Discussion on Cultural Shifts and Obstacles with Leah Meranus from Dentsu X on The Speed of Culture Podcast
Innovative Advertisers Embrace Digital Media and Consumer-Focused Strategies
Twenty years ago, Leah Meranus inadvertently embarked on a career in media with advertisers limited to TV, radio, and print channels. Today, the landscape is vastly different, with numerous digital platforms catering to diverse consumer behaviors and fierce competition. Recently on The Speed of Culture podcast, Meranus and host Matt Britton discussed the intersection of consumer behavior and market trends, examining the evolution of media consumption from traditional channels to digital platforms such as social media, streaming services, and online video.
The podcast episode titled How Holiday Shopping Trends Impact 2023 Retail Spending delved into the shift advertisers must make from traditional tactics to an experience design approach to stay ahead in this rapidly evolving digital era. Throughout her career, Meranus has worked with clients in various industries, including retail, beauty, luxury, QSR/CDR, gaming, and electronics. During her tenure at Initiative, the agency was recognized as Adweek's U.S. Media Agency of the Year.
Listeners can stream the new episode below or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Key takeaways from the episode reveal insights into Dentsu X's brand strategies and marketing tactics.
- The unique culture at Dentsu X sets it apart from other agencies, with a focus on investing in employees and fostering a conducive environment that attracts rising talent eager to diversify their skills and become experts in multiple areas.
- TV remains a part of a comprehensive marketing strategy despite the shift in format and dwindling ratings and demand. Marketers currently treat TV as a long-form video product and are curious about how app fatigue will impact the medium in 2023.
- Blockchain technology holds promise for interoperability, efficiency, and accountability, but many marketers are still awaiting the takeoff of Web3 and blockchain. Despite early hype, Web3 did not gain widespread adoption as quickly as anticipated, and it is expected to take some time to reach viability.
- Gaming is a rapidly growing $300 billion industry. Companies eagerly embrace gaming opportunities, recognizing the potential for significant growth, similar to many marketing agencies partnering with software companies for enhanced analytics capabilities. Dentsu X recently collaborated with Twitch and Frameplay, and formed a new partnership with GWI, a market research firm.
In the digital age, innovative advertisers adapt through a combination of technology, creativity, and consumer-centric tactics. These strategies incorporating AI-driven hyper-personalization and automation, authentic and short-form content tailored for digital consumption, interactive and real-time adaptive experiences, and priority on digital video and connected TV platforms help brands cut through advertising clutter, forge meaningful connections with consumers, and optimize campaign effectiveness in a dynamic and complex media landscape. Key details such as AI enhancing programmatic advertising for better performance, decreasing attention spans favoring short-form video content, and click-through rates soaring with real-time adaptive experiences emphasize the strategic importance of these trends for advertisers.
- In the digital era, Leah Meranus' innovative advertising strategies incorporate AI-driven hyper-personalization, authentic and short-form content, interactive experiences, and priority on digital video and connected TV platforms.
- Dentsu X, setting itself apart from other agencies, invests in employees and fosters an environment that attracts rising talent, enabling them to diversify skills and become experts in multiple areas.
- Blockchain technology holds potential for interoperability, efficiency, and accountability in advertising, but widespread adoption of Web3 and blockchain is still awaited.
- The gaming industry, a rapidly growing $300 billion sector, attracts companies seeking significant growth, similar to marketing agencies partnering with software companies for enhanced analytics capabilities. Dentsu X recently collaborated with Twitch, Frameplay, and GWI, a market research firm.
