Marketing

America is in the midst of seismic changes. Unprecedented demographic shifts.  Rising educational attainment. Migration of young talent to urban centers. A technology revolution reshaping our economy and empowering consumers in ways previously unimaginable. What does this mean for the face of tomorrow’s consumer market? Are we witnessing the emergence of a new mass market?

Well, not entirely free. Let me explain. Recently, I had lunch with a procurement manager from a technology company that we’re pitching, and she gave me some insights from the other side on what it feels like to work with an agency.  

Millions of Americans gathered to celebrate LGBTQ Pride last month, which also marked two years since the Supreme Court ruled in favor of nationwide marriage equality.  That historic June 2015 ruling legalized the new definition of family.  In today’s media landscape, brands need to follow suit.  If they want to be successful, companies can no longer ignore the LGBTQ community in their advertising.

About a million immigrants receive U.S. green cards each year, but fewer than half are new arrivals from other countries. The majority already live in the United States on temporary visas, according to recently released U.S. Department of Homeland Security data that show that the two groups have different profiles.

There was, for once, big news at the annual advertising festival in Cannes, France, but it had nothing to do with who won the grand prizes.  Er, um, pardonnez-moi, grand prix.  Ratherm the 2017 event — formally, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity — will be remembered for a startling announcement midway through by Arthur Sadoun, the new Chairman and CEO of the giant Publicis Groupe agency company, that he was bidding adieu for the next year to Cannes Lions, along with other awards shows and events such as CES and South by Southwest.

Every cloud has a silver lining. And when it comes to the current status of the retail industry, which ranges from “bleak to promising,” that silver lining consists of Hispanic millennials. In fact, regardless of the state of retail at large, Hispanic millennials – especially Latinas – are the new now of retail, and their impact on your bottom line may be more than you realize.  By Alberto Navas

After reading the award-winning essays for the Admap Prize 2017 (inspired by Kantar, I should note) my eye was caught by the title Pre-Suasion toward the end of the same issue. Pre-Suasion turns out to be the title of a new book by Professor Robert Cialdini and the review suggests that the central theme fits well with the need to make a lasting impression.  by Nigel Hollis

America loves beer and in recent years, craft beer.  By Ozzie Godinez / CEO and Co-Founder at PACO Collective

Ad agencies and advertisers are victims of the belief that “creativity” is the basis of their current relationships, and that “more creativity” will give them more of what they need.  Ad agencies have promoted “creativity” since the days of Bill Bernbach, more than 50 years ago, when agencies were at the top of their game.  Advertisers, as their clients, continue to hire agencies for their perceived creativity, provided costs are rock bottom.  However, “creativity” is no longer delivering improved brand performance or increasing shareholder value.  The search for more creativity is making victims of agencies and CMOs alike — neither lasts very long in a relationship.  It’s time for a new paradigm.  The “Creative Paradigm” is out of date.  It’s not working.  By Michael Farmer

The ownership experience should be a critical brand differentiator and revenue generator for both manufacturers and retailers. Yet only 17 percent of North American consumers believe brands truly care about them after the point of purchase, which might be an accurate reflection of the importance that acquisition-centric marketers place on the aftermarket service and support that drive and solidify satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy.

Make no mistake about it: The fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and retail landscape is facing systemic change unlike anything in recent history. While the first quarter of the year kicked off with slowed growth, the recipe for selling hasn’t really changed: retailers need to find more customers and get them to load up bigger baskets while raising prices. Yet slowing U.S. population growth, fragmented spending across channels and deflationary pressures remain key challenges.

In 2017, discussions around gender and media have reached a fever pitch. We’ve seen movements for gender equality in Hollywood, in Silicon Valley—and even on Madison Avenue. Agencies are creating marquee campaigns to support women and girls, often termed “femvertising.” But is the advertising industry as a whole making strides toward improving representation of women overall?

Dramatic shifts in campaign focus can often undermine the longer-term effects of advertising simply because lack of continuity fails to develop a network of strong, positive and motivating impressions in people’s minds.  by Nigel Hollis

Marketers are all pushing for an omnichannel, holistic view of their audiences, but that vision requires integrating audience insights from three core areas: TV, digital and in-store. And that poses substantial challenges.

Everyone I know in advertising and marketing is interested in ideas. Not just good ideas. Extraordinary ideas. The kind that elevate our work and make an unmistakable impact on people, industries, and the world.    By Matt Magee, VP of strategy at PJA Advertising + Marketing

In 2011, Michael Chorost published a truly visionary book called “World Wide Mind: The Coming Integration of Humanity, Machines and the Internet.” It was and remains a really smart book that lays out an evidence-rich case that the melding of humans and machines is not just the futuristic noodling of science fiction writers, but an increasingly likely eventuality.  By Tom Stein, chairman and chief client officer at Stein IAS

Our end-goal as marketers should be to influence purchase decisions. One way is to hector people at the point of purchase, another is to shortcut the decision process and get people to pick your brand without conscious deliberation. But how best to do that? We need to provide people’s lazy brains with a script; one that guides their purchase decision.  by Nigel Hollis

The travel and hospitality industry remains highly competitive and is undoubtedly a saturated marketplace, but what are the most successful organisations delivering that it’s nearest competitors aren’t?

“What I would love from all of you data and research methodology sellers is something like the food information – and nutrition information – labels about what’s in your research product: What’s in your data, where did you collect it, and what did it get matched to?”  By Jonathan Steuer – Chief Research Officer, Omnicom Media Group

In honor of LGBTQ Pride Month, findings from a new Ogilvy survey released of over 1,000 Americans including over 400 LGBT allies revealed that nearly two-thirds of Americans (65%) believe that LGBT-inclusive brands/businesses are good for the economy and similarly (64%) believe that these initiatives reflect our country’s diversity. However, the majority (68%) report that in order to be an LGBT ally, brands/businesses need to “walk the talk” following through on promises and plans.