Marketing Midday - January 2, 2023

2 January 2023

Welcome to Marketing Midday, an up-to-date report of the latest digital marketing headlines. These are three top headlines: 

1. People love to give gifts, and they like to spend more on others than on themselves. How can marketers leverage gift-giving psychology year-round? 


2. Diversity in video advertising declined in 2022 with white actors making up 73% of people appearing in video ads, compared to 66% in 2021. 


3. The right messaging at every stage of the customer journey is important. We have a few great tips to make sure your ads reflect the stage your customers are in.

1. How Can Marketers Leverage Gift Giving Year-Round?

The holidays might be over, but marketers can still learn a lot about gift giving and how to approach consumers. According to Marketing Week, giving gifts makes people happier than spending money on themselves. Brands can leverage this by sending coupons or promotions that customers can share with their friends.



In a 2010 study from Cornell University, receiving “experiences” made people 13% happier than stuff. For some brands, offering an experience won’t come naturally, but consider combining a product and an experience like after-hours shopping, taster sessions, launch events, or expert talks. While receivers like experiences more, givers place value on the moment of handover, so make sure to offer a beautiful way to present the experience. 

2. Diversity in Video Advertising Declined in 2022

Many brands and agencies committed to hiring from a wider talent pool in 2020 after nationwide protests for racial justice. However, data from Extreme Reach shows that marketers are not following through on those commitments.


  • 73% of people actors in video ads were white in 2022, compared to 66% in 2021.
  • Black representation dropped to 14%, compared to 16% last year.
  • Hispanic representation dropped to 5%, well below pre-pandemic numbers.
  • Asian representation has stayed steady in the 8 to 8.5% range over the last 3 years.
  • Beyond racial diversity, only 1/3 of ads come with captions for deaf and hard-of-hearing consumers, and less than 1% of ads carry audio descriptions for low-vision and blind consumers.


This data shows that marketers need to reprioritize diverse representation and accessibility.

3. The Right Messaging at Every Stage of the Marketing Journey Matters

According to Search Engine Journal, the customer journey has 6 stages: awareness, engagement consideration, purchase, retention, and loyalty.


  1. In the awareness stage, consider the number 1 place your potential customers are hanging out, then consider the 2nd and 3rd best locations to show your ads. Be present in all these spaces.
  2. In the engagement stage, prompt the customer to sign up for your newsletter, visit your website, or follow your brand on social media.
  3. In the consideration stage, make sure you are retargeting people who have already interacted with your company in some way.
  4. After purchase, it’s important to tag paying individuals as customers so they can start receiving different messages.
  5. Retention is an important stage because repeat buyers can bring in a lot of revenue. Offer buyers exclusive discounts or other perks.
  6. Finally, in the loyalty stage, show your customers that you value their feedback by asking for reviews, creating a referral program, inviting them to webinars, or offering other exclusive perks for loyalty.

Keep Up With the Latest Digital Marketing Headlines

Those are our top 3 stories of the week! Follow us on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram to stay up-to-date with our newest episodes.


Meet the Author

Matt Scroggs

Senior SEO Strategist

Hi, I'm Matt Scroggs, a digital marketing strategist. For two decades I served as the senior digital marketer for several global, iconic brands. Today, I'm the chief marketing officer at RivalMind, an agency 100% dedicated to helping companies thrive by driving transformational growth through innovative digital marketing. I'm also a lifelong Cubs fan, a faithful family man, and a web analytics junkie—relentlessly tracking conversions, loyalty, and advocacy, which are often as elusive as the pennant!

Specialties: Marketing Savant, Idea Guy

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