Tinuiti Live: A Recap of the Most Valuable Marketing Conference in 2021

There are over 235 million smartphone users who are seeking out privacy-preserving measures. How can a mobile app continue to grow, while maintaining the trust of consumers? In the following session, Liz Emery, and Danielle Smith discuss how Audible prioritizes a transparency first approach with publishers and consumers, which has allowed them to consistently scale performance.   
Nirish Parsad, Marketing Technologist, Tinuiti “We had a partnership with CBS, and the viewership of Masters truly over-delivered (from a brand impression standpoint). We had Justin Rose as a sponsor, which of course gives huge credibility to our brand (as he dominated the Masters for the first two days). But the real question was how do we complement our brand and upper-funnel initiatives with performance? We also used multiple different channels from OTT to SEM to Facebook and very strong email campaigns throughout that weekend. We made sure that we had inventory and merchandise. It really was a full-funnel effect and the measurement isn’t just sales and conversion or impressions – it was actually everything, together. We saw an increase in our brand impression metrics, the new customer acquisition numbers, traffic, PLP views, and conversions – all positive and that’s what we were really excited about.” 
If you’re not 100% satisfied with your current conversion rate, odds are you’re not speaking their language. In this session, Kendall Giglio explains how brands can take a step back to objectively look at how a brand is perceived by their customers with a breakdown of the four key areas where the misalignment is probably happening. 

  • The importance of flexibility and agility: Some of the most established companies are among those that are most open to the new (and ever-evolving) marketing landscape (which may explain why they’re still around!)
  • The importance of explaining what you’re doing – and why – with your finance team when you do change things up, and what things might be different this time around (ie. an expected longer path to purchase)
  • Experimentation and early planning – being open to trying new things, learning as much as you can from them, and applying those learnings to future projects
  • Communicating effectively, and often, with internal teams and partners
  • Strategically choosing partners

Insight from former Top Executive at Disney+ and CEO of TikTok

Top brands and provocative thought leaders gathered last week for our annual Tinuiti Live virtual event. This year featured half-day expert discussions designed to provide attendees with networking as well as specific and actionable strategies to accelerate brand performance across the funnel.
 
Kendall Giglio, Senior Director, CRO, Tinuiti

Tinuiti’s Annica Nesty and Maurices Kristine Koetter explored the importance of using platform technology in understanding brand and performance. “Viewing our marketing performance from an omni perspective has made sure that we’re putting our dollars in the right pocket.”— Kristine Koetter AVP, Omnichannel Marketing, Maurices

Kristine Koetter, AVP, Omnichannel Marketing, Maurices
You can listen to Mayer’s entire keynote speech in our on-demand recording available here.

 
Liz Emery, Senior Director, Mobile & Ad Tech Solutions,Tinuiti

“We’re able to drive efficiencies by seeing things more holistically. That’s really helped us make better decisions.” — Kristine Koetter, AVP, Omnichannel Marketing, Maurices “The performance brand model takes all of those concepts and merges them into one so that you create a fully baked approach to your creative at every level so that people at every touchpoint your audiences get to experience your brand [then allowing you to measure and track your success]. Performance is what drives conversions, measurable incremental testing improves over time. Branding is about building those connections, creating recognition, loyalty, and authenticity. Our approach is you can merge those – and do both!” – Carla Anderson, Creative Director, at Tinuiti
 
 
The recent awakening in our country around social and racial justice has inspired countless brands to step up their DEI efforts both internally and out in the world. While some brands have walked the talk and made a real impact, others have found out that paying lip service while failing to take accountable action can hurt their brands even worse than if they had remained silent. Tinuiti Live’s panel discussed a variety of game-changing strategies to help brands move beyond talk and into measurable and meaningful DEI practices that perform. 

