Megan Tobin

“We continue to see strong momentum in our podcast business” - Bob Pittman during the iHeartMedia earnings call this morning. Podcast revenue was $105m for Q2, up 8%, and overall revenue was $929m, up 1%, beating estimates. Unsurprisingly, radio revenue continues to decline while podcasting continues to be the highest growth opportunity for iHeart and other more traditional audio companies. Over the last two years, radio revenue has declined 4.3%, while podcasting revenue has grown 8.5%… and it’s not slowing down. The story here is pretty straightforward. Podcasting is the future of audio. Let’s start investing in it. I’ll summarize what we learned in Q2 in my letter to investors in the next week or so. Feel free to sign up: https://lnkd.in/e63PbEh7 https://lnkd.in/er6VKGQc #podcasting #audio #iheartmedia #investing

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According to Lindsay Rittenhouse at Ad Age there are just shy of 14,000 U.S. agencies and more opening their doors then ever before. Of course, that begs the question I’ve been asked as a search consultant at AAR Partners for 23 years: How do I differentiate my agency? I’ll repost part of Monday’s POV since it’s rather relevant to this article: …. after decades of reviewing, evaluating and offering counsel on the infamous "creds deck" there's one simple question that I ask agencies: Why you? Push that question a little further and think about: - Why did you start another agency? - What was in your heart and mind to feel that your agency was going to solve an untapped problem? - Or better yet, what pissed you off enough to make a change?! I'm not sure two day immersions are needed when the answer is the one reason that pushed you to want to make a difference. That's your differentiator! —————— I’ll add one more thought here in addition to Monday’s POV. The one and only true proprietary tool you have as an agency is your… p e o p l e ! We are in the business of relationships first. Make sure your people build that relationship by highlighting how they can solve the prospects’ challenges. I can recall so many final decisions being made on the final question of “who would you rather have a drink with?” Cliche? Yes! True? You bet! And when you do win the account after putting in all the work, do not become complacent! This one word is the killer behind all breakups. To all those just starting out on your new journey… much success to you! As a past client of AAR Partners once said, “Make sure your YOU is in all you DO.” Want to grow your agency? Need more advice? Want AAR to get to know your agency and help with new business? Ask about AAR Partners Agency Growth Program. Want to strengthen your client-agency relationship? Need help with brand growth? Thinking about an agency search? Email [email protected] #agencygrowth #newbusiness #marketing #brandgrowth

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Ad agencies, advertising themselves. Metzdorf, 1983. "People tend to think of us as a Houston agency. When, in fact, we're a national agency that chooses to be headquartered in Houston." #advertising #adsforadagencies

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✅🖥️ 🛒 The Hollywood Reporter (10/23): “In a bid to expand their user base and to reduce churn, a slew of streamers have cut deals with companies in the grocery business, betting that aligning entertainment with those selling a necessity like food can bolster both sides of the equation. On Oct. 8, Disney and Kroger announced a deal that will give Boost With Kroger Plus members ($99 a year) a subscription of their choice to ad-supported Disney+, Hulu or ESPN+ at no extra charge; this summer, WBD pacted with grocery and food delivery service DoorDash, giving DashPass members ($96 a year) free access to the ad-supported tier of Max; in November, NBCU teamed with the similar service Instacart to give Instacart+ members ($99 a year) free subscriptions to Peacock; and Walmart continues to offer comp Paramount+ to its Walmart+ ($98 a year) subscribers. The streaming partnerships follow, of course, the original bundle of video and vittles: Amazon Prime. A Prime membership for $139 a year gets users Fallout, Thursday Night Football on Prime Video and a discount on focaccia (and other products) in Whole Foods stores. (Netflix, meanwhile, has dismissed the idea of bundling.) Times are tough, budgets are tight from a household perspective, and so there are trade-offs that consumers are being forced to make,” says Deloitte. “And that’s why we think it is a really interesting proposition for streamers to be partnering with these grocers or delivery subscriptions, because those things are, for all intents and purposes, non-negotiables.”Entertainment subscriptions are seen as disposable, Arbanas says, with consumers being picky about what they keep and what they cancel. And surveys suggest that consumers also feel like they aren’t getting great value from them.” ⬇️ #ecomm #shoppable #streaming #ctv #ott #avod https://lnkd.in/eqyJxbHc

