Category: Marketing

Data Marketing Masterclass: How to Create Customer Lifetime Value [WATCH]

Posted on by SMW Staff

Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) is the idea of zooming out and building a wider view of your customers. Too often are marketers more interested in new clicks, conversions, and users, rather than focus on the importance of maintaining current customers, and optimizing their engagement with a product, service, or brand.

In the video below from our Facebook Live masterclass, hear from Joshua Neckes (President, Simon Data) where he explains the value of getting your data organized in one place to allow you to measure, experiment and optimize the LTV of consumers and their experience at all touch points.

Secure your spot in February of 2017 to join 2,000+ leaders in media, entertainment, and technology for a week of inspiring and educational events learning.

To Find Success on Snapchat, You Must Think of Your Audience First

Posted on by SMW Staff

We heard from a panel of four Snapchat experts, who discussed the “Best Brands on Snapchat.”

The panel included Sarah Epler (Senior Director of Social Media and Fan Engagement at MTV), Bridget Evans (Account Director at VaynerMedia), Aaron Wolfe (Social Media Specialist at American Airlines), Carla Zanoni (Executive Emerging Media Editor at The Wall Street Journal), and Jeremy Skule (Chief Marketing Officer at Nasdaq) was the moderator.

Jeremy began the panel by presenting the audience with some figures: Snapchat has about 100 million active users, there are about 400 million snaps taken every day, and it was the fastest growing social media platform of 2014. “It’s an important platform, and an emerging one,” said Jeremy. Each member of the panel emphasized Snapchat’s emergence as a story-telling platform.

Regarding their audience, Carla said that, “I think it’s a misunderstanding that young people aren’t interested in business and marketing. We’ve been happy to see an entrepreneurial and aspirational audience is interested in engaging with The Wall Street Journal.”

Also talking about engagement, Sarah, noted how MTV’s Snapchat audience will often call them out on other social media sites if their content feels too branded.

The panel then spoke about what it’s like managing a corporate brand on Snapchat. Aaron mentioned how “We like to think about putting out content that your friends would want to see. Are they going to want to see the big corporate, this is where we are sort of thing? Or are they going to want to see us in a city, actually enjoying that city?”

Read the full session recap at SMW News

Secure your spot in February of 2017 to join 2,000+ leaders in media, entertainment, and technology for a week of inspiring and educational events learning.

Need to Dig Deep Into Snapchat? Learn The Latest Trends At These 3 #SMWNYC Sessions

Posted on by Tyler Becker

Snapchat has an estimated 200 million monthly active users, and 100 million daily active users. It’s one of the most popular mobile apps for Millennials, Gen-Z, and even younger generations (30% of U.S. millennial internet users access Snapchat regularly). It’s so much more than a social network too. It’s truly an entertainment network.

It’s visual messaging, text messaging, mobile payments, art, comedy, storytelling, news, live event coverage, and a major advertising for brands and businesses across the world. 8,796 photos are shared on Snapchat every second, and Snapchat sees 6 billion video views every day. TO say the least, Snapchat is robust, and shows no signs of stopping (stats via DMR).

As Snapchat continues to expand and innovate, we want SMW New York attendees to learn everything there is to know in order to stay on top of its growth and capabilities. It’s not easy to fully understand everything there is to know about Snapchat, but a few events at SMW New York this month will teach you how to use it properly in business and in life.

Purchase your pass for SMW New York, and attend these three sessions that will dive deep into the world of Snapchat, and pull apart the many reasons why it’s a must-know platform for marketers and digital professionals.

1. The Best Brands on Snapchat

Hosted by Nasdaq • Tuesday 2/23 at 12:30PM • TimesCenter
Snapchat is the new battleground for the most innovative brands. Meet the marketers behind the ghost that are already crushing it on this emerging platform. Join Nasdaq, the bellwether for innovation, for an exciting chat with these Snapchat trailblazers, featuring executives from MTV, VaynerMedia, American Airlines, and The Wall Street Journal.

2. Atomization of Business: Content Strategies for Speed, Quality, and Efficiency

Hosted by Code and Theory • Wednesday 2/24 at 11:30AM • TimesCenter
As today’s brands, organizations, and governments confront the challenge of reaching multiple audiences with multiple stories, Atomization offers a playbook for producing content rapidly without sacrificing quality, reacting to popular news cycles with sensitivity, and injecting brands into culture with sincerity. Code and Theory Co-Founder, Dan Gardner, will introduce attendees to Atomization, and how today’s businesses take advantage of strategic opportunities via social media.

