Lauren Thomas

Everyone from Wawa to Chase Bank has an ad network. All signs point in the direction of everything that can become an ad network will do just that. But why? And how did we get here? I did a deep dive into how everything became an ad network for Digiday:

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Meet the video ad-sales chiefs whose actions and maneuvers are likely to play a sizable role in the outcome of the 2024 TV upfront market... https://lnkd.in/ejpPfu6V #advertising #media #sales #mediastrategy #mediaindustry

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The Drum 🌟 #Exclusive 👇 Today, Reddit, Inc. launches its latest #B2B campaign, ‘The Reddit Recommendation Engine,’ featuring leaders from top holding companies dentsu, IPG Mediabrands, GroupM and choreograph. The unscripted film highlights how genuine recommendations on Reddit offer unique opportunities for brands, in a market dominated by celebrity and influencer endorsements. As Reddit's Alex Underwood tells me, "Nothing beats the power of a third-party endorsement.” Full piece below. https://lnkd.in/gqgQsGey #socialmedia #marketing #socialmediamarketing

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Four years after the murder of George Floyd sparked a social injustice movement that caused advertisers to make commitments to improve industry diversity, companies appear to be reversing the promises they made. Several issues are at hand: cuts to internal DE&I departments at ad agencies; layoffs disproportionately affecting people of color leading to a decreasing number of diverse executives and employees at agencies and marketers; and marketers scaling back on hiring diverse vendors, suppliers and running advertising that targets diverse audiences. “There is a panic or fear that’s happening,” said Darren Wesley Martin Jr., founder and chairman of integrated marketing firm Streamlined Media & Communications and founder and CEO of its subsidiary, Bold Culture, an inclusive marketing and workplace development consultancy. “People don’t want to be canceled. The influx of DE&I programs, in ideology and investment financially into certain groups, was a lot [in 2020]. And it was impactful. What we’re seeing is a backlash to that.” Some of the 2020 commitments agencies and brands made now feel empty and many people who Ad Age spoke to for this story expressed frustration over what they see as the industry moving backwards on DE&I. Read the full story here:

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SPOILER ALERT 🚨🚨🚨 I don't think TikTok is going anywhere. But, the debate happening among policymakers makes for pretty good conversation. In my latest thought piece for H/Advisors Abernathy, I examined the newscycle to see how a potential #TikToK ban could play a big role in the 2024 election cycle, rankle #BigTech data collection and lay the groundwork for more #dataprivacy advocacy. https://bit.ly/T1kT0kban

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Even if the projections for political ad spending on CTV are somewhat overly optimistic, there's still a lot to be encouraged about here with CTV spending projected to grow 5X vs. the 2020 political cycle. It's also interesting to note that 81% of CTV ad spending is now programmatic, underscoring the critical importance of building and maintaining a well-designed ad stack for any ad-supported CTV player. Eagle Dock Media #CTV #ProgrammaticAds #PoliticalAdSpending #DigitalAdvertising

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It's shocking how many PR pros overlook this: Translating press materials and media pitches into languages other than English in diverse markets. For instance, your chances of securing press coverage in Spanish-language newspapers and TV in Miami—where 72% of the population is Hispanic—are significantly higher if you correspond with journalists and provide them with everything in Spanish. Pro tip: Consider the Spanish-speaking audience when filming your b-roll video interviews too. P.S. My Spanish skills are far from fluent. Luckily, I have a bilingual team, ensuring our communications are always sent out in Spanish, with no exceptions! How do you approach multicultural communication in your strategy? Share your comments below. #PRStrategy #MediaRelations #HispanicOutreach #MulticulturalPR #Miami

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How do journalists describe the perfect PR pitch? ✅Personalized via one-on-one email. ✅200 words or less.  ✅Pitch is received before noon.  Check out this Voxus PR blog from Joe Livarchik for more insights from Muck Rack’s State of Journalism 📰 2024 Report. #voxuspr #journalism #mediarelations

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Purpose builds trust, but knowing who you are and what you care about BEFORE a crisis hits will give you a clear North Star for how you respond. #PRWeekCrisisComms #crisiscomms #brandpurpose

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Jounce Media's newly published State of the Open Internet Report explains the industry’s chronic bidstream congestion issue and how to address it. This latest research highlights the trend toward consolidation we are seeing on the supply side and is a must-read.

