Mike Sharma

This is massive news for our industry. “No other single ad tech provider has Google’s scale or reach across the ad tech stack, with over 200 billion Canadian web ad transactions flowing through Google’s ad tech tools in 2022," the bureau said. https://lnkd.in/gUNhYPZa

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Now that APG Canada’s fabulous book Eat Your Beets is out in the world… a few of us authors (wow what a surreal word to add into my post!) shall be getting together with Think TV to share more from our essays. Join us on November 14 at 1PM EST for a webinar packed full of strategy goodness (vitamins from all those beets!): 😎 I’ll be talking audience strategy: a simple framework to make sense of all the marketing research out there 🔥The always-amazing Sammy Rifai shall get you fired up with: How to Build Fame & Flow: Why the Relationship between Brand and Performance Shouldn’t be Toxic 👊 The very smart Jack Dayan shall be sharing How to Make an Impact with a Full Punch 📺 And Catherine MacLeod shall speak on Decoding Canadian Media Consumption Myths! What a line-up.

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🌟 New Study on Canadian Perceptions of 3D/Faux-CGI OOH Advertising 🌟 Horizon Media Canada x PATTISON Outdoor have released a new study on how Canadians perceive 3D faux-CGI out-of-home (OOH) advertising. Key findings reveal that younger Canadians, especially Gen Z and Millennials, are more engaged with 3D DOOH ads, appreciating their creativity and visual appeal. The study also highlights the importance of concise and captivating content to truly capture commuters' attention. 🔗 Read the full study here -> https://lnkd.in/gaPQzc74 #Advertising #OOH #CGI #Marketing #Canada

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For #Marketers and #Communicators... Here is question 16 of my #FrequentlyAskedQuestionSeries ✋🏻✋🏼✋🏽✋🏾✋🏿: Q: "I'm trying to be inclusive in our upcoming campaign TV ad. How can I tell if the commercial is tokenizing or not?" A: "Although there are a lot more layers and nuance to it, a simple way to test if your commercial script is tokenizing underrepresented communities or not is as follows; replace all the underrepresented individuals in your script with people from the dominant culture. If you do that and your script still "makes sense" ie. the story doesn't change, then likely you're tokenizing these individuals. Why? Well, people with different lived experience should experience your script's story in a different way. If they don't, likely, the inclusion of these individuals is very surface-level, and doesn't have the deep cultural nuance required to be authentically inclusive. Remember, diversity =/= inclusion" What are your thoughts? I invite you to discuss and ask more questions in the comments! --- Follow me next week for question 17 of my #FrequentlyAskedQuestionSeries! What is the #FrequentlyAskedQuestionSeries? Every week I'll answer common questions that we receive at AndHumanity, Inclusive Marketing Agency on #InclusiveMarketing and #InclusiveCommunications. --- #JEDI #EDI #InclusionMatters #InclusiveBusiness #InclusiveLeadership 

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“Fast-vertising” is a concept we leveraged at /newsrooms, merging marketing with the pace of breaking news. It’s still a concept many marketers stuggle with, trying to keep up with content production across all their owned channels, citing lack of resources, approvals and compliance as roadblocks. Little do they know the vast majority of this content can be pre-planned and engrained in corporate processes so you’re able to remain compliant but still react strategically……it is possible and successful.

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Great teams build great products. At DanAds we work with the biggest names in publishing and media: McClatchy, Rogers Sports & Media, Outside, and more. That’s why we employ world-class talent to build our platforms, serve our clients, and grow our business. So what do we look for? Curiosity, creativity, and accountability. Curious: we’re building the future of self-serve advertising. Our team is curious about new ways to give publishers and advertisers the best possible expertise and ROI. We stay open to new ideas and tools. Creative: we look at challenges as opportunities and get creative about solving them. We work with our talented partners to create new features that keep our solutions ahead of the curve. Accountable: we earn the trust of our clients and each other. We communicate directly and respectfully, and we get the job done - with no bullshit. Does this sound like you? Check out open positions or recommend someone you know.https://careers.danads.com/jobs

