On January 25th and 26th, five Media Works team members virtually attended the 4A’s Decisions 2021 conference. We heard from industry leaders such as Bill Koenigsberg from Horizon Media, platforms like TikTok and media companies like EffecTV and CBS. This is the first in a series of blogs that will outline what we learned.
There were 2 main themes of the conference:
The changes in the world in recent months, more dramatic changes than in the previous 50 years. Our industry will help to shape decisions to move forward. The privacy, and cookie deterioration changes coming into effect leave no clear path forward. The advertising industry must unify to navigate the changes to innovate toward new ways of targeting and measurement.
Diversity and inclusion. Learn more about The 4A’s Media Leadership Council’s Five-Point Media Commitment here. Tiffany R. Warren, the newly appointed Executive Vice President, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Sony Music, shared insights to incorporate for better practices:
- Companies must change their DNA for DE&I to work, and it must be built in. If it is “bolted on” it won’t work or stick.
- Need for transparency of data, and marrying that humanity
- Designate a Diversity leader as part of the business conversation
The 4A’s Decision conference is a strong indicator of what is top of mind in the industry every year. We expect the diversity and inclusion discussions and cookie discussions to dominate many forums as the year progresses.
While the knowledge and insight we get virtually is invaluable, we miss networking with our colleagues, seeing old friends, and making new connections. Hopefully these conferences can go back to in-person somewhere down the road. Stay tuned for more content highlights from the conference!