Managing Through Crisis Archives - Digiday

Overheard at The IAB Tech Lab Summit

Ronan Shields — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 04:01:00 +0000

IAB Tech Lab marked its 10th anniversary this week with a two-day summit hosted in New York City where participants debated the challenges of the years ahead, not to mention the shortcomings of the years gone by.

To kick off proceedings, the IAB Tech Lab CEO claimed, “Nothing will be the same again…” while fellow conference participants shared their points of view, both publicly and privately, at a time of reflection.

“Mandates are hard for trade bodies …” — IAB Tech Lab CEO Anthony Katsur discussed the difficulties involved in convincing different tiers of the industry to convene around an identifier that can replace the third-party cookie.

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‘Stability with transformation’: Insights into the turbulent landscape of 2024 advertising

Seb Joseph — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 05:01:00 +0000

Take a deep breath. What a whirlwind start to 2024 it’s been.

And it’s clearly not going to slow down anytime soon. This month alone, there’s been more job cuts, ambitious ad tech initiatives launching, the heat turning up between advertisers and platforms, and the ongoing debates about the future of in-depth tracking.

To put it bluntly, uncertainty is the name of the game, and it seems like it’ll hang around for most of the year. In many respects, 2024 might as well be labeled a transition period — a time when marketers will gain clarity on the structural transformation the industry is currently entangled in, and learning what they do and don’t know.

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As cookies crumble, M&A execs seek viable alternatives

Seb Joseph — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 05:01:00 +0000

Third-party cookies are on their way out, and when they go, they’re going to take parts of the ad industry along with them.

It may not happen today, and some argue it won’t even happen in the first six months of the year. But this consolidation will happen eventually now that Google has started to squeeze cookies out of the Chrome browser. When those cookies crumble, companies will be left scrambling for a new recipe to bake their ad revenue.

For some, this upheaval spells opportunity — a chance to innovate, adapt and thrive in a transformed landscape. But for others, it’s a storm they might not weather. Mergers of desperation, hostile takeovers or even total shutdowns are in the cards.

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‘Expectations have never been higher’: Advertisers and agencies are navigating closer ties amid tensions

Seb Joseph — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 04:01:00 +0000

Agencies are reinventing themselves (again).

But this time it’s not just deja vu, It’s as real as it gets for many agency bosses. Reinvention is no longer a matter of preference for many of them, it’s a lifeline. Those who can’t adapt are playing a dangerous game, risking the loss of major accounts. It might not happen overnight, but it’s a looming threat.

Advertisers have raised stakes by not merely talking about wanting change, but demanding it. They’re taking concrete steps toward shaping what they call the “agency of the future.”

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‘An exhausting feeling that you’re not good enough’: Confessions of a publicist on weathering a media crisis

Julian Cannon — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 04:01:00 +0000

A growing number of social media influencers and celebrities today own their own products and promote them directly to their followers through their social media channels. As a result of their name recognition alone, curious buyers are more likely to try out their product.

But what happens if a celebrity’s product ends up being swept up in the TikTok de-influencing trend? A publicist would be expected to come up with a plan for their client – even if there might not be one.

In the latest edition our Confessions series, in which anonymity is exchanged for candor, an entertainment publicist details the difficulty of unrealistic expectations during the midst of a media crisis – from the client and the agency — as well as the demanding nature of the news cycle.

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YouTube faces pressure from agencies to cede more control over unwanted inventory

Michael Bürgi — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 04:01:00 +0000

YouTube has been under a bit of fire in the last month, following a series of stories that picked up on an Adalytics report that alleged major transparency issues with buying certain types of YouTube inventory.

At the same time, the digital video giant’s ad revenue is back on the upswing with total revenue nearing $40 billion last year, per its quarterly earnings report filed earlier this week. YouTube ad revenue reached $7.7 billion in Q2, up 4.4%, driven primarily by more ad dollars from large brands flowing into the platform.

Will it be able to continue? Judging from speaking with several investment and brand safety executives across the media agency landscape, some things will have to change to maintain growth. The 13 agency executives Digiday reached have grown increasingly frustrated with some of the methods employed by YouTube, many of which were spelled out in the Adalytics report — and which Google has gone to great lengths to disprove.

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The imminent death of the cookie and the blurring of ad tech’s buy and sell-sides are set to buoy M&A

Ronan Shields — Thu, 18 May 2023 04:01:00 +0000

‘Deals! Deals! Deals!’

