Clark Shepard, Senior Copywriter

I was recently granted the great honor of judging the inaugural Campaign US Big Awards. The judges, as they phrased it, were comprised of the “next generation” of creative voices in advertising.” The people who are supposed to have their pencils on the pulse of what’s cool – and what’s soon-to-be cool. It was gratifying, and equal parts humbling, to be able to sit in with writers and designers from around the country as we dissected the very best work our industry produced in the past year. I came away with some friends, an invite to a catered event in NYC (forever here for free food), and insights. So many insights. Here’s a few of my hand-picked favorites. 

Digital is hot, but print will never die. 

It’s easy to get caught up in the maelstrom of social activations, hashtag movements and, dare I say, viral tweets, but let us not forget the paper matriarch who paved the way for all of it. Perhaps my favorite ad I voted on this year was simple in its execution, and brilliant in its message. 

You booked Brad Pitt for a commercial, so what?

As someone who has never worked on a campaign with a $20 million dollar ad spend, I can say this with conviction: We need to celebrate creative problem solving as loudly as we celebrate Super Bowl ads. The creative thinking required to put out award winning, needle moving work that 1) isn’t aided by a multi-million dollar budget and 2) doesn’t need a celebrity cameo to make noise is what will always impress me the most. 

Don’t be anti-social. Even though it’s hard. 

There’s a metric ton of platforms at our disposal these days. That’s not changing anytime soon. In fact, the only thing that is inevitable is that by the time our industry has completely caught up to Tik Tok, it will be replaced by something else. This thought scares a lot of people in our industry to not even try to master these tools. Resist that urge, friends. Jump in with both feet. Ride the wave. Try and fail. And fail and fail and fail. Because the more you actively fail, the closer you’ll get to striking gold. It probably won’t make sense when it happens, so don’t try to make too much sense of it along the way. Remember, our job as creatives isn’t merely to make the stuff. Our job is to experience the world – and sometimes the world is a Tik Tok dance. You laugh, but no one’s laughing harder than Applebee’s right now. 

So, what can we learn from all this? Here’s my take: there have never been more platforms for us to tell stories on behalf of our clients. It’s all a little scary if you pause to think about it. So don’t pause. Keep learning new tools, keep studying your peers, keep living your lives (and taking notes). Oh, and if you get asked to judge an award show, do it. Your work will be all the better for it.  

Additional coverage:
Campaign US: Meet the next generation
Campaign US: Clark Shepard 

 

Hillary Williams, Group Brand Director

With the Holiday season approaching, one word seems to stand out among the rest: Gratitude. It’s always top of mind (or nowadays, “trending”) as we head into the Thanksgiving holiday … and this year that magnified sense of thankfulness feels more relevant than ever for brands.  

Expectations for brands have been dramatically increasing for the past several years and the need for companies to stand for something greater than their products has never been more profound. These expectations are driven by consumer desire to identify with companies through shared values, in order to rationalize purchase behavior via decisions that contribute to the greater good. At the end of last year, a study by Forrester reported that “63% of consumers will choose brands that help their local communities, while 57% intend to buy from companies that contribute to sustainability more frequently over the next two years” (Forrester, 2020). Alongside what companies are doing for society, consumers want to feel personally appreciated and that their business is not being taken for granted. According to a recent study, “48% of people expect specialized treatment for being a good customer,” and will be quick to switch from product experiences that lack appreciation and personalization (Accenture, 2021).

Consumers do not want to feel like they’re being taken for granted by the brands they support, but neither do the employees working for these organizations. The pandemic of the past year has further amplified the search for meaning and purpose in our lives, yielding a shift in perspective on priorities. Recent reports reveal that “25% of polled professionals said the pandemic has made them want to pursue more fulfilling jobs,” (Boston Globe). The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that 2.9% of the entire workforce quit their jobs in August alone, hitting a new monthly record (NPR).

