Apple Watch is on the "clock" to Marketers 

Apple seems to have a knack for drumming up hot new devices that dominate the tech industry. This time around it's the Apple Watch. Despite the small percentage of people who are hopping on the smartwatch bandwagon, the Apple Watch will not only enhance the allure of wearables and personalized tech devices but it will also present marketers with the opportunity to reach the coveted niche market of early adopters.

Because ad space on the Apple Watch is limited, marketers need to ensure that their efforts are extremely targeted to Apple Watch users. People who wear the Apple Watch do so because of its main attraction: customized and immediate value. One of the features of Apple Watches is its ability to help users monitor their health; it doesn't get more personal than that! Users can also receive notifications from other services like Uber or travel apps. In reality, people don't entertain themselves with their watches, like they do their phones, so the frequency at which your audience is looking at the platform is very small in scope. If marketers are looking to advertise on the Apple Watch, they will have to find some way to become content.

With new smart devices, comes new advertising platforms. Advertising on the Apple Watch will now be incorporated into companies' marketing strategies as they try to reach a new kind of user. Since the Apple Watch acts as a sort of "sidekick" to users' iPhones, marketers must be cognizant of creating content that is compatible for the Apple Watch as well as the iPhone. And with the Apple Watch being literally attached to its users, it will be even more important for marketers to develop strong content that will reach the consumers in the short period of time they take to glance at their wrist.

Lighting up your 4th of July marketing campaigns!

 With each holiday comes a slew of marketing campaigns to capitalize on consumers' desire to celebrate. Last year on the Fourth of July, consumer spending jumped 58%.  This year, the challenge is to conjure up a creative, buzzworthy campaign to make an even bigger splash.

One option many brands are leaning towards is utilizing user-generated content. Whether it's photos of their BBQ masterpieces or their kids holding sparklers, you can bet that everyone will be posting on social media over the weekend. Brands are looking to engage customers by running Facebook photo contests asking customers to submit patriotic photos or their favorite 4th of July memories. With everyone posting this and that, and voting for their friends' posts, company Facebook pages will receive traffic like never before. Some brands are also creating photo galleries for fans to post on their website.  From there, the user-generated content allows the brand to connect with more customers, driving traffic to the appropriate product pages, and therefore boosting sales.

Another strategy companies are turning to is spreading awareness of their Fourth of July deals and promotions through social media. Some brands have developed Twitter campaigns to promote a particular deal, or even created a hashtag for users to include in their posts to which the company can respond with a coupon code. Taking it a step further, Fourth of July themed Pinterest boards or Facebook Look Books are a great way for brands to generate sales. Both are easy to share and a simple click can link fans to relevant product page.

This day and age, the most important aspect of all these marketing campaigns is the focus on the consumer experience. From entertaining customers with quizzes or educating them with holiday tips and tricks, brands are trying to engage as many consumers as possible and become a part of their overall Fourth of July experience.

Excited For Your Summer Vacation? 

Your Wallet Isn't!

The kids' school let out, business is slow- why not take a summer vacation? Unfortunately, everyone is in the exact same situation and has the exact same thought process. This heightened demand for travel during the summer months means that prices sky rocket. Why? Because people will buy when they're in a good mood! And with winter depression being long gone, there couldn't be a better time to raise prices on travel.

A recent survey conducted by Experian showed that more than half of travelers overspend on vacations. This summer, travelers are going to spend an estimated $2,275 on vacations, funded by a mix of savings, tax refunds and credit cards. The trouble with financing travel plans with credit cards is that people have a great time on vacation, but return to the burden of credit card debt. Respondents say they are willing to put an average of $1,308 on their credit cards to pay for their summer vacations, which can have quite an impact on one's financial health if not handled appropriately.

Stern remains "stern" about not returning

After four seasons, Howard Stern has announced that he will be leaving "America's Got Talent." Between his radio show on Sirius XM, being on the AGT's judges' panel, and a new television opportunity, Stern insists that his busy schedule will not allow all three gigs.  Though he hasn't mentioned what television opportunity is taking precedence over AGT, Stern has noted that Simon Cowell, AGT's executive producer, would be a good replacement for him.