Maarten Albarda

Articles by Maarten All articles by Maarten

• The Business Case For Sustainability Marketing in Media Insider on 06/27/2025
  

  For one, Kantar BrandZ data shows a strong correlation between sustainability perceptions and purchase intent.

• Lessons From Cannes 2025: From Dystopian To Delightful in Media Insider on 06/20/2025
  

  The work celebrated at the festival would have you believe that agency networks and their clients are still killing it.

• Normalizing Principal Media Buying Is Not Normal in Media Insider on 06/13/2025
  

  Principal buying is a betrayal. It moves the agency-client relationship from a trusted partnership into a minefield full of conflicts of interest.

• In-House Agency Recalibration: Trad Agencies Will Not Benefit in Media Insider on 06/06/2025
  

  We are seeing the rise of a more sophisticated hybrid model, where leaders strategically decide which functions to own and which to farm out.

• Yes, Ad Fraud Is Still Eating Your Budget in Media Insider on 05/30/2025
  

  Regularly scrutinize your campaign analytics -- this is your first line of defense. I would argue that this should be someone's day job.

• The Evolution Of Brand Purpose In The Current Business Climate in Media Insider on 05/23/2025
  

  Many companies that previously touted their support for initiatives like DEI have made dramatic U-turns.

• Your AI Is Great, But Where's The Creative Magic? in Media Insider on 05/16/2025
  

  We focus on churning out large amounts of "stuff," while often ignoring the importance of anchoring all that stuff in a compelling big idea.

• What Clients Might Buy More -- And Less -- Of From Their Agencies in Media Insider on 05/02/2025
  

  Advertisers' need for agencies is transforming, evolving from reliance on execution to reliance on specialized expertise and strategic guidance.

• Legal Rulings On Big Tech Are Good For Advertisers in Media Insider on 04/25/2025
  

  The era of unchecked dominance by a few digital giants is beginning to change.

• What's Stopping Our Industry From Changing? It's Rigged Against Itself! in Media Insider on 04/11/2025
  

  Each major player often has more incentive to maintain the current state of affairs, instead of seeking better solutions for everyone.

Comments by Maarten All comments by Maarten

• Kaila Colbin, Signing Off by Kaila Colbin (Media Insider on 04/18/2025)
  

  Hey Friday partner! Your voice on Mediapost was unique and will be missed. Kaila 2007 A.D.... and here I was thinking that my start on December 16, 2013 was a long time ago... All the very best with the new venture!

• How Toxic Are A Brand's Social Media Mistakes? by Maarten Albarda (Media Insider on 02/28/2025)
  

  Ed: I agree but the "snafu" is often not an ad but the CMO or social media manager posting without thinking, or a brand making a decision about something (price, flavor, size, etc.) and "the public" not taking kindly to it.

• Report From Ukraine by Dave Morgan (Media Insider on 02/20/2025)
  

  Thank you for your reporting and I could not agree more with your statements and assessment. I, too, am baffled by the lack of leaders to show up. We are witnessing a wholesale dismantling of all things that stand for compassion, human rights and common decency. It is sickening. Slava Ukraini

• 2024: A Media Insider Review by Gord Hotchkiss (Media Insider on 01/07/2025)
  

  Ha! Angst and despair reign! But seriously, thank you for compiling our collective meanderings. I just celebrated my 12th year in service, having written my first media post for Mediapost on Dec. 16, 2013. Here is to a 2025 that will surprise us all... positively (one can hope!).

• X, Former Twitter, Still A 'Hellscape' by Maarten Albarda (Media Insider on 11/22/2024)
  

  Thanks Tony - I was and continue to be a proud and active member to the Advertising: Who Cares group for Trading, Transparency and Trust. Onwards and (hiopefully), Upwards! And yes, you can find me on Bluesky.

• Campaign Commercials: Bad For America, Bad For Us! by Adam Buckman (TVBlog on 11/08/2024)
  

  Hi Adam - totally agree, and did so here: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/400580/political-advertising-is-terrible-in-both-content.html

• Political Advertising Is Terrible In Both Content And Volume - Why? by Maarten Albarda (Media Insider on 10/25/2024)
  

  Hi Michelle - thanks for the response and the link. I mentioned in the second to last paragraph that political ads almost always get a pass based on free speech, and that the rules that apply to political ads are different from "regular" ads. What I question is their effectiveness - and my assumption is that they "must be" given the rigorous and continuous testing that these ads are apparently subject to. 

• Calm 'Newsfeed Anxiety' By Reading Them Less -- And History More by Dave Morgan (Media Insider on 08/15/2024)
  

  I just finished A.J. Baime's "The accidental president" about the first 100 days of Harry S. Truman. An exceptional book - and fascinating insight into 100 days that shaped today's world.

• Principal Media Is Growing -- Marketers Need To Take Action by Maarten Albarda (Media Insider on 05/24/2024)
  

  Hey Ed: my experience is that most, especially larger advertisers (who are the most 'vulnerable' to principle media, per the ANA) have typically very smart media teams in house. These media teams are on top of all the agency media strategy, planning and buys, and are the "go-betweens" for the agencies and advertiser brand management teams. While it is true that many companies often still chase "lower cost" or "efficiencies", I think it is unfair to state that (large) advertisers do not pay attention to the quality or direction of their media investments. Low cost or efficiency does not have to mean "crap". I agree with your auditor comment.

• Principal Media Is Growing -- Marketers Need To Take Action by Maarten Albarda (Media Insider on 05/24/2024)
  

  Ed: The key phrase in your comment: "So long as the client clearly knows what is going on why is that information any of its business". What the ANA has learned, and what I have seen in my practice, is that clients often do NOT know, or only know AFTER the fact. There was no choice for the client to determine if the proposed media inventory was a good idea, and there was no way to align on a cost that was mutually agreeable. There was no independent verification to establish if the recommendation befitted the client's strategy, or was in the agency's own financial interest. THAT is the issue the ANA is trying to address.

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