Advertising

Slingshot Reports on Spring 2021 Health and Wellness Forecast | Get Key Insights

Slingshot Posted On May 3, 2021

A sense of normalcy is returning to the marketplace. What does this mean for health and wellness brands?

Prematurely or not, American consumers are growing less concerned about COVID-19, and signs of their shifting behavior are everywhere. For our latest Health and Wellness Consumer Forecast, we surveyed over 200 consumers to explore what these emerging trends mean for brands in nutrition, fitness, healthcare and more as they plan for marketing outreach in the months ahead.

Key insights include:

A noteworthy increase in the number of consumers who intend to return to in-person gyms and workout studios, with a corresponding slowdown in home-related fitness purchases
The continued use of vitamins and supplements for boosting overall well being
Big differences between younger and older audiences when it comes to many health related purchases
Signs of a potential waning in overall telehealth demand as more patients seek out live, in-person care

There’s much more to the story, so download your copy of Slingshot’s Spring 2021 Health and Wellness Forecast today.

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Advertising

The Richards Group Announces New Chief Talent and Culture Officer

The Richards Group Posted On April 28, 2021

Nikki Wilson Appointed as Agency’s First CTCO

The Richards Group has named its first chief talent and culture officer. Nikki Wilson, former human resources and labor relations director at General Motors, will report to CEO Glenn Dady. Along with the appointment of outside inclusion, equity and diversity (IE&D) counsel Do What Matters earlier this year, this furthers the agency’s commitment to a broader and more diverse workforce and a core focus on its people – with inclusion-first management being top priority.

Wilson will represent the interests, voices and experiences of the agency’s talent at the executive level and will be an advocate for enhancing employee engagement and the workplace environment. She will oversee the integration of initiatives into the entire agency’s culture and operations, act as the agency’s champion for all employee resource groups, and lead all human resources functions.

“I’m excited to join The Richards Group at such an important time in their refounding journey. As the agency continues to deliver great creative content, we also want to deliver a great employee experience,” said Wilson.

Together with Dady, Wilson will spearhead the workforce plan vision for the agency’s changing culture and ongoing rebuild. She will also oversee leadership training initiatives.

“Nikki’s valuable experience in human resources, labor relations and DEI make her a crucial asset as our agency continues to rebuild – for now and for years to come,” said Dady. “This hire may be our most important position we’ve created since the founding of the agency, and Nikki is the perfect person for the role.”

Wilson’s 18 years at General Motors culminated in her leading human resources strategy for the automotive leader in Arlington, Texas, overseeing leadership development and workforce training. She previously served as human resources director and labor relations manager in various locations around the United States and globally.

Furthering the spirit of a new era at The Richards Group, Wilson will also join the newly appointed Leadership Council, a group tasked with keeping a close eye on all aspects of the firm and its vision for the future. They will be joined by a rotating team of younger members to provide fresh perspective on agency matters. A newly appointed Creative Council will partner with the agency’s up-and-coming talent to ensure continued improvement in the agency’s work.

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Advertising

Richards Creates New Orkin Spots | “Service is So Good”

The Richards Group Posted On April 27, 2021

“Service So Good” is a national pest control campaign based on the insight that Orkin technicians are so good at protecting the joy of home that their service never goes unnoticed – by anyone.

We employed an offbeat cast of characters ranging from a German-accented German Shepherd to a couple of pool float divas to a children’s mobile made up of three handcrafted sheep and a crescent moon to tell our story. We learn through their inspired dialogue, delivered on location by some fantastic voiceover talent and enhanced with the wizardry of visual effects, how this eclectic cast views and reveres our Orkin techs, whose acute attention to detail isn’t lost on anyone within sight of their service.

David Morring, GCD at Richards, shared this on LinkedIn, “New Orkin campaign broke this week. As always, our great clients, Kevin Smith and Cam Glover, allow and inspire great work. Big kudos to Arthur Stewart and Chad Berry, art director and writer, respectively. David Rucker and Michael Kanter were producers extraordinaire. Jessica Walker provided the great Brand Management and Corey Green with Brand Planning. And muchos thanks to Harold Einstein and Dummy Films, Sean Lagrange and Arcade Editorial, and The Mill. Sorry, just watched the Oscars and had to get everyone in, including Tim Tone.”

