Making the Impossible Possible at Gartner Marketing Symposium
Between the NewFronts and F8 this week it was impossible not to have FOMO among the flurry of events and announcements. Fortunately Adweek has a good round up on both fronts.
For my part, I was at the Gartner Marketing Symposium in San Diego contributing to #GartnerMKTG on the Twitter.
Last year I noted that the conference was full of hype and Tay Tay. Programmatic TV was at the innovation trigger state and social marketing was in the trough of disillusionment.
This year brought a more pragmatic approach as encapsulated here by Gartner Sr. Director Analyst, Eric Schmitt:
? Orient media planning around audience overlap analysis
? Actively manage TV and social to changing usage patterns
? Deploy emerging media: OTT, over-the-air, audio, voice search
? Reconsider traditional media: radio, local TV, out-of-home, print
? Normalize pricing via effective (target) CPM calculations
? Be mindful of timing: macro (seasonality) and micro (synchronization)
Speaking of pragmatism, I had a fun sidebar with Gartner Distinguished VP Analyst, Andrew Frank, on the definition of programmatic. We talked about how programmatic is really a spectrum of automation for audience targeting and inventory procurement. In that sense, it can span across media channels and encompass solutions ranging from deterministic to probabilistic.
No need to wait for some omnichannel programmatic unicorn to reach the slope of enlightenment. The imperative is working with the data and platforms available to make incremental improvements. Or, as Gartner Sr. Director Analyst, Jason McNellis, put it: “Best time to plant a tree? 20 years ago. Second best time? Today.”
Indeed, it’s all about the art of possible. And if Burger King can roll out a vegetarian Whopper, surely marketers can roll out a pragmatic approach to programmatic. Of course, that’s where 4C comes in. It’s all in Scope. We can even help you quantify the impact of your craziest cobrand concepts. (Wish I had a 4thC there.)
As for how the Impossible Whopper will taste? I’ll leave you with a parting thought from Professor Jonah Berger who delivered the day one afternoon keynote.
Clearly, it all depends on your frame of reference. #4CTheFutureofMedia
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