Archives par mot-clé : video

Marine Corps aircraft crashes in Mississippi, killing at least 16, including Special Operations troops

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Military investigators picked through the charred wreckage of a Marine Corps cargo plane Tuesday, seeking clues on why it spiraled out of the sky in western Mississippi, killing 15 Marines and one Navy sailor, said a Marine statement.

The dead included a number of elite Marine Raiders, said two people familiar with crash. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the incident.

The small Marine Special Operations community has been hit especially hard by aviation accidents in recent years. In 2015, seven of the elite troops died when they were flying aboard an Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter that crashed during a training exercise off the Florida panhandle.

The probe into Monday’s crash of the KC-130 aircraft, en route from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., was ongoing, the Marine statement added. The plane is used for refueling and carrying cargo and troops. Equipment onboard the aircraft at the time of the crash included small arms and ammunition, another Marine statement said. Bomb disposal experts have been dispatched to the scene as a precaution.

The names of those killed were not immediately made public pending notification of family members, the Marine statement said.

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Director Lee Smithson told the Clarion-Ledger that the aircraft crashed on the Leflore-Sunflower county line, a rural stretch of woods and fields with dense underbrush and vegetation about 85 miles north of Jackson. Earlier, Sheriff Ricky Banks told the Ledger that five of the crew members were confirmed dead.

Andy Jones, a local resident, told the Associated Press that he was working on his family’s catfish farm just before 4 p.m. when he heard a boom and looked up to see the plane corkscrewing downward with one engine smoking.

“You looked up and you saw the plane twirling around,” he said. “It was spinning down.”

He told the AP that the plane hit the ground behind some trees in a soybean field, and by the time he and other reached the crash site, fires were burning too intensely to approach the wreckage. The force of the crash nearly flattened the plane, Jones said.

“Beans are about waist-high, and there wasn’t much sticking out above the beans,” he said.

Pictures posted to Facebook and published by the Ledger showed thick black smoke coming from a field. The debris field appears to span a large area.

In a statement Tuesday morning the commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Robert Neller, pledged a thorough investigation of the incident.

“On behalf of the entire Marine Corps, I want to express my deepest condolences to the families of those killed in the aircraft mishap yesterday afternoon in Mississippi,” Neller said.

The KC-130 is a four-engine propeller-driven aircraft that is a variant of the Cold War-era C-130 Hercules. The plane can be configured to refuel aircraft in midair or equipment on the ground. It can also haul troops and equipment and in some cases carry an array of weapons.

Brian Murphy and Dan Lamothe contributed to this report.

 

Donald Trump Jr. may have crossed the legal line on collusion

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This post has been updated with news that Donald Trump Jr. just shared emails that appear to confirm he knew about Russia’s intent to help his father win before he took a meeting with a Russian lawyer.

The New York Times reported — and Donald Trump Jr. appeared to confirm — that he agreed to a meeting with a Russian lawyer who had damaging information on Hillary Clinton after getting an email that the Russian government was trying to help his father win the election.

“It’s as close as you can get to a smoking gun” of whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia, said Jeffrey Jacobovitz, a white-collar lawyer who represented officials in the Clinton White House and now is with Arnall Golden Gregory. And it could mean Trump Jr. crossed the legal line on collusion with Russia.

First, a reframing of the way we think of collusion. Collusion actually is a political term; there’s no line in the criminal code that says you go to jail for colluding with a foreign adversary.

But you can go to jail for conspiring with a foreign adversary to influence or undermine an election, and Jacobovitz thinks what Trump Jr. did, as documented by emails he himself shared on Twitter, could rise to that level.

“Absolutely,” Jacobovitz replied when asked if these emails firm up evidence that Trump Jr. had intent to commit a crime by conspiring with the Russians. “You may have crossed the line on conspiracy to commit election fraud or conspiracy to obtain information from a foreign adversary,” he said. “You cannot benefit from a foreign adversary in this kind of scenario.”

In the email, Trump Jr. associate Rob Goldstone tells Trump Jr. that Russian officials “offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and be very useful to your father. This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump. »

What special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and his team of a dozen or so practiced investigators are probably looking for is evidence that the Trump campaign intended to illegally conspire with Russia to help its campaign or hurt Clinton’s. (Russia is also known for tricking people into doing its bidding.)

