Sara Kear

🚨I'm a huge proponent of Brands owning their accts (PPC, Social etc.). I really really hate to see agency owned accounts. Not sure if it's expediency to launch, or something when I was in retail banking that we called "stickiness" but I am against it in every scenario that I've seen so far. Just my thoughts though.... Brands should own their accts, Their data, Their performance. Full stop. #ppc #digitalmarketing #sem

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I think this will be a train wreck for ads. You think it's more ad inventory. I think it's a sign of the end for Meta. Here's my take. Zuck and his board are sitting in their board room trying to figure out how to make more rev dollars. They see brands spending less than usual. Market conditions, inflation, and competing platforms are eating away at their user base. Meta's making more money now but not because more people are spending more time on platform. More brands are spending on other channels because Meta ads has been widely volatile. So Zuck and his board are asking, "how do we squeeze more revenue out of what we have?" It's either - more inventory to deflate CPMs - jack up CPMs - subscription model - live selling - more users to spend more time on platform They're doing some of that except optimizing for "time on platform" Here's why this is bad for biz. 1. Forcing ads on someone is ONLY GOOD for Meta....short term. They are forcing a user to consume an ad to watch what they want. Before, a user could swipe past what they do vs don't want. Meta will get more ad dollars now by cheaper CPMS so brands will spend more. Users will get a worst experience. Ads in these new placements will have the worst engagement, CVR, and CTR's you've ever seen. Ever run on Youtube, Display? 2. We should be scared for Meta. Yes they are having great profits at the moment but when you screw with the users experience they will go else where. It's a sign of the end. This to me is screaming Meta is prioritizing profits over experience. And they see the only real path to keep growing is to force ads on people. - they can't get more inventory by having people stay on the platform longer - so they have to force more inventory Why do I say that? Ever been on Facebook lately? They have non-skippable ads on some videos and it's horrible. It makes me not want to watch the video I intended to watch and I literally leave because I don't want to be forced to watch. I spend the least time on Facebook than anything other platform. 3. Users will see your ads as an invasion vs a shoppable interest. Right now users get to control what they watch. Like walking down a mall with friends. You can pick where you go. Yes they get ads but they don't have to watch it. They can scroll right past it. They are in control. So when they do watch an ad they chose it. - they liked it - it intrigued them - they feel in-control It's the most fair mutual experience for advertiser and users. With non skippable ads they lose that choice. You must not know human behavior. When we get to choose what we like we think it's our idea and are more likely to take time watching "what we are choosing" Forcing it on people is an invasion. Saying, "you must do this" people don't want to do it. Ever had kids? lol Not good for ads or experience. I am an advertisers. A very good one. I love having cheaper CPMs. But I don't see how this ends will for both long-term.

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Today marks 30 days at Consumer Reports Here are a few takeaways for anyone (especially marketers) about to start a new gig: 1. Balance education with action. Every biz book says to spend your first 30-90 days on a listening tour. While I agree that listening and learning is critical, you need to show that you can get stuff done. Follow your gut to jumpstart small projects and make incremental changes, all in pursuit of getting more data and insight into what might work when you’re more fully onboarded. 2. Immerse yourself in the product. It shocks me how many marketers I speak with don’t know their product inside and out. I’m very fortunate that CR’s products are useful and fun! I’ve spent recent evenings looking up the ratings and reviews for every appliance in my home, diving into our socials, scrubbing my PII from the web via our Permission Slip app, and even leafing through our iconic magazine. 3. Resist the familiar. So many CMOs I know bring their agencies with them wherever they go. Sometimes that makes sense, sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s often difficult to know until you’ve given existing partners a chance and really know the business. No matter how agile your team and org is, changing agencies or vendors is disruptive, and the benefits of the change must outweigh the cost of disruption. Don’t do something just because it’s comfortable or part of your “playbook”! And a note to new agencies and vendors reaching out to me constantly: I’m not there yet!! 4. Invest in cross-functional relationships from day one. When I was exploring new opportunities I can’t tell you how many times a recruiter said, “The CEO is looking for someone highly collaborative, especially given that the previous CMO didn’t get along with so and so.” Marketers can’t do anything without strong partnership across Product, Sales, HR, Finance, etc. The early focus you have on building trust and confidence throughout your team needs to permeate throughout the organization, and every new initiative you soon take on will happen much more quickly. Hope this helps! 🫡