3. Snapchat: How Brands Can Effectively Market on the Platform

Hosted by VaynerMedia • Wednesday 2/24 at 12:00PM • SVA Theatre
There’s no doubt Snapchat is the hottest social media platform in 2016, and this masterclass will detail best practices for how brands can market on Snapchat. Attendees will walk away with answers to questions such as, “What makes Snapchat the “hot” platform in 2016?” and “What is the differentiation of Snapchat and its ROI vs. “more established” platforms like Facebook, Twitter & Instagram?”. Dan Grossman (VP of Platform Partnerships, VaynerMedia) together with Farrah Bezner (Head of New Business Ventures, Mondelēz International) will lead this session.

These three events are targeted at digital professionals who have experience leveraging social media as a key marketing initiative, or professionals in marketing who want to deepen their understanding of how brands can effectively market to the ever-growing consumer audience on Snapchat. Click here to register for Social Media Week New York!

EVENT SPOTLIGHT: Extending Lifetime Value – The Future Of Customer Engagement

Posted on by Tyler Becker

Lifetime value is the magic word these days; everyone needs to find a way to create more enduring, valuable relationships with their customers.

Register your pass to attend this masterclass session at SMW New York, where attendees will be introduced to the different categories of retention marketing, ways to operationalize data to drive engagement, and tangible examples of businesses doing it right. There will also be a broad overview of tools and services that should be a part of any successful stack.

Led by Joshua Neckes, President of Simon Data, a tool that transforms data into clear insights, and allows digital professionals to get the most out of their marketing efforts, this session will demonstrate how world’s savviest companies think about – and increase – customer lifetime value through data.

“Extending Lifetime Value – The Future Of Customer Engagement” takes place Tuesday, February 23 at 1:00pm at The SVA Theatre (EDU Stage).

Jane Gould, SVP of Consumer Insights and Research at MTV, Will Explore The Post-Millennial Generation at #SMWNYC

Posted on by Tyler Becker

Jane Gould is responsible for connecting MTV’s internal and external clients to the heartbeat of its constantly evolving young audience.

She’s in charge of all consumer studies and trend forecasts – including quantitative and innovative qualitative analyses – conducted to guide MTV’s creative and business operations, including programming, development, marketing, digital and more.

A one-of-a-kind generational expert, she has studied the Millennial Generation for the past 15 years, having served most recently as Senior Vice President of Consumer Insights for Nickelodeon.

Register to attend SMW New York, and explore MTV’s findings and research of the post-Millennial generation. The MTV Insights team went to work with a group of 13-14-year-olds in-person and via virtual focus groups who identified more than 500 potential generation names that were ultimately tested in a nationwide, quantitative survey. The top choice… “The Founders”. Yes, seriously. The Founders

Along with a new name, Jane and her team discovered some fascinating insights into what drives this generation on-the-rise, and the responsibility they feel to build upon the societal blocks that Millennials are famous for disrupting. This session, “‘Hello “Founders’ – Meet The Generation After Millennials” takes place Friday, February 26 at The TimesCenter (FWD Stage).

Comedy Central CMO, Walter Levitt to Keynote #SMWNYC

Posted on by Tyler Becker

With a roster including Broad City, Inside Amy Schumer, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Drunk History, and other cultural and comedic powerhouses, you might think the marketing team at Comedy Central can sit back, relax, and spend their days with their feet up on their desks, sipping margaritas all day. But that couldn’t be further from the truth, since they all have standing desks.

But, once in a while they do take a break and focus on creating buzz-worthy campaigns for their brand and franchises. At SMW New York, Comedy Central’s CMO, Walter Levitt, will deliver an entertaining and informational keynote to organize and rationalize all of Comedy Central’s social media and on-the-ground tactics into a fully thought–out strategy.

Click here to get your pass and attend Walter’s session, presented in partnership with WOMMA. “Funny & Buzzy – How Comedy Central Gets Fans Talking” will take place on Wednesday, February 23rd at 1:30pm ET on the FWD Stage at The TimesCenter.

About Walter Levitt

Walter Levitt is CMO for Comedy Central and is based in the company’s New York City office. Since joining Comedy Central in 2011, Levitt has led numerous successful new initiatives including a strategic repositioning of the brand, the introduction of many multiplatform hits including “Key & Peele” and “Inside Amy Schumer,” and the launch of the Comedy Central App.

He also oversaw the marketing of Comedy’s Central’s highest-rated specials of all time, “The Roast of Charlie Sheen” and “The Roast of Justin Bieber.” To learn more about Walter, click here for his full bio.

Want to attend SMW New York this February 22-26, and join thousands of industry leaders across marketing, media and technology?

Register Your Campus or Insider Pass Today

Hello Alfred! AI, Data, and Empathy of the Future Customer at #SMWNYC

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

Every modern company that sells something or offers a service is concerned with taking care of their customers. This means handling problems when they happen, anticipating needs, making recommendations on products, and responding in a timely fashion.

