Amanda Wallingford
Associate Director, Programmatic at New Engen
Website Address: newengen.com
Each week on “Media Champions,” our host talks to media experts across the country. This week our host speaks with Amanda Wallingford from New Engen. To learn more, check out https://newengen.com
What is the biggest change in marketing that you see coming in the next 2 years?
The best thing about our industry is its evolving landscape. While many changes and updates are on the horizon, one of the more exciting ones is the growth of interactive content. We’re seeing a shift from our traditional text-based ads towards user engaging ads like quizzes and polls, calculators, AR ads, and interactive videos. Interactive content can personalize and immerse online users and data is confirming this. Reports by Digital Media Stream and Outgrow have reported that interactivity keeps the attention of users resulting in a 591% lift in user activity and has been shown to increase conversions by 40-50%. Demand Gen reports that 91% of buyers are actively searching for more interactive content. I believe 2022 will continue to see growth in interactive content and be a very important change, especially with the deprecation of the third party cookie. Now is the time to make ads more engaging and interesting for the consumer.
Are their any trade organizations or groups that you belong to?
No
What is the advantage to working with an outside media buyer as opposed to having just an internal marketing director?
There are many advantages of working with an outside agency and its expert media buyers. When a company partners with New Engen, they receive an entire team with decades of experience among them. We’re able to collaborate with internal peers, share testing results, and account and vertical learnings from experiences across our large client book of business. We can compare omnichannel results and optimize across the full marketing channel. In addition to the agility of working with an experienced team at New Engen, the client also benefits by accessible technology. We have access to high minimum DSPs and other platforms. The client can take advantage of agency rates and beta testing which may not be available for independent accounts. We also have an entire team dedicated to research and strategy to keep current on all the new trends and information.
What is one tip that you would give when it comes to media planning?
My favorite tip is to leverage omnichannel marketing. By planning multiple channels across a client’s strategy, we’re able to consider cross channel insights to maximize media dollars and ensure all of eggs aren’t in one basket. An omnichannel strategy allows us fluidity to optimize to performance in real time across multiple platforms and channels.
How does a media buyer stay on top of trends with media placement?
We have a highly collaborative environment within New Engen, which is a great way to keep up to date, share and learn from QBRs, insights, and test results to name a few. In addition to collaboration, we have a dedicated research and strategy team to keep us up to date with industry news, trends and macro market impacts. Our team is diligent about researching new partners and continually educating ourselves in this evolving industry. We’re also a Premier Google Partner, which puts us in the top 3% of participating companies.
