Vox Optima

07/25/2025

The Advantage of Integrated Measurement

The real power emerges when these channels work together under unified measurement.

This integration reveals cross-channel influence that single-channel metrics miss entirely—like how earned media coverage amplified through paid channels accelerates lead conversion, or how owned content shared socially generates higher-quality leads than either channel alone.

Traditional marketing measurement gives credit to the last touchpoint before conversion, creating a distorted view of what drives results.

The PESO framework tracks the complete customer journey. ~ Christopher Barger via Spin Sucks

Marketing measurement shouldn’t end in “trust us.” Christopher Barger explains how the PESO Model© gives you data that leaders actually care about.

07/25/2025

The strategic reality

Virtual influencers aren’t replacing human ones; they’re carving out their own space in the influence ecosystem.

For brands, the choice isn’t binary. Third-party virtual influencers offer partnership opportunities similar to traditional influencer marketing, just with different risk profiles. Branded virtual influencers offer unprecedented control but require significant strategic commitment.

The technology barriers have crumbled, the audience appetite is proven, and the commercial potential is clear.

But success requires understanding what you’re really signing up for, whether that’s a new entertainment property or a flexible brand asset. The question isn’t whether virtual influencers belong in your marketing mix. Given the data and Wimbledon’s Mia moment, they’re already there. ~ Ben Hopkins via The Drum

Ben Hopkins, creative director at VCCP’s AI agency Faith, helped launch O2’s scambaiting granny Daisy. Now that an AI influencer has won over Wimbledon fans, he explains how brands can navigate this new wave of synthetic influence.

07/24/2025

We ask the right questions, challenge assumptions, and tailor strategies to the unique needs of each business. As long as businesses want to advertise their products, the paid media consultants will need to be on hand to guide them with this.

AI is a powerful tool, but it’s just a tool. When used correctly, it can enhance our work as paid media professionals. However, it lacks the human touch required to navigate the complexities of business strategy, client relationships, and nuanced decision-making.

As AI becomes embedded in every ad platform, the real differentiator won't be who uses it, but who questions it. ~ Travis Eyles via The Drum

AI couldn’t do the job of paid media professionals, says Travis Eyles of Propellernet. If anything, it will only increase the need for them.

07/24/2025

Not only does this constant interaction with AI tools put personal information at risk, but we also witnessed several instances where company secrets got submitted to an AI without realizing that the information might be used to train the AI or accessed by third parties.

Similarly, we recently reported on how Meta AI chats might be public without the user’s awareness, and many AI bots have spilled sensitive information for separate reasons, like someone guessing a default password.

Lumo offers a different approach to AI chatbots. Other AI companies keep a record of all the conversations on their servers, leaving this information vulnerable to data leaks or exploitation for profit. Lumo does not store any logs of your conversations on its server, and only your device can decrypt any chats you choose to save. ~ Pieter Arntz via Malwarebytes

Privacy services provider Proton introduced a privacy-first chatbot called Lumo. We had to take a look at it.

07/23/2025

The Illusion Behind the Numbers

Let’s break down how these misleading metrics function. Take “likes” as an example. A post may get hundreds of likes simply because of the image, the timing, or even the poster’s popularity. But that doesn’t mean the audience retained the message or shifted their opinion.

Similarly, impressions say nothing about engagement quality or sentiment. A piece might be seen a million times and still leave no trace in the public mind.

Automated bots, follow-for-follow tactics, or influencer engagements driven by giveaways can all inflate numbers without adding value. When brands rely too heavily on these stats, they risk allocating budgets and effort toward strategies that don’t move the needle.

PR pros must look deeper. The KPIs that lie tend to focus on what’s visible, not what’s meaningful. ~ Elizabeth Wilkens via Bulldog Reporter

In PR, success often comes dressed in numbers. Engagement rates, impressions, likes, and shares dominate campaign reports, giving teams and stakeholders a neat summary of their efforts. But these snapshots can be misleading. Many professionals

07/23/2025

Generative AI is extending algorithmic conditioning

Instead of opening up a newspaper and being exposed to a range of possible stories, algorithms have been curating information for more than 20 years. They demonstrably strive to provide more of what you want to keep you engaged. There are adults today who do not know any other way and Generative AI is building on that behavioral conditioning.

Traditional search is (or was) an explicit expression of need. Google would present a long list of search results in a short time. We’d filter through the results to satisfy our curiosity.

By contrast, generative AI provides what it proposes is the answer. It does so with confidence, even when it’s measurably incorrect as much as 60% of the time. This is happening at a time when just 31% of the American public does not trust the news, according to Gallup.

The concern I have isn’t just that generative AI may get it wrong, it’s that these systems are conditioning people to just accept the answer as fact. I worry it will temper our curiosity. ~ Frank Strong via Sword and the Script

Even if there’s a bubble that pops, generative AI is changing behavior, and that’s what strategic marketing and communications people need to observe

07/22/2025

Today the default LinkedIn introduction is not to send a message at all. The blue “Connect” button makes it really easy to instantly request connections with whatever profiles the LinkedIn algorithm suggests.

Another trend is to use AI to add personal-sounding details to LinkedIn messages (like asking about a coffee shop in someone’s listed home city or showing feigned interest in a three-year-old social media post).

No surprise the noise-to-signal ratio can feel so out of wack. ~ Tom Fishburne via Tom Fishburne | Marketoonist

In 2012, the default generic introduction message on LinkedIn was “Since you are a person I trust, I wanted to invite you to join my network on LinkedIn.” Since that greeting was often sent to people they’d never met (let alone trusted), it inspired me to draw a cartoon about a guy saying this...

07/22/2025

Social media. It’s where trends are born, brands are built and attention spans go to die. With new platforms popping up faster than you can say ‘engagement rate’ and algorithms constantly shifting the goalposts, keeping up can feel like trying to dance on a moving treadmill.

But whether you’re chasing performance on Reels, building communities in DMs or just figuring out what ‘zero-click content’ actually means, you’ve come to the right place. ~ The Drum

It started with a meme and ended in a metric. This is our A to Z social media glossary for marketers who want to keep up with scroll culture, without burning out. Link in bio for everything you need to know.

07/22/2025

Are you reaching your customers where they are? To stand out, businesses must integrate various digital platforms like social media, email, and live chat into a cohesive communication strategy.

Creating a seamless, multichannel approach enhances engagement and customer satisfaction. But where do you start? Learn the best practices for optimizing these tools and boosting your business’s communication strategy in our latest blog!

Start mastering multichannel communication today! ⬇️

🔗 https://www.voxoptima.com/

07/21/2025

Instagram has expanded access to its DM translation and scheduling tools, with more businesses now able to access these options, providing additional engagement opportunities.

Though, to be clear, these are not new. Instagram has been developing both for some time, and many users have had access to them for a few months. But Instagram is now directly promoting them as business engagement options, which could provide more considerations for your professional outreach. ~ Andrew Hutchinson via Social Media Today

https://ow.ly/8nZm50WrRG9

07/21/2025

Honesty That Cuts Through the Noise

Spinning, sugarcoating, or dodging the facts will destroy credibility fast.

The best crisis communicators, especially among top law firms, are brutally straightforward. They address the problem head-on, admit mistakes when they happen, and tell the public how they’re going to fix it.

According to industry insiders at FirmPilot, “Law firms face increased reputation risks online, with 70% reporting reputation attacks through digital channels in recent years.” ~ Jessica Perkins via Bulldog Reporter

When a crisis hits, reputations are on the line. Attorneys and public relations professionals stumble, not because they lack smarts, but because they freeze or fumble the response. In today's world, news spreads faster than wildfire.