Articles

Brands and retailers have a long history of working together, but the advent of retail media networks (RMNs) is changing the retailer-brand relationship in many ways, including how brands fund their investments in retail. The clear-cut lines between budgets are now blurred, with RMN benefits justifying funds from different areas across the brand organization.

Accurate and actionable marketing measurement is always contingent on establishing and aligning on a holistic measurement strategy. Organizations planning ahead of the curve are rapidly rethinking their own measurement frameworks to ensure they accommodate industry shifts. Failure to adapt a measurement strategy limits leaders’ vision and, by extension, the success of their business.

Scale is not something to be afraid of—it can be a big advantage. And one of the best ideas any of us can possibly dream up is to lean into our size and make full use of every creative advantage our scale provides us.

Consumers today are looking for authentic, personal experiences with the brands with which they do business. While nonprofits acknowledge the importance of personalizing their constituents’ experiences, they lag the commercial market in delivery, historically relying on constituents’ emotional connections to their missions to acquire and retain them.

I feel that we are at the edge of the epiphany of a digital genesis, like right before the ancient Exodus and Renaissance. Socially and environmentally, there are great sustainability challenges to solve for. The clock is ticking, and we need to respond to the sustainability agenda more seriously beyond CSR (corporate social responsibility) lip service.

Products often dictate the direction that brands take on many aspects of their business, including their data strategies. The entire organization is typically aligned on selling products to increase revenue, but, in 2022, customers are looking beyond the products. They are bringing their entire experience into play when making purchasing decisions.

How can direct mail be used to enable digital first brands to build, engage, and convert customers at a more personal level than ever before?

What does it mean to be a consumer goods brand today? Formerly reliant on brick-and-mortar stores before 2020, the industry pivoted heavily to online channels during the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, it's navigating a middle ground in flux. John Stauffer, managing director of strategic planning at Merkle, looks at how brands can avoid being mere commodities in this environment.