donald J. Trump on Twitter: "Women’s soccer player, @mPinoe, just stated that she is “not going to the F...ing White House if we win.” Other than the NBA, which now refuses to call owners, owners (please explain that I just got Criminal Justice Reform passed, Black unemployment is at the lowest level..."

Rapinoe has also been extremely vocal about the inequality women face in sports. She has been leading the conversation for equal pay and prize money and has become the face of the movement. When FIFA scheduled two other finals involving US teams at the same time as the World Cup finals between USA and Netherlands, Rapinoe unabashedly called the officials out for their bad management – a reflection of their lack of regard for the sport.  

The final week of the World Cup campaign garnered a grand total of 720K social mentions. While the finals between the US and the Netherlands was the biggest game of the season, the semi-finals match between the US and England generated the most chatter online. The match was highly anticipated with many believing that if the US were to be toppled, the Lionesses were to be their undoing. But topple them they did not, and the US emerged victorious with a narrow 2-1 win. However, what sparked the most online conversation was Alex Morgan’s cheeky goal celebration – she pretended to sip tea in front of the English supporters. This moment alone drew over 210K mentions on social media. 

Viewers who took offence at this gesture began to air their criticisms online. English personality Piers Morgan condemned her celebration as “bordering on a declaration of war” between the two nations. 

Piers Morgan on Twitter: "It’s bordering on a declaration of war.… "

Again, the conversation was directed back to the issue of double standards between men and women in sports. Alex Morgan responded to her critics with examples of male footballers celebrating their goal with a bit of jest like grabbing their sacks or flashing the “L” hand sign (implying the word “loser”). Yet viewers often give them a pass or sometimes even embrace them. It seems that people are harsher and more critical of the actions made by female footballers than their male counterparts. 

Lyndsey D'Arcangelo on Twitter: "Do we ask this when guys score touchdowns and do fun little dances? When guys slam the ball through the net and hang on the rim? Or when guys sink a three and run back down the court with their arms spread wide?

Let female athletes BE athletes. Let them celebrate. Tired of this.… https://t.co/RsazSTFISA"

Women’s Football – More than just a game

The defining moments of the Women’s World Cup campaign simply shone a light on the injustice endured by the football community and the wider society at large. Though participating nations have gone home and the hype has died down, the important conversations sparked during its course continue to burn brightly. Leading the charge are the female footballers themselves, who have been tirelessly fighting for greater recognition for years. The difference after this World Cup? People are finally listening.

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Women’s World Cup 2019: Social Media Analysis

Star players, big sponsorship deals, massive live events and a huge – and growing – fan base. Surely the time has come for esports to be regarded as part of the marketing mainstream in Britain?

It seems remarkable that there’s a form of entertainment which is already viewed as bigger than the UK video and music markets. Yet, marketers and advertisers remain largely unaware of it, or simply see it as a niche-market netherworld inhabited by stay-at-home teenagers and geeks.

Some experts even believe that esports, or competitive video gaming, could become more valuable than the movie industry as younger consumers, around the world, embrace a radical new era of digital entertainment.

According to the latest Esports Report published by Newzoo, which specialises in games and esports analytics, by the end of 2019 there will be 454 million esports participants worldwide and revenues of US$1.1-billion. This is up 26% on the previous year.

By 2020, it is estimated that the number of participants will rise to 645 million and revenue will be approximately US$3.2 billion. The number of people who play video games (not necessarily competitively and therefore not classified as true ‘video gamers’) is even higher, at an estimated 2.2-billion people.

“This is not just a few geeky kids playing in their attics. This is a generation that is redefining what is considered sport and what is entertainment,” says John Clarke, Global Brand and Marketing Communications Officer at Gfinity, the UK-based esports company.

In a May 2019 column written for The Drum magazine, he notes: “Brands need to understand the scale of this change because the danger is they underestimate the differences of this community of gamers – or make the mistake of thinking of them in terms of traditional sports fans.

The esports community is something entirely different. Quite apart from being hard to reach in more conventional ways, the level of engagement and immersion in the games they are playing or watching is on another level to that of a traditional fan. Hard to imagine. But true.”

Clarke continues: “Like it or not, esports and competitive gaming have become a way of life for hundreds of millions of young people. It will continue to grow; the only question is by how much and how quickly?”

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