But as technology becomes more efficient and brand experiences grow deeper and more complicated, how will the idea of customer experience evolve in the coming years? How will things like data and artificial intelligence improve how businesses engage with their customers, and what role will the human qualities of empathy and finesse still bring to the table? What will be the meaningful interplay between the two and what are the big opportunities?

Jess Beck, COO & Co-Founder of Hello Alfred, an automated portal for getting your chores and home services done, will join a session at SMW New York with leaders from Havas LuxHub, Barbarian Group, and IBM to discuss the evolution of AI, and what the next 5, 10, and 25 years might look like for businesses and customers.

Jess’ session “AI, Data, And Empathy: The Future Of The Customer Experience” will take place on Thursday, February 25th at 2:30pm at the TimesCenter (FWD Stage).

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

About Jess Beck

“Jess is the Co-Founder & COO of Hello Alfred, the home operating system that is making the luxury of help affordable. Hello Alfred is one of the first companies in the on-demand economy 2.0, and under her direction the Alfred team has grown to 22 people in two cities and raised $12.5 million in VC funding in the past year. Prior to Hello Alfred, she worked at McKinsey, and before that, graduated from Harvard Business School with an M.B.A, and from Williams College with Honors in Economics.”

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from visionary speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass.

Data, Trust & Transparency in Content Advertising Featuring Goldman Sachs at #SMWNYC

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

Marketers and publishers are using more and more innovative methods to create, deliver and disguise digital advertising. Native advertising is the latest under scrutiny from the FTC, which released new guidelines last month, but it won’t be the last as more examples come to light where advertising is indistinguishable by consumers from content.

Amanda Rubin (Global Co-Head of Brand and Content Strategy at Goldman Sachs), will participate in this session at SMW New York with Barbara Basney (VP of Global Advertising, Brand Content, and Media at Xerox Corporation) and Tonia Ries (SVP and Executive Director, Edelman) to discuss the age of native advertising, and what exactly is the transparency experience for consumers.

“Making The Invisible Visible: The Evolving Roles of Data, Trust And Transparency In Advertising And Publishing” will take place on Tuesday, February 23rd at 5:30pm at the TimesCenter (FWD Stage).

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

About Amanda Rubin

“Amanda is global co-head of Brand and Content Strategy in the Executive Office. The group is responsible for creating and highlighting content that focuses on Goldman Sachs’ analysis and work related to economies, markets and clients. The group leverages various communications channels, including advertising and digital platforms, to reach across the firm’s core external constituencies, including clients, investors and the public.

Amanda joined Goldman Sachs in 1997 in the Brand Marketing and Digital Strategy Group, focusing on the firm’s corporate brand, including advertising campaigns, the external website, social media presence and marketing efforts for corporate engagement and recruiting initiatives. From 2010 to 2014, she served as co-chair of the Legal, Compliance, Internal Audit and Executive Office Women’s Network. Amanda was named managing director in 2012.

Prior to joining the firm, Amanda worked at Chiat Day, Ogilvy & Mather, and DDB Needham Worldwide. While at those firms, she worked with industry leaders such as American Express, Bank of New York and Digital Equipment Corporation.” (via Forrester)

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from visionary speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass.

Image Credit: IAA

Ana Andjelic on Customer Experiences Using AI, Data, and Empathy at #SMWNYC

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

Every modern company that sells something or offers a service is concerned with taking care of their customers. This means handling problems when they happen, anticipating needs, making recommendations on products, and responding in a timely fashion.

Ana Andjelic, SVP and Global Strategy Director of Havas Lux Hub, will join a session at SMW New York alongside leaders from Hello Alfred, The Barbarian Group, and IBM to discuss the evolution of AI in the coming years, and what that means for businesses and customer relations.

Ana’s session “AI, Data, And Empathy: The Future Of The Customer Experience” will take place on Thursday, February 25th at 2:30pm at the TimesCenter (FWD Stage).

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

About Ana Andjelic

An experienced strategist with a passion for new things, she earned her doctorate in sociology and worked in the world’s top advertising agencies. Known for her future-facing approach to strategy, she led design of digital brand experiences and business solutions for global luxury and fashion brands like Tom Ford, Topshop, Canali, Harry Winston, PUMA, Rom Ford Beauty, Replay, DeBeers,The Macallan, Blomberg Media, Knoll and The Peninsula Hotels.

Ana was recognized as one of the top 10 digital strategists in the world by the Guardian, her writing has appeared in Fast Company, Adweek, Advertising Age, Campaign, Luxury Daily and the Guardian. She presented at SxSW, Advertising Week New York, OMMA and the Retail Futures Forum among others and guest lectured at Columbia University, SVA, Miami Ad School and HyperIsland. Ana lives in New York City. (via Lux Hub)

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from visionary speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass.