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✅🖥️ Variety (5/22): “Last year, the writers strike kept boldface names from appearing at the upfronts. This year, everybody turned up the star power to 11. NBCU stuffed its presentation with performances from Little Big Town, Michael Bublé and Kelly Clarkson. Amazon went overboard with a nonstop parade of A-listers, including Reese Witherspoon, Will Ferrell, Jake Gyllenhaal and tennis great Roger Federer, with none other than Alicia Keys as the opening act (and yes, she promoted her Amazon line of skin care products). Disney also hauled out the heavy hitters: Ryan Reynolds, Michelle Williams, Sterling K. Brown, Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez, just to name a few. Opening Disney’s upfront was Emma Stone, introducing CEO Bob Iger while getting in one more plug for her Oscar-winning film “Poor Things.” The sheer number of movie mentions (NBCU took time to debut the trailer to “Wicked”) felt unusual at an event traditionally tailored to ad-supported TV. But in the streaming age, everything’s for sale — and there’s nothing brands like more than cozying their messages up to the biggest names in showbiz. Sports franchises were put on a higher pedestal than usual as networks lean on live games to deliver the audiences that advertisers covet. Sports personalities, from Tom Brady to Jason Kelce to Dawn Staley, were all over the presentations. Fox made it clear to anyone in earshot that it has the Super Bowl next year and it has Brady, a bona fide NFL legend, joining the Fox Sports team in the booth for football season this fall. Disney used a hunk of its time to tub-thumb the future of ESPN. Netflix bragged about landing two Christmas Day NFL games. WBD pledged allegiance to the NBA even as the company is kneedeep in contract negotiations with the league.” ⬇️ #upfronts #newfronts #streamingtv #ctvadvertising

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The media world is shrinking. IPG and OMG's recent merger is just the latest example of a trend towards consolidation. While this might seem like good news for large corporations, it raises an important question for medium-sized businesses: 𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱, 𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗳𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱? At Onist Media, we understand that your business is unique, and you deserve an agency that treats you as a priority, not just a number. At Onist, we believe in the power of true partnership. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀? 1. 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆: With a focused team, you’ll always know who’s behind your campaign. We take pride in delivering real results with full accountability and clear communication 2. 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲: At Onist Media, you work with senior strategists who bring decades of experience and a hands-on approach to every campaign. 3. 𝗔𝗴𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: We're nimble and responsive, able to adapt to your needs and market changes quickly. 4. 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Your success is our success. We're fully invested in achieving your goals. If you're looking for an agency that values your business, fosters loyalty, and delivers real results, let's connect. We're ready to redefine what's possible in 2025! https://lnkd.in/gTiZ9nx7 #OnistMedia #MediaInCanada #Partnership #Agility #Impact #Results #Advertising #CanadianMarketing #AdAgency

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🎉 Really excited about this one.... An interesting thing is happening in the performance marketing ecosystem: digital media has become slower and more aggregated in terms of feedback, while OOH and DOOH have become more granular with faster reporting, meaning there's a 'meeting in the middle' and OOH is earning its rightful place in the sales funnel. There's a lot to unpack, but looking forward to chatting on it! #performancemarketing #ooh

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The latest IPA Bellwether survey for Q1 2024 pointed to a slight cooling in marketing and advertising budgets, but the events sector in the UK continues to boom!! This is something we at AEG Europe Global Partnerships have been fully aware of for a while, but it is great to have some independent experts back this up via the report . "While an advert lasts just seconds, an event lasts for hours – and the memories, a lifetime – giving brands longer to engage with consumers and enhance their experiences....Events are incredibly versatile, allowing brands to use their activations to deliver to different brand objectives whether that is to increase consideration, reward loyal customers, meet sustainability objectives or demonstrate brand values in a meaningful way" AEG Global Partnerships AEG AEG Europe AEG Presents AEG Presents UK AXS The O2 IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) European Sponsorship Association (ESA) Mediashotz news #liveevents #sponsorship #marketing #advertsing https://lnkd.in/eN6TGW_4

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I was delighted to chat with David Alexander – CMO of Everbridge and Executive Professor at Texas A&M University -- who has deep experience and killer insights for marketers, especially B2B marketers, seeking to effectively reach corporate decision-makers. Check out our new interview! #marketing #ai #datavisibility #criticalevents

