Tag: marketing

The Cost Effective, Scalable, Repeatable Way to Reach New Customers

Posted on by SMW Staff

“Content is the easiest and most scalable way for someone to exchange value for time.”

Eddie Kim, the Cofounder and CEO of SimpleReach, helps publishers, agencies and brands understand what content is resonating with customers and how to distribute it most effectively. In his company’s analytics, he has seen countless times that the best way to bring clients to a potential customer is using content.

Forbes utilizes an “always-on” model that allows marketers to publish unlimited content as they see fit. This approach, referred to as native advertising and content marketing, creates an audience by building a body of work online. The arena is growing, with an estimated $60 billion to be spent on native advertising in 2016, according to Forbes VP of Ad Products and Strategy Ann Marinovich.

The strategy differs from traditional advertising, and the industry has seen a growing need for measurement and transparency on how native programs are performing. Conversations are increasingly focused on understanding what exactly a product is delivering, and data and analytics is key to that story.

Traackr is an influencer management system that helps brands and agencies curate relationships in online media and has recently partnered with Forbes. Pierre-Loïc Assayag, Traackr’s CEO, has observed a clear change in the content of the message itself.

“Brands have shifted from pushing a specific product on customers, to having a conversation about brand purpose,” he explained.

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.

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.

Crowdtap, The People-Powered Marketing Platform, Joins #SMWNYC as an Official Event Sponsor

Posted on by Tyler Becker

We’re thrilled to announce Crowdtap as an Official Event Sponsor of Social Media Week New York. Crowdtap is the “People-Powered Marketing Platform” designed to deepen relationships between brands and the people who love them by putting brands back where they belong, inside the hearts and minds of their consumers.

At SMW New York, Crowdtap’s SVP of Research & Analytics, Peter Storck, will kick things off in a session hosted by IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau). “Social Media Measurement: How Everyone Wins” takes place Tuesday the 23rd at 9:00am at the SVA Theatre.

Peter will join industry leaders in social media to provide clear definitions of commonly used terms, as well as help attendees on both the buy and sell side know what questions to ask when selecting vendors understanding social measurement best practices.

Then, on Wednesday the 24th at 9:00am at the SVA Theatre, Crowdtap will host a session exploring the new and emerging behaviors of Millennials, Gen-Z, and Gen-Alpha consumers. From skipping ads and DVR-ing television shows, to installing ad-blockers and bypassing branded messaging, these behaviors have all become a common part of the Millennial experience, and Crowdtap is at the forefront of understanding where everything is heading.

This session, “Bracing For The Ad-Blocked Future: How Brands Are Moving Beyond The Impression” will bring together industry leaders including Afdhel Aziz (Brand Director, ABSOLUT Labs, Pernod-Ricard), Tracy Echikson (Marketing Consultant, Ricola Brand Team), Joanne McKinney (Chief Strategy Officer, The Burns Group), and Sean Foster (CEO, Crowdtap) for a first-look at winning marketing programs that have invited consumers to help shape and tell a brand’s story.

Brandwatch’s Guide to Decision-Making with Data and Rewarding Your Customers at #SMWNYC

Posted on by Tyler Becker

Brandwatch is one of the world’s leading social media monitoring and analytics tools, chosen by pioneering brands and agencies including Verizon, British Airways, Digitas, Whirlpool, Dell, PepsiCo, Monster and Papa John’s. They’re one of our official Social Media Week sponsors (read more about our upcoming work with them!), and we’re excited for their two sessions at #SMWNYC.

The first, “Democratizing Data And Decision-Making: Unlocking The Socially-Powered Invisible Hand Of Technology” takes place Wednesday, February 24th at 10:30 AM at The TimesCenter.

In this session, Brandwatch’s Chief Marketing Officer, Will McInnes, will highlight the transition from mundane, ineffective business intelligence and market research solutions, to the next generation of smart tools, and how they are disrupting the way we analyze, measure, and process our various marketing efforts, utilizing trainable agents powered by human and machine intelligence. This is the next horizon of social intelligence, and Brandwatch will explain who is at the forefront.

The second session hosted by Brandwatch is “Consumer Pulse: Giving The People What They Want” which takes place Thursday, February 25th at 10:00AM at the SVA Theatre.

