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☆ Ad giant IPG's data arm Kinesso has gone through an executive exodus, and the unit faces an uncertain future
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ad giant IPG is shaking up its data and tech arm Kinesso, and many of the unit's top execs have left. The move comes as IPG looks to cut costs from specialty services like data, a source said. Several top executives at ad agency holding group Interpublic Group's data and technology arm Kinesso have left, and now the unit faces an uncertain future, Insider has learned. IPG launched Kinesso in 2019 as a big bet on pitching marketers additional services that go beyond making and buying ads. Acxiom will remain a standalone unit that will provide data products and services to all of IPG's agencies, the source added.

Persons: IPG, Kinesso, Acxiom, Arun Kumar, Ian Johnson, Kimber Robbins, Nancy Hall, Hall, Philippe Krakowsky, Krakowsky, IPG's, they've, Dentsu, Merkle Organizations: Global, WPP, Mindshare, Reprise, UM, Agency, Epsilon Locations: Mediabrands

☆ How the generative A.I. boom could forever change online advertising
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Meta, Alphabet and Amazon , the leaders in online advertising, are all betting generative AI will eventually be core to their businesses. In May, Meta announced its AI Sandbox testing suite for companies to more easily use generative AI software to create background images and experiment with different advertising copy. However, Shaked said he's "not sold on the creative piece yet," regarding Meta's nascent foray into providing generative AI tools for advertisers. Jay Pattisall, an analyst at Forrester, said several major hurdles prevent generative AI from having a major immediate impact on the online ad industry. Stacy Reed, an online advertising and Facebook ads consultant, is currently incorporating generative AI into her daily work.

Persons: Sebastien Bozon, ChatGPT, Shane Rasnak, Rasnak, Cristina Lawrence, Lawrence, Mark Zuckerberg, Andrew Caballero, Reynolds, Yarden Shaked, Shaked, Jay Pattisall, Forrester, Pattisall, Reddit, Scott McKelvey, OpenAI, McKelvey, that's, Meta, Stacy Reed, it's, Reed, they've, Ryan Reynolds Organizations: AFP, Getty, Facebook, Twitter, CNBC, Meta, Meta's, Georgetown University, Bloomberg News, Mint Mobile, Social Locations: Utah, San Francisco, Washington

☆ I'm an American millennial who quit a rewarding career to join a French company that offers great work-life balance
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Madison Taylor is a millennial living in Las Vegas and working in marketing. She works for a French company because she prefers its policies on travel, education, and time off. Her boss' support of work-life balance was something she'd never experienced before. Taylor said she appreciates its "French policies" and the ability to work from home. My boss's support of work-life balance was something I'd never experiencedTaylor says the company support has improved her mental health.

Persons: Madison Taylor, she'd, —, Taylor, I'd, I've, We're, It's, we're Organizations: Service, Publicis Groupe Locations: Las Vegas, Paris, France, Chicago, Canada

☆ Exclusive: NielsenIQ's GfK deal set for conditional EU antitrust approval
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, June 28 (Reuters) - Advent-owned NielsenIQ is set to secure EU antitrust clearance for its proposed acquisition of German market research firm GfK on the condition GfK sells its consumer panel business, people familiar with the matter said. U.S. consumer market research company NielsenIQ, which is present in more than 90 markets covering more than 90% of the world's population, announced the deal a year ago. GfK's consumer panel business covers 122,500 households and 1,800 retailers, with its data showing patterns, trends and predictions. The European Commission, which is scheduled to complete its preliminary review of the deal by July 4, declined to comment. The list includes French peer Ipsos, the UK's Kantar, YouGov, Dynata, Circana, Omnicon Group, Publicis Group, Cision and private equity firms such as H.I.G.

Persons: Ipsos, Foo Yun Chee, Jan Harvey, Barbara Lewis Organizations: European Commission, EU, Omnicon, Publicis, Equity, Bregal, Oakley, Symphony Technology, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, TowerBrook, Equistone

☆ Alibaba founder Jack Ma is 'alive' and 'happy,' top exec says after China's tech crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

In this article BABABABA Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNTAlibaba founder Jack Ma is "happy," according to the company's President Michael Evans. Costfoto | Future Publishing | Getty ImagesPARIS — Alibaba founder Jack Ma is "alive" and "happy," the Chinese e-commerce giant's president said Thursday, after speculation continues about the billionaire's activities following Beijing's intense crackdown on his tech empire. He's well, he's happy. He's teaching at a university in Tokyo, spending more time in China," Alibaba President Michael Evans said at the Viva Tech conference in Paris. He cares ... as much about this company today, as he did when he started, and I expect that that will continue for as long as Alibaba and Jack Ma are here.

