How to create a winning brief for your Amazon project

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A well-structured brief is the first step to a successful Amazon campaign. It serves as a roadmap for both the brand team and your agency partner, ensuring the project stays on track and delivers the desired results. A comprehensive brief not only aligns involved stakeholders but also sets clear expectations and milestones, making it easier to manage the project from start to finish. By defining objectives, identifying necessary assets, setting realistic deadlines, outlining review processes, assessing asset availability, and specifying product details, you can create a robust foundation for your Amazon campaign. Here’s a detailed guide on how to craft an effective brief for your Amazon project.

To begin, clearly define your campaign objectives. Ask yourself what do you hope to achieve with this campaign &#8211; are you looking to increase sales, improve brand awareness, or enhance product visibility? By establishing clear goals, you provide direction for the project. Additionally, determine how you will measure success. Define specific metrics such as sales volume, conversion rate or average order value to ensure your objectives are quantifiable and trackable.

1. Define Your Campaign Objectives

Visual Assets:
<ul>
<li>Primary Images: The main product images that customers see first.</li>
<li>Secondary Images: Additional images showcasing product features, usage, or benefits.</li>
<li>Brand Store: A customizable storefront on Amazon to showcase your brand and products.</li>
<li>A+ Content: Enhanced product detail pages with rich media and storytelling.</li>
<li>A+ Premium: A premium version of A+ content with additional features and customization options.</li>
<li>Product Detail Pages: The standard product pages on Amazon.</li>
</ul>
Other Assets:
<ul>
<li>Product Descriptions: Detailed descriptions of each product.</li>
<li>Keyword Research: Relevant keywords to optimize your product listings.</li>
<li>Copywriting: Engaging and persuasive product copy.</li>
</ul>

2. Identify Necessary Amazon Assets

Establishing a clear timeline for each phase of the project is crucial. From asset creation to launch, define specific deadlines for each task. Breaking the project down into smaller milestones with defined deadlines can help keep the team on track and ensure timely progress. It is also important to account for potential delays or unforeseen challenges by incorporating contingency planning into your timeline.

3. Set Realistic Deadlines

A well-defined internal review process is essential for maintaining quality and consistency. Identify the stakeholders who need to review and approve the assets before launch. Determine the frequency and duration of review cycles to ensure timely feedback. Additionally, establish a clear process for providing and addressing feedback, making it easier to implement changes and improvements efficiently.

4. Outline Internal Review Processes

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Before diving into asset creation, assess the availability of existing assets. Identify any existing materials that can be repurposed or used as a starting point, which can save time and resources. Determine which assets need to be created from scratch and specify the required file formats and specifications for all new assets. This assessment will help streamline the production process and ensure that all necessary materials are available when needed.

5. Assess Asset Availability

Clearly listing all products included in the project is vital for organization and clarity. Specify the type of assets needed for each product, such as primary images, secondary images, and A+ content. Indicate the quantities of each asset required to ensure comprehensive coverage for each product. Providing detailed specifications helps avoid confusion and ensures that all team members are aligned on the project’s requirements.

6. Specify Products and Assets

In conclusion, a well-prepared brief is essential for the efficient and effective execution of your Amazon project. By following these guidelines and providing detailed information, you can align expectations, streamline the workflow, and ultimately achieve your campaign goals. Taking the time to prepare a comprehensive brief will pay off in the long run, ensuring that your Amazon campaign is successful and delivers the desired results.
Mislav Lugonjić 
Senior project manager

A+ or A+ Premium: What’s Best for Your Brand?

Tips & Tricks for Creating E-commerce Content that Converts

The Future of Motion Design

Learn how to write an effective brief for your Amazon campaign. Follow our step-by-step guide to define objectives, set timelines, organize assets, and streamline reviews for a successful project launch.

How to Create a Winning Brief for Your Amazon Project

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It&#8217;s important to know who you&#8217;re writing for because all messaging should be tailored to that audience. Even if some brands haven&#8217;t developed personas, they still understand their target audience.
Identifying which audiences you aim to reach and checking if the current messaging addresses those groups can greatly enhance your reach. This process may also reveal some missed opportunities. If you&#8217;re unsure, consider conducting content testing with real consumers to see if your message resonates with the target audience.

Understanding Your Audience

You probably know your competitors well, but their strategies across channels may vary—some might be more established in their e-retailer presence, while others less so. Additionally, digitally native brands could be more advanced on platforms like Amazon, introducing new competitors you might not be aware of.
Conducting a competitor analysis is a crucial step before creating new content. This allows you to define your unique selling points and succeed on e-retailers.

