Q&A WITH KATHRYN FRIEDRICH
In January of 2018, YouTube veteran Kathryn Friedrich became the Chief Business Officer of RYOT Studio, heading up Oath’s in-house creative studio and building its creative storytelling and distribution capabilities for advertisers. We caught up with Friedrich about the future of data-based advertising and the role RYOT plays in it.
How has Cannes Lions changed in the past five years?
It has changed quite a bit, I think. Five years ago, it was much more focused on creatives. And I think now, there’s this new surge of media, marketing, tech. Not that creative still isn’t here, but I think the other side has really come up. Now it’s that combination of the art and the science. And I love where it’s going as a result.
What have you heard that’s got you excited?
I think everybody is actually pretty excited about the direction of the industry. We are right now at this pivotal moment where we’re trying to figure out what the next thing is. Everybody’s talking about the tech developments, but I think it goes beyond that, because we’ve been doing AR for a little while now. We’ve been doing VR. So, instead of just focusing on those two formats, I think people are starting to think, what’s next?
So, what’s next?
I think it is going into a non-interruption-based marketing. Which is not taking people away from something they’re doing to disrupt them with an ad. That’s annoying. I think there’s a stat that says 87% of people find that kind of advertising intrusive. So, with all the data that we have to show that people find it intrusive, and four out of five people, when they get those messages, are also multitasking through them, you’ve got to think differently about the content marketing side of the business. You have to give them something that they enjoy.
What’s a concrete example of what that looks like to you?
I think brands that are leaning into their value sets really resonate. Take Unilever, for instance. They’re recognizing that there’s a whole sustainability movement, and that the next generation, and even our generation, are really concerned about recycling and the earth, and sustainable future for the next generation.
What part do you play?
Our job is to listen. Our job is to do our homework. And our job is to look at the white space on content and where the demand is for content and try to marry all of those things. It’s almost like putting a puzzle together. With Oath and with the integration now that we have, where RYOT is fully a part of Oath’s ecosystem, we have access to so much data. What most people think about when they think of data is audience data. And what we also have is a tool called the content moments segmentation tool, and we can identify eight different reasons why people are actually consuming content. So, it’s not just what they’re consuming, it’s why they’re consuming it.
TODAY’S GOLD WINNERS OF THE CANNES LIONS AWARDS:
Print and Publishing
“The Insiders”
Amnesty/The Insider
4129Grey, Istanbul
Amnesty Turkey, Istanbul
Turkey
“FCK”
KFC
Mother, London
Blue 449, London
Freuds, London
United Kingdom
“IKEA Pee Add”
IKEA Sweden/Crib
Åkestam Holst, NoA, Stockholm
Carat, Stockholm
Sweden
“Dragster” “Heroes” “Shuttles”
KFC Birdland (Hong Kong)
Ogilvy, Hong Kong
Illusion, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
”Sex and Drugs” ”Bold Man” ”Deaths”
Lyric Opera of Chicago
Ogilvy, Chicago
Allied Integrated Marketing, Chicago
Grand Prix
“Tagwords”
AB InBev/Budweiser
Africa, Sao Paulo
Webcore/Landia/Marla Color Grading/Evil Twin, Sao Paulo
Brazil
Radio and Audio
“The Unsensored Playlist”
Reporters Without Borders
DDB Group, Germany Berlin
FinchFactor, Amsterdam
Dahouse Audio/Le Tour Du Monde, Sao Paulo/MediaMonks, Amsterdam
Germany
“The Voice of Change”
EuroPride 2018
Åkestam Holst NoA, Stockholm
Flickorna Larsson, Stockholm
Sweden
“Fistbump”
Dexcom/G6 Glucose Monitoring System
