??Unlocking the Future: From AI-Driven Workflows to the Explosive Growth of Retail Media
Stefan Santer
M&A | Fundraising | Go-To-Market | Speaker & Author | SaaS - AI - Data Privacy - Climate Tech | Investor | Ex CEO & Founder | Ex KPMG | Sports Enthusiast | Ocean & Mountains Lover
Welcome back!
In this edition, we dive into the future of advertising and AI. Explore why experiments matter in marketing, how broad reach and contextual ads are outperforming targeting, and the role of creativity in ad effectiveness. Plus, Southern Europe’s retail media boom, Publicis Groupe s’ acquisition of Mars United Commerce , and AI’s potential to streamline up to 56% of U.S. tasks. We also cover Meta ’s generative AI milestone, 谷歌 ’s antitrust trial, Scope3 ’s research on AI’s environmental impact, and Equativ ’s expansion with Kamino Retail Retail.
?? Happy reading!
??Charts of the week
I.) Andreessen Horowitz (link to post)
Key Takeaways:
Key Takeaways:
??Expert insight of the week
You find more information in Ronan’s article here.
What can be learned?
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??More details??
?? ??Most relevant digital news and key take-aways
1.) Most marketing questions, like whether a campaign drove conversions, are causal in nature, making them difficult to solve. While randomized experiments are the best way to determine causality, they aren't always feasible. Methods like Marketing Mix Models (MMM) and Multi-Touch Attribution (MTA) use readily available data but come with assumptions that can lead to inaccuracies. The "Method Pyramid of Trust" helps assess the reliability of different methods, with experiments at the top. For greater accuracy, using methods higher on the pyramid is advised. Techniques like Regression Discontinuity Design (RDD) and Double Machine Learning (DDML) are powerful yet underutilized tools in marketing analysis. (Link to the post)
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Credit, Nico Neumann .
2.) Data-driven advertising, especially targeting, is under scrutiny for its effectiveness. Studies show that broad reach campaigns often outperform targeted efforts, which incur higher costs. Contextual ads, which place ads in relevant environments, have proven to be more effective and significantly cheaper than using first, second, or third-party data. While first-party data performs better than the rest, it still falls short compared to contextual approaches. The industry is encouraged to question the efficiency of hyper-targeted advertising and reconsider simpler, cost-effective strategies backed by evidence. (Link to article)
Thank you, Bruce Clark , for all these insights.
3.) Cookie deprecation is progressing, but publishers are already more than halfway through the transition. Recent eMarketer charts accurately predict a cookie-free web in the future but understate the current situation. The restricted web already accounts for 58% of publisher impressions, not 37%, with cookies available in only 42% of global impressions. (Link to post)
Thank you, Scott Messer , for all these valuable insights.
4.) The #advertisingwhocares event highlighted key insights about the advertising industry. Michael Farmer noted a dramatic increase in creative assets produced, while Jenny Biggam revealed that agencies need a 13% commission to remain profitable. Sir John Hegarty emphasized that only 6% of advertising is effective. The main takeaway is the mutual lack of understanding between marketers and agencies about each other’s challenges. As advertising becomes more volatile, there's a call for a shift in focus back to creativity and context, inspired by Byron Sharpes's transformation of marketing thinking with data-driven principles. (Link to post)
Thank you, Gerry D'Angelo , for all these insights.
5.) Retail media in Europe is projected to grow to €31 billion by 2028, with an annual growth rate of 22.2%, outpacing the overall ad market's 6.1%. This growth is driven by digital-first brands, and Southern Europe, particularly Italy and Spain, is leading with over 23% annual growth. Key priorities for advertisers in 2024 include branding, data, AI, and measurable outcomes. However, European retailers face challenges in scaling their retail media networks, particularly in measurement, cost justification, and attracting talent.?(Link to post of LDSK)
Thank you, Daniel Knapp , for your presentation at DMEXCO.
6.) Publicis Groupe has acquired Mars United Commerce , a leading commerce marketing agency with over 1,000 employees. This move enhances Publicis' retail media capabilities by integrating Mars’ expertise in shopper behavior into existing assets like Epsilon and Profitero. The acquisition supports Publicis' goal of offering full-funnel marketing solutions, helping clients optimize both online and offline strategies while leveraging Mars' strong retailer relationships and proprietary insights. This positions Publicis to provide more comprehensive, data-driven marketing services across the retail media landscape. (Link to post)
?Thank you, Lauren Johnson , for sharing.
7.) A recent study by OpenAI and the University of Pennsylvania found that AI could significantly speed up 15% of U.S. worker tasks, and with advanced tools built on LLMs, this increases to 47-56%. Some roles will be fully automated by AI agents. To succeed in this evolving landscape, builders should focus on: 1) entering the data collection stage early, 2) automating inefficient workflows outside of incumbents' reach, and 3) integrating data to create new, multimodal systems of record. (Link to post)
Thank you, Andreessen Horowitz , for these insights.
8.) Meta now has 1 million advertisers using its generative AI tools for creative production, leveraging the company's vast client base and data integration. This scale gives Meta a significant competitive advantage in AI-driven advertising, as its large feedback loops and data aggregation provide insights that third-party competitors may struggle to match. This deployment of generative AI positions Meta as a leader in creative automation within the advertising space. (Link to post)
Thank you, Eric Seufert , for these insights.
9.) The 谷歌 antitrust trial continued with testimony from Stephanie Layser, formerly at News Corp, highlighting the challenges of relying on Google's ad server (DFP). News Corp explored alternatives like AppNexus but found Google’s dominance too risky to bypass. Layser described how Google limited control over ad monetization, making publishers overly dependent. Testimonies also underscored internal tensions within Google’s ad teams. The trial is focused on whether Google's practices in ad tech unfairly restrict competition, with major figures like Neal Mohan expected to testify. (Link to AdExchanger )
Thank you, Allison Schiff , for the article.
10.) Scope3 has been researching the environmental impact of generative AI over the past few months. The team is now sharing their findings with the community for feedback. The research is open source and aims to be incorporated into industry standards as it evolves. (Link to post)
Thank you, Brian O'Kelley , for this initiative.
11.) Equativ has acquired Kamino Retail , a fast-growing retail media platform founded in 2023. This acquisition boosts Kamino's ability to connect with leading DSPs and expands its reach into international markets, thanks to Equativ’s global presence. Kamino, which already handles display and search inventories for major clients like Fnac Darty and 欧尚 , now gains financial stability and access to Equativ’s programmatic expertise. This move positions both companies to deliver a seamless retail media solution, combining Kamino’s on-site management with Equativ’s audience extension capabilities. (Link to post)
Thank you, Nicolas JAIMES , for sharing this information.
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Associate Professor of Marketing at D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University
4 个月Let's give Jon Bradshaw a ht on the article that I shared