Kara Louis

I do inherently have bias here, but this is our best industry report yet. Give it a download and let me know what you think!

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“It’s all about being a step ahead of the consumer. For example, if it’s football Sunday and a consumer adds tortilla chips to their cart, we want to leverage ads to immediately surface a complementary product like salsa. … It’s all about relevance and making ads feel more like engaging content." - Daniel Folkman At Gopuff, we are committed to empowering brands with tools to target specific audiences effectively. Our suite of tools and insights enables partners to reach new to brand (NTB) and lapsed buyers through digital search environments, ensuring personalized and tailored interactions. #retailmedia #marketing #personalization #advertising #commerce #commercemedia Read more: https://lnkd.in/e5icbYdz

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For as much energy as #advertisers and agencies have put into supply path optimization over the years, the #programmatic supply chain is still in need of cleaning up. See the recent examples of made-for-advertising sites, Forbes and Colossus calling into question ad buyers’ abilities to control what inventory they’re purchasing programmatically. This helps to explain why Digitas North America is planning to take a stricter approach to how it sources inventory. In this piece by Tim Peterson, we speak to Leah Askew.

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With cookies disappearing, advertisers are exploring new approaches. In fact, programmatic growth is expected to outpace nonprogrammatic, as advertisers focus strategies on first-party data and invest more in closed ecosystems like walled gardens. Download the Programmatic Ad Spending Forecast H1 2024 from eMarketer to: ✅ Understand the impact of cookie deprecation on transaction methods and devices ✅ Discover why advertisers are turning to walled gardens and how this will affect advertising across the open web ✅ Learn what’s next for Google’s Privacy Sandbox, smaller advertisers, and 2024 TV upfronts trends Grab your copy now: https://lnkd.in/dX6D8FSz

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We're getting dialed in for our holiday push (I'm aware it's July, never too early : ) A big focus for the media team—data quality (aka META EMQ scores, Catalog Match Rate, Google Ads Enhanced Conversion score). And data feeds (my favorite). META Shops (which are powered by catalogs) continue to be a growth area we're focused on. And judging from the new "Shops-assisted purchases" metrics https://lnkd.in/gTYqVEmp we're getting in Ads Manager—we're not alone. Across our portfolio we're seeing meaningful interactions with META Shops. AND direct conversions (aka checkout) happening in Shops. Here's an example. 31% of conversions interacted with Shops. Getting Shops enabled has been a meaningful difference maker in this account. Moral of the story. Don't neglect your feeds. Get Shops setup now if you haven't already. Make your Shop look cool. Check out some of the new "auto-add UGC" functionality in Commerce Manager. Happy holiday planning!

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Retail media has generally been focused on lower-funnel tactics, but Catherine Lofthouse, Client Partner, Global Addressable Media at dentsu, argues the space presents a "huge opportunity" to enlist new customers. By decoupling retail data, advertisers can drive a consumer journey down the funnel. For Lofthouse, this represents a particularly powerful proposition in a post-cookie world. In this interview, filmed at the VideoWeek Villa in Cannes, Lofthouse explores the challenges of the retail media landscape, the role of the channel for brands, and the long-term play for agencies in the retail media space. #VideoWeekVilla24 #VWVilla24 #Advertising #RetailMedia

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The Trade Desk has pioneered demand-side advertising and solidified its position as the portal for premium internet. In a new Q&A with their General Manager of Advertiser Insights Jennifer Ng, learn how the industry innovator is approaching ad targeting, personalization, and measurement. Jennifer discusses: 🧑The importance of identity in ad measurement 💡Innovations in the open web and what it means for Adland 📊Why a test-and-learn mentality will set advertisers up for success Get the #insights here: https://hubs.li/Q02K404Z0

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I really loved this OpEd by Jim Spanfeller. Global media at scale behind holdcos, black boxes, walled gardens, or "AI" and MAX+ product names du jor is broken. A vestige of the past. It will always have some place to be sure, but it will no longer be the leader with advertisers who care about where the money goes and how it reaches consumers. The future of ad tech is local. Reigniting publisher and buyer relationships which have stood since before the internet, private equity, management consultants. Real people connecting real brands to humans with the power of technology, supporting real publishers and local communities. And having fun while we do it. 😎 This was my favorite part: "What are the chances that change will come and Google will actually be broken up? The likelihood is very high. Google has not been playing fairly for some time. It’s a classic case study for why we have strong guidelines around monopolies. And it’s not the only platform in need of reform. While a Google breakup could present short-term challenges for premium digital publishers, it would, at the end of the day, offer substantial opportunities for increased revenue, improved search traffic management and greater control over content distribution. Publishers will need to adapt, as always, to the changing landscape and explore new strategies. But most will undoubtedly come out in a much better place. As will marketers! Injecting government control into open markets is always dangerous … unless, of course, you are dealing with a monopoly. And the idea that Google is not a monopoly in search and advertising is farcical." Anything is POSSIBLE Obligatory tag Ali Manning Adam Heimlich Joe Marino Vinny Rinaldi Arielle Garcia Joshua Lowcock Kamran Asghar

