Generation Z and Brand Engagement Born in the mid-1990s and mid-2000s, living entirely within the digital age, Generation Z has never experienced a time without the internet. Each new generation comes with its own characteristics and presents unique opportunities and challenges for marketers. Gen Z’ers are stigmatized as being technology addicts and lacking the ability to connect with people face-to-face, … Read More
5 Marketing Priorities of Hospitals & Health Systems
The modern hospital and health system marketer must meet their audience where they are. Having a digital-first approach is critical for success. Now more than ever hospital and health system marketing teams are feeling the challenges of being under-resourced to accomplish an ever-growing list of priorities. In speaking with hospital and health system marketing leaders across the country, the … Read More
Mindfulness for Smarter Marketing
Leveraging human-first experiences to build strategic plans for Health, Wellness, and Lifestyle Brands As marketers, it’s easy to forget that we are also consumers, “the target market” for so many brands and companies that touch our lives daily. I’m a mom, a working professional, a friend, a yogi, a homeowner, a traveler, and so much more. It’s estimated that … Read More
Health, Wellness, and Lifestyle Marketers’ Guide to Going Cookie-less
What Google’s Depreciation of Cookies Means for Marketers If you touch digital advertising in any capacity, you’re likely aware that the cookie is crumbling. For those of you who may still exist in ignorant bliss, allow us to break it down for you. What the heck are cookies and why have they been in the industry news so much … Read More
Google Ads iOS14 Updates
iOS14 Updates Apple recently introduced new privacy and security features for their iOS14 software update. As a result, Google, Facebook, and other digital advertising platforms have had to make significant updates to products to comply with the new privacy and security features. This update is largely focused on user privacy within apps, so Google’s updates were less significant than Facebook’s, … Read More
Why Hulu Might Be the Next Advertising Channel in Your Marketing Mix.
Search, Social, and now Streaming. Self-service advertising continues to grow across almost all digital touchpoints. With several companies such as Google, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter, and TikTok all having their own ad managers, Hulu will be jumping into the mix. They began beta testing their self-serve ad-buying tool early last year and will continue to allow businesses to … Read More
How to Use Geographic Data for Competitive Conquesting
Geo-Conquesting Most marketers that have been in the digital game are familiar with the concept of Geo-Targeting and some of the more traditional ways to use this tactic to reach their prospective customers. But, what about some unconventional ways of applying this targeting to help achieve business goals? A standard application would be to use geo-targeting around physical store locations … Read More
What Google’s Keyword Matching Update Means for Your Brand
Agency POV Google recently announced that they will be making significant changes to the way phrase and broad match modifier (BMM) keywords trigger ads for various search terms. Essentially Phrase and BMM keywords will be combined into one overarching match type. The current Phrase match type will expand to cover broad match modifier traffic while still leveraging word order when … Read More
Facebook Ads iOS14 Updates
How Apple’s Recent Release Could Affect Your Facebook Advertising You have probably heard by now that Apple’s recent iOS 14 update will impact Facebook advertising, but you may still be wondering exactly how this will unfold. There are still a lot of questions that remain unanswered, but we’ve compiled what we know so far and some tips to help you … Read More
How Your Brand Can Promote Social Media Wellness
With people spending so much more time at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the danger of over-using social media is real, even for people for whom health and wellness is a priority. Remember what Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba said: “Today’s customers want to be healthy and happy, no matter who they are.” He’s right. And for brands … Read More
Paid Media Tips for Brand Safety During COVID-19
Brand Safety encompasses all the strategies and activities brands employ to safeguard their reputation while advertising online. This spans from paid media strategy all the way down to ad placement, as well as ad content. Traditionally when marketers think about brand safety, it’s in reference to where ads are placed online and ensuring “safe” content adjacency. This entails making sure … Read More
Social Media Advertising Updates 2020
The world of social media advertising can feel like it is evolving at light speed. To help you stay on top of opportunities to achieve your marketing goals, we wanted to take a moment to share a current overview of all Q1 and Q2 changes to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Linkedin, Pinterest, and TikTok . Facebook & Instagram Updates New … Read More
Google Ads Updates 2020
We wanted to take a moment to share noteworthy 2020 updates, beta programs, and features you may have missed from 2019 within the Google Ads platform, specifically for paid search and display, that might affect the way you achieve your marketing goals. Lead Form Extensions Are Still in Beta and Have Some Critical Limitations This feature was rolled out in … Read More
Five Things Your Marketing Team Can Do Now to Best Prepare for the Post-Pandemic Economy
Since early March 2020, much of American enterprise has been at a near-standstill. While there is no on-off switch to the national economy, there is an indication that the “dimmer” is slowly moving its way to “on,” with governors in several states laying out plans for a phased lifting of restrictions based on the guidance of their health officials. We … Read More
Three Ways to Maximize Brand Awareness During a Recession
The Digital Marketing landscape is rapidly changing under the economic pressure of the Coronavirus Pandemic. Agencies and Brands have needed to be agile to stay ahead of shifts and trends that could have a significant impact on client goals. From our work to help some of the leading health, wellness, and lifestyle brands across the country navigate these uncertain times, … Read More
What the Parallel Path Team is Doing to Stay Well at Home Right Now
It’s no secret health and wellness is kind of a big deal here at Parallel Path. It’s who we are as an agency (a healthy living spending account is even part of our benefits package), and it’s what we do: at work, at home, and in our communities. But, our ski lifts are closed and gyms are shuttered for the … Read More
More People are Searching for “Coronavirus” Than “COVID-19” Right Now
We are certainly at an odd moment in time, and today there are more questions than answers regarding the development of the Coronavirus pandemic. The vast majority of those questions are being made as online search queries. As news and updates on the rapidly evolving Coronavirus pandemic continue to inundate inboxes and newsfeeds across the country, many of our clients … Read More
Segmenting Branded and Non-Branded Keywords to Maximize Your Media Spend
Chances are, your organization is already employing both branded and non-branded keywords in your Paid Media (PPC) and SEO programs. But, the key to really knowing the impact of those branded keywords on conversion results is through segmentation. First, let’s define our terms. What is a Branded Keyword? Branded keywords include some aspect of your company’s name, such as: ‘Backpacker’s … Read More
How to Use Google Analytics Segments: An Illustrated Guide
Google Analytics offers a ton of up-front/top-level information. The way Google provides information and allows users to slice and dice the information works well for many cases. However, there are some shortcomings where utilizing filters and secondary dimensions can only get you so far, and on top of that, it can be relatively time-consuming. This is where segments come in … Read More
Why Your Brand Should Use Facebook Brand Lift Measurement
Likes feel great, but are they good for the bottom line? While likes and shares are usually guaranteed to boost your mood, it’s difficult to gauge whether those types of social media engagement are boosting sales. Enter Facebook Brand Lift, which reports on metrics such as brand awareness and ad recall in an effort to cut through the clutter and … Read More