Persons: BABA BABA, Jack Ma, Michael Evans, Te, Alibaba, Jack, Ma, Maurice Levy Organizations: Getty, PARIS, Viva Tech, Ant Locations: Tokyo, China, Paris, Beijing

☆ A year ago, I sold my ad agency to a new type of agency holding company. Here are the things I wish I knew before.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Ryan Joe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

One year ago, the ad agency Mekanism was bought by PE-backed holding company Plus Company. The ad agency Mekanism sold one year ago to the Canadian holding company Plus Company, which is backed by the private equity firm CVC Capital Partners. But as far as bosses go, not only is Plus Company CEO Brett Marchand really smart, I like him as a person. There are also holding companies that use a new model, like S4 and DEPT, where you become part of one big group. Due diligence was like "getting a couple of colonoscopies a week"I looked into CVC, the private-equity company that funds Plus Company.

Persons: Mekanism, Jason Harris, I've, Brett Marchand, hasn't, we'd, it's, They'd, We're, haven't, Brett, They're Organizations: PE, Plus Company, Capital Partners, Plus, Publicis, WPP, CVC, Company Locations: colonoscopies

☆ Use this 'superpower' to improve your business and your life, CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Fears of new tech like artificial intelligence — and its implication for jobs — are on the rise, but one CEO thinks technology is actually a superpower. Nigel Vaz, CEO of digital consultancy Publicis Sapient, explained that it was the rise of computers that helped him unlock his potential. Discovering computers "changed everything" for him — but he wasn't the first to see the power and potential of technology. "I was surrounded as a child by comic books," Vaz explained. Vaz said that he believes it's not just comic book heroes that can use technology as a superpower.

Persons: Nigel Vaz, Sapient, CNBC's, " Vaz, it's, Nigel Vaz's

☆ 10 Things in Tech: A French Gigafactory, Google's WFH crackdown, and Tesla's bioweapon defense mode
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Speculation is rife ahead of Elon Musk's trip to Paris, where he's due to attend the VivaTech conference next week. The video platform is aiming to challenge the tech giant by quadrupling its ecommerce business, according to a Bloomberg report. Musk has repeatedly criticized OpenAI's relationship with tech giant Microsoft. The tech giant is planning to include attendance figures in performance reviews, according to an internal email sent on Wednesday, which was seen by Insider. Tesla drivers are using the car's bioweapon defense mode to escape wildfire smoke.

Persons: Nathan Rennolds, let's, Clive Mason, Tesla, Elon, Marc Benioff, Dan Schulman, Bernard Arnault, Maurice Lévy, Sam Altman, Elizabeth Frantz, Morgan Stanley, TikTok, Musk, Altman, Tesla's, Ted Lasso, Keeley, Lionel Messi, Getty, Simon Bruty, he's, Messi, Brandon Baum, Instagram, Hallam Bullock Organizations: Google, Getty, Twitter, Reuters, Big Tech, Amazon, Bloomberg, Elon, Microsoft, Economic, Juno, Messi, Inter Miami —, YouTube Locations: London, WFH, France, Paris, Southeast Asia, Miami

☆ With talk of a Tesla Gigafactory coming to France, Elon Musk heads to the country's biggest tech event
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Alistair Barr | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The tech billionaire has said Tesla is hoping to make a major investment in the country. Next week, Musk has a chance to tackle both. Musk getting on stage with the chairman of Publicis at Vivatech should help Twitter's cause here, unless the tech billionaire says the wrong thing. After that gathering, Musk said Tesla was looking to make a significant investment in the country. By the way, Insider advertising reporter Lara O'Reilly will be at Vivatech too next week.

Persons: Elon Musk, Tesla, Elon, Musk, He's, Maurice Lévy, Linda Yaccarino, WPP's GroupM, Emmanuel Macron, Lara O'Reilly Organizations: Tesla, Twitter, The New York Times, Times, Renault, Peugeot Locations: Paris, Vivatech, France, Germany

☆ These 18 top Netflix execs are driving its advertising push under head Jeremi Gorman as the company makes its first big TV upfronts pitch
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Peter Naylor, VP of global advertising salesPeter Naylor, VP, global advertising sales. Netflix has also brought on several directors and other roles in ad sales who've worked at Hulu, Snap, and elsewhere. They are Kinsey Osberg Tamberrino, who is Publicis' main point of contact, and who spent eight years at Hulu, rising to director of advertising sales. Chad Rumminger, who focuses on automotive accounts, from automotive ad sales at Twitter. Julie Taylor Green is head of US vertical ad sales; she was TikTok's director of global business solutions before that.

