THIS IS NOT A PLACE TO ADVERTISE. YOU WILL BE BANNED.

To the point basically, im doing my final year project on Neural Networks being used over traditional advertising for better campaign forecasting. I'm supposed to be collecting data for interviews. However reaching out to companies and execs on LinkedIn isn't exactly great for replies.

I also didn't anticipate how hard it would be to find a company that uses this form of ML algorithm in their advertising/marketing as my interviews so far have been mainly with companies that don't use it.

I thought I'd reach out to reddit to see if there were any professionals that could answer some questions if you were comfortable in a teams call, voice call is alright, basically I'd record the transcript and pick bits out for my project.

As far as I know the University doesn't require us to disclose who the interviewee is, so you won't be exposed that way and If there was anything you wanted me to redact or change your mind that's completely fine.

Please DM me if you'd like to know a bit more info 🙌

Hey guys. I work remote as a freelancer for an agency based in Philly. I live in Florida now and have worked remote for 5 years. I got my first paycheck and saw I was charged PA and Philly tax. This is the first time I am getting state income tax taken out since working remote. For those of you in a similar situation, is this normal? Or a mistake? I am going to talk to an accountant but just curious if this happened to other AD people.

What advertising channels do you all to target bigger brands for b2b? Besides LinkedIn anything else that’s good at targeting?

anyone purchased on that platform?

want to see what that platform is like in terms of fraudulent clicks, conversion campaigns, creative optimizations etc

i want to test on this platform considering the audience is very particular to certain topics.. so would love to hear from experience.

also. not trying to be political, just looking at performance

Do any of agency folks also freelance on the side? How likely is that the agency finds out about this? I am thinking of helping a small business with their advertising (not a competitor), but I don’t want to get in trouble. My NDA states I can’t use company resources (which I wasn’t planning to anyway), but I am still not sure whether this is ok.

I am in the United States btw. Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone, I currently work with Publicis Groupe India in the corporate communications department. I've been with the Groupe for over 1.5 years.

I'm looking for a possibility of relocation within the Groupe in Germany specifically Berlin. My husband has accepted a position in Germany and we will be relocating to Berlin by June. His company is covering my visa and relocation cost. I wanted to check if there's a possibility for me to relocate to Publicis Berlin office in my department. I do understand that my role is in communication and knowledge of German language is important therefore I'm enrolling in a language learning course with an intention to reach B1/B2 level by the time I land in the country.

I do have a good equation with my reporting manager so I wish to understand should I have this conversation first with her or the HR?

Looking forward to hearing from group members on possible relocation options that I might have within the company or otherwise.

Thanks in advance.

I've been talking to a recruiter at Leo (the NY office) but I have no peers who've worked there that I can chat with.

I think a lot of people get marketing wrong. It shows in the percentage of successful brands. Only a selected few can reach its potential while the rest suffers.

It’s more sad than you might think. I worked with brands like that in the past and still come across when I audit accounts every now and then.

It’s sad because I can see the potential. I can see that they have a great product. I can see that people want it. But with a lack of proper marketing, those two cannot connect.

And like the titles suggests, most people think marketing is about data. Most people think it’s all about analyzing some data, making some decisions based on the data and trying to get certain numbers up, certain numbers down.

I mean sure, the end goal is mutual. But where it misses the mark is the term “data” and how we think about it.

As a marketing nerd, I genuinely enjoy watching some brands’ ads. And some of them just touches something in you. They’re able to connect with you on a different level. And I bet when they were creating those marketing campaigns, they weren’t thinking about some data points or metrics. I bet they were mostly thinking think about ‘how can we make this meaningful for people?’.

The keywords are ‘meaningful’ and ‘people’.

I’m reluctant to open up my dictionary to look at the definition of ‘art’ while I’m writing this but im confident it includes something like ‘meaningful’ and ‘people’.

Marketing is not pure art but it’s still art. At least I think it should be.

Marketing is not pure art because the end goal is to make more money, increase profit etc. for a business.

And you need to take on the personality of the brand you’re working for and create with that personality, not with your own. But these conditions do not negate the fact that it’s still an art. And should be done in that manner.

So wtf is my point with all this?

I’m trying to say that, you need to realize all those data points; traffic, aov, conversion rate etc are representing real human beings. And if you don’t make something meaningful for them to see, something they’d be interested in seeing, then don’t expect those numbers to react to what you’re doing. Don’t expect your revenue to go up, don’t expect your audience to give a flying f*** about your brand.

It all comes down to people. If you don’t care about them, they won’t care about you.

