The Meaningful Media Podcast

On this special episode of The Meaningful Media Podcast, host Ben Downing is joined by Jamie Seltzer, Global EVP, CSA & Mx Analytics and Paul Bland, Chief Digital Officer, Havas Media Network London to explore the latest development in the cookie saga. Hot off of Google's recent decision to keep the third-party cookie, this episode explores the implications of this reversal for marketers, businesses, and the digital ad ecosystem. Jamie and Paul bring their expertise to the table, providing insights into the rationale behind Google's decision, the challenges faced in finding alternatives to third-party cookies, and strategies for leveraging first-party data and new identity resolution methods.🎧 We’d love to hear your thoughts about meaningful media. Drop us a line! podcast@havasmn.com.  Like, share, follow, and connect with us on our socials! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/havasmedianetwork/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/havas-media-network/

For our special Olympics series The Meaningful Media Podcast celebrates media experiences rolled out during one of the biggest upcoming fan events in the world, the Paris 2024 Olympics. Joining our host Ben Downing is Charles Bal, Managing Director at Havas Play France. Havas Play France is a highly awarded agency which successfully taps the power of fans’ passions to enable brands to effectively connect with audiences.   Our special guest for this meaningful conversation is Sophie Bonnier, Director of International Partnerships at French telecoms giant Orange. As a partner of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Orange ‘is powering, and is powered by, the Olympics’. Put simply. Without the Internet, there is no Olympics. Together Sophie, Charles and Ben unpack what partnering with the Olympics means for a brand and how agency and client work hand in hand to carve impactful media experiences during one of the biggest sporting moments in the world.  Recorded in Paris, the amazing location for the 2024 Olympics, the discussion includes shining a spotlight on the double role of Orange for the Olympics as both a marketing partner and the technology provider powering connectivity for this entire event, including the opening ceremony set to take place outside on the Seine river in central Paris.  A key focus for their conversation is the very special marketing moment at this Olympics called the ‘Marathon pour Tous’ (Marthon for All) which Orange is sponsoring. For the first time in Olympic history, the public will have the opportunity to run the same route as the Olympians in two races of 42km and 10km. Both races are literally in the steps of the Olympic runners, and will take place at night on 10 August.   “For Orange, as we are very close to innovation and we want to bring innovations to people - it was really natural for us to become a partner for this event which is a first for the Olympics,” explains Sophie. The marathon is about making people live the adventure of the Olympics as well as connecting people together. As a telecoms’ operator, Orange connects people together making this also an analogy.   Sophie, Charles and Ben delve into the strategy behind creating this high impact, meaningful marketing moment and explain how agency and client are collaborating in the run up to one of the biggest sporting events in the world. This is a fascinating, insightful, ‘behind the scenes’ conversation which makes a fantastic listen. Enjoy!  🎧 We’d love to hear your thoughts about meaningful media. Drop us a line! podcast@havasmn.com.    Like, share, follow and connect with us on our socials!   ⭐ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/havasmedianetwork/   ⭐ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/havas-media    Producer: Lindsey Partos 

In the first episode in our special 2024 Olympics’ series, we cover what it takes to build a meaningful media experience in the specific context of one of the biggest sporting events on the planet. The Olympics is a common reference for nearly half of the planet’s population – in 2020 it attracted a global audience of over 3 billion and is on schedule to bring in an even bigger audience in 2024.  With the games taking place in Paris, who better to participate in our Olympic coverage than guests from Havas Play France, based in the City of Light.  In conversation with host Ben Downing, Augustin Penicaud, Vice President, Havas Play France, and Fabrice Plazolles, Chief Creative Officer, Havas Play France, dismantle the complex context in which incisive strategies are designed to create robust engagement and impactful brand campaigns for the 2024 Olympics.   The conversation kicks off with a dive into Rule 40, something that brands and athletes talk a lot about. Essentially the key principles in Rule 40 (from the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic charter) set out how participants, including athletes participating in the Olympic Games, can engage in, and benefit from, commercial activities around the Games. It’s aimed at finding the right balance between the interests of the IOC, their sponsors, and the athletes with their sponsors. Our host and guests then unpack the opportunities for media experience and marketing moments within this context. We’re also reminded that ‘the Olympics in just a context. It's not the goal of the idea.’   “You have to be smart in terms of media to be at the right place, at the right moment, in the right discussion, with the right communities. And that's what we do at Havas Play, because we are working on community planning and the way we touch these communities. And you have to be good in terms of creation because everyone is speaking at the same time,” underlines Fabrice as the discussion turns to crowded media moments, how to cut through the noise during the Olympics and how the agency leverages the Olympics to give food to the narrative of the brand.  The above - and much more - in this fascinating conversation which gets to the heart of creating meaningful media experiences for enduring brand building and nurturing cultural change through communications during one of the world’s most powerful sporting moments. A discussion not to be missed! Enjoy!   🎧 We’d love to hear your thoughts about meaningful media. Drop us a line! podcast@havasmn.com.    Like, share, follow and connect with us on our socials!   ⭐ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/havasmedianetwork/   ⭐ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/havas-media    Producer: Lindsey Partos 

