October 30, 2024 / Thought Leadership

Exploring the Chief Family Health Officer

Why She Holds the Key to Your Benefits Plan’s Success

Women are increasingly leading the charge in health decisions, from managing doctor’s appointments to making choices that affect their family’s overall well-being. As this year’s enrollment season kicks off, we’re taking a look at these women, who serve as the Chief Family Health Officer (CFHO) – the powerhouse behind the success of your benefits plan.

October 25, 2024 / Thought Leadership

CP Wins Big at Hatch Awards

Sam Coons, Copywriter 

Last Thursday, I joined a handful of CPers who attended the 63rd annual Hatch Awards, hosted at Big Night Live. Connelly Partners had a great showing, taking home a collection of 15 awards, including 5 Golds. But just as important, we took home a few insights on the common threads amongst the winning work. 

The main takeaway wasn’t a huge surprise this year. Consumers just want to have fun. But not just any fun. Simple fun. The overwhelming majority of winning work had not only that ever-important “big idea” to it, but nothing felt like it was beaten to death by committee. Work ranging from clients like Progressive, to Bowery Farms, to Valvoline were all as easy to laugh at as they were to digest. And while we always look to move people emotionally in our work, we just can’t forget that bringing a little levity to someone’s day by making them chuckle at a silly joke or gasp at an incredible visual is still doing exactly that.

Our own winning work this year understood this, with simple, fun campaigns for clients like Boston Pride for the People, 123.ie, and Kayem. We couldn’t be more pumped for these wins!

As we shuffled out of the venue to celebrate before shifting into full gear for 2025, two words were repeated amongst us as an unofficial mantra for the year ahead. “Do less.” You just might win more that way.

Check out our winning work: 

Boston Pride for the People
123.ie
Kayem
V foundation

Find the full list of winners here.

October 9, 2024 / Thought Leadership

An Overview of Google’s AI Overview

Scott Freeman, SEO Manager
Anthony Quagliata, Paid Search Manager

Google’s AI Overview feature has drawn quite a reaction from the world of organic and paid search experts, but is it an innovative step forward, or is it simply Google trying to stay afloat in the fast-evolving AI race? As this feature continues to roll out across search results, many wonder if it’s a game changer or just hype.

What Exactly Is Google’s AI Overview?

In a nutshell, the AI Overview feature generates a succinct summary based on AI’s understanding of your search query. Instead of having users click through multiple search results, they are presented with a synthesized snapshot of relevant information at the very top of their search, theoretically offering faster and more accurate answers. Google touts it as a way to enhance user experience, making search more intuitive and less time-consuming.

How Often Is the AI Overview Showing Up in Search?

Many are curious how often they’ll encounter these AI Overviews, and research shows they now appear in 3.9% of trending news searches — a relatively small, but growing percentage. The potential for expansion is huge, though, as the feature is still being tested and improved. For example, some reports show that Google AI Overview results have been showing up in 80% of searches for high-profile news events, signaling that the tech giant is serious about this AI integration.

How Does This Impact SEO?

The real elephant in the room is how this new feature affects SEO. Will it boost traffic to your site or steal it away? The answer is complicated and murky. On one side, AI Overviews give users faster answers, potentially leading to lower click-through rates (CTR) for organic results. Some SEO experts are already sounding alarms, saying AI summaries could reduce visibility for traditional SEO and that organic results may be less prioritized. Initial tests have shown the AI Overview could lead to organic traffic decreases anywhere from 18-64% for some websites, especially for informational-type queries.

On the other hand, some SEOs see this as an opportunity. For example, content optimization for AI-driven summaries might become the next big thing, with SEO professionals looking to adjust their tactics. If AI Overviews are prioritizing concise, well-structured content, there’s room to optimize accordingly and stay relevant. With detailed analytics reporting, SEOs can gather relevant information on user behavior and engagement within the search engine results page itself. With that insight, SEOs can begin to hone their strategies and use the AI Overview to their advantage. 

