Digiday Media Portfolio

Why advertisers are using AI to manage 'choice overload' and unlock first-party data | May 2024 | Edited Article 

As marketers and advertisers work toward a future without third-party cookies, cookieless channels like CTV and streaming audio are flourishing. However, while they're creating limitless options, that means "choice overload," complicating strategies even further. AI-backed tools are helping advertisers make more sense of the options and data they have for actionable insights. Viant submitted this byline, which I edited according to our guidelines, coordinating with the client for approval.

Which podcast trends are capturing advertisers' attention in 2024 | May 2024 | Edited Article 

As podcasts continue proliferating, and millions of people listen to podcasts for hours each week, some for hours each day, advertisers not yet engaging with the medium are missing out. Spotify Advertising shares highlights from their recent research that can help guide advertisers in the right direction. Spotify Advertising submitted this byline, which I edited according to our guidelines, coordinating with the client for approval.

How Campbell's and GSK's multi-platform campaigns achieved authentic audience responses | April 2024 | Article 

I wrote this article for A+E, featuring two case studies centered on using emotional storytelling to deliver powerful messages to audiences while gaining expanded, positive brand awareness for these large brands. 

Why connectivity is critical for clean rooms to turn signal loss into signal gain | April 2024 | Edited Article 

Clean room technology is an increasingly important tool for marketers to turn signal loss into signal gain, with the final steps of third-party cookie deprecation serving as a critical checkpoint.

However, as the need for data collaboration increases and approaches to collaborating proliferate, it's essential to remember that data's journey doesn't end with clean rooms alone. Data and insights must be connected across the ecosystem to activate wherever customers are and drive meaningful business outcomes. LiveRamp submitted this byline, which I edited according to our guidelines, coordinating with the client for approval.

Q&A: How attention, search and recall are creating more effective video ad metrics | May 2024 | Article 

I created this Q&A article for A+E after interviewing Suzanne Persechino, senior vice president of revenue research at A+E, and Roseann Montenes, head of audience innovation, currency, and solutions at A+E. The piece discusses using attention metrics to connect recall and search, measuring attention, and implementing attention-driven insights.

Retail media's evolution: How retailers are finding a way to break in and stand out | April 2024 | Edited Article 

While RMNs are lucrative, establishing one RMN is challenging. Retailers must grapple with data privacy concerns, the costs and resources required to implement necessary technologies, and how they'll differentiate their offerings in an already crowded ecosystem. However, savvy retailers recognize they can't avoid retail media in their mix; the opportunity to capture the ad spend of RMNs is too great to miss. Adform submitted this byline, which I edited according to our guidelines, coordinating with the client for approval.

How brands are shortening the distance between data collection and purchase | November 2023 | Article 

As maximizing revenue becomes a must for marketers, savvy teams focus on shortening the customer conversion time by acquiring a complete view of consumers, creating touch points built for personalized messaging, and using machine learning to predict when it's best to send that messaging. In doing so, they're establishing a much-needed competitive advantage. I wrote this article for Klaviyo as a part of a large Q4 campaign with them. 

How marketers are rolling out cookieless strategies in 2024 | May 2024 | Edited Article 

While Google has announced yet another delay for the deprecation of third-party cookies, brands and agencies shouldn't wait to establish a cookieless strategy. By running through a checklist, gathering first-party data, and enriching it now, teams should be on a better path to success than delaying until 2025. Resonate submitted this byline, which I edited according to our guidelines, coordinating with the client for approval.

How CTV advertisers leverage show-level data for programmatic success | November 2023 | Edited Article 

CTV has seen rapid growth and is expected to continue growing exponentially, however, to ensure such investment in the channel, the industry needs to address advertisers' concerns by sharing information on the content or programming in which the ads they purchase are to run. Peer39 submitted this byline, which I edited according to our guidelines, coordinating with the client for approval.

