Media Spotlight: VP Interactive, Cheryl Rogers Ill

Editor’s note: “Media Spotlight” is an ongoing series where we interview the wide range of professionals that make up our growing office. From the traditional media planners to our digital buyers, you’ll gain insight into the many levels that make up Media Works Ltd. This week we interview VP Interactive, Cheryl Rogers Ill.

How long have you been working in media/ advertising?

 I have been in the media industry since 1994 where I started as a media assistant for a political media buying firm.   At the time, I had no media experience, but the owner hired me because I had been a server at a restaurant.  To him, that meant I had the ability to manage my time, work as a team and interface with clients.  And that was my start.  From there, I went to work for a few full service agencies.  Then, in 2008 I came to Media Works.

Can you describe a day in your life at Media Works?

Since coming to Media Works, I have had the opportunity to work on many different categories from Healthcare, Automotive, Education and CPG.  While the majority of my responsibilities are research, planning and buying digital media, I have a strong background in traditional media.  I feel like this gives me the ability to see how both traditional and digital media work and how they can work together.  I’m so fortunate that I have been able to break into the digital space.  Digital media continues to grow.  Six years ago, we had to prove why clients should be in this space.  Now, some kind of digital media is always included.  The digital landscape is constantly changing and it is very exciting.

What are some of the challenges of your position?

One of the biggest changes is keeping up with the new media opportunities – a lot which stem from technology and data.  The next challenge is then trying to explain how this technology and data work together to reach their target audience.  In the digital space, it is more than just demographics.  With data and technology, an advertiser can reach a thirty year old woman with a 2 year old in the house and has an intent to purchase diapers.  Another challenge is mobile.  This space continues to provide our clients with an opportunity to reach their consumers, but we need to help them on how to do that and make is successful.  What works on the desktop does not necessarily work on a smartphone.

What’s your all-time favorite ad campaign? What made it special?

I wouldn’t say that I have an all-time favorite ad campaign.  And while many campaigns have a lot of legs to them that go across platforms, there are a few TV commercials that still make me laugh when I think of them.  One is the “Fishy-Fishy” TV spot that McDonald’s ran last year during Lent and the other one is the Geico “Hump-Day” commercial with the camel.  These commercials were silly and made me laugh.

What advice would you offer to someone looking to get into the advertising industry?

I would recommend internships to figure out what you want to do.  There are some many different departments.  Then within the departments there could be many specializations.  Ask questions.  Volunteer if asked.  Work on new business if given the opportunity.

What’s something that no one knows about you?

I took piano lessons for many years.   I wish I had not given it up when I was a junior in high school.  My parents still have my piano.  Maybe one day I will pick it up again.

Traditional Media: Remixed

Within our ever changing media world it is a challenge sometimes to keep up with the latest advertising platforms. It seems as if every week there is a new app, digital medium etc. to research, digest and see if it would best fit your client. This is an exciting time for buyers, slowly going are the days of traditional mediums across all buys. However, our traditional mediums are still relevant, successful and used in my day to day buying. With the amount of traditional buying that is still done we have to think of different ways to” beef up”, for example, a radio buy and really think about our audiences’ behaviors and how they are changing and consuming advertisements.

I recently read an article called, Why Marketers Need To Rethink Radio Audiences Now. The article really spoke more to the tasks I do daily for our clients. I still spend most of my time carefully creating TV, Radio and Print buys. However, we are constantly looking for ways to connect not only with our audience through a :60 radio spot but adding elements to “beef up” that spot and make it become more interactive since we live in a world where people are constantly moving and interacting.

In this article the author references how successful Dunkin’ Donuts was with a recent campaign that wanted to promote ticket giveaways for its “Caught Cold” concert series. They wanted to use radio and knew from research who, how and when they wanted to target them. However, it was not just: 60 radio spots but included a call to action from their DJ’s to utitlize DD’s website, play a game and enter to win tickets to one of the five concerts. Pre-roll promotional video, announcements via social media and call-to-action banner ads helped with the promotion. At the concert, there were many other assets that promoted the “Caught Cold” product.