Understand your competitors

Primary and secondary images, product titles, descriptions, videos, A+/A+ Premium content, Brand Stores, Sponsored ads, and other elements significantly influence consumer decisions. Each of these elements affects different segments of the consumer journey, so the messaging and imagery will vary accordingly.
For example, primary images should be high-resolution pictures focused mainly on the product. Secondary images, on the other hand, highlight your product’s unique selling points and features, playing a crucial role in boosting conversions. Similarly, Brand Stores encourage consumers to explore your brand&#8217;s wider product portfolio, learn about the brand&#8217;s story, and discover deals, promotions, and much more.

Know well the various content elements on Amazon

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According to Amazon guidelines, primary images should be high-resolution photos of the actual product to accurately represent it as it appears in real life. Blurry, pixelated images, or those lacking brightness can make the product seem less appealing.
Additionally, incorporating lifestyle images and videos helps consumers clearly see the product in use, understand its benefits, and visualize themselves using it. Keep in mind that a video can engagingly tell your brand’s story, but it must be high quality and quickly communicate your product’s benefits.

Use High-Quality Images & Videos

Before writing product titles and descriptions, it&#8217;s recommended to conduct keyword research to ensure your content incorporates the desired search terms.
When creating new content, adhere to the platform’s guidelines and restrictions, such as the maximum number of characters and avoiding certain phrases (e.g., &#8220;best seller&#8221; or &#8220;great gift&#8221;). Include relevant keywords in your titles but avoid keyword stuffing, as it can negatively affect your SEO. If possible, incorporate your product&#8217;s unique selling point in the title. 
In the product description, highlight your product’s unique selling points and benefits in a way that resonates with your consumers. Be clear and concise, avoiding long blocks of text, and steer clear of restricted terms like &#8220;best price.&#8221; Also, avoid being overly technical and using jargon.

Writing good Titles and Product Descriptions

Over 90% of consumers check reviews before making a purchase. They typically look at these to understand how the product functions and to identify any potential issues by reading negative reviews. Although you don&#8217;t create reviews directly, they can significantly impact your sales, including both the overall rating and the number of reviews. You can encourage customers to leave reviews by using a “Request a Review” button.
Offering regular discounts and promotions may also motivate consumers to post positive reviews. Ensure your product descriptions, images, and videos accurately represent your product. Create how-to content as needed to help consumers use the product correctly and achieve the best results, especially for items like electronic devices and beauty products.

Ratings & Reviews

62% of smartphone owners have made a purchase using their device in the past six months, highlighting the importance of ensuring your content looks great and functions well on mobile devices. Often, content is not optimized for mobile, which can lead to issues. For example, too much text in A+ content can clutter the asset, making it less appealing and causing your brand’s message to get lost.
Similarly, cluttered visuals on secondary images, Brand Stores, and other assets might cause consumers to lose interest due to poor visuals, unclear messages, and unreadable text. It&#8217;s crucial to keep your content concise and to the point, especially for mobile device users.

Optimize your content for Mobile Users

Once your content is live, the work isn&#8217;t over. It&#8217;s important to closely monitor your competitors, product reviews, adjust pricing, and leverage promotions and coupons.
The data you gather from your e-retailer platforms, along with tools like Helium 10 and Jungle Scout, provide valuable insights that can help improve your brand&#8217;s presence on Amazon and other e-retail platforms.

Monitor and optimize

Scaling existing content across different marketplaces and retailers can lead to significant cost savings and enhance brand consistency across markets. However, even when a brand effectively leverages these scale opportunities, it’s crucial to consider local nuances. For instance, keywords relevant in the US market may not be suitable for the UK due to language differences.
Additionally, features available on e-retailers may vary by marketplace, and competitors and consumer habits can differ from one market to another. Local regulations may also impact content. To manage these complexities, it’s essential for all teams to understand best practices for creating effective content and to be efficient in the process. This is why brands often develop playbooks—a set of guidelines that facilitate entering new markets, onboarding new teams, and ensuring consistency.
Gordana Jerković 
Marketing Technology Strategist

Scale content across marketplaces and e-retailers

Tips for video

Learn essential tips to boost your e-commerce content strategy. From audience understanding to high-quality visuals, mobile optimization, and more, discover how to create Amazon content that engages and converts.

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In the rapidly evolving world of e-commerce, Amazon remains one of the most influential platforms. For brands, having a strong presence on Amazon is essential, and mastering the right content strategy is key to standing out. When optimizing Amazon listings, the decision between A+ and A+ Premium content often comes into play. Let&#8217;s break down what these two options offer and how to choose the right one for your brand.