Hey everyone,

I’m running a search term reports tool with some agencies as users. They request new features frequently. The requests aren’t unreasonable, and I want to keep them happy, but I’m worried about piling on so many special features that the tool becomes cluttered and confusing for other users. I also don’t personally want to spend all my time building one-off changes that only a handful of agencies will benefit from.

How do you handle it when agencies or clients want changes that might only benefit a fraction of your user base? Do you pick and choose based on some bigger vision? Or do you just make it all happen to keep them happy? I’m torn between wanting to say “no” sometimes and not wanting to lose them altogether.

Would really appreciate any stories or advice from folks who’ve navigated this balance. Thanks so much!

I've been in the industry for over a decade, and have held senior positions client-side at public companies. I've submitted a few applications to Publicis recently but haven't heard back.

Out of the blue today I received an email from a woman who appears to be the Chief Talent Officer of the Paris office. Email profile picture matches Linkedin picture of a real person with a real, active profile. Email domain is publicisgroupe-jobs. com. That alone seemed weird.

It was a pretty boilerplate sounding recruiting email. "I saw your profile and thought it would be a fit for some of the exciting career opportunities at Publicis - reply if you're interested in setting up time" type of thing. But ChatGPT also could have written it. There isn't a publicis-branded email signature, just text.

I can't think of why anyone would run a scam this way but it just seems... odd that someone this senior would send a boilerplate recruiting email without referencing any of my applications. Anyone know if there's active scammy activity like this? Or am I just paranoid?

Do you think a product that's a one and only can "sell itself" or would it need the same amount of advertising that people use for generic products?

Hey r/advertising, I put together a list of top advertising news I read this week. If you like this, let me know, if you don't like this, you can just downvote the post and I'll take a hint.

Earnings Update

Inside Meta's Q4: AI, Ads, and More

• Ad revenue boomed in Q4, reaching $46.8 billion (up 21% YoY), driven by increased impressions (up 6%) and higher ad prices (up 14%).

• Meta is heavily investing in AI, with over 4 million advertisers already using their generative AI ad tools. The Advantage+ shopping campaigns saw explosive growth (70% YoY in Q4). Expect more AI-powered ad solutions in the future.

• Meta is refining ad placement and performance metrics, leveraging AI for personalized ad ranking (Andromeda ML system).

• Looking ahead, while Meta AI's monetization is focused on user experience for now (potential future paid recommendations), its impact on advertising and recommendations will be significant in 2025. Meta's heavy investment in AI infrastructure signals a long-term commitment to this space.

• Meta’s Earning Release - Q4 2024

• Meta’s Q4 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

Retail Media

ROAS vs. Incrementality in Retail Media

• As retail media spending rises, marketers are shifting focus from ROAS to incrementality to prove ad effectiveness. Retailers like Kroger and Albertsons are developing tools for better insights. This hands-on approach requires experimentation to accurately tie ad spend back to sales, amidst calls for standardization in the industry.

• Read the full article on Digiday

NBCUniversal & Instacart: Bridging Retail Data and TV Advertising

• NBCUniversal and Instacart have partnered to bring the power of retail data to TV and streaming advertising, offering marketers more precise targeting and improved measurement. By integrating Instacart's shopper data with NBCU's ad inventory, advertisers can reach high-intent customers and re-engage past buyers, moving beyond traditional demographics.

• Early beta tests with CPG brands have shown promising results, with ROAS ranging from 8x to 17x.

• Read more on Adexchanger

AdTech M&A

The Trade Desk's Approach to M&A

• The Trade Desk prioritizes tech development over acquisitions, seeing them as distractions. Despite acquiring Sincera, its focus remains on core business growth and publisher partnerships. CEO Jeff Green highlights trends like Google's potential market changes and growing programmatic advertising on platforms like Spotify and streaming TV.

• The company's commitment to privacy with Unified ID 2.0 remains steadfast amid Google's evolving policies.

• Read More on AdWeek

Agency News

Omnicom and IPG's Modest Revenue Growth Outlook

• A recent merger-related filing reveals that Omnicom Group and Interpublic Group (IPG) expect modest revenue growth through 2029. The projections, developed during merger talks, indicate a low single-digit growth with a 3% revenue increase anticipated.

• Despite these cautious estimates, they offer insights into the companies' internal projections. The merger is set to be completed by the second half of 2025.

• Read More on AdAge

• Non-Paywall Version

Quick Links

• The One-Woman Show: Building Publisher Partnerships at Perplexity
  Jessica Chan single-handedly manages Perplexity's publisher partnerships, leveraging her LinkedIn and Meta experience to foster sustainable relationships and navigate AI-related challenges.

