Tag: Brands + Marketers

By Karl Kangur, CEO, Result Compass Marketing in the world of B2B needs to take into…

for the brands who had commercials during the broadcast, spending on average $6.5million for a 30-second slot, they want to know whose ad ‘won’ with 100 million TV watchers. 

TikTok is the social media platform of the moment. With over 2 billion downloads and 850 million active monthly users, TikTok is home to passionate followers who enjoy trends and content creation.

Choosing your marketing strategy is a challenge, however, especially if you’re deciding between your in-house team or outsourcing. Both have pros and cons, and it comes down to deciding which will help you reach your goals.

Everyone wants to run optimal advertising campaigns, but when it comes to honing performance, marketers can often question if they are using their content appropriately and efficiently.

The good news? Retail shopping neared pre-pandemic levels this past holiday season, meaning spending is happening across the country, with 89% stating plans to spend at least as much as they did pre-pandemic.

In a period of such comprehensive change, it can be difficult to assess the impact of a single trend. However, one overarching shift can help to explain many of the other changes taking place in retail and commerce: the convergence of media and retail.

Although regulations for influencer marketing are still being defined, the industry would welcome more robust guidelines and is taking steps toward implementing this for the benefit of brands, audiences, and content creators.

The anxiety and fear are normal.  But through the fog of uncertainty, there are many reasons to maintain calm and stay the course.

Content has been hailed as king for what seems like forever. And while the phrase itself has certainly gotten stale, the role of content in any B2B company’s success cannot be stressed enough. 

Most would probably know the Star Wars opening theme. However, only the diehard fans would be able to sing Leia’s theme, or even the more widely used, Force Suite.

Facebook has become the mainstay advertising venue for fashion brands. If you ask why the digital marketer will say it works the best.

Thanks to digital burnout and continuous partial attention, remote meetings can feel unproductive. Here’s how to get your remote or hybrid team back on track.

A Q&A With Martin Pedersen, Founder/CEO of Stellar Agency, El Segundo, CA

As we approach the Christmas period, we are likely to see our inboxes snowed under by a steep influx of emails that advertise gifts and services. In order to stand out from the crowd, it is crucial to plan your email marketing with close attention to detail.

As summer plans give way to changing weather, it’s time to start preparing for another holiday shopping season. After a pandemic year, retailers are counting on strong consumer spending to drive revenue and provide momentum into the new year.

B2B audiences are people, not robots. Do not treat them like machines.

In the following Q&A, we chat with Isha Sesay, OkayMedia CEO and former CNN journalist, to get her thoughts on the rise of female leaders in media, emerging media trends that could make an impact in 2022 and more.

The pandemic created a variety of shifts for destination marketers. Drive markets increased, while fly markets went way down, then transitioned into a bumpy recovery.

People know Venus Williams as a tennis champion and Olympian. However, they may not know her as an entrepreneur. As it turns out, Venus is passionate about tennis and design.

In January of 2020, I launched the U.S. office of BAM Strategy, a 25-year-old independent digital agency headquartered in Montreal. It was, without question, one of the most exciting moments of my career and a milestone for which I’d spent the better part of a year prepping and planning.

The consumer journey is as complex as it’s ever been. There are countless factors that come into play that affect the time between a customer deciding to buy something and when they actually make the purchase.

Focus Groups have been set on the back burner, most recently due to COVID-19 restrictions and the necessity for fast and precise results as the tech era is on the rise. So, what’s next?

The global market for Digital Transformation was valued at $589.7M this year, and it is expected to cross the billion-dollar mark by 2025. The pandemic simply sped up an ongoing shift to digital.

While many charities are doing excellent work, one of the persistent obstacles they face is an inability to communicate effectively to the public the scale of the problem and the potential solutions.

If you’re a cat or a dog, what a time it is to be alive. A golden age of flavour. A pet food renaissance. 

By Michael McLaren, Global CEO, Merkle B2B The days of cold, rational B2B sales and…

For the last few years, companies have been getting serious about designing unique personalities for their brand-driven chat experiences.

Reddit is infamous for being a marketing graveyard. It is full of buried links from entrepreneurs and marketers that just didn’t “get it.” So how do you “get it” and avoid falling into the trap?

When the Amazon juggernaut rolls into a sector, market dominance is assured – it’s a question of when not if. Its latest venture? The trusty television set.

Brands are experiencing a dramatic increase in the complexity of their marketing mix as a result of digital transformation.

The modern age heavily features information overload, with constant competing demands for our attention and patronage.