Building a Foundational Tech Stack to Support Your First-Party Data Strategy

Tinuiti’s Jesse Math, VP of Advanced TV & Video Solutions, and Bassett Furniture’s Director of Digital Marketing, Heather Petersen, explored the success that the American-made furniture brand has seen—and continues to see—through promotional and evergreen OTT advertising. 
Paige Grossman, VP, Global Brand Creative and Media, Ancestry
“We know our website is the front door to our customer.” Heather Petersen, Director, Digital Marketing, Bassett Furniture Industries Inc.
Anneka opened her discussion with a compelling visual of scuba divers surrounded by colorful fish, explaining quite simply that she loves water: the ocean, snorkeling, the fish. She discussed a recent, pre-pandemic vacation she enjoyed, trying out diving for the first time. As a lifelong swimmer, she expected to take to it easily and instantly but found these new “uncharted waters” weren’t what she was used to. 

  • What a holistic 1P data strategy really means
  • The foundational tools and systems advertisers need
  • The measurement strategies that every advertiser should be testing in 2021

Anneka opened her discussion with a compelling visual of scuba divers surrounded by colorful fish, explaining quite simply that she loves water: the ocean, snorkeling, the fish. She discussed a recent, pre-pandemic vacation she enjoyed, trying out diving for the first time. As a lifelong swimmer, she expected to take to it easily and instantly but found these new “uncharted waters” weren’t what she was used to. 

  • Planning Principles: The importance of early campaign planning, breaking down silos, and regular cross-channel alignment so everyone has a full understanding of what others are focused on
  • Why driving the “why” behind everything you do, both internally and externally, is so crucial
  • The power of mid-funnel, consideration-based, product-based education that provides potential customers a better understanding of Ancestry’s offering prior to taking advantage of a free trial—understanding the long game

Anneka opened her discussion with a compelling visual of scuba divers surrounded by colorful fish, explaining quite simply that she loves water: the ocean, snorkeling, the fish. She discussed a recent, pre-pandemic vacation she enjoyed, trying out diving for the first time. As a lifelong swimmer, she expected to take to it easily and instantly but found these new “uncharted waters” weren’t what she was used to. 

  • Best practices for Amazon Enhanced Brand Content (EBC), video, and Stores features
  • How to upgrade the shopping experience to make it more visually engaging and interactive

Anneka opened her discussion with a compelling visual of scuba divers surrounded by colorful fish, explaining quite simply that she loves water: the ocean, snorkeling, the fish. She discussed a recent, pre-pandemic vacation she enjoyed, trying out diving for the first time. As a lifelong swimmer, she expected to take to it easily and instantly but found these new “uncharted waters” weren’t what she was used to. 

  • How to approach keyword transparency with Apple Search Ads
  • The right ad placement tracking measures, winning consumer conversion paths, and more

Anneka opened her discussion with a compelling visual of scuba divers surrounded by colorful fish, explaining quite simply that she loves water: the ocean, snorkeling, the fish. She discussed a recent, pre-pandemic vacation she enjoyed, trying out diving for the first time. As a lifelong swimmer, she expected to take to it easily and instantly but found these new “uncharted waters” weren’t what she was used to. 

  • How COVID impacted Bassett’s advertising plan, with the switch to always-on OTT actually being an easier transition due to its necessity
  • How to strike a balance between national and local KPIs
  • The importance of educating the decision-makers at your company to help them understand what changes you’re making, and what the anticipated effects will be

Are you Speaking your Customer’s Language? How Your Audience Experience Could Be Affecting Conversion Rates

Anneka opened her discussion with a compelling visual of scuba divers surrounded by colorful fish, explaining quite simply that she loves water: the ocean, snorkeling, the fish. She discussed a recent, pre-pandemic vacation she enjoyed, trying out diving for the first time. As a lifelong swimmer, she expected to take to it easily and instantly but found these new “uncharted waters” weren’t what she was used to. 

  • Tools for user Behavior Tracking and Analysis
  • How to use click activity and scroll maps to really understand your customers

Anneka opened her discussion with a compelling visual of scuba divers surrounded by colorful fish, explaining quite simply that she loves water: the ocean, snorkeling, the fish. She discussed a recent, pre-pandemic vacation she enjoyed, trying out diving for the first time. As a lifelong swimmer, she expected to take to it easily and instantly but found these new “uncharted waters” weren’t what she was used to. 