What does trusted, engaging and influential media look like for brands as the process towards the cookie-less era begins? Unpacking the deprecation of the third-party cookie Jamie Seltzer, Global EVP, CSA & Mx Analytics, Havas Media Network and Vishal Taneja, Global Data & Platforms Lead, Google join host Ben Downing to explore concrete solutions for brands in this evolving context and examine how to deliver impactful media activations.   During their discussions, Ben and guests set the the situation today for third-party cookies and what this means for brands as they deal with their demise. As the industry moves away from a precision era to a predictive area.Our guests also dig deeper into the impact on media activation Together they explore the role of first part data and how brands can best optimise the first party data opportunity.   “The post-cookie world is a journey and an exciting place to be. It’s an opportunity and an impetus,” comments Ben.  While AI is by no means new to this area, Jamie, Vishal and Ben take time to discuss its evolving role and what future tools we can expect to see in the post-cookie era.   Concluding the conversation, ultimately, the following core value for agencies today will endure as we embark on the cookie-less era: “We make sure advertisers’ dollars go as far as they can while still respecting consumer needs and their wants: it’s results with respect. It’s critical we continue to apply that approach in the cookie-less world,” underlined Jamie Seltzer.  As the industry gets to grips with the evolving post-cookie landscape, this is a conversation not to be missed! Enjoy!   🎧 We’d love to hear your thoughts about meaningful media. Drop us a line! podcast@havasmn.com.    Like, share, follow and connect with us on our socials!   ⭐ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/havasmedianetwork/   ⭐ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/havas-media   

More than one year since the launch of ChatGPT, the media ecosystem is working to understand the concrete outcomes that integrating AI tools could provide for businesses.Emerging #AI tools hold the potential to improve the industry’s understanding of media context and determine the best conditions for a brand to expose an ad.Specifically, AI media solutions for inclusive machine learning are supporting brand suitability, identifying content for brands to avoid – like fake news, disinformation, gender and racial bias.Unpacking the impact of these tools on media experience to ultimately drive value and growth for brands, AI heavy hitters Masaki Halle, Head of Data at Havas Media Network, Weilin Ho, Director at Havas Start Up Accelerator – located at Station F, Paris, the largest start up campus in the world - and Daphné Marnat, Co-Founder & CEO of Unbias-ia are in conversation with host Ben Downing.“What we are trying to improve is the risk parameter that brands should avoid....fake news, propaganda, climate change denial, gender or racial bias and disinformation. These categories are not taken care of in standard brand safety tools. We have to design innovative ways of detecting such content and this requires the use of AI,” underlines Masaki Halle. These AI solutions, suggests Daphné Marnat, are today’s ‘Guardians of Integrity in the Online Galaxy’.Enjoy!The Meaningful Media Podcast Team  🎧 We’d love to hear your thoughts about AI and its evolving impact on media experience. Drop us a line! podcast@havasmn.com.    And if you’d like to contact Daphne: daphne@unbias.fr 👇Like, share, follow and connect with us on our socials!   ⭐ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/havasmedianetwork/   ⭐ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/havas-media   

Opening Season 3 of The Meaningful Media Podcast, host Ben Downing sits down with Alex Hase, General Manager and Chief Revenue Officer at software-as-a-service solution provider Mirakl and Molly Hop, EVP Market, Havas Media Network to explore how businesses can deliver digital growth by getting the media experience right from all perspectives of ecommerce. Key themes in this meaningful conversation:The evolution of Retail Media“Retail media is not a new concept. Digital retail media is blossoming significantly but it’s really about trying to engage consumers in that path to purchase so you can influence and/or expose them to things they might not otherwise have been exposed to. Whether brand or retailer you are either trying to complement the path to purchase the consumer is already on or you’re trying to identify something that you think they might benefit from,” explains Alex Hase.Marketplaces & Opportunities for GrowthCustomers want to buy everything, anywhere, and have it delivered quickly. To do that retailers need to address that need. “For retailers, they are addressing this new world and how to combine it with in store experience, so they don’t cannibalise their retail experience. For brands, they are asking how they can directly interact with their consumers and help them understand the full portfolio of goods available to them,” says Alex Hase. Marketplaces enable sellers to sell their products on a retailer’s ecommerce site. Another opportunity is 'drop ship' where a retailer brings a brand on board to carry out the fulfilment of a specific product.Role of Agency for Brands Amazon has proven to retailers there’s an opportunity to monetize your platform, and your first party data, ushering in a new business model which has driven retailers to expand how they bring in revenue. Support for brands to ensure they are getting the best value on this critical path is essential and a key role for agencies. Our guests discuss the value of first party data as a data targeting opportunity and a layer for consideration in the media experience.On Brands and Media investmentConsumers’ ability to purchase and shop everywhere is changing the discussion around media plans for brands.“Retail media is a brand experience and in and of itself helps to build brands,” underlines host Ben Downing.New Ways to AdvertiseThe conversation turned to seismic shifts, like shoppable ads in connected TVs, carving out new ways to monetize media. Molly Hop shares: “Shopper marketing and in-store bricks and mortar are one of the first ways people were advertised to. Now we’ve had the shift and are able to reach anybody anywhere.” Social Commerce in ‘test and learn’ phaseSocial commerce means expanding into a complex context but one which holds great opportunity. Molly cautions that understanding what consumers want in this context is crucial: “Social Commerce is a ‘big hairy beast’ that we’re all trying to navigate. There are a lot of wins, for example with TikTok, with advertisers being really smart about building a shopping experience that’s organic to the environment it’s in." Enjoy! 🎧 We’d love to hear your thoughts about meaningful media. Drop us a line! podcast@havasmn.com.  Like, share, follow and connect with us on our socials! ⭐ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/havasmedianetwork/ ⭐ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/havas-media 