With all of these elements that gave “legs” to their radio spot the campaign was an enormous success. The point is, in order to truly engage your radio audiences today we need to use those loyal listeners to then move between media — posting on Facebook, checking email, uploading photos to Instagram or Pinterest, and utilizing their cell phones. In conclusion clients that want to reach and engage their particular audience need to be all of these places.

Media Spotlight: Media Buyer/Planner, Jennifer Pupshis

Editor’s note: “Media Spotlight” is an ongoing series where we interview the wide range of professionals that make up our growing office. From the traditional media planners to our digital buyers, you’ll gain insight into the many levels that make up Media Works Ltd. This week we interview Media Buyer/Planner, Jennifer Pupshis.

How long have you been working in media/ advertising?

I have been in the media/advertising business for almost 14 years now.  My first job in the business, after college, was at this amazing Media Buying boutique called Media Works 🙂

Can you describe a day in your life at Media Works?

A day in the life at Media Works is never the same – that’s for sure.  Even though we all have our own assigned client lists we tend to work in teams helping each other out when needed.  You ‘d be hard pressed to come into a quiet Media Works where the phones aren’t going crazy or there isn’t at least 3 meetings going on at once.  The constant activity and team atmosphere are only a couple of reasons some of us have been here for so long.

What are some of the challenges of your position?

The challenges of being a media buyer or planner in today’s society are that the media landscape is more fragmented and changing every day.  A media plan isn’t a mix of radio, TV, and print anymore.  Along with the traditional vehicles we always have to be on top of and consider mobile, social and as well as all other advertising opportunities.

What’s your all-time favorite ad campaign? What made it special?

My favorite executed ad campaign (that I’ve worked on) over the years is probably the Baltimore Area Jiffy Lube Local Owner campaign.  Not only were we able to make the Jiffy Lube owners local celebrities but we were also able to tie in each owners local charity with the CBS Radio Friends and Neighbors van.  The fact that we were able to provide the Jiffy Lube owners a way to give back more to their communities is what made this campaign so special.

What advice would you offer to someone looking to get into the advertising industry?

If someone is looking to break into the advertising industry the best piece of advice I can offer is to start at the bottom and work your way up.  A better buyer/planner knows how to do their own invoicing, pre-log times, posting, etc.  There really is no better way to learn the business then from the ground up!  Your future assistants will thank you 🙂

What’s something that no one knows about you?

This is a tough question because I am such an open book!  However, one thing that people might not know about me is that I wanted to be a journalist – the next Barbara Walters.  It only took one elective advertising course in college to change my mind!

New York, New York: Recap From The 4A’s Data Summit

The 4A’s hosted their first ever Data Summit in New York on Wednesday Oct 16^th with a jam packed agenda corresponding to the growing trend in big data and how it is evolving the advertising industry.

I was skeptical at first that the conference would dive so deep into the numbers that the strategy side of data would be lost.  To my surprise, I spent a wonderful day listening to numerous industry leaders, technology companies, and even a data scientist who impressed me with his knowledge on the wide world of data.  Here’s a brief look at my top 5 takeaways from the day:

1.  Data and Privacy – there was a lively debate about privacy issues as it relates to data collecting and who is really being harmed in the process.  I think as long as we give the consumer a choice we can stay in front of strict regulations.  Clients want to build trust with their consumer, even more so today than ever, so if we are transparent with them we can make their ad experience better and more relevant.
2. Programmatic Buying – the panel started out with a real time media trade and ended with a lively panel discussing this hot topic.  Data is allowing us to shift our thoughts from media buying to audience buying in a way we could never do before.  Real time trading allows machines to do the work faster than a human could and with a new resurgence of this concept higher quality placements and reach are at your fingertips.  I feel in an area where inventory can be limitless such as the web the trading desk can succeed but in an area where inventory is so limited such as TV and cable it will be hard to move to this model in the near future.
3.  Facebook as a solutions provider – Facebook is committed to moving their advertising offerings to the next step and provide clients with real ROI on their business outcomes.  They are focused on providing advertising solutions for the mobile space since people are checking their phone on average 100 x a day.  It will be interesting to watch this next progression with Facebook since up until now it has been more focused on engagement metrics.
4. Creativity comes from everywhere – media, data, creative, and technologist all need to come together to find solutions for clients to reach their audience.  We need to look to transform our own business to break down any silos that prohibit creative thinking.  The customer has to be in the center and we need to follow them on how they interact with a brand and what technology they use to do that.  We need to consider how a consumer connects with their multiple screens and devise a creative strategy for the context of that device.
5. Future trends to keep an eye on – a representative from Goldman Sachs presented an enlightening snapshot at how Wall Street values big data.  They believe ad dollars will continue to shift online and that programmatic buying will continue to grow.  They predict a time when their will be frictionless buying across traditional and digital platforms.  (Can we say hallelujah!)  They believe the visualization of the web will continue as well as growth with companies leveraging first party data (Facebook, Amazon, LinkedIn).

