Microsoft: Empowering the Digital World

Microsoft is a global technology company known for shaping the modern digital experience. From its iconic Windows operating system to the versatile Microsoft Office suite, the company has provided tools that support both personal productivity and enterprise innovation. Visit the official website at microsoft.com to explore its offerings.

Microsoft has also become a major player in cloud computing through Azure, and in business collaboration with Microsoft Teams. Its investments in artificial intelligence, gaming (via Xbox), and hardware (like Surface devices) reflect a broad vision for the future of tech.

Key Innovations by Microsoft

  • Windows OS and Microsoft Office — foundational software for millions worldwide
  • Azure cloud services — empowering digital transformation for businesses
  • Xbox gaming platform — connecting entertainment and technology
  • Surface devices — combining performance with sleek design
  • AI integration and responsible innovation — shaping the future responsibly

With decades of experience and a continued focus on progress, Microsoft remains a leader in the global tech landscape.

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Microsoft: Empowering the Digital World

Microsoft is a global technology company known for shaping the modern digital experience. From its iconic Windows operating system to the versatile Microsoft Office suite, the company has provided tools that support both personal productivity and enterprise innovation. Visit the official website at microsoft.com to explore its offerings.

Microsoft has also become a major player in cloud computing through Azure, and in business collaboration with Microsoft Teams. Its investments in artificial intelligence, gaming (via Xbox), and hardware (like Surface devices) reflect a broad vision for the future of tech.

Key Innovations by Microsoft

  • Windows OS and Microsoft Office — foundational software for millions worldwide
  • Azure cloud services — empowering digital transformation for businesses
  • Xbox gaming platform — connecting entertainment and technology
  • Surface devices — combining performance with sleek design
  • AI integration and responsible innovation — shaping the future responsibly

With decades of experience and a continued focus on progress, Microsoft remains a leader in the global tech landscape.

This is a test article created for demonstration purposes in WordPress.

Microsoft: Empowering the Digital World

Microsoft is a global technology company known for shaping the modern digital experience. From its iconic Windows operating system to the versatile Microsoft Office suite, the company has provided tools that support both personal productivity and enterprise innovation. Visit the official website at microsoft.com to explore its offerings.

Microsoft has also become a major player in cloud computing through Azure, and in business collaboration with Microsoft Teams. Its investments in artificial intelligence, gaming (via Xbox), and hardware (like Surface devices) reflect a broad vision for the future of tech.

Key Innovations by Microsoft

  • Windows OS and Microsoft Office — foundational software for millions worldwide
  • Azure cloud services — empowering digital transformation for businesses
  • Xbox gaming platform — connecting entertainment and technology
  • Surface devices — combining performance with sleek design
  • AI integration and responsible innovation — shaping the future responsibly

With decades of experience and a continued focus on progress, Microsoft remains a leader in the global tech landscape.

This is a test article created for demonstration purposes in WordPress.

Microsoft: Empowering the Digital World

Microsoft is a global technology company known for shaping the modern digital experience. From its iconic Windows operating system to the versatile Microsoft Office suite, the company has provided tools that support both personal productivity and enterprise innovation. Visit the official website at microsoft.com to explore its offerings.

Microsoft has also become a major player in cloud computing through Azure, and in business collaboration with Microsoft Teams. Its investments in artificial intelligence, gaming (via Xbox), and hardware (like Surface devices) reflect a broad vision for the future of tech.

Key Innovations by Microsoft

  • Windows OS and Microsoft Office — foundational software for millions worldwide
  • Azure cloud services — empowering digital transformation for businesses
  • Xbox gaming platform — connecting entertainment and technology
  • Surface devices — combining performance with sleek design
  • AI integration and responsible innovation — shaping the future responsibly

With decades of experience and a continued focus on progress, Microsoft remains a leader in the global tech landscape.

This is a test article created for demonstration purposes in WordPress.

Microsoft Innovations: Empowering the Mobile Experience

Microsoft is a global technology leader, constantly driving innovation and transforming the digital landscape. With cutting-edge mobile applications and cloud solutions, the company enables users to work, learn, and enjoy entertainment wherever they are.

Innovative Solutions for Business and Personal Use

Products such as Office 365 and the Azure platform have revolutionized the way both businesses and individuals operate. Microsoft’s mobile solutions provide seamless access to essential tools, ensuring productivity and connectivity on the go.

Security and Reliability

Security remains a top priority for Microsoft. Regular updates and advanced protection technologies guarantee that users’ data stays secure, whether they’re managing business tasks or accessing personal information.

Discover More

Committed to making technology accessible for everyone, Microsoft continues to innovate and grow. To explore the latest developments and learn more about their diverse range of products, visit the official website at Microsoft.

