What trends, developments or issues would you point to thus far in 2022 as being most significant, perhaps carrying implications for the rest of this year and beyond?
The uncertainty surrounding the current economic climate is top of mind with all brands due to the possible implications on demand and pricing. We expect this to be a pervasive theme for the next 12 to 18 months as the economy works to find its footing, supply chain issues stabilize, and inflation steadies.
Brands need to take a more measured approach to spending. There is a renewed interest in realizing efficiencies where possible. Exploring the cost implications of leveraging in-house teams versus contract staff augmentation and agency support is certainly a topic of conversation.
We are seeing more demand for specific details surrounding a return on investment; in particular, pressure-tested forecasts and concise dependencies on what it will take to obtain an appropriate level of return on key investments across marketing efforts.
What work (advertising, entertainment, documentary) — your own or others–struck a responsive chord with you this year and why?
As an agency, we’ve been fortunate to develop a number of campaigns that address today’s social issues. One of our more recent and most successful efforts was a PSA campaign for The GreenShoots Foundation, a nonpartisan organization. The campaign urged Arkansans to “Please Consider Vaccination” as the state had one of the nation’s lowest full vaccination rates for Covid-19. The campaign’s hero spot is a touching film about a father’s journey in overcoming vaccine hesitancy. Our team developed and executed the integrated campaign entirely in-house, producing and distributing deliverables for TV, radio, OOH, digital, and social media.
In the three months after its launch, Pulaski County, which contains Little Rock, saw a vaccination rate increase of +9% while outpacing similar markets in neighboring states. Since March, the campaign has spread organically to 18 U.S. States, generating more than 100,000 donated broadcasts outside of Arkansas. The estimated media value of these donated broadcasts is $3.526 million. This figure does not include donated broadcasts in Arkansas.
Additionally, The GreenShoots Foundation and D6 media team implemented a full media plan, which included broadcast media buys, generating another 4.1 million PSA impressions in Arkansas, as well as OOH placements in rural areas of Arkansas, which yielded just over 16 million impressions.
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 the second half of 2022 and beyond.
Content remains critically important, but we expect an increase in energy against the creation of content that is more specifically designed to be relevant to specific target audiences, customer segments, and personas. The concept of personalization is no longer a theory, but a proven strategy for driving a higher degree of engagement across touchpoints. Where most brands fall short is in content creation that can be produced in a cost-efficient manner and is relevant for those specific audiences. Continuing to improve efficiency in this area should pay dividends long-term.
Has the first half of 2022 caused you to redefine or fine tune the goals of your company, division, studio or network–and if so, in what way(s)?
H1 felt like a period of pent-up demand for all things related to content, technology, and analytics. While there is uncertainty in the marketplace, we’ve always been set up to be nimble and will continue to execute in a way that delivers exponential growth across our service offerings. We are taking full advantage of the concept that uncertainty creates opportunity…and we are going after the opportunities
