What challenge are the brands you’re working with facing currently?
Since moving from London to San Francisco three years ago, I’ve been working with a lot of West Coast-based companies, especially those in the tech sector. I’m continually surprised by the pace these companies operate at – they’re super data driven and make informed decisions very quickly.
Historically, this has been a challenge from a marketing effectiveness point of view because the data and insights that revealed how your investments performed took longer to pull together. This doesn’t fly for a lot of tech companies that don’t have the luxury of waiting for a campaign to wrap up to make decisions – they need constantly updated, mid-campaign measurement.
How are we helping them to overcome this challenge?
Our 50+ years of experience means we can leverage several different approaches, including data automation processes, more innovative measurement tools, such as Sensor™, that deliver granular insights in near real time, as well as scenario planning and optimization techniques.
We also work with companies to understand their “must haves” versus their “nice to haves” and prioritize work accordingly. Often, it’s better to extrapolate results you do have to provide an estimate of performance that enables key questions to be answered, rather than waiting for complete campaign measurement and insights.
If you communicate clearly across the organization what should and shouldn’t be taken as fact, this can also help brands to move away from a reliance on last click attribution for fast-paced decisions.
What’s the best campaign you’ve seen recently?
The launch of the Golden State Valkyries, the first women’s NBA team in the Bay Area, really caught my attention. It’s not been a traditional high spending media launch, but they have really been smart with their strategies and focused on getting the Bay Area behind them, creating a sense of community pride.
Their First of a Lifetime ad features much of the city and plays into the emotion of women’s sports. But my favourite thing has been seeing all the local partnerships, in-person events, social media from local athletes and celebrities, and how many people are already sporting their merchandise. I can’t wait to see the Valkyries franchise grow!
What exciting venues have you discovered in San Francisco that you would recommend to anyone visiting the city?
I recently saw Mumford & Sons at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, which is not technically in San Francisco but is easy to get to on public transport. It was my first time visiting the Greek and I loved it – it’s an outdoor amphitheater with an incredible atmosphere and a great view of the bay at sunset. It also helped that Mumford & Sons always put on an incredible show!
Contact Laura to discuss any of the issues raised in this Q&A