The “new ARF” is a Network, as such, we are going to connect the world’s most interesting leaders attending here at the Consumer Electronics Show to you . . . right to your desktop.
This blog will share highlights from our 1:1 interviews with Gayle Fuguitt, The ARF CEO and desktop from all of our Member constituencies – Advertisers, Agencies, Media and Media Tech firms and Solutions providers.
One theme that emerged is “the more things change, the more they stay the same”. That communication fundamentals – Consumer first, involving storytelling supported by a research-based consumer insight is critical regardless of platform. Stan Sthunathan, SVP of CMI at Unilever emphasized connections and no matter which platforms you use or combine — you’re still looking to connect.
But change is REAL. It is the shifting winds swirling around the core fundamentals. What is driving change? Margo Georgiadis, President of Americas at Google describes it as consumers having an unprecedented array of choices — making relevant and experiences and engagement more important than ever! That it is no longer about forcing interruptive communications on consumers but engaging with consumers where and when they want it.
Marketers need to focus on:
- Choosing experiences and where to connect
- Staying relevant to that experience
- Telling a great story
Margo Georgiadis, President of Americas at Google continues, more than the traditional purchase funnel:
We need to find and capitalize on the micro-moments throughout the purchase path, requiring even greater understanding of the customer journey. Margo’s counsel — for both brands and personal career development — “put yourself in the path of opportunity.”
For Tom Butler, Chief Revenue Officer of Affectiva, “engagement” is also key to how advertising works. Be authentic, Be there in real time. Utilize the power of all the analytic tools available.
That’s a base of operation for Affectiva, as Rana el Kaliouby, Chief Science Officer of Affectiva emphasizes the importance of measuring emotion as the key to quantifying engagement. With so much content consumers are “on” all of the time. It’s not just enough that you are in front of their eyeballs, it’s finding ways to resonate on an emotional scale? For Nick Langeveld, President & CEO of Affectiva, the new realities demand real time reaction to not just jumps on an emotional scale but understanding those uptick and flat areas relative to “norms”.