Image Credit: LS:N Global

EVENT SPOTLIGHT: The High Stakes Of Content Marketing and POV’s from Brand, Agency and Publisher

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

When it comes to brands creating engaging content, the stakes have never been higher. The growth in programmatic and in ad blockers means that content needs to be at Hollywood-scale and cost half the price. That means that brands, agencies and publishers need to prove that the level of investment in content is worth it.

This leadership series of presentations will be led by Shareen Pathak, Brands Editor at Digiday, and will examine how leading brands, agencies and publishers are strategizing, planning, creating, distributing and measuring the most successful campaigns.

The presentations will conclude with a quick-fire round with the leaders sharing their speedy and unfiltered thoughts on the hottest buzzwords in content marketing and what they mean for your business.

This session, “The High Stakes Of Content Marketing As Seen By A Brand, Agency And Publisher” will take place on Tuesday, February 23rd at 2:30pm on the FWD Stage at The TimesCenter Theatre.

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from visionary speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass. You can also save 20% until January 14th!

6 Events at #SMWNYC for Marketers That Want To Be Smarter With Their Data

Posted on by Tyler Becker

If you work in digital marketing, chances are you stress over things such as data, analytics, metrics, KPIs, insights, and sentiment for your brand and the content you create. Each of these terms have become more important year after year, and the current ecosystem of social media monitoring and analytics has officially matured.

At SMW New York, several sessions are confirmed to help both data-rookies and veterans of analytics explore how data and insights can help us make smarter business decisions every day. Here are six sessions already confirmed to learn about data in marketing and content.

1. How Data And Analytics Can Transform And Enhance Native Advertising Opportunities

(Presented by Forbes Media)
This session, led by Mark Howard (Chief Revenue Officer, Forbes Media) will cover the benefits of always-on native advertising, specifically looking at the benefits of ongoing publishing campaigns, value of data and analytics for improving content, and the evolution of thought leadership.

2. Find Your Customers Through Open Data, APIs, And Machine Learning

(Presented by Decoded)
This masterclass will focus on how to leverage the data you have, and the data you don’t yet have, to determine who will buy your product, pay for your service, or hire your team. Jeffrey Lancaster (Head of Product, Decoded), will take you on a whirlwind tour of how open data and APIs (social media and otherwise) are being leveraged by industry leaders to determine the best ways to connect to consumers.

3. Data Versus Gut

(Presented by Hearst Magazines Digital Media)
Kate Lewis (SVP and Editorial Director, Hearst Magazines Digital Media) will join three Hearst Digital site editors to explore how large scale increases in social followings are achieved, and compare the effectiveness of two differing social strategies: the use of performance metrics and audience data to inform social content, and following gut instinct to create posts that resonate with audiences.

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

4. Making The Invisible Visible: The Evolving Roles Of Data, Trust And Transparency In Advertising And Publishing

(Presented by The Economist Group)
Marketers and publishers are using more and more innovative methods to create, deliver and disguise digital advertising. Native advertising is the latest under scrutiny from the FTC, which released new guidelines last month, but it won’t be the last as more examples come to light where advertising is indistinguishable by consumers from content.

5. Building A Startup Under The Infrastructure And Data Of A Legacy Media Company: A Great Big Story

(Presented by Great Big Story)
In this session, you’ll learn how to build a content strategy that’s informed by data taken straight from your social media properties. Find out the secrets that can harness your data for audience targeting, distribution and much more. Great Big Story, a socially-distributed video network that covers real stories, will lead this talk.

6. Create By Numbers: How Insights, Data, And Paid Media Shape The Creative Approach

(Presented by VaynerMedia)
The volume of data and insights available for social media is changing how agencies and platforms strategize, spend, and steer clients. An analytics-driven world means an elemental shift in how ideas are informed by data to better reach audiences. This session features speakers from VaynerMedia and Pinterest, and will answer the question: Which comes first, big campaign ideas, or testing multiple creative pillars to identify the big idea?

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from visionary speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass. You can also save 20% until January 14th!

Attend These 5 Events To Take Your Content Marketing and Storytelling to the Next Level

Posted on by Tyler Becker

Today “storytelling” and “content marketing” are two extremely abused buzzwords in our industry, but that doesn’t mean that they are not valuable tools to share your brand’s stories and experiences in order to connect with online audiences.

The abundance of content (not just stories) out there, the dramatic competition for our attention, and the staggering speed at which these stories spread and are consumed (or discarded) has made it more difficult to break through the noise and reach our audiences.

