David Eastman - Social Media Week New York (SMWNYC) - MAY 4

5 Minutes With JWT

Posted on February 15, 2013February 15, 2013 by Lindsey Taylor Wood

JWT is the world’s best-known marketing communications brand, and a true global network with 200-plus offices in over 90 countries. This, year JWT returns to Social Media Week New York as host to our Advertising & Marketing content hub. We sat down with CEO of JWT North America, David Eastman, to chat about their role in this year’s event:

1. This will be the fourth year that JWT New York has partnered with Social Media Week. Why is SMW an event that your company keeps returning to?
First of all, we love partnering with SMW. Being involved in the conversation about how technology is shaping our lives and impacting the way we connect with each other is both fascinating and important to us as an agency. The sessions at Social Media Week cover a lot of surface area and bring people together from across different industries, passions and areas of expertise. We’re proud to be part of it.

2. This year, our global theme is “Open & Connected: Principles for a Collaborative World.” How does JWT embody or support this idea?
JWT is a network, and in order to work efficiently our network needs to be open and connected to itself, our partners and clients. The accelerating rate of change in our industry means that, as one of the largest global agencies with more than 200 offices in 90 countries, collaboration has to be at the heart of how we operate. So I’d say that we embody, support and are an example of your global theme!

3. What trends do you see emerging in advertising?
Statistically, this will be the year where we see social becoming predominantly mobile because internet use via smartphones and tablets will surpass access by laptops and desktops. This inflection point will unleash yet another disruptive wave of creativity in web experiences, content and applications. I also see this all as a positive for TV advertising as, in order to keep our attention, it will need to surprise and delight more often.

4. Which of your campaigns have been the more creative and successful in the past year?
Rather than give a list, as a general answer I would say that the value of a great idea, well executed, and based on a great insight that reflects or forms culture has not changed, but the opportunities to exploit one have multiplied exponentially over the last few years, which makes it a great time to be in the brand building business.

5. JWT New York’s Band-Aid Magic Vision interactive campaign just received a great nod from AdForum’s Greatest Hits. Can you tell us more about the campaign and JWT’s expansion into interactive advertising?
The augmented reality category is littered with applications that focus on technology for technology’s sake, so this was an opportunity for us to use AR for something far more powerful. With Band-Aid Magic Vision, we wanted to do something fun, bold and meaningful for parents and their children. When parents and children scanned their Band-Aid bandage via a smartphone or tablet, it instantly became a stage for interactive entertainment designed to entertain kids’ pain away. The platform also provided a new media platform, unlocking infinite possibilities of ways to enhance the consumer brand experience. To say we’ve expanded into interactive advertising belies the fact that we’ve been doing it in some form or another for years now, but with Jeff Benjamin at the helm creatively we’re making more of a mark, as evidenced by the fact that this effort won Gold in the mobile category at Cannes last year.

6. Can you give us a preview of what you might discuss during your Social Media Week opening keynote?
I’m going to talk firstly about the surface volatility of the social ecosystem that is constantly creating new ways for all these elements to work together. Then about the fact that underneath this surface volatility I see a long-term geological shift happening: Social is moving quickly from ‘destination’ to ‘layer,’ and burrowing down into the undercarriage of the web to become part of its infrastructure. It is, in effect, eating the web.

7. What should SMW NYC attendees expect to see from JWT’s Advertising & Marketing Hub?
Expect to hear panels that delve into social media and the implications it has for marketers, consumers, technology, start ups and more. It’s going to be a draw for the beginner who is just getting into the industry as well as the seasoned professional. From JWT, we are hosting a few different events that are going to be great. Following her successful Social Media Week session last year, our Director of Trendspotting Ann Mack will be back, hosting a solo talk “Going Private in Public” (one of the trends surveyed in her 10 Trends for 2013 report), which explores reclaiming privacy in our lives where living publicly has become the default. We’re also going to dive into the realm of food in “What’s on Your Plate: How Digital Has Evolved Our Palates,” as we bring together some of today’s most influential foodies (think Yummly, Nestle, StudioFeast) who are pushing the bounds of what’s possible with food and technology. And with CSR efforts becoming an increasingly significant part of brand strategy and business models, our panel “Societal Brands in a Societal World” is going to take a closer look at how brands like Warby Parker are starting to adopt principles that are weighed not just by transactions alone but by their value to society.

Avoiding The Pitfalls While Pushing Forward In A Brave New World

Posted on February 16, 2012January 7, 2015 by kimberly reyes

As Brand Channel Manager at pure-play social media agency Big Fuel, Ross Sheingold focuses on trying to keep the “social” in social media by creating lifestyle content that consumers actually care about. Aside from the four years spent at Penn State University, Ross has been a New Yorker living in Manhattan for the whole of his nearly 30 years on the planet. When he isn’t staying up to date on the current digital and social media trends and “geeking out” on the latest tech gadget, he spends time on his fan advocacy cause as the man behind @StadiumInsider. You can follow Ross on Twitter @RossSheingold and on Google+ http://gplus.to/RossS

Social Media Week 2012 NYC started strong on Monday morning with a keynote by David Eastman, CEO of JWT America and a thought-proving presentation by Ann Mack, JWT Director of Trendspotting. Both Eastman and Mack touched on the fundamental shift in the ways consumers are connecting with brands, while providing marketers with ways to prepare for potential pitfalls that lie ahead such as “Facebook Fatigue, “de-teching” and “hyper-personilization” pushback.

