Some months ago, MarinOne attended Search Insider Summit’s Performance Marketing event in Deer Valley, Utah. While skiing, snow shoeing, snowmobiling and more winter fun set the tone for a casual, social atmosphere…the insights and expertise that were shared during the speaking sessions I would call anything but casual. Here are our quick and brief “too long didn’t read” notes on the content that was covered.
Keynote Presentation: Super Coffee's Digital Marketing Blend in an Omnichannel World
Super Coffee has been one of the nation's top five ready-to-serve coffees since 2015 when they quickly reached a $400 million company. They can now be found in over 70,000 stores and online, prompting the need for an update to their digital marketing efforts to continue their success. Jimmy Dicicco (co-founder and Chief Brand Officer) and Tyler Ricks (Chief Executive Officer) talked about their journey and how their digital strategy transformed over time. They also explained their strategy for maintaining a balance between expanding their business and staying profitable, along with the methods to measure ROI.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Jimmy DeCicco, Co-founder, Chief Brand Officer, Super Coffee
Tyler Ricks, Chief Executive Officer, Super Coffee
- "We shouldn't think in silos"
- Stopped dividing ecomm goals and retail goals, looked at all business holistically
- Clued into their target market, initial targeting was very broad but it did give them the data they needed to establish the right audiences
- Seeking protein, avoiding sugar, keto
- Primary focus on lifetime value, built up the subscription model
- With the growth of revenue and reduction of paid media spend, they were able to raise a significant amount of funding for the business
- All consumers are omnichannel
Presentation: Winning at Retail Media: Leveraging Retail Media in Today’s Unique Economy
Morgan Chemij, HP's Global Senior Director of Marketplaces, offered great insights about retail media and shopper marketing! He discussed how marketers can ensure that they remain up to date and well-informed on new retail media trends. The recent trend of diverting money away from traditional media channels and allocating it towards retail marketing, means understanding the importance of this type of marketing is paramount for any brand or advertising team. He went into depth about how retail media has been gaining immense traction in the marketing sphere.
Major players like Amazon, Walmart Connect, Target Roundel and Instacart are taking advantage of this trend to leverage their reach and engagement, while new platform partners like Costco and Best Buy are rapidly growing and making a mark. Major retail d2c brands particularly have been using these platforms to propel growth and success for their businesses. Chemij gave tips on where to place bets, what types of activations are likely to be the most successful, and HP's approach and learnings during their Retail Media journey.
PRESENTER
Morgan Chemij, Global Marketplace Strategy & Execution, HP
- Amazon is still leading in retail media, but Walmart and Instacart are both taking a significantly higher share than they once did. Multiple media networks is critical at this point.
- Wayfair, Ebay, Costco, Macy's, Best Buy, The Home Depot, Target, Tesco, 7-11, and Kroger are all emerging networks that are gaining traffic and taking market share. (we need to get with all of these!)
- Retail media networks offer a convenience to consumers that they really enjoy. Buyers like to have a personalized experience, especially when it's with a brand they trust. Not everyone may want to share their information or activity to any advertiser online, but they may be more willing to "allow cookies" when it's a specific brand they like.
- HP invested in search on smaller media networks like Costco and had a 13% conversion lift and lowered their CPA to just $12.
Panel Debate: Automation - Friend or Foe?
The ad tech industry has progressed significantly by automating a great deal of the process for building, publishing and optimizing paid media campaigns. This shift has taken away more control from marketers. It's understandable to be wary of AI algorithms when it comes to content creation and optimization. Figuring out the perfect balance between automation and human input is key for a successful campaign. To gain more insight into this topic, Annie Stickney moderated a debate-style panel discussion where leading marketers discussed their experiences with artificial intelligence and automation.
