Ryan Cunningham

The best person to follow on LinkedIn to learn more about media mix modeling (MMM)? My vote goes to Michael Kaminsky of Recast. With a unique ability to make complex topics accessible to non-experts, Michael's steady stream of posts are an on-going source of super helpful insights. Who else is a great follow on LinkedIn to better understand MMMs?

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As a branding & comms person, I often code switch to a "commercial marketer" so I can hope to gain a perceived (aka better), more strategic seat around the business table. But watching how attribution and GPTs can sanitize brands into oblivion I'm wearing my Storytelling badge with renewed pride. Storytelling is far from a "soft" skill in the business world; it is the essential, and often, missing piece in marketing strategy. This MIT Sloan School of Management article highlights several key benefits that storytelling delivers such as "sustained winning," solidifying its importance in driving business success: 1️⃣ Enhanced Understanding and Engagement: Storytelling makes complex data more accessible and engaging, helping teams and stakeholders understand and retain information better. This improved comprehension leads to more informed decision-making. 2️⃣ Improved Collaboration and Cohesion: Internal storytelling fosters a sense of connection and shared purpose among team members, building cohesion and inspiring cultural change. This unity is crucial for driving collective efforts towards common goals. 3️⃣ Strategic Impact: Combining data with storytelling enhances the strategic impact of marketing efforts. It allows for creating compelling narratives that resonate with target audiences, driving engagement and loyalty. Better yet, stories are easy to re-tell meaning your brand awareness gets a nice bump. The MIT article underscores that storytelling can be a critical component for achieving sustained performance and success in data-driven teams and beyond. #storytelling #brands https://lnkd.in/gBmK88fJ

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I couldn’t agree more with Lorraine’s insights. The impact of AI is top of mind for many of our customers and partners. One of the best parts of what we do is help customers and partners create the vision for how Google Ads products can transform their business (small or large) no matter where they are on their AI journey. #AIpowered #AI #Marketing #Innovation #Googleads

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This is so great to see! As we head into the Upfronts and Newfronts, brands need to know they can reach a massive audience, using video, that doesn't get skipped or ignored and is 4x more efficient on a cost per second viewed metric. Efficiency AND Impact from In-Scene Media #uninterrupted #advertising with #AI

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Witnessing the transformative power of AI in shaking up the digital landscape has been a thrilling experience. As we bid farewell to promising contenders like Neeva, it's enlightening to see innovation continue to flourish. Neeva might have been a beacon of "sustaining" innovation, aiming to captivate users with its unique subscription model, yet its journey reminds us of the relentless pace of progress in the tech world. Now, the spotlight turns to the emergence of AI-driven platforms that are redefining our online experiences. Enter the realm of AI Browsers like Arc and Answer Engines such as Perplexity, representing a dynamic shift away from conventional search (blue links) towards more personalized, user-centric services. These startups are not just competing with industry titans like Google; they're challenging them to elevate their game, compelling a refocus on enhancing user experience over appeasing advertisers. This evolution sparks a captivating dialog about the future of digital search and navigation. How will these innovations reshape our interaction with the web? How will giants respond? The landscape is changing, and it's been fun to watch, and learn from the sidelines. #AIInnovation #DigitalTransformation #FutureOfSearch #ProductManagement #Strategy #FutureofBrowsers https://lnkd.in/e8XPSUby

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Beyond their blow-out earnings, I found this Jim Cramer interview with the CEO of Adobe insightful. Key points: - Like with Apple’s AI implementation, interfaces are more important than models in bringing AI to more people - Never forget that “creativity is a uniquely human trait” - A key benefit of AI is the acceleration of ideation Your thoughts please. https://lnkd.in/g4KAV5s2

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Interested in learning how to become unconditionally consumer-first? Check out 'Your Consumer Responsibility,' https://fro.gd/3UGgxKM the latest in the popular Chief Challenges series from frog, part of Capgemini Invent.   I’m proud to have shaped and directed this multimedia campaign and 'The New Rules of Engagement'—the free, downloadable report which sits at its heart. This is truly a subject that’s close to my heart: supporting our clients as they move towards delivering unconditionally is something that’s really important to me. It's also something that’s easier said than done.   With more pressures, coming from more angles than ever before, organisations today must get creative in order to stay on top. For marketeers and commerce specialists alike, the latest waves of change mean that encouraging and cultivating a responsible consumer base is becoming a primary activity. This report is an attempt to get to grips with some of the overarching challenges, as well as sharing some of the main solutions. Amid the complexity, one thing is clear: it’s time for brands to better understand the new rules of engagement between consumer and brand, unlock growth and raise the standard for experiences. Click here to explore the report today: https://fro.gd/3UGgxKM Gagandeep Gadri Kerry Lee Christopher Baird Matthew Gratze Sharon Jiggins