• Google's Meridian Now Available to Everyone
  Google's open-source Marketing Mix Model, Meridian, helps marketers make smarter decisions with features like Bayesian inference and customizability. It offers insights across channels and is supported by over 20 partners.

• Pinterest Opens Up Programmatic Inventory via Index Exchange and Criteo
  Pinterest is making waves in the programmatic advertising world by expanding its partnerships with two major players: Index Exchange and Criteo. This move signals a strategic shift towards a more open programmatic ecosystem for the visual discovery platform.

Subscribe to CMO TLDR if you prefer this in your inbox.

I got an email from my Locality rep stating they can sell in game superbowl streaming impressions on Direct Tv stream, Fubo and Sling. To say the least, I am skeptical because of how high profile this event is. Does anyone else know this to be true or does this sound like a sleezy sales tactic?

Geico has announced it’s reviewing its 31-year relationship with the Martin Agency. Goes to show you can’t grow complacent by grinding out the same ideas year after year. Is Martin no longer the hot shop it once was?

Digital is a high frequency vehicle, yet most advertisers don't take advantage of the ability to implement multiple message/visuals, exponentially increasing the value of their spend.

Outdoor is often a high cost vehicle (high production costs), with limited reach. So changing the message can be significant.

With the cost of creating digital executions significantly lower (not the message, but production), why do advertisers not create several messages (chapters in their story/messaging) to increase the efficacy? This would be like having sales call on a client 7 times vs. once! Often when a deal is closed.

So with a far more flexible medium in digital, creatives, get creative and translate those benefits and telling a more complete story.

Running ads without analyzing data is like shooting in the dark. Here’s how to refine your campaigns for better ROI:

- A/B Test Everything – Headlines, images, CTAs—small tweaks can yield big improvements.
- Leverage Retargeting – Most users don’t convert on the first visit. Retarget to stay top-of-mind.
- Optimize for Mobile – Over half of ad traffic comes from mobile. Ensure fast load times & clear CTAs.
- Analyze Metrics Beyond CTR – Focus on conversion rate, CPA, and ROAS to measure true success.
- Use AI & Automation – Smart bidding and predictive analytics can fine-tune your targeting.

What’s your go-to strategy for scaling ad performance? 🚀

Is this a poor career move? Is it even feasible? I feel like I’m in a virtually non existent camp in my portfolio school program being an incoming junior open to or even at times feeling like I desire to start in pharma. Everybody wants to work at big, flashy and young consumer shops. I on the other hand have stayed connected to a teacher who is and has been in pharma as an ACD for some time and he speaks quite highly of it, boasting usually better security, and in many cases better pay/benefits while still getting to have some creative.

I should note that security, pay and benefits aren’t all I’m after. If it were I would not be pursuing advertising. What I’m after is getting to write copy for a living, for just about anyone, anywhere. Just saying that if I can get pay, benefits and security thrown in there it probably wouldn’t hurt, as I don’t mind working on less consumer facing and/or more stuffy accounts. I tend to see those types of clients as being an added challenge to deal with creatively in a good kind of way.

Some emotional ads just seem to go viral out of nowhere. Whether it's a touching story, a strong message, or something we can all relate to, these ads tend to stick with us long after we've seen them. It seems like people share them because they connect emotionally or feel real. There’s something about these ads that really grabs attention and gets people talking.

Do you think emotional ads are an effective marketing strategy? And do you think there are cons of using this approach?

You know, I realized that alcoYou know, I realized that alcohol marketing is incredibly tricky.

A bit of context – when people say “grapefruit flavor,” “cherry flavor,” etc., they’re actually referring to the aroma.

These flavors don’t actually exist – here’s a simple experiment: take two different glasses of wine – a New World Sauvignon Blanc and a regular Pinot Grigio – smell them. There will be a difference.

Taste is sour, sweet, salty, bitter.

Now, plug your nose and try them blindly – no difference.

Don’t believe me? Try apple and onion. Small slices. Plug your nose. Taste them. The only difference is the texture.

Back to Sauvignon Blanc – it has the taste of passionfruit and gooseberries (and the French even say New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc tastes like cat urine). You can only detect this by smell.

And it’s tough. You really need to be good at distinguishing smells.

So the question is, how should wine and whiskey brands position themselves? Should they claim they have the taste of raspberries and chocolate? 

Well, good luck figuring that out on the first try without being trained.

Are you satisfied with common ad platforms like google adsense, pubmatic, magnite etc?