How Does This Impact Paid Search?

Google’s AI Overview has already impacted paid search results in ways that are hard to ignore. As consumers have begun exploring this feature, there has been a significant rise in search traffic on Google. However, much like organic, a decline in paid search click-through rate has been observed since most people need to click through to ad listings rather than explore the summary the AI Overview provides. 

Another notable finding is a year-over-year rise in CPC (cost per click) as click volume has declined for advertisers. While CPC increases can also be linked to increased ad prices for companies to meet targets, it is hard to imagine they will come back down as Google continues to alter where ads show around the AI Overview. Considering they’ve talked about returning top placements above the Overview, it likely signals that CPC will continue to rise. Also, as recent as the beginning of October 2024, ads were introduced into AI Overview for mobile users and will likely become an increasingly competitive placement for competitors. 

What’s Next for AI in Search?

So, is this indeed the future of search? Google is banking on AI, but whether the feature is here to stay depends on how it adapts to user behavior. With 57% of users reporting positive experiences with AI in search results, the technology seems to be resonating with many. But at the same time, only 23% of users say they fully trust AI-generated results, leaving a lot of room for growth — and skepticism.

At the end of the day, Google’s AI Overview feature has the potential to reshape how we search and how marketing professionals do their jobs, but it’s still too early to tell if it will revolutionize the experience or simply be a flash in the pan. As AI continues to evolve, monitoring how these changes impact SEO, paid search, user trust, and the broader digital landscape is crucial.

October 1, 2024 / Thought Leadership

The Cookie Convos Continue

Erin Mullaney, Media Director

I recently participated in a lively discussion with buy-side and sell-side ad executives to dive into the latest thinking around targeting, measurement, and—of course—cookies. While these conversations can sometimes get technical, here are 4 straightforward takeaways for marketers navigating this landscape:

Remember the Root Concern

It’s not just about the third-party cookie as a method for collecting and using data on internet users, but about the act of data collection itself. The issue of unclear consent and privacy won’t disappear with the cookie, which makes building trust and transparency with consumers while still effectively advertising the real challenge. At its core, 1:1 deterministic targeting and tracking, regardless of the method, is what fuels privacy concerns. While there are many alternatives to third-party cookies, some are just fixes for targeting and measurement, while others aim to solve the underlying issue. The latter are likely to be more sustainable as privacy regulations evolve.

Wait, I Thought Google Said the Third-Party Cookie Wasn’t Going Away?

Google decided it wouldn’t proactively phase out cookies but would instead allow consumers to choose whether they want to be tracked. This mirrors Apple’s rollout of iOS 14.5 and App Tracking Transparency (ATT) in 2021, where users were prompted to decide if they wanted apps to track them. At that time, 96% of iOS users opted out. Today, that opt-in rate has climbed to about 24%, as people grow more accustomed to these types of prompts. While Google is putting the decision in the hands of consumers, if the prompt is as direct as Apple’s, we can expect most users to opt out. This means third-party cookie alternatives are still very much in demand. (Source: Adjust)

Exploring the Alternatives

At CP, we categorize targeting and measurement approaches into two groups: Hyper-Targeted and Privacy-First.

Hyper-Targeted solutions are the easiest alternatives to third-party cookies because they preserve 1:1 deterministic targeting and measurement, making them compatible with current ad tech. This group includes identifiers like IP addresses, device IDs, universal/alternative IDs, and data matching methods like identity graphs and cleanrooms. Measurement alternatives here include server-to-server tracking. Although these solutions are often considered “more accurate than third-party cookies,” they may still face future regulatory scrutiny, as they don’t fully address the root privacy concern. Even if the data is anonymized, it’s still being collected, leveraged, and in some cases, linked to personally identifiable information like names and emails.

