Entry 18 | Webinar

From the list provided by professor Goetz I came across the Advertising Production Club (APC) Webinars.

 See this link to view Webinars: https://apc-nyc.org/webinars/

See this link to watch Print and Interactive Marketing in 2021 and Beyond hosted by Deborah Corn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edK_sqeWTwc 

I selected Print and Interactive Marketing in 2021 and Beyond hosted by Deborah Corn. Deborah Corn is an Ambassador to the Printerverse, Print Media Centr and an APC Board member. I had never heard of either company. What grabbed my attention was how marketers think. 

I am taking a packaging design class this semester and it has reiterated if not stressed how  important it is to know your target audience. This company is designed to look into the reasons people buy products. It also reminded me of our guest presenter Geoff Miller from Interbrand on November 30th. Miller mentioned “Brands occupy emotional and functional space”. 

See link to explore Interbrand: https://interbrand.com/ 

Hardner says advertisers, marketers and consumers need to understand engaging with brands. Reminding me of what Miller said. 

The Print and Interactive Marketing in 2021 and Beyond had a speaker and two hosts. The main speaker Lily Harder was from Comperemedia. She is the senior director of marketing strategy. Mintel is the parent company located in the UK, spanning dozens of countries. 

Harder said the presentation would be about interactive marketing and print elements within the wheelhouse of information. 

What I took away from the Print and Interactive Marketing in 2021 and Beyond is customers want companies to provide interaction in a meaningful way through understanding: 

1. Value over all connecting channels 
2. “Doing more beats learning more”
3. Time is a commodity 
4. Leave a lasting impression

The organization Mintel is a global market research firm. More specifically they provide insights on how to create interactive marketing that resonates with consumers. Their OMNI model’s goal is to understand consumer behaviors, preferences and feelings that lead to their purchases, while providing marketing dedicated to monitoring the market across media channels. Helping their clients speed smarter, stand out more through insight and data. They market across 20 real-time channels.

During this webinar Harder touched on how Covid has changed the way we communicate via marketing. Moving forward the areas to watch out for: 

1. Video – multichannel marketing mix
2. Brands are narrowing down to certain audiences and tailoring unique messages
3. Local Community Support, less mass merchandise shopping
4. Podcast and Influencers 

Harder talks about the many benefits of video focusing on how It is a storytelling tool but also can explain complex information in an easily digestible form. She says streaming is meeting the needs of consumers. Covid stopped production studios so a lot more animation is coming forward. Comperemedia research has seen a lot more animation based advertisements because it is easier to produce from your home. Their data also shows since covid the amount of time people spend on Youtube increased to one of the top advertisers.

Consumers with like interests are referred to as Fandom. According to Comperemedia they are culturally relevant and create the culture. Brands are gaining audiences in specific niches. Examples: In 2020 Tiktok is seeing advertisements to drive the creative strategy. This reminded me of Burger King’s Tiktok commercial. 

See this link for commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dccCzinOqMk 

Similarly how the Detroit Lions released their season schedule in the game Animal Crossing,  reaching consumers who were spending a lot of time isolated during Covid-19.

Brands are also now shifting focus onto smaller states like local news stations to grab local communities. American express has used shop small initiatives a long time but the numbers are showing targets moving toward smaller states. 

The primary research shows podcast and influencers are the new trend correlated with purchase behaviors. The data shows those who remember ads from social media or podcasts were more likely to have already purchased or considered purchasing. This reminded me of two things,  a meme I saw on instagram a couple weeks back when everyone was focusing on Brittney Spears. It said “Imagine if we could get all the Brittey fans to support climate change”. Also I can relate, if the advertisement between each story on instagram keeps me from swiping I will usually check out the site. I am not one to buy instantly but I do sometimes compare prices. Not to mention I am just curious. I check out the different ways companies create content and set up their websites. 

Comperemedia highlights to understand the consumer you must: 

1. Understand and listen to the holistic emotion that relates to customers purchase decisions
2. Understanding mobile first, not mobile only. You need multiple channels to engage with customers. Switching off social media is also a trend. 
3. Values and Ethic used to shape brand identities 

Harder expresses there is value in recognizing everyone’s situation is unique. I applied this to how there is a fear with the delta variant. What we once knew as normal is constantly changing. Brands need to understand this and be flexible and adaptable. 

Throughout this whole webinar what stood out to me was how print and direct mail is still a key component because there is a demand to get off technology. In class we have talked about the opposite. Print magazines are beginning to disappear and transition into digital. But I agree we need both. 

It was funny but also made me question my own daily routine. Harnder mentioned a meme that said I leave one big screen to get relief on a smaller screen. Kinda funny how we do this. According to Harder the health research says younger consumers are looking to implement healthy tech useage to advocate for mental health and spending time outdoors. At the time, the data was based on pre-pandemics. They predict there will be more of a crave for social interactions. 

Consumers expect marketers to make a decision and take a stand. This time Harder used age. It stood out to me because I fall into the 18-34 range. I do think brands have a responsibility to show what side they are on. Then it will be my decision if I want to support or not. But I think transparency is important. Actions must follow words. The other day I saw a dog walking company advertise their products made from plastic bottles. That grabbed my attention, however nowhere on the site could I find this information. I FELT like if a company’s advertisement mentioned reusable plastics it would be something they want to highlight on their website. 

Hardener says brand ethics and corporate donations have mass appeal. Consumer activism is driving marketing from brands. They have to actually do charitable actions to put behind their words. Brand activism was mentioned by Corn. She says brands who take a stance like Ben & Jerry’s have to now make sure everyone they work with down the line must relate to their ethics so they do not get caught in a PR nightmare. 

Comperemedia monitors campaigns that come in as well as how much brands spend in different areas. The new trend of interactive campaigns needs to have all the channels connected, not stand alone. Print and digital can come together. However, learning more as a call to action is not enough. You need to provide value, more than just providing information. “Time is a commodity.” Watching and reading is asking for people’s time. People’s attention span is a goldfish. Print asks for time.  The name of the game = leave a lasting impression. Trigger an action or make a lasting memory.

Examples: QR codes are finally having their moment 30 years later. Markets are valuing contactless. You can redeem offers using QR codes to get customers to connect using a device companies know is common for the majority of people. Restaurants are using them to share menus. I even added a VCard to the back of my business card. 

Harder ends by answering some questions. The one I found interesting was when she mentioned they track marketing with spanish, french and english. They are unsure if it is increasing but they do believe trends are becoming more local which makes demographic and cultural subgroups. They can assume it will pick up based on location and target audience. I am always for diversity inclusion and I have thought since I was in high school that the flyers should be given out in both spanish and english translations.