Richard Glasson

The media landscape has shifted dramatically, but clarity is emerging from the complexity. In his latest Campaign UK article, our VCCP Chairman and Founding Partner, Charles Vallance, explores how brands can navigate this change and the crucial role of cohesive, multi-channel branding in driving success. https://okt.to/eF3zon

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Interesting results for FAST - free, ad-supported, on-demand TV services - in the UK For the first decade of the streaming revolution the received wisdom, most fervently espoused by Netflix, was that the days of the TV commercial were numbered, with consumers willing to pay for uninterrupted viewing. A combination of the cost of living crisis making consumers more open to paying less in return for seeing a few ads, and the growth potential in tapping a new revenue stream as subscriber growth petered out, has made the ad break the streaming winner of 2024. However, with relatively low audience numbers, some advertisers have balked at the rates being sought by the streamers, which are considerably higher than broadcast TV, resulting in viewers seeing a lot of “house” ads promoting shows or parent company-owned attractions such as Disneyland holidays. https://lnkd.in/eyghT3ed

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"The cost of dullness" brilliantly summarized in two bullets: 1) Dull ads need 7% more ESOV to deliver results. That is serious $$$ down the drain. 2) Half of the ads tested are less interesting/engaging than watching a cow eat grass (literally). Now, I happen to like cows, but even so, beating "cows munching grass" must be the minimum benchmark for any ad from now on.

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There is lot of debate currently about the future of the Media Agency sector and one of the most startling data points in my article last week was the apparent sharp decline in the US in the share of market that the HoldCos command. It is increasingly clear that the shift in the market to self-serve will affect agency fortunes unless they can justify their added value. This should include upstream advisory services, better use of data and technology and a fully transparent modus operandi. At the moment the Network Media Agencies are going in the opposite direction. The US shows us the way ahead if things don't change. It would be especially interesting to hear from US-based readers of this article to see if they agree and also to see if this debate is happening in the US as it is elsewhere. Will Accenture Song roll out from its Australia base or will they look to pick up assets that may arise later from any forthcoming break-ups as Ian Whittaker has suggested? Will the apparent flight to quality and 'outcomes' change the picture States-side as it appears to be doing in other parts of the world?

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🔗 CONNECT 🔗 is the first chapter of our Connect-Dare-Grow trilogy. Our agency isn't changing, but evolving. And it’s evolving with the values that have shaped SPACE into what it is today: the leading Belgian media agency. Curious for more? I explain it here, in my interview for Media Marketing. Proud to be a Spacian!

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In a piece in WARC, Dan Chapman, our UM Worldwide Global Chief Strategy Officer, discusses the pitfalls of leveraging #AI without human influence, intervention, and ingenuity, leading to a landscape of "bland brands". Click through to read Dan's rallying cry for brands and marketers to 'Stand Against Bland!'.

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In The Times today, from a study of 800,000 patients in the US - this has been supported by other research studies over the years. I cited this fact five years ago in my 3PercentConference talk, 'The Future For White Men In Advertising', where I presented seven ways white men's lives will be vastly improved when they welcome in gender equality, diversity and inclusion, that are true for white men in every industry (re this particular finding, see No 4: "You'll be safer.") Watch my 30-minute talk here: https://lnkd.in/ezTekEuz