The marketer's guide to programmatic direct mail | November 2023 | Video

I really enjoyed taking our recent Unpacked guide on programmatic direct mail and turning it into a video highlighting the key elements of the concept that marketers need to know. The Custom team compiled the interviews of PebblePost experts to create this video unpacking some of the key ways programmatic direct mail is solving challenges for marketers without cookies (while tying into their existing strategies).

Unpacked: The marketer's guide to programmatic direct mail | October 2023 | Long-form Report 

Many people tend to get excited when they get mail (perhaps this is an effect of those who grew up watching Blue's Clues with OG Steve), so it's no wonder direct mail has persisted as an effective marketing channel. It was fascinating to sit down with the PebblePost team and dive into how programmatic direct mail takes this concept further, adding performance-driven tactics to an effective offline channel (especially as so many online identifiers are disappearing).

How publishers are turning conversions into loyal subscribers and reducing churn | November 2023 | Article 

Retaining subscribers and reducing churn is somewhat of an evergreen, age-old discussion. But, as technology evolves, the methods to combat churn and establish a loyal subscriber base become more advanced and unique.

For this article, I spoke with the Piano team about machine learning propensity models and how this tech enables publishers to predict the likelihood that a subscriber will cancel within 30 days of their next renewal date, for example. This kind of modeling means a new way for publishers to engage with subscribers, personalize messaging, etc.

Luxury fashion brands need to evolve to embrace Gen Z's multifaceted approach to beauty and fashion | August 2023 | Edited Article

Gen Z is always at the forefront of experimentation, even challenging the definitions of beauty and "fitting in." In this article, BASIC/DEPT dives into how Gen Z prefers to shape their fashion identities and how luxury brands have a huge opportunity to capitalize on this multifaceted approach to fashion and beauty. BASIC/DEPT submitted this byline, which I edited according to our guidelines, coordinating with the client for approval.

How advertisers are accelerating dynamic creative optimization with AI and new workflows | October 2023 | Article 

Through working on this article, I've learned that DCO is for more than building dynamic creatives and is very much like the AI tech many teams are using throughout their campaigns - it can do so much more than you'd think.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Canvas Worldwide's director of strategy and Clinch's global head of sales about how advertisers use DCO to make their marketing campaigns more streamlined, effective, and automated.

Unpacked: Framing measurement and attribution solutions in a fragmented RMN ecosystem | July 2023 | Long-form Report 

Retail media and retail media networks continue to rise in popularity. With this, advertisers find challenges when measuring campaign success across disparate platforms. With this fragmented landscape, persistent gaps in the standardization of RMN metrics and attribution methods only add to the complexity in front of advertisers.

In this Unpacked guide I wrote for Best Buy Ads, we dive into ways advertisers can strategically plan their RMN campaigns for more effective outcomes, best practices for measuring outcomes across diverse networks, and more.

WTF is IGA? | July/August 2023 | Long-form Report 

In-game advertising is an ever-expanding space but one that's often misunderstood. In this WTF explainer guide, I had the pleasure of diving into how experts at StackAdapt define in-game advertising, what it looks like, and how agencies can make the most of this unique format.

How marketers across industries are learning compliance lessons from banking and healthcare | July 2023 | Article

Privacy compliance is a hot topic across pretty much every industry. This is exactly why media marketers and advertisers should take advice from the industries that have essentially paved the way for everyone else. With HIPAA, healthcare marketers must carefully shield some of the most private information out there, while banking has managed to keep vital information secure as they provide excellent customer service. Both industries have remained privacy compliant all while successfully advertising to consumers -- something any marketer and advertiser can learn from in this article I worked on for Piwik Pro. 

Why pharma marketers are leaning into impression-based TV buying | July 2023 | Edited Article

Streaming TV is spreading to virtually every audience and industry. Pharma marketers have realized their target audience of people over 50 has a strong presence across streaming platforms. With this, pharma marketers are leaning into data-driven TV ad buying to drive brand impact and target audiences more precisely. DISH Media submitted this byline, which I edited according to our guidelines, coordinating with the client for approval.

