AFFILIATE AND SPONSORED ANALYSIS

It’s time to turn Black Friday green

The objective of Black Friday is to boost sales, but could it also be used to drive positive change and offset some of the environmental impact of the day.

Advertisers are losing millions: marketers must take fraud on streaming devices seriously

This summer, Ofcom revealed that more consumers than ever are switching off linear TV and turning on streaming and on-demand services instead. It's more critical than ever that marketers ensure they’re advertising in the right way and on the right platforms.

Attention, Interest, Desire and Action: what marketers need to know about full-funnel digital advertising

Tech can enable marketers to take an innovative, holistic approach to reaching and engaging customers effectively throughout their buying journey and, beyond that, build long-term relationships.

Media Quality Report: what lessons can marketers learn from last year?

The impact of inflation is being felt by many within the UK and media agencies and there is a pressing need - even more than normal - to maximise the potential of ad budgets and ensure ROI on all spend.

“This could be a genuine game changer”: what the Meta and Amazon collaboration means for marketers

With Meta introducing a new feature in the US allowing users to shop on Amazon via their Facebook and Instagram accounts, PMW spoke to a panel of industry insiders and got the experts’ takes on what this means for brands, advertisers, agencies and consumers alike.

4 marketing tips for tackling 2023’s busiest shopping season

Developing a sense of brand value in consumers’ minds is part of the essential marketing work of building engagement, trust and relationships with customers to make the connection that becomes sales at this time of year.

“The key to survival is adaptability”: experts on AA/WARC’s latest forecasts as performance props up a wilting UK marketing sector

As online channels continue to take the lion’s share of UK adspend, a predicted industry-wide decline of 4.5% in real terms year-on-year (YoY) has marketers split on the best course of action.

80% will shop on October Prime Day, but Amazon shares the spotlight this time

More than half of shoppers feel Amazon can be beaten on discounts, with others highlighting quality and delivery advantages to looking elsewhere. PMW speaks to 10 marketers on why Prime Day will be different this year in the lead up to Christmas.

Cleaning up ‘Made for Advertising' sites: new industry definition helps brands cut down on junk content

Industry bodies have updated the definition of MFAs, hoping to clear-up exactly how to recognise them. However, will this new definition actually help solve the problem? Experts aren’t so sure…

Preparing for the future of partnership marketing

Buyers, partners, and technologies are all evolving at a breakneck pace. Marketers need to keep up.

To strike performance marketing gold, start with the people, not the tech

Martech maps can lead you on a wild goose chase. But listening to the tales of fellow travellers in adland can help marketers make sense of an increasingly fragmented landscape.

Why in-app advertising is critical for performance marketers

In-app ads are a highly effective way for brands to accurately target, connect with and truly engage their audiences where they spend their most screen time – in a more efficient and customised way than mobile web advertising allows.

Ad relevance is good for the advertiser, the consumer and the environment

One practical step digital advertisers can take to reduce their carbon footprint is to produce campaigns that are better targeted, more relevant and more attention-grabbing – increasing their impact and reducing the energy waste associated with ineffective online impressions.

Age quake: marketers are unprepared for the great digital demographic shift

An ageing population will force marketers' hands sooner or later, so why not leverage this audience's spending power now?

How native keeps transforming to fill the performance gap for marketers

Native advertising continues to grow, even as adspend on social media platforms falls. The format can offer clear advantages and integrate seamlessly into relevant content, driving user interest and engagement.

Publisher direct deals: boosting sales revenue streams

Brands should capitalise on the data that publishers can provide, enabling marketers to target audiences in the most efficient way possible as the battle between privacy and scale continues.

Paid social strategies that will build your B2B audience

Increasing brand awareness, boosting online following and generating qualified leads are key elements of a successful B2B marketing strategy, but how can marketers find the best targeted advertising and social platform options and use them to their greatest advantage?

Unilever: how to sponsor the World Cup without looking like you’re cashing in on the hype

Huge cultural moments see many brands jump on the bandwagon. So how can advertisers get involved in the craze authentically that makes them stand out and earn engagement? Unilever tells PMW.

“Let your teams do the why and AI do the what”: Mailchimp’s Global CMO on AI, C-suite influence and customer value

Global CMO of Intuit Mailchimp, Michelle Taite, lifts the veil on what should make a CMO tick - from incorporating AI and personalising at scale, to democratising data for better defined performance metrics.