So how can companies effectively navigate this greater sense of purpose and feelings of restlessness to retain and attract both employees and consumers? Simply put⏤  they can show genuine gratitude. Appreciation is a critical foundation of any strong, long-lasting relationship and as Professor Bradley Cannon of the University of Wisconsin remarks, “We did not create or fashion ourselves. Life is about giving, receiving and repaying. We are receptive beings, dependent on the help of others. As such, we are called to gratitude.” Studies show that grateful people tend to be more empathetic, agreeable, joyful and enthusiastic and that the act of gratitude helps mitigate toxic emotions (Forbes). In a University of Pennsylvania study, telemarketers who had a brief visit from the Head of Giving thanking them for their efforts, outperformed the shifts that did not by 50% (Wespire). 

Gratitude starts from within companies, – and the way it’s rooted in the brand DNA and manifested towards consumers are of equal importance.  With this in mind, here are three ways to show gratitude for employees and consumers in a compelling, authentic way:  

1. Walking the brand purpose walk. An oldie but a goodie and no better example in my opinion, is REI. Despite a tough sales year due to COVID related store closures they’re continuing with their #optoutside movement and closing all doors on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, encouraging over 15,000 employees and consumers to spend time outside on the busiest shopping day of the year. REI’s commitment to the #optoutside effort exemplifies their core purpose of “inspiring, educating and outfitting for a lifetime of outdoor adventure and stewardship,” on the heels of a period where many reprioritized time outside. This year aligns with their new Cooperative Action Fund, a charity to support “nonprofit organizations promoting justice, equity and belonging in the outdoors.” From a loyalty standpoint, REI offers a $20 lifetime membership offer for customers. This alternate take on a traditional loyalty program reflects their co-op roots and gives consumers frequent discounts, but with a sense of genuine belonging to the organization. Members see themselves as an extension of the company which creates a genuine sense of loyalty vs. generic and artificial discount offer system.
2. Grand gestures that make a statement and prioritize emotional health over immediate profit. After a grueling year in a reimagined corporate world that blurred all lines between home and work, LinkedIn prioritized the mental and emotional health of their employees with a company-wide “RestUp!” week that gave nearly all their 15,900 full time workers an extra week off to recharge. By promoting the well-being of their hard working staff with this dramatic gesture, LinkedIn boosted internal morale and optics with platform users, all with a relatively minimal impact on their bottom line in the grand scheme of things. This move is particularly relevant at a time when other social platforms have been under increased scrutiny regarding their moral compasses – or lack thereof. It helps set a high bar for companies to demonstrate appreciation in concrete ways, which Spanx CEO Sara Blakely embraced as she surprised all employees with two first class tickets and $10,000 to celebrate their recent acquisition by Blackstone. 
3. Public celebrations of appreciation. The best acts of gratitude stem from a company’s brand ethos, and Dave’s Killer Bread’s employment model is based around hiring the best person for the job, regardless of their criminal history. In their recent campaign with Exverus Media they showed the empowering and inspiring stories of workers with criminal backgrounds and reciprocal nature of second chances through a moving long form video that personified their brand values and celebrated employees in a personal way. Similarly, in the midst of the pandemic Burger King’s targeting took an unconventional and compelling shift when they used their on-site advertising to showcase messages of gratitude for their employees, who had to risk their health to keep working through the pandemic. Customers were invited to leave thank you messages when placing an order through the app which resulted in more than 5,100 messages over just three days. While this was a timely and impactful gesture, there’s an opportunity for this type of employee appreciation outside of extenuating circumstances like the past year’s pandemic. A CP client, Liberty Bank recently repositioned the brand around improving the lives of their customers, teammates and communities for generations to come. Their “community kind” brand ethos is rooted in the bank belonging to something greater than itself. The organization lives out this mission on a daily basis with gratitude for their customers and community – whether it’s surprising the community with ice cream at a children’s summer camp over the summer, featuring profiles of inspiring customers on their social channels or OOH that speaks to how inspired they are by the community. These types of public gestures of gratitude both celebrate employees and drive consumer affinity. 

It’s clear to see that this Thanksgiving represents a unique opportunity for companies to lean into gratitude and find genuine ways to thank both their consumers and employees. But more than that, it’s a reminder that gratitude should be something that’s practiced 365 days of the year – positioned around what giving thanks really means for your business and to those that support you from both a workforce and consumer standpoint.

