Agency

New research from Salesforce finds that many consumers, particularly millennials, are open to artificial intelligence (AI) or other shopping-related technologies that help streamline the retail experience, like the ability to search for merchandise in a store using an image and then receiving product recommendations based on the attributes of that image.

We, consumers of media, have access to an ever growing number of platforms and providers all ready to entertain, inform and engage us. The biggest challenge seems to be not figuring out the limitations of what new technologies and creative minds can come up with, but how to make a decent living creating it all.

Advertising is facing challenges on many fronts, especially within the two largest media, digital and television. Among the large packaged goods marketers and big brands who dominate television, we have market-share losses to smaller brands driving reduced spending for many who budget for advertising as a percentage of revenue and zero-based budgeting tactics for others.

H Code Media announced the addition of three new positions to help strengthen the company’s leadership team. The three new hires include President, Tony Gonzalez, Director of Data Science, Dr. Ramon Cendejas and Head of East Coast Sales, Blake Belanger.

The use of social media and technology for sponsorship activations are topics of keen interest for the ANA Sponsorship & Event Marketing Committee.

It’s no secret that today’s multicultural market has exploded.  Nearly half of the American population identifies as part of one minority group or another.  However, multicultural agencies have been slow to adapt to the changing marketplace. 

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

• The Theranos sham that rocked Silicon Valley last year is, well, so last year.
• There’s a new bad boy in town.
• Welcome to the latest wannabe unicorn and storm in a teapot.
• Bodega.

This is a slower growth rate compared to an exceptionally strong performance in 2016 (+5.9% excl. P&O) but the moderate slowdown remains within what had already been anticipated by MAGNA. Neutralizing cyclical drivers in 2016-17, actual growth will be +1.8% this year.

We live in a globalized era, when many times, as content producers and marketers, we create content for a campaign in one language and then translate it to reach a multicultural audience in the U.S. or consumers in other countries.  by Lee Vann / Captura Group

More than 300 of the sharpest strategists in the ad business gathered in New York last week for the 20th annual 4A’s Strategy Festival, which was themed “Data + Humanity: Planning Redefined.” Speakers — including Publicis Groupe’s Rishad Tobaccowala, Viacom’s Kodi Foster and BBDO’s David Lubars — stressed the importance of the strategy and planning disciplines at a time when the human factor threatens to get lost in the number crunch.

When people consider engaging with facts and information any number of factors come into play. How interested are they in the subject? How much do they trust the sources of information that relate to the subject? How eager are they to learn something more? What other aspects of their lives might be competing for their attention and their ability to pursue information? How much access do they have to the information in the first place?

Seventy-one percent of Millennials are visiting multiple stores to find the best deals, compared to 57 percent of Baby Boomers

Are you the smartest person in the room?  I can pretty much never say yes — but more often than not, I can tell who in the room thinks they are. Inevitably, they want everyone else to think it, too.  It’s an unattractive quality in a co-worker and one that creates lots of unnecessary tension.

When new college graduates interview for a job at Kimberly-Clark, the discussion often veers into topics that would never show up on a typical resume. As part of the multinational consumer goods company’s “Original Thinkers” marketing campaign to attract the young talented workers all companies need in order to thrive over the long-term, each candidate is encouraged to take an informal 3-minute quiz designed to probe what kind of thinker a person is.  By Chris Warren

Nativism, a kind-of political “first come, first served” resentment toward the latest wave of immigrants, haunts American history during periods of demographic change fueling fear, anger, and resentment.  By David Morse / New American Dimensions

Marketers can’t reach their goals without knowing exactly who their target audiences are and how those people make purchases. Whether the goal is a one percent increase in e-commerce purchases per month or a whole new community for a healthcare product. And while creating buyer personas and understanding target markets have always been a part of traditional marketing, doing so has become more difficult as consumer habits evolve and potential customers are spread more widely around the world.

Today’s consumers expect strong mobile sites, want flexible fulfillment options, and use a variety of channels to research and make purchases. Brands must deliver superior experiences and support if they want to stay competitive in today’s retail environment.

Delivery of true, multi-channel customer experience has become the latest area where sales and marketing leaders are testing the boundaries of their relationship status—understanding and cooperating on what’s needed, but neither taking the lead (or risk) for ownership and operation of this emerging area of business value creation.

DiGo will be spearheading the iconic organization’s efforts to drive attendance and communicate its brand story.

reVolver Podcasts and Univision Communications Inc. (UCI) announced a strategic partnership to bring listeners and partners more exclusive Spanish-language audio content and expanded advertising opportunities.