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My thoughts on the new Nielsen Gauge read-outs, which groups TV time spent by media parent company: 1. The most impressive takeaway from the read-out? Not YouTube. But NBC (shout out Stephen Grzeszczak). Think about it. Of course it's impressive that YouTube overtook Paramount / NBC to be the #2 overall partner for TV time spent in March and April. But I think it's more impressive that NBC stood its ground around #3. NBC has basically NO sports in March / April. Zero. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I can't think of a major sport their networks air in these months. Yet it stood steady with Paramount, which has March Madness. For all the narrative that if you don't have sports, you're dead, NBC was far from it in the spring. Shout-out to The Voice and news (and RAW?), I guess. If anything, an NBA deal doesn't look like a saving grace for the family of networks - it looks like a kill shot. 2. The Caitlin Clark effect is real again Look at Disney's upticks in March and April. You think that was because of Shogun? No. The most major change year-over-year was the success of the women's college basketball tournament that ran on ESPN and ABC. That, plus NBA playoffs starting in April, pushed them up even higher. I'm excited to see how they can maintain some momentum going into the summer when their roster of sports is quieter. 3. We shall see what happens in May and June But it feels like WBD is capped at 8% of viewing. How could they grow higher without a broadcast network, cable shrinking, and Max fledgling? 8% is nothing to sniff at - it's still 3x Prime Video at the moment - but it's far closer to the apex than the floor, especially if they lose NBA rights. 4. Beware the summer headlines YouTube will either tie or surpass Disney viewing this summer, and Netflix will jump to #3. It's inevitable. It will happen. But it will be temporary. When sports and NFL come roaring back in the fall, I wouldn't be surprised to see Disney, NBC, and Paramount dominate the top 3, pushing YouTube out. But the media will tell you this summer these companies are dead once YouTube breaks free when TV viewing declines in the summer months. Don't believe it. They're not dead. Yet. https://lnkd.in/ezn7NNcu

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In the evolving landscape of digital marketing, Colgate-Palmolive has taken a strategic approach to leverage first-party data. They prioritized quality over quantity in its data collection efforts, adapting to market changes and enhancing consumer engagement through direct-to-consumer (DTC) models. This is how we see it at Sigma Software Group 1. Focus on First-Party Data: Colgate-Palmolive has shifted its emphasis to first-party data, redesigning its consumer-facing sites and apps to collect email addresses and other opted-in user data. This move is part of a broader strategy to reduce reliance on third-party data. 2. Adaptation to Market Changes: Despite Google’s changes to its third-party cookie deprecation plans, Colgate-Palmolive remains committed to its first-party data strategy. The company views this as an opportunity to develop more robust data practices. 3. Utilization of DTC Models: The rise of direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand-specific websites has provided Colgate-Palmolive with new sources of first-party data. These websites not only facilitate transactions but also offer insights into consumer behavior and content engagement. 4. Enhanced Consumer Engagement: By redesigning its websites and apps to serve as information hubs, Colgate-Palmolive aims to create more meaningful interactions with consumers. This approach helps the company gather valuable data while providing useful content to users. Colgate-Palmolive’s first-party data strategy exemplifies a forward-thinking approach in the digital marketing realm. By focusing on quality data collection, adapting to industry changes, and leveraging DTC models, the company not only enhances its data practices but also fosters deeper consumer relationships. This strategy positions Colgate-Palmolive to navigate the future of digital marketing with resilience and innovation. You can read the full article by Allison Schiff from AdExchanger below. #SigmaSoftwareUSA #AdTech #1PData #DTC #FutureOfDigitalMarketing

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Netflix streaming was one of Amazon Web Services (AWS) early success stories and proofs of concept (I'll drop a link in the comments). "Amy Reinhard, the company’s president of advertising, was clear: Netflix will roll out a proprietary ad tech platform by next year." Could Netflix in-house #adtech be the next Netflix <> AWS collab? There's history there and this could be a major win for proving the value of AWS for Advertising out in the wild... #adtech + #cloud = 🔥

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As Connected TV (CTV) viewership continues to soar first party data & identity must keep pace. To that end - Yahoo Advertising Identity Solutions are now backed by global partnerships with Paramount, Tubi, NBCUniversal and FreeWheel. We're enriching premium inventory with Yahoo ConnectID addressable data, combined with Next-Gen non-addressable solutions to help brands optimise and measure campaigns more effectively. Find out more about how Yahoo is tackling an Identity constrained future: https://lnkd.in/gBgZ9RWJ B&T Alba Marco John McNerney Andrew Gilbert Keren Homan Kristine Celona Eliot Thompson Lorraine Donnelly Natalie Phang Kenneth Koh Rahila Nadir Sebastian Tatur Lucinda Pfitzner Sonya Llewellyn Giovanni Gardelli Serena Jiao Kurt Anderson Niki Zacharopoulou Emily Ray Joshua John Miles Brehm Alice Beecroft Robin Jackson Prachi Singh #identity #data #privacy #omnichannel