Brandy Shabowich, Assistant Marketing Manager & Coco Rich, Marketing Manager

The 2021 Fast Company Innovation Festival has come to an end. With its roster of A-list speakers, like Drew Barrymore and Robin Roberts, and thought-provoking sessions, we’re coming away inspired with new ideas. Here are our top takeaways, many of which resonate with who we are and how we approach our work at Connelly Partners⏤to protect brands from self-importance, to amplify their heartbeats, and to embrace empathy over entertainment.

A title is not what’s important. In the session, “The Case for Optimism,” Drew Barrymore discussed how titles may be necessary for context, and organization, but they also keep people in a lane, or a silo. Building integrated teams that utilize people’s strengths and passions creates a better functioning environment. At the end of the day, Barrymore stressed that “people only want to do what they want to do.” And they can be truly unstoppable if a fire burns within them. Let’s consider integration beyond department-diversity, and instead, strive to build integrated skill set/strength teams too. You’ll be amazed at the magic that happens when you allow people to use their creativity and work together in different ways.

Be a bright spot, not a blindspot. Another piece of wisdom we learned from Drew Barrymore is that we tend to believe that optimistic people are in a constant positive state, but that’s not the case. Seldom is optimism found easily⏤ and the kind of optimism that has merit requires fighting through the day to reach that ideal state of belief, hope and happiness. When faced with a mountain, don’t let your mind tell you that you can’t climb it. Turn around and look at the mountains you’ve conquered before. It’s easier to be pessimistic about life’s challenges, but working hard to look to the bright side will be even more rewarding. It might sound trivial, but by simply being as kind to yourself as you are to others and forgiving yourself like you forgive others will do wonders.

Stop treating ‘no’ like a stop sign. If you’ve heard of Good Morning America then you know journalist and anchor Robin Roberts. However, you might not know that she also owns her own production company, Rock’n Robin Productions. In “The Anchor: A Conversation with Robin Roberts,” she explains that a major lesson that she has learned through this business endeavor is to learn how to hear the word “no,” a lesson, she emphasizes, everyone needs to hear. And Roberts is not the first person to experience this. Just look at some successful people from the last century. They had to hear “no” a number of times. Take Walt Disney, JK Rowling, or even Stephen King for example. They were rejected and told “no” over and over. But, their resilience to keep trying instead of giving up paid off. 

In the  “Mastering Scale and Creativity with Reid Hoffman and June Cohen,” discussion, June Cohen, CEO of media company WaitWhat, emphasized the importance of being able to “interpret those no’s in a different way.” No can mean “not yet,” or “not quite,” or “not entirely sure.” It doesn’t have to be the end of the idea, or the end of the conversation. 

You only die once, you live everyday. When describing her outlook on life and finding her purpose, Roberts rebuked the idea of “YOLO – you only live once.” Instead she said, “You only die once, you live every day.” We are always becoming and evolving until the day we die. Knowing that we’ll be called to step up and lead at one point or another⏤ whether it’s in our personal life, professional life or both⏤ we are all leaders, regardless of our job title. Roberts believes good leadership requires understanding “three C’s and one E”: Confidence, Courage, Clarity and Empathy. 

We took away that being a good leader means being authentic and sincere and acting defiantly human. Roberts stressed the importance of this by explaining that, “people don’t care that you know [about their lives and situations] until they know that you care [about them].” Start listening to people more, checking in on them, and being there to support them. 

Process over product. You’ve probably heard the phrase,“It’s about the journey not the destination.” Never underestimate the journey. When we are going about our daily lives we typically find a groove. Allow your creativity to take you outside of that groove and explore new facets that are authentically you. In the “This Is Your Brain On Art” session, renowned American artist Judy Tuwaletstiwa calls this “finding new textures in yourself.” Instead of focusing on the finished product, Tuwaletstiwa stresses the importance of paying attention to how you’re getting there: the questions you’re asking yourself, the perspectives you invite in and the ways potential mistakes and pitfalls lead to discovery. 