Two of Brandwatch’s leading minds, Kelly Autenrieth (User Adoption Team Lead, North America, Brandwatch) and Brit Ferguson (Account Manager, Brandwatch), will highlight key use cases for planning a social strategy that features a rewarding shelf-life for you and your consumer. Attendees will learn the most practical and effective ways to interact with potential customers, and how combining emotion with purchase intent can transform someone into becoming a brand loyalist.

Purchase your pass to attend SMW New York, and learn how Brandwatch has helped brands around the globe achieve their goals through smart social data and customer engagement.

9 Sessions at #SMWNYC That Will Help Your Paid Media Strategy

Posted on by Tyler Becker

Paid media seems to become a more important conversation and investment everyday for digital marketers. Facebook generates billions of dollars from advertisers spending money to reach their target audiences, and for many of us, it’s working!

But, sometimes going from 0 to 60 can be overwhelming, and marketers are still figuring out which tactical and brand-building initiatives are most successful on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social platforms

At Social Media Week New York, paid media is a huge topic of discussion. Leading brands in this space, such as Forbes, VaynerMedia, BuzzFeed, and Code and Theory, will lead sessions that will teach, inspire, and explore the wide world of paid media, and why it can be your organization’s key to success.

Purchase your pass for SMW New York to be among the 1,000+ industry leaders who learn and connect with each other through sessions like these:

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

Hosted by Forbes Media • Tuesday 2/23 at 11:00AM • SVA Theatre
Mark Howard (Chief Revenue Officer, Forbes Media) and Edward Kim (Co-founder and CEO, SimpleReach) will help attendees learn more about how brands can leverage native advertising over time via the web, mobile and social to reach target audiences.

2. 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 Jeremy Skule (Chief Marketing Officer, Nasdaq), for an exciting chat with these Snapchat trailblazers.

3. Extending Lifetime Value – The Future Of Customer Engagement

Hosted by Simon Data • Tuesday 2/23 at 1:00PM • SVA Theatre
Learn how world’s savviest companies think about – and increase – customer lifetime value. Get an expert overview of the latest crop of marketing technologies, and learn more about the secret channel that’s been delivering huge value for some of NYC’s best e-commerce companies.

4. Bracing For The Ad-Blocked Future: How Brands Are Moving Beyond The Impression

Hosted by Crowdtap • Wednesday 2/24 at 9:00AM • SVA Theatre
Skipping ads. DVR-ing television shows. Installing ad-blockers. These behaviors have all become a common part of the Millennial experience. Led by Crowdtap’s CEO, Sean Foster, hear first-hand accounts of winning marketing programs that have invited consumers to help shape and tell a brand’s story, thereby building more emotional connections and driving long-term brand health.

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

Hosted by VaynerMedia • Wednesday 2/24 at 12:00PM • SVA Theatre
This masterclass led by Dan Grossman (Vice President of Platform Partnerships, VaynerMedia) together with Farrah Bezner (Head of New Business Ventures, Mondelēz International) and Talya Minsberg (Social Media Editor, New York Times) will detail best practices for how brands can market on Snapchat, such as the differentiation of Snapchat’s ROI vs. “more established” platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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

Hosted by Digiday • Wednesday 2/24 at 2:30PM • TimesCenter
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. This leadership series features in-depth presentations from Shareen Pathak (Digiday), Brian Becker (JPMorgan Chase), Stephanie Losee (POLITICO), and Jinal Shah (JWT New York).

7. Reach New Viewers! Develop Superfans! Impact Ratings! Launching A TV Show Via Social Media!

Hosted by VaynerMedia • Wednesday 2/24 at 3:00PM • SVA Theatre
Social media offers more ways than ever to build awareness around TV programs, but did you know it can drive and impact the new markers of success in today’s ever-changing television industry? This masterclass details how efficient, strategic media spend, time-shifting strategies and always-on content with a consistent voice can combine to increase buzz, awareness, and viewership (both linear and elsewhere like video-on-demand), with concrete, indisputable results.

