TOP OF THE MORNING
If you’re looking for a network that “gets” millennials, look no farther than Adult Swim – where thinking has been out-of-the-box and targeted to the up-and-coming generation for years now. SVP marketing and partnerships for Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and Boomerang Jill King, who participated in the “Not Your Parents’ Branded Content” panel spoke with Cynopsis about how to lasso the wild millennial viewer. Tip: Keep them guessing.
There’s a social media meme about millennials ruining everything. Do you laugh at that because you know differently?
Millennials are forcing a lot of change, which is great. The creatives behind Adult Swim created this distinct point of view, as if there’s a human behind the network, and millennials will seek us out wherever we are – even if it’s not on TV. We know that audience and have that one-to-one relationship, and lead in fan engagement with programs like Adult Swim on the Green, where we pop up in cities at beautiful locations and hold premieres and screen pilots. It’s about unique interactive experiences.
What do you think people are most likely to misunderstand about advertising to millennials?
A lot of what people think about millennials is wrong. They’ve just taken advantage of technology and innovation available to them in ways that previous generations haven’t and, as a result, are misunderstood for it. I think they can smell BS from a mile away and appreciate good advertising when they see it
What’s one of the key advertising trends in today’s marketplace?
More advertisers are looking for branded content that will travel – by that, I mean will spark a conversation and will be shared and break through. Another trend that I’m seeing is that Millennials crave experiences and are prioritizing spending on experiences. This is opening up opportunities for brands to meet millennials IRL and on social media by creating Instagrammable and social broadcast moments at events.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Women are getting younger [in commercials and entertainment], and they’re getting dumber.” – Madeline Di Nonno, CEO Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media
ALSO AROUND TIMES SQUARE….
Harry Kargman, CEO and Founder of Kargo, on “Building a Brand in a Mobile-First World”: “No one (or virtually no one) gets it right the first time – 100 percent of the best companies have to take feedback, pivot and evolve. Continual evolution of product and capabilities in a business is a requirement. So, given this requirement to learn and evolve, how can we make the right moves? By listening to Neil Blumenthal [of Warby Parker] and Jessica Alba [of The Honest Company], we can learn from their mistakes and make better decisions. The goal is: learn, and then focus on winning strategies.”
Fun fact: What’s a talent you have that few people know about?
“I was a competitive skier and spent a year in France between high school and college skiing for the United States – slalom was my specialty.”
Stephanie Abrams Cartin, Co-CEO Socialfly, said she thoroughly enjoyed attending Monday’s “The Rise of Celebrity Influencers for Subscription and E-Commerce Marketing” with reality star Ashley Iaconetti and executives from companies including HelloFresh and FabFitFun. “While I’m very familiar with influencer marketing, as our agency Socialfly specializes in it, it was interesting to hear the shared perspective about the power of influence marketing and how they continue to innovate as social platforms evolve,” she said.
Fun fact: What’s your hidden talent?
“Bowling! When I was growing up, I was on a bowling league and had a high score of over 200 at 12 years old. My team at Socialfly was surprised to learn about this on our recent team outing at Bowlmor Lanes.”
Molly DeWolf Swensen, Head of Brand and Co-Founder, RYOT, on “Courage in the Face of Controversy”: “People can be bystanders and are judged as bystanders, but brands have the opportunity to react [to controversy] at scale…. I come from the millennial generation, and stereotypically think it’s no longer enough to do no harm. You have to do good. So [the question is], as a company that advertises in the world, do you take a stand on controversial politics? And if so, when?”
Fun fact: What’s your hidden talent?
“I was a finalist on American Idol a few years ago, so maybe my singing. I got on TV – my audition went viral, partially because Randy Jackson accidentally punched me in the face during the clip.” Check it out here.
HOLY HOLOGRAM!
Augmented reality hologram company (and TechX participants) VNTANA, along with Satisfi Labs, announced the launch of the first-ever artificial intelligence hologram concierge for retail, sports and hospitality on Tuesday. VNTANA already has particular hardware and software that can project an interactive 3-D persona that can answer questions based on custom AI. The retail version will allow companies to respond to customers’ real-time needs and deliver personalized advertisements. At sporting events, the hologram (which can be an actual player) can be used to direct fans to concessions or help find seats. “Consumers will be transfixed by the technology and will truly appreciate the ease and intelligent interaction they can have with the hologram,” said Satisfi Labs’ CEO/Co-Founder Don White.
PROGRAMMATIC BY THE NUMBERS
* Nearly 4 of every 5 US digital display dollars will transact programmatically in 2017, for a total of $32.56B
* 74.5% (or $24.25B) of us digital display ad dollars transacted programmatically will go to private marketplaces and programmatic direct setups
* Nearly 8 in 10 US mobile digital display ads are purchased programmatically, which is expected to rise to 85.2% by 2019
* Nearly 75% of all video ad dollars will transact programmatically by 2018
Research courtesy eMarketer
TOMORROW AT AW
Be sure to check back in tomorrow, as we visit panels including “Bringing a Hollywood Perspective to Madison Avenue: Collaborations in Storytelling” and “Are Brands and Agencies Really the New Movie Studios,” plus hear more from RYOT‘s Molly DeWolf Swenson, who’ll immerse us all in virtual reality news. But she probably won’t sing.