The fact that Trump Jr. took this meeting while being told what the Russians were up to is as clear as intent can get, Jacobovitz said.

“If he received an email in advance saying, ‘This is coming from the Russian government,’ he’s certainly knowledgeable about where the information is coming from,” Jacobovitz said. “And he attempts to attend a meeting with the hope and intent to obtain inside dirt on Hillary Clinton. That would go a long way in trying to determine whether it’s conspiracy. … It’s not as if he walks into the meeting and he’s surprised by what he’s hearing.”

[Timeline of a story about Donald Trump Jr. and Russia that keeps getting worse]

Another piece of evidence to stack up in the “intent” column: Why were two of Trump’s top campaign aides also invited to the meeting? Trump Jr. says Trump’s then-campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner would also be there to meet with the Russian lawyer. It suggests that the Trump campaign put a very high premium on the meeting.

And it raises the question, as asked by The Fix’s Aaron Blake, of what President Trump himself knew about the meeting. (The White House says the president wasn’t aware of this meeting and denies any collusion by anyone in his campaign.)

More legal questions: Was anything agreed to in this meeting by either side? We know from both sides that in addition to sitting down to talk dirt on Clinton, there was a discussion about American adoptions of Russian children and sanctions the Russian government opposes against suspects of human rights abuses.

A month after the June 2016 meeting, thousands of emails from the Democratic National Committee were leaked on the eve of Democrats’ convention, leading the DNC’s chair to resign. Members of Congress with access to intelligence said Russians had already hacked into those emails by the time Trump Jr. met with the Russian lawyer.

Jacobovitz said Mueller and his team will certainly be investigating whether there was some kind of quid pro quo between the Trump campaign and Russia on sanctions vs. damaging emails to Clinton.

The emails also appear to confirm the version of events as told by the Russian lawyer in the meeting, who has ties to the Russian government, and is referred by Trump’s associate as a Russian government attorney. In an interview with NBC’s “Today” concerning why Trump Jr. wanted to take the meeting, the lawyer said he was “longing” for information on Clinton.

Trump Jr. originally told the Times this was about adoptions. But in the emails, he says in response to an offer to meet with a Russian with dirt on Clinton: “If it’s what you say I love it,”

Also worth noting: Trump himself has drawn a line in the sand of what collusion means to him, a definition he may come to regret. Essentially, the president has said, collusion is knowing about something going on illegally and not doing anything about it.

Under that definition, it appears the Trump campaign rocketed past its own definition. It’s not normal, and it may not even be legal, to meet with a foreign adversary expecting dirt on your opponent.

Jacobovitz said conspiracy to commit election fraud is the big legal fish Mueller and his team may be trying to fry. But they’re probably also looking at a whole host of laws that could have been broken under this scenario: quid pro quo with the Russians, bribery, potential perjury related to what members of the Trump campaign said under oath to Congress and failing to disclose these contacts in official security forms.

“This goes further than collusion,” he said. Especially now that Trump Jr. appeared to provide proof to all of this.

Twitch Taps Kate Jhaveri, Former Twitter and Facebook Exec, as SVP of Marketing

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Amazon’s Twitch has hired Kate Jhaveri, who previously held marketing positions at Twitter, Facebook and Microsoft, as senior VP of marketing.

Jhaveri reports directly to CEO Emmett Shear and oversees global marketing and communications for the company, which is focused on live video game broadcasting. Matthew DiPietro, who had been SVP of marketing and communications, will take on a new role at the company; a rep did not have details on DiPietro’s new role at Twitch.

Most recently, Jhaveri led global consumer marketing at Twitter, where she was responsible for brand, growth and consumer marketing programs, channels and experiences. She left Twitter last August.

Prior to joining Twitter in 2013, Jhaveri worked at Facebook for three years and led consumer brand strategy and management as well as mobile product marketing. Before that she spent seven years at Microsoft, heading up consumer marketing and communications teams for products including Windows and Office. Jhaveri also led marketing teams at Dell, after she began her career as a management consultant with AT Kearney.

“Twitch’s primary strength has been looking to its community to help shape the direction of the brand,” Jhaveri said in a statement. “This has led to a lot of compelling emerging content beyond gaming. Given this constant evolution, my goal is to ensure we shine a light on all of the incredible content that continues to redefine the Twitch experience, as well as our extensive road map of products.”