Eastman discussed the perils of lazy social marketing (the false notion that “nobody ever got fired for marketing on Facebook”) and the importance of tapping into consumer passion points. Much to the delight of seasoned social media professionals, Eastman urged brand marketers to have genuine conversations with customers – if messaging is uninspired or boring, people will doze off. And this doesn’t only apply to what happens on social media channels. Eastman argued that “social” media should roll up into digital and any other form of media, even suggesting that next year’s “Social Media Week” should just be called “Media Week.” Mack would later support this by touching on the opportunities that exist with social commerce and integrating interactive screens in brick and mortar retail.

Eastman also didn’t shy away from sharing strong opinions on hot button items such as Facebook’s frictionless sharing and the rapid growth of Pinterest. Engaging social experiences are key, and to Eastman, Facebook’s frictionless sharing almost feels like spam. In his words “sharing should be active, otherwise it is meaningless.” As for Pinterest, he recognized that “pinning” has hit the mainstream, but isn’t sold on the long-term value. To Eastman, “over-pinning” is something to look out for – Pinterest might make it hard to separate what people really care about, the same way “over-friending” on social networks has devalued friendship.

Ann Mack followed with a lively presentation touching on social media trends to look out for in 2012 and beyond. As she said, “conspicuous living” has reached an all-time high. Between social media, the advancement of mobile technology and location based services, there is a radical transparency in all of our lives. This way of life is actually leading to social angst, a result of FOMO (fear of missing out). “Radical transparency remorse” (did I really tweet that last night?!) is becoming more prevalent and people are starting to become wary of the opt-out data culture that companies like Facebook have embraced. All of this can lead to “Facebook Fatigue” and eventually “de-teching” a very real concept that will only grow stronger as fledgling social networks such as Google+ and Diaspora gain more mainstream exposure.

Mack also warned about user pushback against “hyper-personalization” while discussing what she called “The Filter Bubble.” From ads on Facebook to news stories curated through Zite all the way to search results from Google Search Plus Your World, personalization has become the norm in our digital world. In a recent JWT study, 69% of respondents stated that they felt this tailored content was useful, but 79% said they’d prefer to see things through an unfiltered lens. Meanwhile, 86% were curious about what is being left out when content is tailored to them. “Reengineering randomness” by providing different POVs and serendipity is a trend that has caught on with social services such as Meetup.com, Grubwithus, Yobongo and Turntable.FM. Consumers will continue to expect personalization, but also want the option of randomness – it’s a delicate balance.

Both Eastman and Mack made it very clear that none of this is going to end “social” commerce – it will only enhance it. Human beings are wired to socialize and will continue to do so with the means they are provided. The key for brands and marketers is to create a message that drives people to socialize and overlay the social graph across the digital experience. Brands should use social as a driver for good, advocate for opt-in instead of opt-out data and should experiment with social commerce, collaborative consumption and digital integration at retail.

Spotlight: David Eastman, CEO of JWT North America

Posted on February 8, 2012February 8, 2012 by Sara Haile-Mariam

David Eastman, CEO of JWT North America

This post is a part of a continuing series of Keynote Spotlights– check back here throughout the week for more information on the phenomenal individuals who will be gracing #SMW12 events next week!

You can hear from David, followed by Panel: Top Trends that will Shape Social in 2012, on Monday February 13 from 9-11am at the Advertising & Marketing Content Hub.

David Eastman is CEO of JWT North America. He is responsible for the overall management and strategic direction of the North American network with a particular focus on the JWT head office, New York.

David is also Worldwide Digital Director for JWT. In this role, he is responsible for the strategic oversight and management of the digital discipline within JWT and all subsidiary companies. He is also a member of the JWT global executive committee.

David became involved in digital in 1997 and previously worked at the Omnicom-owned Republic Family, where he was Chief Executive since June 2007 looking after a portfolio of interactive agencies ranging from digital creative to marketing technology and including five-time UK digital agency of the year, Agency Republic. Prior to that, he spent seven years at TBWA aligned Agency.com most recently as President & Worldwide Chief Executive, where he was responsible for all aspects of worldwide operations. He was also a member of the TBWA global operating group.

He has worked with numerous clients including: British Airways, T-Mobile, Mercedes, The Economist, British Telecom, Carphone Warehouse, Microsoft, eBay and Heineken.

He is a Webby judge and has had articles published in or been interviewed for The Times, Business Week, New Media Age and Revolution magazine, as well as numerous speaking engagements including the Cannes Ad Festival, Internet World and Mobile World. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in the U.K. and a TEDster. Eastman also completed the Omnicom/Harvard Business School senior management program.

Click here to register for his keynote!