(L-R) Marriott’s Mandy Gill, Meta’s Andrea GellertReaching consumers in an omnichannel era
While reaching consumers with branded messages has become simpler, getting them to respond to ads is still challenging.
“Ultimately, what we’re all driving at is emotional resonance with our ads,” said Jessica Giles, managing director, media experience practice at Code and Theory. “People want to feel seen, not targeted. They want to feel invited to participate, not just see something and then it chases you around the internet.”
Eric Flinn, executive creative director for Danone, agreed. “We’re going in the direction of an always-on storytelling approach, with a lot more earned media,” he shared. Flinn also noted it can be challenging, though, when sales don’t reflect Danone’s high levels of social media impressions and engagements. As a result, Danone has begun incorporating more short-term lift studies to help connect creative efforts with business outcomes.
(L-R) Danone’s Eric Flinn, Nativo’s Justin Choi, Code and Theory’s Jessica GilesCreativity reimagined
Brands are working with agencies to expand the definition of creative and who delivers it, said Andrea Gellert, VP of business marketing at Meta. This is important, as Meta research found that almost three-quarters of Gen Z are open to receiving information from people they don’t actively follow. Brands historically rely on spokespeople in marketing, “and yet that was a baby thrown out with the bathwater a long time ago,” Gellert said.
Rankin Carroll, global chief brand officer of Mars Wrigley, noted that half of what consumers see in his category is not ad-funded—a realization that prompted his team to rethink how they approach measurement and creative strategy. “That’s a game changer, because creativity is happening everywhere,” he said, pointing to the growing influence of user-generated content. “User-generated content is worth something.”