A+ Content 
A+ Content, formerly known as Enhanced Brand Content (EBC), allows sellers to elevate their product listings with visually appealing and informative enhancements. This includes high-quality images, detailed descriptions, comparison charts, and videos that create a richer shopping experience.
A+ Premium Content 
A+ Premium Content builds on the foundation of A+ by offering additional modules and advanced interactive elements. This lets sellers craft more immersive and engaging experiences for shoppers, further strengthening the consumer journey.

Understanding A+ and A+ Premium Content

Interactive Elements: A+ Premium offers interactive modules such as image carousels, hotspot images, and comparison tables, helping to better engage shoppers and guide them in their purchase decisions.
Immersive Storytelling: A+ Premium provides a deeper storytelling experience with multimedia elements that enhance brand connections. While A+ Content allows storytelling, it doesn’t reach the same immersive level as A+ Premium.
Enhanced Brand Imagery: A+ Premium includes high-resolution, full-width background images, making products stand out more effectively on the platform.
Video Integration: Both A+ and A+ Premium allow for video integration, but A+ Premium takes it further by embedding videos directly into product detail pages, increasing shopper engagement and potentially driving more conversions.

Key Differences Between A+ and A+ Premium

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When deciding between A+ and A+ Premium, consider the nature of your product and the level of competition in the marketplace. A+ Premium is ideal for brands selling high-end or unique products in competitive markets. This investment can boost sales by as much as 20% in the following quarter.
Also, If shoppers face barriers, A+ Premium content helps break through by using interactive modules that effectively highlight your product&#8217;s benefits. Additionally, if your product is available across multiple marketplaces, the scalable nature of A+ Premium content amplifies your return on investment, making it a smart choice for maximizing impact.
For smaller brands aiming to keep costs low, the standard A+ Content may be a better fit.

Deciding if A+ Premium is Right for Your Brand

Not every brand is automatically eligible for A+ Premium. To access it, brands must:
<ul>
<li>Have published an A+ Brand Story for all ASINs in their catalog.</li>
<li>Have at least 15 approved A+ Content projects in the last 12 months.</li>
</ul>
Eligibility is reassessed monthly, and brands that qualify will see the feature enabled in their A+ Content Manager.
Alternatively, brands can negotiate access through an Amazon representative, though this may require additional investment.

Accessing A+ Premium

Both A+ and A+ Premium are powerful tools for enhancing your presence on Amazon. Unlocking their full potential can significantly impact your sales performance, especially with a trusted partner to guide you through the process.
Ready to unlock your brand’s full potential on Amazon? Contact us at sales@convergent-usa.com and let’s start the journey toward increased sales and stronger market presence.
Jelena Mandić 
P&#038;G Account Lead

Maximizing Your Amazon Potential

Embracing Digital Sustainability: The Path to a Greener Web Build

Discover the differences between Amazon’s A+ and A+ Premium Content to decide which option best enhances your brand presence. Learn about interactive features, storytelling potential, and eligibility requirements to maximize your sales on Amazon.

A+ vs. A+ Premium on Amazon: Choose the Best for Your Brand

Solving Replatforming

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These days replatforming, platform upgrades, and digital transformations have become a continuous process for many businesses. The pace at which consumers and businesses need to shift makes us aware of how change is more and more becoming the only constant.
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There are many reasons why companies see the need for change, like:
<ul>
<li>Slow speed to market of deploying new features/content for their consumers</li>
<li>High internal costs</li>
<li>Corporate strategies executions (I.e., expansion to new markets, opening new sales channels or providing better user experiences)</li>
<li>Low compliance in various areas (legal, accessibility, brand, and others).</li>
<li>Various security risks</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Since replatforming can cover a wide range of business segments (I.e., HR resource-related processes, internal communications, warehouse optimization, etc.), we will focus on the digital transformations of websites and connected platforms.
People, processes, and platforms are the key factors of a successful replatforming project. Each of those can make a significant contribution to the project’s success or failure. So, let’s dive deeper into each segment to ensure the right 3Ps are on your side.