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Data-driven strategy is usually boring and mediocre, because not enough strategists are good at research. If you're interested in getting better at desk research, the APG (and I) have you covered: https://lnkd.in/g39kGNVM It's wonderful when you can bring in a talented and capable research partner and pay for some primary research work, but most of the time, if you need to get somewhere of value fast, you need to start at your desk. And as someone who once described the job of strategy as "aggressively googling", I am confident that is not enough. How do you get to a data-supported strategy that isn't a mishmash of mismatched statistics that are 3-5 years out of date (and that all of your competitors have already presented)? Come find out.

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Writing a good press release involves restraint. It eschews bombast and presents information in a measured way that allows the announcement to speak for itself.  You need to top-load a good press release. Give all the pertinent information as close to the top as possible. This isn’t something where you need to keep the reader (journalist) in suspense. They’re going to make their decision within the first paragraph, so put all your important information high up and use the rest of the PR to flesh it out. #Copywriting #PressReleases #CorporateCommunications --- Need a content strategy? Let's talk. Need a ghostwriter? Tell me about your project. Want a free website audit? Ask me how.

An interesting counter to my more negative take on the Meta versus Canada news spat from a couple of weeks back. Key takeaways? 1) Meta's decision to pull news from its platforms was a shock, but in line with the ongoing trend of declining traffic from social 2) Spotting these trends, anticipating potential outcomes, and developing strategies to respond effectively is always sensible - the internet is always evolving, often fast, so digital audience acquisition business models need diversity to survive 3) Working out ways to build up first party data via direct connections with your audiences on channels you own and control will *always* be a more sensible strategy than relying on the whims of algorithms and tech giants #ContentStrategy

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I truly enjoyed this conversation with Will Fraser and the nuances between brand advocates and affiliate partners. He outlines some important factors to consider for brands and highlights the different ways you can utilize impact.com to fuel your partner growth. Thanks for the insight and thoughtful conversation Will! #affiliatemarketing #partnerships #referralprogram #impact #podcast #brandadvocates

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Advertising/Marketing/PR/Comms as an industry is absolutely unrelenting. About a month ago, I had a lengthy conversation with Denise Gorgosilich about the day-to-day schedules of folks in the industry, and how it's mostly just focused on survival. People within the industry and outside of it expect us to be up to date on the newest thing and newest trend, when we haven't even fully learned the last thing. If it's not the next date of significance, it's the next technology, or the next SaaS tool. When I talk to people about this issue, I'm often met with, "it's not just your industry...accountants, lawyers, doctors, etc. all deal with this". But as per this brilliant IPRA International Public Relations Association article shared to me by Iselin Klev (thank you!), our industry is different mainly because it's extremely undervalued. Here's an excerpt from the article: "We live in a world that demands as much professionally from us as lawyers, management consultants, and business leaders. Yet, our contributions are not recognized at the same level as these three categories of professionals. And there lies one of our fundamental problems: The recognition of and willingness to pay for the value of our services has not kept pace with the increased complexity of our everyday life. We are relatively underpaid for deliveries that require more from us. The reason is that even in a world where companies live and die by their reputation, PR still does not have the same recognition as finance or law among the buyers of our services." As Deyra Jaye Fontaine mentioned before to me, a lot of this is self-inflicted by industry folks themselves, but when everyone else around you is doing it and expecting it, it's hard to change. We need more conversations around this sooner as more and more professionals are leaving the industry, while less and less of the younger generation is interested in working in it. And I don't blame them. Article: https://lnkd.in/gPTFNMaa #WorkLifeBalance #WellBeing #MentalHealth

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Want to get to know LaFleur in a few minutes? Here’s a <10 minute, conversational and entertaining deep dive. Fully created using AI and existing content, with a production time of about 15 seconds. If you found this helpful or would like help creating something similar for yourself or your business, let me know - I’d love to help!

