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Any marketing manager would probably agree that a brand that does not measure its customer satisfaction is like a surgeon operating in the dark: they are taking a huge risk.

We are spending two out of every three digital media minutes on mobile, and 86 percent of that is spent in-app, according to market researcher comScore.

We all know the world is moving to mobile. But many mobile marketers feel like they have thrown a party and no one came. They have invested in mobile Web sites, applications and mobile ad campaigns only to be rewarded with miserable conversion rates. Where did everyone go?

In a recent study by Trusted Media Brands, marketers have officially named mobile/video native advertising as the new mobile banner ad.

Digital publishers have a greater array of tools to play with than ever before, but a handful of trends will help creative teams produce content that truly stands out and keeps audiences engaged.

With so much data now available to marketers, it is crucial that they understand the different types of data to create the best and most relevant user experience.

Who knows the most about a local market’s opportunities, trends, needs and other nuances? The franchisees, agents, dealers and business owners who spend all of their time there? Or the people hundreds of miles away at their company’s national headquarters or its ad agency?

Studies have shown that given a choice, most people in an unfamiliar location will make do at a chain restaurant they know rather than try a local restaurant that they have never seen before. That is the power of branding. This means that branding is essential for your SMS marketing program.

Some retailers started building CRM and clienteling solutions to blur the lines between physical stores, and online and mobile channels. While these digital technologies improve the customer experience, consumers do not think in these terms at all.

Mobile users may discover some applications on their own, but in fact, app advertising is the driving force responsible for 57 percent of new app downloads. And for app advertising to continue to attract a steady stream of loyal users, app marketers must perfect their courting skills.

This past week, the media happily announced that Echo was “all growed up.” An astounding adulthood spurt given that Echo is mainly relegated to kitchens and has the key functionality of telling you the weather and managing your Spotify account while your fingers are full of cookie dough.

Mobile marketing is a rapidly changing landscape and 2016 will see even further evolution. Last year witnessed a huge rise in all kinds of mobile advertising, including traditional mobile site ads and in-application mobile ads, and consolidation of mobile ad networks.

A recent Nielsen study shows that consumers use nearly 30 apps per month regularly. However, 60 percent of smartphone users have fewer than two shopping-specific apps, while 21 percent do not have any, according to Forrester.

There seems to be a common understanding among luxury brands that high-priced items are not going to thrive online and that using an ecommerce platform may even devalue products.

As they make their shift toward digital-centric business, luxury brands should pay attention to these emerging four major themes.

Despite the fact that consumers basically carry computers in their pockets, marketers are still counting on them to get out their scissors and Ziploc bags before heading to the store.

Quoting comedian Rodney Dangerfield, HENRYs “get no respect” in luxury circles. They are the lower-income, mass-affluents. HENRYs (High Earners Not Rich Yet) have incomes from $100,000 to $249,999, and they number nearly 24 million households, as compared with 3.3 million in the ranks of the ultra-affluents.

Applift and Forensiq estimate that 34 percent of programmatic mobile ad inventory is fraudulent.

For almost as long as mobile phones and text messaging have been around, people have been predicting the death of SMS marketing. There are, in fact, reasons to suppose that the future of SMS is more secure than many other types of marketing.

Mobile advertisers now spend an average of $9.46 for a registered user and up to $16.01 for sharing the app content. And costs will continue to skyrocket.

This year will see the realization of new retail formats that harness emerging trends at their best, and luxury brands will need to decide how they will work with these new formats.