In the end the trip was a HUGE success and we learned so much. Thanks to the 4A’s for putting this conference together. We can’t wait to come back up next year.

Media Spotlight: Vice President, Megan Olson

Editor’s note: “Media Spotlight” is an ongoing series where we interview the wide range of professionals that make up our growing office. From the traditional media planners to our digital buyers, you’ll gain insight into the many levels that make up Media Works Ltd. This week we interview Vice President, Megan Olson

How long have you been working in media/advertising?: I started working for a Media Buying firm during my Senior year of College and they hired me full-time after I graduated. From there, I worked as a Media Director at a full service agency, then went to a bigger full service agency, and now I’m at Media Works! About 15 years, all in all.

Can you describe a day in your life at Media Works?: The best part about working for Media Works is that most every day is different! Some days, I come in and work on a project for an existing client, while other days I get to work on a New Business project. Sometimes I have internal meetings and sometimes I have meetings out of the office. And, there are days when I have to do a ton of paperwork, yet other days I’m knee-deep in a PPT for a presentation. It’s nice to have that kind of variety, but at the end of the day, my job is to oversee my accounts and make sure our clients are happy!

What are some of the challenges of your position?: Time – there’s never enough time! Also, I think it’s tough to make every client I work with feel like they are the ONLY client I work with.

What’s your all-time favorite ad campaign? What made it special?: My husband and I were both graphic design/art majors, so we are always moved by a good, visually appealing ad campaign. For that reason, I’d have to say that my favorite current campaign is the Sherwin Williams paint commercials that uses animated paint chips and the slogan “Where will color take you?” If we are watching something on TV and the spot comes on, we always stop to appreciate it, and even rewind it if we’re DVR-ing through the pod.

Can you name a recent campaign/commercial that you would’ve done differently? WWMWD?: I harken back to Terrell Suggs’ early days as a Baltimore Raven, when he was promoting Price Busters with his famous line, “That’s Whazzup!” The graphics were bad, the copy was bad, and were it not for T. Sizzle and his ridiculous tagline, I might look upon Price Busters as a place to buy furniture. Instead, it made me laugh at the brand and wonder how much they paid him to be in the spots. Sometimes, using a local sports celebrity is not the best way to sell product. Stick with what you’re good at – selling your product – and try to find unique ways of doing it.

What advice would you offer to someone looking to get into the advertising industry?: Work your way up. Start as an intern or an assistant and learn the ropes. Volunteer to take on any task and do it well. When a project comes up, ask to work on it. Learn from those around you and always ask questions. And remember that at the end of the day, we’re in advertising…it’s supposed to be fun!

What’s something that no one knows about you?:  One of my most prized possessions is an autographed bank receipt with Cal Ripken Jr.’s signature on it. So, when I see him in Atwater’s next door, it makes me swoon inside. J

Brands Use Snapchat as an Innovative Marketing Tool

It seems Snapchat is no longer for funny selfies sent between friends.  Snapchat, the popular photo and video sharing app for mobile, has become a phenomenon among teenagers and adults alike. Why all the hype?  It is faster than sending multi-media messages via text and you can choose how many friends you send it to and for how long. The best part of the app? After the time is up, the picture disappears, unless the receiver screenshots it, in which Snapchat will notify you.

So with over 350 million snaps sent every day between users, it was only a short amount of time before brands jumped on the bandwagon. I first heard of brands using Snapchat in a Vocus blog post discussing a frozen yogurt chain 16 Handles, a clothing e-tailer Karmaloop, and Taco Bell all taking part in using Snapchat for marketing purposes. With a majority of brands using Twitter and Facebook to reach consumers, Snapchat may be the way for brands to stand out in the crowded market place.