The key questions publishers should be asking their SSPs

From incremental revenue measurement to unique advertiser demand, publishers can optimise their monetisation stacks by asking more of their automated ad selling partners.

Google turns 25: but can it still dominate the next decade?

Performance marketing owes a lot to Google. PMW speaks to ten marketers on Google’s origins, its impact on adland and if it will still reign supreme in another 25 years.

Final day to enter the PMW 100 Powerlist for free: the search for the most influential people in performance marketing

With a day left to submit a free entry, senior leaders from WARC, Kantar, The Influencer Marketing Trade Body and the CEO of IAB Europe assemble to determine the 100 people making the biggest waves in the industry this year.

Adding value in the cookieless world – the circular approach

As brands try to find ways to bridge the gap left by the removal of cookies, it is clear they need to change the way they think about data, technology and collaboration, and bring the human element back to targeting, because relationships and innovation will be key to success.

AI is not taking away control from digital advertisers - it’s giving it back

AI was previously all about performance – but not always the right metrics. Now, rather than remaining an automated enigma, digital advertisers' applying AI today have better oversight on pursuing the outcomes that actually matter.

TikTok update: “less engagement equals less revenue”, how will the EU’s DSA regulations really impact the platform’s advertising effectiveness?

With TikTok announcing incoming updates that will see EEA users have the option to opt-out of personalised feeds, PMW spoke to the experts and got insight into what the consequences of adhering to the DSA might be.

How to generate new revenue from old content through new platforms

Your content has commercial value on social platforms. So, gather your rights, figure out the strategy and ask; can you support that with paid media to accelerate growth, and build sustainable revenue as you serve content to the audience in their environment?

Why MediaMath’s collapse epitomises martech’s age-old nightmare

The reasons for the programmatic advertising pioneer’s shocking demise this summer– whose clients included PepsiCo, Adobe, and Sony – are still being debated, but one thing is clear: the unorganised division of tech stacks was incurring significant waste, costing the company millions.

Preparing for a cookieless future: what advertisers need to know

As we shift from an opt-out to opt-in internet, the time is now for brands to smarten up on identity – cookies might be on the way out, but the value exchange of the open internet isn’t changing.

ITV: It’s time to disrupt ourselves

Ad funded streaming models from Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime have created some serious competition to the traditional TV industry. So the big broadcasters are taking drastic action to avoid being “eaten alive”. ITV reveals why to PMW.

Building brand relationships with niche audiences: David Trencher, Reddit

Reddit's Head of Sales UK, EMEA and Australia, David Trencher, sat down with PMW's News Reporter, Joseph Arthur, to discuss how Reddit attracts advertisers to its platform, staying on top of diverse audiences and the importance being prepared for the death of the cookie.

Deinfluencing’s popularity has grown among consumers – so why are marketers reluctant to embrace the trend?

With spending-money at a premium among most Brits, the lavish, often unrealistic lifestyles of influencers aren’t quite cutting the mustard for consumers anymore, with many beginning to favour advertising that operates in the more financially-realistic world of ‘de-influencing’.

PMW begins the search for the 100 most influential people in performance marketing

Brands, agencies, platforms and tech providers have just one month to nominate their champions to be included amongst performance marketing’s top pioneers and experts.

Marketing in a material world: how would you spend Barbie’s $100m budget?

Not every brand is granted the wish of a $100m marketing budget, but what can brands learn from big campaigns and apply with smaller budgets?

How do you solve a problem like Twitter’s advertising business? With consumers!

Linda Yaccarino, who joined Twitter as CEO in May, needs to strike a successful balance between user satisfaction and advertiser demands to increase loyalty, trust and revenue.

How to compete in a mobile-first world when you don’t have an app

Lifestreet’s Lily Stoelting reveals the innovations taking place in contextual targeting, and why app-to-web can help performance marketers scale campaigns and be cost efficient.

PMW UK Awards 2023: Vodafone, Ipsos and IAB Europe judges discuss what makes a winning performance marketing entry

With less than a week until the standard entry deadline for the PMW UK Awards 2023, judges from Vodafone, Ipsos, IAB Europe, Kugaii and Zenus Bank reveal what they will be looking for in a winning entry.

Open marketplace vs direct advertiser-publisher buying

As the open marketplace becomes ever-less useful to brands due to addressability problems, there is a strategic option for marketers considering alternative ways to reach the most relevant audiences at scale.

