Steve Ellwanger

CANNES – Shortened by one day this year, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity attracted fewer agency people. But there was a 30% increase in attendance by brand marketers and a 20% rise in the number of consulting firms, according to MediaLink Vice Chairman Wenda Harris Millard. So the Festival is still a “very […]

CANNES – At gatherings like the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, audience segmentation strategies have been been front and center for the past few years. “I think now that a lot of learning discussions have come out we’ve come back to if you do that type of targeting, what are you going to say […]

CANNES – While L’Oreal USA’s Nadine Karp McHugh is happy to hear lots of conversations by television networks about how to improve the viewer advertising experience, she’d like to hear more marketer voices giving their input. “I think that’s really important to solve for. But they should start with not only the consumers but also […]

CANNES – Two highlights at the 2018 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for true[X] President Pooja Midha are some “very promising conversations” about the company’s engagement ad formats and positive response to measuring brand lift. “People really appreciate that the engagement ad format, which is the core of our business, has the power and […]

For most people, it’s easy to forget that before Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico last fall, the territory’s economy was already a disaster. But not Olga Ramos, who took over as President of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico just two months prior. With a successful 13-year career at Walmart and having spent […]

There’s so much enthusiasm expressed for the convergence of digital media and traditional television, it’s easy to wonder why targeting and measurement aren’t light years ahead. But given individual business demands, “everybody’s trying to get an edge,” says TiVo’s Walt Horstman. Meanwhile, because linear television hasn’t given up the Upfront negotiating mainstay, it’s still going […]

Widespread change requires “a lot of experimentation for people to change dramatically,” and that process has just begun in the quest for more advanced television targeting, according to LiveRamp’s Allison Metcalfe. Then there is complexity, which can inhibit change when not all entities are committed to changing at the same pace, notes Mike Rosen of […]

CANNES – Rob Master is excited about the promise of transparency, visibility and measurement for Unilever as it helps to pioneer a blockchain consortium with IBM and Mediaocean. To him, it’s all about prioritizing dollars. “The digital ecosystem is fraught I think, as we’ve all seen with a host of challenges,” says the VP of […]

CANNES – Like many industry executives, Amanda Richman applauds the “shared sense of purpose” among parties looking to advance measurement capabilities and experiment with new ad formats instead of “letting those conversations sit at a committee level.” When she eyes the video landscape, Richman sees it evolving toward the opportunity for more precision targeting without […]

CANNES – Big brands are far from dead, according to the Chief Marketing Officer of Mars Pet Nutrition. But they need to winnow out “fake news” about their supposed widespread demise and establish an evidence-based philosophy and operating model for driving growth, says Jane Wakely. “Accountability in marketing to me means growth. Ultimately, I think […]

CANNES – While bigger can imply better when it comes to media scale, it doesn’t shield you from challenges like audience fragmentation and the “murkiness” of the digital advertising ecosystem. So while AT&T recently upped its vertical integration game with the acquisition of Time Warner, it’s as enthusiastic as smaller companies to see various industry […]

CANNES – There was no shortage of talk about data at the recent Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. But beyond the purpose of targeting people who are actually relevant to particular brands, “when you get to the right people, what happens?” asks Dentsu Aegis Network’s Matt Seiler. In this interview with Beet.TV at the […]

CANNES — Even before digital media came along, it was a chore to reconcile buys across radio, print, television and other media while monitoring discrepancies and make-goods. Throw in the dizzying complexity of digital media transactions and it’s no wonder that marketers like Unilever are embracing blockchain technology. “What blockchain does is create a single […]

CANNES — Why broadly advertise convertibles to everyone in Russia when you can now target potential buyers by vehicle segment? “The thing that’s really exciting me right now is actually being able to create more relevant one-to-one communications with consumers,” says Allyson Witherspoon, Nissan Motor Corp.’s GM, Global Brand Engagement. “We have so much available […]

CANNES – In the modern-day television business, you can’t have too many partners to meet the growing demands of both viewers and advertisers. This is particularly true in the attribution space. “We understand that brands are going to demand their own special measurement. It’s not our place to determine exactly who they should use,” says […]

CANNES — The blockchain consortium solution recently unveiled by Mediaocean and IBM’s iX agency could reduce the margins of many adtech players, but they might realize big gains as a result of an improved system, says Mediaocean CEO Bill Wise. And while blockchain technology in the advertising world is typically associated with digital media, the […]

CANNES – Innovative video ad formats like Fox’s JAZ pods and NBC’s Prime Pods are a welcome change in the drive to improve viewing experiences, but to OMD’s John Osborn it’s all about experiences. “It think for us, we need to shift the conversation from formats to experiences. And I think that represents a really […]

CANNES – Even as the Association of National Advertisers exerts pressure on the digital media supply chain to clean up its act, the organization is taking matters into its own hands by testing an alternative digital supply chain. “If you look at the digital media supply chain, as an enterprise, the jury is still out […]

CANNES – WPP’s Mark Read says the advertising industry is in a time of “structural change, not structural decline,” but survival depends on people within the industry making the effort embrace that change. Interviewed by Beet.TV at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, Read points to the event itself as evidence of change, noting its […]

CANNES – On the heels of its court victory and completion of its acquisition of Time Warner, AT&T is flying a victory flag of sorts at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. It bought advertising at the iconic Carlton Hotel that combines the traditional AT&T blue with bright coral that embodies “energy, passion, innovation,” […]