Bespoken | Catalyst S+F

I had the privilege of attending LiveRamp’s RampUp2016 conference alongside the industry’s top leaders. The event centered around data, attribution and the future of ad tech, but branding, consumer insights and programmatic were hot buttons and highly disputed. Below are some #trending takeaways as it appeals to both ad tech and brands.

Trends and Innovation:

V.R. is on the frontier of creating loyal customers through experience and engagement.
Attribution is only increasing in importance and brands will continue to see the value as more data becomes available and easier to manage.
Programmatic direct mail – there is a shift toward email inboxes getting more private and personal, and direct mail is gaining attention again. The hurdle being automatic systems that respond quick enough.
Social is shaping what the consumer thinks of as “normal” and shifts their expectations. This means a convergence of how brands perform, particularity with a high expectation for speed of content.
Display is “out” and being replaced by programmatic native content. The hurdle is standardization of boxes. The benefit to brands is that they can say a message and be direct with text, rather than creating a visual/creative ad. This means getting the brand’s message right is critical.
The key to native is not to target the customer based on retargeting or lookalike, but to engage the customer based on how they interact with other native content.

CMO

An appalling 77% of CMO’s don’t understand the digital supply chain.
CMO’s must 1) Understand the customer, and 2) Be consistent with a framework and process of what is successful for your brand.
There was a debate in the panel about whether programmatic will or should be taken in-house by the agency, the panelists were split.
There is a push to see the consumer through first party data, not just data from the giants. This “people-based marketing” is channel agnostic.

Television

Programmatic television is 12-18 months away, this industry has previously lagged behind, but is now making great strides.
Look at that, NBC has .

Author – Holly Brimm, Brand Strategist

Feb

23

Apple’s Customer Letter

Apple is back in the spotlight after the FBI and a Federal Judge have ordered them to assist in unlocking an iPhone associated with San Bernardino terrorist and ISIS sympathizer, Syed Rizwan Farook. Apple has boldly refused to assist under the notion that creating this unlocking software puts their massive population of iPhone users at risk. Apple CEO, Tim Cook, released a yesterday explaining that, “the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone.” This letter went on to outline the value Apple has for their customers and cites that there in no recorded precedent of the U.S. government requesting for a company to make their customers’ data less secure in the interest of national security.

Published solely on their website, this letter was shared on Twitter over 250,000 times within the first few hours of its release. This shockingly wide reach speaks volumes to the power and influence the Apple brand carries. The explanation in the letter also served a critical tool in keeping the Apple image in a positive light, especially in a case surrounded by technicalities and rumors. Without this release, Apple ran the risk of consumers reacting poorly to their reluctance in helping to fight terrorist activities. When in fact the company has the long-term protection of their customers in mind – not only from terrorists but from the government as well.

After reading the letter and getting a better understanding of what is at stake, it appears Apple does, in fact, have our best interest in mind. In today’s world where so much of our personal, financial, and even medical information is stored on our phone, the risk of cyber-hackers being able to bypass any passcode has some scary implications. Along with cyber-hackers, we have a certain need to be protected from our own government. This new “backdoor” to iPhone passcodes would give government officials access to not only all of our information, notes, messages, and applications but could also give them access to the camera and microphone on our phones. With privacy seemingly becoming more and more of luxury than a right, the foresight of Apple to protect our mobile security is a move that’s easy to get behind.

Author – Quinn Hutchings, Brand Strategist

Feb

18

No More Nipple

There has been great debate over the little areola. Is it sexy? Is X-Rated? Hell, is it part of everyday life? After all, every single one of us have them.

The people behind the equality movement on and say that women have the right to go topless. The nipple has no sexual significance and that we as a culture need to desensitize the nipple from our sexual arsenal. Advertisers one the other hand don’t see the big picture.

For Playboy this was their first issue with no nudity and no nipples. That’s right, from now on you will actually have to read Playboy for the articles. : “This means the models, celebrities and, yes, Playmates will not be naked for the first time since our founder Hugh Hefner laid out the first issue in 1953.”

When Playboy launched, magazines were the preferred medium for readers. Heff aimed at entertaining a conservative American society where nudity and the talk of sex was taboo. Jump forward over half a century, and in todays world sex is plastered all over the web, and almost nobody subscribes to magazines anymore. So Playboy were faced with a dilemma of staying relevant in an ever changing word.

As the eyeyballs have moved online so have the AD dollars. More often than not the online readers come across their articles from Social Media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest which have their own set of guidelines for content, and often limit or prohibit nudity. that “We restrict the display of nudity because some audiences within our global community may be sensitive to this type of content”. Twitter requires that a disclaimer alert is giving before any sensitive content and that “Apps containing pornographic material… will be rejected” This left Playboy out of the culture loop and loosing readers month over month.