Welcome 2019 Pantone Color of the Year!

Vibrant, yet mellow PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral embraces us with warmth and nourishment to provide comfort and buoyancy in our continually shifting environment. An animating and life-affirming coral hue with a golden undertone that energizes and enlivens with a softer edge.

In reaction to the onslaught of digital technology and social media increasingly embedding into daily life, we are seeking authentic and immersive experiences that enable connection and intimacy. Sociable and spirited, the engaging nature of PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral welcomes and encourages lighthearted activity. Symbolizing our innate need for optimism and joyful pursuits, PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral embodies our desire for playful expression.

Representing the fusion of modern life, PANTONE Living Coral is a nurturing color that appears in our natural surroundings and at the same time, displays a lively presence within social media.

PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral emits the desired, familiar, and energizing aspects of color found in nature. In its glorious, yet unfortunately more elusive, display beneath the sea, this vivifying and effervescent color mesmerizes the eye and mind. Lying at the center of our naturally vivid and chromatic ecosystem, PANTONE Living Coral is evocative of how coral reefs provide shelter to a diverse kaleidoscope of color.

Millennials Will Soon Be Outnumbered.

Gen Z will comprise 32 percent of the global population of 7.7 billion in 2019, nudging ahead of millennials, who will account for a 31.5 percent share, based on Bloomberg analysis of United Nations data, and using 2000/2001 as the generational split.

People born in 2001 will turn 18 next year, meaning many will enter university, be eligible to vote and, depending on their citizenship, smoke or drink alcohol without breaking the law. Gen Zers have never known a non-digital world and have grown up amid events such as the “war on terror” and Global Recession.

“The key factor that differentiated these two groups, other than their age, was an element of self-awareness versus self-centeredness,” according to “Rise of Gen Z: New Challenge for Retailers,” a report by Marcie Merriman, an executive director at Ernst & Young LLP. Millennials were “more focused on what was in it for them. They also looked to others, such as the companies they did business with, for solutions, whereas the younger people naturally sought to create their own solutions.”

The demographic handover is good news for delivery services, gadget makers and the so-called gig economy. Meanwhile, it presents new challenges to educators, event planners, luxury brands and even golfers — a game where the average age of U.S. participants now exceeds 50.

“Each generation comes with a unique set of behaviors and presents a unique set of challenges for those looking to reach them,” according to a report by research firm Nielsen Holdings Plc. “Gen Z are bombarded with messages and are a generation that can quickly detect whether or not something is relevant to them.”

For this Bloomberg comparison, millennials were defined as people born in 1980 through 2000, with Gen Z classified as anyone born starting in 2001 — at least until the next meaningful cohort emerges. The U.S. Census Bureau also bookends the generations at the end of 2000.

William Strauss and Neil Howe, American historians and authors who first coined the term “millennials,” use 1982 and 2004 as the cutoff years. The Pew Research Center defines those born in 1981 through 1996 as millennials, a time-frame also used by Ernst & Young in the survey Merriman wrote about.

Even using Bloomberg’s 2000/2001 demarcation, demographics differ depending on location.

Millennials will continue to represent the bigger proportion in the world’s four largest economies: U.S., China, Japan and Germany. The combined population just shy of 2 billion in those four countries will have a ratio of 100 millennials for every 73 in Gen Z next year.

India, which has about 1.3 billion people versus China’s 1.4 billion, will see its Gen Z population rise to 472 million next year, 51 percent more than China’s projected 312 million.

According to an annual survey of young people by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd., “Gen Z respondents anticipate being slightly happier than their millennial counterparts,” with those in emerging markets in both groups more optimistic about economics and social progress than counterparts in developed nations.

“In China and India, 70 percent of the younger group expects to be happier than their parents,” according to the report, which surveyed about 10,000 millennials and 2,000 Gen Zers. “However, across Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States (39 percent), the outlook is much less optimistic.”

In Sub-Saharan Africa, where Gen Z already outnumbers millennials in all but two of about 50 nations thanks to reductions in early-childhood mortality or higher birthrates, growth comes with challenges. The World Bank estimates that one in seven youth in the region actively seeking work can’t find a job. In South Africa, the unemployment rate for those aged 15-24 is about 57 percent.

METHODOLOGY: UN population division data reports population by five-year age groups. Headcounts for less than five full-year groups (i.e., Gen Z population ages 15-18) were extrapolated based on general distribution pattern. The 2019 Gen Z population was calculated by estimating crude births in 2019, adjusted for infant mortality (death per 1,000 live births for those under age 1), adding 2018 total Gen Z, adjusted for those affected by under five/child mortality not yet counted, millennial population in 2019 adjusted by the general adult mortality rate.