From Steve Miller’s “The Joker” to Carl Douglas’ “Kung Fu Fighting”, the hits of 1974 include their share of classic earworms. But over in adland, Chevrolet made a hit of its own that year – “Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet” which became one of the most iconic car jingles of all time.

Being prepared or not for the seasonality of your industry can see your sales and revenue skyrocket or take a turn for the worse – let’s hope it’s not the latter!

The role of the agency is changing. Many brands are adapting their processes, redistributing their budget to get more control of their output, with a bigger focus on in-house. This shift has been ongoing for years.

When working with finite marketing budgets, businesses need to be sure they’re focusing on getting the right message to the right people at the right time. But who are the right people exactly, and what do they need to hear?

The old holiday planning cycle of kickoff and design in spring, test in summer, and execute in fall isn’t in full swing like it used to be.

In the heat of summer, the holiday shopping season can feel like it’s a long way away. Experienced e-commerce merchants know better.

Picture this: you’re new in town, and choosing a pub to pass the hours in. One place has half-price drinks and the bar is heaving.

With under 16s making up almost 40% of all online users, they are having profound and long-lasting changes on how the internet is perceived and used.

We often tell people to be themselves, shouldn’t the same apply to brands?

The Creator Economy is a wave that has been building. About three years ago, there was a surge of micro-influencers and niche markets that joined social media celebs.

The digital world is on the brink of big changes, and publishers will see their workflows evolve significantly.

In this Q&A, Scott Knox, President & CEO, Institute of Communication Agencies and Jamie Matthews CEO of independent agency Initials, will be delving into the current challenges North American agencies face, particularly after the pandemic.

If you’re looking to get the finishing touches to your summer and autumn outfits, join us as we walk you through the top trainer trends of 2021.

Old print vehicles aren’t grabbing attention or influencing purchase behavior the way they once did. Most Americans—46% according to Pew Research Center—don’t even look at print circulars anymore.

The retail sales season will soon be upon us, starting with back-to-school sales next month through to retail’s most significant sales event – Black Friday.

If there’s anything certain about today’s world, it’s that it’s uncertain. And in the world of B2B, nowhere is that uncertainty more well-founded than in B2B events.

Between two products of identical quality and cost, today’s consumers will choose the product that stands for something they support ten out of ten times. We promise.

Successful agencies actively strive to develop and maintain long-term client relationships. And it’s easy to see why.

It’s like the American populace have been bottling up their feelings for decades and finally exploded in a roaring symposium of joy, sadness, fear, excitement, anger and more.

It’s no exaggeration to suggest that Covid-19 has brought out the best in retail brands. This was especially evident on the supermarket frontline, where uncomplaining staff provided reassurance and support as anxious customers descended on food aisles last year.

Retailers have experienced a cataclysmic shift over the past year. What used to be considered standard is no longer relevant as online shopping has progressed at warp speed.

A recent survey found that 6 out of 10 consumers think that brands have a responsibility to be encouraging COVID-19 vaccinations. Major brands, from Budweiser to Krispy Kreme, are stepping up to this challenge by offering incentives unique to their brands.

For digital media, advertising and numerous other industries, automation is the key solution needed to improve efficacy and efficiency, allowing businesses to outperform the competition.

Did you know that an average U.S. consumer spends more than 70% of their day outside their home?

Even in the Ad world, Client Servicing departments are part of the old, tried and true Ad Agency adage… but things have been taking a turn.

In the world of communications, there is a stereotype that corporate comms, with their technicalities and legalities, aren’t creative. So, how do you go about changing perceptions around corporate and sustainability comms?

The Games, as well as the Paralympics, create a unique opportunity for businesses to connect with their customers around something that resonates across the board: sport.

Before marketers get too optimistic that the old days will soon be here again, it’s looking more like a slow transition back to normal. Enter the hybrid event.

With the rise and rise of digital marketing, advertisers have sophisticated tools at their disposal to measure and auto tweak ad effectiveness in real-time. 

Forward thinking marketers focused on performance strategies and methods have noticed an undeniable shift — especially within partnership and affiliate marketing.

More and more brands are wanting to appear on TikTok, and the platform seems to have achieved a rare level of viral popularity among the most desirable audiences. TikTok, however, is not a typical media platform. Here are some very important points to consider for brands that want to get onto the newest, most popular digital platform.

It was only last week that the world learned the private information of employees and customers of McDonald’s had been stolen, in yet another example of cybercriminals infiltrating high-profile global companies.

Never before has it been as important for retailers and brands to understand the driving forces behind consumers’ decisions to move or improve their homes.  

Virtual events can seem like strange and unengaging substitutes for in-person events, but the truth is that they are rich with opportunities to build personal connections.