Musk revealed those plans on Tuesday at the company's annual meeting, an about-face for the celebrity executive who recently acquired social media platform Twitter. Musk told CNBC he did not yet have a "fully formed strategy" for Tesla advertising. Tesla spent $151,947 on advertising in the U.S. in 2022, according to advertising intelligence firm Vivvix, which measured ads across places including TV, social media, Web banners and billboards. Diaz-Ortiz is a former Twitter manager who has written books about the social media company. Thomas Martin, senior portfolio manager at Tesla shareholder Globalt Investments, sees Musk's embrace of advertising as a positive.

This year, advertisers and ad agencies may well use the strike as a bargaining tool, said Erin Firneno, vice president of business intelligence for researcher Advertiser Perceptions. The writers’ strike, which has entered its third week, is also injecting a new element of uncertainty for ad buyers, at a time when television viewership is declining and the possibility of recession looms. While the TV networks have long contended with splintered viewership amid the rise of social media and streaming, the writers' strike puts content production at risk, said Rishad Tobaccowala, a former executive at advertising and public relations giant Publicis Groupe and advisor on business transformation. Last year, NBC’s upfront presentation emphasized star power as the network returned to a live event after a COVID-19-imposed hiatus. Ahead of the upfront presentations, media executives sought to reassure investors about the strike’s impact.

☆ News startup Messenger launches with Trump 'exclusive' while advertisers expressed skepticism ahead of debut: 'We can't have another Quibi'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Jimmy Finkelstein's startup The Messenger launched today with a Trump interview leading the site. Advertisers said it'll be tough to sell ads on a site without an established audience. The site led with an interview with former President Donald Trump and ads from the American Petroleum Institute. The Messenger said it'll roll out seven other verticals including business, entertainment, and sports later in the year. Image from The Messenger's launch ad campaign.

☆ The Messenger, Jimmy Finkelstein's digital news startup, meets advertiser skepticism ahead of May 15 launch: 'We can't have another Quibi'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Jimmy Finkelstein's startup The Messenger will roll out an ad campaign touting its mission to provide unbiased news. An ad campaign by Publicis unit Le Truc will kick off May 22 and is designed to provoke, with copy like "Agendas are for meetings. Image from The Messenger's launch ad campaign. The Messenger said it'll have three to four big advertisers at launch as well as a significant amount of programmatic advertising. The Messenger's ad campaign promotes its ambitions to provide unbiased news.

☆ The CEOs of the world's biggest advertising companies just outlined how AI is about to transform their businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Advertising agency CEOs are eager to signal their companies' AI expertise to Wall Street. Speaking on this quarter's earnings calls, executives at the world's largest advertising agency groups also outlined some of their recent AI client projects and technology task forces. "What's changed over the last six months is the application of AI through generative AI into the creative process," Read said. Omnicom is running more than 20 projects where it combines Omnicom's historical data with GPT's automation technology, Wren said, though he didn't specify exactly how it was being deployed. That will require more creative assets, Sadoun said on the Publicis earnings call.

☆ Publicis Posts Better-Than-Expected Organic Growth as Ad Industry Appears Resilient
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Publicis Groupe SA expects to hit organic growth this year in the top half of its previously stated range of 3% to 5%. Photo: BENOIT TESSIER/REUTERSPublicis Groupe SA reported higher-than-expected organic growth of 7.1% in the first quarter, and the advertising holding company said demand for its services continues despite the choppy macroeconomic environment. Analysts expected 5.89% growth in the quarter, according to FactSet .

☆ Elon Musk says Twitter takeover has been 'painful' but the company is now 'roughly breakeven'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk Twitter account seen on Mobile with Elon Musk in the background on screen, seen in this photo illustration. Elon Musk says that Twitter is close to becoming cash-flow positive after making sharp layoffs and working to lure advertisers back to the platform. "I'd say we're roughly breakeven at this point," Musk said Wednesday, during a live interview with the BBC recorded on Twitter Spaces. Musk said that Twitter will start removing blue checks from accounts without a subscription to the company's paid Twitter Blue service next week. Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion in late October after a drawn-out legal battle with the company.