 

 

2018 Graphic Design Trends You Need to Know

2018 is shaping up to be an exciting year for graphic and print design.

Read on to discover the top five graphic design trends which will be making an impact in 2018, from color fonts to maximalism, and everything in-between!

1. Color Fonts

Color fonts, also known as chromatic fonts, are OpenType fonts with additional data attached in SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) format. This means that color font files store extra data, such as textures, gradients, and colors.

In line with the trend for all things maximalist (see below), color fonts are over-the-top and bordering on bad taste. Above all, they’re meant to be bringing the fun back into design, which makes them a welcome departure from the rigours of minimalism.

2. Animated Typography

In digital design, we’re also going to see the color font trend go one step further with animated versions of color fonts. These will bring an extra dimension of interactivity and fun to branding, social media content and apps in 2018.

3. Texture in Print Design

The design industry’s focus on digital design has shifted attention unfairly away from print design in recent years. Not ones to be discouraged, print designers have been quietly and skillfully carving out a niche for print design, which makes it just as relevant in an online-obsessed world.

There’s something about printed materials which web design can’t rival—it’s the physicality and tactility of print that makes it an indispensable marketing tool for brands.

In 2018 designers will play up this difference, and be more experimental with textures in their printwork. Recycled and bespoke papers, embossing, foiling, quilting and high-gloss finishes bring an extra element of textural surprise to otherwise pared-back designs.

The focus is on emphasizing the beauty of natural texture and imperfections in the paper stock, making these into business cards you can’t help but want to pick up and stroke.

The resurgence of fabric-bound books will also continue this year, with more cover designers opting for linen and wool textures in their designs, adding to the tactility and treasurability of beautiful books.

4. Maximalism and Eccentricity

There’s a sea change in graphic design at the moment. Tastefully minimal design suddenly seems a little, well, boring.

The worlds of fashion and interiors have already taken note of the new taste for maximalism.

In graphic design too, the mood for 2018 is maximalist, with designers starting to be more creative with color, embellishment and detail. Take your cues from folk design, retro styling and Wes Anderson movies to channel the trend in your own designs.

5. Line Art Branding and Packaging

Line art is the successor of flat design, and the style was popular across icon and app design last year. In 2018, we’ll see the line art trend move into branding and packaging design.

It’s a subtle style that instantly makes labels and boxes look cutting-edge, and it really sings when set in metallic foil against a backdrop of pastel colors. If you’re not completely on board with the maximalist trend (see above) this is a great halfway house. You can bring in lots of detail, and still keep the design looking simple and pared-back.

Be sure to call Radsick Ad Group if you would like a fresh, updated look for your businesses marketing materials in 2018.

6 Trends That Will Impact Digital Marketing in 2018 and Beyond

We’re more than halfway through 2017 and marketers already are looking ahead to 2018 to determine next year’s direction for their digital marketing campaigns.

Many are wondering if they should stay the course they charted in 2017 or make changes.

Here are 6 developing digital marketing trends to consider, both for the rest of the year and beyond.

1 – Personalized Content: Think Unique Customer Experiences

More than half of B2B buyers rely on content to research their buying decisions. What’s more, 47 percent want to review three to five pieces of content before they engage with sales reps.

Clearly, content is the beating heart of every marketing campaign. But as digital marketing matures, so does the nature of content. One of the increasingly important factors in creating content that connects with consumers is personalization—content specifically tailored to both customers’ needs and where they are in the buying process.

Consider These Stats and Facts

  • 94 percent of digital professionals believe personalization is “critical to current and future success,” according to Monetate
  • Personalized content performs 42 percent better than non-personalized content, according to HubSpot
  • Marketers who deliver personalized web experiences are getting double-digit returns in marketing performance and response, according to Forbes’ Publish or Perish analysis
  • 94 percent of senior-level executives believe delivering personalization is critical or important for reaching customers, according to PWC’s Digital Services group

Tips to Leverage Personalized Content

  1. Start by targeting the “low-hanging fruit” in your client data: names and emails—most visitors will share these with you in exchange for valuable content, such as an eBook.
  2. Once you have this basic data, start lead nurturing campaigns offering prospects access to more great content in exchange for more data.
  3. Add value to visitors’ personalized experiences by asking: Will this help prospects and customers solve their problems and better understand our solution?

2 – SEO and Content Conversion: Help Them Work Together

Few companies discuss marketing without including a conversation about SEO. The two go together like peanut butter and jelly. However, the two functions have reached a point of conversion, according to a study by BrightEdge. In the survey, 97 percent of digital marketers believe that SEO and content have become more integrated or are converging into a single function. The marriage of content marketing and SEO impacts marketers’ three most important content performance metrics: conversions, engagement and traffic.

