Media Buying Briefing: What you’ll learn at the Media Buying Summit this week

By Michael Bürgi

Today begins three days of analyzing the media agency business as Digiday hosts its twice-yearly Media Buying Summit, this spring in New Orleans. For those of you not fortunate enough to attend in person, make sure you don’t miss our summit this fall, which will be held Oct. 16 to 18 in Naples, Fla.

At DMBS, we strive to tackle the major issues on the minds and desks of media agency executives and staffers, and we seek out experts in those fields to share their stories of success and challenge. This spring’s summit is no exception. Here’s what we have on the docket — followed by a few things that aren’t topics but will certainly find their way into the conversations taking place this week.

Commerce media is set to dominate the marketplace

Digiday has written a lot about the exploding growth of commerce media — a catch-all term that incorporates e-commerce and retail media networks, made popular by the McKinsey duo of Quentin George and Jon FlugstadFlugstad. The two execs open today’s sessions with a presentation that showcases why this field is exploding and what it can mean for brands and their media agencies.

In short, the opportunity to get brands closer to customers’ points of purchase (either IRL or online) inherently increases the chances of that advertising to convince customers to buy. It’s that simple — and yet, as the agency world has done so many times, it’s rendered complicated by technology and measurement challenges.

“It’s expansive in the promise and the opportunity of what [commerce media] can be, but we also need to be really clear about the reality of ‘You don’t understand, I can’t even get 50% viewability on the retail media’,” said George, partner and commerce media leader at McKinsey.

The role of Web 3 (which has already been crowded out of headlines by AI)

Only six months ago, you couldn’t get through a day without reading something about the Metaverse or a Web3 activation, and yet many of those storylines have faded — while media agencies get to work actually figuring out the best ways to harness this next-level opportunity for brands to commune and connect with people who can be potential customers. Walton Isaacson’s managing director of digital, Albert Thompson, has been a regular speaker at Digiday conferences because he’s always testing out new marketplaces and opportunities, and shares his thoughts and experiences with Digiday’s media buying reporter Antoinette Siu.

The latest media obsession is over artificial intelligence in the wake of several generative AI releases from Microsoft to Google, and Digiday’s senior marketing tech reporter Marty Swant has been covering many angles affecting marketers and agencies. Swant will touch on AI with Dentsu Media’s senior vp and managing director Will Ferguson, as well as with Claire Russell, head of media at independent FitzCo. Naturally, those conversations will also address the looming privacy and fraud concerns that come with these new territories.

Evolving client relationships

One fundamental shift every media agency, …read more

Source:: Digiday