Chief Creative Officer
Elite Media
While gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for 2024?
There is a lot of buzz and excitement about the power of AI and how we can push the bounds of creativity and use it for good. Technologies are advancing at a fast rate, and regulators are trying to get a handle on how to implement safeguards. We’re in constant conversation about what that will mean for multicultural audiences and how to use these tools responsibly. Content creators should continue to seek to understand how bias shows up, how it impacts representation and the way that people see themselves, and how to keep human connection at the center of our creative products. We’re looking for natural openings and opportunities to use new technologies in ways that make sense for our clients and audiences instead of trying to force them. This is an exciting time to lean into new opportunities and innovate while also not losing sight of our audiences and the connection they seek to make with brands.
Does your company have plans for any major diversification and/or expansion/investment in technology and talent in 2024 and if so, what? How will this investment or diversification add value to what you can offer to clients? If instead you have already realized any actual expansion, made such an investment and/or diversified significantly recently and brought on new talent and expertise, share those developments with us along with what they mean to your staff and clients.
We have invested in bringing in talent to help strengthen our team and take our agency to the next level. As a result, we have closed some gaps and brought better, more innovative ideas to our clients. Internally, our staff doesn’t need to feel like they need to have all of the answers; rather, they can tap our internal team of experts to get strategic guidance and input on our work products. Furthermore, the additional people-power has increased our output, promoted better collaboration, and allowed people to step into new leadership roles. Investing in our staff is a critical component of our success, and we’re constantly thinking about new opportunities to invest in people so that they bring their best to the table.
What was the biggest challenge posed to you by a recent project? Or share insights to a recent project you deem notable. Briefly describe the project, why it was particularly noteworthy or what valuable lesson(s) you learned from it. If the work is complete and you’d like to share a link to it, please include.
We are thrilled to have worked with American Family Insurance on their ‘Life’s Better’ brand refresh campaign, where we unveiled the next visual iteration of their iconic red roof in 3D. The red roof has been American Family Insurance’s symbol of protection, safety, and inspiration for over 60 years, and this campaign allowed it to set itself apart and creatively redefine itself as a challenger brand in a highly competitive industry. We learned that risks can pay off. The campaign has seen great results after its initial release, and the team is hard at work thinking about how to bring the red roof to life in new ways.
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