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📱 Let’s Talk Plot Twist: We've Hit Peak Screen Time 🤯 I read some fascinating new data from Insider Intelligence/Emarketer that had me doing a double-take.  While we marketers all buzzing about AI and digital transformation, there's another story quietly unfolding: 📉For the first time EVER, global media consumption is actually declining across almost all channels.  Even mobile usage has flatlined. Here's the tea ☕ - this isn't a crisis, it's actually our moment to get smarter about how we show up online! Think of this as a clarion call for smarter strategy. In an era where Platforms have become the foundation of our communication world, understanding where and how to reach your audience has never been more critical. 🎯 Key takeaways from Emarketer's November 2024 "We've reached peak media consumption" report: - Media fragmentation is accelerating - Single-channel marketing is becoming less effective - Smart TV adoption is rising globally (hello, streaming wars!) - Gen Z is heavily leaning into influencer content - Regional patterns are converging worldwide  The opportunity? This isn't about channels becoming less effective - it's about consumers becoming more selective. They're not just consuming less media; they're consuming it differently. 💡 The Strategy Shift: Instead of chasing attention across every platform, focus on creating meaningful touchpoints where your audience is most receptive. Quality over quantity has never been more relevant.  Screen time is more precious than ever, yep. 🙋🏽 This is precisely why I've been advocating for "P for Platforms" as a crucial addition to traditional 4P’s marketing fundamentals. When media consumption plateaus to more notifiable levels, success lies not in reaching everywhere, but in strategically leveraging platforms to enable engagement and experiences that truly matter. Your turn: Have you noticed changes in your own media consumption lately? Any digital detox for you? Are you becoming more selective about where and how you spend your screen time? I'd love to hear how you're adapting both personally and professionally to this shift in digital media consumption. #MarketingStrategy #DigitalMarketing #SmallBusiness #BusinessTrends2024 #mediahabits

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Positive or negative multiplier effect? Two ad campaigns are getting attention in Quebec's press recently, though not entirely for the reasons intended. The first is from Sazerac Company, a privately held alcoholic beverage group headquartered in Louisiana, owned by billionaire William Goldring and his family. Their poster campaign, themed "a proudly Québécois summer," displays five products bottled in Quebec, along with an emblem. For context, Quebec has three designations for local products: 1. "Origine Québec" for products entirely made in the province 2. "Préparé au Québec" for products made in Quebec but with ingredients that can be sourced outside Quebec 3. "Embouteillé au Québec" for products made elsewhere but bottled locally Local wine and spirit producers are expressing discontent with the implication that brands like Southern Comfort are local, particularly given the SAQ's plans to reduce the number of locally-made spirits it carries. The second campaign is for Koodo, a subsidiary of TELUS. A multicoloured house has apparently violated local regulations, and the city intends to fine Telus according to reporting by La Presse, despite claims from Camp Jefferson that they obtained the necessary permits. This won't cause major reputational damage. In fact, one could argue that these controversies serve as amplification for two campaigns that might otherwise have received limited attention. As Oscar Wilde famously quipped: "There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." Marcus Daum Ashley Babcock

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A new study by Roku and Leger paints an interesting picture of streaming in Canada, which inadvertently, makes a strong case for Out-of-Home. What am I referring to? The study found the majority of streaming occurs in the evening and on weekends - this is fascinating as it reveals quite a concentrated viewing period. And within this peak viewing time, it appears viewers tire of the repetitive and long ads they’re shown - makes sense if all your streaming occurs in a specific timeframe, you want to watch content, not ads. This doesn't bode well for an ad’s resonance or for the creation of positive consumer connections. OOH on the other hand, maintains exposure throughout the day and throughout every day of the week. Recent research by Dynata commissioned by Pattison (see comments) shows Cdns are significantly more tolerant of OOH ads, with 1 in 11 saying they never tire of seeing them. With digital/streaming ad fatigue an ongoing issue for brands, OOH offers visibility throughout the week and doesn't over-saturate consumers. OOH proves it can compliment a streaming campaign or simply stand on its own. #oohadvertising, #streaming #consumerinsights

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