Here are five sessions taking place at SMW New York this February 22-26 that will teach, inspire, and think ahead to the current and future state of content marketing and storytelling.

1. The High Stakes Of Content Marketing As Seen By A Brand, Agency And Publisher

(Presented by Digiday)
When it comes to brands creating engaging content, the stakes have never been higher considering the growth in programmatic and ad blockers. The content needs to be at Hollywood scale, and at the quality of best-in-class digital journalism. Shareen Pathak (Brands Editor at Digiday) will examine how leading brands, agencies and publishers are finding success.

2. Mediapocalypse! Are Platforms Killing The Business Of Media & Advertising? And Why Won’t Anyone Talk About It?

(Presented by Deep Focus)
Platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, Snapchat, and Twitter are up-ending the media business. Publishers and advertisers, content producers and creators, advertisers and agencies are all dealing with the repercussions of distributed media models. Hear from executives at Deep Focus, College Humor, and Starcom Media Group on this always-evolving battle.

3. Atomization Of Business: Content Strategies For Speed, Quality, And Efficiency

(Presented by Code and Theory)
Code and Theory’ Co-Founder, Dan Gardner, will introduce attendees to Atomization, his agency’s approach to helping today’s businesses take advantage of strategic opportunities via social media. Attendees will learn: 1) How to reach multiple audiences with multiple stories; 2) How to take advantage of trending culture and conversation; 3) The importance of matching content to context; and 4) How to design for natural behaviors online.

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

4. Building A Great Social Presence The Resourceful Way, Presented By BuzzFeed

(Presented by BuzzFeed)
In this interactive presentation, BuzzFeed social experts Rachel Christensen and Summer Anne Burton will discuss how they helped successfully build the largest social networks in media—by rethinking the way the industry sees social media editors, content, and distribution. They’ll cover how BuzzFeed stuck to scrappy and unconventional ways of thinking about and creating content for social platforms, and how they used data to inform their strategies.

5. A Writer’s Guide To Viral Storytelling

(Presented by Wattpad)
In this MasterClass with Wattpad’s #1 fantasy writer and #1 Amazon Bestseller Sally Slater, you’ll take a deep dive into the business of viral storytelling and learn how you can leverage an online community to market your brand, attract an audience and share your story with millions–whether you’re an aspiring novelist or a creative marketer.

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from visionary speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass. You can also save 20% until January 14th!

The Rising Value of Social Media and Live Events: Atlantic Records’ Conversation at #SMWNYC with Camille Hackney

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

According to a recent study, 70% of Millennials feel that social media improves the live music experience, and the majority of Millennials will take part in sharing music moments on social media while attending a live event. In fact, most Facebook users prefer their newsfeed to show their friends at live events and experiences over anything else.

So, when does social belong in the music experience – before, during and after the show – and when does it not? When do brands belong in the social exchange? What content is really being watched and appreciated? How can and should the artists themselves take part – and in what channels and communities?

Atlantic Records is a staple record label with artists new and old. Their musicians range from ABBA, Foreigner and Bette Midler to Alt-J, Frightened Rabbit, Coldplay, Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran. One of the leading minds of Atlantic Records is Camille Hackney, EVP Brand Partnerships & Licensing.

Camille will join us for SMW New York to discuss when and where social belongs in music and the industry, and whether or not social hurts the live music experience all-together. This session “How Social Has Rocked The Live Music Experience” will take place on Wednesday, February 24th at 4:30pm at the TimesCenter (FWD Stage).

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

About Camille Hackney

“Camille Hackney, the EVP Brand Partnerships & Licensing of Atlantic Records cultivates these relationships between the two worlds of artists and brands then brings together in a cohesive, wonderful campaigns and partnerships. Atlantic Records is a prominent recording label and needs the best to help maintain their reputation. Camille is the person behind pairing the right music to the right campaigns. She elevates her artists by negotiating deals that puts them into the spotlight of commercials, brand sponsorship and to compliment the brand will help sponsor tours for the audience.

Before Atlantic Records she worked for a label that is now known as Elektra. It was originally a boutique record label called East/West. She started right as Digital Marketing and Branded Content started to emerge. She jumped over to Warner Music and did a year and a half stint there before she went back to Elektra before they merged with Atlantic Records. She decided to work with the Atlantic side and used her knowledge to build a top notch section for partnerships and campaigns for their artists.” (via Atlantic Records)

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from visionary speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass. You can also save 20% until January 14th!

Image Credit: Billboard

Using Data and Insights to Shape Creative: Pinterest’s CPG Lead to Speak at #SMWNYC

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

The volume of data and insights available for social media is changing how agencies and platforms strategize, spend, and steer clients. An analytics-driven world means an elemental shift in how creatives work. Designers, writers, photographers and video producers need to think about execution and ideas informed by data on how to better speak to our audiences.

