Rich Garcia

Coachella: a cautionary tale for brands. Despite its star-studded lineups and passionate attendees (we see you, Taylor Swift!), the festival recently hit a sour note with a record-breaking lack of interest. Over the years, Coachella went from music fest to brand extravaganza. Brands, eager to be 'cool,' splurged on everything from art installations to VIP parties, reaping short-term benefits and boosting Coachella's visibility as a marketing benchmark. But nothing lasts forever, and now they're facing the music. What does Coachella stand for today? What legacy has it created? Without clear guidelines for partnerships, space usage, and participation - letting people use it the way they saw fit - Coachella's brand has been diluted away. Brands, take note: protecting your equity goes beyond logos. Comprehensive guidelines should cover employee conduct, decor, and partnership strategies, ensuring a cohesive brand experience. Coachella can bounce back, but it will take deep reflection before next year's lineup announcement to reclaim the essence that made it special to begin with. #Coachella #Brand #BrandExperience

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Earlier this month, I wrote this piece for Edelman highlighting the tremendous value Latinos contribute to the cultural and economic fabric of the U.S. and reinforcing how crucial it is for institutions—especially businesses—to understand, build trust, and invest in uplift our communities beyond Hispanic Heritage Month. The future growth of this country – and next generations - depends on it. While my piece calls on businesses and institutions to act, I also believe in the incredible power of Latinos to drive lasting change through unity and strength. As I share my article, I urge us all to do our part by voting! I’m a proud immigrant from Colombia who initially came as an international student and it took me years to become a citizen, so I deeply value the privilege to for the second time be able to vote in a U.S. presidential election! As harmful and divisive rhetoric continues to surface against our communities, it’s more critical than ever for brands to take a stand—not just for justice, but for their future. And for us to rise above misinformation and recognize that, despite our diversity of perspectives, we can unite in standing against hate and narratives that seek to divide and marginalize us. Our voice matters. Our vote matters. There’s still time to make a difference. Let’s come together, stand up, and make sure our voices are heard. #LatinoPower #Unidos #Vote #SocialJustice #DiversityAndInclusion #HispanicHeritage #DEI #BusinessGrowth #LatinoLeaders #StandUp #FutureGenerations #Trust

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A really interesting case history on #brandstrategy. ““[Liquid Death] sees itself as a media company first and a product second,” observed Young. “The company’s CEO has said in multiple interviews that you can’t ‘own’ an ingredient like canned water, but it could own a unique brand, wrapped in a compelling package, with a bold point-of-view that speaks to a niche audience.” If this can not only be theorized but also successfully executed for a product most people would see as a commodity, how much more true this statement should be for categories with higher intangible value! #brandmanagement #branding #marketingstrategy https://lnkd.in/eaB8mMmw

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With a world focused on instant gratification sometimes the importance of consistent brand presence goes unnoticed. Chief Brand Officers are the unsung heroes that keep the ship from hitting that iceberg. This is a good read if you are interested in finding out how instrumental branding is to your success.

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The marketplace will look a lot different in five years. Mars United's Michele Roney offers 8 trends every hopeful network needs to consider in this new report. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gFNQnU-h

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So more and more brands are in-housing their marketing mix modeling operations into a central team, or a Center of Excellence, managing the MMM projects for all the markets they operate in.  And it makes sense. From the global HQ perspective, this setup provides a unified dashboard to compare and optimize media budgets across countries. Within each country, further optimization can be done to determine the best channels and media investments.  So reporting, KPIs, measurement, and optimization are aligned because it is done by a single team. However, where this approach could go wrong is when the local marketing teams are not involved in the decision-making process.  They might see the central team as imposing strategies without considering local conditions & insights, then impose data requirements and deadlines on them.  This just leads to friction, delays and resistance in data sharing and implementation of recommendations. The focus needs to be on the ADOPTION of MMM results. That is the end in mind.  This is why I recommend an iterative approach to MMM implementation.  In the iterative approach, we make sure the local teams’ perspectives are taken into account as part of the MMM model iterations.  We listen to what they say and take into consideration their hypotheses when it comes to finalizing the results. They are part of the process, and the results are shaped with their perspectives in mind.  So when it comes to adopting these results, you get something that is already adopted by the local teams because they have been part of the journey.  Adoption is key. You need to win that battle first. Otherwise, you'll be spending millions of dollars on MMM and nobody in the local marketing teams will be applying them because they don't feel that it represents their reality.  