Several clients of mine are concerned about Meta’s recent content policy changes and want to shift their ad dollars elsewhere where. Has anyone seen recent reports on where users are going if they leave Meta? Or where advertisers are going if they leave Meta? Clients are in-person wellness services (so very local) and coaches who see locals in-person and others via Zoom (so both local and international).

I'm building a keyword discovery tool for creators & marketers. It supports data from google, youtube, and amazon primarly focused in discovering low-competiition keywords, content gaps and new topics from a seed keyword. The product is in early stage, and I'd love your feedback to improve it further. Let me know if you're interested.

Basically the title. I want to hire an art director because I need help in making my speculative portfolio. I want my speculative portfolio to be pretty impactful, so I want to hire someone to do the art that has a lot of experience. I am wondering though, how much is fair compensation for 3-4 ads for 3 different brands?

Is GroupM launchpad worth it? I just got an offer as a launchpad associate in nyc and it seems like a great program in a great company but the pay is concerning to me. It’s only $50k. How much/how quickly do people tend to get a raise at the company. I could probably make it work for a year, and I’m certain I could get some financial help from my family for a little, but it’s incredibly low it makes me kind of nervous moving to such an expensive city. Do the benefits make up for the low salary?

What’s the most effective way to market and advertise state-wide in a state with over 10 media markets? Is there a way to purchase network placements for the state vs doing it at each DMA level? Any other thoughts on effective strategies?

Honestly I am so over America I can’t take it anymore and I have always wanted to live in London. I am in my 20s and have been living in the same city I was born in my whole life. It’s time for a change. I am a hard worker, fast learner and incredibly resilient/easily adaptable to change. I just feel like it could be a beautiful opportunity to move and expand my knowledge professionally and personally and would love to try to make the move.

Does anyone know companies that are particularly receptive to hiring Americans? I know it must be annoying doing extra paper work for the work visa stuff so I can imagine alot of places don’t want to bother doing that which I understand.

I just want a chance and want to live somewhere that I feel safe. I know no where is perfect but I am tired of being afraid every day.

Please let me know what I can do. Would love any advice as well.

Thank you!

I would just like to ask general advice on how often one should make a post on their product they are trying to sell. For instance, I have made some wooden coasters for valentines day and would like to get it out there more for people to see and have made a single post so far on Facebook, X, and YouTube.

Is there a frequency at which I should be making a post about my product or switching up the look of the post each time I post my product? I would like to avoid falling into the spam route of posting it constantly, but just enough to get my name and product out there. I have other products I want to sell as well so any advice would be great as I am a newer LLC that opened up that focus's on 3D Printing and Woodworking.

Alright, so I landed my first social media marketing interview. It's for an advertising agency that has done some pretty cool projects. Had the initial phone call with the recruiter today and she said she was glad to move me on to the next in person interview and also mentioned that there was a ton of applicants. She asked about my background, why I was applying to the role, my experience with photography and videography, etc. What are some questions that I should be on the lookout for? And how can I better prepare myself for the interview?

My background basically includes running my own art business (as a painter) for the past four years and primarily building my audience and making sales through Instagram. In the past four years I have organically grown my account by over 1,700%. And when posting consistently, my reach rates are around 30-45k. Prior to that, I worked in digital marketing doing graphic, web, SEO, and copywriting, and l also have a social media internship for a crypto company under my belt from 2018.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! (I don't have a portfolio as I don't know know how to showcase these things for a social media role)

6 years in and it looks like Mark Read as CEO of WPP has been a debacle. He did inherit a complete mess from Martin Sorrell (who was also pretty bad) but let’s look at the results under Read:

-their best agencies have collapsed, Ogilvy, Grey, etc… are all tiny shells of their former selves.

-GroupM, once the most powerful media conglomerate on Earth has consistently bled business to Publicis and IPG

-monthly mass layoffs worldwide

-the stock price has plummeted

-meanwhile Read has done a WPP-record number of stock buybacks and dividend payments just for the stockholders

-Read’s nonsensical 4 day RTO mandate has been met with absolute rage, and 20,000 employees signed a petition against it.

Having spent time at a large WPP agency in NY, I can also confirm from the inside that he’s a smart guy, but a media guy, and one who doesn’t understand the other businesses he’s overseeing at all.

For now, there’s a huge gap in stable and controllable results.

Sure, I can buy a shot from a stock video or generate one here when I need it for a quick transition.

Or make a city with people to use as a blurred background for a hero shot on a green screen.

I still haven’t found any solid video ads (well, okay, Coca-Cola did something) that use AI to the fullest—most of the time, it’s just being played as a meme (hi, Dove or Zevia).

What use cases do you see for AI?