☆ As competition for the $45 billion retail media market heats up, one of its biggest players is expanding beyond advertising to stay on top
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Retail firm Pacvue is expanding beyond advertising. The firm made its name in e-commerce advertising but will now pitch advertisers on retail tech used to manage sales. Retail adtech firm Pacvue is moving beyond retail advertising, an industry that will be worth $45 billion in the US this year, according to Insider Intelligence, Insider's sister companyFour-year-old Pacvue is one of the biggest players in this space, handling $150 billion in gross merchandise value for retailers. At the same time, traditional adtech firms like Pubmatic, Magnite, and The Trade Desk are rolling out retail media products, creating even more retail media tools that brands must navigate. Pacvue is also expanding beyond retail media because it recognizes that there is a ceiling on how much brands will spend on retail advertising.

☆ Best Buy, Walmart, other major US retailers tout health services
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Katherine Masters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Electronics retailer Best Buy recently kicked off a partnership with Atrium Health, part of Advocate Health, one of the country’s largest nonprofit hospital systems, Best Buy Chief Executive Officer Corie Sue Barry announced Thursday on a call with analysts. The partnership combines Atrium's hospital-at-home program with Best Buy’s technological services, she said. Best Buy Chief Financial Officer Matthew Bilunas, however, predicted continued growth of the company's health services would contribute to gross profit rate expansion even as it anticipates cooling demand throughout 2023. "The role of technology within health care is becoming more important than ever, and our strategy is to enable care at home for everyone," Barry said. New sign-ups for Best Buy's health services are expected to help drive a 40 to 70 basis point improvement in gross margins this year, despite lower sales.

☆ Want Better Customer Service? Join the (Membership) Club
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Katie Deighton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Others such as online travel agent Booking.com and Sony Group Corp.’s PlayStation provide priority customer service for high-ranking members of their loyalty programs. Other companies that offer premium customer support also say the perk is often a small part of more comprehensive packages, and that its introduction doesn’t mean their standard customer service is lacking. “We’ve always provided fantastic customer service, but what we added was another layer on top of that,” said Genaro Perez, senior vice president of marketing for P.F. Other companies offer priority customer service to customers who have ascended to the upper tiers of loyalty programs that do not cost extra to join. The strategy may help profits, but could create the perception that “free” customer service is low-quality and amplify inequality by deprioritizing lower-income customers, she said.

☆ MediaMath seemed destined for a $1B fairy-tale exit. Instead, most early investors got nothing.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

At its Halloween party in 2015, the adtech startup MediaMath seemed on the brink of greatness. The machine-learning revolution that took over the financial industry was finally happening in marketing, and many industry insiders considered MediaMath to be the hottest adtech company of the time. "We never came close to consummating such a deal with MediaMath nor entertained the purported valuation," said a representative for Singtel. The Trade Desk, the most comparable independent DSP company to MediaMath, was riding high after its 2016 initial public offering. The quasi-equity agreement was structured to protect Searchlight if MediaMath didn't perform to certain quotas or if things went south financially.

☆ WPP, Like Ad-Company Rivals, Says It Expects 2023 Growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

WPP PLC is the latest major advertising holding company to say it expects continued growth in 2023 as clients keep spending on its services. PREVIEWWPP said like-for-like revenue less pass-through costs increased 6.9% in 2022 and 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Total revenue in 2022 was £14.4 billion, equivalent to about $17.3 billion, while revenue less pass-through costs was £11.8 billion. Chief Executive Mark Read said that consumers have continued to spend, and clients have continued to invest in their brands. Omnicom Group Inc. and Publicis Groupe SA both said they expect organic revenue growth this year of 3% to 5%.

☆ Publicis Sapient teams up with Oscar winning director Ben Proudfoot
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Tania Bryer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailPublicis Sapient teams up with Oscar winning director Ben Proudfoot"Never Done" is the first of three non-branded films commissioned by Publicis Sapient. CNBC's Tania Bryer attends a screening of the film in London to find out more about the way it was produced.

☆ How brands and top artists collaborate
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Tania Bryer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow brands and top artists collaboratePublicis Sapient has commissioned a new piece of art to hang in its offices. CNBC's Tania Bryer meets the artist, Nic Mac, to find out more.

☆ 6 ways shopping sites trick you into buying more
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Avery Hartmans | Danni Santana | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Online retailers use psychological tricks and tools to get consumers to make purchases. But we're shopping online now more than ever before, and these subtle nudges are starting to feel more widespread. Buy online, pick up in storeBuy online, pick up instore was all the rage during the pandemic. So much of how we shop and make purchase decisions is subconscious, he said, and while you may rationally know that scarcity is a marketing tactic, your subconscious doesn't. Tips for avoiding retailers' marketing tricksJust being aware of these marketing tactics isn't enough to protect you from them, Goldberg said.

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