How one e-commerce eyewear retailer is leveraging AI to elevate customer experiences | June 2023 | Article 

I had a wonderful conversation with Zenni's CTO, David Ting, about the differences between in-store and online shopping experiences within the eyewear industry and all the exciting ways technology brings even more to the table. Read this article to find out more about what we discussed.

The state of customer data management for publishers | June 2023 | Long-form Report

I created this State of The Industry report for Piano discussing how publishers are unifying data and activating it for targeting and advertising services. As the push for diversifying revenue continues, and advertisers' need for quality customer data increases, publishers are making moves to sweeten the deal for advertising partners and bring in more revenue aside from advertising. 

The state of content marketing | May 2023 | Long-form Report

I had the pleasure of speaking with the Foundry 360 team, Dotdash Meredith's content marketing agency, about the evolution of brand marketing on owned-and-operated channels. For this state of content marketing report, we surveyed 90 content marketers about how they identify in-house teams, divide the lift, and secure the skillsets needed to create content that educates, engages, and wins over the digital consumer in 2023.

Preparing for post-omnichannel marketing | June 2023 | Interactive Infographic

Creating a visual story for the post-omnichannel marketing journey consumers and marketers now go through is a challenge due to the non-linear nature, but also a chance to be creative. I worked with our Design team to create this infographic for Infillion to show the new stages customers go through and how advertisers can - and should - reach them in today's marketing world.

The state of omnichannel marketing in 2023 | April 2023 | Long-form Report

In this latest piece for Amazon Ads, we surveyed brands and agencies to better understand how they're approaching omnichannel strategies, spend, measurement and more. This state of omnichannel marketing report uses this research, as well as expert insights to identify the top challenges within the space, the ways teams are solving them and the tools and partners they're leaning on to do so.

The state of retail media | May 2023 | Video

To accompany a recent State of the Industry Report for Best Buy Ads which surveyed 75 brands and agencies, I worked with a freelancer to create this 'By The Numbers' video, highlighting what our respondents had to say.

WTF is web ops for agencies? | March 2023 | Long-form Report

For this WTF guide, I had the pleasure of speaking with James Rutherford at Pantheon about web ops technology and practices, and how defining this approach is so vital given all the stakeholders involved - from IT to developers, designers and marketers. This guide dives into how this practice can foster an agile and seamless way to increase productivity and deliver impact for marketing teams.

The state of agencies in 2023 | April 2023 | Long-form Report

While the past few years have been full of change, especially for agencies, this research report shows that many agencies have made adjustments and adapted in ways beyond the usual expectations. In this state of agencies report, our research and StackAdapt's experts dive into the evolving world agencies are now working with and how they're meeting challenges head-on.

In the wake of the Universal Analytics sunset, marketers are suddenly flush with options | March 2023 | Article

I worked with Piwik Pro on this piece to dive into what options marketers have as Google sets to eliminate Universal Analytics in favor of Google Analytics 4 in the coming months.

How publishers are building connections with Gen Z and young millennial audiences | March 2023 | Long-form Report

As Gen Z and young millennials consume more and more media, publishers are increasing their efforts to attract and engage these younger audiences to secure their loyalty in the long run. This research report I created for ArcXP (part of the Washington Post) has some fascinating data on how media companies are working to tailor their content to these audiences now and how they're planning to do so in the years to come.

State of Social Media Video Marketing | December 2022/January 2023 | Long-form Report 

I created this report for QuickFrame by MNTN which included a survey of the Digiday audience to get a sense of how marketers are approaching social media advertising with video in mind, as well as the steps they're taking to reduce ad fatigue along the way.

Why the future of digital advertising lies within the contextual ecosystem | February 2023 | Article

I created this article for Outbrain about how contextual targeting is expanding and how far it's come since its infancy. 

State of Affiliate Marketing for Publishers in 2022 | November/December 2022 | Long-form Report 

Another great research report, this time with Skimlinks. This focused on affiliate marketing from the publisher's perspective and how that's changed this year and what it's looking like so far for 2023.

