Agency

In this report, we highlight topics covered at the Feb. 6th event — including unconventional uses of data, preparing for the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, cross-device measurement and targeting, and upcoming industry standards.

More retailers are looking to technology to simplify the shopping process and automate a lot of redundant tasks. But are consumers ready?

Welcome to the first installment of a trilogy -or maybe a tetralogy- that will attempt a detailed SWOT analysis of the various paths a marketer can choose when hiring talent to roll out its communication campaigns. This first installment will probe the various strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats of using in-house agencies for such purposes.  By Gonzalo López Martí – Creative director, etc. / LMMiami.com

Among other key findings, half of respondents (50%) cited “insufficient supporting technology” as a primary obstacle in their ability to gain value from their data initiatives, while roughly one-third (32%) said that technology would play a vital role in leading their data initiatives this year. Of particular note, artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology were frequently cited as innovations that would likely command more time and attention in 2018.

At the annual IAB Leadership Meeting today, Unilever CMO spoke of the company’s commitment to “responsible” platforms, content and infrastructure, and also conveyed that it will support partners such as Facebook and Google as they invest in improving their platforms. Commentary was somewhat contrary to prior press reports which indicated that Unilever may take a harder line on digital media, much as CPG peer Procter & Gamble did at the same event last year.  By Brian Wieser – Senior Research Analyst – Advertising / Pivotal Research Group

The most disruptive challenge to conventional media-based, brand-building advertising happened during the earliest days of Internet advertising, when agencies and brand marketers failed to define emerging digital platforms like the Internet — and ultimately, mobile — as a branding medium.  by Joe Mandese

Have you been part of an agency pitch lately? If so, you will have seen a very different pitch than you would have seen five or 10 years ago. Of course that’s normal, given all the change that is happening in our industry.  Agency RFPs now include lengthy requirements for data, insights, marketing technology and other digital components. These are not “fluff” requests like “increase likes” or “drive search results.”  by Maarten Albarda

Companies will spend more than $1 trillion globally on marketing in 2017, by one estimate. This puts chief marketing officers stewarding their brands squarely in the crosshairs of CEOs, CFOs and corporate boards, who want to know where all this money is going and what they’re getting in return—“brands be damned.”  To respond to these pressures, CMOs have turned to marketing mix optimization (MMO), an analytical approach to figuring out which elements of the marketing mix—media, creative and so on—are working more and less effectively, and then spending more on the winners and less on the losers.  By Cesar Brea, Laura Beaudin, Andreas Dullweber and Brian Dennehy

One more birth means one more person. Therefore, that births would be one of the primary drivers of U.S. population growth seems to be a deceptively simple conclusion. However, why, how, and where births contribute to the U.S. population growth varies from state to state.

Billboard announced that Raúl Alarcόn Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc., tops Billboard’s annual “Power 100”.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) released “Blockchain for Video Advertising: A Market Snapshot of Publisher & Buyer Use Cases,” an in-depth whitepaper that uncovers strong use cases for blockchain technology in digital video advertising, with a focus on over-the-top (OTT) advertising.

Data breaches. Machine-based decisions. The rise of the robots. In an increasingly digital world, do you trust the data and analytics that underpin your most critical business decisions?  Trust is now a defining factor in an organization’s success or failure. Indeed, trust underpins reputation, customer satisfaction, loyalty and other intangible assets. It inspires employees, enables global markets to function, reduces uncertainty and builds resilience.

Last December, the ANA CMO Masters Circle and the ANA’s Educational Foundation organized a roundtable hosted by the CMO at Hyatt Hotels, Maryam Banikarim. The roundtable topic focused on how to channel the highest quality of talent into a career in marketing or advertising with key stakeholders like CMOs, agency leaders, academic professors, and millennial marketers (who joined us from Hyatt). The insights on the industry from the millennial viewpoint were particularly important.  By Elliot Lum

In the ‘90s, casual Fridays brought about the slow death of formal business attire in the office. In the new millennium, mobile devices effectively eliminated the 9-to-5 workday and erased the line between personal and professional. Now, the gig economy is about to kill the concept of a company employee.

I recently gave a presentation to a room full of inside-sales people.  The topic was listening.  If you know me at all you know how ironic this session was for me to give.  I’m notoriously distracted and a multi-tasker, probably like most of those reading this article. Listening is an art form — like a finely tuned instrument — and I am a “blunt instrument” most of the time.  So, I explored how it is perfected by focused people who are conscious of the impact listening can have.  By Cory Treffiletti

Over the past ten years, I have witnessed the disappearance of powerful brands and with it the diminishing of a level of enchantment that once fed our “can do, anything is possible” American view of the world.  This is the first report in a five-part series exploring the impact on people and our culture of powerful brand vanishment and why, more than ever, we need these cultural artifacts back among us.  By Jane Cavalier

Brands don’t want to associate with content that makes them look bad in any way.  Last year’s brand safety controversies stirred fears that advertisers would back away from platforms like Facebook and YouTube, but spending has continued to surge.

New insights that marketers can use to inspire people to change their behavior are critical to driving brand growth. And what better way to learn how best to put those insights into action than using the power of improvisation? In this post Tim Kibbey and Patty Bloomfield of Kantar Millward Brown, Firefly Practice, explain how it works.  by Nigel Hollis

Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. (SBS) announced the appointment of Geraldo Arriaga as Vice President, Digital Media Sales of SBS, LaMusica App. In this role, Geraldo will spearhead all of the Company’s digital revenue efforts at the national scale, while working directly with all Digital Sales Managers,Sales Management and divisions in each one of our markets. Mr. Arriaga will ensure SBS’s Digital Media programs are fully integrated into the network’s growing “Original Content Strategy.”

Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. (SBS) announced the appointment of Geraldo Arriaga as Vice President, Digital Media Sales of SBS, LaMusica App. In this role, Geraldo will spearhead all of the Company’s digital revenue efforts at the national scale, while working directly with all Digital Sales Managers,Sales Management and divisions in each one of our markets. Mr. Arriaga will ensure SBS’s Digital Media programs are fully integrated into the network’s growing “Original Content Strategy.”