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Jess Santini jess.santini@assemblyglobal.com

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TECH RISING = DATA RISING

While the tech at CES is dazzling in its own right, the data it unlocks for brands is the true thought-provoker as we leave Vegas. Every tech advancement is generating fresh ways to capture first-party data from consumers. It’s on marketers to scope these technologies with a healthy mix of skepticism about privacy implications and eagerness about the ability to (more) seamlessly connect consumers to brands.  

Watch this Space: Pinterest announced a new data clean room collaboration with LiveRamp and Albertsons as the latter seeks to build a retail media network. 

Get Smart on Impact: Do Consumers Understand the Bargain of Digital Data?

THE THREE C’S

Whether it was ever-more integrated home devices, new content partnerships, or gifting modern travelers with free wifi, the power of truly connected brands to drive performance is clear. In the year ahead, marketers need to prioritize linking content, commerce, and community in order to effectively serve consumers and boost brand efforts. Tech companies learned “built it and they will come” is a bad way to engage consumers; marketers, too, need to focus on delivering the content consumers want, when they want it, and engage digital and IRl communities to power better experiences.

Watch this Space: Delta announces Delta Sync, a new chapter of connected travel.

Get Smart on Impact: How Warner Music Group is Preparing for Connected Consumers in 2023

TECH IS ABOUT TO HAVE A POLITICAL YEAR

TECH IS ABOUT TO HAVE A POLITICAL YEAR  – The subtext on the convention floor this year was that tech is about to face increased scrutiny and possibly even regulatory action from governments around the world in the year ahead amid growing concerns that products and services are veering us closer to “1984” than 2023. Expect the industry’s practices around data privacy, competition, and content moderation to come under close examination and consider the reputational risks of marketing certain products or services if they are perceived as “bad tech.”  

Watch this Space: How TikTok Became a Diplomatic Crisis

Get Smart on Impact: Mark Penn in Forbes on Twitter, TikTok, and the Year Ahead  

🤖 Category Transformations

Check out the announcements from the past week we predict will drive the biggest vertical transformations in the year ahead. 

• Automotive: Sony and Honda Afeela – a collaboration with Qualcomm that illustrates the future of in-car entertainment. 
• Travel & Hospitality: Richtech Robotic’s ADAM is a boba-making robot that delighted attendees; Richtech’s robots are already deployed across restaurants and hotels.   
• Media & Entertainment: TikTok and Vevo launch a new weekly show curating music videos from the top-trending songs on TikTok
• Luxury and Fashion: Paula Abdul’s IdolEyes Fashion Audio Glasses protect the eyes, let users take calls, and use the best in modern sonic tech to enhance music and content. 
• Healthcare: Vivoo showcased its at-home urine test kit/app using machine learning to analyze test strips and serve up ‘wellness’ insights to users. 

Live from the Stagwell Content Studio @ CES 2023

Stagwell’s Content Studio returned at CES, delivering behind-the-scenes interviews with C-Suite execs at the world’s most ambitious brands on the trends and transformations they’re tracking at CES.

In this episode, Qualcomm CMO Don McGuire and Stagwell Chairman and CEO Mark Penn share why artificial intelligence and augmented reality are the two trends to bet on in 2023.

Originally Released On

PR Newswire

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Sarah Arvizo
Stagwell
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ADS HERE, DATA EVERYWHERE

GENERATIVE A.I. IS THE DARLING OF THE SHOW 

EXITING OUR “TECH AS ENTERTAINMENT” ERA

🤖 Category Transformations

We’re watching these sessions for vertical-transforming announcements at CES. Check back with us in a week for our POVs on their news:

• Automotive: Connected Mobility and the New Automotive Customer Experience
• Travel & Hospitality: Top Trends in Travel
• Media & Entertainment: Advertising’s New Normal: Unifying Streaming, Retail, and Identity in 2023
• Retail: AR and VR Go Shopping
• Healthcare: Data in the Age of Public Health Emergencies 

Coming Soon: CES Content Studio

As thousands descend on Las Vegas for CES, Stagwell’s Content Studio returns to deliver behind-the-scenes interviews with business leaders across electronics, food and drink, luxury goods, media, sports, tourism and more. Hear from them on the trends and transformations they’re tracking at CES. Follow our LinkedIn and YouTube to keep up with the series as it publishes during CES.