Marketer's Guide to Targeting Post-Cookies | December 2022 | Short-form Report 

As a world without cookies draws near, it's becoming clearer that marketers will need more than first-party data to succeed with targeting post-cookies. This is a tactics and insights guide I created for Eyeota last year that dives into some of the available post-cookie identifiers and the ways marketers can navigate digital advertising in the years to come.

WTF is a Headless CMS? | November 2022 | Long-form Report 

For e-commerce brands to continue to grow and flourish, they need to explore headless CMS options so they can make the most out of their websites. I created this report for Yext, which dives into what a headless CMS really is and why it's such a great option for all brands, but especially e-commerce ones.

WTF is Sell Side Targeting? | November 2022 | Long-form Report 

This is one of Digiday's cheeky franchise reports, the WTF series, which is an explainer guide that takes a deep look at one unknown or underexplored topic. I wrote this one for PubMatic, which was an interesting report to write and a topic that was definitely in need of a deeper dive. Sell-side targeting is sure to be a tactic we see more of in the year to come.

WTF is the CTV Tech Stack? | October/November 2022 | Long-form Report 

I created this report for Unruly to break down how the CTV tech stack works for advertisers and detail what they need to know to make the most out of the channel.

The Video Marketer's Guide to Creator-Driven Audiences | October/November 2022 | Long-form Report 

I created this report for Google which featured statistics on the different ways marketers can make their video ads work better for them and how they can best tailor creatives for the Gen Z audience.

The Agile Interactive Video Campaign Playbook | October 2022 | Short-form Report 

This Tactics and Insights guide for KERV features one brand's holiday campaign using agile interactive video from Black Friday through the post-Christmas holiday shopping craze.

The State of Affiliate and Partner Marketing | October/November 2022 | Long-form Report 

This report for Awin features a survey from Digiday's audience to provide a snapshot of how brands are viewing affiliate and partner marketing moving into 2023, including how they're investing in the channel and the benefits such activations offer.

Unpacked: The Evolution of Omnichannel Measurement for Marketers | October 2022 | Long-form Report

Unpacked guides are another Digiday franchise report, these are essentially the WTF guides but for our Modern Retail brand. This report was crafted for Amazon Ads and dove into what's changed with omnichannel measurement and what marketers are missing along the way.

The State of Programmatic in 2022 Report | October 2022 | Long-form Report 

As more marketers are looking toward the new year, this report I created for AdTheorent featured some great data on how approaches to programmatic have changed throughout 2022 and the trends we're likely to see in 2023.

Consumers expect brands to be authentic in their DE&I commitments | July/August 2022 | Article 

I created this article for Amazon Ads that explored a few key statistics from a consumer survey they conducted earlier in the year.

How NBCU's ad tech platform is changing advertiser targeting across linear TV | September/October 2022 | Article 

Digiday Media and Marketecture entered a partnership in Q4 of 2022 where the Custom team helps tell the stories that Marketecture creates by showcasing their insights-packed video interviews in a series of articles. Marketecture is putting an objective spotlight on CEOs and product leaders from a wide range of platforms. Custom then brings those interviews to the Digiday audience.

Here's the first of our showcase collaborations, a close look at NBCU's One Platform that I wrote:

How streaming audio is helping brands drive deeper emotional connections | July 2022 | Article 

This article I crafted for Amazon Ads explores the ways emotionally-charged audio content provides brands with opportunities to build meaningful consumer connections.

Podcast Interstitial story for MNTN | July 2022 | Custom Podcast Story 

This is one of the interstitial podcast stories I've created for MNTN, which consists of a pre- and mid-roll that sits within Modern Retail's editorial podcast. This one features Marwan Soghier, Chief Product Officer at MNTN, where he discusses using contextual engines to drive CTV advertising and the way new technologies such as those are changing the way advertisers work in the connected TV space.

