The clamor for regulatory reforms targeting Big Tech companies stems from a fundamental issue deeply embedded in the advertising industry. Within this complex landscape, tech giants such as Google, Facebook and Amazon reign supreme, wielding control over data, platforms and buy-side ad tech. However, the very nature of their dominance poses a challenge, as they…
As far as big-brand Pride campaigns go, The North Face’s latest was fairly innocuous: drag queen Pattie Gonia inviting viewers to “come out” into the wilderness as part of its Summer of Pride campaign. “Nature lets you be who you are,” The North Face cheerfully posted on Instagram. What followed was a chorus of stories…
Not long ago, a CMO said something to me that gave me pause: “We still need to rewrite the narrative.” He wasn’t talking about a brand’s story or a social commentary or even our industry’s stance on an emerging issue. He meant the “CMO narrative.” For as much ground as our field has gained in…
It’s that time of the year again: the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. A time for us to come together and celebrate all the outstanding creative work of our peers from the past year. A time to reconnect with the people who inspire us and give us the fuel to keep creating well into…
Amid the end-of-school projects, class parties, closing out FY22, launching a newsletter and normal single mom chaos, I missed the signup window for summer camps. The last month consisted of me frantically looking for a solution: calling, asking WhatsApp groups, planning a two-week trip to Illinois to get grandparent help and even driving to the…
For advertisers, attention is emerging as the new standard for evaluating ad effectiveness. But with the average person spending seven hours online every day–browsing, chatting, watching or working across multiple devices–and seeing anywhere between 4,000 and 10,000 ads in that time, standing out in an era of distraction is no easy feat. Pre-dating the internet…
Most brands didn’t know about Juneteenth until a few years ago, but their Black consumers and employees definitely did. That’s why it’s important that brands celebrate the moment without it feeling like diversity theater. In order to do that, marketers must understand why this holiday occupies a special place in our culture. Juneteenth first came…
One in five Gen Z adults identifies as LGBTQ+ according to Gallup. While reports claim there are over 1,500 dating apps and websites around the world, there has been little to no innovation in this space for queer men in more than a decade. Through our research with members of the queer community, we found…
B-to-b creative tends to follow a set formula: product features + disembodied voice-over + generic visuals. You know what we’re talking about–stock images of professionals in gray suits sitting around a conference room table shaking hands. Text that describes your product in excruciating, quantitative detail. 111% ROI, 33% faster speeds, 77% reduction in costs. Generic…
In an environment hyperfocused on cost management, marketers should always be prepared to justify their value. Thinking about your next campaign like an engineer–the people who test and design your product–can help you do that. As a marketing leader who pivoted from global consumer brands to a b-to-b freight technology company, Flock Freight, I’ve learned…
This week saw the end of multiple prestige shows, with millions speculating about how they would end. Would their conspiracy theories be fulfilled? Would their hopes be realized, or would they soon pen vitriolic tweets denouncing the writers? As a massive fan of Succession and Ted Lasso (life is about balance), I met this week…
This week saw the end of multiple prestige shows, with millions speculating about how they would end. Would their conspiracy theories be fulfilled? Would their hopes be realized, or would they soon pen vitriolic tweets denouncing the writers? As a massive fan of Succession and Ted Lasso (life is about balance), I met this week…
The latest from Gallup places LGBTQ+ people at roughly 7% of today’s population, with roughly 20% of Gen Z identifying as part of the community. We’re increasingly recognized as a mass market that’s been falsely dismissed as a niche. I’d even guess, about a generation from now, we’re on track to be suitably regarded as…
AAPI Heritage Month is an interesting and reflective time for many of us who exist within the community. It’s special to hear the voices and stories of folks who are doing incredible things for the community and culture at large. It can also be a really interesting time to take a deeper view into the…
As creators become a central part of humanizing a brand, it is even more important for companies to get clear about what they actually stand for, and what they stand against. The recent high-profile LGBTQ+ partnership failures by Bud Light, Target and the Los Angeles Dodgers should remind all brands that they must be willing…
People build companies. Period. No matter how great your product or service is, the talent you hire and retain will always make or break your success. Your marketing talent in particular is crucial to your growth and, now more than ever, with 61% of Americans looking to leave their current jobs, chief marketing officers and…
For the AAPI community, the past few years have seen a cultural renaissance that has continued to build momentum from AAPI stories, films, music and entertainment. We have seen Everything Everywhere All at Once, Nomadland and Parasite win the Academy Award for Best Picture. We have also witnessed the growing influence and popularity of K-pop…
After decades of working on sustainability with heavy industries, I’ve had the pleasure of taking a deep dive into the advertising sector over the past 18 months. While I was initially surprised that an issue as well established as climate was new to the sector, I’ve been very impressed with the seriousness with which many…
We spend so much time looking at images, especially in our industry. We’re consuming them and creating them at a mind-boggling rate. There’s even AI opening up a score of new possibilities. But it’s still important to look to the world around us and find images as they unfold in real, everyday life. The images…
When cases started to pop up of AI-generated images winning art and photography contests, social media exploded with the usual debates. After all, AI already has a tenuous relationship with creatives who are afraid of being replaced. Others don’t like the idea of the technology being used to deceive. And then there are those excited…
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