8. Breaking Down the Silos: Unleashing Creativity in a World Where Social is Everything

Hosted by Droga5 • Wednesday 2/24 at 5:30PM • TimesCenter
In this session you’ll learn from Droga5’s experience working with brands and platforms on how to transition social media from a detached discipline to a shared mindset, leading to more influential and effective integrated creative work. Moderated by David Griner of Adweek, speakers include Colleen Leddy (Head of Communications Strategy, Droga5), Hope Cowan (Creative Agency Partner, Facebook), and Jim Mollica (Global Digital Marketing Strategy, Under Armour).

9. Create by Numbers: How Insights, Data, and Paid Media Shape the Creative Approach

Hosted by VaynerMedia • Friday 2/26 at 1:00PM • SVA Theatre
The volume of data and insights available for social media is changing how agencies and platforms strategize, spend, and steer clients. This session features speakers from VaynerMedia, Pinterest, and Fast Company who will explore the new ways of working together by bringing creative, strategy, account and paid media teams closer together than ever before.

We hope to see you in New York for Social Media Week! Join over 1,000 leaders who register each year, and in 2016, #SMWNYC features two official venues: The TimesCenter (FWD Stage) and SVA Theatre (EDU Stage). Attend the 70+ events with 200+ speakers for an incredible week you won’t want to miss. Get your pass here!

Brand POV on Content Marketing: Brian Becker of JPMorgan Chase Joins #SMWNYC

Posted on by Tyler Becker

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.

Brian Becker, Executive Director and Head of Newsroom at JPMorgan Chase will provide insights into his team’s strategic thinking during this session, and discuss how they make well-informed decisions in the current content marketing landscape.

Register for your SMW New York Pass to hear this session!

Brian coordinates company-wide content strategy and operations, including managing customer engagement projects and underlying business objectives. In his time at Chase, he has cultivated new opportunities around social media and evolved existing strategies on large properties like Chase.com.

He also creates and manages governance models and works internally to advocate for the research, production and distribution of digital content to modernize the organization’s approach to marketing.

Brian’s session, “The High Stakes Of Content Marketing As Seen By A Brand, Agency And Publisher” takes place Wednesday, February 24 at 2:30PM at The TimesCenter (FWD Stage).

Hearst’s Lessons at #SMWNYC on Using Data and Gut to Build Social Audiences

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

Kate Lewis, SVP and Editorial Director at Hearst Magazines Digital Media (HMDM), will moderate a session with three Hearst Digital site editors to explore how audiences of large scales can successfully build and cater towards their social presence.

They will compare the effectiveness of two different social strategies: the use of performance metrics and audience data to inform social content, and following one’s gut instinct to create content that resonates with a community.

The Hearst brands represented on the panel have experienced the largest social audience increases during 2015, and session takeaways and will include: 1) the significance of insight teams, 2) the importance of humans analyzing data, and 3) how to communicate with your audience as if it’s a group of like-minded individuals.

“Data vs. Gut” will take place on Tuesday, February 23rd at 3:00pm at the TimesCenter (FWD Stage), and participating editors on this session include:

  • Joyann King of HarpersBazaar
  • Joanna Saltz of Delish
  • Betsy Fast of Seventeen

★ Join thousands of industry leaders at SMW New York ★

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: Latino Weekly

Unpack the Industry’s Latest Social Measurement Guidelines with IAB at #SMWNYC

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

Social media, including paid, owned and earned, continues to rapidly evolve, which is why Social Media Measurement Guidelines are needed to help agencies and marketers better understand the real impact of social media spend.

Recently, the Media Rating Council (MRC) issued Social Media Measurement Guidelines to help establish a detailed set of methods, definitions and common practices for organizations that measure social media activity.

Join us at SMW New York to hear leaders from IAB, Ogilvy & Mather, The Coca-Cola Company, Crowdtap, and Media Rating Council (MRC) to unpack these new guidelines, and examine its impact on the media industry. Why was it necessary to prepare these guidelines? Why it is important that we all used the same definitions to define key words? How, practically speaking, should the sell-side and buy-side use the guidelines on a daily basis?

Susan Borst, Director of Industry Initiatives at IAB, will lead this session, “Social Media Measurement: How Everyone Wins” on Tuesday, February 23rd at 9:00am at the SVA Theatre (EDU Stage).

★ Join thousands of industry leaders at SMW New York ★

About Susan Borst

Susan Borst is a Director of Industry Initiatives, heading up the Social Media, Content Marketing, Native Advertising, B2B and Games member committees to identify key challenges and opportunities for growth, and setting standards and best practices.