What went wrong at MediaMath? ‘Original’ DSP’s bankruptcy leaves adtech trouble in its wake

Bankruptcy of the independent programmatic pioneer shakes up the adtech market and leaves an unsettling black hole of debt in adland.

The consumer journey is shortening and Apple is releasing updates. What are the challenges facing affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing has a perception issue. As it evolves to cover more of the marketing mix, hear from Rakuten, Microsoft and Trip.com on the concerns for the changing channel.

Retailers, drive new revenue through one-to-one personalisation

Seamless personalisation across all channels is what it takes to raise the customer experience to a level where they feel valued and understood, which will encourage them to return and purchase more – and improve affinity and loyalty more than brand and price combined.

Affiliate marketing is now “everything”. But do blurred lines cause concerns for financial brands?

Financial services are a burgeoning sector in affiliate marketing. But as the practice becomes even less definable, how can marketers remain confident when “mistakes mean incidents”? PMW talks to senior leaders at HSBC and Cleo to chart the channel’s evolution beyond last clicks and cash incentives.

Supercharging search with generative AI: what does this mean for brands?

Big changes are coming to Google’s search tool that will have a dramatic impact on both the user experience and what strategies marketers need to adopt to make their brand’s online presence felt, from SEO to paid and sponsored ads and affiliate marketing.

10 things I got horribly wrong about Cannes Lions 2023

Do creatives really resent the adtechs? Is Gen AI going to take everyone's jobs? Can I run the length of the Croisette in five minutes? Robin Langford, Editor at Performance Marketing World, confesses his top misconceptions, biggest mistakes and flat out wrongness upon returning from a week at Cannes Lions 2023.

Cannes Lions Awards 2023: social, media, B2B and direct marketing entrants among those to watch

Many entrants to this year’s awards stood out for their use of strategy to drive sales and engagement – including social media, tech and performance marketing. PMW takes its pick of the best.

Are we sleepwalking into a sustainability blind spot with digital advertising?

With so much investment being ploughed into the sector, it is critical that marketers, brands, platforms and publishers do not overlook factors involved in sustainability, but work on making more efficient use of resources, reducing the environmental footprint of digital advertising and seizing fresh opportunities.

Don’t worry creatives, AI isn’t coming for you (yet)

Generative AI can't connect with human experiences at present, but that doesn’t mean it lacks utility – with human input, it is already democratising access to high-value marketing for brands and empowering creators.

Ben & Jerry’s axe Twitter budget – how many brands will follow?

Twitter’s “content moderation has become all but non-existent” stated Ben & Jerry’s. Improper regulation puts the platform at risk of becoming a “toxic cesspit” of hate speech, sinking Twitter further into dangerous waters if more brands leave the platform.

Affiliate and influencer marketing are converging

What do marketers need to know to get the most out of influencer and affiliate partnerships in the years ahead?

Deinfluencing, authenticity and the future of creator partnerships

A decline in consumers’ trust in and respect for influencer content has created a huge opportunity for marketers willing to risk potential criticism by embracing greater authenticity and ‘editorial balance’ from creator channels.

How marketers can better streamline their advertising supply chain

Marketers who want to do more than merely survive the current high-pressure advertising battleground must think strategically.

Is Snapchat having a creator comeback?

Ex-Meta head explains why Snapchat is more ‘fulfilling’ for creators and its monetization opportunities. But does a shift towards creators mean that it will finally compete with the big dogs?

“At this point it’s too hard to put the genie back in the bottle”: the time is now for marketers to embrace AI

In the wake of Sitecore adding generative AI to its suite of composable software solutions, Chief Product Officer Dave O’Flanagan offers insight as to why the technology is beneficial to performance marketing.

Media inflation and Meta: what are your adspend alternatives?

Advertisers need to stay agile as they seek alternatives to Facebook and to optimise their digital media buying as audience behaviour and media prices constantly change.

More measurement, fewer cowboys: CTV must learn from past ad tech eras

Consumer privacy, transparency and accurate measurement must be at the heart of any personalised, programmatic CTV activity as the technology advances further.

The ABC of brand advocacy: A is for Acquisition

Acquiring high-value customers isn’t easy, but in times of cutbacks, loyalty and brand advocacy is more valuable than ever.

“Creators are completely essential to brand marketing strategies” but, there’s a measurement gap

Influencer marketing is taking up an increasing portion of the marketing spend, but much of its influence still remains immeasurable.

