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# Did You Miss These Items of Interest?
- URL: https://capitolcommunicator.com/while-you-were-out-3/
- Published: 2015-10-30T15:55:54.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T23:51:13.000Z
- Author: Greg Kihlström
- Tags: Digital, #wp-top-center-sponsored, #Import 2026-10-08 18:46

**We all get busy** and sometimes, and important items pass us by. Every other week, Carousel30 will be collecting the important stories for communicators that you may have missed while crunching on a deadline or taking a much-needed vacation before the holiday rush begins.

Here’s what happened while you were out…

**Google and Yahoo: Reunited and it feels oh, so good**

[In Yahoo’s quarterly results released about a month ago,](https://investor.yahoo.net/ReleaseDetail.cfm?&ReleaseID=937519&ref=capitolcommunicator.com) there is an indication that the company and Google rekindled their relationship [after a hard breakup](http://www.cnet.com/news/yahoo-dumps-google-search-technology/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com). The new deal will last for three years, and Yahoo will be allowed to post Google’s editorial “free” listings and ads in exchange for a cut of Google’s AdWords revenue. Don’t get too worried about this new relationship because if you’re thinking Google has taken over, [watch out for Bing because they just turned a profit](https://www.seroundtable.com/bing-profit-21087.html?ref=capitolcommunicator.com).

**Mobilegeddon? More like GeddOnMobile, Amirite?!**

Earlier this year, [Google announced that mobile searches have surpassed desktop](http://adwords.blogspot.com/2015/05/building-for-next-moment.html?ref=capitolcommunicator.com). Since then, [Searchmetrics has proven mobile’s importance](http://www.searchmetrics.com/knowledge-base/mobile-ranking-factors/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) as a result of mobile-friendliness playing a role in website ranking within search engines. Brands have been taking note as [reports show that mobile searches account for 40% of all U.S. digital search ad spending in 2014](http://www.marinsoftware.com/resources/whitepapers/mid-year-outlook-3-tactics-to-dominate-search-in-2h-2015?ref=capitolcommunicator.com), and is projected to break 50% of total searches by the end of this year. With [companies that use the mobile-only Instagram platform as a marketing tool expected to double during 2016](http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1013122&ref=capitolcommunicator.com), brands should begin looking into mobile-specific campaigns.

**Pushing for Conversion**

A report published by Retale indicates that[ 89% of millennials are likely to act on a received push notification](http://www.dmnews.com/marketing-strategy/84-percent-of-millennials-act-on-push-notifications/article/448580/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com), with males 6% more likely to do so than women. Appboy also reported that with just one push notification, [brands could see a 71% increase in user retention over a two-month period](http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/report-short-push-notifications-result-in-highest-conversions/627844?ref=capitolcommunicator.com). With the rise of mobile browsers and mobile apps among this key demographic, it is not surprising that push notifications have become an integral part of the mobile experience.

**Watch Larry Bird Soar to New Heights**

Twitter has literally reached new heights with all of the brands’ releases in the past two weeks. Getting a majority opinion just got a whole lot easier with [Twitter Polls](https://blog.twitter.com/2015/introducing-twitter-polls?ref=capitolcommunicator.com). [Twitter’s Conversion Lift](https://business.twitter.com/solutions/website-card-overview?location=na&ref=capitolcommunicator.com) allows for more accurate targeting, and has proven that [Promoted Tweets are 1.4x more likely to result in conversion](http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/twitter-claims-promoted-tweets-significantly-lift-interactions-and-conversions-167584?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) than normal Tweets. [Twitter’s collaboration with IBM’s Insight Cloud Services](http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ibm-launches-new-data-insight-services-with-twitter-and-the-weather-company-300166277.html?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) allows brands to stream data insights across various industries. The announcement of [Gnip Insights APIs ](https://blog.twitter.com/2015/gnip-insights-apis?ref=capitolcommunicator.com)revealed two new APIs for Audience and Engagement. Not to mention to track all the above changes, [Brand Hub](https://blog.twitter.com/2015/introducing-twitter-brand-hub?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) now allows brands to identify key audiences, trends and conversations that relate to their brands.

**Bringing the Internet to Your Mailbox**

[37% represents the increase in performance](http://www.dmnews.com/postal/will-real-mail-notification-make-usps-a-digital-channel/article/428480/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) a campaign can expect to see when using email and direct (snail) mail together. In response,[ USPS has capitalized on the idea of Digital Mail in New York](http://www.dmnews.com/dc-direct/uspss-reblin-talks-about-digital-mails-arrival-in-nyc-this-fall/article/429029/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) through Real Mail Notifications that send an email to receivers of the mail they should expect to receive the following day. Remarkably, USPS has seen 93% of users opening email alerts within two hours of receiving them each day. Not too bad for a Direct Mail company that has taken the road less travelled and enhanced the[ omni-channel approach, rather than the multi-channel approach](http://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2015/10/20/dreaming-of-omni-channel-domination-start-here/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com)!

**Once Upon a Time…**

You don’t have to visit Disney World to make your dreams come true! The marketer’s dream of a successful storytelling campaign has only gotten closer to reality as social platforms continue to make sharing experiences easier. [Twitter has improved the ability for brands to utilize storytelling](https://blog.twitter.com/2015/tell-compelling-stories-with-twitter-on-mobile-or-web?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) through sharing experiences by highlighting multiple Tweets at once, with images and video displayed side-by-side. Similarly, [Instagram has rolled out a new feature, Boomerang](http://blog.instagram.com/post/131684343987/boomerang-from-instagram?ref=capitolcommunicator.com), that takes a burst of photos and stitches them together into a mini video that plays forward and backward to replay a story over and over and over and over… In addition, you can head to Facebook to get the full story from both your friends and news channels, now with [Facebook’s Search FYI.](http://newsroom.fb.com/news/2015/10/search-fyi-find-what-the-world-is-saying-with-facebook-search/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com)

**The Art of Artificial Intelligence**

[Bloomberg Business revealed Google’s secret to relevant search queries results](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-26/google-turning-its-lucrative-web-search-over-to-ai-machines?ref=capitolcommunicator.com): RankBrain. The RankBrain algorithm uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to give[ interpreted search results](http://www.forbes.com/sites/miketempleman/2015/10/27/google-rankbrain-what-does-it-mean-for-seo/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) that provide information that humans wouldn’t necessarily know or recognize. Thinking *Uh Oh, SEO* like we did? Don’t fret about a changing SEO strategy as a result of the announcement. [Gary Illyes, a webmaster trends analyst, on Twitter](https://twitter.com/methode/status/658827607966810112?ref=capitolcommunicator.com) confirmed that the algorithm has been in effect for months, thus SEO will not be affected. Keep a lookout for other companies such as Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Bing as they have also been in the [artificial intelligence race to use algorithms ](http://fortune.com/2015/09/14/technology-artificial-intelligence/?ref=capitolcommunicator.com)as well…

**(Stay current with items of interest to communicators at Capitol Communicator,** [**www.capitolcommunicator.com**](https://capitolcommunicator.com/)**.)**