So Playboy did what some of us were expecting, took away the nudes, listened to the Social Media Gods, and made their site suitable-for-work. Which in turn saw quadruple in unique-monthly visitors from 4 million to 16 million. This was done to the site last year, and the magazine has reluctantly followed suit. The first issue goes out this week. So will this same success transfer over to their hard print copy? Probably not… people still aren’t buying magazines, but if Playboy are going to rebrand they might as well go all in.

TLDR: No more nudes for Playboy

Author: Harry Byres, Brand Strategist

Feb

09

Who Won the Super Bowl?

Who won the Super Bowl?

When it comes to advertising there is no single event bigger than the Super Bowl, with over viewers in 2015, and with CBS offering live streaming of the game over a range of devices, the stage was set for this years battle of the brands.

The Ads that were on show ranged from the inspirational , and Ad spots to the downright uneventful commercial.

But what was your favorite? Was it the nonsensical from Kickstart, or did Jeff Goldblum and his ridiculous rendition of for Apartments.com strike a chord. Or maybe perhaps, it was the re-edit of Drake’s by T-Mobile that had you singing?

Being British I can’t go without mentioning the Ad with Dame Helen Mirren and her wonderfully blunt monologue on what it she thinks of drunk drivers. Unlike an ice cold bottle of Budweiser, it was rather refreshing to see the brand taking a social standing on a widely untalked-of issue here in the U.S. and having Dame Mirren adding her no nonsense approach to the matter made it particularly memorable in my mind.

Any way you slice the cake, there was a clear theme with the Super Bowl 50 Ads, and that was entertainment. The brands were that were on show Super Bowl Sunday were clearly not trying to over sell their products in the usual push, hard-sell fashion – but instead went for the amusing and more light hearted soft sell.

Out of all the advertising and marketing that happened on Sunday it was perhaps the few words from Peyton Manning’s mouth that were the most impactful. “I wanna kiss my wife and my kids… and drink a lot of Budweiser”

While Lisa Weser the Head of Marketing from Anheuser-Busch says that she was that The Bronco’s quarterback made that statement.

But seeing as Anheuser-Busch had spots for not only , and but and too. I have a feeling, that there is somebody behind the curtain telling Mr. Manning which strings to pull.

Author – Harry Byres, Brand Strategist

Feb

04

Uber’s Radical Rebranding

One of the largest and most valuable apps on the market right now, Uber, unveiled a radical rebranding that has sparked some passionate critiques from industry experts and users alike. Featuring two new logos, a circular shape for riders and a hexagon for partners/drivers, the new design takes a big step away from the brand’s familiar “U” we’ve all come to recognize. Both new logos are centered around a singular computer “bit” – the most basic component of any digital content or software. A recent video announcing the rebrand explained, “For Uber, the bit represents our technology. It’s complex, precise, and advanced. But when it’s expressed, it’s effortless and refined.” Very well said, I’m sure our more marketing savvy readers can appreciate the copyrighter’s work in coming up with that little winner. But for the average consumer, is the bit and abstract design going to create more brand confusion than recall?

Some of the most critical conditions in any good brand image are that it is distinguishable and clearly communicable. While the bit is very aspirational and tells an interesting story, without watching explanatory videos or press releases the average user might never figure out its intended meaning. Yet, internally, the new logo and manifesto could help Uber break away from simply being “that ridesharing app” – a goal that founder and CEO, Travis Kalanick, has held since its creation. So, as a brand strategist, I understand their desire to break out of their ridesharing pigeonhole and motivate their employees for more ambitious ventures. But as a frequent user of the app and a bit of a brand loyalist myself, I am sorely disappointed with the new design and style of the app. Granted that the new vibrant colors do add a very much needed facelift, the seemingly unrelated and abstract logo left me searching all over my phone screen just to try and find the app. Yet, as time goes on it is undoubted that the massive company will continue to grow and innovate their business – what exactly they do and how their story develops will be a big indicator of their new “bits” implications

How do all of you feel? Love it, hate it, or indifferent? Or maybe, you’ll be heading back over to Lyft sooner than later? Comment and let us know your thoughts!

Author – Quinn Hutchings, Brand Strategist

Feb

02

Apple VR

With the recent excitement around Virtual Reality, it comes to no surprise that Apple is rumored to have begun R&D in the new market. Competitors Microsoft, Google, and Samsung have been actively exploring the new technology for the past year or so, and Apple loyalists have been anxiously waiting any news from the tech powerhouse. No official reports have been released, however during Apple’s last earnings call, Tim Cook commented, “In terms of virtual reality, I don’t think it’s a niche. I think it can be… it’s really cool, and has some interesting applications.”

