NOW HIRING: DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMATIC MEDIA

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POSITION SUMMARY: 

The Director of Programmatic Media will develop and lead the agency offerings and provide thoughtful leadership in the programmatic space, both internally and externally.  This role works closely with Brandience senior leadership and leads a team charged with the development of Programmatic strategies and tactics across all channels including but not limited to Display, Video, Native, Audio, Connected TV, and more.  Director of Programmatic Media will help lead the development of appropriate Programmatic plans designed to meet clients’ brand and marketing objectives while also identifying opportunities to pull in additional channel leads in the areas of SEM, SEO, Social Media and traditional media as needed.

The Director of Programmatic Media is responsible for building and maintaining strong external relationships with appropriate clients, vendors, and agency partners in collaboration with his/her assigned teams.  As Director you will also establish key relationships with internal stakeholders across all applicable disciplines including SEM, Analytics, Media, Ad Ops, Client Finance, etc. The Director of Programmatic Media is deeply versed in the planning, buying, and evaluation of programmatic platforms, suppliers, and strategies, including interaction with leading DSPs, SSPs, audience data and publisher partners.

REPORTS TO:  Vice President, Media Director

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

  • Lead the development of Programmatic media strategies and analysis (e.g., audience and media partner selection, custom data and PMP recommendations, timing/scheduling strategy, creative recommendations, etc.) across all Programmatic media including Display, Video, Native, CTV/OTT, Audio, DOOH, and more
  • Lead, mentor and manage team to develop a new in-house DSP, building and structuring of internal team including new offerings and onboarding.
  • Lead execution and stewardship / optimization of campaigns daily along with team members.
  • Have a lead role in helping with new business initiatives related to the programmatic space and lead both organic and new revenue growth in the area.
  • Initiate partnerships, build relationships, and evaluate leading programmatic suppliers
  • Serve as a core contributor to client-focused strategic initiatives; articulating departmental and agency views related to customer segmentation, media tactics, and execution; and ensuring proposed Programmatic media strategies and tactics align with agreed upon objectives
  • Represent the organization in public forums as a key leader for Programmatic, as appropriate submitting teamwork for industry wide awards and recognition
  • Assist in establishing the agency as an authority in Programmatic, specifically in the retail, restaurant and franchise industries
  • Serve as point person for senior client relationships; both existing and prospective, leveraging thought leadership and innovative points of view to strengthen client relationships and develop further business opportunities when needed
  • Proactively guide and work with direct reports and team to maintain accurate scoping projections and staff count
  • Lead assigned team to prioritize and delegate tasks as needed in the areas of programmatic planning, interaction with publisher and audience partners, campaign setup, QA, pacing, optimization, targeting, reporting, etc.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent, preferably in marketing, business or any quantitative or analytical related fields
  • 7+ years of experience managing Programmatic campaigns with a Demand Side Platform
  • 5+ years of increasing levels of responsibility within an agency, including client-facing responsibilities
  • 3+ years of personnel management
  • Deep expertise in the programmatic publisher, platform, and audience supplier ecosystem
  • Outstanding analytical and problem-solving skills
  • Strong written, verbal, communication and presentation skills
  • Strong willingness to collaborate with and across all disciplines of the agency
  • Experience leading and building a team of direct reports
  • Strong Excel skills with the ability to create pivot tables, etc.
  • Expertise in standard reporting programs such as Google Data Studio, Tapclicks, etc.
  • Strong quantitative analysis skills
  • Ability to make recommendations of statistically significant data sets

If interested, please contact Kathy Staarmann at careers@brandience.com.

EVER-CHANGING SOCIAL MEDIA HABITS

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For social media marketers, 2020 was (and still is) a year of change, adaptation and a whole lot of editing. COVID-19 continues to transform consumer habits and the ways people engage with each other, forcing many businesses to reevaluate their strategies. These changes directly impact how you should think about social media and reaching your customers moving forward.

With 2021 quickly approaching, many brands might be left wondering where to begin with a social media strategy. I get it— It’s hard to predict what will happen next month, let alone next year. However, in such a fast-paced and changing environment like social media, it’s crucial to have an adaptable strategy that fits your brand and helps you plan ahead.

While I don’t have a crystal ball to predict the future, there are a few important aspects to keep in mind when building your 2021 social media strategy:

 

Evolving Consumer Behavior

Social media usage spiked when consumers started spending more time at home during the pandemic. According to eMarketer, 60% of those ages 18 to 34, 64% of those ages 35 to 49, and 34% of those ages 65 and up – reported increased usage on social media platforms. This lasted through May and into June.