Despite gathering significant momentum in recent years, the concept of diversity seems to remain a separate workstream for many businesses, as opposed to manifesting itself as a significant shift in policy, process, and approach.

The economic impact of the pandemic has not been spread equally. Hard-hit industries like travel, retail and automotive were forced to rethink fundamental principles underpinning their normal business practices. While some faced hardships due to a prolonged disruption in trading, others capitalised on this new digital-first environment.

Your brand strategy was never destined to succeed. Months of work, resources, discussions, and meetings that somehow never get you to the gold at the end of that proverbial rainbow. It’s a chronic problem caused by the system we’re working both in and against.

Coming from the world of a creative agency, it can be hard to fully appreciate all of the digital advancements the industry has experienced in the last 5-10 years. Companies have talked about breaking down silos for years now, but implementing change is notoriously difficult.

In the privacy and a loyalty-forward world of empowered consumers, brand leaders are eager to understand what drives demand. When playing the long game of building customer relationships, customer mapping becomes ever more important and as such, it’s crucial to get it right.

Although they’ve “always been right”, customers have never had the power they do in 2021.

As brands have reevaluated how they communicate in unprecedented times, agencies have spent the better part of 2020 adapting their strategies to fit into this new reality.

As we’ve been forced to rethink all aspects of our industry over the past year it’s also time to rethink how we approach ad buying in the TV space. It’s time to reassess what the best process is not only for media owners but for buyers.

The imminent UK government ban on advertising products that are high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) is almost certainly well-intentioned. But it is also heavy-handed, especially given the positive impact of industry self-regulation, as well as the advanced technologies available to manage and control ad exposure.

Our agency mantra is ‘Digital For Good’, which is based on a belief that digital can and should make life better.

The online shopping experience on many websites can feel like being dropped in the middle of a warehouse — especially for something like grocery where there are thousands of products to choose from.

On June 24-26, 2005, evangelist Billy Graham held his “last crusade” at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, speaking to approximately 242,000 people. Today, from Graham’s birthplace Charlotte, NC, Gale Bonnell of Adams Outdoor Advertising looks back at the connection between the legendary preacher and out of home media.

There’s a lot to be said for being a working mom or dad. But one thing that’s not often talked about is the lessons of parenthood that have an uncanny application to marketers and business leaders.

To many, it feels as though the skies have parted and the world around us is opening up. Our worlds have been ‘unlocked’ and it has us ready for what’s next. In fact, the first place we’ve gone is to our computers…“Get me the heck out of here!”

The Upfronts returned to a virtual format in 2021. But even compared to 2020, we saw some differences this year. First and foremost, streaming is a much bigger part of deals this year than it ever has been in the past.

“Synergy.” “Leverage.” “Paradigm shift.” Why do people talk like this at work? Here are 20 words and phrases to cut from your work vocabulary.

Over the last year shopping, consumption, and engagement patterns have drastically changed when it comes to how people interact with brands. But, one thing remains to be constant, participation with people, where they are, is key for brand connection.

Business travel expenses will be scrutinized like never before as companies weigh them against the cost of videoconferencing (which is virtually free). Mainstays like privacy and comfort will remain important, but new values like flexibility have emerged.

AW360 sat down with Brad Ralph, Senior Director of Content Development at Getty Images, to talk about his experience as the founder of iStock.com and share some of his hard-earned insights as to how small businesses can keep in step with copyright laws and protect creators’ rights.

Innovation remains at the heart of Webex, and today they are launching an all-new Webex Suite that is built on the most recent learnings on remote work realities the global pandemic taught us.

Why follow one track only when you can combine the best of all worlds to maximize returns. This is how you build a real B2B brand that you can actually take to the bank.

There are good reasons that content has long been considered the rightful king. When well placed and targeted, it has the primal ability to connect and spark consumer engagement, both short and longer-term.

As we look ahead to a new wave of winners and losers – yet to be decided in the post-Covid flux – businesses that walk the line between digital and real worlds may well come off the best.

Every decade or so there is a public service ad campaign so iconic that it defines the time in which it was made. The new ‘It’s Up To You’ campaign, aims to educate Americans about the COVID-19 vaccines and will almost certainly be the defining campaign for the 2020s.

Working with a nonprofit can be a powerful way for a brand or corporation to express its values around civic or social issues. Let’s digest what it really means to work with a nonprofit and how to make the most of it.

The business world is moving towards sustainability. The benefits are clear: you can help the planet and help your business. In fact, one-third of consumers prefer sustainable brands according to a report by Unilever.

A key goal for any business is brand loyalty. While one-off sales are always positive, it’s a loyal customer base and repeat business that truly sets a brand up for success.