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Continuing our campaign, "The United Nations of IAA," we are thrilled to bring you valuable insights from our global executives, featuring their unique perspectives on promoting unity, collaboration, and diversity across 56 countries.  This week, please meet Alessandra Rossi, IAA President - International Advertising Association - Benelux Chapter. 1. What do you do? "I am a product and business strategist and a relationship builder, with a passion for helping people and businesses grow. At Nielsen, I lead the product strategy for the Ad Intel and Consumer & Media View solutions. With my IAA hat on, I am advocating for the importance of fostering creativity and innovation in our industry, while creating a network of international professionals that can help advance the vision in a responsible and sustainable way for the industry as a whole." 2. Why did you join the IAA? "Joining the IAA enabled me to remain current with the industry's most significant trends. However, I quickly recognized an opportunity to contribute more significantly to the conversation and accepted the responsibility of establishing the Benelux Chapter, which became a reality less than a year later, in March of this year. The passion that everyone possesses for this industry is inspiring, and it is rewarding to be part of a dynamic and globally-focused community connecting Europe with Washington DC." 3. Which IAA value is closest to your heart and why? "All values of the IAA compass strongly resonate with me; advocacy is particularly important at the moment, given the rapid and significant scale of the change that is permeating the marketing and communications industry. The opportunities are beyond our imagination, but it is vital that we ensure an ethical, inclusive and responsible approach to our journey forward." 4. What is your favorite example of IAA serving the marketing communications community? "I'm going to take a bold step and choose two examples. The first one is the ability to bring all participants together at the table to encourage collaborative efforts. This is clearly visible at some of our events such as Re-Code, Creativity 4 Better and the B2B summit. The second example is the Young Professionals network, which focuses on education and developing the leaders of tomorrow. This initiative not only helps the younger generation in achieving career success, but enables the understanding of  their fresh perspectives, ideas, and priorities, as they are closer to the new generation of consumers." #UnitedNationsofIAA #Collaboration #creativity #internationality #advocacy #sustainability #diversityandinclusion

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Today's coverage of Omnicom/IPG will dwarf all else, as it should, but the comment below from the FT sums up the situation well. It's a defensive move in a market where the Holding Companies are losing relevance. "It comes as traditional advertising agencies face mounting pressures, with most of the money in the industry now being siphoned off by large tech companies such as Google and Amazon that offer advertising tools as well as the marketplace to buy and sell digital ads".

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UKOM have been told repeatedly "you have to be relevant in the programmatic space". Well, here's Ozone | Powering the Premium Web showing their commitment to all things quality and using UKOM-endorsed data from Ipsos iris to validate the demographics of their premium publisher audiences. Another reason for advertisers to demand that their agencies apply quality thresholds to the data implemented on their behalf in the programmatic space. Great work all at Ozone and Ipsos UK. AOP Association of Online Publishers IAB UK ISBA IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) #standardsmatter #datagovernance #industrystandards

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As the exclusive partner of NBCUniversal, delivering ads across linear and digital TV for the 2024 Paris Olympics, XR Extreme Reach leveraged our AI-powered asset analysis to identify key trends around skin tone and gender representation in this year’s ads. Skin Tone Representation: Darker skin tones were featured in 38% of Olympic ads, surpassing the industry benchmark and the overall US TV ad average of 28% for the first half of the year. Gender Representation: While we celebrate gender parity among athletes and in prime time coverage, women’s representation in ads fell slightly short at 40%, 3% less than the industry benchmark. These findings underscore the power of data-driven insights in driving positive change. We’re committed to enabling brands to unleash their creative intelligence to create more inclusive and impactful campaigns. Read more here: https://bit.ly/3MdDAsG #CreativeIntelligence #Advertising #Paris2024 #XR

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My latest article for Marketing Procurement iQ examines the detail of how Principal/Proprietary/Inventory (PM) media works in real life and how remarkably small the benefit is for advertisers compared to the process behind it. And assuming that the various inherent pitfalls are avoided. This is quite a big assumption when the conflicts of interest are unavoidable. Not to mention a study showing that two thirds of post-campaign audits revealed non-compliance with agreed protocols for PM as well. The only certain aspect is that the agencies earn more and advertisers won't know how much. Everything else is vague at best. The surprising thing is that any advertisers do it. Media Marketing Compliance Stephen Broderick Elliot Sherrington Fiona Foy Tony Whittingstall David Reid Jane Dormer Sharon D'Cruz Molly S.

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Want to know how Pinterest has evolved and Why are they appealing to Gen Z Shoppers? Have a read of the article below👇🏼 Thanks to Melissa Ryan & the Agency Team at Pinterest! #dentsu #pinterest #performancemarketing #socialmedia

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In an age where 90% of young people engage with news online, the need for trusted, responsible media is more crucial than ever. Platforms like Teads play a pivotal role in delivering quality, brand-safe environments for advertisers, ensuring messages land where audiences are actively seeking information. As digital habits evolve, how can brands leverage premium, engaging media to connect authentically with younger audiences? Let’s keep the conversation going on the value of responsible media in today’s landscape. #DigitalAdvertising #MediaResponsibility #Teads https://lnkd.in/eQGNNGYJ