CREDITS

Clients: Kevin Smith, Cam Glover
Director: Harold Einstein, Dummy Films
Line Producer: Michael Kanter
Editor: Sean Lagrange, Arcade Editorial
Creative Directors: David Morring, Tim Tone
Agency Producer: David Rucker
Writer: Chad Berry
Art Director: Arthur Stewart
Account Director: Jessica Walker
VFX: The Mill

MEDIA PLAN

The campaign will run across both national broadcast and digital video.

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Advertising

Are You Ready to Play in Google’s Privacy Sandbox? | The Ward Group Breaks it Down

Gaye Connell Posted On April 27, 2021

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that third-party cookies will soon be a thing of the past. Most browsers like Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge have already phased them out, but Google isn’t just a web browser; it’s an advertising company, so getting rid of third-party cookies is a bit more involved.

Their answer to what comes after third-party cookies is the Privacy Sandbox. While it sounds like a single solution, it’s actually a collection of proposed tools, but if you think the details of Google’s Privacy Sandbox are a simple Google search away, you’d be wrong. Even companies who spend millions of dollars advertising with Google don’t know much about the solutions they’re planning to use in a year.

While there are still a lot of questions yet to be answered, one that especially plagues advertisers is how first-party data can be used in accordance with the Privacy Sandbox.

Can You BYOD (Bring Your Own Data)?

After third-party cookies are disabled, Google wants to stop the targeting of users at an individual level. That means there will only be specific ways Google will allow advertisers to use the first-party data they’ve collected.

Inside of Google’s ecosystem – which includes places like YouTube and Google Ads – advertisers will still be able to do individual-level targeting and campaign measurement by matching first-party data to Google’s first-party data (Google considers its user login data to be its first-party data). When targeting people who are using Google Chrome, or when marketers buy non-Google inventory through Google’s ad exchange, individually targeting users with first-party data becomes much trickier.

Birds of a Feather FLoC Together

FLoC, or Federated Learning of Cohorts, is Google’s answer to tracking people across the internet without building or using alternative identifiers. This method employs machine learning to generate cohorts, groups of thousands of people, for targeting. Cohorts will be built inside the browser based on an algorithmic process that analyzes users’ recently visited websites, the content of previously viewed web pages, and other factors.

To protect the privacy of each user assigned to a cohort, everyone in a cohort will be given a cohort ID, also known as a FLoC ID. A single FLoC ID will represent an entire cohort of people, and DSPs, advertisers, and even Google’s ad exchange will only have access to this identifier when targeting users.

With FLoC, advertisers will only use first-party data to analyze correlations between what brands know about their audiences and the cohorts the FLoC method generates. Brands won’t be able to track or target individuals, but they will at least be able to determine which cohorts they wish to target.

A FLEDGE-ling Proposal

For advertisers who want to create and deploy their own audiences without using third-party cookies, such as in the case of remarketing campaigns, Google has proposed FLEDGE (First Locally-Executed Decision over Groups Experiment). Using this Privacy Sandbox method, advertisers will be able to use their first-party data in conjunction with FLEDGE to target ads at interest groups.

Advertisers will be able to create interest groups based on their first-party data, which can be uploaded to a “trusted server” (where information about an ad campaign’s bids and budgets will be stored). With the help of the Privacy Sandbox API, the people reflected in that first-party data will see ads targeted using the FLEDGE method.

Excavating Google’s Privacy Sandbox

There’s still a lot of unanswered questions about Google’s proposals. How will ad bids be determined for interest groups and cohorts? How exactly will machine learning be used to create specific cohorts? Will the FLoC method reduce the harms of behavioral advertising (i.e., discriminating, exploiting, or predatorily targeting vulnerable populations)?

Early indications are that advertisers will have to rethink their strategies in response to the Privacy Sandbox. Instead of relying on very granular tracking and measurement metrics as we’re accustomed to, we will need to broaden our approach. While it’s not entirely clear how we will use first-party data, we also foresee it becoming much more important to target users. In fact, we’ve already started to apply this thinking to our current campaigns.

While we don’t have all the answers yet, your media stewards at The Ward Group are digging into all the updates to make sure we’re ready for this very near future without third-party cookies. If you have any questions or concerns about future digital media buying methods, contact The Ward Group today.

Original Content

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Advertising

An Idea Worth Fighting For: Yours. | Moroch’s Jamil Buie Tells Us to Embrace Objections

Moroch Posted On April 26, 2021

written by
Jamil Buie
Partner/Strategy

In the pantheon of communicators, I wouldn’t say that I’m the greatest. That said, I’ve slain my fair share of objectors. I love a good debate, especially when convinced that my idea is worth fighting for. And I’m pretty sure you’re the same way.