Privacy-First alternatives, on the other hand, break away from 1:1 attribution. The key difference here is using “unattached” data in targeting, measurement, or both, to avoid tracking individual consumers across their entire journey. For targeting, this could mean probabilistic targeting via survey-based, contextual, or cohort methodology. On the measurement side, it could involve aggregated or modeled results, as well as brand lift studies, test & learns, and media mix modeling. These solutions, specifically on the targeting side, are less widely adopted and often perceived as less effective, but it’s critical to test them as the landscape continues to evolve. At CP, we’ve seen some promising early results with these alternatives, even outperforming hyper-targeted methods in certain cases. We believe AI will further improve the ability to leverage unattached data signals to drive results.

Where Does First-Party Data Fit Into All This?

The role of first-party data largely depends on your business model. Knowing your customer will always benefit your marketing efforts, but building a robust first-party data strategy requires transparency and incentivizing consumers to share their information. For some brands, there’s an immediate value exchange—like providing an email to unlock content behind a publisher paywall. For others, data is collected post-purchase, which is less helpful for prospecting. Ideally, you can use first-party data as a seed list to reach similar audiences, but privacy-first alternatives may also limit the effectiveness of lookalikes. Thinking strategically about how you collect and utilize first-party data is essential to determining its value for your business.

Conclusion

The ad industry’s focus has shifted from simply finding alternatives to third-party cookies to addressing the bigger picture: consumer privacy. While hyper-targeted solutions continue to dominate, privacy-first approaches are gaining traction, and their relevance will only grow as regulations tighten. As brands and advertisers, it’s crucial to stay ahead by testing a variety of strategies and ensuring that your approach to data is both transparent and adaptable to the evolving landscape. The future of targeting and measurement lies in balancing effectiveness with privacy, and those who can master this will be well-positioned for success.

September 26, 2024 / Thought Leadership

Navigating the Future of Programmatic Advertising

Kim Mazejka, Senior Media Planner
Lee Junkin, Programmatic Media Supervisor

We recently attended StackAdapt’s StackDay conference in Chicago, where we had the opportunity to dive deeper into not only StackAdapt’s current and upcoming features, but also the programmatic landscape as a whole. Here are our top learnings and insights from the conference:

Programmatic ad spend is growing rapidly, driven by increased demand for connected TV, Retail Media Networks, and digital out-of-home.
  • Connected TV (CTV) is growing at the same pace that Linear TV is declining. eMarketer predicts that by 2028, spend will be even between the two before CTV takes over in dominance. The downside is that there is a current ceiling on CTV inventory due to lighter ad loads and a larger share of ad free viewers, which will lead to an inventory shrinkage. 
  • Retail Media Networks (RMNs) are growing at a faster rate than traditional search, which has seen its spend peak. StackAdapt is beginning to explore the integration of RMNs into their platform in order to create more seamless omnichannel integration. However, this will likely be a long roadmap as most RMNs are hesitant to join the open marketplace despite it being a large source of growth. 
  • OOH is the only medium that is growing yearly, with digital out-of-home (DOOH) being the main driver. Running DOOH through a DSP can create a feedback loop to further fuel retargeting audiences and provide measurement opportunities to prove effectiveness of this once unmeasurable channel. 
Users will accept personalization in exchange for handing over their data. 
  • Less than 1 in 5 users always accept cookies when given the choice, and only 26% of Apple users are opting into being tracked across sites when prompted. 
  • Despite not wanting to opt in to tracking, 72% of consumers report they would only engage with a personalized ad. If they know that their purchase history information will be used for these personalized ads, they will approve being tracked. 
  • This decrease in device data will likely lead to PMPs and programmatic direct buys increasing in popularity due to precise targeting abilities without this data. 
Choosing the right DSP can create omnichannel opportunities for better optimization and measurement. StackAdapt’s capabilities and recent evolutions include:
  • Tools to estimate incremental reach of a CTV buy against a Linear campaign to reduce duplication of efforts and reach a higher percentage of your target audience. 
  • ABM-specific reporting to measure B2B campaign performance by company, company size, seniority level, etc.
  • Ability to build in brand lift studies straight into any campaign
  • Optimize campaigns toward engagement metrics and vetted inventory to ensure ads are running in high attention spaces on premium inventory

