For shoppers, Amazon is a gift. Its products and services give shoppers incredible selection, great prices, and tremendous convenience, which add up to more time and more money back in shoppers’ lives. For marketers, however, Amazon is a frenemy. Retailers and brands cannot ignore the retail giant due to its large consumer base and massive media reach. This means they must find ways to win by working with Amazon to take advantage of that reach and invest in initiatives that will allow them to win without Amazon so they can extend their own reach. CLICK HERE to download a white paper that digs into the reasons Amazon is... Continue reading

There has always been a healthy tension in communications between branding and selling. Between sales and marketing. Between opening people’s minds and opening their wallets. Big Ideas are born of that tension. They reflect collaboration across disciplines. And, when done well, they build value for brands, retailers, and shoppers. In this white paper, we will discuss why Big Ideas matter, why they are difficult to achieve, and how they can come to life in a holistic manner with an illustrative look at multiple brands, categories, and campaigns across the globe. Download Big Ideas WhitePaper to read more. Continue reading

If I had a dollar for every time I heard the question, “Should creative or media come first?” I would rival Trump’s piggy bank (and maybe then I’d be running for president!). Let’s face it, “creative then media, media then creative” is the advertising quintessential of “chicken then egg, egg then chicken” debate. On one hand, having a brilliant and disruptive creative idea is the kindling that could inspire equally brilliant and disruptive placements of said idea. On the other, having strategic insight into all of the constantly evolving media possibilities can spark a brilliant and disruptive creative idea. I’ve been a part of both approaches. And both... Continue reading

We’ve all heard the many adaptations of: “if content is king…” Including the retort: “…context is queen.” Case and point: the recent Netflix YouTube campaign to promote the addition of ‘Friends’ to their television roster. The “Friendly Pre-Roll Campaign” is the first pre-roll campaign to utilize responsive search to serve relevant clips from the oldie-but-goodie sitcom. Meaning if you searched for “funny dance videos” on YouTube, your video might open with a pre-roll of Monica and Ross’ infamous “routine.” With this innovative move, the decades-old show seeks to garner new users attention by tapping relevant interests and trending searches. And it seems to be working. Which begs the... Continue reading

There’s been a lot of gossip about Barbie this week. Her latest antics are trending on Twitter. Bloggers and news outlets are profiling her. She even landed herself on the cover of Time magazine. Why? (Though likely you’ve already heard…) Because the 55-year old doll is getting a dramatic makeover by Mattel – one that comes with three new body shapes as well as various skin tones, hair colors, and make-up. The announcement comes after two years of top-secret development by the company to design a Barbie that was a greater "reflection of the times” – as Kim Culmone, VP Design, is quoted in the aforementioned Time cover... Continue reading