MODERATOR
Annie Stickney, VP OmniChannel Analytics - Head of Search Analytics, JP Morgan Chase
PANELISTS
Michael Aburas, Director of Digital Marketing, Icon Parking
Brett Geeser, Head of Paid Search, Cross Media
Jonathan Kagan, VP, Search, 9Rooftops @jonkagan
- Brett - "Trust but verify"
- Annie - Gonzalez vs. Google
- Jonathan - Content terrorism, Twitter is a danger
- Difficult brand decisions to ethically rule out or keep geographical areas where controversial bills are passed, like Texas vaccination law
- Michael - brand association, his view is to keep things right in the middle
- Free speech vs. brand messaging
- US and New Zealand allow pharmaceutical advertising
- Many global countries do not allow it
Presentation: Peak Behind the Curtain – Driving Organizational Change During Uncertainty
In this time of ongoing uncertainty, marketers must be nimble and flexible to stay on top of consumer's evolving needs. Being able to respond quickly is critical for success is critical. Vivian Chang, the head of direct-to-consumer at The Clorox Company, discussed how the iconic CPG brand is optimizing and adapting its organization to ensure a successful long-term outlook. During her presentation, she covered essential tactics for marketing operations success like delivering over revenue, successful change management, and finding a balance between short-term and long-term objectives.
PRESENTER
Vivian Chang, VP Growth, Clorox DTC, The Clorox Company
- Martech landscape is overwhelming
- How do you determine the tools that are needed?
- How do you be agile?
- How do you develop teams to be successful at driving strategy?
- Be a growth engine
- Get started! Be aware you'll probably pivot, but you won't know until you try SOMETHING
- Balance long term and short term mentality
- Be more reactive
- Respond to the customers' wants and needs
- Get creative on showing success
- Incremental omni revenue
- High quality first party data
- Insights to drive brand efficiency
- Early learning for R&D innovation
- Mobilize support through allies
- Build a flexible people organization
- FTEs, contractors, AND agencies
- Put people in the places that they will have the greatest long-term impact
- Clarify and simplify
- Own, don't abdicate decisions
- Check your ego
- Celebrate the small wins
- Take care of you
Keynote Presentation: The Future of Traffic Generation - Why Branding & SEO Matter in a High CAC Environment
Despite a complex customer acquisition climate, companies are still looking for effective solutions to drive traffic and sales. Brands and retailers are held to high expectations to achieve their goals in this landscape. Establishing a strong presence through conventional branding and SEO is essential for achieving success within a performance marketing strategy. These channels provide valuable assistance to paid media for maximizing the return on your investments.
Amy Madonia, Executive Director of Global Ecommerce at The Estée Lauder Companies, explained how the world's biggest makeup brand made use of storytelling techniques to differentiate themselves online. She also covered the future of demand generation in today's digital environment which is changing rapidly.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Amy Madonia, Executive Director, of Global Ecommerce, The Estée Lauder Companies
- $500M in charitable donations to those affected by HIV or AIDS
- Focus on AOV - virtual try on or "trend try on" is increasing the number of products each user buys
- Commitment, persistance, and elbow grease - there was no ownership for SEO, so they created a team of engaged and committed people that would work on easy tasks in sprints
Case Study: Becoming Relevant via Cultural Moments
H&R Block saw an opportunity to reach a younger audience and enhance its brand perception when the NCAA updated its Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) regulations in 2021. College athletes had the chance to make a large profit off of their NIL, which presented an appealing opportunity for tax preparation companies. It enabled them to join in on a relevant cultural moment and effectively connect with consumers. Pierson Curtis, Director of Growth Marketing at H&R, talked about how their culturally sensitive and purpose-driven campaign led to better performance across various paid, earned and owned channels.
PRESENTER
Pierson Curtis, Director of Growth Marketing & Engagement, H&R Block
Case Study: Affiliates & Partnerships: Where Brand and Lower Funnel Merge
It's possible to achieve a mutually beneficial situation among Brand and lower funnel marketers. Through Affiliate and Partnership programs, teams can collaborate in creating profitable strategies and tactics for all involved. Kristina has done a commendable job at Big Island Coffee Roasters as their lower funnel marketer. 'Partnerships' has become her priority, right after her love for coffee. This initiative has enabled Kristina to support her Brand colleagues in various ways. By thinking out of the box and applying creative strategies, marketers can create fresh opportunities and deliver excellent results that are beyond usual PR and Brand activities.
PRESENTER
Kristina Smith, Head of DTC, Big Island Coffee Roasters