 Reach out at ces2023@stagwellglobal.com if you are an executive that would like an interview.

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The UPS Store, the world’s largest retail franchisor, has partnered with full-service advertising agency Doner and Facebook’s Spark AR Studio to launch an out-of-this-world AR adventure featuring the Moon. The campaign, ‘Moon AR Ad-Venture,’ allows users to experience the many services offered by The UPS Store in new, fun, and engaging ways. Using AR, customers can shred the moon’s surface, send copies into orbit, use a planet-sized stamp, bubble-cushion with booster rockets, and pack and ship across the universe. Plus, users can place the moon in the palm of their hand – or in their living room.

One of the most robust applications ever seen on Facebook’s Spark AR platform, this AR experience pushes boundaries by using six different 3D models to develop five animations, all while maintaining high, photo-real quality of assets. As mentioned above, the campaign launches today. It will run for four weeks nationally across social media channels, specifically Facebook and Instagram. Doner and The UPS Store have enjoyed over two decades of collaboration, with this campaign marking a first for the partnership through its innovative usage of AR.

David DeMuth, CEO, Doner: “We’re always looking for new, engaging and interactive ways to dimensionalise our clients’ brands and this AR experience is a great example of that,” said David DeMuth, CEO of Doner. “For The UPS Store, we’re excited to use this technology to help bring the brand story to life in an interactive and memorable way.”

Michelle Van Slyke, SVP, Marketing and Sales, The UPS Store: “This effort moves beyond mere observation in advertising, delivering a multifaceted, interactive experience that engages people,” said Michelle Van Slyke, SVP, Marketing and Sales, at The UPS Store.

By

Harris Brand Platform

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A Size-Inclusive Rollout Shrinks Earnings, but Not Brand Equity  

In August 2021, Old Navy launched BODEQUALITY, a campaign that expanded their clothing line to serve women sizes 00-30. Inventory mismanagement resulted in financial losses; however, Harris Brand Platform data shows that this “failure” comes with a silver lining:

1. BODEQUALITY departed from the traditional women’s clothing market, with apparel specifically designed for curvy women and a strategy focused on size inclusivity.
2. The right idea…Consumers familiar with the Old Navy brand appreciated BODEQUALITY’s mission, and the retailer’s brand equity hit a November high.
3. …The wrong execution: Inventory mismanagement, and supply chain issues, resulted in stores overwhelmed with surpluses of the largest and smallest sizes, and a lack of their most popular mid-range sizes.

Download our case study to discover how consumers responded to Old Navy’s BODEQUALITY campaign, and how this “failure” also did the brand some good.

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A Blueprint for Creating Equitable Communities

Colle McVoy

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The urgency to create equitable communities where all people thrive continues, but most solutions have been slow to bring change. Especially in Minneapolis, which has one of the largest racial wealth gaps in the nation. But a pioneering movement in the city is building a vibrant community that supports business development, celebrates culture and nurtures belonging so Black people can thrive. Hear how this unique approach, fueled by creative, corporate and civic partners, is expected to transform Minneapolis’ reputation while providing a powerful blueprint for change across the country.

The Future of Deaf Representation in Entertainment 

National Research Group

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The popularity of the film “CODA” sparked a new conversation about representation of the Deaf community in entertainment – authenticity on screen, inclusivity among writers, producers, and actors, and accessibility within the industry at large. Deaf West Theatre, the most prominent nonprofit organization focusing on Deaf-centered storytelling, has partnered with National Research Group, a global insights and strategy firm, to find out how those in the Deaf community really feel about the current state of representation and accessibility in entertainment. This session will highlight findings from an in-depth research study; feature video from a roundtable of prominent Deaf actors, directors, writers, and more; and provide insights on how to move forward to build a more inclusive industry.