Utilize the whole brain, not half. We need to be able to learn and move quickly to perfect our ideas and always be on the lookout for new inspiration to strike. June Cohen explained that, “not every creative person scores big – or even at all…[they] have loads of ideas, but don’t know how to channel them.” She believes that it is the entrepreneurs who help breathe life into those ideas. You need to be able to utilize both sides of the brain and always be ready to adapt. In the same session, the host of the Masters of Scale Podcast, Reid Hoffman, stated that, “you have to have a differentiated contrarian, but right theory, and your go-to-market theory and your product theory and your service, you have to  be constantly adjusting.” Changing our way of thinking by listening and moving quickly is something that is possible for anyone. 

Bottom line here is to always be on the cutting edge:  be ready for any new ideas, learn quickly from your mistakes and failures, and try again. Creativity and strategy are equally important to utilize together to achieve positive results for your ideas. If you are only relying on one side of the brain then you’re only reaching half of your potential. Surround yourself with right and left brain thinkers. 

Do your homework. In the “Inclusive by Design” session, it was made clear by innovative fashion designers and data experts, that not understanding your customer results in market segments being completely neglected and ignored. The fashion industry is a perfect example of this. If you juxtapose the plus size rack with the straight size rack, it is clear to see that fashion labels have not done their homework and do not know their customers. There are some fashion-based, data driven brands that are starting to ask the right question: “what do my customers actually look like?” Brands are looking for data now to assist with the design process. We are seeing technology that sites use to personalize and fine-tune the shopping experience. The answers to various questions allows for a personalized experience for the customer and the brand gaining valuable data to help understand the market. Instead of using size 0 mannequins to design with, many companies are utilizing data as well as 3D technology to understand the body and create products that better fit their customers. Though we don’t design clothes here at CP, we practice and preach the importance of gathering data to analyze and help optimize our work for clients. 

To sum all this up in just a few words: learn and create in all that you do. Try working with people you’ve never worked with before. Embrace the left brain and defend the right brain. And even when life tests us, optimism is always worth fighting for. 

For further reading about these sessions, check out the following articles:

• Drew Barrymore leadership style doesn’t rely on job titles
• Robin Roberts’s secrets of storytelling, leadership, and purpose
• Reid Hoffman and June Cohen on mastering scale and creativity
• The science behind the sights, sounds, and colors that make you happy

(Image source: https://www.eventbrowse.com/city/new-york/event/fast-company-innovation-festival-2021/)

CP Analytics Team: Brian Kastelein, Director of Analytics, and Diane Zhou, Data Analyst 

It is estimated that nearly 30 million websites use Google Analytics (GA) so when Google decides to make a change to their methodology for website tracking, saying it’s a BIG deal is not hyperbole. Such a change happened at the end of 2020 with the official launch of Google Analytics 4 (GA4).

If you are just learning about GA4 or, like most organizations, are in the early stages of exploring what this new tool has to offer, here are ten things you should know.

1. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a completely new version of Google Analytics

During the past 16 years, Google Analytics (GA) has undergone an evolutionary process from improving accuracy to expanding features to refining the user interface, culminating in the version of GA that most people are familiar with called Universal Analytics (UA). In late 2020, however, Google brought its newest version, GA4, out of beta. More than just a continued evolution of the UA environment, GA4 is a fundamentally new Google Analytics platform that heralds the cookie-less future.

2. GA4 is built on an event-based data model

The baseline unit of measurement in UA is a “hit.” A hit contains information about a user’s interaction with a web page. Hits are predefined in UA and consist of pageview hits, event hits, ecommerce hits, exception hits, user timing hits, and screen hits (apps) so opportunities to customize tracking of user behaviors is limited. UA consequently relies on cookies to store and recall user interactions and translate them into sessions, repeat visits, etc. By contrast, GA4’s event-based unit of measure represents a fundamental data model difference compared to UA. The event-based tracking in GA4 allows for greater flexibility and customization in measuring user interactions across an organization’s online properties. GA4 is also “smarter” in its use of machine learning so that it is not dependent upon cookies for tracking and reporting key metrics.