Replatforming: most frequent challenges and how to approach them 

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It all starts and ends with people. Everything we do, we do for the people impacted by the change. People are the most important key factor of all three mentioned. Things that most frequently go wrong here fall into one of the below-mentioned categories:
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>The discrepancy between the business needs and the company’s strategy</li>
<li>A lack of know-how to set up and lead the transformation</li>
<li>No clear roles and responsibilities and ownership</li>
<li>Disconnected departments and siloed thinking</li>
<li>Lack of connection across regions/markets</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
If the company&#8217;s strategy is not aligned with the change, there&#8217;s a high risk the project will not get appropriate funding or resources. Having a clear sense of urgency regarding the upcoming change, clear communication on the whys, and support from high levels in building bridges between departments, regions, and markets can propel the project significantly.
Without clear roles and responsibilities, there is a risk of either “having too many chefs in the kitchen”, or no one delivering on a critical project phase. Clear onboarding and RACI roles split (when needed) can significantly help. Creating a timeline with a clear division of project stages and splitting responsibilities among different stakeholders can ensure team members set aside time when their involvement is needed the most.
The lack of know-how and dedicated resources can be resolved internally through reassignment or recruitment. The alternative is external resources engagement. The hybrid approach has most often proven to be the best solution. By implementing this approach, you will leverage your internal teams that know your organization and brand and, therefore, can contribute with this critical knowledge. On the other hand, an external partner is most likely to be savvier in the platforms you will need to implement. Also, they have most likely gone through the implementation process numerous times and can help make better choices architecture-wise and speed up the project significantly.
To sum it up, the project might face delays, budget overruns, and frustrations if the above is not planned properly.

The right people

The process is here to help you navigate and ensure milestones and KPIs are met. While making sure you do not overcomplicate.

The process is adjustable based on the extent of the change planned for implementation in the company. For example, migrating one website to a new CMS is one level of complexity vs. several dozen migrations across regions globally. The process is here to help you navigate and ensure milestones and KPIs are met. While making sure you do not overcomplicate. Rarely is there one size fits all.
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Here is a brief list of questions to ask before starting the replatforming process start:
<ul>
<li>Can your team do the discovery phase adequately internally? Can your team capture business needs correctly? Can you, with certainty, identify the key stakeholders? Can we assess all the risks?</li>
<li>Does your team have the required know-how to prepare the project roadmap?</li>
<li>Does your team have the know-how to plan the new architecture? Can the team assess which segments of the legacy systems you can keep for now vs. what to replace as a priority?</li>
<li>Is the team able to plan the migration process? What are your plans for content, data, and other segments migration? Does your company have any license renewal to keep in mind as a fixed milestone?</li>
<li>Does your team have adequate tools and processes to communicate and collaborate?</li>
<li>What are the processes and criteria for assessing the tools planned for implementation?</li>
<li>Is your team able to set the project KPIs? Do you have ways to measure them?</li>
<li>How will your team handle the Operations stage of the project? What about the team &amp; budget to support ongoing system maintenance and upgrades?</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Based on the above, you will most likely be able to conclude to which extent you can internally cover the replatforming and in which areas external support can be a crucial contributor.
Do not disregard the Operations stage of the project. Here issues can be from lack of funding (I.e., if the project gets handed over to other departments or teams), lack of processes and tools to support the project&#8217;s Operations stage, lack of clear communication, and many others. Sometimes businesses deprioritize the whole initiative once it comes to this stage, which could make the investment futile.

The right process

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The right platforms (MarTech)

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The right platforms and tools can truly do miracles for today’s business, but you need to make sure they are capturing the needs and priorities adequately. The Martech space is becoming rather crowded, and new products are entering the market at a staggering rate.
There are more than 10000 products that, kind of, all do the same thing, but they do not. Choosing the right solution that will be future-proof and fit well in your marketing mix is not easy.
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Here are just some questions that need answering:
<ul>
<li>What are the major pain points with the current system?</li>
<li>Is it key for your business to deploy new content as quickly as possible?</li>
<li>Do you need to empower your local team or different departments more?</li>
<li>Do you need to improve the overall compliance process?</li>
<li>Do you need to improve the security segments of your system?</li>
<li>Is the system you are building future-proof?</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Beware of some of the things that most frequently go wrong:
<ul>
<li>Lack of budget for replatforming</li>
<li>Lack of ownership or implementation details about the legacy systems (or lack of ownership in general)</li>
<li>Lack of know-how or time to properly evaluate new systems</li>
</ul>
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In terms of platform choice, you need to make sure you are future-proofing your plan.
Composable architectures and headless CMSs like Contentful are easily scalable and with various plug-ins expandable to cover the business needs you did not even know you had. These also allow businesses to implement the change gradually, which helps minimize the risks and split the investment into smaller chunks.
A good solution partner and the best-of-breed platforms can really do miracles for your business in terms of increasing the speed of deploying new features or content, improving your consumers’ digital experiences, and increasing ROI.

