4 Trends From Advertising Week In New York

I spent the first half of this week in New York for Advertising Week where the latest in ad tech, media buying and creator tech was on full display. Among the side conversations and stage panels, a few themes stood out for me and are worth thinking about, whether you work in the marketing space or just have a curiosity about the evolution of media and consumer behavior.

1. The AI Data Pollution Problem - As the conversation about AI turns to how data analysis can be automated and dashboards can get sexier, the central problem many companies have no solution for is the pollution of their own data. Put simply, they have a lot of garbage data that is blending with useful data and the process to separate them is missing. This is a major problem that needs a solution.
2. The Creator Economy Is Evolving - Everyone was talking about creators, working with them, monetizing their content and attracting them as brand spokespeople. While creators once were happy to read a script and take the check, more are rejecting those scripted deals and opting for a “take it or leave it” deal focused on authenticity instead. The smart brands agree to take it, because they know it works.
3. Automation Is No Longer An Advantage - When everyone has access to the same technology and tools, simply automating tasks is no longer an advantage. This speaks to a broader shift that I’m seeing in organizations that ran towards the allure of automation to replace human expertise ... they are pivoting back because that human insight is proving less replaceable than it seemed.
4. Advertising’s Dirty Little Secret Stays Under the Radar - There was curiously little conversation on stage this week about the dark money generated by midterm election political spending (estimated at nearly $12 billion). This is a cash cow that is mostly dishonest, manipulative, and 86% of Americans hate it. While the history of free speech in America makes it unlikely to be banned, we could at least remove the exemption from existing Truth In Advertising laws that political ads currently enjoy. Sadly, if David Ogilvy himself couldn’t make it happen despite his famous quote calling for it to be banned, then it’s probably pretty unlikely in my lifetime too.