Currently, Jhaveri also serves as secretary of the national board for Planned Parenthood Federation of America and is an adviser to early-stage tech companies. She holds an MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business and a bachelor’s degree from College of the Holy Cross.

Other recent senior executive hires by Twitch have included Michael Aragon, formerly with Otter Media’s Ellation and Sony’s PlayStation Network, as SVP of content; and Matt McCloskey, former COO of Microsoft’s 343 Industries, as VP of commerce.

Fitness brand slammed for marketing kids’ ‘stripper pole’ – and parents are furious

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A company marketing a new fitness aid for children has been accused of encouraging them to take up pole dancing.

Furious parents have gone online to object to Gympole Active, a portable pole, saying they were « sexualising » young girls.

Taking to social media they compared the equipment to that used by strippers in pole dancing clubs.

The Daily Post has seen the video but chosen not to include it in the story.

The Gympole Active, marketed by Gympole.com, is designed to take the weight of adults however the ad in question only features young girls.


The 35 second video shows slow-motion footage of the children – who appear younger than the age of ten – swinging round the pole and performing, wearing shorts and crop tops.

Pole fitness is now a popular form of exercise, however many have criticised the decision to use children to promote the product given the fact that the practice is often associated with strip clubs.

The ad has already attracted thousands of comments on social media – mainly a backlash at the choice to use minors to endorse the pole.

One woman, while acknowledging pole fitness as a sport disagreed with the decision to use children to promote it: « I have no issue with this now being a sport for kids. But fact of the matter is, the pole is associated with strippers.

« So if you wish to change that public perception. I hardly think using kids in skimpy clothing is the way to do it. »

Another accused the company of exploiting children, saying: « How does it feel to contribute to sexualising children with a shameless, lame ad to sell products? »

One commenter felt that the company was deliberated provoking a reaction to push their campaign: « This advertisement is feeding into pedophile culture.

« I mean I guess you got the reaction you wanted to create a buzz, but all I see is little girls at the strip club. »

However some have defended the ad, stating that it is the perception of the viewer that is wrong, not the company.

One commenter jumped to support the firm, saying: « I absolutely love that the advertisement is featuring kids! A great way normalize it.

« My daughter has taken interest in my pole fitness journey and it gives me confidence she will be met with respect in the future for what she learns. »

Another likened the sport to other mainstream activities: « Have you actually watched gymnastics or a dance recital before? Those girls are wearing literally the same exact thing, hair and makeup done, looking like grown women. Should we just make the pole horizontal and then it’ll be okay? »

A representative from Gympole said: « We just wanted to promote juniors in pole sports as we think they are super talented. The intention was to promote kids in the pole sports as well. »

The video has been viewed almost two million times since it was uploaded at the start of the month. The ad is promoting the brands portable pole which can be screwed into the ground for outdoor use.

The Significant Seven Social Video Platforms of 2017

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Did you see the 2016 movie, The Magnificent Seven, which was a remake of the 1960 western of the same name, which in turn was a re-imagination of Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 Japanese film Seven Samurai? Well, in all three movies, the hero carefully selects a small band of seven good guys to take on a small army of bad guys. And, each of these good guys is distinctly different from the other members of this group. Well, that’s what I’ve been doing since returning from the VidCon 2017 Industry Track. I’ve been carefully collecting the strategic insights, critical data, tactical advice, and trends in the digital video marketing business that I can share with video marketers to help them in the battles they face in the near future. And I want to tell the story in a way that helps them to understand that the social video market is segmented, not fragmented. Here, then, is my take on The Significant Seven social video platforms that should play a role in your upcoming plans.

YouTube is Still the Leader of the Pack

Although it faces serious challengers, YouTube is still the leader of the group. In my analogy, YouTube is like the bounty hunter, Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington), the veteran Cajun gunslinger, Chris Adams (Yul Brynner), or the aging but experienced rōnin, Kambei Shimada (Takashi Shimura).