Every journey needs to start with the first step. Even if that step might be realizing that a company needs to replatform, it is a good first step.
Assessing and addressing the risks at the beginning of the journey is the right way to go. Investing in this phase will surely bring a high yield in later stages and avoid delays and additional expenses. You might conclude that you do not have the resources to implement the full-scale digital transformation in the upcoming fiscal period or that there is too much resistance to change within the organization. In this case, starting on a small scale might be the right approach for your brand.
Having the right partner by your side that went through the process numerous times can reduce the risks significantly, show tips and tricks on how to cut timings, execute in stages where needed, and find ways to make the whole process right-sized for the business.
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If you wish to see more about cases and challenges, check out the following cases:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.cmg.digital/portfolio/shaping-ecosystems">Shaping ecosystems</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.cmg.digital/portfolio/a-framework-rework">A framework rework</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.cmg.digital/portfolio/digital-cleaning">Digital Cleaning</a></li>
</ul>

At the end of the day

CMG x Amazon

Leaders in Digital

New Service: Photo & Video

Sounds huge, but it doesn’t have to be! Learn how to approach the most frequent challenges of replatforming and knock it out of the park.

Replatforming

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Motion Design Hero Blog

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Design is a vast field with numerous specialized disciplines, each bringing a unique flair to the creative process: from graphic and web design to user experience and user interface design. Among these, we have the youngest sibling – motion design &#8211; an enchanting blend of art and digital technology.
Motion design is a sub-discipline that combines graphic design principles, animations, and video effects to produce materials for video production. It finds its greatest expression in the world of film and television.

The future of motion design

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You may not realize it, but those dynamic visuals breathe life into your favorite movies and TV shows, making them even more unforgettable.

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(title sequences from movies Seven by Kyle Cooper and tv series True Detective by Patric Clair)
What makes motion design special is its ability to add the dimension of time to its creations, bringing a whole new level of impact and making conveyed messages impressive and memorable. By carefully blending images or videos with bold headlines and text, motion design ensures your message reaches your target audience uniquely and compellingly.
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But as the technology and marketing landscape continues to evolve and advance, one cannot help but wonder: what lies ahead for the future of motion design?
While the previous generation was accustomed to experiencing time-based art and advertising through TV, movie theaters, films, shows, and cartoons, the newer generations have grown up in an era of interactivity, with video games becoming a prominent part of their lives. This shift opens up exciting possibilities as motion graphics embrace a new dimension – interactivity.

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<h3>1. Interactive advertising, do you use it?</h3>
According to a study by Magna, IPG Media Lab, and Tremor Video DSP, interactive video ads have a remarkable impact on viewer engagement. They can drive an impressive 47% increase in the time spent with the ad compared to non-interactive video ads. Not only that, but this ad type also proves to be 32% more memorable than standard ads, with a whopping nine times higher influence on purchase intent.
The significance of interactive advertising doesn&#8217;t end there. As a powerful tool for brand differentiation, 88% of marketers recognize its potential to set brands apart from competitors. It&#8217;s no wonder that interactive ads are becoming an increasingly favored choice to captivate audiences and make a lasting impression in today&#8217;s competitive marketing landscape.
One great example of an interactive ad is Samsung&#8217;s Space Zoom Facebook interactive playable ad, designed with a fun gamified element that aids users in understanding the phone&#8217;s features as they complete game objectives within a limited time. This enjoyable experience helps users learn about the phone in a relaxed and engaging way.
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<h3>2. Virtual reality</h3>

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Motion graphics have an incredible potential to create immersive and interactive experiences in virtual and augmented reality environments. From adding that extra sparkle to VR games to enhancing training simulations and various interactive applications, motion graphics open up a world of captivating possibilities that are sure to leave a lasting impact on users.

<h3>3. Interactive displays and augmented reality</h3>

Picture yourself strolling through an art exhibition, and suddenly, you come across a mesmerizing piece of history – a necklace from a sunken ship or a spear tip once wielded by a brave prehistoric hunter. As you stand there, intrigued, a graphic pops up before you, inviting you to embark on a captivating journey. With a simple scroll, you find yourself exploring the very location where this artifact was unearthed. You follow a timeline that takes you back through the ages, and in the blink of an eye, you are magically transported to that significant moment in history.

These captivating installations transform passive observation into an engaging journey of discovery, making learning and experiencing more dynamic and delightful. The potential for motion graphics to enrich our public spaces is truly captivating, offering a world of interactive wonders waiting to be explored.

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<h3>Conclusion:</h3>
In this ever-changing digital landscape, motion design continues to evolve, shaping the way we experience visual storytelling. So, next time you&#8217;re caught up in a mesmerizing animation or a compelling scene, take a moment to appreciate the skilled motion designers behind it, who add that extra sparkle to our screens and make our viewing experiences truly special.