Early in my career however, I took those challenges personally. “How dare you show contempt for what is clearly a brilliant idea.” Cue Kendrick’s “Humble.” But what I failed to realize was that two critical things were happening: 1) The person objecting showed enough interest to think about an objection, which meant they were listening. 2) The debate allowed me to share my idea more than once and possibly to a wider audience due to the need to explain its brilliance (sit down… be humble.)

All jokes aside, you have to embrace objections.

Because objections help you Murder Board (another topic for another post) your ideas and more importantly get extra eyes on the concept. The sharing part is critical because people tend to under-communicate their idea. Either they are too shy or too close to it to account for the audience and their lack of familiarity. A good breakdown of this is found in Adam Grant’s book Originals.

“When Harvard professor John Kotter studied change agents years ago, he found that they typically under-communicated their visions by a factor of ten. On average, they spoke about the direction of the change ten times less often than their stakeholders needed to hear it. In one three-month period, employees might be exposed to 2.3 million words and numbers. On average, during that period, the vision for change was expressed in only 13,400 words and numbers: a 30-minute speech, an hour-long meeting, a briefing, and a memo. Since more than 99 percent of the communication that employees encounter during those three months does not concern the vision, how can they be expected to understand it, let alone internalize it? The change agents don’t realize this, because they’re up to their ears in information about their vision.”

That’s a very long way of saying tell ‘em, then tell ‘em again, then keep telling them.

Your ideas are just that: yours. Most people won’t adopt them until they feel like the idea is their own. And it takes time to get comfortable. If you are truly confident in and committed to your idea, take the time to beat the living

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Advertising

Understanding NFTs (And Why You Should Care) | LOOMIS Explains

The Loomis Agency Posted On April 12, 2021

Two weeks ago, I was recording a podcast at Luminous Sound Studios with two friends who, like me, are marketing and advertising-savvy 50-somethings and our conversation wound its way to NFTs and the implication of their legitimacy and acceptance. While we had a cursory knowledge of the concepts, it’s fair to say that in that moment none of us could have written a persuasive essay on the topic. That’s when our engineer and intern – both 20-somethings – chimed in and spent the next 30 minutes explaining the intimate details of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), blockchain, cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, Ethereum and why this is anything but a passing fad.

For those new to NFTs, “non-fungible tokens” are digital tokens that are tied to assets that can be bought, sold, and traded. Think a certificate of authentication for a “one of one” asset in cyberspace – an original piece of digital art, an official digital snapshot of an iconic moment in an NBA game, your proof of ownership for a piece of virtual California property in an alternate digital multiverse. A recent TIME feature article explained NFTs this way:

NFTs are best understood as computer files combined with proof of ownership and authenticity, like a deed. Like cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, they exist on a blockchain—a tamper-resistant digital public ledger. But like dollars, cryptocurrencies are “fungible,” meaning one bitcoin is always worth the same as any other bitcoin. By contrast, NFTs have unique valuations set by the highest bidder, just like a Rembrandt or a Picasso. Artists who want to sell their work as NFTs have to sign up with a marketplace, then “mint” digital tokens by uploading and validating their information on a blockchain (typically the Ethereum blockchain, a rival platform to Bitcoin). Doing so usually costs anywhere from $40 to $200. They can then list their piece for auction on an NFT marketplace, similar to eBay.

Clearly, there’s a lot to unpack about NFTs, blockchain, and the raging debate about whether the whole crypto-phenomenon is the future of capitalism or the emperor’s new clothes. Regardless of where you net out on the discussion, the acceptance of NFT legitimacy has clearly reached a tipping point, and the size and volume of recent transactions suggest there’s a massive investment wave that’s only beginning to grow.

According to the TIME article referenced above, in 2020, collectors and speculators spent $250 million on NFT-based artwork, memes, and GIFs. In just the past month, collectors and speculators have spent more than $200 million. That’s mind-boggling, but not surprising when you consider some of the most notable recent transactions and these equally staggering numbers from nonfungible.com, the largest database of blockchain gaming and crypto collectible markets:

All-time, the top 10 NFT dealers have sold digital assets in excess of $433.8 million
In just the past seven days, the same top 10 NFT dealers sold assets topping $33.7 million.
On March 11, a digital artist known as Beeple set a record for digital art selling a single piece at famed auction house Christie’s for more than $69 million
Recently, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey put an NFT of his first Tweet up for auction – it’s expected to fetch more than $2.5 million

Since its launch in October, the NBA’s Top Shot platform that sells digital highlights from its games has generated more than $390 million in sales.