For speculators and loyalists, this comment is almost a guarantee that the rumors around Apple’s development of a VR headset are true. But if you need more convincing, Apple’s recent acquisition of Flyby Media (today), Faceshift, Metiao and Primesense gives confirmation. The mentioned acquisitions are all active developers of 3D and immersive technology. Apple also published a job listing in Mid-November with the following specifications:

We are looking for a software engineer to develop UI and applications to create next generation software experiences. The individual must be able to take participate in collaborative and iterative UI design through the implementation phases & complete performant user experience code for product delivery. This engineer will create high performance apps that integrate with Virtual Reality systems for prototyping and user testing.

Familiarity with 3D Graphics programming; OpenGL, DirectX
VR/AR development
Ability to rapidly survey & analyze applications and devices in competitive landscapes
Ability to understand engineering analysis of complex systems and interpret the result in relation to the user experience
Interest in Human Factors and User studies a benefit
Experience in a fast paced, cross functional software environments

The simplicity and elegance that Apple prides itself on could be a turning point for VR. As of now, many worry about the difficulty of use, awkwardness and moral implications the headsets will pose, but with a well respected and influential brand like Apple entering the market, the future looks bright for VR.

Author – Oliver Bloom, Brand Strategist

Jan

26

Coors Light Gets Interactive

In a city like New York, where every neighborhood has its own unique culture, attitude, and tastes, connecting and interacting with each individual community is a daunting task. Recently, Coors Light has taken on the challenge through a new partnership with music identification app, Shazam, and the interactive ad server, Intersection. The new campaign allows New Yorkers to download 10 song playlists of the most popular music from each neighborhood by syncing their Shazam app to a variety of interactive Coors signage throughout the city.

With brands constantly looking for ways to connect with more specific psychographic and behavioral segments, capturing each neighborhood through music is a very creative way to build a relationship with its proud residents. This is especially true for a large established brand, like Coors, that has struggled in appealing to modern consumers due to its historically generic advertising strategies. By adding its own flavor to the culture of each neighborhood, Coors is able to give its brand the individualized appeal that modern consumers demand. This could prove to be an interesting tactic in realigning large brands with the hyper-segmented consumers of today’s larger cities.

Writing this post from the very neighborhood-driven city of San Francisco – it is easy to see how a creative, tech-savvy, interactive campaign like this could create considerable buzz. While the ads don’t carry an immediate call to action or sales promotion, they do help to create a more positive and present brand affinity.

Author – Quinn Hutchings, Brand Strategist

Jan

21

Nissan – ‘Shoulders of Giants’

With today’s media world seemingly overwhelmed with ads, commercials, notifications, and emails grabbing for consumers attention, it is a refreshing change of pace to see a piece of truly moving and inspired work hit the airwaves. The latest example of this a commercial titled ‘Shoulders of Giants’ for the new Nissan Titan truck. Created by the massive global agency, TBWA, this ad introduces Nissan’s new competitor into a market that has been dominated by brands like Ford, Chevy, and Dodge for decades. With the combination of outstanding writing, inspiring images, and thought provoking messaging this ad creates an exciting air around the Titan truck. Instead of challenging the clear success and dominance of the big 3 truck brands, Nissan thanks them for showing the way and inspiring them to create a great vehicle. This is an interesting play, considering that the most probable buyers of the truck (older millennials) have been characterized as the most challenging and norm-breaking generation to date. However, their audience is also prone to gimmicky claims and there is nothing but honesty and truth here. This debate on its purpose and likely impact can ramble on for days, but there is no denying that work like this definitely has the power to inspire viewers. With over 2.5 million Youtube views in 10 days, it seems that masses tend to agree – the full video is included below.

Author – Quinn Hutchings, Brand Strategist

Jan

19

Dominos Review

Dominos- If Sephora takes the slice in terms of always closing, Dominos takes the whole damn Pizza. Dominos are always forefront of the purchasing experience. People are able to buy online, in App, car, by their watch and can even simply order a pizza by tweeting the pizza slice emoji. They have made it so easy to purchase that 50% of all orders in 2014 were made online and half of those were done by phone. What Dominos does right is that they are anywhere, and everywhere that the customer is. They make is as easy as possible for the order to be made. Be anywhere. Be where the customers are. Look where the customer is at all times. So in terms of always trying to sell, you should Always be Pizza.

Jan

19

Pedigree Review

Pedigree – Everything we do is for the love of dogs. This Dog food brand is struggling to stay relevant in a world where less of us are finding the time to have that furry friend. Where more of us live in cities and skyscrapers and it is important for this brand to stay on the tip of what is new in the industry. Research has shown that dogs are more relaxed when they listen to classical music, and even more so when they hear the sound of their owners voice. So Pedigree came up with K9.FM so that does would have something to listen to and help relieve their separation anxiety while their owners were way at work. Another innovation that came from the brand is the adaptation of technology usually used for humans, and out into use for a Dog. The app Tracks is a Nike+ style fitness tracker where the owner can input the amount of food the dog intake and then a beacon on the dogs collar can track the amount of energy the dog outputs.