Maarten Albarda

Articles by Maarten All articles by Maarten

• Toward A Better Agency Review Process in Media Insider on 11/29/2019
  

  Too often have I heard a CMO lament that his current agencies "suck," not realizing the real reason is often the client themselves.

• The Fallacy Of The Streaming Wars in Media Insider on 11/15/2019
  

  There are simply too many services spending too much money on content that no human can keep up with anymore.

• Survival Of The Fattest in Media Insider on 11/01/2019
  

  Agency holding companies are fat and are getting fatter, investing heavily in data-driven marketing service providers.

• The Best Global Brands 2019 Got There By... Advertising in Media Insider on 10/18/2019
  

  The Top 10 Best Brands represent $5.6 billion dollars in ad spend.

• Open Office, Office Tech And The Death Of Creativity in Media Insider on 10/04/2019
  

  Now that we're debunking the usefulness of open-office plans and Slack, let's also take a look at the agency ecosystem.

• A Congratulatory Letter To Keith Weed, New WPP Board Member in Media Insider on 09/20/2019
  

  It appears WPP is undergoing something akin to the TV show "Extreme Make-over: Agency Holding Company" edition. What to do?

• Toward A Better Agency Review Process in Media Insider on 09/06/2019
  

  Too often have I heard a CMO lament that his current agencies "suck," not realizing the real reason is often the client themselves.

• The Changing Face Of My Brand Loyalty in Media Insider on 08/23/2019
  

  I used to be quite brand-loyal, with British Airways, for example, a favorite. But that's shifted as airlines have drifted to a very mediocre middle.

• Marketers Know Good Deal When They See One -- Or Do They? in Media Insider on 08/09/2019
  

  Proof points for digital remain elusive, especially in terms of brand building and other, broader marketing objectives.

• Survival Of The Fattest in Media Insider on 07/26/2019
  

  Agency holding companies are fat and are getting fatter, investing heavily in data-driven marketing service providers.

Comments by Maarten All comments by Maarten

• TV Services Explode: Is Free TV Over? by Steven Rosenbaum (Media Insider on 12/02/2019)
  

  Didn't I just write on the very same topic/sentiment... Great minds and all that: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/343414/the-fallacy-of-the-streaming-wars.html

• Old Sitcoms Never Die, Nor Do They Fade Away by Adam Buckman (TVBlog on 10/28/2019)
  

  I always liked Mad about you, and have been re-watching episodes courtesy of Spectrum. Not all, but many have held up pretty well. It is remarkable how "Seinfeld-esque" it actually was: observational humor, set in NY, with a splash of sarcasm and two people who frequently do not-very-nice things to others. I am looking forward to the reboot.

• Toward A Better Agency Review Process by Maarten Albarda (Media Insider on 09/06/2019)
  

  Thanks for the update Bill. It is good to see that you're getting back together!

• The Path To Cutting The Cord by Cory Treffiletti (Media Insider on 07/10/2019)
  

  Precisely because the "Bundle" offered attractive extra's like free calls to Europe and super-fast internet, we did not go cordless but went "skinny cord". On the cord we only buy the basic channel package, coupled with one DVR, and Spectrum offered an option whereby you can add 10 premium channels of choice included in the skinny bundle. My wife and I each selected 5 to avoid a divorce.On top of that we have Chromecast, Fire TV and Roku, who all offer a lot of free stuff. And our Prime membership offers... well, prime. I feel we have more TV today than we had before, and across all the recording devices we have a whole bunch of unwatched viewing set to go. It feels a bit like my bedside table... there sit all the books I am going to read, but haven't yet. One day!

• The (Continuing) Importance Of Brand by Maarten Albarda (Media Insider on 06/28/2019)
  

  Hi Anne, the Research was presented at an industry conference by Christian Kurz, global head of insights at Viacom. The study is called “The role of channel logos on OnDemand platforms”. You can learn more here: https://insights.viacom.com/post/on-an-on-demand-platform-channel-logos-help-viewers-decide-what-to-watch/

• We Are All Frauds: The Way We Advertise Does Not Work (Says Havas) by Maarten Albarda (Media Insider on 02/22/2019)
  

  Hey Ed - they actually have meaningful brands by category, but to unlock that section you'd have to buy the research, or be a (potential) Havas client. I assume that some brands are better than others at "being meaningful" than others within each category. But... I think, at the same time, that most deodorants or crackers or hand soaps will struggle to be meaningful, no matter how hard they try. What struck me is that 4 of the top 5 are pure "every day utility/convenience" choices. And that tells you probably more than anything else about what consumers truly find meaningful!

• Why TV Ad Folks Should Learn Digital Skills -- Now by Dave Morgan (Media Insider on 12/13/2018)
  

  Dave: could not agree more. My prediction that the media buyer profession would have been culled already in 2018 has proven to be too optimistic/pessimistic... but it is going to go that way. I wrote about that in November of 2016 if you want to have a laugh at my prediction... https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/288984/media-buyers-dodos-predictions-im-sticking-to.html

• In A Trillion-Dollar Industry, The Answer Is Zero by Carl Erik Kjaersgaard (MAD London on 10/24/2018)
  

  Of course, Joseph Jaffe and i predicted this back in 2013 in our book "ZERO, zero paid media as the new marketing model"  ;-)

• Official And Confirmed (Indirectly): Feds Are Probing Media-Buying Practices by Richard Whitman (Mediapsssst on 10/10/2018)
  

  Henry: I suspect the interest to explore a potential case stems from the fact that the government is a large advertiser in its own right. So it might be that help is sought from experts to understand practices and nuances in advertising deals and dealings. If the probe concludes that the government in its relationships with their agencies has suffered financially, a case might be brought forward but I am going to guess that it would be settled out of court pretty quickly. If such a case was to come forward, I assume other advertisers might also start a negotiation process for themselves, if they have solid reason to believe that their circumstances are similar to that of the government's case. Note: this is all specualtion of course, and I have no legal background to back up any of these assumptions.

• Retailers Turning To Self-Checkout Shopping by Chuck Martin (Connected Thinking on 09/26/2018)
  

  And not just a US phenomenon:https://www.esmmagazine.com/albert-heijn-checkout-free-store-amsterdam/55730

About Edit

You haven't told us anything about yourself! Surely you've got something to say. Tell us a little something.