3. GA4 is more user-focused and provides a more holistic view of cross-device behavior

If you have a website and an app, congratulations – GA4 provides a more holistic customer view through its cross-device and cross-platform tracking abilities. Its event-based data model allows detailed tracking of user behaviors by appending custom parameters to each event. Here again, in the absence of cookies, machine learning plays a critical role in tracking and measuring user traffic, engagement, etc. Beyond just tracking user behaviors, GA4 will help to make predictions, identify segments most likely to convert, and optimize return.

4. GA4 generates more accurate measures of user engagement

There are many new dimensions and metrics in GA4, especially engagement metrics, to solve the inherent inaccuracies of hit-based tracking in UA. For instance, UA measures session length by next-page interactions with ‘hits’ or requests sent to the server. Single-page visits, therefore, record no time since there is no subsequent user action taken. This methodology results in some inaccuracies in metrics such as bounce rate, average time on page, and session duration. GA4’s methodology solves these inaccuracies. By way of an example, a 10-second session with no further action in UA would be considered a bounce. In GA4, that same behavior is defined as an engaged session and ultimately contributes to a new set of engagement metrics including engagement rate, engaged sessions, engaged sessions per user and average engagement time.

5. GA4 integrates event configuration within the analytics interface

With GA4, a single tag in Google Tag Manager (GTM) is used for initial configuration and then all other events can be set up in GA4 directly. When creating or modifying events, up to 25 parameters can be added to capture more details, such as item_name, item_category for eCommerce, and page_title, page_location, and page_referrer for views. While GA4 events have no notion of Category, Action, and Label, the standard convention that is used in UA, these descriptors can be used as GA4 event parameters if desired. Along with there being greater event tracking flexibility in GA4, there are also new challenges as organizations will need to develop a more disciplined approach to planning, implementing, and managing event tracking.

6. The basic setup of GA4 is relatively easy using the embedded Setup Assistant

If you already have a Universal Analytics property set up in GA, creating a new GA4 property is easily accomplished using the GA4 Setup Assistant that is now featured in the Property admin panel. The Setup Assistant provides a step-by-step guide to completing the basic configuration and deployment of the GA4 property. That said, more advanced event tracking, ecommerce configuration, account linking to Google Ads, Big Query, or other platforms within the Google ecosystem requires additional manual configuration once the basic property is deployed.

7. GA4 has no historical data and sets maximum data retention at 14 months 

Because GA4 uses a fundamentally different unit of measurement than UA, no historical data from an existing Google Analytics account is accessible in the GA4 property. Given that, data collection in the GA4 environment only begins once the property is launched, and as such, it is in an organization’s best interest to deploy GA4 as soon as possible so that a set of historical data can begin to accumulate. Additionally, it is worth noting that while UA had few restrictions on data retention, GA4 has a maximum data retention limit of 14 months.

8. GA4 is still evolving and rolling out new features

Since officially bringing GA4 out of beta in late 2020, it is now the default view for anyone setting up a new GA property. That said, Google has continued to evolve the functionality and features of the GA4 environment, offering deeper integrations to other platforms within the Google ecosystem and more robust functionality based on underlying machine learning capabilities (e.g., predictive audiences, attribution settings, etc.) The bottom line is that the GA4 product we see today is far from being a final version and ongoing improvements and enhancements can be expected (And you have one analytic team here at CP that is hoping to see one of our favorite UA features, Google Annotations, brought into the new GA4 environment!).

9. GA4 can (and should be) run in parallel to existing Universal Analytics properties

While the UA version of GA will likely be the primary source of truth for most organizations for the balance of 2021, GA4 should be set up and run in parallel to any existing UA property. As noted above, data in the GA4 environment is not retroactive so it’s advisable to begin building up a base of historical results. Additionally, running UA and GA4 in parallel will afford organizations an adjustment period during which the results between the two platforms can be monitored and compared. There is definitely a learning curve with GA4 and gaining familiarity with the environment, sooner rather than later, will help organizations anticipate likely impacts of fully migrating over to the GA4 environment sometime in 2022.