After 20+ years at top NYC creative agencies (Gotham, Kaplan Thaler Group, Grey Worldwide and Hill Holiday), Susan made the move to digital in 2010. At IAB, Susan leads the Social Media, Content Marketing, Native Advertising, B2B and Game Advertising committees, leading hundreds of digital publishers/platforms and technology providers to identify key challenges and opportunities for growth, and setting standards and best practices. Under her leadership, these groups have produced the IAB Native Advertising Playbook, Content Marketing Primer, Social Media Buyer’s Guide, Game Advertising Ecosystem Guide, User Generated Content guide, Building a B2B Brand Online For Dummies guide and many more.

Recent speaking engagements include OMMA Native, Business Insider Ignition, SXSW, Social Media Week in NYC and Chicago and more. She is on the jury for The Shorty Awards and the Content Marketing Institute Awards and was named one of the “15 People in NYC That are Changing Advertising That You Need to Know About” by Alley Watch (8/14) and named a “Top 50 Marketing Thought Leaders Over 50” by Brand Quarterly (2015.) She is based out of NYC and lives in CT. She is also half Icelandic, but loves Swedish Fish.

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: Izea

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

The Millennial Guide To Being A Boss: Forbes’ CMO & 30-Under-30 Leaders Joins #SMWNYC

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

It seems like we’re hearing more and more about Millennial employees taking over the workforce. These young, passionate, trailblazing leaders are founders, technologists, designers, strategists, creators, and everything in between.

At SMW New York, we’ll hear from one of Forbes’ 30-Under-30 honorees, Neil Parikh (Co¬founder and COO, Casper), along with Michael Monroe (VP of Marketing, Forbes Media), to discuss what it’s like to lead a company, and some of the learnings they’ve had along the way.

“The Millennial Guide To Being A Boss – Secrets From Forbes 30 Under 30 List Members” will take place on Friday, February 26th at 11:30am at the TimesCenter (FWD Stage).

Building Your Social Presence at #SMWNYC with BuzzFeed’s Social Team

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

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. There will also be examples of BuzzFeed’s biggest wins and fails (in the form of a quiz!), with insight to how, why, and where BuzzFeed experiments.

Summer’s session “Building A Great Social Presence The Resourceful Way, Presented By BuzzFeed” will take place on Wednesday, February 24th at 11:00am at the SVA (EDU Stage).

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

About Summer Anne Burton

Summer is the Editorial Director of BFF, a team at BuzzFeed that makes cool original stuff on social networks and platforms. She was previously the Managing Editorial Director in BuzzFeed’s editorial department, and once upon a time she was BuzzFeed’s first Weekend Editor.

Before she started at BuzzFeed, Summer lived in Austin Texas as a freelance illustrator and writer who contributed to ESPN: The Magazine, The Hairpin, Fangraphs, The Classical, and more. She was also a waitress, barista, bookseller, toy store clerk, advertising manager, hair salon receptionist, a writer at a now defunct website for tweens, and a stablehand.

She also has a new project called “Every Hall of Famer,” a blog where Summer is drawing every single member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. (via Summer Anne Burton)

About Rachel Christenson

Rachel Christensen is the managing social media editor for Buzzfeed, the social media manager for Food52, the James Beard Award-winning online food community, recipe hub, and home and kitchen shop. She formerly led social media for Real Simple magazine and at NBC’s Television Without Pity. She lives in Brooklyn.

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 these 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: Texas Monthly

EVENT SPOTLIGHT: BuzzFeed’s Lessons to Build Your Social Presence the Resourceful Way

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

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. There will also be examples of BuzzFeed’s biggest wins and fails (in the form of a quiz!), with insight to how, why, and where BuzzFeed experiments.

This event is targeted both at social media editors and their employers, and will include a short presentation via PowerPoint, along with a Q&A. Some of the biggest mistakes we see in media are caused by an outdated way that brands and publishers look at their social talent.

Participants will leave with a new way at looking to hire social candidates, the best ways to manage a social editor’s workflow, and how to create sharable content without a sizable budget.