At SMW New York, Pinterest’s CPG East Lead of Creative Strategy, Raashi Bhalla, will take the stage with executives from VaynerMedia and Fast Company, to cover how creative and strategy should collaborate — and work with platform partners — to make content that wins on results, as well as look and feel.

Raashi’s session, “Create By Numbers: How Insights, Data, And Paid Media Shape The Creative Approach” will take place on Friday, February 26th at 1:00pm on the EDU Stage at The SVA Theatre.

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from visionary speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass.

Image Credit: Startup Camp

Bracing For The Ad-Blocked Future: How Brands Are Moving Beyond The Impression with Afdhel Aziz of ABSOLUT Labs

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

When did marketing become a game of “consumers” vs. “advertisers”? In 2016 and beyond, the companies that ultimately win will be those that partner with people to create stronger, more meaningful connections.

Afdhel Aziz of ABSOLUT Labs joins leaders from Crowdtap, Ricola, and The Burns Group at SMW New York to discuss why working alongside your customers to unlock their ideas, opinions and stories can fuel more effective marketing.

This session, “Bracing For The Ad-Blocked Future: How Brands Are Moving Beyond The Impression, Presented By Crowdtap” will take place on Wednesday, February 24 at 4:30pm at the TimesCenter (FWD Stage).

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

About Afdhel Aziz

“Afdhel Aziz is a brand strategist and marketer who has worked for blue-chip companies such as Procter & Gamble, Heineken, and Nokia in London and New York. He is currently Brand Director for Absolut Vodka in the USA.

He is an expert on how to deliver cutting-edge campaigns, content and experiences that harness popular culture, working with world-class artists such as Lady Gaga, Swedish House Mafia and Kanye West, as well as diverse partners like the TED Conferences, Art Basel, Coachella Festival, London Fashion Week, US Open Tennis and the Andy Warhol Foundation.

He has been a featured speaker at SXSW, Advertising Week and the Social Commerce Summit, and has been fortunate enough to collaborate with world-class agencies like Sid Lee, Wieden + Kennedy, Mother and Naked, on award-winning work which has been featured in the New York Times, Vice, Fast Company, Coolhunting, Billboard, Hypebeast and more.” (via LinkedIn)

View The Initial Program Of Events for SMW New York

Social Media Week New York, now in it’s 8th year, brings together thousands of professionals in marketing, media and technology. We’re excited to announce the initial schedule and speaker lineup for SMW New York, which takes place this February 22-26.

Join us across our two official venues, and hear from organizations such as Ogilvy, Starcom MediaVest, MRY, Forbes, Mashable, MTV, The Economist, GE, Pinterest, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Spotify and many more!

Register for SMW New York

If you’d like to hear from visionary speakers, and join the thousands of attendees that come to Social Media Week in New York each year, register today by purchasing your pass. You can also save 20% until January 14th!

Image Credit: LinkedIn

MTV Continues to Pioneer Content and Talent with Millennials

Posted on by Tatiana Tilearcio

Natan Edelsberg, the Senior Vice President at Sawhorse Media and Senior Supervising Producer at the Shorty Awards, moderated a strong session including panelists from MTV and entertainer and director, Todrick Hall. These specialists discussed MTV’s success with engaging audiences through deeper, personal connections, rather than lumping them together as “influencers” in a specific vertical. MTV recently started working with Todrick Hall on his new unscripted show “Todrick,” which takes viewers through a completely new type of reality program, intended for the Gen-Y audience.

Todrick Hall’s previous experience includes performing on Broadway shows, reaching the semi-finals on American Idol, and establishing himself as a prominent YouTube creator. With his fame and recognition, both on television and the digital world, Todrick has developed his community of fans and followers into devoted “Toddlerz” as he calls them, and for Todrick, he’s confident the hard work and years of growth won’t be forgotten. In his show, viewers experience a documentary-style perspective into the production and build-up behind each of his videos, where Todrick and his troupe connect with fans beyond the surface of the videos themselves.

Todrick told one of his favorite moments in his career during the session:

“When I got the chance to work for Beyoncé, I received a call from a blocked number. Now, normally I don’t answer blocked numbers, but for some reason I answered this one, and on the other line was Beyoncé asking me to be her choreographer for the ‘Blow’ music video. That’s when you know you’ve made it. It was a moment that proved to me all of this hard work, dedication and financial struggle was worth it, and this opportunity could make my passion a reality.”