Reactive marketing is the effort by brands to quickly produce content that responds to a current event, talking point or faux pas in a clever or thought-provoking way. It has roots in the newsprint advertising industry, but social media has been instrumental in its meteoric rise.

The way brands excite consumers may have changed due to the physical, in-person limitations of the pandemic, but it doesn’t mean people aren’t looking for ways to recreate the experiences they had with their favourites pre-COVID-19.

Competition in healthcare grows daily, with the digital marketplace more congested than ever before. Delivering cut-through in this space requires a strong brand, a robust marketing strategy and a class-leading customer experience.

Ads.txt, created in the summer of 2017 by the IAB to help publishers exert more control over their advertising inventory, and Sellers.json, released in 2019 by the IAB for buyers, are both well-intentioned and technologically well-designed. 

A recent Fortune article examined some of the eye-popping statistics surrounding the growth in eCommerce in 2020. Even as retailers across the world dramatically increase their online sales, Amazon remains the 800-pound gorilla in the marketplace.

Nicola Sturgeon is probably rubbing her hands together in glee right now. She’s pumped up, ready to take on Westminster with what she will no doubt argue is a renewed mandate for a second referendum.

Another year brings another year of new products. Once upon a time, queuing for the newest game console or camping outside a retail store for a pair of celebrity designer trainers was an unusual event.

Global competition is fierce. And, for new businesses, it can be intimidating. Whether your business succeeds or fails comes down to profitability (the amount of money remaining after all business expenses are paid). That’s the only way to build a sustainable business.

Gen Z is an enormous business prize:  this group is the biggest generation ever, estimated at 30% of the global population. As we know, they are almost constantly Fortniting, TikToking and Netflixing their way through the world.

While the last thing the advertising industry needs is another buzzword, re-orienting thinking toward a ‘strategic content partner’ approach embraces the best of in-house and long-term partnerships.

There is nothing like a pandemic lockdown to induce some much-needed introspection. For some, it manifested as a deeper focus on quality family time, rediscovering the outdoors, or picking up a new hobby.

The TV landscape is in a state of transformation, as is the advertising that powers it. Applying our industry’s standard “shiny new object” lens to what’s happening in TV right now does the reality of the opportunity a disservice. Here’s why.

Working as part of an agency roster is tough at times, but it can equally be exciting. At Dog, we’ve had over 20 years of practicing how to navigate and get the best out of cross-agency partnerships and learned a lot along the way.

Investing in stocks, I recently found out, is hard. The silver lining to my failed day trading career is that I realized there are some striking overlaps between investing and brand strategy. 

It’s not often a news story unites so many diverse figures and groups across society. But from Boris Johnson, Jeremy Corbyn and Prince William to football pundits, ex-players, current managers and rival football fans across the land, the world spoke up together this week against the newly proposed European Super League. And the answer was categorically, no.

Athletes, musicians, influencers, even business people of different stripes have curated their images in such ways that their successes can be viewed through the lens of successful marketing.

In this piece, we’ll take a look at some of the latest statistics on video marketing for 2021. By the end, you’ll hopefully see all that video can do for your business.

In my 20+ year marketing career, I have never encountered a product or service category that offers a more intriguing challenge than cannabis, and I seriously doubt I will encounter another.

Social media plays a very important role for businesses in almost every industry. It offers them several benefits from expanding their reach, to building a community and dozens of others. It gives you instant access to your customers and helps keep them engaged with your company.

The supermarket sector has remained front and centre during the pandemic, and 2020 proved to be a critical time for supermarket brands to stay in front of consumers.

With all the pressure to make an impact quickly, founders spend an incredible amount of time on the design of their slides. Less consideration, however, is usually spent on the words on the slide. That’s a mistake, especially when you only have 170 seconds.

The impact COVID-19 had on business rendered agencies’ strategic plans obsolete and disrupted their clients’ pre-existing marketing and branding roadmaps. After spending the past year scrambling for new business and adjusting to remote work, agencies finally have a little breathing room.

TV advertising and offline media budgets have yet to change much. The advertising budgets certainly haven’t fully transitioned into the digital arena as quickly as they ought to be to match consumer behavior migration.

While Google and Facebook’s dominance has long seemed insurmountable, the past two years have seen the rise of a third major online advertising player.

Branding is the way a business owner communicates his or her business’ identity to customers. It’s beyond what you sell; it’s your mission, company values, aesthetic, and tone of voice. It’s essentially how customers emotionally experience your company.