Rachel Christensen, Managing Social Media Editor at BuzzFeed, will lead a session at SMW New York with Summer Anne Burton to discuss how they went outside of the box to rethink how successfully create large networks on social media platforms.

Rachel’s session “Building A Great Social Presence The Resourceful Way, Presented By BuzzFeed” will take place on Wednesday, February 24th at 11:00am at the SVA (EDU Stage).

★ 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!

Skipping Ads and DVR-ing Shows: Crowdtap’s CEO, Sean Foster, To Lead a Talk at #SMWNYC on Emerging Millennial Behavior

Posted on by Tess Kaytmaz

Skipping ads. DVR-ing television shows. Installing ad-blockers. These behaviors have all become a common part of the Millennial experience – and what’s more, they are behaviors that are engrained in subsequent generations of consumers (Gen-Z and even Gen-Alpha).

Sean Foster, Chief Executive Officer of Crowdtap, will lead a session at SMW New York with leaders from ABSOLUT Labs, Ricola, and The Burns Group to discuss the age of ad-blocking, how brands must evolve with this emerging trend, and why working alongside your customers to unlock their ideas, opinions and stories can overcome this barrier.

Sean’s session “Bracing For The Ad-Blocked Future: How Brands Are Moving Beyond The Impression, Presented By Crowdtap” will take place on Wednesday, February 24th at 9:00am at the SVA Theatre (EDU Stage).

★ Register today by purchasing your pass ★

About Sean Foster

“Sean Foster is CEO of Crowdtap, the People-Powered Marketing Platform. Sean joined Crowdtap in May 2014 with a proven track record of building great consumer experiences, developing thriving communities and scaling successful organizations. Prior to Crowdtap, he served as CEO of dLife, where he successfully transitioned the business from a media company to a branded products and services company, ultimately resulting in the sale of the company in late 2013.

Prior to dLife, Sean was responsible for a $120 million consumer e-commerce business as President, Online of Avon Products, Inc. Previously, Sean served as CMO for The Gilt Groupe where he delivered hyper sales growth and led the development of the flash sales model.

Sean held numerous executive roles at Weight Watchers International. During his time at Weight Watchers, he was responsible for all US, UK, Canada, Germany and Australia sales and marketing for the online division as the Vice President of Marketing for WeightWatchers.com. Sean also held several key sales and marketing roles at ndb.com (National Discount Brokers) and Club Med.” (via Fast Company)

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: AlleyWatch

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

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

Buzzfeed, Mashable’s CEO, Elite Daily’s Founder And More On The Future Of Digital: Top Sessions On The #SMWNYC Engage Stage

Posted on by Nicole Brown

Engage Stage: Events to Check Out

By Social Media Week.

 

Are you a marketer or advertiser looking to gain insights from the best in digital. From analytics to entertainment, head to the Engage Stage and check out one (or all!) of the following events.

  • How Today’s Top Brands Breed Loyalty & Fanaticism

    By Social Media Week.

    Ever wondered how brands like Apple, IKEA, and even Uber achieved their cult statuses? At Cult 2.0, you’ll learn the tricks of the trade from a panel of today’s branding and marketing experts.

  • The Ultimate Human Content Connectivity

    By Social Media Week.

    Ranging from crowd sourced, organic, paid, or socially driven, attendees can expect to gain several insights on how to incorporate user generated content into digital marketing strategies.

  • 10 Years of Digital: A Chat With Mashable’s CEO

    By Social Media Week.

    In this one-on-one interview, Social Media Week’s Founder, Toby Daniels will be discussing the evolutionary path of digital media with Pete Cashmore, Founder and CEO of news powerhouse, Mashable.

  • Collaboration & Innovation at Large Companies

    By Social Media Week.

    Find out how companies like eBay and General Electric are addressing the growing need for new methods of promoting self-disruptive, collaborative, and innovative behavior in the work place.

  • Networks of Influence

    By Social Media Week.

    If you’re a marketer looking to engage the new generation of “upwardly mobile,” millennial consumers, this event is for you. It features speakers from Translation, Crimson Hexagon, and Elite Daily.

  • Creating Consumable Video Content with Buzzfeed

    By Social Media Week.

    Jonathan Perelman, VP of Buzzfeed Motion Pictures will be discussing the science behind creating shareable content, and how changing technologies has affected the way it is consumed in this event.