I’ve already told you about the top takeaway from #VidCon 2017 Industry Track: 1.5 billion logged-in viewers visit YouTube every single month. And I’ve also mentioned that, on average, YouTube viewers spend over an hour a day watching videos on mobile devices alone. But, Susan Wojcicki, the CEO of YouTube, made five other announcements during her keynote conversation with Rhett Link. They included:

  • Making it a whole lot easier for users to share their favorite YouTube videos with friends: Last year, YouTube announced a new sharing feature that lets users share videos right from the YouTube app. Shortly, it will be available in Latin America and then throughout the U.S. soon after that.
  • A new look for YouTube’s app and desktop site: YouTube wants to make sure that it provides the best experience when it comes to creating and watching videos. Perhaps the social video platform’s most important job is to show off your videos in the best possible way, no matter what format you choose to shoot them in. (It shouldn’t really matter if they’re vertical or horizontal, shot on a mobile phone or DSLR, or square, 4:3, or 16:9.) In a few weeks, the YouTube mobile app will dynamically adapt to whatever size users choose to watch it in. That means if they’re watching a vertical, square, or horizontal video, the YouTube player will seamlessly adapt itself, filling the screen exactly the way it should. YouTube also wants things to look just as good on a user’s desktop, too. In May, the social video platform opened up a preview of its new desktop experience. The new design is clean and has new features, including a Dark Theme that gives videos more of a cinematic look.
  • Making VR more accessible and more affordable for viewers and creators: Currently, filming 360-degree VR videos isn’t easy for most creators and some VR cameras are expensive. So, YouTube and Daydream have worked together to develop a new format, VR180, and new cameras, which make it easier and more affordable to make VR videos. This new format delivers 3-D video while capturing a 180-degree view. Now, creators only have to worry about recording what’s in front of them while viewers will get an immersive experience with a VR headset, or a video that looks just as great on a phone as any other video. In addition, YouTube is working with camera manufacturers like LG, Yi and Lenovo to build new VR180 cameras for as little as a couple hundred dollars, which is comparable to what you’d pay for a point-and-shoot camera.
  • Ten more markets for YouTube TV: At VidCon, Wojcicki announced that YouTube TV will be expanding to 10 more markets, including: Dallas-Fort Worth, Washington, D.C., Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne and Charlotte. She added, “We see more Millennials using YouTube TV than any other generational group.” So, with this latest expansion, millions more Millennials will be able to stream their favorite live sports and must-see shows from top broadcast and cable networks.
  • A new slate of YouTube Red Originals: To date, YouTube has launched 37 original series and movies on YouTube Red, and they’ve generated close to 250 million views. YouTube is working with its partners to help them create incredible content that delights their fans. At VidCon, Rhett Link shared details on 12 new projects coming to YouTube Red. Here’s the preview:

So, YouTube didn’t ride into town on a one-trick pony. Yes, some speakers in the 2017 VidCon Industry Track said YouTube has its faults and foibles – particularly its penchant for making algorithm changes without announcing them. And the social video platform can do always a better job of communicating with creators, advertisers, and the press – especially during and after a crisis like the recent YouTube ad boycott and the “Adpocalypse” that followed. But, no one questioned YouTube’s leadership in the industry. And that’s a significant story worth retelling your co-workers, clients, or colleagues around the campfire this summer.

Facebook is Second-in-command

If YouTube is still the leader of the group, then Facebook is the second-in-command. In my analogy, that makes Facebook like the gambler, Joshua Faraday (Chris Pratt), the drifter, Vin Tanner (Steve McQueen), or the skilled archer, Gorōbei Katayama (Yoshio Inaba).

I’ve already told you about one of the top three takeaways from #VidCon 2017 Industry Track the announcement of Facebook’s new creators’ app. This was showcased in sessions entitled, “The Future of Facebook Video” and “Fireside Chat with Fidji Simo of Facebook.” In addition to speakers from Facebook, there were sessions like “Hacking the Facebook Algorithm: Inside Facebook’s Secret Promotional Code,” which featured Gavin McGarry, the President and CEO of JumpWire Media.

And shortly after VidCon, Mark Zuckerberg announced that the Facebook community is now officially 2 billion people! And Facebook videos now play with the sound on automatically.

So, being second-in-command might turn out to be a groovy position. But, unless I’ve missed an update, only 500 million people are watching Facebook videos. And it’s still too early to tell how many people will mute their phone or turn off sound in their app settings. As for creators, many are still waiting for Facebook to start sharing a standard percentage of its ad revenue with more than a small number of creators who’ve been cherry-picked from the YouTube Partner Program. That’s why Facebook is second-in-command, not the co-star.