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"Chaos asks questions of you order never will" The wonderful Colleen DeCourcy retells her experience working with Dan Wieden when she took over as Chief Creative Officer at Wieden+Kennedy Her immediate response to me asking about working with Dan was this quote about chaos. We have a natural reaction against chaos because it can be destructive and unsettling but what if we reframed it as a necessary condition for achieving something truly breakthrough 🌪 Chaos propels you forward while order maintains the status quo 🌪 Chaos creates leaders while order creates managers 🌪 Chaos demands a response while order delays it 🌪 Chaos reveals the cracks while order papers them up 🌪 Chaos forces ownership while order delegates it 🌪 Chaos fosters creativity while order fosters compliance 🌪 Chaos requires trust while order replaces it It got me thinking whether there is an optimal mix of Chaos and order required to achieve breakthrough ideas and momentum? We spend most of our time creating order but what if what we actually needed was an injection of chaos? To hear more from this episode check out the links in the comments John Kearon Kerry Collinge Orlando Wood

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In putting together this "Productivity Pr0n in Practice" series for Toggl I've inadvertently become a productivity guinea pig - testing out the different hacks, techniques and strategies to help myself get to grips with it all. When it comes to the Eisenhower Matrix, I found the most interesting part of adopting this technique is how it forces you to refine your definitions of "importance" and "urgency". The first time I sat down to draw up my matrix, I found I was listing >90% of my tasks as both important AND urgent (which kind of defeats the whole point of the exercise). But In Eisenhower's infamous words: "what is truly important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important". After some practice, I got better at avoiding my bias to unnecessary urgency, and ended up with a much more balanced mix across my quadrants. Curious if anyone else has tried the Eisenhower Matrix and how you went about defining your versions of urgent and important... 🤔

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Smart CMOs are recognizing the value of empowering their teams to use AI & educate their teams on the ways it can be used to drive value. Mediocre CMOs are discounting the technology because they had a mediocre demo in Q2 2023. The technology continues to evolve. The use cases continue to improve. The best will adopt it and drive ROI. It’s that simple really. #marketing

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Just finished a great read in Bloomberg News on Apple's measured approach to AI rollout. It got me thinking about the implications for the B2B landscape. Here's the key takeaway: Apple seems to be prioritizing stability and user experience over a flashy launch. Headlines might call it "slow," but for B2B needs, this focus could be a good thing. Think about it: reliable, integrated AI solutions are far more valuable than buggy demos. Building trust is also crucial in B2B – companies are wary of unproven solutions. Apple's focus on robust, reliable features that integrate seamlessly with existing systems could be a major selling point. A solution that integrates smoothly and delivers consistent results is far more valuable than a quick fix with integration headaches. What are your thoughts? _____ Credits: Mark Gurman, Bloomberg [https://lnkd.in/eGSz7iXM] #B2BAI #TheFutureofWork #B2B

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I've missed the mark a time or two in ads I've created. No one is perfect. But the more you are out there the more you open yourself up to scrutiny or judgement. My platform isn't anywhere close to #Apple's and I am free to screw up in relative anonymity. It's kind of like screwing up as a #preYouTube #GenXkid instead of as a #Millennial or #Zoomer. I also remember the #1984 ad Apple had which this was clearly referencing, and it doesn't hurt that I've recently fallen down a #noir rabbit hole. So I can appreciate what they were trying to accomplish. But HOW in the multiple layers of corporate overlords red-taping any effort at creativity, did they not realize how catastrophically bad this idea was? Or maybe the answer is in the question. Attempting to legislate or administrate creativity never ends well. Of course one could argue that advertising is exactly that, corporate administrating of art in an effort to appeal to the masses. Sometimes it works. Apple's 1984 ad and the #Budweiser frogs. Sometimes it doesn't. The #Budlight attempt to jump on the #LGBTQ bandwagon and this ad bringing visual reality to our scariest AI v. Art nightmares. But, it's not that you screwed up, it's how you recover. They've gotten the first steps correct by pulling the ads. What they do next will determine if this continues to be a blight on their image or an opportunity. Might I suggest donations to Arts programs? New ads emphasizing artists using #iPads to enhance their work and apps that enable them to toil less and create more. Showing artists utilizing iPads to shortcut creating storefronts to get their work out to the masses and actually get paid. Okay Apple, let's see you rally. #AI #artvai #applead #marketingstrategy #nextsteps #advertisingfail Apple

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I don't think one-click purchasing (e.g., Amazon), fast fashion and deep-discount apps like Temu/Shein have been DELIBERATELY conditioning us to adopt AI, but I think that's one way it could play out in hundsight. As certain kinds of online shopping become a steadily more throwaway (i.e., less intentful and more compulsive) experience, I think human shoppers won't really have a problem outsourcing the actual act of shopping to an AI agent. Thanks to Lynne d Johnson and Tameka Kee for having me on their pod. We talked about a lot of interesting stuff! Please give it a listen.

