If there’s one thing that’s different in the marketing world, it’s that everything seems to be different.
From operating in a constant “permacrisis” to adapting to new tech tools, marketers have lots on their minds, and they opened up at the annual Marketing Brew Summit in New York.
“I could comfortably say that so much more has changed in the last three years than has happened in the past 20,” Cheryl Guerin, Mastercard’s EVP of global brand strategy and innovation, said.
We rounded up what execs from Cava, e.l.f Beauty, Mastercard, and more had to say from the day of programming, and shared a few of their insights below.
Spice up your partnerships: Some people were confused when e.l.f. Beauty rolled out a partnership with Tinder, releasing a makeup line called “Put Your e.l.f Out There,” according to e.l.f. Beauty Chief Brand Officer Laurie Lam. The partnership was born from insights e.l.f. mined involving makeup and Tinder, such as that “red lips get more swipes” on the app.
“It’s the world’s No. 1 dating app, and we’re the No. 1 Gen Z brand,” she said. “There’s an overlap of our audiences.”
Diversify use of AI: Mastercard has been experimenting with AI technology for a few years, and it now has around 11 use cases involving AI, Guerin said. Those include a GenAI music studio to support artists without access to an IRL studio, the brainchild of a Mastercard marketer, and small business-focused AI set to debut soon that also originated from Guerin’s team.
“When there’s a new technology or a new trend or some new insights, we’ll hold inspiration sessions, and we challenge the entire integrated marketing and communications team around the world to innovate,” she said.
Read up on state-level data privacy laws: Data privacy regulations are rapidly evolving: As of this year, at least 19 states have passed such laws, up from just five last year, and 16 of those laws will require users to opt-in for collection of sensitive data, Jessica Lee, chief privacy and security partner at Loeb & Loeb LLC, said
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“Obviously, you can leave the nitty-gritty to the lawyers, but it’s important to understand where things are going, because, again, this isn’t just a legal thing,” Lee said. “It impacts how you’re able to access data.”
Communication is key: Cava’s CXO Andy Rebhun wants to pump out social content fast, he said, in order to “run at the speed of culture.” To do so, he communicates with his 60-member team on Slack.
Patrick Buchanan, SVP of marketing at Lulus, said he values finding team members who communicate well and have a willingness to speak up and share their ideas.
“When I’m looking at a marketing individual, I want someone who is outspoken and who is curious and who will say something,” he said. “I think I find myself in too many rooms where I’m the only person talking…[I’m looking for] people who are not intimidated by having conversations and having a healthy discourse, and people who are looking to learn and to share what they’re learning with other team members.”
Customize a chatbot: At the agency adam&eveDDB, Group Head of Effectiveness Les Binet is so popular for consulting for advice that the agency built a chatbot, called LesGPT, trained off of his talks, books, and papers, according to agency Managing Director James Rowe. The result? adam&eveDDB staff can quickly consult the chatbot for advice that “can further the conversation without bottlenecking through an inbox,” Rowe said.
Bring in the experts: Everyone might be tired of hearing about generative AI, but having a mix of experts on your team who specialize in AI and other emerging technologies is crucial today, Guerin said. Mastercard’s team of marketers even includes web3 experts.
“Everyone on your teams now need to have learning agility,” she said.