Snoop, Martha, and the New Blend of Wine Consumers 

Observatory

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Wine has a reputation for needing a mature palate to fully appreciate. But why, with older millennials turning 40, is wine’s popularity continuing to decline? How does the wine industry compete with spirits, craft beer and hard seltzers to reach a diverse and younger (over 21) audience? By partnering with pop culture icons Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart and leaning into trendier blends, 19 Crimes has reinvented the wine industry’s appeal to younger consumers. Snoop’s Cali Red achieved the number one single selling wine in pacesetter history and is bringing new consumers at an unparalleled rate. Join 19 Crimes, Observatory, and Snoop Dogg’s agent, Nick Adler, as they discuss how to attract new consumers despite radically changing consumers attitudes toward alcohol preferences.

Chief Digital Officers Transforming Health Care

YML

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Chief Digital Officers are responsible for increasing their team’s speed and agility, making an impact quickly, and shipping products more frequently. Does any of that scream health care to you? Well — maybe not historically, but this new crop of CDOs are changing the game. Hear from Rita Khan, CDO at Mayo Clinic, Prat Vemana, CDO at Kaiser Permanente, and Chris Waugh, Chief Innovation Officer at Sutter Health — all of whom are building the digital health experiences of more than 25M Americans. Interviewed by Ashish Toshniwal, Founder and CEO at YML, hear how these CDOs are shaping the future of patient-first experiences using cutting edge technology, design and product strategy.

72andSunny

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We’re in the midst of a ‘movement moment,’ a period of rapid change punctuated by incredible hardships and economic, social and political instability. All of this can take a serious toll on employee well-being and presents organizations with a host of challenges that have no easy solution. Join agency EDI Leaders as they discuss how they’ve responded to the crises we all face and how they’ve found ways to support employees through these polarizing times.

VOTE HERE.

The standard for professionalism has been dictated by a singular perspective for decades, so it’s no surprise that agencies and brands alike are struggling to evolve the corporate culture to suit a more diverse, inclusive workforce. Join us as we discuss where companies are falling short on their DEI promises and how we can rebuild the workplace of the future.

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Assembly on July 12, 2022

Our 2022 report takes a magnifying glass to global luxury brand engagement in China, delivering four key consumer and market trends at the intersection of technology, culture, and brand experience.

Hot off the press – Assembly is back with its much-anticipated global luxury brand reports. In 2022, we release a first-of-its kind-installment, focused on the market quickly becoming the most critical for luxury brands worldwide: China.

Download your copy of: LUXE IN CHINA – New Horizons for Luxury Brands

In 2020, it was reported that by the year 2025, China will contribute to half of all luxury goods purchases worldwide. Two years later and that trajectory is very much on track, as experts expect China to take its place as the world’s largest luxury personal goods market within the next three years.

Not only are the trends we see in this market relevant to the brands seeking to win the hearts and minds of Chinese consumers – but they also point towards luxury’s future place in the lifestyles of up-and-coming generations around the world.  Where China leads in technological advances and innovation and bold, new experiences, others often follow.

In the 2022 report, we look at four key defining trends, with insight and examples of successful implementation and transformation done by global brands in the Chinese market:

Emerging Media Formats

Our Future in the Metaverse 

The Evolution of Offline Immersive Experiences 

New Consumer Engagement Beyond Brand 

Get your copy today.

We also look at media investment trends across key luxury categories, as a signal of the continued digitalization of luxe brand experiences.

While challenging economic conditions and the continued effects of COVID are felt by all, luxury brands are creating vibrant, truly culture-defining moments to create closer connections with luxe consumers.