Instagram is the #3 Social Video Platform

If anyone wondered what was going to happen after Twitter shuttered Vine last October, the wondering is over. Facebook’s Instagram has emerged as the #3 social video platform. In my analogy, Instagram is like the very religious tracker and mountain man, Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio), the professional in need of money, Bernardo O’Reilly (Charles Bronson), or kinda, sorta like Kambei’s old friend and former lieutenant, Shichirōji (Daisuke Katō).

In any event, Kevin Systrom, the CEO and Co-Founder of Instagram, had a “fireside chat” with Mike Issac, a reporter at The New York Times, on Thursday afternoon, June 22, and Jason Williams, who handles Strategic Partnerships and Emerging Talent at Instagram, spoke about “How to Master Your Instagram Strategy” on Friday morning, June 23.

Back in April of this year, the social platform announced that its community had grown to more than 700 million Instagrammers. Now, many of these people are sharing photos, but a growing number of videos are also being uploaded to Instagram. And with the announcements earlier this year of live video on Instagram Stories, the option to save your live video to your phone at the end of a broadcast, and the option to share a replay of your live video to Instagram Stories, Instagram has diversified its repertoire.

Has Anyone Seen Twitter Lately?

Speaking of Twitter, the online news and social networking service had a community stage in the Community Track, which was hold on the first floor of the Anaheim Convention Center. But, I didn’t see or hear any speakers from the company from during the two days that I attended the 2017 VidCon Industry Track, which was held on the third floor.

In my analogy, Twitter was like the former Confederate soldier and sharpshooter who is haunted by his past, Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), the traumatized veteran, Lee (Robert Vaughn), or the serious, stone-faced samurai and a supremely skilled swordsman, Kyūzō (Seiji Miyaguchi).

In other words, Twitter is still a serious, skilled player in the social video ecosystem. But, it is acting haunted or traumatized and appears to have lost its nerve for battle. Hey, this character added some dramatic moments in the three films that I’ve been talking about, but it would have been nice to have seen and heard someone from Twitter talking about the platform in the 2017 VidCon Industry Track.

Musical.ly is Stealing the Show

While Twitter was conspicuously absent, the relative newcomer that caught everyone’s attention was musical.ly. In my analogy, musical.ly is like the exiled Comanche warrior, Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier), the young, hot-blooded shootist Chico (Horst Buchholz), or the humorous character, Kikuchiyo (Toshiro Mifune).

Now, if you haven’t checked it out yet, musical.ly is an app for video creation, messaging, and live broadcasting. Launched in August 2014, musical.ly lets users create 15-second to 1 minute videos and choose sound tracks to accompany them, use different speed options (time-lapse, slow, normal, fast, and epic), and add pre-set filters and effects. The app also allows users to browse popular “musers,” content, trending songs and sounds and hashtags.

In less than three years, musical.ly has become the world’s fastest growing entertainment social network for creating, sharing and discovering short videos. Every day, millions of people use the platform to express their creativity with videos that are shared across the musical.ly community. With over 200 million users, musical.ly has hit #1 in the iOS app store for free apps in 20 countries – including the United States.

During the 2017 VidCon Industry Track, Alex Hofmann, the President North America for musical.ly, was interviewed by Phillip Picardi, the Digital Editorial Director for Teen Vogue and Allure, during a “fireside chat.” They also discussed live.ly, the breakout livestreaming platform, which provides the musical.ly community with a broader canvas to share and engage with one another. Immediately following its official launch at last year’s VidCon, live.ly began trending and hit the number one spot in 8 countries in the iOS app store.

They then invited Baby Ariel (Ariel Martin), the popular musical.ly personality who has  over 20 million followers  and The German twins, Lisa and Lena (Lisa and Lena Mantler), who also have over 20 million fans on Musical.ly, to talk about the app – and show the audience how easy it was to make a new video. All I can say is: Generation Z stole the show.

Verizon Plays a Surprisingly Big Role 

There were two industry keynotes at this year’s VidCon. One featured Susan Wojcicki, the CEO of YouTube. The other featured Marni Walden, the Executive Vice President and President of Media and Telematics at Verizon. Yes, Verizon Communications, the telecommunications conglomerate that started life in 1984 as Bell Atlantic.

