As consumers, we’re inundated with brand messages at a rapidly growing, never-ending pace. It’s given rise to digital ad blockers and people willing to pay more for online services – hello, Spotify Premium – just so they don’t have to listen to the spots we so lovingly craft. When we look at the physical locations where we’re showing up as marketers, retail spaces are just as cluttered – if not more so. But as an advertising legend once said, “Nobody reads ads. They read what interests them. And sometimes that’s an ad.” And one great way to capture attention is by creating messages that are contextually relevant.

Augmented reality – or just “AR” for short – is an enhanced version of the real world achieved by using digital technologies. In 1996, the NHL All-Star game debuted the first widely adopted use of the technology to mixed reviews. Twenty-five years later, AR has grown into its original promise.

Several new developments are unlocking a change in how – and how often – AR is used: increased adoption of 5G, shifts in advertising tracking standards, and blurred online and offline retail environments. The heightened sophistication, access and utility of AR technology have boosted marketers’ investments in the space. Consumers are still asking for more.

Trite but true, the digital advertising space moves at the speed of light. And with it, programmatic advertising. Here at Doe-Anderson, we try (and often succeed) at moving just as quickly. While programmatic media buying has been a part of our media recommendations for well over a decade, we’ve adapted and grown alongside changes in platforms, buying and tracking.

Brand Purpose is a more actionable way of thinking about what your brand stands for. It's the kind of smart brand positioning some of the most heralded brands – Nike, Coca-Cola, Apple, McDonalds – have been doing for decades, way before Simon Sinek wrote Start with Why. Once you’ve figured out the brand’s role in the world – its purpose – your activations and marketing efforts should be geared around living that purpose, not just communicating it.

Data is more valuable than ever as marketers continually move to be data-driven decision makers. Losing data can mean losing important historical records and campaign insights, which is a major problem for improving and maintaining effective marketing solutions. The importance of data collection and ownership is higher today than ever before as companies need to have their valuable data assets and insights secured and available for use.

Back in 2020, we sought out to predict the impact the COVID-19 pandemic would have on our culture and identified seven key consumer trends - indicators of future behaviors and beliefs.

But the situation has proven to be anything but predictable.

One year later, we took a fresh look at how consumer has behavior changed during and as a result of the global pandemic.

Our take? The global pandemic was a magnifier – drawing everything, including our culture of division, into sharper focus. Read on to learn how this culture of division, magnified by COVID-19, has and will continue to shape the way consumers think and what they do and how brands should engage.

But how do you find the right influencer for your brand? Go back to your goals. If reach is what you desire, Doe recommends searching for a macro-influencer who mainly posts content on the platform your audience is on. (Gen Z would prefer TikTok while Millennials might prefer Instagram.) However, if you desire more engagement, we recommend searching for smaller influencers – micro or midtier – because we find their audiences feel a lot more connected to the influencer and are more likely to strike up a conversation in the comment section (or enter a contest) than they would with someone who has millions of followers.

“You can have it fast, cheap or good. Pick two.” This familiar expression has been kicked around by the video production community for decades to explain the obvious confines of budgets and production timelines. While you can have it either cheap and fast, cheap and good, or good and fast, you can’t have all three at the same time. In many instances, the cheap-and-good option has always felt a bit like an oxymoron – at least in a traditional sense of the expression. In the last five years, with video production quite literally at everyone’s fingertips, it seems having things fast, cheap and good can finally happen. Not only is it an option, but it is also expected.

When it comes to DTC, you don’t need to be the newest pup on the block to learn a new trick. See how we helped established brands Carrier, Feeders Pet Supply and Maker’s Mark create virtual storefronts.

Over the past year, illustration became a powerful tool within the world of graphic design and advertising. The surge began as a solve for crafting a campaign during a global pandemic when shooting film and photos wasn't an option. A year later, illustration and design are more entwined than ever and I don't see that changing any time soon.