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Make your media network a front-runner!🏃 LiveRamp's eBook is like a playbook for winning the race. Discover 20 ways to outpace the competition with smarter targeting, better measurement, and next-level innovation.

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NUMBERS DON’T LIE: Retail Media is on the rise. At this years #possible24 the continued rise of retail media wove its way through plenty of on-stage conversations. From Diana Haussling discussing how Colgate-Palmolive is addressing a true omni-channel approach, to Vinny Rinaldi, Evan Hovorka and Dave Kersey discussing how budgets are blending outside of just trade dollars into the RMN eco-system. Newly released data would indicate that the opportunity is in fact at hand for brands, agencies and retail media groups to collectively drive sales against working ad dollars. So how does that change the potential mix of media and who benefits the most? Leave an opinion in the comments below 👇 #retailmedia #marketing #mio https://flip.it/SBmQgk

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The clean room future is no longer on the horizon – it’s here. And for leading companies in every industry, clean rooms are transforming marketing strategies. 80% of advertisers spending over $1B on media are already using them. But here's the thing – most brands are only scratching the surface. While many are using clean rooms for audience insights, only a third are leveraging advanced measurement like attribution and ROAS. And broader collaboration across partners and complementary brands offers even greater potential. Modern clean rooms are now fully interoperable, breaking down silos between brands, retailers, and media partners. In talking with companies across industries, I constantly hear their desire to get started, but also recognize that this represents unexplored territory for many. To help companies navigate the complexity, LiveRamp has put together a playbook of some of the most common tactics, and I've attached a link here. Happy reading!

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For brands, the highest honor, and greatest reward, is irrational love. The benefits are many. People are more likely to forgive you, pay more for your products, stay loyal when new competitors emerge and they'll instantly want your product...no. matter. what. As we dream up the next INNOCEAN USA, building and measuring irrational love for brands is critical to our mission. And the person at the heart of this is Cindy Scott, author of the Ad Age article below.

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Effective brand positioning focuses your business and activity. 🎯 For a good illustrative primer check out this article by Ozan Irturk of Frontera: https://lnkd.in/e83pX4ha

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More than just media.

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🚀 Exciting news! The Hispanic Market Guide 2024 is here! Every year, it delves into the vibrant and dynamic Hispanic market, and 2024 is no exception. The Hispanic Market Guide 2024 is now available to download, packed with fresh data. Thanks to the Hispanic Marketing Council Free Download here: https://lnkd.in/gM7isxjj #HispanicMarket #2024Guide #MarketingTrends #MarketStrategy #BrandGrowth #Hispanic #Hispanicmarketing

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Your digital advertising just got a privacy reboot 🔒 Discover how data clean rooms enable brands and publishers to securely collaborate on audience insights while protecting customer data. LiveRamp's new guide explores 12 ways that top marketers: ✨ Build richer profiles from data locked in silos 🎯 Optimize targeting and frequency across walled gardens 📊 Measure granular ROAS and incrementality metrics Learn how smart marketers are turning signal loss into business wins: https://lnkd.in/d-xFJP_q #datacollaboration #dataprivacy #measurement

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Hispanic advertising professionals are experts in growing brand loyalty among Hispanic audiences. The numbers speak for themselves - the growth is just the beginning. But we want to hear from YOU! What do you think are the most important things that brands and advertising agencies need to know about connecting and communicating with Hispanic/Latino audiences? Share your thoughts in the comments below! #Hispanic #advertising #brandloyalty #Latino #communication

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The biggest shopping season of the year is here! 🛍 #BlackFriday might peak on its official day, but we know consumer interest doesn’t stop there. At Seedtag, we’ve uncovered key insights to help brands maximize their impact this shopping season: 💻 Tech bargains capture 39% of visits. 💆‍♂️ Self-care shoppers deliver the highest impressions. 💳 Early planners are all about research and smart financial planning. Discover more in this blog post by Jordi Capdevila, VP of Marketing at Seedtag: https://lnkd.in/gxCRndXN #ShoppingSeason #ContextualAdvertising #AdTechBlog #CyberMonday

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A recent survey from WFA and MediaSense reveals that 47% of brands are shifting toward value-based compensation models. As 70% of marketers focus more on performance outcomes, it’s evident that aligning compensation with measurable results is becoming essential for success. Sound familiar? Paying for performance has been our mantra all along! By prioritizing value and performance, brands and agencies can foster more transparent, effective partnerships. Read the full Ad Age article to learn more: https://lnkd.in/geKz5Ysf #OutcomeBasedMarketing #PerformanceMarketing

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