In my analogy, Verizon is kinda, sorta like the Mexican outlaw who has been on the run for several months, Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), the fortune seeker, Harry Luck (Brad Dexter), or the amiable though less-skilled fighter, Heihachi Hayashida (Minoru Chiaki).

Why did Walden merit such a surprisingly big role? Well, she is responsible for integrating, scaling, and growing Verizon’s portfolio of new businesses in digital media and telematics. In her keynote, Marni and her team talked about Verizon’s vision for its growing digital media business, including AwesomenessTV, Oath (which includes the Yahoo! and AOL brands), Fios, Complex, and go90. That’s why she merited an industry keynote.

Twitch plays a Relatively Small Role

Finally, Twitch, the live streaming video platform that’s now a subsidiary of Amazon.com, played a relatively small role during last month’s Industry Track at VidCon. To conclude my analogy, Twitch was kinda, sorta like the Korean immigrant and assassin who utilizes knives, Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee), the knife expert, Britt (James Coburn), or the young untested warrior, Katsushirō Okamoto (Isao Kimura).

Now, there was a session entitled, “The Stars of Twitch,” in the Community Track. And there was a session in the Creators Track entitled, “Twitch Fireside with Marcus ‘djWHEAT’ Graham.” But, the only executive from the company who spoke in the Industry Track was Justin Dellario, the Director of Esports Programs at Twitch. He appeared on a panel about “The Future of Esports: How Online Video Impacts Competitive Gaming.” Of course, if you’re from Twitch, that’s the panel you’d want to be on.

Social Video: Segmented, Not Fragmented

So, as you prepare for the battles you face in the near future, you should recognize that each of The Significant Seven social video platforms has a different personality, so each one should play a different role in your upcoming plans. Even if you have a great creative idea, you can’t repurpose the same video format across the entire social video ecosystem because one size does not fit all. In other words, the social video market is segmented, not fragmented. And not everyone understands the importance of this fact.

Where was Snapchat?

Now, I can hear at least a couple of video marketers asking themselves, “Where was Snapchat?” Well, there were sessions in the Community Track entitled, “Stars of Snapchat,” and “Lights, Camera, Snap.” There were sessions in the Creators Track entitled, “Making a Snapsterpiece: How to Utilize Snapchat Tools to Create Art,” and “How to Get the Most Out of Snapchat.”  And there was a session in the Industry Track entitled, “Creating a Successful Snapchat Series.” But, none of these sessions featured a speaker from Snap Inc.

Now, the quiet period after Snap Inc.’s IPO ended back in late March. So, if one of the company’s executives had wanted to speak, I’m fairly confident that he or she would have been able to swing an invitation. But, to my knowledge, none of the Snap executives headquartered over in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles made it to Anaheim, CA, to participate in the VidCon Industry Track. Hey, I totally get it. Los Angeles is the world’s most traffic clogged city. Besides, I like my Significant Seven analogy, so I’m glad that I didn’t have to write a column about the Big Eight.

L2: Instagram rules video engagement

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Dive Brief:

  • Instagram’s video engagement far outpaced other social media platforms at 16%, compared to parent company Facebook’s 1.5% and YouTube’s 0.3%, according to a report released last week by benchmarking firm L2 Inc. Based on total views, however, Facebook led the way with 18.8 million, followed by YouTube at 14.8 million with Instagram trailing at 5.2 million.
  • For brands looking to boost reach, Facebook is the best platform, according to the report, while YouTube brings slightly better organic view rates. « Intelligence Report: Video 2017 » also saw a ripple effect of TV advertising leading to higher organic interest on digital channels.
  • The report analyzed 60,000 videos and 293 video campaigns for 201 brands across social media, mobile, website and television viewing habits.

Dive Insight:

L2’s latest report emphasizes the importance of strategic ad spend for maximized online engagement. Clearly, social media platforms have emerged as critical components of effective digital video strategy, but marketers should consider the distinct user behaviors and challenges of each platform, such as varying audiences, formats and other platform-specific tendencies.