Todrick even has an international following, which, in a way, is more feasible for internet-celebs than it is for traditional ones. Recently, Todrick had a “Twerk Du Soleil” event in London. There, in addition to everywhere he goes, Todrick continues to engage face-to-face with his fans. He will always take time with a fan for a selfie, and continues to give credit to his “Toddlerz” for helping him get to where he is today.

YouTube creators can become just as successful, if not more, than traditional celebrities, and those lines blur more and more every day. There’s a difference between celebrities and YouTube stars. Today, you don’t need a record label or television network to get started because digital creators are doing this on their own. The social platforms, and even YouTube multi-channel networks (MCNs) allow creators to establish a direct relationship with audiences around the world.

People want to see their favorite creators succeed, especially Millennials and Gen-Z, and there “selling out” to these individuals is not as common, if at all, compared to household names, celebrities and performers. It’s the power of the Internet that’s changing this ecosystem, and regardless of the channel or platform, content creators should strive to be the best you can be in as many different ways.

People-Powered Marketing Is The New Fuel Of Human Connectivity

Posted on by Tyler Becker

In today’s hyper connected world, it’s a no-brainer that brands have found creative ways to leverage social platforms to engage consumers. The industry as a whole has come a long way in using social to create brand advocates and influencers. One session that really explored this new relationship was Crowdtap’s “People-Powered Marketing: A Crash Course in Putting Consumers at the Heart of Your Brand” with speakers: Lee Hurley (VP of Digital and Social, Weight Watchers), Matt Britton (CEO, MRY), Joseph Klicsu (Senior Manager of Digital Communications, Energizer) and Sean Foster (CEO, Crowdtap).

People-powered marketing is a shift by brands to put consumers at the heart of marketing efforts, and empower them to drive product ideation, validation, strategy, content creation and earned media. Sean Foster, CEO of Crowdtap, said “Stop calling them consumers. They’re people.” At the core of it, consumers are people. As a brand or marketer, you can’t make that conversion from person to purchaser without a human connection. Brands need to inspire consumers to become advocates and influencers, who talk about the products they love and share content about the brands they genuinely like.

Individuals do love brands – they just don’t always love the relationship they have with brands. Today’s consumers are eager to be part of an interactive conversation on social, with brands and without. By giving consumers this personal ‘in’ to your brand, organizations have the ability to inspire authentic conversations, which can help shape product messaging, marketing, ideation and consumer loyalty.

Matt Britton, CEO of MRY, reminded us of a particularly important rule of thumb for brands to keep in mind. “Social media was never about brands, and it never will be. We need to create content that adds value.” The intrinsic relationship between brands and consumers ultimately lies in the value brands can provide. By creating content that consumers resonate with in a genuine way, it creates a human connection, and brands can enter the hearts and minds of the people who love them most, which is certainly more than a simple Facebook ad.

The author of this article is Jodi Kovacs. She is a PR professional in New York and works at Kite Hill PR, a strategic communications and media relations consultancy. You can follow Jodi on Twitter @jodikovacs724.

Is Snapchat Right For Your Brand?

Posted on by Erica Santiago

I’m obsessed with Snapchat. I check it at least 10 times a day (no exaggeration) to see what my friends, and even certain brands, are up to. But should your brand be on a platform like Snapchat?

ICED Media’s Greg Littley was ready to tackle this important question head-on in yesterday’s event, “Ephemeral Messaging Masterclass: Maximizing Your Snapchat For Storytelling” He explained that Snapchat is the next platform brands should seriously consider, especially if their goal is to create brand awareness. However, that brand needs to be prepared to bring unique and consistent content to the table.

If your brand’s target audience is between the ages of 15 and 25, Snapchat cannot be ignored. Snapchat has 120 million users sending over 700 million snaps a day, which is more than the combined content pushed out on Instagram and Facebook. There are numerous brands on Snapchat creating engaging and exciting content, from Fortune 500 companies like Amazon, Taco Bell, and GE to universities like Princeton, University of Michigan, and NYU Stern.

Throughout the masterclass, Greg delivered some key points to help determine if Snapchat is right for your brand:

  • Snapchat is a very powerful tool: it is currently the most personal and direct way to connect with your consumer, simply because your phone never leaves your hand.
  • If you don’t have the means to produce content every day, then make sure your brand can bring a unique storytelling element to the platform when you do post.
  • Make sure you can offer an exclusive experience outside of your other social channels.
  • Is there a secondary story that your brand hasn’t been able to communicate on other platforms? Then Snapchat might be your answer.

Snapchat is not for every brand, but if you have interesting content and want to tap into this intimate community of Millennials, then you should really consider creating an account. So, will your brand be the next to join Snapchat? I hope so!

