Media companies are struggling. They’re missing revenue targets and laying off employees. Cash is drying up. In 2018, Vox missed revenue targets by approximately 15%, Verizon Media Group laid off 7% of its staff, BuzzFeed laid off 200 employees and Cond? Nast plans to paywall all digital content after reporting losses of $120 million in…
The goal of marketing today remains the same as it has always been: winning the hearts and minds of customers to drive sustainable growth. Yet how marketers do this has radically transformed in recent years. The hyper-fragmentation of media has left marketers facing an explosion of consumer touchpoints and eroded the buying power of their…
The unicorn of brand success is when a prosaic product rises above its workday use and becomes a lifestyle brand. A can of deodorant representing the cool kid ready for sex is Axe. Or when your basic drugstore lip balm conveys sustainability and luxury, that’s Burt’s Bees. Both followed a playbook to get from boring…
When Amazon announced the acquisition of Sizmek, it was seen as far from a footnote of a commerce behemoth picking up engineers from a bankrupt ad platform. I saw it as a move that would reshape the landscape of advertising as we know it. On Friday, Ycor, parent company of leading European tech and data…
You may have heard that U.S. unemployment is low right now. Extremely low. In fact, it recently hit its lowest point in almost 50 years. Even lower than during the booming late 1990s when McKinsey coined its now-famous term “the war for talent,” which perfectly described the human capital battleground that was playing out during…
Since halfway through this decade–and more pointedly, since November 2016–the narrative around the internet has been changing. Seemingly overnight, Usenet and web communities like Angelfire gave way to massive behemoths like Facebook and Google. The tools that became the best at providing the exact information consumers sought were viewed in a new light. After elections…
Hispanic consumers know when brands and agencies are checking the multicultural box. Authentic connections happen when marketers begin by asking how they can better understand their audiences. A recent meeting with a brand marketer drove this question home for me. What began as a conversation about multicultural marketing became an opportunity to discuss the critical…
It seems robots can now create artwork and write symphonies. Last year, Christie’s sold a painting created by artificial intelligence for $432,000. But can robot-made or data-driven art, literature or music really stir the soul? I’ve been a judge at various creative awards shows over the years. In this time on awards juries, I have…
You’d think that with access to a billion-dollar budget and a workforce in the thousands, you could build and maintain a thriving company indefinitely, that the only thing capable of dismounting you from your entrepreneurial throne would be a business bigger than yours. But, of course, we know that isn’t the case. The truth is…
Right now, on my creative team, I have an ex-lawyer, a former newscaster and an MD. And the work has never been more interesting. In the same way our work should be innovative, so too should our approach to how we structure our teams and define what it looks like to be creative. I believe…
Purchasing a product isn’t just a transaction: it’s about having a voice, making a statement and exercising power. Buyers today consider their purchases to be an extension of their views, beliefs and lifestyles. Buying today is a political act. And more than ever, it’s an opportunity to make an impact. This reality is illustrated in…
March marked the end of our annual celebration of Women’s History Month, yet most would agree that women’s importance to society–both our historical innovations and our ongoing daily contributions–should be celebrated throughout the year. Advertising and entertainment play a key role in keeping this conversation at the forefront through the content we watch every day….
Imagine this: It’s early morning at the local grocery store, and the place is filled with those in need of crucial items for their fridge and cupboards. But it’s also filled with people who look like they didn’t get enough sleep last night. A quick scan of the faces in the aisles gives the impression…
The great social disruption is not around the corner–it’s already here. Kraft Heinz became Exhibit A when its share price plunged almost 28%, on top of a total 60% drop over the past two years. We’re talking about a company that owns some of the world’s most cherished brands, so iconic that Andy Warhol turned…
Between Unilever’s call to action against influencer fraud, headline-grabbing PR disasters like the Fyre Festival and the recent college cheating scandal that put the spotlight on the social media star daughter of actress Lori Loughlin, it’s no wonder some are questioning whether influencer marketing is in a bubble–one they’re speculating is on the verge of…
Brand owners from the U.S. and Latin America view Europe–a single continent with a combined population of 512.6 million, accounting for one-fifth of global GDP–as an important region to break into as they seek to extend their global reach. They need to remember, however, that Europe is not a single homogenous market. There’s no United…
Now being on the other end of the interview process, I’ve learned that interviews are just a conversation where both parties are aiming to build a relationship in a short period of time. It’s not easy, however, to stand out and have a productive conversation without thoughtful preparation. These tips will help you walk into…
There’s a major shift in advertising happening that we need to talk about: Influencer marketing is changing the perception and power of women faster than any other marketing avenue or channel ever has. I emphasize women here because they’re the powerhouses dominating influencer marketing right now. Of the tens of thousands of influencers I work…
How do you choose the brands you let into your life? The car you drive, the clothes you wear, the phone you rely on, the way you power your home: You have seemingly unlimited choices. So how do you decide which brands deserve your advocacy, your love and your wallet? We know the face of…
My 40th birthday was recently, which means I am also celebrating my 20th year in advertising. Yes, that means I wasn’t legally allowed to drink at my first company party. Yes, I did try to use a fake ID. And, yes, I was caught and almost kicked out (of the party, not the job luckily)….
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
