Digital Predictions for 2012
As marketers look to the year ahead, what does 2012 hold for digital? Millward Brown’s Global Futures Group has identified 12 digital trends to look out for in the next 12 months. What’s going to happen to online advertising? Will big brands become more playful with gamification? And what role will the development of mobile devices play in marketing? Read their predictions here to gain valuable insight in areas including online and mobile shopping trends, apps and gaming.

Minimize Ad Avoidance
How do you stop viewers from tuning out of your television advertising? In this co-authored article, Mitzi Lorentzen discusses research between Kantar Media, the Advertising Research Foundation and Millward Brown which shows that position in break, product irrelevance, emotional negativity and media placement are all contributing factors. But understanding which creative elements relate to tuneaway before an ad runs provides an early warning signal to help advertisers minimize audience loss.

Not Just Different but Meaningfully Different
What’s more important to a brand – to be different or relevant? Are marketers that opt for relevance over difference damaging their brands? In this point of view, Nigel Hollis discusses how successful brands are more than relevant and different – they are meaningfully different. In the absence of a meaningful difference, the cheapest brand may be regarded as the best choice. But a meaningful difference can spark consumer interest and fuel demand for a brand, even when that brand carries a significant price premium.