Another brand using Snapchat, which I discovered on my own Instagram timeline, is the makeup brand NARS. The brand posted an image with the caption “Follow @NARSissist on Snapchat to peep the upcoming NARS Guy Bourdin collection at 12PM EST today!” Over 1,500 Instagram users liked the photo, and went to Snapchat to add the brand. The brand showed a 3-second video of the new collection, generating buzz on other social media sites. There has been no further Snapchats from the brand, but with such success, I’m sure users will be getting another Snap soon.

For brands looking to use Snapchat as a marketing tool, sending out coupons, introducing new products and posting images to generate buzz are all smart tactics. You’ve only got up to 10 seconds to make an impression, so use it wisely.

With brands showing interest in the photo and video sharing app, will Snapchat begin selling advertisements? Or will brands want to stick to the more personal use of Snapchat? With the announcement that Instagram will begin ads, who knows what is next for Snapchat.

Sources: http://www.vocus.com/blog/snapchat-marketing/ http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/09/tech/mobile/snapchat-techcrunch-disrupt/index.html http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-image-of-the-week/nars-uses-snapchat-to-release-preview-of-new-collection/

Media Spotlight: Ryan Trott, Media Buyer

Editor’s note: “Media Spotlight” is an ongoing series where we interview the wide range of professionals that make up our growing office. From the traditional media planners to our digital buyers, you’ll gain insight into the many levels that make up Media Works Ltd. This week we interview Media Buyer, Ryan Trott

How long have you been working in media/ advertising?

I have been working in the advertising industry for 4 years. Starting as the Business/Sponsorship Manager at my college radio station (WVYC – York College of PA). In my senior year of college I held internships with the Promotions Department at 98 Rock and the Marketing/PR Department at the Baltimore Arena. After graduating from College a little more than 2 years ago I began my career at Media Works as an Assistant Buyer.

Can you describe a day in your life at Media Works?

Every day has its own obstacles but usually includes a mix of planning, researching, invoicing and looking forward to lunch. One of the upsides to working in advertising is that you are constantly working on several projects in different phases at once. If you get burnt out on one, you can take a break, focus on something else for a few hours and come back with a fresh look.

What are some of the challenges of your position?

The biggest challenge is keeping up with the rapidly evolving media landscape. There are always new options popping up, the challenge is testing the effectiveness of these options and deciding if they fit in our campaign or not.

What’s your all-time favorite ad campaign? What made it special?

The All State Mayhem Commercials. What makes them special? They’re hilarious. They are funny but also effectively reinforce the importance of insurance coverage.

What advice would you offer to someone looking to get into the advertising industry?

Take internships, network and research. There are many niches within the advertising industry and its important to know what your options are. When I interned at the arena, I had the chance to work with promoters, buyers, creative people, public relations teams and account people. It really gave me some insight into where each of these roles fall within a campaign. Also, network and never burn any bridges. In my few years in advertising, I have noticed that everyone seems to know everyone else, so who you know and a good recommendation goes a long way.

What’s something that no one knows about you?

I have never tried a Slim Jim.

 

Too Soon for Holiday Ads?

With 96 days ‘til Christmas, most consumers are just coming out of the Back to School shopping season, and contemplating which costume to wear for Halloween. The thought of Thanksgiving turkey might be lingering in the back of our minds, but is anyone really thinking about Christmas yet?

K-Mart is banking on it. In fact, they rolled out their first Holiday ad on Sept. 8^th promoting their lay-away program with a “Don’t let the Holidays sneak up on you” message: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDSz7APFmAk

So when is it too early to advertise for the Holidays? Is it when the National Media picks up the story and weighs in, a la Today host Hoda Kotb? Is it when Facebook fans post negative comments:

Kmart isn’t the only one launching a Holiday campaign when temperatures are still in the 90’s. Walmart started promoting its layaway program a few days later. And, Target is expected to hit the market with its Holiday spots in early October.

Retailers believe getting a jump on the Holiday season will increase sales. And, with so many uncertainties with the economy, they’re willing to take the risk.