Last month, the Interactive Advertising Bureau released a survey that found two-thirds of smartphone owners use their device every 30 minutes or less, while 22% tap into their phones every five minutes. The survey also reported that 90% of smartphone users recall seeing mobile ads within the first few days after the ad was originally shown, while 86% recall ads from mobile apps, the survey found. About half of respondents said they took action after seeing mobile ads, demonstrating that they’re an effective marketing medium, as consumers are becoming increasingly reliant on their wireless devices for gathering news, information and entertainment than other electronic media. This steady shift to mobile signals that marketers would be remiss to overlook the impact of social media videos on conversions and brand awareness.

Similar research supports much of L2’s data. Last month, WPP’s Kantar Worldpanel and Facebook released a joint study that found a 29% lift in conversions when consumers were exposed to brand messages on both TV and Facebook. That report also found that TV spots brought a 4.7x greater household reach than Facebook alone, although Facebook ads were 1.9x less expensive. This, coupled with the cord-cutting trend of users shifting away from TV and toward digital, creates a significant challenge for marketers looking to optimize reach with limited ad dollars.

New Jersey is calling Chris Christie names. And now he’s calling them names right back.

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, fresh off his beach blunder last week, isn’t at all interested in taking your criticisms.

During an appearance on WFAN radio Monday afternoon, callers began mixing it up with the Republican governor, who was severely criticized last week for using a state beach that was closed to the public during a government shutdown and then appearing to hide that fact. In response to the first caller, Christie reportedly called Hillary Clinton a “criminal.” During the second, he labeled the caller — Mike from Montclair — a “communist” and a “bum.”

“I’m enormously relieved we don’t have a criminal in the White House like Hillary Clinton,” Christie said to the first one. To Mike from Montclair: “I love getting calls from communists in Montclair.” And: “You’re a bum.”

That last comment came as Christie was complaining about a caller who had referred to his weight and told him to bring a certain part of his anatomy to a beach that other New Jerseyans had access to. And that’s actually not that uncommon a response to what has come to be known as “Beachgate.”

Shortly before Christie’s appearance on Mike Francesa’s radio show — in which the governor was trying out to replace the retiring sports talker — Monmouth University released a poll showing some brutal reviews for Christie’s decision to sunbathe with his family on a closed beach during the shutdown. Among the most common groups of responses was “Jerk, profanity used.” Another 4 percent called him some form of “stupid” or an “idiot,” 4 percent called him a “hypocrite,” 3 percent called him « arrogant, » and 3 percent referred to his physical appearance, as the caller did.

Here are the groups of responses:

Only about 1 in 10 New Jerseyans who had seen the pictures of the Christies’ beach outing offered a neutral or positive response. As you can see, the rest were downright brutal.

Even among Republicans, 6 in 10 offered negative responses, and only 2 in 10 were neutral or positive — most of them (14 percent) being “not bothered.”

Christie’s approval rating may not have dropped after the flap, but probably only because it had hit close to rock bottom. His approval/disapproval split in a Quinnipiac University poll last month was 15 percent approve/81 percent disapprove; in the new Monmouth poll, it’s 15/80.

Indeed, the pollster says the silver lining in this new poll is that Christie’s approval hasn’t sunk into single digits. That will be tough to do, though; the last governor I found who was in the single digits had been indicted and was later convicted — Illinois’s Rod Blagojevich. Ditto the guy before him, Ohio’s Bob Taft, as FiveThirtyEight notes.

So it seems unlikely that Christie will sink much lower. He’s already down to 30 percent of New Jersey Republicans who approve of him — significantly less than the 80 percent of New Jersey Republicans who like President Trump.

But that doesn’t mean he won’t try, apparently.

The Latest: GOP health care divisions multiply

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WASHINGTON — The Latest on the Republican health care bill (all times local):

5:35 p.m.

GOP divisions over health care are multiplying as the White House pressures Senate Republicans to act swiftly to pass Obamacare repeal legislation.

So far, there is scant evidence Republicans are any closer to agreement.

Vice President Mike Pence says Republicans might have to resort to a straightforward repeal of Obama’s law, an approach with no chance of success in the House or Senate.

As Republicans descend into finger-pointing, Democrats sit back and watch.

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas tells reporters that a revised bill will be unveiled this week, and “the goal continues to be to” vote next week.

___

4:55 p.m.

The No. 2 Republican in the Senate says senators will vote next week on a new health care bill to repeal and replace key parts of so-called Obamacare.

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas tells reporters that the revised legislation will be unveiled this week.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is tweaking his bill after having had to abruptly cancel a vote last month because of lack of support.

