Making Sense Of Today's Chaotic Media Landscape

Viewers are cutting the cord in favor of Netflix. Spotify has cut into radio’s audience. An estimated 600 million devices have ad blockers.

As there are thousands of ways to reach consumers these days, there are also numerous ways to block ads out. Digital has wrought a cluttered and chaotic landscape that’s predicted to get more cluttered and more chaotic. A Tuesday session at Advertising Week NY brought together executives to discuss how to effectively reach customers in that evolving landscape.

According to Tham Khai Meng, Worldwide CCO, Ogilvy & Mather, the landscape may be chaotic but the opportunities for telling stories differently are enormous. “What if we tell stories in a vertical format?" says Khai Meng. "Cameras were designed to view the world horizontally."

Now, with the proliferation of mobile devices, vertical will become the dominant storytelling delivery method, asserted Khai Meng, who said he is currently advising Facebook as the platform seeks ways for Ogilvy clients to effectively tell their stories in vertical formats. "We are starting to see the world very differently," he says.

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Too many advertisers are simply repurposing existing creative, said Grant Munro, general manager, Shutterstock Custom.

Panelists also spoke about the challenges with user-generated content for creative storytelling. While this strategy might work for established brands, like Unilever's Dove, most projects just don't work, says Munro.

Tom Lapcevic EVP, CMO, 24 Hour Fitness, said the firm seeks out member stories and then uses its production studios to bring them to life. "Mobile has changed the way we capture stories and distribute them," he said.

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