The industry’s reaction to skyrocketing ad-blocker usage rates is recognizing that the consumer experience needs to improve, and fast. As Google stated in a recent developer post, ad-blocking “reduces the ability for publishers to continue creating free content and threatens the sustainability of the web ecosystem.” (more…)
Nova Southeastern University, based in Fort Lauderdale with campuses throughout Florida and in Puerto Rico, was launching the new Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine. The mission: to educate the next generation of physician leaders. Students would gain a rare opportunity to experience a new model of teaching and practicing medicine that better reflected today’s real-world health issues and tomorrow’s opportunities.
NSU MD leaders weren’t worried about attracting enough applicants to its 2018 charter class. Their concern: finding the right applicants nationwide who could succeed in this unique hybrid case- and problem-based MD program. Along with strong grades and test scores, candidates needed a passion for medicine; the drive to lead; teamwork skills; and the discipline to work independently.
Starmark created a targeted recruitment effort, leading to a site that clearly spelled out the mission and instruction model of the new college before giving the option to apply. The goal was to better qualify applicants — delivering the right candidates, versus the most candidates, to make up the charter class. This approach helped attract and enroll the small number of students who were ideal fits for the program, while eliminating an enormous amount of application filtering by the admissions team.
Without existing classes or alumni, the website would be the vision and voice of NSU MD. It had to be as innovative as the program itself, appealing to millennial audiences. Based upon Starmark’s results for other universities, including NSU’s own H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship and Abraham S. Fischler College of Education, NSU MD chose the agency as the best partner.
The team conducted in-depth target user experience testing to inform its best-practices recommendations for site structure, organization and layout. The leading-edge, mobile-first design captures the college’s innovative spark, while infusing the friendly warmth of its South Florida locale. The copy is short, compelling and audience-friendly, sharing NSU MD’s differentiating benefits and offering easy pathways to deeper detail.
Attendees had a blast test-driving leading-edge AR and VR technology and left with real-world insights on how AR/VR can solve their own business challenges at Starmark’s February 9th VIP Luncheon, featuring Jay Miolla, Director of AR, VR and MR at Gramercy Tech. (more…)
We’ve discussed why it’s important to update your brand style guide to move into new technologies in a more brand-consistent way. And in the case of augmented reality and virtual reality, these two storytelling media can actually make core elements of your brand experience far more portable in ways that outclass any previous technology.
For instance, if your theme park’s brand experience is designed to be thrilling for your visitors, it’s now possible to deliver that experience to your potential customers in an augmented or immersive way. Just think about it, when’s the last time you, as a consumer, experienced a thrill from something you heard on radio or read online?
As with video storytelling on social channels, it’s important to evaluate what elements of your brand experience have eluded easy capture in other media – and how AR and VR can help bring them to life.
Reprinted from South Florida Business Journal.
Introduced to developers this summer, the widely anticipated Apple Business Chat official launch is expected in 2018, giving developers and businesses time to get ready for what may become the all-in-one searching, service, selling, buying and transacting platform of the next decade.
I asked one of our technology-savvy developers: “Why chat?” He held up his Apple iPhone 7 and said: “Do you really think I bought this to make phone calls?” True, that while smartphone users pick up their phone an average of 80 times a day, the majority of the time, it is not to make phone calls – and one of the most used features on the iPhone is iMessage, otherwise labeled Messages. So iPhone users have already made Messages an incredibly important part of their daily life.
How will Apple Business Chat be different from the chatting you’ve been doing on various devices for the previous decade? In addition to being on iPhone, Apple Business Chat allows a cradle-to-grave transaction without leaving iMessage. You can find what you want to buy (or ask Siri to find it), ask questions about it by chatting with a live customer service person, download the seller’s app, choose product features or a seat at the theater, set an appointment or book a hotel, pay with Apple Pay or the new Apple Pay Cash, get directions on a digital map app and more. Plus, you’ll have a record of all that transpires with that business chat on Messages.
