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12/19/12 | Uncategorized

Why Women Will Shape The Advertising Landscape In 2013

Four female-driven trends shape the advertising landscape in 2013.

By Amy Vale (VP Global Research & Strategic Communications, Mojiva)

Mobile is still in a very nascent stage and is far from reaching its culmination. The industry has at least another five to ten years to see a real mobile investment come from the big spenders in advertising. What’s apparent, and won’t change any time soon, is that the definition of mobile has and will continue to evolve, shift and improve as consumer trends/behaviors, technologies, platforms and research emerge. And, the major players are changing too.

Looking back at this year, I’ve spent a lot of time entrenched within the mobile realm – attending industry conferences across the globe, hosting research-driven workshops in the U.S. and U.K., and collaborating with brands to implement a mobile-first strategy to all areas of their advertising campaigns.

No matter where I went, I saw women contributing to the advertising landscape in a number of ways. Marissa Mayer took over the leadership reigns at Yahoo; agencies such as Draftfcb appointed female executives into C-level roles, such as Linda Wu (Chief Operating Officer) and Vita Harris (Global Chief Strategy Officer); today ten of the key leaders for the PepsiCo brand are female.

Here are four female-driven trends that will shape the advertising landscape in 2013.

1.) Women will make gains as “talkers” in advertising.

As a business woman, there are always a handful of industry conferences and events that will deliver ROI for the company, and as a result, demand a fully immersive presence. The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Advertising Week and Mobile World Congress conferences are among the select few where it makes sense to amplify our presence through fully integrated events, communications, digital and social campaigns. Although many panels and forum sessions were led by men, I couldn’t help but notice more C-level women took on speaking/panel roles.

But that doesn’t mean all hope is lost or that women, in some way or another, haven’t already begun to make their voices heard as experts and panel speakers in the advertising, digital, mobile and technology space. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Huffington Post President and Editor-In-Chief Arianna Huffington. She’s always been one of those exceptional female leaders who can get me (and millions of others) to sit up, listen and be charged up to create those “big ideas” that don’t simply connect and engage consumers, but deliver big results. At Advertising Week 2012, she talked about the importance of getting people to disconnect from the Internet – a discussion rarely spoken of in advertising, let alone by a woman. It was great to see that happen simply because, if consumers disconnect and as a result become more refreshed, are they more likely to act on an advertisement?

2.) Female CMOs are shaping company branding, messaging and business growth.

CMO roles are no longer limited to men these days. We’re seeing, and will continue to see, more women shaping and defining company branding, communications, messaging, market positioning and research. Just a few months ago, Ad Age revealed that Gatorade – a brand synonymous with male-dominated sports and athleticism – is run by women. And there’s also Ad Age’s influential list of “Women to Watch” profiling the likes of Burger King CMO Flavia Faugeres and Conde Naste Entertainment President Dawn Ostroff.

3.) Be ambitious with advertising goals. (Challenge status quo).

In a headline that calls out for attention – “A Gender Reversal on Career Aspirations” – the Pew Research Center reports that two-thirds of young women now say “being successful in a high-paying career or profession” is one of the most important goals in their lives. Two-thirds (66%) of young women ages 18 to 34 rate career high on their list of life priorities, compared to 59% of young men. Being ambitious by nature can be very beneficial for the brands where women work, too. It can help them challenge the status quo within their corporate infrastructure, while delivering greater results and ROI.

4.) Be an educator, always.

Educating is a key part of the female DNA and one that will be seen as crucial in elevating companies – whether you’re a brand, agency or mobile ad tech startup like Mojiva Inc. The mobile industry, in particular, is still very fluid and undergoing new changes every day. To keep up with these changes, it’s important to not just absorb new research and insights, but also contribute to it and lead the discussion across every touch point of your business.

Editor’s note: Got a question for our guest blogger? Leave a message in the comments below.

About the guest blogger: Amy Vale is VP of Global Research and Strategic Communications at Mojiva, a leading global advertising display company. The mobile ad network reaches over 1.1 billion unique devices globally each month. Mocean Mobile, the mobile ad-serving platform, powers mobile revenue opportunities for publishers, developers, ad networks and app stores by giving them the ability to serve display ads to all mobile devices including smartphones and tablets. Follow her on Twitter at @amyvale.

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