When things around you are changing fast, a simple answer can feel like a lifeline. When you need to make changes, but don’t know where to start, the allure of the shortcut can be hard to resist. But simple answers can also be dangerous. They can lead us off course and distract us. They can… https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/while-the-quick-fix-is-alluring-theres-usually-a-better-option-that-will-have-a-greater-payoff/

On Tuesday night, we saw over 100 women presumed elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. We saw the first black woman elected to Congress in the state of Massachusetts, the first woman in the Senate in Tennessee and the first female governors in Maine and South Dakota. In New Mexico, we saw the first… https://www.adweek.com/agencies/how-the-midterms-gave-hope-for-a-more-inclusive-and-diverse-advertising-industry/

From Budweiser to Dove, Pepsi and now Nike, brands are finding themselves having to deal with a new social media backlash issue. Whether or not they have gone out of their way to provoke or simply made a mistake, the hate their actions can generate on social media is a fast-growing problem. For some brands,… https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/why-brands-need-to-create-anti-hate-policies-to-deal-with-social-media-backlash/

When did blockchain become the official path to transparency for digital advertising? Don’t get me wrong: Distributed ledgers are a promising new technology with the potential to revolutionize many aspects of our digital lives. Digital currencies built on blockchain have already proved to be a significant, if somewhat erratic, economic force. Cryptocurrency powered by blockchain… https://www.adweek.com/programmatic/as-blockchain-falls-short-of-expectations-advertisers-look-to-ad-tech-for-solutions-instead/

Back in the old days–that is, before Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the president at the bottom of an escalator–there was room in advertising for nuance. Companies lived in a safe place where they could tow the center line. Taking risks was largely verboten for large consumer brands. An advertising message that was found… https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/how-the-trump-presidency-has-forced-marketers-to-completely-rethink-their-tactics/

Major advertising agencies lose talent by being poorly served by their immigration lawyers. The demand for skilled and uniquely talented workers has never been higher, yet immigration lawyers hired to help agencies struggling to find and retain the best talent are often part of the problem. Many times the unforced error in talent loss is… https://www.adweek.com/agencies/hiring-an-international-employee-heres-why-you-need-an-immigration-lawyer/

Ikea’s latest commercials in the U.S. and India are two excellent examples of how advertising can be successful by employing innovative storytelling skills specific to each culture, while maintaining a subtle nod to the product. Both advertisements, each in slightly different ways, show how the ever-evolving family and social structures are crucial to capture visually… https://www.adweek.com/creativity/ikea-sold-a-product-on-a-global-scale-by-tapping-into-local-values/

As marketers, it is certainly important to have a sense of humor about our industry and not take ourselves too seriously. There are big, bold creative campaigns that fall flat, unfortunately placed media that shows up within the wrong context and the jargon-infused version of the English language we are all fluent in. But then… https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/why-brands-need-to-prioritize-real-influencers-over-the-fake-ones/

For over 100 years, marketing and branding have been the backbone of every industry. And yet ad tech has failed to learn even the most basic lessons that have built great companies around the world. According to one industry expert, “most [ad tech] founders have a narrow understanding of what marketing is and its crucial… https://www.adweek.com/programmatic/how-ad-tech-can-tap-into-consumer-emotions-to-drive-digital-sales/

Music and artists are the backbone(s) of culture. They frame fashion, drive social media conversation, invent dance moves and memes and are a loss-leader lynchpin of the first trillion-dollar company. We’ve watched brands like Kanye West’s Yeezy and Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty turn entire categories on their head and generate millions in profit as a result…. https://www.adweek.com/creativity/marketers-often-overlook-music-in-campaigns-but-heres-how-they-can-start-weaving-it-into-strategies/