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Mark Penn

FEATURING

Welcome to Hitting the Mark – a critical analysis of developments at the intersection of business, marketing, and politics meant for the modern C-Suite. For our inaugural edition, I tackle the issue keeping leaders awake at night: Russia’s war against Ukraine. Brand leaders: did you ever anticipate you’d be drafted into a war? Well, you have. And here are some thoughts on what to do.

Over two months into Russia’s brazen assault on Ukraine, brands are the newest foot soldiers in the economic warfare the U.S. is waging to isolate Putin and his regime from the rest of the world. The United States has decided it is too dangerous to confront Putin directly, instead electing to levy crushing economic sanctions on the country and encourage U.S. business leaders to do the same. Should U.S. corporations participate in this economic warfare against the Russian people? So far, the answer is a clear yes. Typically, involvement in political issues splits a company’s consumers; in contrast, this move appears to be bringing consumers together.

Unprecedented Consensus on Brand Withdrawal

Per a recent survey by HarrisX into voters’ perceptions on the ongoing Ukraine conflict, about 80% of voters believe all American companies should stop doing business with and in Russia. That holds across two key segments we polled for: tech companies and fast-food companies. Further, 90% of American voters agree that Putin has committed war crimes for his role in the invasion of Ukraine.

Of course, this decision is easy for companies who have little or no operations in Russia. It is more difficult for those companies that have made a major investment in the country. They may have thousands of employees, stores, and other investments. What will happen to those assets? Will they have an opportunity to re-open operations if peace is achieved? These are difficult questions given the larger ramifications those decisions have.

Given the illegal and immoral actions of Putin’s unrestricted shelling of innocent civilians, an overwhelming number of well-known brands have either pulled out of Russia or suspended operations there. Morality surely swayed many; Anonymous, the hacker group, also threatened cyber-attacks against companies that did not withdraw. In the U.S., the sentiment is so strongly in favor of Ukraine and against Russia that any company remaining in the region is likely to draw significant consumer and media disapproval. Watch Nestle closely: the brand took a middle ground, announcing it would continue to sell baby food and products while pulling out of more indulgent lines like KitKat, and are donating any profits to the Ukraine relief cause.

Tech in Hot Water

Tech companies are as likely to be banned by Russia as they are to ban operations in Russia. Tech companies have generally focused on US internal political battles and yet carried the accounts of the Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran on an unfiltered basis. RT, a U.S.-based news operation that really was a Russia propaganda front, operated online here for years without interruption. By continuing to operate, tech companies argue they are serving as a communications channel into Russia. At the same time, they could be vehicles for the spread of Russia propaganda. As of now:

• Facebook is banned in Russia while Goggle continues to operate there in limited fashion.
• Google News has been banned though it appears search is still operating. Google advertising has been shut down voluntarily.
• YouTube is operating but they have prevented the Russian military from posting videos of “liberation” on the site and so is under threat of being banned by Russia.

Business software companies like Salesforce, Slack, Dell, Microsoft and IBM stopped selling to new customers while supporting old ones for now. Many had policies of not doing business with the Russian military in any event. Perhaps the single most significant help from tech companies for Ukraine is the deployment of Starlink satellites by Elon Musk. These provide an uncuttable lifeline to the Ukrainian people and government to stay connected and communicate to the outside world.

Et Tu, Vodka?

Then there are the companies – especially vodka companies – that have for years traded on the idea they were Russian in origin, now communicating with consumers that they were really American or European after all. This is some careful marketing legerdemain.

Companies will not be able to right every wrong, and as a matter of policy we have encouraged companies to operate in areas like China as part of showing other cultures how democracy, and economic freedom work together. There is now far less belief that by working with rogue regimes, we can change them; 3 In 5 Americans in the latest HarrisX poll now reject that strategy and believe we are better off disengaging.

When President Bill Clinton addressed the conflict in Kosovo, a non-NATO country, in a speech that I helped work on, he argued stopping the atrocities against civilians there was an imperative because 1) it was morally right and 2) it was within our capacity to fix. The situation in Russia is similar as there is no real moral issue or debate – this is clearly naked and unjustified aggression on a scale we have not seen since World War II. American companies should feel confident that pulling out of their Russian operations will by and large not hurt their American operations. This is both the right thing to do and what is within our capacity as business leaders to do.