Are you a performance marketer… or a ‘Chief Dot Connector’?

Last week, an 800-strong audience at PM Unlocked welcomed a new type of event for London – with a rallying cry that performance marketing is breaking out from the bottom of the funnel.

Is AI like ChatGPT ultimately detrimental to the future of marketing?

Marketers need to understand how to work with generative AI to derive the greatest possible value from it while retaining the all-important human element

“Customers are no longer following a linear path through a funnel”: EssenceMediacomX CEO on merging giants, ethical AI and hidden data gems

Nearly a month on from the merger between agency behemoths MediaCom and Essence, Ryan Storrar celebrates the end of the beginning… and why he doesn’t want to see another upside down triangle on a slide ever again.

Why Hilton’s 10 minute TikTok went viral

‘10 minutes on TikTok is like three years in the real world’. What made this trend-bucking ad hit marketing gold?

How programmatic audio advertising is enhancing the radio experience

New technology is enhancing the radio experience and transforming the way brands reach their target audience through audio channels.

Super Bowl LVII review: Disney dominates, co-branding needs tinkering and M&M’s recovers a near disastrous fumble

One for the animal lovers and the nostalgia-seekers, Super Bowl LVII saw a seemingly endless stream of adverts and PMW has put together a recap of everything you need to know.

Super Bowl LVII predictions: crypto sacked, big tech fumbles and brand partnership power plays

The potential end of crypto adverts, tech falling a yard short and brands partnering to split crazy costs - get all the expert analysis of the state of play ahead the Super Bowl’s famous advertising frenzy.

“Staying safe isn’t going to cut the recessionary mustard”: 15 marketers on the latest AA/WARC 2023 adspend projections

The experts’ take on real-term decline for adspend this year amid some optimism, the pursuit of digital channels to optimise budgets and why privacy needs to be front and centre of 2023 plans.

Six things performance marketers need to know about India

Set to become the world’s most populated country in 2023, India has a growing middle class and strong smartphone and CTV adoption. Read PMW’s bluffer’s guide to the region from our experts inside the country.

“Media efficiency will be a greater topic of conversation”: 50 marketers’ IPA reactions on first-party forward, optimising and the move to ‘brandformance’

With reported optimism for marketing spend playing out against downbeat views of prospects across UK industry, we ask our panel of marketing experts for their insights behind IPA’s latest figures.

Marketing anti-predictions: What not to expect from 2023

Given the year ahead is currently shrouded in a cloud of uncertainty, and hard to forecast, what are the trends that won't happen in 2023?

The tech stack massacre, programmatic posters and 18 other marketing predictions for 2023

PMW’s panel of experts delve into what will happen in this year’s primary channels, and the tech and data moves marketers need to make to stay ahead of the curve.

Building a travel marketing strategy for a turbulent 2023

Despite rising living costs and a looming recession, UK consumers are still showing an appetite for travel. But travel brands must now appeal to a new type of consumer: one who’s more conscious about their holiday spend.

Streaming video advertisers beware - not all subscribers want ads

As Netflix rolls out its pricing tiers, different attitudes and behaviours to ads on SVOD of people across countries and generations should give advertisers pause for thought.

Unlocking performance techniques in broadcast media – without being creepy

The biggest opportunities for media planners and buyers comes from borrowing techniques that performance experts have been using for years – and cross over into broadcast, video on demand or digital out-of-home.

Four ways to beat blanket B2B comms

Customers expect sleek digital experiences and customer-centric buying journeys and B2B brands must find relevant and meaningful ways to connect with buyers. To propel growth, they need to harness the latest expertise to attract, engage and convert business audiences.

Some brands are spending less on performance… isn’t that the whole point?

From eBay to Airbnb, a clutch of household names are heralding a branding renaissance as they cut back on performance channels. Should other brands follow suit?

Why digital out-of-home is an essential force in today's media mix

As posters go programmatic, it’s brands’ time to shine in this undervalued yet constantly overdelivering channel.

Digital advertising’s carbon truth is out, what should we do next?

The by-product of revenue growth needs and adtech innovation is inefficient supply chains venting carbon waste. In one of the fastest growing movements since the adoption of programmatic ads, the industry, driven by publishers, is now uncovering this and looking to act.

