Lotame Takeaways from AdWeek Europe with Chris Hogg

Lotame was a sponsor of Advertising Week Europe, March 19-22, 2018 in London, the world’s largest conference for advertising, marketing and technology that brought together over 40,000 industry leaders. Chris Hogg, Lotame’s Managing Director in EMEA, moderated a panel session within the data track, The Elephant in the Room: Why Data Quality Should Be Part of Every Conversation, and here are some of Chris’s takeaways from AdWeek:

• Advertisers want data transparency: Advertisers spoke at length about transparency. But they want it across the ad supply chain. It’s not just about inventory. It’s also about the data they buy to tailor ad experiences online. More advertisers are asking how accurate the data they’re being sold is and how it’s validated. The demand for higher standards are good for advertising, in general, and will cause all boats to rise. If you missed Lotame’s panel session on data quality, you can access the replay here.
• Restore faith in programmatic: The industry needs to restore faith in programmatic. This means helping brands understand where their money is being spent and by focusing on the challenges programmatic can present (in brand safety, etc.).
• Brands touting AI capabilities: AI and the ways in which companies are using it to improve products and services dominated conversations. Many key brands outlined how they are using AI within their products or plan to.
• Brand safety across the ecosystem: Driving brand safety and quality — in terms of both inventory and data — was a huge topic, as well. This underpinned the event’s general focus on trust and transparency, which largely started in the US.
• AR, VR, Snapchat were dominant: New developments in mobile from Snapchat and other AR/VR tools grabbed the spotlight. As mobile becomes the first screen for consumers, investments here are poised to explode.
• More of a vertical focus: Compared to previous years, there was more of an emphasis on ad developments in vertical sectors, like retail and finance, and how these changes have affected users’ path to purchase and buying habits.
• The agency-brand relationship: There was a focus on agencies, particularly on how they can improve their relationships with marketers beyond a short-term goal. This is especially important as brand safety and transparency are in demand.

Watch Chris Hogg’s AdWeek interview on data quality with host Andy Johnson.

About Chris Hogg:
Chris Hogg leads Lotame’s European operations across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, focused on helping marketers, agencies and publishers harness the power of data to create efficiencies and drive more revenue. Chris takes a consultative approach with best practices for clients to collect, organize, and activate their data from any source to gain a holistic view of their consumers across screens, both online and offline. Chris has more than 18 years of experience in digital marketing technology and operations with expertise on industry topics like first, second and third-party data, data quality, why GDPR could be valuable for advertisers, and how data solutions like Lotame’s data management platform empowers clients to deliver more relevant and timely content, products and services. Prior to Lotame, Chris worked with Independent News and Media, France Telecom – Wanadoo / Orange UK and Unanimis. Chris has held senior management roles for the last 10 years, successfully recruiting, training and leading large teams to deliver results.