However, after the initial increase, we are now seeing time spent on social dropping off and returning to pre-COVID levels. In fact, 50% of social users aged 18-44 have said they decreased screen time after an initial increase. This is expected to continue through the rest of 2020 and into 2021.

Why? Users are feeling overwhelmed from the pandemic, news and politics.

How to combat social media fatigue:

  • Focus on quality over quantity
  • Create positive and uplifting content that users are desperate for today
  • Be authentic, transparent, and come off as a friend
  • Blend online and offline experiences by connecting your brand to your audience’s offline passions

Understanding your audience is key to a good social strategy. As consumer behaviors shift again (and believe me, they will), it will be crucial to adapt your strategy along with them.

 

Social Listening to Uncover Brand Insights

Communication between customers and brands is more important now than ever, and social media is the perfect place to stay ahead of the curve. Because businesses have transformed their normal ways of operating, they are looking to social media for fast, raw insights. In fact, according to eMarketer, 50% of worldwide marketers have turned to social listening to understand consumers’ changing preferences during the pandemic and expect to continue into 2021.

Social listening can uncover:

  • Common questions
  • Repeating complaints
  • Feedback on new products or new operations
  • Sentiment around your brand
  • Consumer expectations

By identifying these patterns and trends, businesses can make smarter decisions and create data-driven strategies. If you’re not using social listening, you’re leaving a lot of great insights on the table.

 

New Social Platforms are Changing the Landscape 

Social content is becoming less “polished” and more authentic thanks to new and growing platforms like Snapchat, Instagram Stories (Reels) and TikTok.

You didn’t think we would write about social strategy without mentioning TikTok, did you?

TikTok is a short-form, video-sharing app that allows users to create and share 15-second videos on any topic. The videos are extremely customizable with simple editing tools built into the platform. TikTok might be a head-scratcher for many brands right now, but its popularity with younger consumers and influencers is telling. With over 1.5 billion users, it’s no secret that it is seeing major success.

It is so popular that Instagram decided to create its own version, Reels.  Reels officially launched within the Instagram app on August 8, 2020 and is already seeing major success with content creators and brands.

Users are tired of keeping up with the perfectly filtered world of social media and are getting more active on more authentic and less polished channels, like TikTok and Reels. Brands are jumping to these platforms and creating more authentic content to align with this trend and communicate with users in their own language.

A few questions to ask before including new platforms in your 2021 strategy:

  • Is your target audience active on these platforms?
  • Can you create content that fits the platform but is also on-brand?
  • Do you have the resources to commit to a new platform?

 

Consumer Expectations are Higher

Historically, customers have expected the basics when interacting with a company, like quality service and fair pricing — but today’s customers have much higher expectations, especially when it comes to interacting with a company on social media.

As constant connectivity becomes the norm and customers are used to interacting with brands, immediacy has become vital. According to Salesforce, 64% of consumers said they expect companies to respond to and interact with them in real time.

Studies have also shown most Americans want the companies they buy products from to have a position about issues such as racial discrimination and social justice. Companies must be aware of what they align with and how they communicate their values over social media.

Many social users are visiting a brand’s social media accounts to find helpful information and news before even visiting the brand’s website. Providing up-to-date content on social is crucial for your followers to stay engaged.

Uplifting and entertaining content was important before 2020, but it is even more important going into 2021. In a recent Twitter study, 70% of respondents said brands should boost positivity and share positive stories. People are looking for inspiration and hope as they enter a new year.

 

What consumers expect:

  • Quick, responsive service
  • Brands to take a stand
  • Accessible news and information
  • Entertainment and uplifting content

Social media is a powerful tool to connect with consumers when used correctly.  We are only going to see more change in 2021, and brands must ensure their social media strategies are changing along with it.

 

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File Types Explained

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Wait, what kind of file is this? We’ve all been there. Someone asks for a certain type of file, or sends you something you can’t open. Not anymore. Find out what the differences are and when to use what (and when not to). If it seems like a lot, don’t worry. Just print our Glossary of File Types for easy reference.

Vector vs. Raster

They’re both types of graphics but they behave very differently. A vector is made up of basic geometric shapes such as points, lines and curves. This allows the graphic to scale up or down in size without losing quality. Logos and fonts are vector. A raster is an image made of dots, or pixels (measured as dpi, or dots per inch). Each dot/pixel is assigned a color value. Unlike a vector graphic, a raster graphic is resolution dependent. Photos are raster. 