Beautiful, functional or hands-on? CMO James Gordon on why Karcher is powering up performance marketing

As house-trapped nesters turn into cash-strapped consumers, Karcher is combining modern first-party targeting with smart brand storytelling to clean up any wasted ad spend.

“This isn’t the time for business as usual”: 50 marketers and their insights on the latest outlook for marketing spend and direction

After the Bellwether report confirms a slowdown in marketing budget growth and a stagnant forecast for next year, marketers name possible green shoots still available and advise on how to make every bit of your spend count.

What do you meme? Monetising the creator economy

"Almost half of all Millennials and Gen Z's use memes on a daily basis". Funcorp's Group CEO talks to PMW about monetising memes, growing the creator economy and how marketers can use the humorous images.

As collaborative marketing grows, creative control remains key

Collaborating with creators is a powerful tool for brands, but giving over creative control comes with its own risks. How can brands continue to create home-grown content that connects with audiences, while keeping their hands on the wheel?

Why moving budgets away from Meta and Google will be more complicated than you think

As ad platform dominance fragments in a privacy-centric world, advertisers should not shy away from the new, but there will be complications along the way.

Six things performance marketers need to know about China

China will generate over one quarter of all global consumption growth during the next decade. But access to this lucrative audience doesn’t come cheap. Read PMW’s bluffer’s guide to the region from our experts inside the country.

Why ad podding will star in the next season of TV advertising

With both Netflix and Disney Plus going ad-funded, a new type of media buying is bringing the AVOD experience closer to its linear counterpart. Storytelling on CTV just got simpler…

Sustainability, cookies and recession: a time of challenge and change reflected at DMEXCO

There were noticeable differences at the two day expo conference this year. With some big names missing and less exhibitors, what were people really talking about?

‘The internet is worse for the environment than airlines’

This Ozone Day, digital marketers need to understand the impact of advertising on the environment, and what they can do to help.

The devil wears Prada: an influencer’s story

“This is an industry dominated by women and essentially created by women yet women are still massively disrespected and underpaid, compared to men.”

How to 'be more Aldi' – and ride out the recession on social

Since Cuthbert the caterpillar cake made his triumphant return to UK supermarkets in June, more brands have become wise to the power of entertaining content. But how can marketers ensure engagement leads to a purchase?

The prescription for subscription growth

With subscription models talk of the town, brands need to be thinking about creating a positive user experience, where short term priorities focus on reducing involuntary churn.

Standing out from the crowd: what makes a winning performance marketing awards entry?

With just two weeks until the entry deadline for the PMW Awards UK 2022, judges from Samsung, Tails.com, RNLI and Reddit reveal what they’ll be looking for in a winning entry, and how the industry’s needs are evolving.

“Companies are going to have to be progressive with working practices”

The pandemic has obviously changed how we work, but what do performance marketers – and the industry’s leaders think about the shift? We find out what’s here to stay and what’s around the corner.

“We've woven learning and development into the performance management process”

More than four in ten marketers in PMW’s Workforce survey are considering a new job because they want better training and development. Investment in learning is clearly pivotal to employers’ retention armour – but how are employers approaching it?

The role and the company: the main reasons marketers aren’t looking for a new job right now

Despite many of our respondents feeling happy where they work, their heads could be turned as fewer cite salary satisfaction and a good work/life balance as reasons to stay.

Pay v culture: Is there really a contest?

What’s really important to you as a performance marketer when it comes to your job, and indeed your career? Find out what our respondents think – and if this chimes with your thinking.

Where is performance marketing falling through the skills – and experience – gap?

The skills shortage in the industry – exacerbated by the level of digital and data expertise the world needs now – has been long recognised. But which disciplines are proving the most difficult to source talent for?

Salary tops the reasons for wanting to jump jobs, but only goes so far

Higher pay may seem an obvious reason to think about making a move, but many marketers are searching for a better work/life balance and training and development.

The video era of social media: how influencer marketing is shaping the landscape

Watch episode two of our IG live series on influencer marketing with LTK’s India Sehmi and business influencer Emily Valentine. We talk invisible influence, creators in the metaverse, and why Instagram is fan-girling TikTok.

“Tough conversations in the boardroom as CMOs fight to hang on to their marketing budgets”: 25 marketers on the state of the industry ahead

From concerns about slowing consumer spend, marketing budget cuts, and confidence in first-party data strategies and attention seeking to weather the storm, we speak to industry leaders about the latest IPA Bellwether findings.

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