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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'm nervous about tomorrow, but it gave me a little extra comfort to weigh in on this year's election. CBS Sunday Morning News was a chance to go mainstream with the perspective I can bring. I got the "walk and talk" shot with David Pogue and I got emails from my family and friends who watch the show. In this business I'm in, we're responsible for help shaping messages and experiences that define what people think about brands. Hopefully based on a truth. Can't say the truth piece feels quite as true anymore for political ads. Although that was probably debatable about marketing as a whole, unfortunately. And It's harder than ever to unify people around a message-- we've moved beyond the broad message to much more niche. In many ways good because there was an assumed bigger perspective that left many out. But we're also losing a shared narrative, which makes truth impossible. And in media today we must navigate the complexity of platforms and subculture to try to align people around a set of values and beliefs, if not a message. We must try and break through peoples' bubbles-- that they aren't even aware they are a part of. Or maybe they are and don't care. Luckily with brands we still have to play the long game. So we haven't gone all negative. We need to build the brand over time. In politics, fear of what could happen can be more unifying than the hope and belief of real change. It's an all or nothing for candidates, so they have to go all in. They don't just have a low sales quarter. The winner of the election controls the next 4 years. The loser gets nothing. However while fear can serve as a unifier or at least a barrier to voting for your opponent, it doesn’t work as well as a motivator for most. I just hope we've given people enough to show up for: pride, hope, optimism, joy--belief that moving forward is a good thing.

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This is a VERY IMPORTANT READ - please repost (gift link): “Our industry is ageist as f*ck,” said Cindy Gallop. Gallop recalled a Fishbowl survey several years ago that asked industry professionals when they first experienced ageism. “Literally, the answers began in the early 30s; that was when people felt ageism kicking in.” .... Lisa Balser • Creative Director • Brand Coach • Certified Diversity Executive® • Author said, “I have personally experienced direct comments; I was called grandma by a direct report who was 24 years old when I was 30.” ... Many older professionals have been working with AI for 10 years and are “pioneering” the technology, argued William Charnock Five0 Consulting. “Especially if you’re young, this transition we’re in as an industry is totally new,” Charnock said. “It’s not. We’ve been through these transitions before. I’m 58 and I’ve evolved 10 times in my career.” .... There is the argument that, when companies need to cut costs, some of the people most vulnerable are those with higher salaries. But, at the same time, Balser said agencies are not hiring older professionals even when they agree to lower salaries, which they currently are. She said she’s seen older executives making $175,000 a year apply for jobs that are offering $100,000 a year or lower, and then they’re being told that they’re overqualified. Another indicator of ageism to some, including Edward Cotton and Balser, is that agencies are requiring fewer years of experience for senior executive roles. .. Gallop said one of the best skills an older employee brings to an organization is a sense of tranquility in tough times or periods of mass disruption, which is what the industry is currently undergoing. She said that as a young agency professional, she’d look to the senior executives in tense meetings or pitches, who always maintained a sense of calm, and that was something she strove to emulate as she climbed the ladder. “I’ve done a ton of pitches at BBH London BBH USA, where [agency founder] Sir John Hegarty was always the one joking and laughing and making sure that everyone decompressed,” Gallop said, adding that whenever young employees feel like “the sky is falling,” an older executive is there to reassure them it isn’t.' .. Gallop suggested eight ways the industry could end ageism in an Ad Age op-ed in 2019 including reshaping culture away from just focusing on the youth, using data to make the case for marketing to older consumers and encouraging every professional to publicly post their age across social media, thereby owning it. She said she hasn’t seen any results, more than five years later.' With great input and insights from Christie Cordes, Tony Stanol Simon Fairweather Sasha Martens Gian Carlo Lanfranco Greg Collins Patti Temple Rocks Lindsay Rittenhouse Ad Age https://lnkd.in/eam3KBC8 #LiveOlder #SayYourAge

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This is surely the way to go. Higher level business (not just media) strategic thinking married with technology to take the drudgery out and the kind of open-ness that business partners should have with their clients. Let's hope this model is exported. https://lnkd.in/ejgf-VJ7

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