David Ward

A growing number of brands, including Edelman, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Volkswagen, are hiring chief experience officers. The moves come as tolerance for a bad or mediocre consumer experience continues to plummet, with more than half of brands reporting that those who are dissatisfied with the company will switch brands, per a recent survey.

With their lives turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers are leaning toward brands that can deliver simple experiences and talk about their products and services in a straightforward manner. But making things easier for people and explaining brand value in everyday terms does not mean companies have to dumb down the message.

Brands are cautiously circling the metaverse, wondering how they’ll eventually engage consumers in these vast, virtual spaces. They’re factoring in the possibility that the metaverse could change everything, from their approach to creative and consumer engagement to how they measure and analyze campaigns. The metaverse will not exclusively take place with virtual reality headsets, but marketers will have to embrace 3D to participate.

A recent study reveals that priorities among B2B buyers have shifted dramatically amid the pandemic. No longer satisfied with companies that simply save them time or boost their productivity, decision-makers are now looking for companies that can help them stay on top of the marketplace and deliver their products and services quickly.

Consumers may think of augmented reality and similar platforms as just more digital accessories, but marketers who develop ad campaigns that combine the online and physical worlds must take care to not get carried away by the technology.

One of the ironies of the past two years is that while the pandemic accelerated the arrival of what were once thought to be future trends — including marketing automation, contactless retail, and virtual reality as a collaborative productivity tool — it's also triggered an increased fondness for the past.

With awards season around the corner, consumer brands have to make sure their real-time marketing operations are up to speed and not in any danger of missing something that suddenly goes viral.

The pandemic has accelerated major changes in media consumption and revealed sharp differences among the various generations when it comes to the type of content they like — and where they find it. But while traditional media vehicles such as broadcast TV may be on the wane, they still command the biggest audiences.

As the pandemic ebbs and consumers return to physical retail outlets, brands are looking to give consumers the best of both worlds: A better in-store experience combined with conveniences typically found only online. How do brands strike the right balance?

A growing number of states are moving toward legalizing recreational use of marijuana and publishers are getting more accepting of cannabis-themed advertising. Nevertheless, achieving scale will likely be a long slog for brands that want to join the fray. For clues as to how cannabis might eventually emerge as an everyday product, marketers should take a closer look at the CBD space.

Political campaigns are chasing a growing number of independent voters, with the ad budgets to show for it. While linear TV still commands top dollar, social media channels are maintaining their share, despite bans on some or all political advertising during the 2020 election.