5 Marketing Leaders on Ethical Marketing
By Ryan Dinger
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.
Naturally, when ANA members and other top marketers get together, the potential for a great soundbite or two is very high. For this reason, we'll be collecting and sharing the top quotes from ANA events during each month throughout 2022.
Below, you can find the top quotes from ANA speakers for March:
"Success in our industry is living in the gray area and being comfortable, because every day we have to adapt and change."
— Jessica Cipolla-Tario, VP of global creative services at Sony Interactive Entertainment
You've probably heard some variation of this quote before: "The marketing industry has changed more in the last five years than it did in the previous 50." The number of years is always different — how do they determine an industry's change rate anyway? — but the point is clear: Marketing is changing faster than ever. This means marketers have to do the same. If you're not comfortable with rapid change and regular uncertainty, it's time to learn how.
"If you're considering investing in connected TV, ask the question, 'Can you know your consumers are there?' Push, push, push. And the more you push, the more you may begin to realize the audience you want isn't best served through this medium."
— DJ Perera, director of the Media Center of Excellence at Boehringer Ingelheim
The above quote is ostensibly about connected TV (CTV), but truly it relates to marketing's rate of change and Cipolla-Tario's quote above. That is, it's not enough to just be comfortable with uncertainty and change. It's also key to know how and when to change. Like how marketers shouldn't pivot everything to CTV without being able to prove they'll connect with the appropriate audience on that platform, you can't chase every shiny new object without understanding the value it will bring.
"What's wrong for consumers is also wrong for advertisers."
— Kanishka Das, global eBusiness analytics and insights leader at Procter & Gamble
This is true in any sense, but it is especially true in the sense that Das intended, which was that advertisers must be cognizant of consumer sentiment on data privacy. Marketers haven't done the best job over the last decade of building trust with the consumer. We've got a lot of work to gain that trust back. Having open and transparent practices for how your brand uses data and an informative opt-in process could go a long way toward regaining some of that trust. It's one reason the ANA has spent years urging the federal government to pass data privacy legislation.
"Data is power. Data makes everything we do more effective and connects consumers with the brands they want to be a part of. But like electrical power, it's dangerous if you use it incorrectly."
— Will Clayton, SVP, digital product management at Wiland
Speaking of data privacy legislation, as more of it pops up and advances through state and national governments, marketers have to be more careful than ever of running afoul of the law. With artificial intelligence and machine learning taking on larger roles in data collection and use, marketers have to ensure they have a keen understanding of how their brand's data is being managed. Misuse not only has social and potential legal implications; it can be hugely damaging to the bottom line.
"I'm really about emotion over promotion. You can share a brand, but you need to share why they're doing what they're doing. You need to get to the emotion."
— Dionna Hickox, "Momager" at Kevin the Berner
We wrap this month's quote round up with an important reminder. Despite all the change and the technological advancements that marketing has seen, and no matter what the future holds, the practice will always be about one thing above all: Connecting with consumers emotionally.
The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the ANA or imply endorsement from the ANA.
Ryan Dinger is a senior manager of editorial and content development at ANA.