  • Measuring Attention & Intention with The NYT

    By Social Media Week.

    Michael Zimbalist, SVP of R&D and Ad Tech for The New York Times will be leading the discussion on the role content plays in better capturing consumer attention in the digital age.

Session Preview: CEO Of Crowdtap Explains What It Means To Be A People-Powered Brand

Posted on by Nicole Brown

In our day-to-day lives, we’re faced with countless reasons for wanting to engage with brands and businesses. Of course, we have customer service questions, but we also want to tell brands when they’re doing something right – and what’s more, we want to share our own ideas about how the brands we love can evolve and grow with us as consumers. After all, it’s our experiences with brands as consumers that shape the very definitions of those brands.

Sometimes simple social interactions cannot achieve these engagements effectively, and at scale, and that’s where Crowdtap comes in. Billed as the People-Powered Marketing Platform, Crowdtap helps marketers place real consumers at the heart of their marketing – from consumer insights and innovation to content creation and media distribution.

At #SMWNYC, Crowdtap CEO Sean Foster will explain what it means to be a people-powered brand, and offer up tangible examples of brand marketers who are leveraging the consumer voice across the entire marketing lifecycle. We recently caught up with Sean to get a sneak preview of his much-anticipated session:

What’s the state of brand-consumer relationships today?

The relationship between brands and consumers is broken. Most Millennials say they do not trust traditional advertising at all – yet marketers are still talking at their audiences, pushing messaging on them in disruptive ways. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Media-savvy consumers are passionate about the brands they love. In fact, nearly half of Millennials today believe that brands “play an essential role in their lives.”

Put simply, consumers want to be heard. They want a seat at the table – so much so that they are investing their own money to co-develop new products via platforms like Quirky and Kickstarter. The brands of the future are those that are putting people at the heart of it all – and that’s the definition of People-Powered Marketing in its simplest form.

What’s the difference between crowdsourcing and People-Powered Marketing?

People-Powered Marketing replaces the linear model of engaging consumers with an iterative cycle that elevates the consumer voice across all stages of marketing and product development. Crowdsourcing is a piece of that, but does not represent the complete scope of what’s possible for marketers today. At Crowdtap, we’re evangelizing a model in which consumers are involved at ALL stages of the marketing lifecycle. Beyond crowdsourcing (co-creation), this might involve giving product feedback, validating creative and creating content around their own experiences with brands. It’s an iterative, ongoing process versus a one-off campaign.

What can marketers do to help their brands become more People-Powered?

Becoming more consumer-centric is as much of a mindset shift as it is an operational shift. Marketers have to have the desire to make the leap, and understand that brands are no longer defined by executives in board rooms, separate from the consumers who experience them on a daily basis. They should not only realize, but appreciate, that their customers are increasingly calling the shots – and know how to balance consumer needs with business objectives. From an operational standpoint, managing ongoing conversations with consumers is not achievable at scale without the tools to make those engagements seamless and actionable for marketers. Our platform makes it easy for marketers to engage in two-way conversations with consumers that result in agile consumer insights and powerful word of mouth.

For more insights into marketing’s people-powered future, catch Sean’s session at the #SMWNYC Campus Headquarters (Highline Stages) on Friday, Feb. 27 at 10:45 a.m.

About Crowdtap:

Crowdtap, the People-Powered Marketing Platform, is a new operating system for brands powered by the people who love them. Our platform makes it easy for brands to put consumers at the heart of their marketing to drive product ideation, inform marketing strategy and create authentic content that fuels earned media.

In 2014, Crowdtap was named one of the 100 Most Promising Companies in America by Forbes and the No. 54 fastest-growing private company in the Inc. 500 List. The company has been ranked as the No. 3 Best Place to Work in New York by Crain’s, and the No. 6 Best Tech Company to Work For by Mashable.

With a growing community of passionate members, Crowdtap works with leading brands including General Mills, Heineken, Kraft Foods, P&G, Verizon, Walmart and Yum Brands.

Visit corp.crowdtap.com for more information.