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Costco is building its own in-house ad agency And it's powered by a treasure trove of shopper data This could be a game changer for brands looking to reach Costco's loyal members Costco has always been known for its low prices and no-frills approach But now it's leveraging its huge scale and customer data to create a new revenue stream Product sampling and promotions at Costco will increasingly be driven by its own ad platform Brands will need to adapt to this new dynamic with one of the world's largest retailers It will be fascinating to see how Costco balances monetizing its customer data With staying true to its core brand promise of always putting members first One thing is certain - Costco's entry into advertising will have major ripple effects Across the entire retail and CPG landscape Source: https://lnkd.in/gaU9H6Gg ___ I'm Lawrence, fractional CMO and founder of MarketingHero. I share daily insights and news here to help fellow marketers stay up-to-date on the latest trends. Follow me for regular updates.

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Anybody want some good news? It’s blowing in, my friends. The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index reached 102 in May, a level not seen since the early 2000s. (A reading above 100 indicates a strong and optimistic consumer outlook, making this surge a promising sign for brands and the agencies that serve them. As the kids say: LFG!) Consumer spending remains robust, as evidenced by the recent successes of companies like Dick's Sporting Goods (5.3% increase in comparable sales, largely driven by my relentless purchasing of pickleball supplies) and Abercrombie & Fitch (22% year-over-year jump in sales for the first quarter for a company that's finally turning the corner). These examples perhaps demonstrate that consumers are willing to spend when presented with compelling value (perceived worth relative to price). Rising consumer confidence and lower prices are like wind and sails for a ship – together, they can propel a brand forward with incredible speed and efficiency. Brands that effectively combine the appeal of value with the growing optimism among consumers will find themselves well-positioned to outsail their competitors. To harness this powerful combination, brands should consider emphasizing the long-term value and benefits of their products or services. By positioning their offerings as smart investments that will pay off over time, brands can tap into the confident and optimistic mindset of consumers. For example, a technology company could highlight how their latest smartphone model is built to last, with features that will keep it relevant and valuable for years to come. A home appliance brand could emphasize the energy efficiency and cost savings their products offer, appealing to consumers' desire for both value and long-term benefits. This combination has been witnessed before, notably during the 1990s economic boom when consumer confidence soared and value-driven brands experienced unprecedented growth. I remember it like it was yesterday! Grunge and flannel and free-spending, oh my! Sure, caution is also in the wind. As economist John Kenneth Galbraith once said, "The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable." While the future is uncertain, the current alignment of rising confidence and value-driven messaging presents an opportunity brands cannot afford to ignore. Ambitious brands and their stewards must stay attuned to the evolving consumer landscape and pivot their approaches to harness the wind of rising confidence and the appeal of value. Those who effectively navigate these waters will find themselves sailing towards a brighter future. #ConsumerConfidence #BrandStrategy #ValueMessaging #NavigatingChange

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#AI, #NLP, listening and #EarlyRadar were big themes this afternoon at Kroger's 84.51˚office where five local startups talked up the future to twenty or so national brands. Nichefire showcased breakthrough work forecasting actionable trends and the next "secret sauce" (literally) for marketers while NativeAI highlighted the power of #NPL to unlock more value from feedback loops. InfoTrust saves brand builders a ton of money and time through next-gen data analytics and Narratize is accelerating time to market with #GenerativeAI for impactful scientific, technical, and medical content. From my end, representing BrandRank.AI , I noted that "search and discovery as we know it are being disrupted" and that brands MUST get in front of the "Prompted Moment of Truth" shopper journey. I also added a little "Gamification" to the mix, asking the audience to guess the brand behind AI-generated visual metaphors (e.g. Kroger is an increasingly green and healthy "Busy Bee," Walmart is an industrious beaver) -- this to stress the urgent importance for brand builders. "Thinking and acting like algorithms." Thanks John Stieger for organizing this session (and your indefatigable support of local startups...for 5+ years I might add). Mark Wood of Cintrifuse thx for your support of the event as well and great to see you. 🔥 Judy Zitnik thanks for the partnership, deck collaboration, and always spot-on feedback/suggestions. 🔥Michael Howard 🔥Khalil El-Amin Catherine O'Shea Sarah Sanders Katie Trauth Taylor, PhD #CincyAIWeek Hank Hudepohl Kelly Cohen Summer Crenshaw Bill Hildebolt

