7 insights from #AdWeek NY to drive 2023 strategic planning for Marketers.

Thought-provoking speakers, masterful networking and indulgent experiences – Advertising Week NY 2022 was brilliant.?Here are key insights and quotes (pulled from my notes and the AdWeek Roundup report), that I’m working into my plans for 2023 and that are definitely worth a share:

1. Let's talk about biddable CTV.

• Learn how to buy it and start incorporating it into your media buy plans. The purchase unit will change from the standard 15s, 30s, 60s spot so think about longer-form content and thematic partnerships for full-blown series.
• ?The biggest issue in CTV? Trust and transparency. Linear TV was a trusted and brand-safe environment where media buyers knew exactly what they were getting. The same level of trust and transparency is needed in the CTV environment, but it has yet to meet the high standards marketers have come to expect.

2. Let's talk about effective leadership.

• 'Who controls, who has power, who leads? The one who has the best story. Every good story has some key components: competitors, villains, heroes and crisis. To be a good leader, to be a brand with resilience, one needs to have their team believe in the story of what they are trying to accomplish, day in and day out.' Deepak Chopra MD (official) , Founder, The Chopra Foundation
• “Are you connected to the people in your organization so that when they come in one day, and something seems off, or something doesn’t seem right, will you recognize it? It takes a lot of intentionality to be kind, not judge and give people space. That is mentorship, that is leadership, that creates engagement and is what builds organisational success”. Sonia Jackson Myles , Founder, The Accord Group LLC

?3.????Let's talk about leaning HARD into #artificialintelligence.

• Marketing is a growth engine for business. Automation (AI) is a business multiplier. Stop thinking about what it will take away and instead think about all that it can unlock (maximum strategic performance). Treat AI as a partner to the human expert, and marketers become the orchestrators instead of the operator. This lets AI take on more of the boring stuff and allows us to spend more time doing what we actually love.
• AI-enabled marketing accounts for more than $370 Billion of global advertising revenue.?

4.????Let's talk about the consumer of the future.

• “One thing will never change: the human brain will always be a pattern seeking device. Advertisers and marketers must remember this.” Pranav Yadav , CEO, Neuro-Insight
• Wealth gaps and a future of climate annihilation are some of the triggers causing the large generational difference marketers are grappling with today: #genz is the first generation since WWII to grow up with little expectation of owning a house and as such, they have A LOT of disposable income – an estimated $4.4 trillion dollars’ worth. They also refuse to take the same bait swallowed by previous generations (re: greenwashing, surface-level corporate talk), and place a much higher degree of responsibility on institutions to change.

5.????Let's talk about good career moves.

• “Culture eats strategy for breakfast. You can achieve so much if you have a team that imbibes the right culture.” Kenneth Mitchell CMO, SNAP INC.
• “Career growth is no longer a ladder. It’s a lattice.” Lisa Clunie , Co-Founder and CEO of Joan Creative.
• ?“Never chase a paycheck. If you’re good at what you do, the opportunities will come.” Amani Duncan , CEO, BBH USA
• ?Find your reason to give a sh*t. If you’re currently feeling any form of nihilism or simply a sense of apathy about the ways in which you can affect change at work, start small, and own your incremental power.

6.????Let's talk about securely integrated first-party data.

• The key to your brand future is thinking of data as a contact sport. Roll up your sleeves and get in: run modeling and research, combine your data with external sources – and get ready for a #cookielessfuture .
• Marketers will need to learn how to set up #datacleanrooms . These are technology-enabled safe spaces for data collaboration between different partners to create specific outputs. Used well they can (for example) bring a set of first party data together with third party data, in a highly secure space and provide valuable business driver insights.
• When it comes to data and privacy, words and the timing of those words, matters: “We underestimate the value of opting in. How can I opt into a personalised experience if I haven’t had it yet?" Martin Kihn , SVP of Product Strategy, Salesforce

?7.????Let's talk about the 'tried and new'.

• 2023 is undeniably the year of experimentation. Proven playbooks of established revenue drivers in place will no longer apply and experimentation and optimization will be instrumental in breakthrough brand moments.
• Kristen O'Hara , VP, Agency and Brand Solutions, Google: Build a culture of purposeful experimentation – It’s a superpower for speed, agility and insight. Create an environment where people are safe to fail, quickly. Experiment but drive efficiency and optimisation through real-time measurement. 谷歌 and YouTube are working hard to allow you to do this safely in part through the launch of their content suitability centre.
• Tariq H. , CMO, McDonalds: When it comes to the digital space, find authenticity by using a voice that is ‘fan to fan’, instead of brand to fan – use the creator economy to amplify your message. Move your strategy from a short-term transactional mindset to focusing on long-term resonance.