Industry insights that make
us go mm-hmm.
Plus some of our own thoughts.
Why Agencies Are Obsessed with Pitching on Process Instead of Talent
Ad Age | Feb 27, 2024
The Super Bowl is behind us, Taylor and Travis have their whole lives ahead of them, and anyone who watched the Big Game has forgotten which celebrities pitched for which brands by now. With day-after...
Have Advertisers Accidentally Canceled Comedy by Being Too Purposeful?
The Drum | Oct 30, 2023
Nostalgia is a trusty tool of any comedian, but Maaike Kessels, a strategist at Ogilvy, believes it is time for advertisers to get nostalgic for comedy. Surely she’s having a laugh? Ads are still funny, right?
CMOS Are Cutting Budgets But Social Spend Is On The Rise
Ad Age | May 22, 2023
The tough economy is creating choppy waters for chief marketing officers as they map out their budgets. But an annual report delving into the CMO mindset from Gartner found that while most marketers are under pressure to cut costs, some areas, including social advertising, are still in growth mode.
A New Forrester Report Urges Brands and Agencies to 'Ditch the Pitch'
Adweek | May 9, 2023
The agency pitching process is broken, bloated and overtly complex, according to a new Forrester Research report. Fixing the model requires both brands and agencies to make major changes, said the report’s author, Forrester principal analyst Jay Pattisall.
Why Isn't Advertising Funny Anymore?
Adweek | November 11, 2022
The advertising industry is facing a crisis in creativity–partly because it has forgotten how to make people laugh. Speaking at Brandweek Europe, Dom Boyd, managing director of strategy and data business at Kantar UK Insights, explained that the firm’s research shows people’s enjoyment of ads has been steadily falling since the 1990s...
Airbnb Says Its Focus on Brand Marketing Instead of Search Is Working
The Wall Street Journal | November 7, 2022
The home-sharing company posted its most profitable quarter to date, saying its prepandemic move away from search advertising has been a good bet
How sunglasses brand Quay retooled its advertising to be less reliant on performance marketing following iOS changes
Digiday | September 30, 2022
Joining a building brand marketing trend, Sunglasses brand Quay has retooled its marketing strategy to be more “full funnel” rather than relying on performance marketing tactics. The shift followed iOS 14 (and Apple’s subsequent...
Brands Find It Painful to Address Agencies' Most Pressing Pitching Problems
Adweek | September 22, 2022
Pitching for new business is filled with problems. Pitches are too long, often dragged out for no reason, expensive and filled with secrecy and a lack of communication and feedback.
A new initiative from the 4A’s and ANA reveals why brands...
Why the Future Favors Independent and Small Ad Agencies
Ad Age | July 12, 2022
The world has changed.
Not more or less than in previous years or decades or generations. But in a post-cookie, post-pandemic, post-ad-free-Netflix world, things are definitely different. It’s...