Video on Social Media

Digital Sustainability

Digital Storefront

Discover the Future of Motion Design: Interactive Ads, VR, and AR Experiences Redefining Visual Storytelling

Evolution of Motion Design: Future Insights

Creating inclusivity in the digital asset omniverse

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"Creating-inclusivity-in-the-digital-asset-omniverse".

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While closing our eyes and thinking about inclusivity – an interesting question appears &#8211; what has the greatest power to connect all our human differences, unlimited by the borders of space and time?
Music.
Music creates shared experiences that bond people; It is omnipresent, from our mobile devices, through spaces, social hangouts, venues, festivals, and even in moments of our solitude – a particular song connects us all. Music has an emotional resonance that evokes powerful emotions, connecting listeners with others to share these correlating feelings, stories, and inspiration. In terms of cultural exchange, it serves as a bridge between different cultures, allowing people to explore and appreciate the music of other cultures; it builds communities, brings people together, and supplies a sense of belonging and connection. It is also a form of communication – helping people with different backgrounds and cultures to find common ground. Amazing, isn&#8217;t it? Music is our influencer of inclusivity!
How can we transfer all these superhero powers into the vast digital landscape surrounded by websites, videos, banners, and images presenting a variety of individuals participating in different activities – that should correlate with us?

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How often we found ourselves drawing parallels between actions, people, and situations that we meet in real life &#8211; with celebrities, commercial actors, or social media influencers on our feeds? Whether it&#8217;s a shared physical resemblance, similar mannerisms, or even just a familiar tone of voice. These connections can create a sense of kinship – a clicking spark with our family, culture, life experiences, trust, values, needs, curiosity, and many more.
To light these sparks by using the campaign&#8217;s digital assets – audio, video, text, 3D, and other next-gen content forms – we need to strive towards building authentic portrayals, creating similarities, and inspiring interaction and communication.

Inclusivity in digital advertising has the power to shape our perception, transform lives, and share the beauty and knowledge behind diversity.

By embracing inclusive representation, we can create a world where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued. Join us on a journey where we explore how to create inclusivity, as inclusivity matters more than ever in our digital assets:
<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ol>
<li>Representation: It means featuring people from diverse backgrounds in your ads and ensuring that your creative content reflects the reality of the world we live in. This includes showing people of different ages, genders, races, ethnicities, abilities, and body types, among other characteristics.</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
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<li>Stereotyping: This means avoiding depictions of individuals or groups that reinforce negative and limiting beliefs about them. For example, avoiding gendered or racial stereotypes that portray people in a narrow or derogatory way.</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
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<ol>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ol>
<li>Language: Using inclusive language means avoiding exclusive or offensive words or phrases to certain groups. This can include avoiding gendered language, ableist language, or language considered to be derogatory or discriminatory towards any group.</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
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<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ol>
<li>Accessibility: Ensuring that your advertising content is accessible to people with disabilities is another important consideration. This can include using captions or audio descriptions for videos, ensuring that website content is accessible to screen readers, and supplying alternative formats for people who may have difficulty accessing certain types of content.</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
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<ol>
<li>Authenticity: Finally, ensure your advertising is authentic and reflects your brand&#8217;s values. Meaning not just paying lip service to diversity and inclusivity but actively taking steps to ensure that your advertising is inclusive and representative of today&#8217;s world. It also means being aware of your own biases and working to address them in your creative content.</li>
</ol>

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Inclusivity holds the power to foster relatable connections that transcend superficial differences. By embracing authentic representation, challenging stereotypes, amplifying underrepresented voices, and cultivating empathy through shared experiences, we create a world where everyone&#8217;s story matters.
Let us embrace the opportunity to shape a more inclusive future—one pixel at a time. Together, we can build a world where our digital assets reflect the beauty and strength of humanity in all its wonderful diversity.

Inclusive digital world

How caring becomes sharing

Humanity in Digital

Building an inclusive future, pixel by pixel. Let's celebrate diversity in our digital assets.

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Inclusivity in the advertising digital assets omniverse

Inclusivity offline, online, and meta worlds

London Accessibility workshop by CMG

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In CMG, we work alongside global clients to assist them in achieving their missions and goals within the digital segment. Lately, the digital sphere started to change, and even though accessibility has been present for quite some time, it is taking the spotlight. Being accessibility compliant already become mandatory in some countries, and by 2025. it will become a crucial part of any brand communication and presentation. We doubled down and created a team that studied, analyzed, and created a roll-out plan for accessibility solutions. Our mission is to spread awareness as the first step in helping our clients achieve digital equity in their assets and our team of experts is ready to take you on that journey.
To understand the importance of Digital Accessibility, you can read our articles on <a href="https://www.cmg.digital/blog/a-short-history-of-accessibility">the short history of accessibility</a> and <a href="https://www.cmg.digital/blog/inclusive-digital-world">insights</a> our expert team gathered about the inclusive digital world.