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Are you prepared to get fired? You should be. This week, here in the SF Bay Area, media watchers are buzzing about some high-profile sports radio announcers who got the axe, unexpectedly. Including a guy who’d been on the air for 28 years and, arguably, help build the station. The economics of legacy media are a $#!& show, so cuts are hardly a surprise. But when big-name talent with highly-rated shows aren’t safe, it’s a good reminder that the nobody has job security. Even if everything seems rosy with your current gig, you should take steps to prepare yourself for your next one. Four tips: → Get your site together. Regardless of what you do, you should have a “portfolio site.” More than a resume, it’s a site that collects achievements and shows your work. (Non-creative types, you should have site/portfolio, too!) Grab copies of your work, decks, and performance metrics NOW before you lose access to the server. Don’t wait until you need it; build now and maintain as you go. → Build your personal brand. (I know, it’s cringe. But it’s the way of the world.) You don’t have to be a prolific LinkedIn poster, but you need to consider who you are professionally and what value you bring to the table. Find avenues to demonstrate that value. Identify 3-4 ways a year you can “get out there” and show your stuff. Maybe that’s creating your own projects, sharing work on your social channels, writing an article, speaking at a conference, starting a side hustle. → ABCYN. Always Be Cultivating Your Network. You don’t have to do this in a sleazy sales-y sort of way, but you’re going to NEED the help of your connections at various points of your career. So make those connections. Grab coffee. Drop notes. Congratulate people when you see them do something awesome. Offer help to others. Be genuine, but make an effort to reach out. → Take the interview. Even if you love your job, you should always see what’s out there and keep your options open. It’s helps keep your interview chops sharp and it helps you understand your current value in the marketplace. You don’t have to lead ‘em on—if you’re not a serious candidate after the first meeting, you can withdraw your name. It's still worth it. “But I’m super busy with projects for my current employer. I don’t have time for all this.” YOUR career is at least as important as the work you’re doing for somebody else. Invest some time in yourself. Don’t wait for that unexpected meeting with your manager and HR to pop onto your calendar before you get your act together. P.S. Seriously, if you don't have an up-to-date portfolio site, do SOMETHING today to move the ball forward. Buy the URL. Write down the 2-3 projects you'd want to include. Pull the assets off the server that you'll need. Take a micro-step toward taking charge of your career. Do it!

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After 23 years of managing agency reviews at AAR Partners agency search consultancy, I have tons of comments regarding this article by M.T. Fletcher of Ad Age. Frankly this has been a hot topic for more years that I can remember but lately new business pitches really do feel defective for many reasons. Why? It's always been an expense line on the P&L but its simply become too expensive and expansive for both parties involved. Inflation is soaring for one. Tack on the fact that many reviews are not organized, clearly defined or managed with undivided attention allowing both parties to put their best foot forward by making comprehensive decisions. But why else did the Mad Men era of pitching turn mad and bad? - The average pitch process is 3-4 months (or longer). - The average cost of an agency search is a combined $300K for both agency and client. - The pitch work is rarely produced, prolonging launch in market. - The pitch process is often an unrealistic representation of a client-agency working relationship. - The pitch often showcases a “pitch team” versus the real day-to-day working team (however, agencies know that this is not acceptable with AAR-led reviews). - The pitch takes a toll on mental and physical health. - All marketers have just a few months (if not weeks) to show ROI. Speed to market is critical. - 75% of marketers are managing agency reviews in-house but most admit to not knowing the appropriate landscape and as a result, many relationships unravel within 12-months. - The proverbial revolving door is spinning at a faster pace leaving both marketer and agency teams with different people not too long after the pitch process is complete. - The pitch investment is often not recouped since the average relationship has dropped to two-three years (and some less than within that time frame). - Comprehensive pitch processes used to equate to longer client-agency tenures but that is no longer the case. Change needs to happen and AAR Partners is at the forefront making changes to the agency search process. How? We've been on a mission since 2018 to "reverse the search" and now we're taking it one masive step foward to "kill the pitch!" Of course, pitching will never fully die but we are adamant about: - Streamlined processes. - Shorter and less demanding RFIs. - No unrealistic demands and deadlines. - Massive changes to the pitch assignment. - Less travel (although one IRL meeting is beneficial). We're making strides to have a productive but appropriate pitch process for both parties involved and where we can... We're pushing to "kill the pitch!" #agencysearch #newbusiness #agencyreviews #agencies #pitching