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The #Cookie Isn't Crumbling After All! 🍪 Google's recent decision to scrap its cookie deprecation plans means we won’t have to rush to open-source initiatives like Unified ID just yet. While many were gearing up for a cookieless future, it seems we'll be living in a cookie-friendly world a bit longer. This pivot gives marketers, advertisers, and tech enthusiasts more time to fine-tune our strategies and adapt to the evolving digital landscape. What does this mean for us? Extended Timeline: More breathing room to adjust and innovate. User Privacy: Continued focus on balancing personalized experiences and privacy. Unified ID: No immediate rush, but still a critical consideration for the future. Google's move reflects the complexity of shifting away from third-party cookies and highlights the need for thoughtful, sustainable solutions. #DigitalMarketing #AdTech #Privacy

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I'm launching an email inspiration site similar to milled.com You're probably thinking... "Does the World Really Need Another milled.com?" I say yes. Look, here's my gripe with milled.com It's the world's largest search engine for email inspo. Which means, it hosts A LOT of emails (like a loooot). But most look....meh. You can't take inspiration from meh. So I'm building Email Donut, where I'm going to handpick emails that I find impressive. You can sort them by type. You can sort them by industry. And eventually, you'll be able to sort them by brand as well. Okay and now you're probably going to say: "My dude, reallygoodemails.com already does all this." You are correct. I was just looking for an excuse to build something like this... As a bonus, I'm going to start posting my email flow and campaign breakdowns on this site. How about that? Is that differentiated enough???? (Please say yes because I don't have a better plan to differentiate it). You might also be thinking, is this my secret plan to funnel organic traffic to Sidekick, the-world's-greatest-AI-email-builder-that's-not-even-publicly-available-yet? Yes. If I had 7 0's in my bank account, I would have purchased something like reallygoodemails.com like Beefree did. But since I'm broke, I'm going the slow route and growing this from zero. Thank you for reading. Have an amazing weekend. May the best team (Spain) win the Euro Cup.

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Hot Take: Unpaid Advertising / News (good news at least 😁) is the best kind… Why? Okay I’m not saying it will have better results than strategic paid FB ads, or even UGC on TT… what I mean is, it’s authentic, it’s real, and I think if leveraged properly can be a huge help to any #CPG brands PR/media campaigns. Agree or Disagree?? This week Us Weekly featured their top 12 proteins for summer, and it included VMI Sports® 100% Why Isolate, ProtoLyte®️ The 🔌? Unlike many mainstream whey proteins, ProtoLyte®️ features added Electrolytes from Balchem Human Nutrition and Health / ProTec – Albion Minerals as well as Digestive Enzymes complex DigeSeb®️ from Specialty Enzymes & Probiotics Why did US Weekly choose to include us with some other great national brands on the list?? My guess is because we worked on solving real work problems for Protein consumers — digestion & hydration 💪 #cpgbranding #sportsnutrition #protein #vmisports #marketing #advertising #socialmedia #magazine Christopher Alicea Brandyn Alejos Frank Fenimore Ryan Fitzgerald Andres Sierra

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The market has officially shifted from a lazy river to whitewater rapids (and it's about time). We're seeing a 50% uptick in referral-based business at Chief Brand Advisory (CBA). The species of engagements ranges from brand strategy, design, and identity systems to advertising, social content, go-to-market materials, pitch decks, and videos. Here's a list of the types of requests we've received in the last 30 days alone: ➕ 2 Global M&A Rebrand Assignments: Establishing a unified identity post-acquisition. ➕ New Brand/Product Launch: Introducing fresh, innovative products to the market. ➕ Agency of Record for a Major Marketer: Leading a brand refresh including messaging evolution, a new TV campaign, and social content. ➕ Later-Stage Company Shifting Focus: Moving from an acquisition-centric strategy to a balanced brand and acquisition focus. ➕ Updated Go-To-Market Materials: Repositioning a software company to target new audiences. ➕ Updated Pitch Deck and Founder/CEO Videos: Enhancing investor presentations and leadership communication. If you're a seasoned PM or Account Lead, Writer, Graphic Designer, or a .ppt/Keynote Samurai who develops investor presentations and can come in through a referral (someone who knows me), please reach out to talent@chiefbrandadvisory.com. It looks like Q4 is going to be incredibly busy. Whoot! #brand #brandbuilding #marketing #founders #mergersandacquisitions

