And in the spirit of the time, Gabe Greenberg, CEO and
Co-Founder, GABBCON, made a concerted effort to enlist a diverse group of
speakers to participate on panels. This resulted in an event that included new
perspectives on media issues. Here are some takeaways:
Choosing a Consumer's Tattoo, Shadow or
Twin
What is the best way to target a consumer? A panel moderated
by Wendy Dunlap, Senior Vice President Digital Investment, Blue449 (previously
Optimedia of Publicis Groupe), parsed out the various ways marketers can
profile a consumer – whether a Twin, a Shadow or a Tattoo.
Dunlap explained that a Twin is an individual’s digital
representation formed by the aggregation and analysis of their behaviors,
preferences and attitudes as expressed in the digital world. A Shadow is an outline of a real-world
identity but is prone to distortion and misrepresentation based on imprecise
data signals in providing a complete picture. A Tattoo, as coined by Bethany
Mach, Chief Digital Officer of Initiative, is a permanent marker of an
individual’s digital activity that doesn’t go away but can continue to morph
based on new information.
“The replica of a real consumer is an amalgam of their
various behaviors,” Dunlap noted. “A tattoo is a great metaphor,” she
continued, stating that we should track “how it holds up over time and what we
add to it” and “how it changes, “as more attributes are added to it or whether it
fades away.”
With Employees, Should it be a Right Brain
or Left Brain Hire?
Throughout the day, panelists brought up the challenge of
hiring the right people – those with that careful balance of right and left
brain capabilities and experiences. And should new hires be from media or
outside media? These are no small issues for the industry at a time when there
is a need for both creative and analytical solutions and the knowledge of the
past and the capabilities of the future.
Mach stated, “I am looking for new types of people to work
for me. I want a data scientist or
engineer.” However, filling media slots with left brain experts may be missing
an important ingredient in discerning consumer motivations and behaviors.
Shouldn’t we also be hiring anthropologists, Dunlap countered? “It’s good to
have an analytical perspective but you also need a social science background,”
she added.
Blockchain is Coming. Be Ready. Or Else.
There has
been a lot of talk about how Blockchain will impact the Media industry but what
exactly is Blockchain? Jonathan Steuer, Chief Research Officer, Omnicom Media
Group, defined it, “as an ecosystem. It is a technology method that provides a
secure chain of custody for any digital transaction, data, or personal
attribute all the way through a system. Where it is where it came from and what
aspect of it you can use.”
It was
agreed that Blockchain should be embraced and not deferred. Natalie Monboit,
Head of Futures at Starcom, warned, “It will hurt you if you are not involved.”
She advised to start now by looking ahead and asking, “What is that big
disruptive vision? What is the future state?
And then work backwards. You have to be in it in order for it not to
hurt you.”
While some
may feel that the future application of Blockchain is just another monstrous
transformation to upend business as usual, there are those who look on the
bright side. Monboit concluded, “Blockchain has potential to solve for fraud
and clean up our industry. It unearths everything we understand about engaging
consumers. It is a lot bigger than just solving for current issues in ad tech.”
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