Digital Marketing Musings

What were the top digital media trends in Q2 of 2021? From paid search to Amazon and more, Gaia and Andreah connect with Merkle digital advertising expert Marion Gendron to learn more about these top trends and take a deeper dive into what organizations need to understand about these changes. Find out which areas for Google, Instagram, and others ramped up and what industries saw the most positive rebound. Listeners will learn about: • Year over year performance across channels • How Prime Day moving to June impacted Amazon performance • Industry-level insights in paid search and organic search • Spend shifts across paid social platforms Resources • Q2 2021 Digital Marketing Report (https://www2.merkleinc.com/l/47252/2021-08-19/8qnjq5)

Digital marketing within the financial services industry requires unique strategies for targeting consumers, complying with legal requirements, managing brand reputation, and more. Gaia and Andreah dive into these best practices with Merkle experts Chris Lawson, senior manager of paid search; Dan Kuzio, senior manager of media; and Libby Knowles, senior specialist of SEO. Topics of discussion include: • Differences in advertising between financial services and other verticals • Considerations for targeting consumers and combating competition • How to manage brand reputation in financial services • The pandemic’s effect on the industry

The topic of audience identification typically emphasizes paid media conversion. However, looking at SEO data can really be a benefit to solving the puzzle. Gaia and Andrea look at audience development through the SEO-first lens with Merkle guests Kacie Gaudiose, SEO strategy content lead; Jen DeGiovanni, senior director of client strategy; and Evan Nicholson, senior director of digital experience. Topics of discussion • How to conduct an SEO data analysis • The importance of looking at SEO data first • Search as a tool for audience intent and performance behavior • Applying SEO findings to other channels

Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) uses direct-to-patient outreach to guide diagnosed cancer patients and caregivers through the treatment journey. Gaia and Andrew welcome guests Ivan Stamenov, VP of marketing operations and technology, CTCA and Trevor Hadick, senior manager, media analytics at Merkle for a deep dive into the organization’s embrace of OTT and its benefits. Topics of discussion: • The measurability offered with OTT and analytics • Audience segmentation & addressability • Cookieless attribution • Optimization with tracking data • Exact reach and frequency • Limitations and recommendations

What is advanced TV? And, how does it differ from traditional TV buys? Andrea and Gaia welcome guest Andy Fisher, Head of Merkury Advanced TV at Merkle to dive into how high-quality data transforms planning, insights, activation, and measurement for audience-based linear, addressable, connected, premium online video and, you name it — television. Topics of discussion: o How person-based marketing and big data adoption works in television. o The shift in advertising budgets holding media spend accountable and the quest for ROI. o Incremental reach, and why there’s such massive growth in the media business through demand and inventory, following trends in audio. o Cross-channel planning and measurement. o How digital (SEM, SEO, paid social, display) supports advanced TV.

As life begins to return to some degree of normalcy, it’s important for marketers to understand pandemic-driven behaviors that will stick around post-pandemic, and what behaviors will revert to pre-pandemic levels, especially when planning for back to school season. Andreah and Gaia are joined by guests, Erin Spice, Senior Director of Digital Strategy and Rachel Monfre, Associate Director of Digital Strategy, who discuss the purpose of the Quarterly Media Insights Report and the value that the Q3 2021 Media Insight Report offers to brands that are seeking to jumpstart their planning efforts for the next quarter by gleaning insight into current digital trends. Topics discussed: COVID-19 recovery; half of the U.S. population has received their first vaccination Recognizing the different stages of recovery and meeting consumers with empathy Travel trends and revenge travel as people are eager to return to pre-pandemic behavior Back to School shopping priorities and the transition for students to return to schools Live audio’s rapid growth driven by the pandemic and ways for marketers to implement it into their marketing strategy Using text messaging to connect with consumers Managing awareness of health with wearables to diagnose health conditions, fitness tracking, etc.

In-store shopping, restaurants, live music, dance lessons… As physical locations and venues begin to open up, what should digital marketers be thinking about to make sure online programs can fully support offline locations for the coming surge of demand?

Now that over half of adults in the US have already received at least the first dose of a vaccine, what are some of the expectations around consumers’ willingness to travel? Andreah and Gaia welcome guests, Vanessa Cooper, Senior Director at Merkle and Alissa Lisi, SEO Account Manager at Merkle, who take a deep dive into the current trends in the travel industry, popular types of travel, what to expect over the summer, and the current state of domestic and international travel. Topics discussed are: • Brands are starting to recover; travel is actually beginning to gain momentum • Travel sentiment has shifted from “travel shaming” to over 60% of consumers now being willing to travel • The impact of vaccine rollouts and travel restrictions on marketing campaign performance • Revenge travel and business travel • How to use SEO marketing to amplify safety measures

What were the top digital media trends in Q1 of 2021? From paid search to SEO and more, Gaia and Andreah connect with Merkle digital advertising expert Marion Gendron to learn more about these top trends and take a deeper dive into what organizations need to understand about these changes. Find out which areas for Google, Amazon, and others ramped up and what industries saw the most positive rebound. Listeners will learn about: • How search on Google changed in Q1 • The latest trends and inventory changes with Amazon ads (Products, Sponsored Brands) • Updates observed within display and social ads • Bold predictions for the future Resources: Q1 2021 Digital Marketing Report (https://www2.merkleinc.com/l/47252/2021-04-30/8pgrg8) The Key Trends in Digital Marketing in Q1 2021 (https://www2.merkleinc.com/l/47252/2021-04-30/8pgrdx)

Creating unique loyalty experiences is important for delivering continual value to customers. What are the current trends in loyalty solutions, and how can loyalty programs help businesses prepare for the deprecation of third-party cookies? Gaia and Andreah spoke with Jayme Gehrke, Senior Director of Business Development, to learn more about loyalty program solutions and their critical role in building first-party data. Listeners will learn about: · What loyalty programs are and current trends in the space · The outcomes advertisers seek to achieve through loyalty programs · Loyalty in the context of the cookieless future · The interplay between performance media and loyalty programs Resources: · 2021 Loyalty Barometer Report (https://www2.merkleinc.com/l/47252/2021-03-22/8p2f2m) · 2021 Loyalty Barometer: A Guide to the Evolution of Consumer Loyalty (https://www.merkleinc.com/blog/2021-loyalty-barometer-guide-evolution-consumer-loyalty) · How to Enrich Your First-Party Data to Build Better Experiences (https://www.merkleinc.com/blog/how-enrich-your-first-party-data-build-better-experiences)