Have thoughts about the Russia-Ukraine war, brands’ responsibilities in it, or corporate purpose? Email me at mark.penn@stagwellglobal.com.

March 11-20 2022
Austin, TX

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Robyn Freye

Stagwell is the challenger network built to transform marketing, deliver excellence for the world’s most ambitious brands by connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology. That’s why Stagwell loves SXSW, which is all about the intersection of technology, innovation and culture – a great fit for a global company committed to transforming marketing, content, and experiences.

Here’s a roundup of Stagwell showed up at SXSW, what we learned, and what it means for marketers:

The 5 Things You Missed at SXSW 

From NFTs and the evolving Web3 landscape to the transformative power of digital audio, Stagwell’s experts share the top five trends and brand takeaways from SXSW 2022.

Get Smart with Matt Maher

Stagwell contributor Matt Maher provided “Get Smart” videos throughout the week, making sure those watching from home didn’t miss a single thing, and that those on the ground could keep up with the hours of programming SXSW put forward this year.

Matt brought his experience as a marketing and technology expert to bear, sifting through the flash to determine which of the new trends and technology have staying power – and how marketers should be parcing them to make the most of every platform.

MATT’S KEY SXSW 2022 TAKEAWAYS:

1. THIS WAS NFT’S YEAR AT SXSW but most brands haven’t fully connected the dots to turn NFTs into a sustainable, relevant, brand-building moment. Look to the Doodle x Shopify activation for the most successful implementation.
2. CONTENT CREATION ISNT A NUMBERS GAME ANYMORE – from gaming to Instagram, it’s more important to have a dedicating following of 10k than an apathetic community of a million.
3. THE METAVERSE CONVERSATION IS MORPHING from enthusiasm to skepticism as it runs against ongoing tech debates – data, privacy and the psychological impact on users over time. We havent’ written it off yet, but brands have some big decisions to make before jumping in.

Matt walks us thorugh all this in more in his Get Smart series from the festival, check them our below and on the Stagwell @ SXSW YouTube playlist. 

Stagwell’s on the Ground Recap with Nick Fuller

Why brave the Austin heat (or cold, as it was this year) when you have digital transformation expert Nick Fuller, Managing Partner of Digital Transformation at Stagwell, on the ground to make sense of it all for you? He’s our sherpa for all things technology x marketing, and his takeaways from a weekend on the ground show a bias towards first-mover advantage when it comes to all things Web3. There is also a new interpretation of the age old question of authenticity – whether its in creator partnerships or buy-in on new tech platforms, there’s a huge upside for brands who are operating with a clear vision of their message and where they fit in the market.

Read Nick’s full article here.

Driving the Future of Marketing with Stagwell

Marketing moves fast – and we’re ahead of the curve. On Monday March 14, Stagwell held an invite-only event at Circuit of the Americas, the US’ first and only purpose-built F1 track, to give this industry’s saviest competitors a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The day started with a panel featuring Bennett Richardson, President of Protocol, Gayle Troberman, CMO of iHeart Media and Sally Shin, Chief Strategy Officer at UnitedMasters, discussing the future of audio marketing. They touched on core themes unearthed by Stagwell’s March Marketing Frontier on the Future of Audio, including the power fo audio and a connective device and the untapped potential of audio as an avenue for first-party data collection. 

The group then broke up to make some noise themselves, rotating through a half-day racing school taught by the legendary Skip Barber Racing School. In no time, our marketing pros became driving pros, learning the fundementals for open-wheel race car driving from Skip Barber instructors who among them boasted half a dozen top-place finishes in racing classes across the board. It was an unforgettable day, and a reminder of why pushing the limits and moving quick can transformt he way you see a problem – and see the world.