What’s even more fascinating about these highly speculative purchases is that while buying an NFT gives the buyer a “token” that authenticates their ownership of an image, or video clip, it does not give them the ownership of the copyright to that content.

For instance, the record-setting Beeple artwork called “Everydays: The First 5,000 Days” is actually a .jpeg of a digital collage made up of the 5,000 digital images artist Mike Winkelmann created between May 1, 2007 and January 7, 2021. The man who purchased the .jpeg for north of $69 million owns that image, but not the 5,000 images in it and does not have the right to sell or use those images in any way. Winkelmann retains the copyright and, in fact, sold one of the 5,000 images that make up “Everydays” in March for $6 million on the NFT marketplace Nifty Gateway.

Are NFTs The Future Of Marketing?

Admittedly, art speculation and collectibles are nothing new and, in that capacity, NFTs make sense. Frankly, they offer artists who would normally be overlooked and underpaid a lucrative new revenue stream. But what of all the talk that NFTs will revolutionize marketing and change capitalism as we know it? As with every new technology or platform, those of us in marketing and advertising are keenly interested in how NFTs and future migration to the multiverse, especially among younger generations, can be leveraged to reach consumers in new and engaging ways.

Just as art speculation turns on the concept of scarcity, so too do many aspects of marketing. I recently purchased some theatre tickets and as I was considering which section I wanted to sit in, a note came up that told me only 16 seats were left in that section. I choose my seats and a five-minute countdown clock started reminding me I was on borrowed time to make my final purchase before losing my seats. Don’t wait! Act now! Get them before they’re gone!

As consumers, we’re highly accustomed to the Limited Time Only (LTO) promotions that come and go throughout the year. The Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. The McDonald’s McRib. Samuel Adams Winter Lager. The Presidents Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day sales at every mattress company, furniture store, and car dealership. Girl Scout Cookies.

Last Fall, when COVID shut down the Texas State Fair, Golden Chick partnered with Fletcher’s to sell their beloved corny dogs at Golden Chick locations and sold 475,000 of them. When framed and marketed well, scarcity works. Scarcity sells.

The literal multi-billion dollar question is how can we use the scarcity built into NFTs to drive marketing and help brands connect with consumers? Like NFTs themselves, answering that requires a whole different kind of thinking.

In the very near future, advertising agencies and marketing firms may include digital art departments that constantly create new brand-related cyberassets that can be sold to the most insatiable fans of a brand. If someone is willing to spend upwards of $2.5 million for a .jpeg of Jack Dorsey’s first Tweet, what might an official image of the Golden Arches go for? Or a Marilyn Monroe bottle of Coca-Cola? Or Ford’s new Mustang that’s better for the environment? What kind of revenue might a series of images featuring pints of different Ben & Jerry’s flavors from Banksy, or Beeple, or the next great artist generate in the NFT marketplace?

In the very near future, thanks to NFTs, promotions may look different and be safer. Since NFT ownership is public and inarguable thanks to the digital transparency of blockchain, could NFTs render the promotional fraud that rocked the McDonald’s Monopoly game a moot point? Could the technology be used to lower coupon fraud, eliminate duplication issues and even help deliver customized, one-to-one offers to a brand’s most loyal customers?

In the very near future, loyalty programs could lean on NFT technology to create more engaging, personal, valuable connections with brand evangelists. Imagine, the most loyal customers being granted elite access to exclusive content only they could own. Better yet, imagine brands creating customer-specific content with an NFT that proves it was created just for them.

There’s a lot to think about. But one thing remains certain – the future is coming fast.

MIKE SULLIVAN is president and CEO at LOOMIS, the country’s leading challenger brand advertising agency and a top Dallas advertising agency for digital, social, mobile and user experience. For more about challenger branding, advertising and marketing, leadership, culture and other inspirations that will drive your success, visit our blog BARK! The Voice of the Underdog and catch up on all of our posts.