That was the mantra of bankers and corp. dev execs in the ad tech sector in the heady days following the initial shock of the Covid-19 pandemic when any sort of adjacency to the digital, or tech, sectors seemed like a license to print money.

Although, as Newton’s third law of motion attests ‘what goes up, must come down’ and deal volume in the sector tailed off considerably in the latter part of 2022, and early 2023, compared to the early post-Covid period, as economic realities such as interest rate rises kicked in.

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Criteo adds to the ongoing wave of ad tech layoffs

Ronan Shields — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 17:08:52 +0000

Amid speculation over its future, Criteo made cuts to its headcount last week, adding to a wave of cutbacks across the sector. This round of layoffs could serve as a prelude to a potential sale, according to some.

Murmurings of the cutbacks began to emerge last Wednesday, according to separate sources. One source, speaking on condition of anonymity, informed Digiday that individuals impacted by the cuts had their official email and Slack accounts closed beginning Feb. 15.

The layoffs were subsequently announced at a company all-hands meeting on Feb. 16, according to posts across social media, including on Twitter and LinkedIn. Precise details of which markets, departments or the exact number of people laid off at Criteo remain unclear. Although posts on Twitter and LinkedIn suggest teams on either side of the Atlantic are being downsized, affecting as much as 8% of the company’s headcount.

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People, Places, & Creating Innovative Spaces

anekola — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 17:00:34 +0000

Coronavirus restrictions have drastically limited the physical spaces that people can occupy while the struggle for racial justice has raised questions over who feels welcome in shared spaces. The shift to remote work and rising concerns over employee well-being created an opportunity for Audible to reimagine the workplace for COVID-19 and beyond. As a mission-driven company devoted to cultivating a sense of belonging both among its employees and with its local communities, Audible developed innovative ways of working to foster connection and collaboration across our global entities. In this session, two leaders from Audible will engage in a discussion on how they approached this challenge head-on to accelerate changes and create solutions to the question, “if space is virtual, what is our place?”

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Encouraging Work/Life Balance to Stave Off Burnout

anekola — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 17:00:31 +0000

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Communicating and Leading in a Crisis

anekola — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 17:00:25 +0000

Like many organizations, UNICEF USA has had to pivot its approach to respond to COVID-19. On top of supporting our workforce, the organization has been supporting UNICEF’s massive global response at the same time. In this session, hear from Unicef’s CMO, Shelley Diamond, as she walks us through how your brand is a mark of trust in a time of crisis and how to successfully pivot your organization’s communications strategy in a time of need. From communicating with partners on creative solutions for the public, and keeping up with the intense local and political news trends, while tapping into your own opportunities of support.

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Google is increasingly turning to resellers as it conducts the largest round of layoffs in its history

Ronan Shields — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 16:55:14 +0000

Alphabet today has confirmed that it plans to cut 12,000 jobs, reportedly the largest round of layoffs in its history, a development that comes as advertisers note a gradual shift in how Google deals with its largest paying customers.

The Google parent company ended weeks of speculation with confirmation of the job losses, amounting to 6% of its workforce, implemented to deal with the “economic reality… we face today,” according to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai.

In a blog post, he claimed such measures, which echo similar cutbacks from its Big Tech cohorts, were made “to sharpen our focus, reengineer our cost base, and direct our talent and capital to our highest priorities.”

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Identity Resolution Post Cookie

anekola — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 14:38:25 +0000

As buyers wrestle with competitors on how to win over new business since the elimination of the third- party cookie, business leaders are making predictions on how to capitalize in this changed marketplace. In this session, hear from Tom Grant, svp of programmatic platforms and operations at Havas on his assessment of the opportunities and challenges among competitors developing ID solutions and what he anticipates will be required to win over new business.

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Conquering E-Sports: The BMW Approach

anekola — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 03:23:28 +0000

In this session, head of e-sports at BMW, Pia Schoerner will take us through a case study about how BMW has approached the gaming and e-sports sphere including the brand’s #UnitdInRivalry iniative.

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Will the surge in video viewing survive Covid?

anekola — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 03:23:22 +0000

Working and going to school from home during the Covid-19 pandemic delivered a big boost in video views across nearly every device and vertical. Will it continue in a post-Covid world? Join Brightcove Principal Analyst Jim O’Neill for a data-driven look at how the pandemic influenced video growth in 2020 and what we’re likely to see in the next two years.

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