Agency

Yes, consolidation will be a major theme — and it’s not just about the traditional food chain of small to medium to larger independent to holding company. The consultants are now out there too, as Accenture’s recent purchase of Karmarama showed. So to get bigger billings, revenue will have to be bought in the hope that a big bid comes in from a larger agency, or consultancy, which can offer some form of protection from billings heading down. It’s kind of an endless circle, isn’t it?

… and Will Probably Continue Being Untrue in 2017

As the dawn of a new year is once again upon us, it is abundantly clear that the majority of people are ready for 2016 to end. It was a year overcome with politically charged turmoil, Zika, (more) mass shootings, Brexit, the crisis in Syria, and, of course, the U.S. Presidential election, to name a few. One group, in particular, didn’t hold back when it came to their feelings and backlash about this year. That’s right: Millennials.

AHAA: The Voice of Hispanic Marketing (AHAA) has rebranded its Hispanic marketing directory to launch the 2016 Hispanic Market Guide, available for free of charge. This comprehensive digital guide provides a detailed look at Hispanic consumers, Hispanic media, top advertisers and agencies, and features data from Nielsen, Cision, and the U.S. Census.  DOWNLOAD FOR FREE HERE.

HispanicAd.com in association with Adam R Jacobson are proud to announce the availability of the 2016 Hispanic Market Overview.  DOWNLOAD HERE FOR FREE

With multicultural consumers a significant and growing part of the U.S. population, brands and retailers can not ignore the unique tastes, preferences and traditions of African-American, Hispanics and Asian-Americans both during the holidays and year round.

Nielsen announced an increase in the panel in 48 Portable People Meter (PPM) markets as part of its ongoing efforts to advance audio measurement. Nielsen will boost the effective sample size of the panel by 10% across all markets and demographics starting mid-2017.

LAPIZ was named the official agency of record for Advance Auto Parts’ general market business. The agency has managed the retailer’s Hispanic market work since 2014, and will now lead marketing efforts for both general and Hispanic markets across North America.

Make your bed, then sleep in it. Right? Well, whenever something happens in the advertising industry that brands don’t like, it’s well worth a little more self-examination behind the causes. Sure, big agencies are not exactly innocent creatures who should avoid blame — but let’s be honest, 2016 has been the year of blaming agencies for everything under the sun. So how about a reality check?

Two things we heard a lot about in 2016 were “autonomous cars” and “bots,” but rarely in the same sentence. True, they both share the common thread of AI, which powers the “self” in self-driving cars (computer vision, decisioning) and the chatty personalization of bots. But that’s where the similarity ends, because most bots don’t employ real AI or machine learning, but are just collections of “if-then” statements in a new package.

When it comes to combining in-store visits and online product research or purchase, Generation Z (ages 18 to 26) leads all other shopper age groups in the US, lending some spark an otherwise flat “omnishopping” environment.

Even the most data-driven company is working blindly when it comes to understanding what it gets from spending on digital advertising.  By Kenji Govaers, Matthew Meacham and Guy Brusselmans

Ask any journalist, and you’ll find out just how overfilled their inboxes have become in the past decade. In fact, we asked about 1,300 writers, editors, and contributors for some specific numbers. This is what we found.

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

• Last week I elaborated on the awkward way some people offer me money to plug their faux-news, products &/or services in my weekly op-ed.
• I repeat: there are other legit ways to promote your wares properly, possibly with much better results & ROI than clumsy make-believe journalism.
• Just call me and we’ll discuss.
• As you can imagine, I also receive tons of press releases all the time.
• Lots and lots.
• In the majority of cases, said PR efforts are shotgun approaches blasted wholesale to every single publication in America and beyond.
• No news new there.
• Most go utterly ignored.

As digital video technology rocks the boat, the hegemony of Nielsen television ratings, GRPs and age/gender demographics is being challenged by splintered metrics for TV platforms ranging from national and local TV to VOD, OTT and programmatic, from linear to mobile and addressable … among others.  What measurement methods and metrics make sense for this new landscape?

It’s time for all marketers to catch up to the new generation of tracking. Leading edge marketers have adopted the new tracking tools that take advantage of the opportunities created by digital and mobile technologies. It’s time for all marketers to get on board with the transformation.  By Mark Chamberlain – Sector Managing Director, Transformation Brands / Kantar Millward Brown

IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) released “The Internet of Things,” a study which shows that nearly two-thirds (62%) of American consumers own at least one Internet of Things connected device (connected car, connected/smart TV, fitness tracker, home control system or appliance, internet-enabled voice command, smart glasses, smart watch, VR headset, or wearable)

Given the healthy short- and long-term impact of media advertising, marketers should realign a share of promotional dollars to media to stop brand erosion. This shift will enable marketers to reinforce brand equity, support shopper loyalty and drive consistent brand growth.

Marketers have long wanted to get inside the heads of their customers. Getting onto the smartphones they hold in their hands may be the next best thing.  By Laura Beaudin, Wendy Grad, Elizabeth Spaulding and John Grudnowski