Important Note: This Post Includes Puppies
January 31, 2020
Whether your top concern as a marketer is building better creative, how to grow a family farm centered on animal welfare into an industry pioneer, or how to get more dogs into your Super Bowl Sunday, January's stories on ANA magazine have you covered.
Here's a look at some of the key takeaways from this month's stories.
Taking Data to Heart
Marketers may be over relying on data rather than the human imagination, and senior marketers like Jonathan Mildenhall, CEO and co-founder of brand consultancy TwentyFirstCenturyBrand and former CMO at Airbnb, are not here for it.
"Programmatic marketing, which over time offers diminishing returns, has risen at the cost of community-driven, culturally relevant storytelling," Mildenhall says in a recent ANA magazine article that argues a growing overreliance on data comes at the expense of creative thinking. "Not only does this lead to lower ROI overall but it also leads to consumer advertising fatigue and ultimately ad avoidance," he says.
Relying too heavily on data and not enough on the power of the human mind can lead to lack-luster brand-building efforts, the story says. Marketers must strike a balance and build teams that can harness the human heart as much as they dote on data.
Pushing Paws on Super Bowl Advertising
Not all marketing breakthroughs have to come from an amalgamation of data and creative thinking. Some rear up and lick you right in the face.
Now in its 16th year, the Puppy Bowl has become an annual tradition among some brands seeking counterprogramming to the Super Bowl, our story reports.
The Puppy Bowl has "become a full-fledged cultural phenomenon," says Theresa Junkunc, director of marketing communications at floor-care products company BISSELL. "Viewers look forward to it and plan for it as part of Super Bowl Sunday."
For BISSELL, which has participated in the Puppy Bowl since its inception in 2015, audience engagement is key. "Like the Super Bowl, Puppy Bowl lends itself to extended conversation in social media, so we know people are tuning into the broadcast and then engaging with other fans online while they watch," Junkunc says.
On Digital's Darker Side
Live events like the Super Bowl and the Puppy Bowl offer brands genuine opportunities to engage consumers on social media (don't mention OREO … don't mention OREO), much like OREO's now-famous "You can still dunk in the dark" tweet from 2013.
But as fun a playground as the internet is for brands, it holds dangers marketers can't afford to ignore. In fact, a new study estimates that by 2023, fraud in the U.S. will account for one in five ad transactions, costing marketers up to $100 million a day.
What's more, new privacy legislation enacted in California this month is further complicating how brands can safely reach and interact with consumers, online and off. As our story explains, the law has major implications for brands' online communications, loyalty programs, and data collection practices.
As business marketers follow B2C brands into the streaming media game, and work on ramping up their content marketing, the industry as a whole will need to keep a sharp eye on the snares and pitfalls awaiting brands online.
Minding the Gap
Other stories this month cover topics ranging from how Jonathan Reckford has helped Habitat for Humanity grow from helping 125,000 people per year in 2005 to seven million in 2019, how the V Foundation uses robust fundraising to help fight an aggressive disease, and more.
Plus, if you haven't seen it, check out our recent series on how brands can better connect with five different generations of consumers:
Let us know your thoughts. Leave comments on articles or write me directly at aeitelbach@ana.net.