10. Organizations should launch their GA4 property as soon as possible

Excited, surprised, panicked, or suspicious, no matter how you feel about this completely new way of tracking website and app data, organizations using GA should launch their GA4 property today. As of now, UA will continue to be fully supported by Google, but with GA4 being the anticipated move to prepare for the cookie-less future, it is worth the time and effort to begin to get comfortable with the new way of tracking, the new interface, and the new functionality of the tool. The CP analytics team is actively helping organizations manage the setup, configuration, and comparative tracking of results between UA and GA4. Our services include:

• Basic GA4 Property Set Up
• Event and Conversion Configuration
• Comparative Dashboard Deployment (side-by-side tracking of results between a UA and GA4 property)
• Data Warehousing (ensuring data accessibility for multi-year trending and analysis)
• Full GA4 Migration Project Planning

 

Steve Connelly, President and Copywriter & JoAnne Borselli, Group Brand Director

Did you miss our presentation at ANA’s Brand Management Committee meeting? Not to worry. Here are the Cliffs Notes version.

The team at Connelly Partners spoke at the ANA Brand Management Committee meeting to bring attendees through the Williamsburg Tourism Council case study and the importance of investing in your brand and maintaining ad spend during a downturn.

 Being Quiet Gets You Nowhere

Most travel brands and destinations were staying dark, watching and waiting to determine when to come back. WTC had the courage to keep investing because they knew that the best time to spend is when others are not. 

From an advertising perspective, we counsel clients to think hard before pulling out of the market. Why? According to Nielsen: “on average, it takes three to five years to recover equity lost because of halted advertising, and long-term revenue can take a 2% hit for every quarter a brand stops advertising.”  

The recovery period on the other side kills a lot of brands. Colorado tourism learned that the hard way back in the 90’s.

Value Anthropology as Much as Data 

Together with the client, we conducted a mix of quantitative, qualitative and observational human behavior research to better understand the perspective and concerns of our audience. But beyond the “traditional” research, we believe in digging deeper and observing people in their day to day lives. Watching them as much as asking them.  

We learned things that are obvious to us now, but weren’t back then. Life was feeling hectic is a way that was uncomfortable; people were anxious to fly; road trips took on a nostalgic feel and began to increase in frequency and distance; people missed being with family and friends; and were embracing outdoor activities like never before.

This Isn’t About You

The research helped us to better connect with our audience. Because the reality is, it’s about finding a way to fit into our customers lives, not the other way around. We heard what they were concerned about and what they felt comfortable doing. Since much of what the region offers was outdoors and easy to drive to, WTC would be a great choice for the first post pandemic vacation destination. We wanted to be first in line when the world started to open. 

While other destinations were focusing their messaging on soft-sells about being there when consumers were ready to getaway, Williamsburg Tourism Council to take a took a more direct approach about being there now for how consumers wanted to get away. The Life. At Your Pace. campaign was born.

It featured TV, Digital, Search and more. We also met our audience where they were as time on social media had increased. We knew they had safety concerns. Beyond inspiration, they needed validation when they were starting to make travel decisions. So we leaned in hard on Influencer Marketing as a big part of the awareness strategy and were third party ambassadors who could tell a genuine story and to show by example what the experience was really like, the safety protocols in place and to answer any questions from their own follower base. 

Things Will Go Wrong  

We knew from the start that we weren’t going to win on overnight stays. Occupancy was still in the tank, restaurants were sometimes empty. We had to drive awareness and manage stakeholder expectations. We had to be in this for the long-haul. This wasn’t just about 2020, it was about how we were going to recover over the long-term. 

Since June 2020 when the campaign launched, the work kept going. The launch itself was really only the beginning. On top of this campaign, we had to be constantly listening to the market and to our local businesses to anticipate and quickly respond to changes. It was all about trying new things–and knowing some would stick and others might not.

We created a local print and digital campaign that ran over the winter to encourage the local market to support restaurants and retail stores. We hosted a webinar for local businesses to educate and guide them on social and influencer marketing opportunities. We created a campaign “subset” to support families managing their kid’s education at home.

Data Is An Action, Not A Number

All of the work we did was rooted in data–from the research that led to the concept and to the media strategy. We had a measurement plan in place from the beginning and we are reviewing performance multiple times each month. 