Consider These Stats and Facts

  • 52 percent of marketers recognize that fluency in SEO is critical to long-term content marketing success, according to BrightEdge
  • Organic search drives 51 percent of content consumption

Tips to Leverage the SEO and Content Conversion

  1. Use SEO data to discover how prospects consume and engage with your content. Identify what generates interest and results in prospects who take action.
  2. Conduct ongoing customer analysis, because prospects’ interests can change quickly.
  3. Consider how customers engage with different types of content across channels and devices and at different stages of the journey.
  4. Always be measuring. Set realistic and concrete goals for your content at every stage—from awareness to conversions.

3 – Social Media Marketing: Sharpen Your Focus

In the coming years, B2B marketing leaders expect to spend most of their time on social media. As a result, social media budgets will expand, according to a TEKsystems 2017 study. Central to the success of this expansion is understanding consumers’ point-of-view: Namely, they want consistent brand messaging and intuitive interactions whenever they encounter a brand or are considering making purchases.

Consider These Stats and Facts

  • Facebook continues to dominate social media use, according to Top Rank Blog
  • Social marketing is shifting toward emotionally engaging content and storytelling because strong emotions increase content’s “spreadability,” according to Oregon Web Solutions
  • By the end of 2017, we’ll likely see most of the major platforms enabling users to create and share video content, create and share live video content and discover news and what’s going on around them (based on location), according  to Buffer App

Tips to Leverage Social Media Marketing

  1. Ask: How do current customers feel about their experience interacting with our brand on social media?
  2. Determine which networks are most important for your business and spend the most time creating fully fleshed out social presences there.
  3. Consider dropping or reducing your time on social platforms that aren’t delivering lead generation and brand awareness.

4 – Video Marketing: More is Better

Remember the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words? Consider the new adage about video: Digital marketing expert James McQuivey estimates that a single minute of video content is the equivalent of 1.8 million words. Clearly, video is a critical direction in the future of digital marketing. Cisco Systems’ recent Visual Networking Index report found that video will continue to deepen its dominance on internet traffic with volumes increasing fourfold between 2015 and 2020. By 2019, video will represent over 80 percent of all internet traffic. Viewed another way, the internet will support 3 trillion internet video minutes per month by 2020, which equates to 5 million years of video per month, or about 1 million video minutes every second.

Consider These Stats and Facts

Tips to Leverage Video Marketing

  1. Assess how much video content you currently use and the ROI. If you haven’t done enough, expand production.
  2. To make your videos as memorable as possible, ensure that you’re keeping them in line with your brand strategy.
  3. Boost your SEO by adding video to your landing pages, website and content offers.
  4. Experiment with different lengths and subject matter for your videos.

5 – Mobile Marketing: Time to Get “Mobile Friendly”

It’s full steam ahead on mobile marketing in 2017—and beyond. For one thing, Google’s announced mobile-first algorithm is expected to launch in early 2018. With this change, Google will primarily index mobile content and use it to decide how to rank its results, regardless of whether you’re on desktop or mobile. There no longer will be any type of “mobile-friendly” adjustment done just for mobile users.

Consider These Stats and Facts

Tips to Leverage Mobile Marketing (From Google)

  1. If you have a responsive or dynamic serving site where the primary content and markup is equivalent across mobile and desktop, you should not have to change anything for Google’s upcoming mobile-first algorithm.
  2. If you have a site configuration where the primary content and markup is different across mobile and desktop, you should consider making some changes to your site, including making sure to serve structured markup for both the desktop and mobile version.
  3. If you’re a site owner who has only verified your desktop site in Search Console, add and verify your mobile version.

6 – Digital Advertising: Dominating the Future

If you’re not yet engaged in digital advertising, now is the time. According to a new report from Facebook and IHS Technology, by 2020, media buyers will spend $84.5 billion on mobile advertising, with mobile accounting for 75.9 percent of all digital ad spend globally.

Consider These Stats and Facts

Tips to Leverage Digital Marketing

  1. Experiment with ads on different social media platforms to see which perform better for your brand.
  2. Leverage advanced ad-targeting tools, such as location-based advertising, which put your ads in front of users at the moment they’re in your area of interest.
  3. Privacy is a real concern for all customers, so be sure to enable opt-in and opt-out in your advertising.

The future developments in digital marketing are approaching at blinding speed. This is no time to rely only on what’s worked in the past. Now is the time to start planning for—and even implementing—the leading trends that will impact digital marketing success in 2018 and beyond.

Don’t delay…Call Radsick Ad Group at 727.866.9365 to get a jump start on your 2018 Marketing Plan.