Ashley Hutchings explains why speed and agility now define great media planning, how AI and human judgment work best as a team rather than a competition, and why personalization at scale
beats mass messaging every time.
Do you prefer brand awareness or performance? What is your preferred marketing channel? In this series, we get to know past Insider
Summit attendees and ask about their preferences.
Ashley Hutchings, VP, Head of Digital & Partnerships, Kelly Scott Madison:
Test-and-Learn or Proven Playbooks: Test and learn, hands down. I'd go so far as to say that test and learn is our playbook. The speed at
which we're able to receive performance data and optimize means we're learning hard into agile media that is constantly improving as the campaign goes on.
advertisement
advertisement
AI-Powered Optimization or Human Expertise: This is the one where I have to say "both." AI-powered optimizations have been
a game changer in terms of the speed at which we can identify and apply insights. Human expertise provides the context, creative strategic decision making, and critical judgement calls. Each on their
own is powerful. Understanding the strengths of each and applying them in combination is what's leading to our best work yet.
Data-Informed Decisions or Instinct-Led Creativity: As a media person, data-informed decision making is my bread and butter. Yes, there's
absolutely room for creativity, and you never want to be handcuffed by the data, but data is at the core of everything I do.
Audience-First Planning or Channel-First Planning: Audience first, no question. My background is in social, and I love the power of that
channel, but when it comes to planning I'm channel-agnostic based on the goals we are aiming to accomplish for our clients.
Personalization at Scale or Mass Messaging: Personalization at scale. Reaching the right person in the right place with the right message in the right
moment - that's what it's all about.
Always-On Campaigns or Big Launch
Moments: Always on campaigns. Launches are great, but the evolutions and optimizations that happen as the campaign continues is where the magic lives.
World Cup or Super Bowl: Call it recency bias, but the international camaraderie of the World Cup is
such a unique and special thing.
If you’re interested in submitting content for future editions, please reach out to our Managing Editor, Barbie Romero
at Barbie@MediaPost.com.