For more about LOOMIS, or to discuss how we can help your company succeed, CLICK HERE

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Advertising / Digital Agency

Historic Dallas Synagogue selects Tegan for New Digital Presence

Tegan Digital Posted On April 12, 2021

Temple Emanu-El will partner with Tegan Digital to redesign and rebuild their current website. Located in the heart of Dallas, Temple Emanu-El has served the city’s Jewish community for nearly 150 years. The synagogue is known for its welcoming spirit that includes everyone from all walks of life, regardless of income, race, sexual orientation or physical or cognitive ability. As one of the country’s largest Jewish congregations, Temple Emanu-El has a legacy of social justice leadership, distinguished clergy and a renowned early childhood center.

With an updated digital presence, Temple Emanu-El hopes to better engage with both members and visitors, providing an online space that encourages connection and best reflects its diverse community.

“We are so excited to kick off our partnership with Tegan,” says Meredith Fried, Executive Director of Temple Emanu-El. “We want to cultivate sacred encounters among congregants and our community. With Tegan’s help, we hope to offer greater access to all of our engagement opportunities.”

The Dallas-based digital agency will partner with Temple Emanu-El to construct a new website, creating a more modernized, user-friendly experience. Tegan will use StoryBrand messaging to establish an online platform that best reflects the Temple’s inclusive mission. The website is expected to launch later this year.

“It’s an incredible opportunity to partner with such well-respected leaders in the community of faith,” said John Herrington, VP Client Services at Tegan Digital. “Temple Emanu-El exists for spiritual and communal relationships, and we can’t think of a better cause to be a part of.”

About Temple Emanu-El

Temple Emanu-El, the first Jewish congregation in North Texas, was founded in 1875 and is a vibrant Reform Jewish community that strives to be a place of sacred encounter. It is a place where learning, prayer and deeds change people’s understanding of themselves, of their world and their responsibilities in it. For more information, visit www.tedallas.org.

About Tegan Digital

Tegan Digital is an award-winning digital marketing agency based in Dallas, Texas. Tegan builds digital experiences that matter with partners ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies. For more information, visit www.tegan.io.

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AAF Dallas / Advertising

AAF District 10 Winners Are In | Check Them Out!

4As Posted On April 9, 2021

April 9, 2021
THE WINNERS ARE IN
On April 6, 2021, we learned that 21 professional entries and 14 student entries received gold, silver, or bronze awards at the 2021 District 10 American Advertising Awards!

Congratulations to The Richard’s Group for winning Judges Special Award for professionals, and Emil Miralda from Texas A&M University-Commerce at Dallas for winning Student Special Judges Award!

Professional Entries
Gold

Gold: The Shop Garrison Brothers Bottle Design Packaging Campaign
Gold: The Richards Group The Leaning Tower of Dallas 020 – Guerrilla Marketing
Gold: The Infinite Agency Traptize Ky 020 – Guerrilla Marketing
Gold: Children’s Health Children’s Health Gratitude Tunnel Out-Of-Home Installation
Gold: Groove Jones Givaudan Virtual TasteTrek Citrus Virtual Reality
Gold: The Marketing Arm DieHard is Back Regional/National Television Commercial
Gold: The Marketing Arm DieHard is Back Branded Content & Entertainment for Television
Gold: The Marketing Arm DieHard is Back Cinematography—Single
Silver

Silver: Johnson & Sekin Local Hive Packaging
Silver: Caliber Creative Greenhouse Vodka and Gin Packaging Campaign
Silver: Push. Push Holiday Gift 2020 Special Event Materials (printed or digital)
Silver: Propac Agency PepsiCo Retro at Kroger Social Media, Campaign
Silver: Richards/Lerma #HomemadeCinco Social Media, Campaign
Silver: The Matchbox Studio Bonton Farms Brochure 088C – Brochure/Sales Kit
Bronze

Bronze Productions Real. Local. Journalism. Local Television Commercial Campaign
Bronze Augustine Agency #2FAST2TASTY Integrated Advertising Campaign – Regional/National – Consumer
Bronze Kickstand Doctor Mallard Internet Commercial
Bronze Push. Dallas College Rebrand Integrated Brand Identity Campaign
Bronze Richards/Lerma Safeword: Colonoscopy Integrated Advertising Campaign – Regional/National – Consumer
Bronze The Matchbox Studio Red Gap Brewing Margarita Gose Packaging
Bronze The Shop Modern Pour Logo Design
Student Entries
Gold