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Generative AI for tough conversations? Such a great idea Kian Gohar, Jeremy Utley (your joy at being published in The Wall Street Journal made *me* smile). As much as I tout CAREfrontation over CONfrontation generative AI is a brilliant suggestion as a way to prep for those tough conversations. https://lnkd.in/gxsYwBKk? Additionally the article points out generative AI's potential for personal communication as a relatively unexplored frontier. 📌 YES, it’s a technology that intersects with our most human experience: conversing with one another. 📌 YES, it's getting better and more adept at responding. 📌 YES, during this Mental Health Awareness month I know more than one individual in the USA who leans on this technology in place of a therapist they cannot currently afford. I for one am (as) excited (as Jeremy was to be in the WSJ) about *all* the potential here. From the Upili Program I'm working on, to Ai4SDG, to the overarching Next Step Foundation as we train #Kenya's most talented. #Africa #HR Allan Maonga Were (MIHRM) #MentalHealth #Teamwork https://lnkd.in/gjU4Cy3t

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More great AI content from the 4A's - a nice summary of recent AI announcements from Google and OpenAI, including implications for the agency world. 4 key takeaways: 1️⃣ ⚡ Rapid Content Creation: Continued expansion of tool capabilities facilitates high quality production. 2️⃣ 🔎 Search is evolving: Changes to the dominant search engine in the US will fundamentally change consumer behavior, and are likely to require a shift in both paid and organic search strategies for brands. 3️⃣ 🖼️ Multi-modal inputs and outputs: The use cases many in our industry are already experimenting with will become more and more compelling due to multimodal AI. 4️⃣ 🤝 Collaboration is key: Both OpenAI and Google's announcements highlight the increasing importance of collaboration between humans and AI. Check out the full summary for more detail. 👇

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While many are saying Apple is behind with these new features I don’t think it matters. This is the path to mass adoption of Gen AI. People have to have it at their fingertips and see how useful it is. When you can ask Siri something and start to get more useful responses all of a sudden you will be using Gen AI and won’t even think about it. This is how it has always worked. Most people don’t actively seek out new tech for the sake of it. They are busy with their day to day lives so they look for opportunities to make things easier and more convenient. Once the tech is easily accessible the value becomes clear and adoption grows. AI is just an improvement of software just as software is an innovation over pen and paper It’s always about what the tech can do for people and not the tech itself. https://lnkd.in/eUUmKs6m

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RIP “Brand Purpose” But it’s not Bud Light that killed it. It’s brand relevancy: “commercial communication follows, not leads. Advertising’s activist retreat mirrors a reversal in public sentiment, perhaps a post-pandemic fatigue. One poll finds just 20 percent of Americans are now interested in corporations taking a stand on political issues or current events, and fewer than 30 percent want to hear brands opine on international conflict.” Prior to and during the early Trump years, digging into societal issues was timely and above all—highly relevant. Brands live and die by relevancy, and so many leaned into purpose initiatives and marketing veneers to gain or preserve relevancy. What’s more relevant now? Getting by. Surviving > Purpose If you can’t keep a roof over your head—social justice issues take a backseat to your own existential challenges. And so the new brand purpose, in order to remain relevant, becomes not values—but value. Trends are cyclical and marketing/communications reflects them moreso than it creates them.

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What do you think, is it worth the hype? A colleague shared this article with me today, and it is too good not to share more broadly. IMHO, most public sector orgs are far from ready for GenAI: 1.) because the tools are not mature enough, and 2.) because most orgs have some housekeeping to first (e.g. data, policy, processes). As my colleague pointed out, we haven't even really tapped into the full potential of more mature types of AI yet and some are ready to leap ahead to the unknown of GenAI. I'm here for it and excited about it, BUT...use caution when running toward the shiny new thing! https://lnkd.in/ePsappRB

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"We shape technology by using it." AI is remarkably accessible—you don't need advanced training or coding to start experimenting. By testing and learning, we get to know the technology and how it can create value for our organizations. More in Lorraine Twohill's piece for Fortune: https://lnkd.in/gYRwYYNq

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