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The average American sees 100-350 ads a day. Yeesh. So, here’s how we help CMOs at CPG Food & Bev shops get more clicks against the competition. The #STANDOUT ! Process. We: 𝗦tart with objections → Define clear goals, perform audits, and prepare briefs. 𝗧arget the right people → Identify ICPs using lazer-targeted avatars 𝗔nalyze what's unique about you → Conduct competitor analysis to carve out a USP 𝗡ail your brand → Craft its voice and identity across all touchpoints 𝗗etermine the right channels. → Map out the customer journey on each channel 𝗢pen up to your audience. → Distribute content and ramp the reach up on social 𝗨nleash the power of data. → Go deep on the stats to optimize your strategy 𝗧ake everything to the next level. → Scale up marketing efforts with continual testing The result? hashtag #FreshExpress went from: — 18k Youtube views — 6k Pinterest Followers — & a 36 hour consumer response time in 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟵, to: — 2.2 Million Pinterest users — 1.3 Million Youtube views — & Less than 12 hour consumer response time in 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. PS: If you're a CMO or VP of marketing in CPG Food and Bev. And you're looking to become the only option for your ICP Just DM 'STANDOUT' And we can explore how we could bring you higher quality marketing at scale.

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Here's a video showing exactly how the ecomm integration works on Roblox in the metaverse of *Walmart Discovered.* And, although we don't have ecomm integration in our Metaverse Lighting Trendhouse project installation for Dallas Market Center's #Lightovation tradeshow, it could have been [ and still could be ]. See the #MetaverseLightingTrendhouse here -> https://lnkd.in/gk-isMVT #hpmkt #dallasmarket #innovationindigitalmarketing #ecommerce #metaverse #roblox #walmartdiscovered

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LinkedIn follower growth is *not* a vanity metric. The no. of company page followers should be tracked… And, big milestones should be celebrated company-wide. But, many will disagree because: > Growing a company page is hard > It requires daily effort & creativity > Competitors are kicking their @** Hitting big milestones creates a feeling of momentum. Especially when your followers are current & future customers. LinkedIn follower growth is *not* a vanity metric.

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Walmart builds wide lead among US retail media networks, report finds: 1. Walmart Dominates Impressions Walmart's retail media network is leading the pack. In Q1, Walmart generated 11 billion impressions. Target, the closest competitor, had fewer than 7 billion. Chewy, The Home Depot, and Kroger also made the top five. 2. Specialized Retailers on the Rise Niche players like Chewy and Sephora are growing. They each generated over 1 billion impressions in Q1. This shows the expanding scale of specialized retailers. 3. Onsite Media Success Walmart excels in onsite media impressions. They have monetized their owned properties better than others. Retail media networks are now pushing into offsite media. This move aims to tap into additional revenue streams. 4. The Future of Retail Media Retail media networks are evolving. They are exploring new ways to generate revenue. Walmart's success sets a benchmark for others. Specialized retailers are also making significant strides. The landscape is becoming more competitive and diverse. 5. Key Takeaways Walmart leads in retail media impressions. Specialized retailers are growing their presence. Onsite media is a strong revenue stream. Offsite media is the next frontier. Retail media networks are continuously evolving. #walmart #retailmedia #paidmedia

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I'm seeing more brands going back to the basics. 👈 They're rebranding because they no longer stand out. 🎨 They're re-positioning because their space is getting crowded. 👥 They're "getting scrappy" because their teams have been laid off. 😢 Doing "less with more" with a common theme. 😰 Budgets are under the microscope, every tactic must quickly prove its worth. 💲 Throwing money into advertising won't mean anything if there are holes in your GTM strategy. 🕳 Is it clear what problem you solve for customers? 🤔 Now is the time for brands to truly understand their core values and key differentiators, to connect deeply with their audience, and to drive impactful results with precise messaging. 🔑 You have one chance to make a great first impression on a customer. ☝ How is your brand adapting? 💬

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Liquid death sales will likely plummet in the next two years. I’ve seen countless posts about how amazing the marketing of Liquid death is, and I couldn’t agree more. They are doing a stellar job on marketing. They definitely stand out, they use humor and create unwavering appeal. The product itself, well it’s water. So what’s the deal? People love to try new things, especially when they peak our curiosity, it raises dopamine levels and makes us feel like we’re going on adventure. Add to that “bandwagon effect” which is people’s tendency to want to do/try what others are doing and Liquid Death has everything needed to create an allure for people to say “I’ve got to try that”.. yes me too This is not in any way a new concept in fact even very established companies like Coca Cola who already have a majority of sales use it to get spikes, for example introducing Cherry Coke. But what happens after they try it? Well my experience for Liquid Death for example was, hmm flavored water. Granted there was nothing wrong with it, but would I buy it again for the allure or due to packaging over a different/cheaper option? Not so sure. I no longer have this “need to try it”. So do I predict death for Liquid Death? I am not saying they are simply a Fad that will go away although highly possible, and they are definitely building a brand and will have many loyal customers. But once the allure settles and the majority of people have already tried the product, packaging and messaging alone will not retain all of them. One thing they could possibly do while they still have the “try it” hype is introduce a version of cola, to compete long term. They can call it Cola’n Cancer 😂 probably not far from the outcome of drinking cola…