London Accessibility Workshop by CMG

This year, we participated in the Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), marked in May, by kicking off our Accessibility workshop in our clients&#8217; European offices, so during the last week of Summer, our journey has led us to London. Firstly, the famous London weather made us question whether to take sunglasses or umbrellas (we decided on both, mostly used neither). To reach our goal for the day, we had to think about a lot of moving parts, exactly how a person who uses Accessibility Aligned Solutions feels. The clients we visited over three days are a part of the healthcare industry. As such, it is especially important that any consumer or patient-facing content is accessible to all users, allowing them easy access to any information. Ensuring accessibility within the digital realm is a great way of showing the values a company holds. Approaching accessibility is an important step for any company or enterprise, so we were invited to hold workshops for their internal communication teams.

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Overall, we visited three clients, held four workshops, and had the pleasure of exchanging experiences and knowledge with over 70 people! Through this journey, we have realized that digital accessibility, or the lack of it, affects so many more individuals. It&#8217;s one thing to look at numbers and statistics, but it&#8217;s a completely unique experience to hear stories from our clients who either benefit from digital accessibility themselves or have loved ones who benefit from it.
Accessibility may seem like a result, but you quickly realize the dynamic behind it. That’s exactly how we would describe our week in London. With that in mind, companies, especially enterprises, should not overlook accessibility within the company&#8217;s internal communication. Luckily, our clients are already aware of how important it is to align and exhibit their values through internal and external communication.

Our workshop focuses on raising awareness around digital accessibility, so the nature of it is interactive and engaging, giving everyone a chance to express themselves should they wish to do so. Because of this, great conversations were initiated, with a flood of ideas coming from participants. Each session has left both us and our clients with new information to ponder, and we are thrilled to be invited to participate in our clients&#8217; journey of achieving digital equity. Anybody can be a part of that journey, and everybody should be a part of it. Don’t hesitate to reach out and find out where your company fits within the world of digital equity.
Now that you have received a glimpse into the atmosphere of our workshops, <a href="https://www.cmg.digital/contact">feel free to reach out</a> if you feel such an activity would be a good fit for you and your organization!
&nbsp;
Author: Ela Jokić, Project Management Team Lead

Your road to digital accessibility

A short history of accessibility

Discover how CMG hosted an incredible accessibility workshop in London, what were the benefits and how you can start with your journey towards a more accessible world

Empowering inclusivity: London Accessibility workshop by CMG

CMG London Accessibility workshop

Create once, use many – the story how one asset can live many lives

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In this article, we cover the topic of including digital sustainability practices within the entire lifecycle of an asset, from creation and deployment to storing and breathing in new life with simple tweaks that can make something old seem completely new. All you need is a little bit of creativity and a good plan. So, let&#8217;s start!

In today&#8217;s consumeristic world of digital marketing, there&#8217;s a tendency to do everything over the top: flashy campaigns at least 2-3 times per year, new product launches and regular product refreshing, sea of content of any and every kind. Yet, consumer attention was never shorter – some studies say it takes less than 2 seconds for a consumer to form their opinion on the content and move on if found inadequate. There is quite a fight between us marketers to grab that attention, hold it, and ultimately convert it into sales, as you may imagine. Although our tactics may surprise you a bit – we at CMG are actually content minimalists.

Create less, impact more 

What does it mean to be a content minimalist? Basically, it&#8217;s all about reducing the digital clutter and focusing on what matters the most – connecting consumers with relevant content in the shortest amount of time. It&#8217;s all about quality over quantity. We encourage not producing new content until you&#8217;ve fully explored the reuse potential of your existing assets, and once you do create something new, always have in mind all possible applications for the future. However, keeping your content at a minimal doesn&#8217;t mean minimum impact. Therefore, the minimum number of assets you decide to create really should hit the bullseye. And the best part of it? Streamlining your digital content not only means streamlining brand budgets, but is also extremely environmentally friendly. And that is the story about why we believe a single asset can live many purposeful lives.
Read more about how creating less content is connected to sustainability <a href="https://www.cmg.digital/blog/embracing-digital-sustainability-the-path-to-a-greener-web-build">here</a>.

What does it mean to be a content minimalist?  

