012: Let's Make Money
[Before - Session 4] $578M+ tonight. Friction tomorrow.
This year, Fox will likely surpass $578.36 million of in-game advertising revenue, if Kantar’s calculations prevail. Ah, advertising!
The 2023 crop of big game advertisers seem focused on TV narratives, less so on newfangled tech integration.
Given all the deepfake content occurring now, I prefer the original E-Trade baby. The remakes trade on a brilliant idea. Not sure how they grow up.
Dialpad’s “Good AI” spot comes closest to channeling the future of advertising, and throwback film references.
For my money, Workday’s Rock Stars hit all the right notes. Loved Ozzie/Oswald doing my share of bad things.
But I’ll give top honors to Google. “Fixed On Pixel” wins for its strategic insight—photos are great, but photos you can fix are a modern miracle. Loved the pacing. Loved the harmonica version of Missy Elliot’s “We Run This.” And the use of celebrity actually made sense—removing blur in a rushed moment with Doja Cat, and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s nod and wink. Amy Schumer’s realization was to our benefit.
I remember when the Internet first became a thing. I coded my first batch of HTML in 1993, then built my first site in 1994. I first heard, “How is this going to help make us money?” not soon after.
Major Theme 1: Commerce & Selling
Tomorrow night we’re going to begin our major themes for the future of advertising with commerce and selling. I’m excited to welcome Sheila Erickson (LinkedIn) and her deep experience marketing and selling CPG brands, agency services, start-ups, and furniture to be our guest.
“How will this make money?” has been at the root of advertising from the beginning. John Wanamaker expressed a frustration over 100 years ago which remains to this day, but your results may vary.
We’re going to compare and contrast DTC brands with long established brands, the role of performance marketing, A/B testing, social selling, affiliates and referral codes. From e-commerce to customer service, drop shipping to payment systems, the future of advertising is complex, nuanced and filled with opportunity. Never mind the duopoly tax.
And throughout it all, a constant motif: Friction.
We see it Customer Experience (CX), User Experience (UX), Design, Content and media. “How will this make money?” is very often a question of reducing friction across platforms, systems and experiences.
I’m excited to dig in.
I’ll have the “During” post in your inbox later tomorrow evening.