HIGHLIGHTS: September 2024
Welcome to Q4. Can you believe it's October already?
I'm excited to be attending Advertising Week in NYC this week and hope to see many of you around the event. I'll be moderating a really interesting panel called "Play it Forward: How Gaming Immersion Unlocks Player Attention". People much smarter than me will be sharing real-world insights from cutting-edge game activations. Panelists include...
Jordan Shlachter – Head of Gaming Business Success, Activision Blizzard Media
Najee Stephenson – Director, Media & Performance | CeraVe, L'Oréal
Pete Basgen – Global Gaming & Esports Lead, Wavemaker
It is sure to be an amazing session. I hope you'll join us and if you do, please stop by to say hi afterwards.
We're also entering crazy season in the advertising world, where all eyes are on executing holiday plans laid earlier this year while at the same time beginning the ramp to Super Bowl early next year. That's on top of the last minute budget swirl - and this year, we happen to have a major election just weeks away. Plus, AI continues to advance at a remarkable pace, leaving many struggling to keep up.
Take a deep breath. It'll be ok. Decompress and seek inspiration from the latest highlights at What's Next is Everything.
TOP EXAMPLES:
Qatar Airways' new AI campaign lets you star in your movie - Qatar Airways' new AI-driven campaign allows customers to "star" in their own personalized film by selecting scenes where AI models reflect their appearance, including facial features and skin tone.
The NFL's AI Innovation Hub is a testing ground for new marketing strategies - The NFL’s AI innovation hub is helping the league experiment with marketing strategies using cutting-edge technology. By applying AI and generative tools, the NFL can now deliver personalized content tailored to global audiences.
Le Pain Quotidien tests digital customer clones - Le Pain Quotidien is embracing AI to enhance customer engagement and operational efficiency through its new digital assistant, Alain.AI.
Kellanova’s RxBar Turns to Augmented Reality, TV Star to Motivate Consumers - RxBar, a Kellanova brand, has launched an augmented reality (AR) campaign featuring Matt James, a marathon runner and former star of "The Bachelor."
Twitch launches brand-customizable game in Fortnite - Twitch and Amazon Ads have introduced "The Glitch," a customizable in-game experience within Fortnite, aimed at engaging brands with the gaming community.
MOST INTERESTING DATA:
GenAI risks raise hackles on the brand side - A recent World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) survey highlights that 80% of global brands are concerned about how their agencies use generative AI, primarily due to legal (66%), ethical (51%), and reputational risks (49%). While 63% of brands have integrated generative AI into their marketing, nearly half admit they lack the expertise to maximize its potential.
AI-based paywall strategy increases conversions by 75% - Business Insider implemented an AI-driven paywall that increased conversions by 75%.
Also, for the last 5 months or so, I've been writing a weekly series for the 4A's called Noteworthy News. This is our attempt to make sense of the AI chaos by curating the most important AI news for agencies into an easy, quick read.
We just published our 20th edition, and to celebrate this milestone, we've assembled 20 of our favorite examples, mostly pulled from What's Next is Everything. But we also really want to hear from YOU, so we've also included a poll for readers to vote on their favorite examples. Check it out at the bottom of our 20th edition here. The top 5 examples will be revealed in a future edition - make your voice heard!
That's it for this month's recap. See you next time!