Get To Know Generation Z: Marketing’s Next Big Audience

Posted on by Nicole Brown

Bob Dylan once sang, “The Times They Are A’Changin’,” and in the world of marketing, truer words have never been spoken. The rise of the connected class, along with the advent of the social web, have made it theoretically easier to reach target audiences but more difficult to forge authentic connections with consumers. This shift is seen most prominently in the ever coveted millennial audience, where conventional approaches to marketing are rendered ineffective and demography-based segmentation strategies prove to be unsuccessful.

This “upwardly mobile” generation of consumers is neither traditional nor monolithic, and in an omni-connected social landscape with diverse curation of cultures, brands must work harder to be culturally relevant, and often come up short. Marketing to the connected class will require a deeper understanding of cultural influence and the role social plays in the spread of products and ideas.

On Wednesday February 25, join Marcus Collins, Executive Director of Social Engagement at Translation, David Arabov,  Founder and CEO of Elite Daily, Jonathon Francis, Founder and COO of Elite Daily, and Mitch Brooks, Senior Research Strategist, Crimson Hexagon to uncover how brands can tap into the dynamic upwardly mobile, millennial audience and benefit from their network of influence. This event will target advertisers and marketers who seek to spread messages, ideas, and products to this coveted consumer.

Looking for even more insights into the millennial audience? Find out everything you need to know about millennials — as well as how to connect with the even younger, hyper-connected Generation Z — during these SMW NYC events:

Not only will you get to know Generation Z at #SMWNYC, from February 23 to 27, but you’ll hear valuable insights from global thought leaders from every industry.

Get your pass today here, and join us and our partners for what will be an extraordinary week of exploring our upwardly mobile, connected world.

Maximizing Your Snapchat For Storytelling

Posted on by Nicole Brown

Have you followed the social media breadcrumbs to Snapchat? If you haven’t heard, Snapchat is a text message-like app that shares pictures, drawings, and video with users for a few seconds before disappearing. It’s fun, quick, and a smart way to engage with a younger audience. Share news, updates, behind the scenes moments, or just say hi to make a lasting connection in 10 seconds or less.

A recent study shows that 77% of college students use Snapchat daily. Mashable.com reports, “Almost half of college-age Snapchat users said they would open a Snap from a brand they’d never heard of, and 73% said they would open one from a brand they did know. Close to 70% of students said they’d even add a brand as a friend if they also followed them on a separate social network like Facebook or Twitter.” That’s great news for brands both large and small.

On Wednesday February 25, join ICED Media’s Greg Littley to learn the essentials on maximizing your Snapchat and how to bring storytelling to the most popular in-the-moment social sharing platform among millennials.

With over 100 million monthly active users and over a billion Snapchat Stories viewed per day, ICED Media will help you leverage your presence on the mobile app.

ICED Media is an award-winning full service digital marketing agency & received the 2013 Shorty Award for Best Brand on Snapchat.

 

Check out the latest lineup of speakers and events here, then get excited to join us for a week you won’t forget. Grab your pass to get full access to SMWNYC!

Stop Chasing Rainbows

Posted on by Nicole Brown

Keeping up with change in our industry is like chasing rainbows; largely impossible.  Rather than bounce around from one latest trend to the next shiny object, we’re recommending that you use SMW to take a breath and explore what’s really working for today’s modern marketer.

During SMW you’ll hear from leading voices from BuzzFeed, The New York Times, IAB, Added Value, MRY, Starcom MediaVest and WIRED on the best practices that have defined some of the most successful campaigns in recent times.

Find out where we are headed, and how we will change as marketers, at the following SMW events:

  1. Measuring Attention and Intention, With The New York Times
  2. Is Social Media Just Media? The Future Of Paid, Earned And Content, Hosted by MRY & Starcom MediaVest
  3. Custom Content: How Publishers and Instagrammers Are Leading Campaigns for Brands, Hosted by WIRED
  4. Creating Video Content For How It’s Consumed, Hosted by BuzzFeed
  5. User Generated Content: The Ultimate Human Content Connectivity, Hosted by IAB
  6. The New Reality Of The Changing Marketing Landscape, Hosted by Added Value

Marketing and advertising insights are a big part of what you’ll find at #SMWNYC, from February 23 to 27, but there are so many other topics to explore.

Get your pass today here, and join us and our partners for what will be an extraordinary week of exploring our upwardly mobile, connected world.