These ANA Speakers Talked AI, Liability & Measurement
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 2023.
Below, you can find the top quotes from ANA speakers for August:
"We're in an era where measurement can't be trusted, at best. And at worst, maybe measurement is becoming part of the problem."
— Andy Hasselwander, chief analytics officer at MarketBridge
At last month's ANA Data, Analytics, and Measurement Conference, Hasselwander noted that "data cherry-picking" has become an epidemic in the marketing industry. That is, marketers are focused more on using data that makes their efforts look better in the eyes of the C-suite, rather than taking a scientific approach to evaluating their efforts. This is causing marketers to ignore important long-term brand plays in favor of prioritizing last touch attribution channels, essentially trading long-term brand health for short-term success. Unsurprisingly, this is not a winning long-term strategy.
"Never believe what you read on the internet. That holds true for generative AI tools, as well. The results they deliver are based on what they're finding scraping the internet."
— Michael Isselin, partner for entertainment and media industry group at ReedSmith LLP
We've got a good bit of healthy skepticism in the first half of this top quote roundup, huh? The crux of this quote from Isselin is that AI is what you make of it. It can be a powerful resource in the marketing tool belt. But if you get lazy, it can come back to burn you, too. Make sure you keep copyright laws in mind as you leverage AI in your marketing efforts. Additionally, any process you have for protecting your brand within digital marketing should also be applied to however you're using AI. Because otherwise...
"Everybody can be liable, including intermediaries. If the agency is found liable, that won't necessarily let the advertiser off the hook."
— Jim Dudukovich, counsel at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP
As the FTC sharpens its focus on how brands communicate digitally with consumers, it may be a good time to evaluate all your digital marketing checks and processes. This includes the processes of your agency partners. After all, like the quote says, if a partner is discovered to be violating the law on behalf of your brand, your brand might find itself in legal hot water, too.
"Our goal was to create a brand platform that was differentiated and durable. We kept asking ourselves, 'How can our brand be known for more?'"
— Meg Mitchell, creative director of global advertising and social media at United Airlines
We end this month's installment with a little inspiration. The quote above is related to a case study presented by Mitchell during the 2023 ANA Digital and Social Media Conference. Using Taylor Swift as inspiration, she outlined the three eras — get it?! — of United's new social media strategy, which has transformed how the brand shows up online. For any marketer looking to supercharge their brand's social media efforts while staying in the good graces of the public, the entire presentation is worth viewing.
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 director of editorial and content development at ANA.