McCann, Birmingham
UK
“Rest in Grease”
Wendy’s
VML, Kansas City
Spark Foundry, New York
Ketchum, New York
Six Course, Los Angeles
USA
“The Game That Never Was”
Blu Radio/Sports Radio Station
Grey Colombia, Bogota
Colombia
“Festival”
Flight Centre Youth & Adventure
TBWA/Hunt/Lascaris, Johannesburg
South Africa
“JFKUnsilenced”
The Times/News UK & Ireland
Rothco/Accenture Interactive, Dublin
The Times, London
Ireland
Grand Prix
“Soccer Song for Change”
AB InBev Africa/Carling Black label/ Anti Women Abuse Initiative
Ogilvy & Mather Cape Town
Black Ginger/Deliverance Post Production/Video Cartel
The Workroom 0307 Films, Cape Town
South Africa
Design
“#sharethelove”
AIDES
TBWA/Paris
TBWA/DAN Paris
France
”Save our Species”
Lacoste
BETC, Paris
Allso, Paris
France
“Obsession for Smoothness”
Double A
Six, Tokyo
Spa Hakuhodo Co., Bangkok
AOI Pro., Tokyo
Japan
“Intel Drone Light Show at the Olympics”
Intel Drone Light Show
Intel Corporation, Santa Clara
USA
“The Archaeologist”
Ehinger Kraftrad/ The Archaeologist Dry Gin
Serviceplan Germany, Munich/ Studio Oeding, Hamburg
Pfefferminz Film, Kempten
Germany
Grand Prix
“Trash Isles”
Plastic Oceans/LADbible
AMVBBDO, London
LADbible, London
United Kingdom
Outdoor
“#bodycantwait”
Handicap International
Herezie, Paris
La Pac, Paris
France
“Prescribed to Death”
National Safety Council
Energy BBDO, Chicago
PHD, Chicago
Ketchum, New York
m ss ng p eces, New York
“C21”
National Down Syndrome Society
Saatchi & Saatchi, New York
Spark Foundry, New York
Jones PR Oklahoma City/MSL/Powell Communications, New York
USA
“Price on Our Lives”
March for Our Lives/Parkland Students
McCann New York
USA
“Dead Whale”
Greenpeace Philippines
Dentsu Jayme Syfu, Makati City
Dentsu X, Makati City
Etnikolor, Makati City
The Philippines
“The Remarkable Edith; Lise; Katherine”
Stabile Boss Highlighter Pen
DDB Group Dusseldorf
Germany
“The Route”
JCDecaux
Y&R Brazil, Sao Paulo
Brazil
“Nike Australian Marriage Equality Swoosh Vote”
Nike
Wieden+Kennedy, Portland
USA
“Go With the Fake”
Diesel
Public Italy, Milan/Publicis, New York
Rival School Pictures/Cosmo Street, New York
Italy
“Scary Clown Night”
Burger King
Lola MullenLowe, Madrid
Weber Shandwick, London
Alison Brod Marketing & Communications, New York
F16, Madrid/Only 925, Madrid
Spain
“HBO’s SXSWestworld”
HBO/Westworld
Giant Spoon, New York
USA
“Highway Gallery”
Louvre Abu Dhabi
TBWA/RAAD, Dubai
Abu Dhabi Media Company
Hertz Radio, Manila/Rama International Dubai
United Arab Emirates
Grand Prix
“Next Exit” “On Your Left” “On Your Right”
McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada
Cossette, Toronto/McDonald’s Toronto
OMD Canada, Toronto
Novus Media Canada, Toronto
Canada
“The Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library”
Comedy Central/The Daily Show
23 Stories x Conde Nast, New York
USA
Mobile
“Destination Pride”
Pflag Canada
FCB/SIX, Toronto
Intitiative, Toronto
Glossy, Toronto
Alter Ego/Grayson Matthews/Jigsaw Casting Toronto
“#trollingisugly”
Cybersmile
adam&eveDDB, London
Freefolk, London/Cain & Abel, London
United Kingdom
“Snaptivity”
Snaptivity
R/GA London
United Kingdom
“Samsung Smartsuit”
Samsung Benelux
Cheil Worldwide, Amsterdam
Starcom, Amsterdam
Glasnost, Amsterdam
Mario Piepenbrink, Alkmaar
Pirke Productions/Eyeforce/Woodwork, Amsterdam
The Netherlands
“My Line”
Ministry of Communications & Techonolgy/Vive Digital Program
MullenLowe SSP3, Bogota
Colombia
“Selfiestix”
Mars/Pedigree
Colenso BBDO, Auckland
Wavemaker, Auckland
Finch, Auckland
New Zealand
Grand Prix
“Corruption Detector”
Reclame Aqui/Vigie Aqui
Grey Brazil, Sao Paulo
Brazil
TOMORROW AT CANNES LIONS
There’s so much more on tap. Wednesday features panels about how blockchain has the potential to change advertising forever, how brands can benefit from giving entertainers final cut, a panel on the NBC Olympics and driving cultural conversation through breakthrough TV. Stay tuned!