𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 – 𝟱 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀

After a barrage of self-congratulatory messages in LK (including mine 😜) I tried to reflect about my learnings this year.  I hope that someone finds them useful.

𝟭) 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗘𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗺𝗶𝗱 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲:
I’m more excited than ever about the prospects of the creative industry.  The old debate of Creativity vs. Data is outdated. The real opportunity—and necessity—lies in harnessing both together. Generative AI promises to supercharge the creative process, yet poses a disruptive threat to the traditional business models of creative and media agencies. This transition will be exciting, but not without significant growing pains.

𝟮) 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀: 𝗔 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿-𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀-𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲:
Retail Media Networks continue their rapid ascent in both relevance and share of ad spend, but the playing field is consolidating. The largest networks will dominate, making this a category where scale wins and smaller players face steep challenges.

𝟯) 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:
We’re witnessing the beginning of a true convergence—Retail Media Networks, Digital Media, and Traditional Media are finally starting to blend, to partner. This integration may move us closer to the elusive “nirvana” of truly measuring the impact of our brand-building investments at the top of the funnel.

𝟰) 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗺:
The Creator Economy is widely celebrated, but its large-scale, sustainable business model remains unproven. Discussions center on celebrity creators (“the head-tail”) who command high, fixed fees. But what about the long tail? Where is the evidence of strong ROI at scale for brands?

𝟱) 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀:
As an industry, we’re still taking small, exploratory steps rather than bold leaps. There’s a preference for theory over action, with lots of experimentation but few scaled, transformative successes.  I really worry about the lack of risk-taking action in the face of the AI Tsunami.  I posit that taking no risks is the riskier path in the current environment.

Over the coming days, I will expand my thinking around these ideas.  More provocations than hard truths but useful hopefully.