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If you&#8217;re thinking about how to make your digital business more sustainable but don&#8217;t know where to start, here are a couple of practical tips to help you organize and begin your journey within digital sustainability:
<ul>
<li>Data, data, and data: Being sustainable is more data-driven than you would guess – to have the best-performing content, you need to know your end consumers very well and know what triggers them. In that way, you&#8217;ll be able to reach them in less time and with less content.</li>
<li>Content plan: It is crucial to distinguish between content musts vs. nice to haves, which often turn into excess. The content should be easily searchable and relevant, enabling the user to consume it promptly without being distracted by background noise or large amounts of fluff/off-topic materials.</li>
<li>Reusability potential: Create new assets only when there&#8217;s no other alternative. Have you exhausted all existing materials, and there&#8217;s no way of re-using, re-cycling, or re-applying the assets you have in your storage? Then you go ahead and create something new, but think about where that&#8217;s going to be applied in the future, both in terms of markets and platforms. A single creative can be adapted for a website, social, paid ads, and other specific platforms, and the most efficient application is determined by asset specs and formats. Simply put – do everything as layered as possible.</li>
<li>To shoot or not to shoot: Even in cases where new asset creation is a necessity, you can always take the sustainable road to your goal. Using stock videos significantly reduces your carbon footprint when compared to live shootings, and reusing different branding aspects and animations from previous campaigns will reduce your timings and costs, all while being friendly to <a href="https://www.cmg.digital/blog/eco-conscious-video-post-production">nature.</a></li>
<li>Keeping your campaigns streamlined: Do you really need a single campaign to be present on 7 different platforms? Is creating a new microsite more efficient than a landing page within the brand&#8217;s website? In most cases, the answer is no. Better understanding your consumer journey and maximizing the impact your brand has on a few critical touchpoints is more effective than spreading your efforts (and audience and budget!) across the web.</li>
<li>Smart storage: The situation we often see when working with big multinational companies is that in the woods of content, a single asset can be overlooked. That is why we always suggest having a DAM platform combined with streamlined and clear asset management guidelines (which can be created as a document, playbook, or online landing page within the platform itself). Within those guidelines, we define everything needed for maximizing an asset&#8217;s potential and visibility. Here are some integral parts of asset management guidelines:
<ul>
<li>Purpose – defining the purpose gives your marketing team all over the globe a clear direction and keeps your messaging consistent on every doorstep of the world&#8217;s digital consumers.</li>
<li>Naming convention &#8211; asset type, market, campaign, usage, and other crucial info to be involved in asset title by a specific order. This will help an asset to be as visible and clear as possible.</li>
<li>Tagging rules – helps your managers navigate through different requests with ease. If tagging is done well, it saves both time and budget.</li>
<li>Deployment plan – connected to the reusability potential described above, the deployment plan already has in mind all different applications of an asset, which can be easily tracked through various DAM platforms.</li>
<li>Usage rights – no mistakes allowed here! Usage rights constraints and expiration dates have to be carefully monitored and respected. Within larger companies, librarians are often hired to take care of those and, besides having a clear set of rules, it&#8217;s quite an efficient way of protecting your business.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

Incorporate sustainable practices within your asset creation and management process

Talking about digital sustainability these days can seem confusing – almost every company nowadays has a sustainability policy and goals; some mention digital in it, but very few have an exact action plan. As abstract as it might seem, it&#8217;s all about being pragmatic. There&#8217;s a pretty good chance you are already incorporating some sustainable practices within your business without even knowing, so the key is to identify, reinforce, and cross-spread them. After all, it&#8217;s a triple-win situation: happy consumers, healthy business, and happy mother nature – is there anything better than that?!
Need help with making your business more sustainable? Reach out, we&#8217;re happy to continue this discussion!

Conclusion: Good for nature, good for business

Embrace digital sustainability with our guide on effective asset management. Learn how to make an impact and be eco-friendly and cost-efficient.

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Asset-sustainability-1200x630px

Sustainable Digital Asset Care - Maximize Impact with Less 

Embracing Digital Sustainability: The Path to a Greener Web Build 

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CMG-Embracing-digital-sustainability-1920x800px

Uncover eco-friendly web development strategies to minimize digital footprints, optimize UX, and save costs. Join us in crafting a sustainable digital future.

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Our Insights

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Tips & Tricks for Creating E-commerce Content that Converts

A+ or A+ Premium: What’s Best for Your Brand?

Replatforming

The Future of Motion Design

Inclusivity offline, online, and meta worlds

CMG London Accessibility workshop

Sustainable Digital Asset Care - Maximize Impact with Less

Embracing Digital Sustainability: The Path to a Greener Web Build

Your road to digital accessibility

A short history of accessibility

CMG in UK

CMG Partnering with Contentful

End-of-the-year Recap

Flexibility and Women in Tech

Composable Tech Stack

Eco-Conscious Video Post-Production

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