Erica Santiago is an Assistant Director of Communications at NYU Stern by day and a part-time MBA student by night. You can follow her on Twitter @ericasantiagony

6 Reasons You Play To Win The (Social) Game

Posted on by Lilit Kalachyan

Trina Albus gave an incredible presentation on where organic and paid social reach currently stands, and how to get the most out of your social efforts. During the one hour presentation Trina demonstrated how to set up, measure, and increase your social reach. Here are some key takeaways:

1. Have a strategy

If you don’t know what you are trying to accomplish, nothing you do on social, paid or organic is going to make a difference. You have to have a strategy behind your actions. Get started on your strategy by defining both your target demographic and your goals. Who are you trying to reach? What are your Key Performance Indicators? What will success look like, and how will you measure it?

2. Pick and choose your platforms

With a new social platform sprouting each day, it can be difficult to keep up. Research each platform. Where is your target audience most active? Which platform aligns best with your brand voice? Once you have the answers you can choose which platform will work best for you.

3. Measure and refine

The great thing about social campaigns is that you can set up and run a campaign in half a day. Run quick small tests, measure your effectiveness and refine your strategy. Use the data gained from these tests to fail fast, learn quickly, refine and re-run your campaign.

4. Leverage your organic reach

You already have an organic following, no matter how big or small they can be a great resource. Note what is working and what your community is engaging with most. Re-use the copy that worked to reach and engage your new community through paid social.

5. Pay to play

If you’re looking to make a noticeable impact with your paid strategy you must be willing to invest real money. Measuring impact is nearly impossible if you don’t have substantial money to invest. If you have to work with a small budget don’t spread that money across multiple platforms, pick one. This way, collecting enough insight and data to fine-tune your strategy becomes more feasible. Eventually you can use that information to increase ROI. Hopefully, the increased ROI translates to a larger social budget to work with for future campaigns.

6. Stay up to date

Things change rapidly. Stay up to date by following blogs and articles. Trina recommends Mashable and TechCrunch as well as the blogs of the social media platforms themselves.

Just like the advertising and media world as a whole, social is changing daily, to get the most impact you have to put in the effort. If you follow Trina’s helpful tips you will be well on your way to success!

Lilit Kalachyan is an Art Director and Brand Strategist at LKN Branded in New York City. You can find some of her writings on interesting events, places and people at www.figure10.com

Hootsuite’s Vision On Brand Love And Community

Posted on by Natasha Shumny

Hootsuite’s meetup events (Hootups) and brand ambassador programs help them gain global reach with amplification. They empower engaged users to act as brand advocates. Product releases shared with ambassadors drive 200% more engagement and reviews. The Brand Advocates share regional insights, offer product feedback and support in 22+ languages and support their 15,000 registered customers in the Support Forum with 80% response rate. They drive localisation efforts by hosting 200+ events in 62 countries. Hootsuite uses gamification incentives for engaged users to go above and beyond for their brand. Grow the love for the brand by providing your influencers with exclusive content and insights.

Jeanette Gibson, VP of Community and Customer Experience at Hootsuite, believes strongly in getting your employees involved in listening and understanding customer care. Customers say that half of brands are doing a poor job at communicating with them:

  • Build relationships with key members of the community, and each other
  • Nurture customers and develop engagement strategies
  • Add extra value via inspiring, educating, and entertaining customers with thoughtful moderation, relevant content and both online and offline experiences
  • Engage employees to make your brand personal and accessible to customers
  • Deliver insights about your customers and use data to continually improve, grow, and foster your community

In terms of community’s impact on business, it costs 80% less to retain a customer, than acquire a new one. Increasing retention rate by 5% can increase profits by 95% over long term, and increased engagement on community sites can result in 25% increase in revenue.

Run social campaigns to allow your community members to tell their stories. Timely content creates conversation and drives engagement with stories, experiences, and momentum. Inspire your fans by curating experiences and stories that surprise and delight. Allow the community to be the storytellers greatly impacted Herschel Supply business and brand sentiment. The #WellTraveled photo contest gained 480k new Instagram followers, a 60% increase in positive brand sentiment, and provided the community an opportunity to tell their own visual stories.

Dr. William J. Ward, Education Strategy at Hootsuite and Social Media Professor at Newhouse School and Syracuse University, emphasized how employees can build brand love. “52% of customers say they trust employees.” Motivate with purpose, not profits. Mobilize with education and provide the tools. Make sharing content simple and easy and bring employee ideas front and center.

Natasha Shumny (@NatashaShumny), Corporate Digital Marketing and Social Media Manager at Triumph Hotels (@TriumphHotels) Discover Triumph’s seven unique and historic hotels in New York City, each offering a distinct experience inspired by its neighborhood, from TriBeCa to the Upper West Side.