15 Takeaways from #ANAAFM

By Bill Duggan

Tracy Avelar, manager director, vendor and sourcing management at Charles Schwab & Company ANA

The ANA Advertising Financial Management Conference just wrapped up in Phoenix. The more than 750 attendees are the true definition of "community" — an engaged and passionate mix of client-side marketing procurement, agency finance, and leading consultants. Here are 15 takeaways from the event:

1. Dana Anderson, MediaLink: All acts of greatness are made by ensembles, not soloists (via Keith Yamashita).
2. Carl Johnson, Anomaly: Agency partners must have skin in the game; they try harder. The best type of fee is a solid base with a high upside.
3. Raja Rajamannar, Mastercard: Marketing is more critical than ever, given democratized channels and intense competition.
4. Lisa Miller, Colle McVoy: Agencies would agree to enhanced transparency on costs if clients were more transparent on budget.
5. Scott Griffiths, Farmers: Marketing balances being a science (evaluating marketing activities) and an art (not losing sight of creativity).
6. Doug Wood, Reed Smith: It's time to have an open and honest dialog about how we can rebuild the trust brands once enjoyed with a supply chain that marshals billions of dollars in spend every year.
7. Greg Stern, BSSP: Brands need to have utility plus personality or purpose.
8. Brian Whipple, Accenture Interactive: Experience is the intersection of purpose and innovation.
9. Julian Hooks, Johnson & Johnson: The role of procurement has evolved, and procurement organizations can play a significant role increasing the global diversity of its suppliers, supporting social enterprises, and driving social good.
10. Jodi Harris and Dan Andrzejewski, Anheuser-Busch: Collaboration, communication, and celebration are the key elements needed for a true partnership.
11. John Stephens, Microsoft: A cornerstone of success is to let others shine; doing so will increase opportunities for all.
12. Jim Meskauskas, Active International: Efficiency is the intersection of cost and performance.
13. Patrick Dolan, IAB: For direct-to-consumer brands, CAC (customer acquisition costs) is king.
14. Simona Rabsatt Butler, Quicken Loans: Supplier diversity is a strategy (to drive business innovation) and not an initiative or program.
15. Michael Tiffany, White Ops: The war on ad fraud is succeeding — in 2019, for the first time ever, more fraud will be stopped than will succeed.

Thanks to Tracy Avelar of Charles Schwab for superbly hosting the event. Thanks to Active International for being the presenting sponsor of this conference for the ninth consecutive year. The 2020 ANA Advertising Financial Management Conference will be April 27–30 in Orlando.