So, what do you think?

Is it too early to see Holiday advertising?

Download the Voto app to weigh in:

Media Spotlight: Elizabeth Furlong, Junior Media Buyer

Editor’s note: “Media Spotlight” is an ongoing series where we interview the wide range of professionals that make up our growing office. From the traditional media planners to our digital buyers, you’ll gain insight into the many levels that make up Media Works Ltd. This week we interview Junior Media Buyer, Elizabeth Furlong

How long have you been working in media/ advertising? 3 years – I was an advertising major in college and knew I wanted to get into media planning as soon as I graduated!

Can you describe a day in your life at Media Works? A good day or a bad day? (Just kidding!) We tend to make most of our buys on a quarterly basis, so the month before a quarter begins – December, March, June, September – is always a crazy time because we’ve just gotten budgets and are spending lots of time making phone calls, negotiating rates, placing orders, and tweaking dates. During periods that are not so hectic, we have more time to spend researching industry trends for our clients, investigating new media platforms, and holding brainstorming sessions. Billing and paperwork, trafficking creative to the correct outlets, and iced coffee are things that pretty much stay the same for me each day.

What’s your all-time favorite ad campaign? What made it special?

A few years ago, Ogilvy did a series of ads for Dove (“Evolution” and “Onslaught”) which drew attention to some of the issues with the way the beauty and cosmetic industries target girls and women. It’s a really interesting campaign and I liked the fact that Ogilvy and Dove highlighted an issue associated with advertising, through advertising. It goes to show that sometimes you just need to fight fire with fire.

What advice would you offer to someone looking to get into the advertising industry?

Get internships and try to get a better understanding of what part of the industry you want to be in. Do you like working with big concepts or are you more of a numbers and details person? Do you like working with people and shaking hands on a daily basis or are you more of a behind-the-scenes, “make-it-happen” person? There’s no right or wrong answer but it definitely helps to know when looking for jobs and going on interviews. I learned a lot about this working on group projects in college and that really helped me.

What’s something that no one knows about you?

I entered college as a biology major, and thought I wanted to be a doctor.

How To: Create a Successful Facebook Ad Campaign

People all over the world are spending more and more time on Facebook and other social media platforms. Being what I would call “the company Facebook expert”, I have decided to show my Facebook passion by sharing some insight with you. Knowing that each brand has different goals, let’s keep this very generic and start with the basics. Set aside your Facebook page for now and let’s just say you are a brand and you want your ads to show in the follow main placements.

There are many different types of Facebook ads, including your typical display ads as well as the popular ‘social ads’ that let you interact with the content. The display ads we are all very familiar with are the Right-hand side ads. The mobile and desktop News Feed ads are the more engaging ads and are fairly new.

The following tips are questions you need to ask yourself in order to create a successful Facebook ad campaign:

1. Who is your audience?

This is important because we want the ads served to people interested in your brand and therefore likely to click on your ad. You should know your audience for any type of advertisement. Fortunately, Facebook has many different demographics in order to help you reach your target. You can target based on geography, gender, age, birthday, education level, marital status, any hobbies, languages, and the list goes on. With Facebook you can really dig deep and get super specific in order to reach the right customer at the right time.

2. Is your image eye-catching?

Choose eye-catching, high quality, colorful images!  You will only have a few impressions to reach your target so make it count the first time. Stay away from the color blue because it blends with Facebook’s colors. Images with people in them seem to do very well. A good first impression always works.

3. Does your ad copy include a strong Call-to-Action?

You have caught the eye of the user with your flashy image so now what do you want them to do? In most cases we want them to CLICK on the ad, LIKE the ad or both. Make sure in your copy you express what they need to do in order to get more information about the ad. The most common CTA that I use is a “click here”, “apply now”, or “learn more” phrase. Or even better “Click here to apply now”.

Start with these three basic questions first in order to figure out which type of Facebook ad is necessary for your campaign.  Also keep in mind the goals of your campaign. Do you want more pages likes, new users, app installs, or just branded awareness? Lastly, make sure you start with multiple ads and test them to see which work the best. Play around with different ad combinations, images and placements and you’ll have yourself a great campaign in no time!