Nancy Hill, 4As CEO, kicked off the morning at the Transformation 2011 conference with energy and optimism.

She addressed how the industry is growing and how the advertising industry is back. She backed up her optimism with facts around the Super Bowl, letting us know that this year’s advertising placements experienced the earliest sellout in the history of the event and the expectation that next year’s sellout will happen even faster.  It was the most watched broadcast, finally surpassing the final episode of MASH, with over 11M viewers. She also reminded us that it isn’t just about what is happening on the TV during the Bowl, but also about what is happening online with 21M status updates on Facebook, referencing the game and 4,064 tweets during the final drive. She suggested that we have become “gun shy about being positive” and encouraged us to look at the numbers that indicate that, in fact, the advertising industry is back.

Keith Weed, CMO & CCO, Unilever took the stage at the 4As this morning, interviewed by Michael Kassan, Chairman, MediaLink LLC. Michael introduced Keith as a driver of transformation and someone who embraces change. His company Unilever represents a large company (one out of three people in the world – that’s 2B people a day touch a Unilever product on a daily basis) that despite their size are nimble and open to change. Keith stressed that to succeed and move ahead in the business you have to “get into the ring and fight,” understand digital and use it across your marketing to reach your audiences.

When asked about media plans, Keith remarked that it “isn’t just about TV anymore.”  We are now in the midst of a channel explosion and if you want to grow your customers with these media plans  it is key to organize these channels in a thoughtful way.  He also remarked that the opportunities in the industry today are more exciting than they have ever been, with the technology that is in front of us with the explosion in the tablet and mobile space. He commented that interests in media (video, social, gaming) is the world over, but the infrastructure is the piece that is varied.  

When asked how to get to the next 2B customers Keith said it is about brands. “The power of the brand is more and more important. One way you screen out the messages that are bombarding you on a daily basis is through brands.” He urged that brands to do this have to be relevant to consumers and one way to do this is through content. Keith commented that content needs to be three things, “always on, cost effective, and quality.” He also remarked that, “good quality content travels, whether you pay for it or not.”

For a follow up conversation, join our interactive webinar on March 22nd: Brand Building in the Digital Landscape.

Hope you are enjoying our content from the 4As.

All the best,

Jenny Leahy

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