  • The value and importance of testing in crafting your marketing strategy
  • How M1’s awareness-based marketing strategy on Reddit differs from their strategies for other social platforms
  • The benefits and reach of Reddit’s “Community Takeovers”
  • Exploring that Redditors aren’t actually averse to advertising on the platform, but they don’t want it masquerading as something else. “Redditors are smart, and they want to be spoken to like they’re smart.” Erica Haile, Senior Growth Partner, Reddit

Anneka opened her discussion with a compelling visual of scuba divers surrounded by colorful fish, explaining quite simply that she loves water: the ocean, snorkeling, the fish. She discussed a recent, pre-pandemic vacation she enjoyed, trying out diving for the first time. As a lifelong swimmer, she expected to take to it easily and instantly but found these new “uncharted waters” weren’t what she was used to. 

  • Why brand engagement is important in today’s climate
  • New methods of measuring brand marketing performance

Nii Ahene, Chief Strategy Officer, Tinuiti
Topics covered:

Fireside Chat with Etsy CMO Ryan Scott

To close out the information-packed event, Dalton Dorne and George Gallate highlighted some of their favorite takeaways from the day’s sessions, including:  
Dalton Dorne, Chief Marketing Officer, Tinuiti “There’s really cool tech out there that is underutilized – which means you have to choose between going deep or MacGyvering it. There are over 8000 marketing technology platforms available today (up from 150 in 2011).” – Nirish Parsad, Marketing Technologist at Tinuiti
“We’re home to thousands of communities that are really dedicated to specific interests, and we can reach users that are really engaged.” Erica Haile, Senior Growth Partner, Reddit 


Topics discussed:

Hot takes from the experts

With the far-reaching impacts of COVID resulting in a cut to Bassett’s media spend, they “took a leap of faith” and went all-in on OTT, fully replacing their linear TV advertising initiatives. There was some early concern that with removing traditional television ads, there would be a decline in traffic to their brick and mortar stores, but that fear did not become a reality. 
“When you learn about your family history, you have stories to share with your family, and specifically you can share during the holidays—anytime, but it’s really important during the holidays. You bond over those stories and it brings you closer together,” noted Paige Grossman, Ancestry’s VP, Global Brand Creative and Media.
In addition to the growing importance of having an online presence (to cater to shoppers’ needs in a pandemic and post-pandemic world), Mayer also shed light on the growing popularity of live streams and the opportunity available for advertisers.

  • Kevin Mayer’s advice for what CMOs need to grow in their career, which includes: flexibility, embracing change, becoming technologically adept, and understanding the true nature of your brand 
  • There is no ideal tech stack, but there are ways you can get there 
  • The importance of transparency requirements for yourself, and your partners
  • The importance of first-party data to execute through the full funnel
  • The need to sometimes be “scrappy” and have a start-up mentality, even if you are an established brand
  • The power of Mobius in integrating first-party and third-party data to drive performance
  • The importance of brand and performance coming together, and not viewing them as “competition” for one another
  • Details on “flipping the funnel” in today’s increasingly 1P data world
  • Turning customers into friends through social media
  • The value of using data to build brands on Amazon through a variety of vehicles
  • The necessity of reminding ourselves to step back and look at what our customers are actually doing
  • How to be more inclusive in your marketing, and a better ally at work and in life
  • It all starts with making the decisions of what to stop, start, and continue doing. Once you’ve made the first decision, you have a better idea of what decisions need to be madeand what actions need to be takenfrom there

Famous YouTube creator closes out the day

Todd Pollak, SVP, Global Customer Success & Commercialization, Ancestry Helena Tse, Head of Growth Marketing at Bonobos
  Patryk Wlodersky, Acquisition Marketing Manager, M1 Finance