Gold: Southern Methodist University 23andMe: The Story of You Meredith Welborn S19B – Campaign
Gold: Southern Methodist University Fight Nature with Nurture Grace Peek S07B – Campaign
Gold: Southern Methodist University Fight Nature with Nurture Grace Peek S09B – Campaign
Gold: Southern Methodist University Nair for Men Ethan Rios S23 – Copywriting
Gold: Texas A&M University – Commerce at Dallas Spotify – Set the Mood Emil Miralda S19B – Campaign
Silver

Silver: Southern Methodist University 23andMe: The Story of You Meredith Welborn S27B – Campaign
Silver: Southern Methodist University Fight the New Drug Meriel Upton S09B – Campaign
Silver: Southern Methodist University Nair for Men Ethan Rios S10D – Campaign
Silver: Texas A&M University- Commerce Change on the Inside Daria Tucker S21 – Consumer Campaign
Bronze

Bronze: Southern Methodist University Dallas Museum of Art Maria Archundia S13B – Campaign
Bronze: Southern Methodist University Feel Better Olivia Childs S11B – Campaign
Bronze: Southern Methodist University Marshall Amplification SophieVos S19A – Single
Bronze: Texas A&M University – Commerce War on Plastic Brandon Castelo S07B – Campaign
Bronze: University of North Texas 7-Eleven Branding Campaign Douglas May S22B – Integrated Brand Identity Campaign – Campaign
If you are a district Gold winner, your entry has already been advanced to the national level of competition at no cost to you.

AAF National will contact all Silver winners via email to ask if they want their Silver entry advanced to the national level of competition at an additional cost.

If you do not receive your Silver advancement email, you need to contact Amanda Dehart at AAF National.
Awards will be shipped to the local clubs’ American Advertising Award Chair for distribution. Duplicate District awards can be ordered HERE.

Our 2021 District 10 ADDY Judges:

Matt Hanson

Director of Digital Marketing Strategy | Digital Helium, LLC

Saint John, Indiana

John McCafferty

President/Creative Director | McCafferty Advertising

Louisville, Kentucky

Gil Arevalo

Lead Creative | Harley-Davidson

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Allison Robbins

CEO/Owner | Aspect 6 Creative

Muncie, Indiana

Congratulations and sincere thanks to all of those that participated!

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Advertising

Mod Op Receives Distinguished Texas Instruments 2020 Supplier Excellence Award

Mod Op Posted On April 8, 2021

Mod Op, a marketing communications agency with offices across the U.S. and an office in Latin America, is proud to announce that it has been selected to receive the Texas Instruments (TI) 2020 Supplier Excellence Award for a fifth year overall. Only 26 winners were honored and recognized this year from a list of more than 12,000 suppliers.

“The recognition of this award is a direct result of our team’s long-standing relationship with TI,” said Eric J. Bertrand, CEO, Mod Op. “This partnership has grown exponentially since we first started working with the company over a decade ago, and we look forward to new opportunities and more success in the future.”

This annual award recognizes TI suppliers who exemplify the highest levels of excellence and emphasize continuous improvement efforts to set higher goals and achieve greater customer results. Recipients are an elite group of suppliers chosen for their exemplary performance in the areas of cost, environmental and social responsibility, technology, responsiveness, assurance of supply and quality.

“Mod Op receiving this award for a fifth year over the length of our partnership with the agency shows the exemplary value the team brings to the work we do,” said Nancy Kelly, VP of digital marketing, TI. “The agency consistently creates detail-oriented, creative and innovative strategies and results for us, continually proving themselves as an overall great supplier.”

Mod Op provides media management and social media services to TI, including analytics and optimization, content and program implementation, media planning, program development and strategic planning. The Mod Op team previously received this award in 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

For more information on Mod Op, visit: https://www.modop.com/.

About Mod Op

Mod Op is a full-service marketing communications agency focused on using the right methods to help our clients capitalize on their opportunities. Mod Op services for both B2C and B2B markets include brand strategy, advertising, digital marketing and public relations. In addition, through the agency’s technology group, Mod Op offers web and app UX/UI, development and maintenance. With offices in New York, Dallas, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Portland, Minneapolis and Panama City, Panama, Mod Op pairs data and innovation with expertise to best serve clients across the U.S. and Latin America. For additional information, please visit Mod Op’s website.

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Advertising

Slingshot Advertising Offers Spring 2021 Consumer Forecast: Fresh Signs of Normal?