With all of this information now in our arsenal, we sailed off into the Chicago sunset on a beautiful river cruise to cap off the trip! 

man and woman on a boat

September 18, 2024 / Thought Leadership

Retail Media: Full Funnel, Not Just Low Funnel

Katie Coughlin, Associate Media Director 

I recently had the opportunity to attend Digiday’s Retail Media Strategies conference in New York City, where leaders in the space dove into the rise of retail media, providing an exclusive look into its evolving role. While retail media has existed in various forms for quite some time, it has swiftly emerged as one of the most effective strategies for driving revenue and enabling brands to engage shoppers throughout their journey. 

In this blog, I’ll shed light on the importance of embracing a full-funnel approach to best position brands for success because the future of retail media is not just about quick wins – it’s about building lasting connections with consumers and creating value at every touchpoint.

Retail Media’s Expanding Role

Retail media is evolving from a low-funnel tool to a powerful, full-funnel ecosystem. No longer just banner ads buried on a retailer’s site, retail media now supports a brand’s entire customer journey – from initial awareness to post purchase engagement. This holistic strategy helps build a deeper connection with consumers at every stage, rather than focusing solely on immediate sales. By incorporating retail media throughout the funnel, brands can increase visibility and recognition from the outset. This broader exposure helps establish brand presence and credibility, making consumers more likely to consider the brand when they are ready to purchase. 

A full-funnel strategy also allows for a more personalized and seamless customer experience. Brands can tailor their messaging and offers based on where the customer is in their journey, leading to more relevant interactions and a higher likelihood of conversion. Finding opportunities to cut through the sea of sameness with placements and messaging that will resonate will ultimately differentiate the brand, capture attention more effectively, and foster a stronger connection with the customer.

This conference emphasized the need for brands to rethink and evolve their approach to retail media. While relying solely on retail media as a sales tactic can lead to short-term gains, it may not sustain growth in the long run. By shifting from a narrow low-funnel tool to a comprehensive full-funnel strategy, brands can position themselves for steady, sustainable growth by fostering customer relationships and retention over time.

September 16, 2024 / Thought Leadership

Skip-Gen Travelers: Active Grandparents

An increasing number of grandparents are now engaging in Skip-Gen travel, or traveling with their grandchildren. This trend has become more common due to longer, healthier lifespans and a new approach to retirement. In this report we explore the persona of the Memory-Making Grandparent, and what we can anticipate from this travel trend moving forward.

August 26, 2024 / Thought Leadership

Tennis Players: The New Face of Tennis Fandom

The US Open starts on Monday, August 26, 2024, and the world of tennis is buzzing with excitement. But it’s not just the tournament that’s capturing attention – tennis itself is experiencing a renaissance, transforming from a popular sport into a mega-trend that’s influencing fashion, lifestyle, and social media.

Check out the new face of tennis fandom:

August 21, 2024 / Thought Leadership

From TikTok to the White House: The Rise of Influencers in Political Discourse

Alyssa Stevens, Global Director of PR, Social Media & Influencer Marketing

The creator economy has officially arrived on the national stage, and if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know that influencer and social media marketing are no longer just buzzwords. As the political landscape heats up, we’re witnessing the industry’s growing influence in ways that are impossible to ignore.

The recent inclusion of social media influencers in high-profile political events, like the Democratic National Convention and the White House’s inaugural Creator Economy Conference, marks a significant evolution in how political communication is unfolding. This isn’t just about politics recognizing the power of platforms like TikTok—it’s about the media landscape itself transforming. As the Global Director of Social Media & Influencer Marketing at Connelly Partners, I find this movement not just fascinating but vital for the future of how we engage with audiences.