The API Playbook for Retail Media Marketers | June 2022 | Short-form Report 

As brands and agencies work with multiple retail media networks, they're using APIs to help bring disparate networks together. In this Tactics and Insights guide I wrote for Criteo, we explore when to use retail media network APIs and how to make that decision, the steps to take for setting up campaigns, as well as how to leverage an API partner's capabilities and optimize over time.

How marketers are shaping CTV creative management and measurement in 2022 | June 2022 | Article 

New technologies, such as contextual engines, are allowing marketers to automatically update CTV ads as user behavior changes, as you'll discover in this article I created for MNTN.

How marketers are amplifying privacy-first targeting with email | May 2022 | Article 

In this article I created for Stirista, we discuss how marketers are using encrypted email to effectively segment audiences in a privacy-safe manner while also discovering new ad opportunities.

Podcast Interstitial Story for Amazon Ads | May 2022 | Custom Podcast Story 

This is one of the interstitial podcast stories I've created for Amazon Ads, which consists of a pre- and mid-roll that sits within Digiday's editorial podcast. For this podcast, I interviewed Gloria Steiner, business intelligence lead at Perpetua and Maggie Zhang, head of measurement success at Amazon Ads, where they discussed how brands are using insights-led campaigns to reach consumers more effectively across streaming TV and featured a case study from one of their clients, Four Sigmatic.

How one brand leveraged video to transform passive consumer encounters into active ones | May 2022 | Article 

This article for KERV explores how dynamic video elements are helping brands invite consumers to engage with brands, transforming passive encounters into active ones.

How CTV marketers are being impacted by the state of data privacy | May 2022 | Article 

This article for MNTN details how CTV serves as a one-to-many tool that doesn't support cookies, and the ways it's ahead of the privacy curve.

How media buying and measurement have transformed marketers' CTV approach | April 2022 | Article 

Advancements to the media buying and measurement of CTV have advanced the insights possible, allowing more companies to take part, as you'll see in this article I wrote for MNTN.

Podcast Interstitial Story for MNTN | April 2022 | Custom Podcast Story 

This is one of the interstitial podcast stories I've created for MNTN, which consists of a pre- and mid-roll that sits within Digiday's editorial podcast. For this piece, I interviewed Brittany Haskins, director of customer success at MNTN and Alex Villa, director of customer success at QuickFrame by MNTN about creative fatigue and how creative refreshes are helping advertisers combat this phenomenon.

Podcast Interstitial Story for MNTN | March 2022 | Custom Podcast Story 

This is one of the interstitial podcast stories I've created for MNTN, which consists of a pre- and mid-roll that sits within Modern Retail's editorial podcast. For this podcast story, I interviewed Alexa Tierney, senior director of customer success at MNTN, where she broke down the creative refresh process for CTV, including how to execute them and what metrics to look at when deciding if it's time for a creative refresh.

The Brand's Guide to the Future of Social Commerce | April 2022 | Short-form Report 

This Tactics and Insights guide for Meta highlights how brands are integrating social commerce to offer convenience-first approaches to customer engagement.

How marketers are leveraging creative refresh for CTV success | March 2022 | Article 

In this article for MNTN, you'll see how marketers are defining the primary KPI for each campaign to effectively signal the need for a creative refresh.

How carriers are finding new ways to monetize and retain users - and what that means for advertisers | March 2022 | Article 

As carriers branch out service-wise and update options for advertisers, marketers are seeing an uptick in innovative opportunities, as you'll see in this article I wrote for AdColony.

How advertisers are using DCO to make their CTV creatives more effective | February 2022 | Article 

Repurposing creatives takes a strategic approach, especially for CTV, but DCO is making this process more streamlined and effective, as you'll see in this article I wrote for Clinch.

How Marketers are Using Flexible Datasets to Power Successful Campaigns | February 2022 } Short-form Report 

In this Tactics and Insights guide I created for Piano, learn how marketers are using flexible datasets to power successful campaigns and beat the mass-data cycle.