Yannick Bolloré, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Havas Group, and Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Vivendi is Ben’s very special guest for the final episode of Season Two. Exploring the outlook in media for 2024 and discussing how media and entertainment converge in culture to create meaningful moments highlights of this fascinating conversation include:·     On how global versus local plays a role for brands when creating media that matters, Yannick Bollore underlined when he became CEO of Havas in 2013, “we were living in a world of happy globalization” with much of the world sharing the same values, beliefs, and it was very easy to have a global campaign for brands Since then we have seen the rise of nationalism, war in Europe and the catastrophic situation in the Middle East. “Today, it's becoming increasingly difficult to talk about happy globalization and for brands, we need to adapt to this new reality. To have a global network with very strong local agencies is becoming more and more important.” ·     Today you cannot just pay for people attention. You have to earn it. At Havas, we have gone through a huge shift in our strategic plan. First, creating the Together strategy, with all talent in the group gathered in one place we call the Villages. Creative people working together with the media. A holistic approach to content and advertising. ·     The role of culture to earn attention is key...Brands need to become cultural brands to stay relevant to their consumers or to become relevant to their consumers or prospects.  ·     Entertainment, Social Commerce and AI three key trends for the year ahead. On AI Yannick says: “It's creating a structural change for our industry. I believe AI will, in terms of transformation, be as important as the revolution in the eighties or the digital revolution from 2000-2010. This is why we have been investing a lot in terms of money, resources, people. I think it's important that communications group become a best in class to support their clients in their AI transformation.“ ·     On the importance of respect, diversity and sustainability brands need to go through a strong transformation, not just to bring a great product at an affordable price, but to do more. “I believe in meaningfulness. I believe in diversity. Three brands out of four can disappear today.* No one would notice or care. When people are shopping today, they want to wear brands, they want to buy products that are creating something bigger than themselves.” * Havas’ proprietary Meaningful BrandsTM Survey ·     The media Yannick turns to when looking to get inspired? The Meaningful Media Podcast! We’ll be back in 2024 to bring our cherished listeners a host of new interviews with media luminaries for their take on media experiences and hearing directly from consumers on the media that matters. Until then, take care all and stay tuned in 2024!The Meaningful Media Podcast Team 🎧 We’d love to hear your thoughts about meaningful media. Drop us a line! podcast@havasmg.com.  Like, share, follow and connect with us on our socials!  ⭐ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/havasmedianetwork/  ⭐ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/havas-media  

“There are exciting shifts in B2B marketing which is going through a renaissance right now,” underlines Melissa Furze, Vice President, Customer Science and B2B Institute, LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, during this fascinating conversation with podcast host Ben Downing as together they examine the shape of meaningful media experiences in the evolving B2B advertising space. With over 65 million companies on their platform, LinkedIn “sits at a pretty unique space when it comes to understanding what's happening in the professional world”, explains Melissa who leads a multi-disciplined team which includes marketing strategists, researchers, content solutions, engineers, and analysts. While there are differences in terms of B2C and B2B marketing, notably that B2B buying decisions involve high consideration purchases with typically longer sales cycles and often larger buying committees compared to the individual consumer’s buying decision, during this episode we learn there is definitely a shift towards more emotional, human-centered and ‘story full’ advertising in B2B. At LinkedIn, for example, they have new ad formats called Thought Leader Ads where brands have the opportunity to tell their stories through the voices of employees and their experiences by sponsoring a post from individual employees and executives. B2B advertising is seeing a shift around creativity. Recent research from LinkedIn found 50% of B2B marketing leaders say creativity is their biggest priority. While B2B marketers are understanding the importance of storytelling. In their recent B2B marketing benchmark report LinkedIn found that “43% of B2B marketing leaders actually say that storytelling will be one of the most important future skills for their marketing team.”   Press play on this episode to learn how CMOs and their marketing teams are building impactful media experiences in the B2B advertising space to connect and build meaningful emotional connections.   Useful inksFurther information on the LinkedIn CMO Scorecard mentioned in the episode: https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/b2b-institute/cmo-scorecardLinkedIn Collective: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/linkedin-collective/Good News Network cited by Melissa during her Fast Five: GoodNewsNetwork.org  Enjoy!  ⭐ We’d love to hear your thoughts about meaningful media. Drop us a line! podcast@havasmg.com.    Like, share, subscribe and connect with us on our socials!  ⭐ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/havasmedianetwork/  ⭐ LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/havas-media