Slingshot Posted On March 31, 2021

It wasn’t even six months ago when marketers were scratching their heads trying to figure out how and when things might start returning to normal. What would it take to get consumers to start buying and behaving like they used to?

Today, as millions of Americans are being vaccinated against COVID-19 each week, we might at last have our answer. And that possibility is certainly reflected in Slingshot’s most recent consumer forecast.

We surveyed 210 consumers on a variety of topics, and the insights are telling for marketers in most every consumer category.

Here are our top five takeaways:

1. More consumers are feeling less worried.

Though concerns still exist among large portions of the population, consumers are showing less overall anxiety about COVID-19 than anytime in the past year. 45% of consumers are less anxious now about COVID-19 than they were at the start of the year, a trend certain to accelerate as the vaccine rollouts widen.

Consumer COVID Concern

And while younger audiences show less concern than older audiences, the numbers are noteworthy across the board as people begin to feel more confident about getting out again.

2. Travel intentions and travel budgets continue to rise.

After a year of consumers making fewer non-essential purchases, not only is there plenty of demand in certain sectors, there’s also the money to pay for it. For instance, in the travel sector, people who put off taking vacations during the lockdown are now eager to make up for lost time.

Travel intention is up a whopping 30% from the winter, with a full 60% of all respondents intending to take a leisure trip before summer. That’s great news for travel brands. What’s more, those numbers hold up across all age groups and income levels, pointing to some serious demand among consumers to get out of the house this spring.

Travel Intention Spring

Better yet for travel brands is that many of these consumers actually plan to increase their travel spending. 85% of respondents expect to spend more or the same amount as they did on their last trip, with only 15% expecting to spend less.

And there’s more good news for destinations: older audiences in particular are primed for longer trips, with more than half of travelers age 60 and older intending to travel for five nights or longer.

Casinos also appear primed for a comeback, with multiple respondents citing trips to Vegas or other gambling destinations for their next vacations. And while more people still intend to travel to destinations they’ve been to before, trips to new destinations are up over ten percent from the winter, suggesting more adventurous forms of travel may be in the offing this spring.

3. Hints of a brick and mortar comeback.

The desire to get out and spend more goes beyond travel. For example, the combination of the changing seasons and the continued vaccine rollout are driving more people back into restaurants, with intentions to dine out up 25% from the winter.

In fact, those who plan to dine out more often outnumber those who intend to scale back by nearly two to one. And among affluent audiences? A staggering 87% plan to eat out more often this spring.

But there’s a bigger story here, as people are also foregoing other services in lieu of more in-person experiences. Examples include:

Six in ten consumers plan to start shopping less for groceries online
67% intend to shop in-person at grocery stores more often
40% intend to get back in the gym, up nearly 10% from the winter

Put it all together and what we see is an ever-increasing desire among more consumers to get back out in the world and enjoy more of the experiences they were forced to forego during the lockdown.

4. Weekends are the gateway to getting out.

As the following graph makes quite clear, diners are most likely to venture back out to restaurants during the weekend, with the lunch and dinner day parts leading the charge.

Dining Behavior Spring

Retailers of all stripes should take note, as we believe this reflects a broader trend in the marketplace. Busy, time-strapped consumers, many of whom are still working from home, are most likely to venture out and spend more during the weekends when they’re off the clock.

5. Keep an eye on affluent segments.

While there is good news relating to consumer segments in all age and income groups, extra attention should still be paid to more affluent targets (HHI $175k+), especially as it relates to discretionary or elective spending. Not only is this the audience least impacted by the downturn, many also managed to save money over the past year as well.

In other words, they currently have the most cash to spend while also showing the desire to get out and spend it. Versus the general population, affluent audiences are:

Up to 15% more likely to dine out on weekends
15% more likely to dine out at least once a week
16% more likely to take leisure trips of five nights or more
27% more likely to travel by air
11% more likely to stay at a resort
26% more likely to return to the gym or buy a membership
Nearly 20% more likely to purchase exercise equipment

In other words, following the money might be the smartest way of all to boost business this spring.

Judging by this forecast, it appears that springtime might bring some sunny days to marketers who have been in the dark for much of the past year. And the best news of all may be what’s lurking behind these encouraging numbers: COVID-19 anxiety is still the number one thing keeping most consumers from shopping, buying, dining, and traveling. That means there’s still plenty of upside ahead, and we may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to consumer demand. We’ll be keeping a close eye on all of these trends to see exactly which way the marketplace is headed come summer.

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