Influencers, once primarily leveraged for brand awareness, are now pivotal players in the political arena. Their ability to engage with communities on a personal level makes them invaluable assets for candidates like Kamala Harris, who uses TikTok to connect with voters. The recent White House Creator Economy Conference, which gathered 100 professionals from my industry, discussed the future of digital content, touching on topics like AI, mental health, and fair pay. Similarly, the Democratic National Convention invited 200 content creators to cover the event, offering them an exclusive vantage point of the stage. These events are more than just milestones; they are a clear acknowledgment of the creator economy’s role in shaping public opinion and driving meaningful conversations. Having worked in the influencer and social industry for well over a decade, I see this as a moment that cements its journey from niche to mainstream.

For brands and agencies, this evolution should be a wake-up call. The creator economy is no longer just about product placements or brand endorsements; it’s about fostering genuine relationships and understanding the nuances of audience engagement. As political campaigns tap into the authenticity that influencers bring, recognizing that traditional advertising and news sources may not fully capture the attention of today’s audiences, brands must adapt.

Influencer marketing has been – and will continue to be crucial in any comprehensive campaign. Brands must collaborate more deeply with creators and platforms to harness the power of influencers in ways that truly resonate. Whether for political, social, or commercial purposes, this dynamic and ever-changing landscape demands a thoughtful, strategic approach to stay ahead. Now more than ever, it’s clear that the creator economy isn’t just a trend—it’s a driving force that will continue to shape the future of marketing and communication…and perhaps even the 2024 election! 

August 2, 2024 / Thought Leadership

Women’s Networking: What’s Your Personal Brand?

Katie Coccia, Senior Manager of Human Resources and Facilities

women listening to speakerWe just hosted another Connelly Partners Empowering Women’s Networking Event, which offered both CP and non-CP women the chance to meet someone new, make meaningful connections, and learn about personal brands. 

But what is a personal brand? And how is it different from a reputation? 

Simply put, a reputation is built on trust and is influenced by how others view your actions and conduct. A personal brand, however, is the image that you want others to have of you [1]. It is intentionally and strategically designed to convey your unique value and it sets you apart from others in your field [2]. It gives you the tools needed to fight imposter syndrome, all while helping you gain support from people who will elevate and speak up for you [3][4]

At the event, attendees wrote down one word to describe their personal brand and shared it with their peers. We saw many powerful words like evolve, curious, brave, and more. I left the event feeling energized and inspired, and I caught up with a few colleagues to hear their thoughts.

The personal brand word exercise was fun and uplifting. I liked how it painted a picture of everyone’s personalities and key strengths—highlighting how powerful we can be when we join forces and are eager to learn from one another. My word was “enthusiasm” as I take pride in approaching my work with positive energy and optimism—to encourage my teammates and create a more collaborative environment, even when facing challenges. – Courtney Marlow, Senior PR & Social Media Manager

This was my first women’s event. I got to talk to and connect with ladies at CP from other departments that I otherwise never get a chance to talk to. I feel like I learned more about them, and people learned more about me. My personal brand word was “trust!” I find when there is trust in the workplace, it builds the comfort to work and speak up especially when you have a new idea. – Chandani Patel, Staff Accountant

I loved meeting people in other roles and hearing about their work experience. My word was “authenticity.” I feel like with advertising authenticity is important. Telling stories in a way that resonates is important to me in my work, and it was cool to talk with folks in other disciplines who also shared that same value! – Alexa Caruso, Junior Art Director

Now that you know a little more about personal branding and why it is important, it’s your turn! What word describes your personal brand?

Watch for details on our next Women’s Networking evening. If you aren’t on the invite list please reach out to Ashley Campbell

Sources:

1. What’s the Point of a Personal Brand? – Harvard Business Review
2. A New Approach to Building Your Personal Brand – Harvard Business Review
3. Find Your Voice, Communicate Your Value: How to Build a Personal Brand as a Woman – LinkedIn
4. How Women Can Develop and Promote Their Personal Brand – Harvard Business Review