A recent article in Forbes showed that 64 percent of consumers make a purchase after viewing a branded social video. Another one stated that marketers who use video grow revenue 49 percent faster than nonvideo users. The evidence is staggering: Video is everywhere, and it is a key business driver. Whether it’s a how-to video,…
Fifty years ago, Bill Bernbach had the bright idea to pair copywriters up with art directors, and creative teams have been the backbone of the advertising industry ever since. These relationships require as much trust, understanding and emotional dexterity as any marriage, and they hold a huge influence over the trajectory of a creative’s career….
It’s no surprise that influencer marketing is important in today’s marketing mix for brands, advertisers and agencies to consider and plan for. Where the challenge comes in is how to discern its place in the overall funnel and investment strategy. What is an influencer, anyway? An influencer is defined as an individual who has the…
Crunchy peanut butter versus smooth. Vanilla ice cream versus chocolate. In the grand scheme of things, some of history’s biggest competitors have more in common than not. The same goes for marketing and IT, even though these departments struggle to see eye-to-eye at many businesses today. In particular, the migration of web content (e.g., outreach…
Most people would probably describe me as a fairly serious person. In fact, the night I met my future wife, an ex-girlfriend cautioned her, claiming I “wasn’t any fun.” Seriously. That happened. I only provide that tidbit as fair warning that if you keep going, you’re about to read about humor from a guy who’s…
Just when marketers were getting accustomed to developing a multi-screen strategy across TV and digital interfaces, they now also have to begin strategizing for no screens at all. Here’s why: Purchases made through voice-powered devices such as Amazon Echo and Google Home are projected to explode from $2 billion now to $40 billion by 2022….
It may seem obvious, but too often people get trapped looking at performance metrics of marketing channels and forget the importance of the actual advertisements–the message and creative–they are using in those channels. During the past 60 years or so, hundreds of tools and approaches have been developed to evaluate advertising concepts and determine their…
At 44 months, the average CMO tenure is one of the shortest in the C-suite, according to a report this year from Spencer Stuart. On the retail side, new data from a survey of 100 marketing leaders showed that ecommerce companies averaged two CMOs over five years. The survey also revealed that 42 percent of…
Isolating product benefits and connecting them to customers is marketing 101. For some reason, it’s always been easier in theory than in practice. From hospitality to pharmaceuticals, there’s no clear path for making it work. Compare the following pharma products, for example. There is a consumer drug that is advertised like crazy. It is used…
Thinking hard about those agency retainers? Sure, many brand and agency relations are scoped to deliver a specific set of activities under a set price, defined by a given staffing plan. But have you ever considered a switch, at least with some of your agencies, to a deliverable-first model? Imagine agreeing on not only a…
At a time when so much attention is being given to the negative side of teens’ relationships with technology (i.e., tech addiction, isolation from the outside world, moody and impetuous behaviors), our 2018 Gen Z Passion Point(TM) Study paints a very different picture. In the 2018 wave, we included a representative sample of “Tech-Heavy” and…
The corporate world is inherently square: compartmentalized, rigid and distant. Conventional corporate policies tend to box people into a certain stereotype and set teams at odds with each other and clients, with overly safe, bureaucratic procedures. Work is centered around information organized in squares to be viewed in squares. It’s an approach rooted in limiting…
The corporate world is inherently square: compartmentalized, rigid and distant. Conventional corporate policies tend to box people into a certain stereotype and set teams at odds with each other and clients, with overly safe, bureaucratic procedures. Work is centered around information organized in squares to be viewed in squares. It’s an approach rooted in limiting…
The argument in support of allocating resources to social has evolved over time. 2008: We have to because it’s free. 2011: We have to because content is king. 2014: We have to because–authenticity. 2017: Do we have to…? So, what now? What’s the value proposition in a world where organic reach is all but dead…
Working in advertising and marketing these days is a wee bit stressful. People are losing their jobs. Accounts are under review. Data scientists keep publishing reports. Agencies keep highlighting their data capabilities. Large-scale consultancies are muscling in on the business. Creativity is under siege. But all the charts, reports and data points in the world…
In the Mad Men era, every copywriter had a novel in the drawer. Don DeLillo, Joseph Heller, Dorothy Sayers all famously started out writing for ad agencies. While it seems more often that copywriters now aspire to write for screens, some still try novels, undeterred by how many more words are needed for one–at least…
It’s no one person’s fault that sales and marketing have grown apart within recent years. These departments play fundamentally different roles within organizations, and over time, this has led to a natural division of processes, goals and even the technologies used. Decision makers are to blame, however, when they allow this distance to stand in…
Globalization is not a new phenomenon. Some argue that Genghis Khan and the Mongols are responsible for international influence and trade. Others believe the World Wars economically drew the globe together. Whether you think expansion started in the 13th century or the 20th, one thing is certain: Digital technology is bringing the world a lot…
With new laws governing data privacy of and for consumers, companies are forced to be transparent about what data they collect, how they use that data and where they are distributing or selling it. The question from audiences is no longer “Are you using my data?” but “What exactly are you planning to do with…
The changing role of the chief marketing officer has been the talk of the proverbial town for nearly a decade. But given the frenetic pace of change in our industry under the influence of data and technology, the role of senior marketers is only just beginning to evolve. The digital era changed the game forever,…
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.