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From my perspective, it seems as though adjusting media types does little to combat Ad fraud. Instead, what makes this problem so prevalent is the lack of accountability in the programmatic supply chain. Firms leaning into advertising without any sort of accountability measures are met with an impossible Catch-22 wherein spending more leads to less impact and spending less delivers the same. #AdTech #Innovation #AdFraud

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𝗣𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗔𝗜 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆 🛍️🎨 Pinterest has introduced 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 that let advertisers transform flat product images into vibrant lifestyle visuals in seconds! No more basic backgrounds—now your ads can stand out with stunning scenes. 🌟 Here’s why this matters: 🔹 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Advertisers like Walgreens saw a 𝟱𝟱% 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 rate and 𝟭𝟯% 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗽𝗲𝗿-𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸 using AI-generated backgrounds over traditional white ones. 📈💡 🔹 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀: With AI and automation, Pinterest’s new features help create campaigns 𝟱𝟬% 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿, while increasing 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝟯𝟬% and 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝟭.𝟴𝘅. 💰⚡ 🔹 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘂𝘁: Available in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and more, Pinterest is making these tools accessible to advertisers around the world. 🌍📲 💬 How do you think AI will reshape digital advertising? Let’s discuss! #DigitalRobots #WorkSmarter #AI #Advertising #Pinterest 👇 Click here to learn more! 

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Some good points are made by PubMatic’s Andrew Baron in AdExchanger’s latest Data-Driven Thinking column. Ironically, cookies were never that big of a problem in the first place—your humble, anonymous cookie is far less personal than a hashed email (which, as the FTC recently reminded us, is in fact still PII). But to the writer’s point, years of worrying about their impending deprecation have led to some very positive changes. First- and carefully curated and enhanced second- and third-party data will always yield better results, assuming you can protect the privacy of the consumers who produced it. And yes, whatever more personally identifiable data you’re working with—whether it’s sell-side targeting, modeled audiences, or contextual signals—alternative IDs have shown great promise in creating a layer of privacy protection. However, the real challenge arises when these identifiers traverse the bidstream and are shared with third parties. No matter how secure your encryption, once data leaves your control, it’s vulnerable to exploitation or reverse engineering. Anything can happen. The signals aren’t the problem—it’s the way we’re sharing them. We built Symitri to solve these inherent privacy challenges in adtech infrastructure. By ensuring that personally identifiable data never leaves the control of its owner, Symitri offers truly deterministic targeting without sacrificing privacy. With Symitri, you can achieve precision, performance, and privacy—no compromises necessary. #Symitri #Privacy #DataProtection #Trust #TRUSTX https://lnkd.in/eS9Aem8B

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Shared some additional detail on research we put out demonstrating the effectiveness of Seedtag Contextual Audiences and how our AI Liz deploys DCO and DPO to drive stronger results than standard targeting and creative. Seedtag #contextual #privacy #digitalmedia #advertising #creative

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“When the data and the anecdotes disagree, the anecdotes are usually right” There’s a fantastic Ted Talk by Tricia Wang about the ‘Quantification Bias’: the unconscious bias in which we value the things we can measure far more than the things we can’t. As marketers, we obsess over the stuff we can measure (let’s call it ‘data’), and we use this data to make big decisions. The challenge with using data in isolation is two-fold: 1. It all comes from the same place — the past. It’s skewed to what used to happen. 2. It doesn’t tell us the whole story. Emergent human dynamics don’t show up in data until it’s too late. By relying on data alone, we increase our blindspots while maintaining the illusion that we know everything. We are biased towards the illusion of certainty that data brings and neglect the crucial observations found in seemingly immeasurable anecdotes (or ‘anecdata’). We spend thousands creating and maintaining marketing stacks to track everything we can. We create dashboards and reports, and we place bets on the conclusions we draw from them. Yet, in comparison, we spend so little time and money actually speaking to the people whose attention we’re trying to grab. Or building any kind of system to capture this ‘anecdata’. Here’s the thing: The quantification bias is rife, and it leads to worse decisions. Think Nokia. Think Blockbuster. Imagine if, instead of saying, “The data says this, therefore X…”, we asked, “Let’s imagine a world where Y was true, what would we need to find out to see if that’s possible?” You don’t need lots of data; you just need the right data. And so much of the right data is the immeasurable ‘anecdata’.

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Worth a read! IAB Tech Lab's primer on AI in Advertising. Gain more insight into how AI is being used in media; including the opportunities, watchouts and what's to come. Kevin Rehberg Richard Murphy Danielle O'Connell Katrina Eddy Joe Hardin Susan Kantor Alliance for Audited Media #AI #advertising #media #auditedmedia #transparency

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