Partner, Executive Creative Director
Venables Bell and Partners
1) The election spurred a ton of work from our industry this year. It was like nothing we’ve ever experienced before in our national history, so it was reassuring to see the industry respond in such a passionate way. I hope we will continue to be as vigilant and vocal as we move ahead into the great unknown.
2) We’re constantly adapting to the needs of our clients which has led to new offerings like VBP Retail Ops which is focused on elevating Retail and the development of a more robust social newsroom.
We’ve also created a program to have more diversity initiatives at the agency. Given the crazy cultural climate we’re in right now, these efforts are more important than ever.
3) If I had to pick one I’d say that we had a banner year with Audi. For the 205 mph Audi R8, we imagined a world free of traffic lights, speed limits and congestion. Then we partnered with Airbnb to make it a reality.
During the presidential debates we aired a spot called “Duel” that served as a reminder that beautiful things are worth fighting for.
4) VR is coming like a meteor. The industry is actively working to understand the new potential of this medium and I’d expect to see great things coming as more and more people finally get the headsets. It’ll also bring more fodder for the writers of Black Mirror.
Google Opens Its Defense In Antitrust Case Alleging Monopoly Over Online Ad Technology
Google opened its defense against allegations that it holds an illegal monopoly on online advertising technology Friday with witness testimony saying the industry is vastly more complex and competitive than portrayed by the federal government.
"The industry has been exceptionally fluid over the last 18 years," said Scott Sheffer, a vice president for global partnerships at Google, the company's first witness at its antitrust trial in federal court in Alexandria.
The Justice Department and a coalition of states contend that Google built and maintained an illegal monopoly over the technology that facilitates the buying and selling of online ads seen by consumers.
Google counters that the government's case improperly focuses on a narrow type of online ads — essentially the rectangular ones that appear on the top and on the right-hand side of a webpage. In its opening statement, Google's lawyers said the Supreme Court has warned judges against taking action when dealing with rapidly emerging technology like what Sheffer described because of the risk of error or unintended consequences.
Google says defining the market so narrowly ignores the competition it faces from social media companies, Amazon, streaming TV providers and others who offer advertisers the means to reach online consumers.
Justice Department lawyers called witnesses to testify for two weeks before resting their case Friday afternoon, detailing the ways that automated ad exchanges conduct auctions in a matter of milliseconds to determine which ads are placed in front of which consumers and how much they cost.
The department contends the auctions are finessed in subtle ways that benefit Google to the exclusion of would-be competitors and in ways that prevent... Read More