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This ADWEEK and Ibotta, Inc. article discusses strategies for brands to stand out in noisy and crowded markets. It emphasizes the importance of authenticity, storytelling, and personalized experiences to engage consumers effectively amidst the competition. Additionally, leveraging data and technology for targeted marketing campaigns is highlighted as a key tactic for achieving brand differentiation. #BrandStrategy #MarketingTips #BrandDifferentiation #Storytelling #Personalization #DataDrivenMarketing #DigitalMarketing #BrandEngagement #ContentMarketing #ConsumerEngagement

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How is your marketing and advertising strategy working? New Study Finds Digital Out of Home Advertising Surpasses Other Media in Driving Favorability and Action Among Consumers Three Quarters of Consumers View DOOH Ads Favorably (73%) or Have Recently Taken Action After Seeing a DOOH Ad (76%) https://lnkd.in/eV-8zHpZ How can I help your business or project with it’s Marketing and or Advertising Strategy? Please message me if your interested in booking a strategy call #marketing #advertising #digitalmarketing #consultations #smallbusiness #projects #booktoday Stitt Marketing LLC

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Not sold on DOOH yet? This might change your mind. Travel Texas and Vistar Media's 'Let's Texas' campaign is a spectacular example of what DOOH can do. By matching the photos and videos displayed to the time of day, they created a highly personalised and hyper-local campaign. The results? Exposed consumers were 176% more likely to visit Texas than those with no exposure. But better than that, 35% of those exposed come to Texas from distances of 250 to 499 miles. I doubt many traditional ads have convinced you to make that kind of trip! #DOOH #Advertising #OOH #PersonalisedAdvertising

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An interesting topic and fun one to discuss with Digiday. The industry tends to sprout fragmented specialized agencies to solve point solutions like influencer marketing services and technology. We are now in the consolidation phase where point solutions are being bought and combined into more integrated offerings. It's important for brands and agencies alike to carefully consider a technology strategy that balances proprietary technology solutions with flexible agnostic technology approach to ensure you have the agility to use the best solution in the marketplace for your brand.

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And Then There Was One Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder and non-executive chair of Paramount Global, is wavering on the potential sale of the media conglomerate, according to recent reports. Redstone has been exploring various options for Paramount, including a potential acquisition by Skydance Media. However, she has been sending mixed signals in recent days regarding her willingness to sell the company. What will be her final decision? #media #streaming #entertainment

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HAVE YOU CONSIDERED ROKU FOR MARKETING? With so many option it can be confusing about what is the best strategy. I can help you. If you would like to expand your brand while reaching your target audience, you need to advertise on Roku. Let’s talk. #marketing #ROKU #advertising #consultant

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Great rundown from POLITICO here on the current status of the TikTok bill to force the sale of TikTok to a non-Chinese entity or else face a ban in the U.S. Important to use all these words vs. calling it simply a ban. What happened? The TikTok bill was attached to a foreign aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. This is a controversial move as typically this is done (per ChatGPT) "when a smaller or possibly less popular bill is attached to a larger, more likely-to-pass bill." 👀 The former bill on stalled in the Senate. The updated bill passed the House Saturday in a vote of 360-58 in favor. Now, it will head to the Senate where it could see a vote in the next few days. Then, it would need to be signed by the president and President Biden has already said he would do just that, even though he has a TikTok page himself. If passed, the bill would required a sale of TikTok within the next year or else face a ban in U.S. app stores. This is all because of national security concerns of China having access to this much American data though I also scoff a bit when American companies like Meta are collecting similar amounts of data and if anything, it would be MORE helpful for the U.S. to focus on user privacy laws especially after I just got back from the UK, where the EU has these protections in place. I understand the concerns about China, but it seems like a diversion from what I think is the larger concern of interest here. Of course, China and ByteDance strictly oppose the sale with the latter saying it would legally oppose the bill per impinging on free speech. The issue there would be that there is a precedent for national security overriding free speech. The ultimate result of all of this most likely will be increased pressure for American companies operating in China. Not knowing much about the U.S. political system, it does appear to me that this will pass. However, that then sets into place one year of legal opposition from Bytedance and increased China - U.S. tensions. Apple and Tesla be like. 👀 #tiktok #ban

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Google's cookie phase-out may have been delayed until 2025, but that doesn't mean advertisers should be complacent. In fact, now is the time to embrace innovation and adaptability, according to Ryan Storrar, CEO UK & EMEA at GroupM Nexus. Learn more about the new privacy-friendly targeting and attribution methods that can help you succeed in the post-cookie era:

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