Industry Insights

Customer data is the heart of marketing, and probably always will be. Demographics, consumer profiles, buying trends, regional preferences, and past performance are all part of this the stew (and it's invaluable to marketers). But without hard data on how customers feel about our ads and our experiences, we’re only getting half the picture.

From machine learning algorithms to ChatGPT, artificial intelligence (AI) has been invaluable for companies looking to streamline operations and amplify work output, sales, and overall business success. AI-powered home products like cleaning robots and security systems have also helped make life easier and better for consumers. However, while the AI industry has brought forth innumerable benefits, it has also been found to pose some critical concerns.

Consultant Michael Farmer caused a bit of a stir recently in an industry Q&A. Farmer recently documented the transformation of Huge by CEO Mat Baxter in a book entitled Madison Avenue Makeover. On the heels of this, in a Q&A published by Contagious, he echoes themes from his book that takes the agency world to task for worrying more about awards than delivering performance and creating thoughtful business models.

In recent months, AI is everywhere you look – and that includes advertising. Unprecedented advances in machine learning and data analysis have unlocked new frontiers in creative optimization and personalization, bringing an aura of excitement, anticipation, and even fear that resonates through the industry and beyond.

Artificial intelligence (AI), with its ability to consume and organize massive amounts of data, offers us an unparalleled and unbiased view into how an organization stands in the world. New AI platforms can offer competitive insights on how your organization and your competitors are discussed in news, blogs, forums, and social and owned channels. They can analyze trends, brands, behavior, sentiment, and channels at scale.

Humor is a universal connector. It binds people together through moments of joy and entertainment — and in the case of advertising, it can help educate consumers without them feeling bored or “marketed to.” All marketers know that appealing to consumers is a delicate balance of resonant narratives and emotions.

Virtually all advertisers have formal contracts in place with their advertising agency partners. Most of these organizations have reviewed industry association contract templates and engaged outside legal counsel to review and customize agreement terms and conditions to satisfy their expectations.

The cruise industry is on the cusp of a groundbreaking transformation, courtesy of millennials — the dominant force propelling this change. Born between the early 1980s and the mid-1990s, millennials bring their distinct preferences and desires, prompting cruise lines to adapt and cater to their needs. Join us as we explore this remarkable shift in the cruise travel landscape.

The full impact of the ongoing Hollywood writers’ and actors' strikes has yet to be felt within the TV programming ecosystem, but the continued lull in production of new long-form content is going to have reverberating effects on the media landscape as we head into 2024. Advertisers need to recognize and react to the real-world implications when it comes to TV inventory.

The holiday season is a critical time for businesses, and with the right email marketing strategy, you can make the most of this festive period to drive sales and engage with your audience.

The demise of third-party cookies is on the horizon and data privacy regulations are becoming increasingly complex. As a result, brands are looking for new ways to gain insights and understand consumer behavior.

Healthcare is a universal need — and for everything to run smoothly, the behind-the-scenes activities and processes need to be constantly evolving to meet needs. For instance, how can AI be harnessed to create better data systems, which in turn ensure better care? Or how can employers promote and encourage employees to take care of their mental health?

Amid the broader macroeconomic upheaval impacting the marketplace, the advertising landscape is undergoing its own period of turmoil. Amid the loss of the third-party cookie and other once-relied-upon audience identifiers, not to mention ever-evolving privacy regulations, the industry is returning its focus to long-established beacons of marketing strength, including partner and affiliate marketing.

As we countdown to our last year with browser cookies, many marketers are still concerned about achieving marketing performance in a post-cookie world.

In a recent Hubspot survey, 90 percent of social media marketers said that an active, online community was critical to brands in 2023. Ninety-percent! You can’t get 90 percent of marketers to agree on a pizza order.

Understanding and connecting with your target audience through personalized communications is vital for success. Audience segmentation, the process of dividing your customer base into distinct groups based on specific criteria, is a powerful strategy to achieve this personalization.

The foundational business model of the ad-supported internet, which revolves around offering free content in exchange for behavioral tracking, is undergoing a dramatic transformation. Over the past two decades, the focus of digital advertising has been on targeting individuals to deliver increasingly personalized and relevant ads. This has created a vast and intricate infrastructure for tracking people's online behavior.

On behalf of Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), Morning Consult surveyed over 2,000 adults to glean insights on how state policies and organizational social advocacy impacts employee’s willingness to relocate for work or stay with their organization.

Matt Brutocao (pictured above) is Vice President, Barbie Global Brand Marketing at Mattel, Inc. He will be a speaker at the ANA Multicultural Marketing & Diversity Conference, October 10-12 in Las Vegas. ANA Director Multicultural and Diversity Initiatives Karim Amadeo recently sat down with Matt for a pre-conference interview in which they discussed the Barbie Evolution, from social impact to dolls who represent all walks of life to this summer’s record-breaking theatrical release.

ANA events bring together some of the smartest and most-talented marketers in the industry to share insights and best practices that help ANA members get the most out of their own marketing efforts.