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Hard work compounds. Been swinging at this paid search account for two quarters trying to get CAC and CAC PBP in a more resilient and sustainable place. There 2 previous quarters of 'acceptable' CAC PBP were heavily skewed by outlier deals and branded search. We knew we had to get more sustainable and spread our opportunity across higher intent non-branded search. So what did we do? -- Dove deep on the keywords to know what made Leads, Opps, and NNARR. -- Analyzed KWs we were spending $1000s of dollars on -- Cutting them if they didn't show they could create anything in the CRM. -- Looked hard at the landing pages and competitor landing pages. Improve. -- Monitor competitors KWs to make sure we weren't missing opportunity. Happy to see it? For sure. You put your name behind your recs and get invested in the result. Is this the new QoQ trend? Nothing lasts forever and there is still a lot to do. But celebrate the wins when you put in the work. And let that stuff fuel your drive to do even better.

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if you’re a publisher looking for advertisers, here are some folks you should go after: Alarm.com - home and business security solutions SIGNAL: they recently had a better than expected earnings call, are actively hiring, and are looking to target SMBs for their growing business sector. if you have small business founders in your list that run brick-and-mortar or have offices this is a great get. Natural Cycles° - healthcare app that uses body temp to determine fertility status SIGNAL: they recently received clearance from the FDA to be integrated into the Apple Watch, which is a significant milestone and will help expand its user base. if you have a female-dominated audience, (or a demo with married folks) this is a great opportunity to get in front of them. Kintsugi - automating sales tax for businesses globally SIGNAL: bookkeeping and taxes suck to manage... and now there’s fresh competition with a ton of AI products coming out to help you manage this. Kintsugi just raised $6M and they’ll need to be aggressive to compete. if you have founders in your list who do business globally and have small teams... they’ll be looking for a product like this. TraceAir Technologies - software solution using drone data to help construction teams streamline building projects SIGNAL: the construction boom is still rolling along, and TraceAir plans to be a huge player in an industry that is slowly but surely moving toward cloud computing. if you have commercial, real estate, or accredited investors on your list, TraceAir is looking for your audience to spend that fresh $25M round on. Transcend - data privacy platform that allows companies to give users control over their personal data SIGNAL: data privacy is more important than ever. And with logos like Patreon, Opendoor, Plaid, NextDoor, and hims, Transcend has already reduced risks for some of the biggest companies you know. if you’ve got startup founders or report startup news... they’ll be looking for your type of audience. Aperture Finance - decentralized finance platform to streamline complex DeFi operations SIGNAL: recently raising $6M, Aperture Finance is trying to make the complex less complex. Focusing on funds with large capital, they make it easier to deploy in DeFi even if you have minimal smart contract or on-chain experience. if you’re a crypto or AI newsletter, they’ll be looking to get their chatbot UX out into the public for users to see how it works. like this? follow me for more weekly advertising targets.

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Marketers...you have email (obv). And, you have SMS or maybe just beginning to dabble with that channel. Look, as consumers, we know you're not proficient because we see very few brands reaching out to us via SMS today, let alone fully integrating touch points with emails. So, I'm just going to say it...you've been caught red-handed. 😂 Some brands are doing a phenomenal job integrating the two and we'd love to share how they do it. Just the other day, one of the brands I follow, Blaque Diamond Wheels showed some proficiency. I opened up one of their emails and then shortly after received an SMS that said, "Thank you for your interest in Blaque Diamond Wheels! Did you make a purchase? If so, which design did you choose? If not, may we assist." Okay, so it's still not personalized to the degree it should be...but baby steps! Are you ready to take some baby steps? Or, a big leap? MERGE is here for it. Read more: https://okt.to/1WHmC2 #digitalmarketing #smsmarketing #emailmarketing

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