Sadly, “there’s no algorithm in the world
that can actually tell you what people are going to like.” So Michael Kassan, founder and CEO of MediaLink, told Cannes Lions TV on Thursday.
“You can use predictive modeling, and
you can use all of that to give you an edge and a little bit of a better view, but at the end of the day the consumer is going to make that decision based on their gut,” according to Kassan.
Regarding consumers, Kassan added: “They’re not making the decision based on data.” Rather, “they’re making that decision based on what they enjoy.”
Without the assurance of some fancy algorithm, the challenge for the advertiser or the marketer is to find ways to communicate their message in a more content-like way,” Kassan explained.
What does he mean by that? “What I mean by that is not that Unilever or Procter & Gamble or Coca-Cola should be producing the next scripted television show, but they need to find a way to
integrate their message into that content stream either through what we characterize as native advertising, or more legitimate organic product or brand content.”
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The fact is, “the
consumer doesn’t want to draw the distinction any more between the entertainment they’re watching and the marketing message that they’re going to receive,” Kassan said.
“I think you have to find a way to bring the two together.”