Steve Ellwanger

When The New Yorker writer Ken Auletta decided to take a hard look at companies that are dependent upon advertising, he came away seeing “frenemies” everywhere—all of them facing “existential assault.” The resulting book, being released today after three years of research, is titled Frenemies: The Epic Disruption of the Ad Business (and Everything Else). […]

When David Cohen first attended the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity about a dozen years ago, it was as a “digital media guy and I was so honored to go to an environment where was all these creatives and the best creativity in the business.” Fast forward to the present and Cohen, like other […]

Like many people attending Cannes this year, Doug Ray is looking for a return to the “core” of what the International Festival of Creativity was meant to celebrate: creativity. “Cannes has changed so much since the first year I went, which was 2006. It has become the new CES in some respects. It’s become an […]

What started at Advertising Week last year—a movement called Creative Spirit that helps people with intellectual or developmental disabilities enter the advertising and marketing workforce—moves to the main stage at this year’s Cannes International Festival of Creativity. As Creative Spirit’s Co-Founder and President, OMD CMO Laurel Rossi sees the move to Cannes as a sign […]

FreeWheel is “very happy to be heavily investing in Cannes again this year” as it looks to broaden its footprint on the buy side and find more strategic partners to tackle industry issues like attribution and measurement in television. As is the case in the ongoing TV Upfront season, there will be lots of discussion […]

At last year’s Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, Omnicom Group’s Tiffany R. Warren participated in a “beachside conversation” about the importance of diversity in hiring. Reflecting on that panel discussion, “I thought this is a topic that needs to be in the Palais,” the main building at the international event, Warren recalls. This year at […]

Having crafted more than 10,000 of its interactive, consumer-engagement ads, true[X] is going all in on the “connected living room” to offer advertisers the best options to leverage things like co-viewing, 4K screens and surround sound. “We’re standing up an entire CT innovation lab around that concept,” says Pooja Midha, who recently became President of […]

As more Dentsu Aegis Network clients dedicate budgets to addressable or audience-targeted television, Doug Ray envisions a future in which only advertising avails on live TV will be negotiated the old fashioned way. “All other TV, particularly all the long tail of cable, will be bought through programmatic or audience targeted terms,” says Dentsu’s President […]

Like some people with a long background in media, Janet Balis tries to parse the semantical nuances of what constitutes “advanced advertising,” particularly when the term is applied to television. What’s more important right now is that the sell-side and buy-side come together to craft uniform audience targeting and measurement solutions, says EY’s Global Advisory […]

People who are closest to the day-to-day nexus of data and technology are usually the first to discern meaningful turning points. For Evan Hanlon, that insight emerges as he considers years of industry talk, hopes and dreams. “I feel like we’re turning the corner beyond the sort of aspirational and the dream and all the […]

The television industry is increasingly operating more as a platform than as individual providers, but there’s still work to be done to reinforce TV’s incredible power in an often changing and competitive media ecosystem. What’s not lacking is a global, common vision on the future of TV. “What’s very clear to me is there is an […]

SAN JUAN, PR – Last September, Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. As cleanup and reconstruction continue, members of The Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico are still actively helping their communities, but they face challenges when it comes to resources. “They have the power to change our society. We only have to fight for […]

While the role of media agencies in telling advertiser’ stories continues to evolve, storytelling alone is not enough to move the needle. OMD uses both homemade and acquired technology and platform partners “to actually build stories, not just tell stories,” says Chief Digital & Innovation Officer Doug Rozen. “The creative agencies are fantastic at telling […]

ESPN is heading to this year’s Cannes Lions as part of Walt Disney Co.’s “one-stop shop” platform, as the sports giant begins to experiment with household-addressable television and retargeting OTT viewers across its digital footprint. “Disney certainly has a lot to say at Cannes this year,” ESPN’s Vikram Somaya, SVP, Global Data Officer & Ad […]

These days, the term “premium” typically accompanies the word “video.” But premium must also apply to viewer engagement with ads and the results that should accrue to advertisers, according to Pooja Midha. The new President of true[X] will share the company’s insights on how viewer interaction will transform the video ad business in a presentation […]

It took streaming video options and ad-free platforms to tip the scale, but the advertising industry has finally caught on to the importance of the viewer experience. “The big picture is that programmers are thinking today more about the user experience than they ever have before,” says OMD’s Ben Winkler, who will join a host […]

The main reason why consulting firms—some of which started in the mundane but essential accounting space—have moved into entertainment and media is that consumers have taken charge. And many marketers have failed to keep up. “Frankly, the reason why I think consulting is becoming so relevant at this particular moment is this is an industry […]

As Tim Castree prepares for his role as Jury President of the Media Lions for the upcoming Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, he hopes to see entries that reflect how brands have effectively married creativity and context. His first-time judging gig comes after the Cannes Lions reached a tipping point in 2017 as some […]

While NCC Media’s newly announced division will work to advance the national addressable television market, it will employ the same principles—better data, targeting and measurement—to grow the spot TV business. “It’s important to point out that NCC’s traditional business in the spot marketplace is not going to go anywhere,” says Andrew Ward, VP, Comcast Media […]

In the weeks leading up to this year’s Digital Content NewFronts, we interviewed a number of industry leaders about what matters most: They cited quality storytelling, data and insights, authentic integration, accountability and brand safety. This video is a highlight compilation our several of our conversations. The first three are a related trio of concerns. Quality […]