Hasta La Creative!

Why on earth are we talking about the business case for diversity as if we all still need convincing that it’s good for business? The business case for diversity has been made over and over again. One of the most noted and noteworthy proof points is that the most ethnically diverse companies are 35 percent…

For brand marketers, the continuing challenges associated with privacy and data protection are not going away. As brands develop new policies and strategies, it’s critical to recognize the necessity of protecting the relationship with the brand’s consumer base. However, our global research finds the worried conversations about data breaches that dominate the public dialogue are not necessarily the same ones consumers themselves are having. Further, it shows that privacy concerns mean something different to consumers than brands and they shade differently depending on whether the sharing is done with companies, governments, or social media platforms.

Our multi-year Truth Central global research shows that people’s willingness to share data is, in fact, surprisingly robust. A greater percentage of people today say they are willing to share their data as long as they understand the benefits (57 percent in 2018 vs. 50 percent in 2011) and people’s comfort level in sharing “shopping data” with brands is actually on the rise just over the last three years (64 percent in 2018 vs. 54 percent in 2015). Over that seven-year period, there have also been percentage declines in the number of consumers who read the privacy policy before sharing personal information as well as in those who disable cookies in their browsers.

However, just as people’s individual behavior is more nuanced than the headlines would indicate, it’s also important especially for global marketers and policy makers to recognize there are differences from country to country. Our 2018 study covered five countriesthe U.S., U.K., China, India and Chileand some of the variations among them are startling. For example, Americans are more skittish about data sharing than the Chinese. Just over a third (34 percent) of Americans said that they don’t mind sharing their personal information with brands if it helps them find what they’re looking for, but that jumps to more than half (54 percent ) among people in China. Similarly, 68 percent of people in China say that it doesn’t really bother them if companies have their data because they feel they haven’t done anything wrong, which compares with 44 percent of Americans.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

For brand marketers, the continuing challenges associated with privacy and data protection are not going away. As brands develop new policies and strategies, it’s critical to recognize the necessity of protecting the relationship with the brand’s consumer base. However, our global research finds the worried conversations about data breaches that dominate the public dialogue are not necessarily the same ones consumers themselves are having. Further, it shows that privacy concerns mean something different to consumers than brands and they shade differently depending on whether the sharing is done with companies, governments, or social media platforms.

Our multi-year Truth Central global research shows that people’s willingness to share data is, in fact, surprisingly robust. A greater percentage of people today say they are willing to share their data as long as they understand the benefits (57 percent in 2018 vs. 50 percent in 2011) and people’s comfort level in sharing “shopping data” with brands is actually on the rise just over the last three years (64 percent in 2018 vs. 54 percent in 2015). Over that seven-year period, there have also been percentage declines in the number of consumers who read the privacy policy before sharing personal information as well as in those who disable cookies in their browsers.

However, just as people’s individual behavior is more nuanced than the headlines would indicate, it’s also important especially for global marketers and policy makers to recognize there are differences from country to country. Our 2018 study covered five countriesthe U.S., U.K., China, India and Chileand some of the variations among them are startling. For example, Americans are more skittish about data sharing than the Chinese. Just over a third (34 percent) of Americans said that they don’t mind sharing their personal information with brands if it helps them find what they’re looking for, but that jumps to more than half (54 percent ) among people in China. Similarly, 68 percent of people in China say that it doesn’t really bother them if companies have their data because they feel they haven’t done anything wrong, which compares with 44 percent of Americans.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

If you’re looking to take on a White Walker (or just stand somewhat close to a very convincing digital one while wearing a Magic Leap One mixed reality headset), then you’ll want to head to an AT&T retail location in Boston, Chicago, New York or San Francisco. HBO and AT&T are teaming up to bring…

The social media push will be through a new Instagram channel, @wearegolden. The prior program hadn’t posted to its @365Black Twitter account since December when it celebrated Herman Petty, who became the chain’s first African-American franchisee in 1968. There are now 300 African-American franchisees running more than 1,500 McDonald’s restaurants.

Print ads will run in publications including Essence. Radio ads are also part of the push.

McDonald’s is seeing solid sales growth but needs to get more customers into its restaurants. Sales at longstanding U.S. restaurants rose 2.5 percent last year, despite a 2.2 percent decline in visits to those locations. Williams joined McDonald’s in early 2018 in a new role as the company tries to build brand devotion among multicultural customers. Last year, for example, it expanded its Hacer scholarship program for Hispanic students to 30 winners from five.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

There’s been a certain amount of buzz lately over the return of, of all things, the shag haircut–a hairdo that sober minds presumed had been safely buried back in the 1970s. In recent weeks, the beauty press has been heated up over Sarah Hyland’s new shag, Refinery29 proclaimed the Shag as “the one haircut everyone’s…