Meet the FOMNA judges: Jeff Dack, CEO, Carat Canada | M&M Global

Meet the FOMNA judges: Jeff Dack, CEO, Carat Canada

Jeff Dack, CEO, Carat Canada and judge on the inaugural Festival of Media North America Awards reveals what is driving the North American media landscape, how does it embrace the ever-evolving technology and what will happen in the next 12 months.

What trends are you seeing dominate the media landscape in North America?
We see four key trends impacting the media landscape in North America:

  1. Transactions beyond exposure
  2. Artificial intelligence
  3. Data as currency, and
  4. Ecosystem wars.

Each trend speaks to an increasingly sophisticated media consumer and their conscious interaction with devices and technology. Gone are the days of serving one-way messages and engaging the customer through a traditional purchase funnel. Today’s economy and digital interfaces allow for every moment of every day to become the opportunity to engage, delight and convert. As a result, brands need to ensure they work with the biggest ecosystem allowing them to talent-spot the future app and hardware stars

What does the industry need to do to ensure it continues to evolve with technology advancements and most importantly consumer’s continually changing habits?
Data-driven, demand-led economies are turning data into smart data. Accessing and using data is increasingly key to building addressability with consumers which allows brands to deliver personalization at scale.

What will you be looking for when judging the Festival of Media North America Awards?
Innovation, smart use of data and data that builds powerful connections between consumers and brands.

What campaigns have impressed you over the last 12 months in the North American region?
Admittedly I’m biased here, but our campaign for Cadillac in Quebec and its use of connected objects was (months) ahead of its time. Working collaboratively with our great clients we abandoned conventional demographic and indicator-related strategies and instead aligned ourselves closely to specific purchases made by our target.

What should the industry be prepared for over the next year?
While my crystal ball is usually reserved for picking lottery numbers, the influences we can expect to impact our industry include:

  1. Increasing regulations will limit how we communicate. The legalisation of marijuana in Canada and increasing rates of child obesity are just two examples. The legislator as gatekeeper is a trend permeating brand advertising opportunities.
  2. Evolution of content. This includes the use of digital channels to stream live video and create social and branded content forums for viewing and sharing. And the escalation of Chatbots as a tool to both target and sell.
  3. Digital to physical. Brands are moving from probalistic to deterministic identify; using identity to anticipate needs and wants and create a demanded sales process.
  4. Proximity that uses location for targeting, messaging and tracking; while also expanding potential customers in common spaces such as theatres and arenas. Proximity is about bridging digital and physical.

The deadline is fast approaching – Friday 1 Sept – but there is still time to the enter the Festival of Media North America Awards by following the instructions here.

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