This past week, thousands of major industry players flooded the streets of New York City for the 10th annual Advertising Week. Over 750 thought leaders spoke at more than 200 events across the city, and many were focused on one of the hottest topics in the industry: brand publishing.
On Wednesday, we found ourselves at The Times Center in Midtown. Dozens of agencies and brand-publishing startups lined the walls of the underground Times Center Hall, looking for their next great client, partnership, or hire. At the head of the room panels of seasoned executives shared their wisdom over a chorus of chatter.
We bounced between panels and peppered some of the industry’s brightest minds with questions, soliciting their prognostications on the future of brand publishing.
Here is a roundup of some of the things that we heard…
On Creating Content
Kevin Doohan, Executive Vice President of Marketing at Machinima – “Marketers understand brands, and so they understand content… The challenge is how do you create a piece of content that is its own brand and its own business.”
Jay Russell, Executive Creative Director at GSD&M – “Talent is everywhere…Twenty-three year olds can produce entire films now. There’s so much talent out there. But if you hire someone with passion, then you’ve found something special.”
Rock Scaglione, Account Executive at Touchstorm – “Brand publishers need to step outside of their comfort zones…It’s inspiring to see all these young companies in the same room, to know that we’re not alone.”
Raghu Kodige, Chief Product Officer at Alphonso – “A lot has changed since last year…There are a lot of new companies here today. It’s good to learn about them and know that one another exist.”
On Technology
Ashley Swartz, CEO at Furious Minds – “Brands need currency to interact with technology, and interactivity provides that currency.”
Jeff Minsky, Director at OMD Ignition – “Advertising is becoming more about technology. The challenge will be getting the creative community to create using a new canvas.”
Adrian Vasquez De Velasco, Co-Founder of Total Cinema 360 – “The effect that emerging technologies have on brand content are substantial. Immersive storytelling will change how brands engage consumers.”
On Experimentation
Emma Nemtin, Marketing Director at Hubba – “What excites us is to see major brands doing fresh things with content. They’re discovering what works through experimentation.”
Eric Hadley, SVP of Sales Strategy & Marketing at The Weather Channel – “We as a group of content creators need to challenge marketers to continue to progress and create engaging content.”
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