But what is imperative is not just capturing the data (there’s always more than any marketer knows what to do with), and rather, using the data to ask “so what?”

What action will we take with this information? Is it going to drive a shift in targeting? Do we need to shift dollars from one market to another? Is it time to rotate out creative?

Data that’s not tied to action is useless. 

Results

Needless to say, it pays to invest during a downturn.

Williamsburg Tourism Council’s web traffic is up 78% from same time in 2019 (considered peak period for travel in recent years). 80% of that traffic is from first-time visitors to the site – opening up new opportunities.

With an ongoing advertising investment since June 2020, we’ve driven an 16% increase in awareness, 18% increase in positive perception and 157% increase in “likelihood to visit in the next 12 months”

 

Michelle Capasso, Director of Media Services, Mallory Bram, Media Director, Allie Umlah, Associate Media Director, Chris Corrado, Associate Media Director

CP attended this year’s IAB NewFronts – a week of programming and presentations from major partners in media and entertainment. Companies such as Amazon, TikTok, Twitter, Snap Inc., CondeNast took to the (virtual) stage to present their latest and greatest content line ups and what advertisers can expect in the coming year in terms of new programming, advanced targeting, and innovation. Below we share some of the insights from the week. 

1. Storytelling and the rise of content creators

Just as streaming services are leaning on exclusive content for differentiation, social short-form video platforms are leaning on creators.

Propelled by consumer behavior during the pandemic, platforms from TikTok to Snap to YouTube took a moment during their respective sessions to highlight the significant increases in time spent across their platforms last year and what those trends mean for the future of content creation and social platforms. 

Both Snap and Twitter touted over 30 percent year-over-year increases in time spent with their respective content lineups. As a result, both companies will be investing even more in developing partnerships that deliver high-quality, premium content on their platforms.

Meanwhile, TikTok continues to dominate the influencer landscape, signing high-profile creator partnerships with established and emerging talent. This year, TikTok focused on merging discovery and e-commerce by ramping up advertiser awareness of how to leverage its wide base of creators, highlighting user-driven trends like #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, a hashtag where people show off new purchases that were influenced by other users on the platform. 

Coming out of this year’s NewFronts, social platforms are betting big on high-profile creators and influencers to continue fine-tuning their storytelling capabilities and sharing entertaining content that attracts advertisers and drives user engagement and audience growth.

2. Video continue to take the lead

Video has been at the forefront of digital advertising over the last few years, but now more brands and partners are looking at video through the lens of scale + exclusivity. 

In addition to their Prime Video offering, Amazon has made giant strides into the content ownership space with their exclusive NFL Thursday Night Football agreement, original programming on IMDb TV, and more recently their acquisition of MGM. 

Other publishers, those you wouldn’t typically connect with video content creation, are entering the custom content space full-on. 

CondeNast, Tegna, Verizon/Yahoo, Snap, Inc., and Twitter are all shifting their offerings and partnerships to align with the growing video consumption trend, by offering live streaming, custom content, or video on demand options. 

Even further, as seen with a collaboration between KitchenAid and Hello Sunshine, with the help of Digitas – content partnerships and storytelling via digital video, create opportunities to showcase media-fueled creativity. 

“…audiences don’t watch platforms, they watch content” – Agnes Chu + Pamela Drucker Mann, CondeNast 

3. E-commerse everywhere

While retail and ecommerce habit shifts have been one of the biggest consumer stories over the past year or so, this year’s NewFronts mirrored an increasingly blurred line between “shopper” vs. “consumer.”   

The closed loop attribution value proposition that has long been the mainstay of the shopper marketing space has become even more compelling and desirable as 3rd party cookie-based attribution models have shifted, and as consumers lean into ecommmerce for convenience.

With this accountability, it’s no wonder that many NewFront presentations introduced shoppable integrations, from Verizon’s cooler screens in Kroger’s to Conde Nast’s shoppable video.

It’s incumbent upon media buyers to see beyond the walls of our shopper vs. consumer space, and embrace the opportunity to merge these two disciplines (and budgets!)