Hi, Lauren Kaye, here, with this week’s Content & Coffee. There was a lot of buzz when Mary Meeker’s 2014 Internet trends report came out, but if you haven’t had the time or focus to sit down and go through the slides, I’ve got an abridged version to share. Read the transcript below, or click play to watch the video. 

Here are five important ideas from the presentation that have a direct implication for marketers this year:

1. Online advertising is gaining momentum:

Digital advertising is up, but there’s still room for growth. The majority of Americans are online, and people spend about a quarter of their time on the web. But businesses only dedicate about 22 percent of their total budgets to campaigns on these channels, focusing instead on dying mediums like print and TV.

2. Mobile use is still taking off:

Consumers are spending more time on their smartphones and tablets, but marketers aren’t keeping up. They invest a disproportionately low amount on mobile ads compared to the time people use them.

3. Global OTT messaging services are changing the way people communicate:

Messaging services like SnapChat and WhatsApp have gained over a billion users in less than five years. These person-to-person platforms change the focus of social interactions, so marketers should strive for less “blasts” to large audiences, and instead create more tailored messages for smaller groups.

4. Visual networks leave no excuse for bad UI:

With more screens, people can and will consume more web content in less time. They want interactive graphics and videos. The result is that people’s tolerance for sites with poor UX and UI has dried up.

5. Content + Community + Commerce:

Meeker calls this the internet trifecta – and with the right content, sent to the right community and products packaged for seamless consumption, brands can become extremely successful online.

There you have it! Tweet any questions to @Brafton and I’ll catch you next time.

Lauren Kaye is a Marketing Editor at Brafton Inc. She studied creative and technical writing at Virginia Tech before pursuing the digital frontier and finding content marketing was the best place to put her passions to work. Lauren also writes creative short fiction, hikes in New England and appreciates a good book recommendation.