Agency

GroupM published Interaction 2016, an annual report offering insights into digital advertising globally.

But is there value in advertising on VOD in conjunction with linear TV?

Forget Mad Men. Today’s marketers are more likely to be math men and women. They plumb the depths of Big Data with advanced analytical tools. They buy and use dazzling new software—some spend more on technology in a given year than their companies’ IT departments. They are hot on the trail of marketing’s holy grail, the ability to measure return on investment (ROI) on every campaign.

In a recent conversation, Graham Page, Head of Global Research Solutions, described chatter on social media as “horrible data”. In doing so, he was alluding to the fact that the data is inherently messy but also subject to many different influences. If you want to make sense of trends in social data, you have to be able to turn that horrible data into meaningful data.

The touchpoints revolution has created a big bang of rapidly emerging new data sources – but between these points of light, it’s also created black holes in our understanding that only a re-engineered approach to research can fill.

Our industry, indeed our world, could accurately be described as obsessed with Big Data. It’s an oft cited solution to many problems, be they ones of branding, advertising, customer understanding or even healthcare, city planning and finding love.

U.S. digital advertising revenues reached an all-time high of $59.6 billion in 2015, according to the full-year IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report, released by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and prepared by PwC US. This marks a 20 percent surge over the earlier record-breaking 2014 revenues of $49.5 billion – and represents the sixth year in a row of double-digit growth for the industry.

Spending on paid media worldwide will climb 5.7% in 2016 to $542.55 billion, propelled by increased investments in digital advertising. This is lower than eMarketer’s previous forecast, but still represents accelerated growth when compared with 2015 (5.0%).

Post 3rd Open Enrollment CMS figures by ethnic & racial group are yet to be published by CMS, however, as of last Fall, most states had yet to enroll more than half of their Hispanic & African American uninsured ACA eligibles. But surprisingly, Multicultural segments eligibles are surprisingly less risky than White Non-Hispanic eligibles.

PMK•BNC announced its new multicultural practice, VOCES. The agency has appointed industry veteran Willy Villarreal as Vice President to lead the new business unit.

Hispanics are the youngest major racial or ethnic group in the United States.

Spending on brand activation marketing in the U.S. rose 5.5 percent in 2015 to more than $560 billion, accounting for almost 60 percent of advertisers’ budgets, according to a new study by the ANA (Association of National Advertisers) in partnership with PQ Media. This year, brand activation is expected to grow 6 percent, to nearly $600 billion.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will add materials and advertising artifacts from AHAA: The Voice of Hispanic Marketing’s 2000 VOTO Campaign.

The Southwest Advertising Hall of Fame announced that the recipient of its annual “Governor’s Award” is ad agency Lopez Negrete Communications. Lopez Negrete is one of the top Hispanic agencies in the country and is based in Houston, Texas.

Nearly a third of senior advertisers in North America are familiar with people-based targeting and know the concept well, according to February 2016 research. A further 39% said they have a general idea of what it is.

AHAA: The Voice of Hispanic Marketing will honor agency pioneer Ernest Bromley with the Caballero Award and Ceril Shagrin, executive vice president of Audience Measurement Innovation and Analytics for Univision

Experian Marketing Services released its 2016 Digital Marketer Report. The eighth annual study reveals the challenges, priorities and other key issues impacting marketers worldwide.

While country borders sharply define the nationality of the consumers within them, these lines drawn on a map don’t prevent consumer habits, spending and people from moving across them.

Technology continues to be on the fast track—from the advent of the connected cars to recent improvements in virtual reality gear. These changes are shifting consumer behavior and influencing how people experience video content.

By Gonzalo López Martí        Creative director, etc  /  LMMIAMI.COM

• Marketing & advertising trade pubs tend to be littered with manufactured press releases & carefully curated gossip.
• It is not necessarily good or bad, it simply is.
• It don’t hurt to ruffle some feathers every now and then though.
• Hence my friend & benefactor Eugenio “Gene” Bryan, founder & editor of this prestigious media outlet, kindly asked me to bring a creative’s POV to his kingdom.
• If possible, one devoid of makeup or sugarcoating.
• The harsh truth with a playful tone.
• Or, at least, the harsh truth as yours truly sees it.
• If we want our industry to keep paying our mortgages we must keep it on its toes.
• We must call into question our complacency, our tried & true conventional wisdom, our tired truisms.
• While protecting the tenets of our culture and the cohesion of our community.
• Every now & then, this mission requires to pick a fight.