JPG/JPEG

Format used to compress photographic images when a small file size is needed, such as for the Internet and some high-quality printing. Some image quality is lost, and it can’t be recovered.

  • Correct Uses: Websites, email, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
  • Incorrect Uses: Logo development, transparent imaging, printed signage, final print production release

PDF

A universal file format that embeds the fonts, images, layout and graphics of any source document, regardless of the program used to create it. The recipient sees the file as it was intended to be seen, with no risk of formatting problems.

  • Correct Uses: Interactive forms, printing, downloadable web files
  • Incorrect Uses: Web design

TIFF or TIF

The preferred format for high-quality images, especially in the printing, publishing and photography industries.

  • Correct Uses: Professional photography, commercial printing, image editing, page layout
  • Incorrect Uses: Websites, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

EPS

A file that’s scalable to any size without degradation, because the software (Adobe Illustrator) uses a mathematical technique called vectoring to create the image.

  • Correct Uses: Promotional products, T-shirts, banners, signs, logos
  • Incorrect Uses: Websites, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

GIF

A low-resolution graphic file format most commonly used for websites and emails. It uses a compression scheme to minimize file size and electronic transfer time.

  • Correct Uses: Web-only logos, animated banners, simple video clips
  • Incorrect Uses: High-quality photos, print

PNG

High-quality bitmap images that use lossless data compression, meaning the original data can be perfectly reconstructed from the compressed data.

  • Correct Uses: Transferring images on the Internet, transparent logos/symbols on websites
  • Incorrect Uses: Print production, high-quality photography

HTML5
A revision of the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), the standard programming language for describing the contents and appearance of web pages. HTML5 supports multimedia on desktop, tablet and mobile devices, and has replaced Flash (SWF files) as the web standard for animation, which is good news for your brand.

  • Correct Uses: Rich media, animation, video and audio display for the web
  • Incorrect Uses: Print production

Audio Files

MP3 is the most common; it’s a compressed format, so the file size is much smaller. Two other common formats are AIFF (audio interchange file format) and WAV (Waveform Audio File Format), both of which are uncompressed and often used to store original recordings.

Video Files

Most common is MP4. Others include MOV (used in Apple’s Quicktime), WMV (a Windows media video) and AVI (a Microsoft audio video format).

If all this seems overwhelming, you’re not alone. That’s a lot of files! Don’t forget to download and print our Glossary of File Types to keep everything straight from here on out. Before you know it, you’ll be the one asking for the right file!

Social Media Cranks Up Audio Content

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When most people think of social media channels they think of sharing photos and videos. Whether it’s static photos, animated GIFs, live videos, or ephemeral content, most social content typically tends to take a visual form. While visual content isn’t going away, there’s an up-and-comer in the social media space that we should all keep an ear tuned to: audio.

In fact, time spent listening to any kind of online audio content is at a record high. On average, people take in 17 hours of it per week, according to Infinite Dial.

Audio content provides marketers and brands with a unique and intimate way to connect with their audience on social media and stand out among news feeds. And as audio becomes more and more prevalent, social media channels are beginning to add features to adapt to our always-evolving content consumption habits. While some of these features have not rolled out to brands quite yet, marketers should pay attention to them to understand how people are consuming content and where brand content can go in the audio space moving forward.

Audio on Social Media:

  • Share music to your Instagram Story – Users now have the ability to overlap photos and videos with music from Spotify
  • Leave voice messages for friends on Facebook Messenger ­– Tap, record and send, it’s that easy.
  • Listen to YouTube videos without the video – YouTube Premium now allows you to continue listening to videos after shutting off your phone screen or while using another app so you can listen instead of watching. YouTube also allows users to search for videos via voice search.
  • The Amazon Echo can read Tweets for you – All you have to do is say, “Alexa, open Twitter,” and she can read your Timeline, mentions retweets, and likes. She can do other tasks on Twitter as well.

As we move into 2020 and more features become available for brands, marketers should consider utilizing audio in their social media strategies for a few reasons:

Benefits of audio content on social:

  • Allows brands to stand out in crowded social media newsfeeds when surrounded by photos and videos
  • Content can be consumed passively – while going for a walk, daily commute, cooking dinner, etc. making it a much more convenient form of content to consume.
  • One of the most ‘personal and intimate’ types of media available
  • As many people are looking to decrease screen time, audio provides another way to engage with content

Before you hop on the audio train, it’s important to determine a goal for your audio content. Think about how audio fits into your larger social media and content efforts and work it into your strategy alongside any other visual and written content you create. From there, you can dive deeper into what type of audio content is right for your brand and how it can help you reach your business goals.

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