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How people consume information (and where they find it) continues to be a fragmented and splintered landscape. Understanding and tracking these changes and audiences is important for every industry, not just elections. https://lnkd.in/gsHHENXm

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The Hearst DevHub continues to focus on building practical AI-powered tools for our local newsrooms, and we're excited about our latest initiative: Emcee, a quiz-generation engine. 🧠 Emcee (M.C. = multiple choice) is built on the back of our newsrooms' reported, edited and vetted work. No hallucinations here. We scrape our most popular stories, use gen-AI to turn the stories into a multiple-choice format, spin up one of the DevHub's interactive Quiz templates, and alert the editor, whose job is to read through the questions and answers, edit for taste and accuracy, and then publish the quiz manually. No direct publishing to the web; a human is in the loop and in control of every piece of content. We're live in our (Albany) Times Union, Hearst Connecticut Media Group and Houston Chronicle newsrooms, with more programs on the way. The newsrooms are smartly taking this quiz tech and turning it into a weekly program to engage new readers. Win-win. Check out paywall-free examples, and if you're in New York, Connecticut or Texas, test your knowledge: ❓ Albany: https://lnkd.in/efbA-ekJ ❓ Connecticut: https://lnkd.in/eFy7_jUu ❓ Houston: https://lnkd.in/eFTeRDGK

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How is #GenAI impacting modern #journalism?🦾💪🏻 Great question - thanks FleishmanHillard for asking it and inviting me to a recent talk in NYC to dig into this topic. Senior leaders at ADWEEK, Axios, Business Insider, Harvard Business Review and POLITICO shared that today’s newsrooms are integrating AI to complement the core human elements of journalism - but #transparency and #trust are everything. Here’s how the experts are approaching this: 👁 Continue to be 💯 percent transparent about how AI is being used to enhance storytelling strategies 🖇 Always couple AI with human intelligence 🕸 Ensure training, processes, guardrails and ethical considerations remain at the forefront A few examples of how newsrooms are putting GenAI to work: headline generation, transcribing podcasts, helping with research, summarizing complex reports or bills / itemizing content, digesting meeting notes or building decks. ..sounds a lot like how my team and our agency partners are using GenAI - what about you? Share your experiences and tips below👇🏻

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Great insights from Jack Murphy on Waystar's S-1 filing! As the IPO market heats up with Waystar following #Rurik, #Reddit, and #AsteraLabs, it's essential for comms teams to understand the strategic elements in these filings. Check out how Waystar uses various levers like customer testimonials, AI integration, and its diverse client base to help build investor confidence. A must-read for anyone navigating the path to public markets. If you have an IPO on the horizon, check out our IPO Playbook: https://lnkd.in/gc-VvN5h ....or get in touch with the Brands2Life team. #IPO #CommsStrategy #Waystar #AI #CustomerSuccess #InvestorRelations

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I am pleased to share that my latest article, "The Growing Complexity of Today’s Media Buying," is now live on the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) website. In this piece, I delve into the evolving challenges and opportunities within the digital advertising landscape.   My goal was to highlight the following issues: #EvolutionofMediaBuying: From simple print negotiations to navigating platforms like DV360, Meta, Amazon, and Walmart’s retail media networks. #BrandSafetyandBudgetWastage: The importance of protecting brand reputation and avoiding costly inefficiencies. #StrategicExpertiseRequired: The need for a strategic approach and deep understanding of digital platforms. #OpportunitiesAmidstComplexity: How mastering digital nuances can open new doors for brands. For a deeper dive into these insights, check out the full article!   #DigitalMarketing #MediaBuying #BrandSafety #AdTech #MarketingStrategy   https://lnkd.in/dNBgeM9s

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In my latest story with Joe Flint, we write about how media companies are adapting to the aging of their audiences. Attracting viewers ages 18 to 49 and 25 to 54, important age demographics for advertisers, was once among the primary focuses of the biggest media companies in the world. Now that many of those viewers have migrated to streaming and the median ages of networks have gone way up, companies are changing the pitch: What really matters, they say, is whether your ad is reaching people who are likely to buy your product, whether they are 37 or 67. https://lnkd.in/enWt-Py7

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I'm not a journalist anymore, but I still play one for brands (hehehe). No, really! My favorite moments on projects are when we can help clients shift their mindset from thinking "organization first" to "audience first." Just as great editorial #storytelling prioritizes the needs of its audiences—their need to be informed, educated, or enlightened—we help brands recalibrate their narratives with their audiences at the center. One of the ways we do this is by helping them operate like mini newsrooms for their brand. Just like a beat reporter is constantly digging for the most compelling angles to write about, we help brands unearth the stories buried in their own expertise or points of view. Just like a great editor can help shape a raw idea into a powerful narrative, we help brands craft stories that resonate with their target audience. And just like photojournalists and designers capture stunning scenes and create immersive stories out of numbers, we help brands bring their data to life through visuals and interactive experiences. By focusing on the audience's needs and crafting narratives that genuinely engage, brands can build trust and foster deeper connections. It's not about selling; it's about providing value and provoking thought. Who better than journalists, or former journos, to get you to think with their stories? #journalismcareers #brandstorytelling

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OK, so it happened. What's next? ▪ Sale Deadline: ByteDance has up to a year to sell TikTok to a U.S.-approved buyer to avoid a complete ban. ▪ Potential Buyers: Speculation surrounds potential buyers, including groups led by former financial officials and large corporations. ▪ Legal Challenges Expected: The legislation is likely to face legal pushback from various stakeholders, including the Chinese government. ▪ Continued Availability: TikTok remains accessible in the U.S. for now, but future access is uncertain pending legal and governmental outcomes. ▪ First Amendment Concerns: There are significant First Amendment challenges, as the platform is widely used for political and educational content.

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