The Marketer's Guide to Android and iOS | December 2021/January 2022 | Short-form Report 

In this Tactics and Insights guide I created for AdColony, learn how marketers are leaning into the differences between iOS and Android for successful in-app campaigns.

How beelining for the app setup process is the advertiser opportunity marketers are missing | February 2022 | Article 

In this article for AdColony, publishers and brands are using the device setup process as a core piece of their customer acquisition journey as well as retention.

Unlocking the difference between Android versus iOS apps is unlocking new marketing opportunities | December 2021 | Article 

Targeting differs across operating-system-exclusive apps and groupings, acknowledging nuances along the way, is crucial for advertisers, as this article I wrote for AdColony explores.

How the relationship between live events and mobile devices is evolving in 2022 | January 2022 | Article 

This article for AdColony highlights how creating robust strategies encompassing pre- and post-event campaigns is empowering brands to tap into audience excitement and mindsets.

The Publisher's Guide to Customer Lifetime Value | November 2021 | Short-form Report 

Personalized experiences are key to success, but less than 40% of media companies are treating their customers as unique individuals. In this Tactics and Insights guide for Salesforce, dive into more ways publishers can improve how they're prioritizing CLV.

WTF is Data-Driven Creative | December 2021/January 2022 | Long-form Report 

In this WTF guide for Clinch, learn how marketers are shifting the focus back onto the creative through innately privacy-compliant methods.

The Marketer's Guide to Whole-Funnel Video Advertising Tactics | November 2021 | Short-form Report 

This Tactics and Insights guide for Criteo explores how video enables brands to tell a compelling story and how those who nail messaging and creatives are meeting consumers wherever they are, maximizing campaigns and ROI.

Advertisers are investing in personalized customer experiences with retail media networks | November 2021 | Article 

To optimize product recommendations by shopper location and intent, advertisers are increasingly turning to retail media networks, as you'll see in this article for Clinch.

The Marketer's Guide to TV Advertising in the Connected Age | September/October 2021 | Long-form Report 

In this WTF explainer guide for MNTN, learn about CTV, what it is, the challenges and successes of the digital channel and why more marketers are engaging with it.

The State of Digital Audio in 2021 | October 2021 | Long-form Report

Digital audio has seen a surge in recent years and advertisers are following suit, wanting to be where consumers lend an ear. In this state of the industry report crafted for Podsights, we surveyed the Digiday audience to see how they were engaging with digital audio and how they planned to do so for 2022, providing expert analysis along the way.

The Agency's Guide to Retail Media | August/September 2021 | Short-form Report

In this Tactics and Insights guide for Criteo, learn how agency experts are constantly adjusting strategies to take advantage of new tools, helping their clients succeed in retail media. 

CTV has changed the marketing game, bringing brand and performance together | September 2021 | Article

The emergence of CTV has changed the way marketing teams operate. While performance and brand marketers previously had very different goals, they can now work together, as you'll see in this article for MNTN.

How some agencies and advertisers are considering brand suitability across social platforms | July/August 2021 | Article

This article for Facebook (now Meta), pulls from a focus group of brand and agency leaders who gathered to discuss their brand suitability experiences and how social platforms fit in.

How improvements in blockchain technology will change programmatic marketing | June 2021 | Article

This Q&A-style article I wrote for Alkimi highlights the improvements to blockchain and how they're changing the programmatic marketing system and dramatically improving ad-exchange auctions.

The Marketer's Guide to Audience Data | August 2021 | Short-form Report

In this Tactics and Insights guide for Eyeota, find out more about why the marketers who understand the value and harness the power of first-party data - both from online and offline sources - are primed for targeting changes to come.

How publishers are rethinking programmatic marketing in the core vitals space | July 2021 | Article 

Publishers are focusing on improving page load speed by reducing ad load and JavaScript in light of Google's Core Web Vitals, as you'll learn in this article created for RevContent.