The parochial view of Amazon is they’re a high-volume store that struggles with thin profit margins. Water cooler stock experts marvel at its high stock price and crow about its measly profits.  Here’s some free advice: don’t listen to the arm-chair experts.

Looking into what 2021 holds for marketers, brands have a timely opportunity to embrace the growth of digital events–with a focus on fans as a keystone component.

I’m no Paula Radcliffe, as anyone who has seen me run can testify, but we’ve all been on a marathon over the past twelve months and I, for one, think the finishing line is in sight.

Going into 2021, it’s time for brands to reset and reclaim control of their destinies. 2020’s stop-gap solutions and quick pivots might have kept the lights on. But did they position your business for the long-term road ahead?

Agencies of all shapes and sizes were disrupted as the pandemic plunged our industry into the unpredicted territory. And while the experience has been humbling for us all, I’d argue it has gone a long way to showcase the strengths of the independent agency model and how they work with their partners.

Good branding is the foundation for all your marketing success, which is why so much effort goes into it. It’s important that your branding is memorable and constant across all channels and platforms, with one report finding that consistent branding increases revenue by 33%.

We spoke with Melissa Tischler of global creative consultancy Lippincott about her Principles for Driving Innovation-Led Growth, why brand is an essential input to innovation and how prioritizing innovation today can unlock growth for tomorrow.

The CNN town hall in Milwaukee gave President Biden a chance to “speak to the American people,” said a Marquette University professor. When Biden arrived in Milwaukee (February 16) billboards spoke directly to the President.

While the nation battles COVID-19, and vaccination rollouts seemingly remain disjointed and chaotic, it is likely that more eyes than ever will be watching the Super Bowl from their homes this year.

Scholars say the unblinking eyes of the Gatsby billboard observed the morality of the Roaring Twenties, perhaps a vigil of the Almighty. The omnipresent billboard also symbolized something more earthly: our deep cultural connection with out of home advertising.

Ever been able to recite a YouTube pre-roll ad or found yourself annoyed at a poorly timed pop-up? Then you know how powerful a presence advertising is across our digital experience.

Last year’s Super Bowl was the least-watched in a decade. In fact, Super Bowl audiences have been shrinking every season since 2015. And this year, the shadow of COVID-19 looms large. Social distancing necessitates a low-key stadium audience and means there will be far fewer viewing parties watching the game.

Getting customers for your brand’s products or services can be tough and staying in your target audience’s mind can be an even bigger challenge. However, the rewards are greater as well. Brands want to be the first business they think of when they’re looking for a product or service.

The word “unprecedented” has been used a lot to describe 2020. Only a few weeks into 2021 and it’s seeping into the new year as well. Yet, we’ve learned over the last several months that as people we are resilient and determined to find hope and optimism through it all.

Brand awareness has been at the forefront of priorities for digital marketing managers the last couple of years and has become even more important amidst obvious market changes. So what exactly does it take to achieve this?

Shifts in the environment have naturally created shifts in our psychology and behaviour, and it’s made the common phrase “‘you want what you can’t have” seem ever more poignant.

E-commerce took on even greater importance in 2020, so why are advertisers still focused on Facebook and Google?

Brand advertisers are understandably anxious about brand safety but there’s actually some good news on that front.

Misinformation and disinformation ran rampant in a year marked by a global pandemic, a U.S. election, racial unrest, climate disasters and an economic downturn.

I’d like to take you back to about ten years ago—when advertising was still “easy,” and you asked your agency to create a TVC. Both production and media budgets were solid.

These are challenging times for producers in the FMCG arena. Although Covid has had a detrimental effect on some industries, it has also been very positive for others.

The words design and creativity are widely misunderstood. If you were to ask people what they first think of when hearing them, they might say painting or drawing.

First and foremost, good memes often take a novel approach to media and typically break corporate creative norms. What’s produced by the average corporate design team is likely too polished and too reliant on thoroughly researched formulas to capture the right mood.

The most powerful takeaway was that the coronavirus is causing consumers to face a duality of competing thoughts.

For the third and final installment in our research series on consumer anxiety, we asked Americans about their holiday plans: How will they celebrate their traditions? Will they gather?

We are now at a point where technology is outpacing humanity.

Votes are expensive things to earn. It was neither Trump nor Biden who shone the clearest light on how to effectively market an election – it was New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a.k.a. AOC.

As part of your social media marketing efforts, you should be aware of the possibilities of mistakes that can damage your brand’s image. Taking steps towards prevention is always the best solution to protecting your brand in social media.

Today’s advertising triopoly is known — Facebook, Google, and most recently, Amazon. But a fourth player has remained inextricably linked to Facebook’s successes and position — Apple.