Agency

Counties with the largest numeric growth are all located in the south and the west, with counties in Texas taking four out of the top 10 spots according to new U.S. Census Bureau population estimates. By metropolitan area, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas, had the largest numeric growth with a gain of 131,767 (1.8 percent) in 2018, followed by Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. with an increase of 96,268 (2.0 percent). Migration, both domestic and international, as well as natural increase contributed to the growth in each of these areas, with natural increase serving as the largest source of population growth in Dallas and domestic migration serving as the largest source in Phoenix.

In a January poll of 105 US digital marketers by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Winterberry Group, analytics and measurement tasks were the use cases that marketers expected would occupy most of their time and attention this year. IAB’s 2018 study on the same topic produced similar results.

The IAB expects podcast advertising to exceed $500 million in 2019, which represents growth of about 65% in just two years. For podcasters looking to attract advertisers, demonstrating proof of performance isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s quickly becoming a need-to-have. And while download metrics can help advertisers understand which podcasts are popular, they don’t tell brand managers anything about the impact their podcast ads have on customers.

Marketers and consumers feel differently about the delivery of an excellent customer experience. To reconcile this, marketers should turn their attention to consumers’ top concerns, such as privacy and personalization.

Brands must break through and win at shelf, but with an average supermarket stocking over 40,000 different products, that’s no mean feat. Whether it’s a new pack design, advertising at shelf or off-shelf display, virtual reality can help give marketers the confidence that their money will be well-spent.  by Nicole Johnson – Virtual Reality Solutions Manager / Insights Division, Kantar

Agency Mania Solutions offered advertisers four tips to improve accountability and transparency from agencies.

IM+C, a communication agency with offices in London, Barcelona and Madrid, announced the opening of its new office in Miami, located in the heart of Miami’s Design District.

The past few weeks have brought forward countless news stories, research, and features around the gender pay gap in the U.S. And now new data from Mindshare U.S., the global media agency network that’s part of WPP, highlights some of the other critical areas in the workplace where there’s a gender gap in opportunities and benefits.

Accenture has published its 2018 Corporate Citizenship Report, which details how the company innovates to improve the way the world works and lives.

Over the past 15 years,1 the economies in Central America and the Caribbean (CAC) recorded an average annual GDP growth of around 4 percent, higher than the growth rates achieved by the Latin American average and most developed economies, but well below most other developing regions; regions such as South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa—and countries such as China or India—exhibited average annual growth of more than 5 percent during this period.

By Gonzalo López Martí – Creative director, etc / LMMiami.com

• I wrote a somewhat scalding piece about Accenture’s shopping spree last week.
• Pessimistic and gloomy some folks called it.
• I received lots of comments trying to convince me to see the glass half full.
• Your optimism is sweet and endearing, folks.

Today’s retail landscape has a cheating problem. That’s because consumers have more choice and access to products than ever, and they’re growing increasingly comfortable with trying new brands. While choice and access are fantastic for shoppers, manufacturers and retailers now have an incredible burden to bear—make an offering so great that consumers won’t seek an alternative elsewhere.

More than half of client-side marketers worldwide said leveraging data for more effective segmentation and targeting is among their top three organizational priorities in 2019, according to an Econsultancy and Adobe survey concluded in December 2018.

Transparency is key to authentically connecting with consumers, but are companies sharing all that their consumers want to know?

A year after taking charge as SVP and CMO for industrial giant Emerson, Katherine Button Bell rolled out a new brand architecture for the company — including a revamped logo. Not everyone was pleased. “Someone wrote a note to our chairman that said, ‘I suppose she’d like to change the American flag while she’s at it?'” Button Bell recalls. “The word ‘tension’ would not describe the angst it created. People think of logos as part of their personal identity. It’s like changing the initials on someone’s bathroom towels.”

You know that sock drawer you’ve been meaning to clean out? It may just offer lessons for clarifying the marketing process, and provide CMOs and marketers with a more clear-sighted path for demonstrating their value.

In the consumer-goods sector, agile ways of working aren’t an all-or-nothing proposition. Success depends on knowing where and how to deploy them.

Packaging changes are an integral part of every brand’s lifecycle. Many changes are routine, but some are more radical; driven by changing consumer trends, the need to modernize, or signaling a more premium offer. However, even slight changes can dramatically impact sales, making it critical to get your packaging transition strategy right.  by Tara Prabhakar – Global Director, Qualitative, Client Impact Insights Division, Kantar and David Lansanah Global Head of Innovation Insights Division, Kantar

Procter & Gamble Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard called for the creation of an entirely new media supply chain to address the significant challenges facing the industry in transparency, brand safety and privacy.

As global momentum remains strong, telecom CEOs are expressing a high level of confidence in their ability to generate and maintain top-line growth — now and in the future.  By Barbara K. Mednick