It is also different for the business you are contacting. Business customer service is enhanced because when the customer initiates the iMessage, the business receives a unique and private customer ID that tells only the language, device and regional location of the customer. But that is more information than a telephone call or website chat service agent receives. The business can then provide effective customer service immediately and, when appropriate, ask the customer to provide additional information.
Both the customer and the business can transfer photos and other types of attachments within the chat. Many businesses are already experiencing the convenience of Apple Pay, but a major benefit that is a game-changer for Apple Pay Cash will be that the normal 3 to 5 percent credit-card charges will not apply, as the business is dealing directly with the customer – so no debit or credit card or point-of-service machine.
Taking advantage of Apple Business Chat will not be like flipping a switch for businesses. The good news is that the first-rate customer service practices it supports were sharpened in the Apple Store over the last dozen years. Additionally, four platforms – LivePerson, Nuance, Genesys and SalesForce – are already integrated with Apple Business Chat and are prepared to move ahead. Apple Pay is already used by many businesses. New Apple Pay Cash advantages, in terms of eliminating the “middleman” in credit-card transaction costs, will be very attractive for businesses to implement.
Apple has built in some pretty robust standard features that businesses can use when they register with Apple Business Chat, which can be a starter for any organization. However, now that the developer kit is available, it’s a good time to decide the right application for Apple Business Chat as a part of your company’s sales funnel and customer service platforms. You may benefit from some exclusivity in your use of this product with a custom app that can be integrated using the Apple Business Chat Sandbox for developers.
Once a customer has had an experience with Apple Business Chat and your company, that connection stays in their message box until they delete it. The more we can do to make the sales process on their devices easy and efficient for customers, the higher the likelihood of increased satisfaction and repeat business. Some, if not all, of the Apple Business Chat features previously existed in best practices on multiple devices, but not in the same platform experience with the ease that Apple has designed.
Yes, it could become the all-in-one searching, service, selling, buying and transacting platform of the next decade. If you are ready to be among the first to market with Apple Business Chat, it will definitely be a competitive advantage.
Like fashion trends, some marketing trends are cyclical. Right now, the habits and preferences of Millennials and Gen Zers are fueling the resurgence of several trends for which death knells were sounded just a handful of years ago. (more…)
Starmark worked with AutoNation to create excitement and attendance for the 2017 AutoNation Cure Bowl and its pre-game concert featuring multi-platinum recording artist Andy Grammer, even before fans knew which teams would be playing.
If your website doesn’t accommodate a mobile-first design approach, then you missed the mark this holiday season. According to Adobe Analytics, smartphones and tablets will account for over 54% of all website visits for e-commerce retail sites, making the importance of a mobile-first approach more important than ever. (more…)
Reprinted from South Florida Business Journal.
It may be time to think about making your website ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliant, if it isn’t already. This has been a requirement for government websites and their vendors for nearly 20 years. However, as the general public’s online lives are merging with daily physical needs for acquiring products and services, lawsuits citing ADA accessibility on consumer websites have recently cropped up in several states, including Florida. This is despite the fact that it has been reported that Department of Justice (DOJ) regulations on ADA website compliance for the private sector will not be available until at least 2018. (more…)
Reducing ad-spend waste and targeting advertising dollars to the purchasing decision-makers in a household is no longer beyond the reach of marketers. Introducing Household Audiences–Facebook’s newest value-driven ad tool that helps your business deliver relevant content to not only prospective buyers but members of their households as well. (more…)
Reprinted from South Florida Business Journal.
When it comes to your employees – from the youngest to the eldest – how do you keep them from rolling their eyes at each other from opposite sides of the room? (more…)
As an extension of the Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB’s ground-breaking “Greater Together” campaign, Starmark created a live art activation at the Riptide Music Festival on Fort Lauderdale beach. The thumbprint work of art was directly linked to the initial campaign, symbolizing the many colors of diversity that make up Greater Fort Lauderdale’s DNA. (more…)