Another Advertising Week has come to a close and as industry leaders leave the ‘Big Apple’ and return to their respective cities, or simply back to Madison Avenue, it’s safe to say this year’s conference has been inspiring.
Informative and forward-thinking panel sessions sparked debate on a number of timely industry issues as advertising experts and key stakeholders worked to map out the best paths forward in areas like restoring trust and transparency to programmatic markets, defining the future of rewarded consumer engagement for a growing mobile app community and overcoming fragmentation in connected TV. And, while each day presented new opportunities for education and learning, the galas, dinners and late-night festivities (here’s a link to view photos from our OXtoberfest party) of the week offered time to take those conversations one step closer toward execution in the form of new business deals.
Over the course of the week, it became clear that the road ahead in advertising is bright, and that a brand’s access to the tools and technology they need to build stronger connections with consumers through relevant, engaging and high quality advertising experiences has never been greater. Here is just a glimpse of what stood out #AWNewYork:
CMOs finding creative ways to balance authenticity at scale
The tone of the week was set by one the early sessions on Monday that featured the CMOs from Mastercard, Bank of America and Univision. Moderated by OpenX CEO Tim Cadogan, the conversation hovered around the topic of trust and transparency with each executive honing in on the importance of authenticity. In an increasingly fragmented media landscape, each CMO is working to balance authentic consumer engagement while also growing their audiences. One example of this is how Bank of America is engaging with millennials on financial literacy in a recent partnership with Buzzfeed.
Growing Optimism for OTT and Connected TV
OTT may have been one of the most talked about categories during the week, as optimism about the future of streaming, connected TVs and shifting consumer habits soared to new heights. CBSi’s Jason White, Inscape at Vizio’s Jodie McAfee, DataXu’s Bill Simmons and OpenX’s Roy Firestone, took the stage to discuss how CTV and OTT are changing the landscape for advertisers who are trying to reach audiences where they are increasingly spending most of their time. It is a crucial time to be thinking about the context of ads and where they will appear, as the environment where consumers watch video content has changed dramatically. Being able to strategically place ads where and when consumers want to see them makes all the difference in the long run.
For a more in depth look at some of these trends, and a few others, from this year’s Advertising Week check out our latest video blog series featuring insights from industry leaders at Business Insider, The Trade Desk, TAG and more here.