It remains uncertain whether McConnell will be able to get the 50 GOP votes he needs given a slim margin for error in a Senate with 52 Republicans and 48 Democrats.

McConnell is trying to pass the bill with only Republican support and Vice President Mike Pence as the tie-breaker.

___

3:20 p.m.

Young people protesting Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act have been arrested outside the offices of Republican senators.

About 10 protesters shouting slogans such as “health care is a human right” have been led away from the corridor outside the office of Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake.

Protesters also gathered outside the offices of Arkansas Sen. John Boozman and Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner.

The Senate has returned to session after a weeklong recess. Republicans are struggling to reach consensus on a plan to repeal and replace the so-called Obamacare law. The measure is coming under renewed attack from within the GOP.

___

1:30 p.m.

President Donald Trump is pressuring divided Senate Republicans to pass their stalled health care bill in the next few weeks.

But the measure is coming under renewed attack from within the GOP, with a moderate senator calling for a bipartisan approach.

At the same time, a conservative senator says Republicans are “at impasse” and that party leaders are trying to “buy off” lawmakers’ votes.

Senators are returning to the Capitol after a weeklong July 4 recess that, if anything, saw GOP support erode for a bill fashioned by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The measure would erase much of President Barack Obama’s health care law. It would scale back coverage requirements, end its penalty on people not buying coverage, cut Medicaid and eliminate tax boosts on wealthier people.

___

1 p.m.

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul says Senate Republicans remain at an impasse over a bill that would replace President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.

The Kentucky Republican said Monday that he spoke with President Donald Trump this past weekend. He says he and his one-time rival for the GOP presidential nomination share a “conservative vision” of revamping health care.

Paul told reporters in his home state that if Trump becomes more forceful on the issue, he has enough public popularity to persuade Senate Republicans to “do the right thing.” The “right thing,” he says, is for Republicans to fulfill their promise to repeal Obama’s Affordable Care Act.

Paul criticized what he called efforts to “buy off” support from reluctant Republicans with extra federal spending for health care.

___

12:20 p.m.

Moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins says it’s time for the GOP and Democrats to work together to fix the health care law.

In an interview Monday, the Maine lawmaker rejected a proposal from conservative Sen. Ted Cruz that would allow insurers to offer skimpier, stripped-down plans along with Obamacare policies. Collins said the plan would lead to unaffordable costs for individuals with pre-existing conditions and caps on coverage.

Collins said it’s time to move away from a Republican-only approach. She said Republicans and Democrats need to acknowledge the flaws in Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act that need to be fixed and the two parties should work together.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is trying to produce a Republican bill that would muster the necessary votes.

But McConnell also said that if he is unable to get 50 votes for the GOP plan, he would try to shore up insurance markets, a legislative step that would involve Democrats.

___

7:05 a.m.

President Donald Trump has a message for lawmakers returning this week from their July Fourth recess with another recess just three weeks away: Get health care done.

The president tweeted Monday, “I cannot imagine that Congress would dare to leave Washington without a beautiful new HealthCare bill fully approved and ready to go!”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell plans to check vital signs on his GOP bill as senators trickle back to Washington from a July Fourth break that many spent listening to constituents vent about health care.

Thus far, there’s no sign he’s secured enough votes to pass a bill. He can only afford to lose two out of 52 Republican senators.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that at least 22 million more people would become uninsured under Republican legislation.

__

5 a.m.

Two moderate Republicans have indicated that the initial GOP bill to repeal and replace the nation’s health law is probably “dead” and President Donald Trump’s proposal to just repeal it appears to be a “non-starter.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana says, “We don’t know what the plan is. Clearly, the draft plan is dead.”

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., says it may now be time for Republicans to come up with a new proposal with support from Democrats.

He says, “I think my view is it’s probably going to be dead.”

McCain adds that this doesn’t mean Democrats will control the bill if they have a say in it. He adds, “It means they can have amendments considered. And even when they lose, then they’re part of the process.”

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

White House: Trump didn’t know about his son’s meeting with Russian lawyer

Video Marketing, , , ,

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump only recently learned of the meeting between a Russian lawyer and three of his top campaign officials, including his son Donald Trump, Jr., a White House spokeswoman said Monday.

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