Advertising has always been – and will continue to be – a service industry, a people business. It’s one that relies on distinctly human contributions: ideas, creativity, connection, story-telling.

Read more from Digiday 

Richard Branson once said, “Train people well enough so they can leave, but treat them well enough so they don’t want to.” Our industry in particular has always been – and will continue to be – a service industry, a people focused business. One that relies on distinctly human contributions: ideas, creativity, connection, story-telling. As a result, we need to be asking ourselves this: are we setting our talent up for success? Are we giving them good reasons to stay and even greater skills when they decide to go? If the answers are no, then let’s consider this possibility: it’s time to change the way we work.

Given Centro’s intense focus on employee happiness and well-being, we decided to survey the digital labor force to assess what the state of our people tell us about the fate of our industry. Partnering with Digiday, we surveyed nearly 400 professionals from both the buy and sell-side, across all functions and levels of seniority. More than 40 percent said they would leave their current positions in the next year – or less. Considering the cost (both time and money) it takes to recruit, hire and ramp our talent, this is pretty alarming. The pessimist would say we’re not giving our talent a reason to stay at a company for meaningful lengths of time. The optimist point-of-view? In this hot job market it is way too easy for people to jump to (presumably) greener pastures elsewhere. But there are some bright spots. In fact, 35 percent of respondents said they’re satisfied with their current jobs, and 22 percent said they’re very satisfied. More significantly, 65 percent said their jobs absolutely meaningfully contribute to their companies. If this is the case, why would people consider leaving? And short of a unilateral pay hike, what can we do about it?

To start, think about how we can make our employees’ jobs more meaningful. Studies have shown that feelings of contribution have actually been linked to employee engagement. When asked about their greatest challenges, respondents focused on insufficient resources and the tools to do their job. This is especially ironic given that we work in an industry that reveres the shiny new object, app, and tool. And, understandable that asking employees to do their jobs with antiquated or inadequate platforms and technology solutions would lead to frustration. Although we have seen consolidation in this industry, it hasn’t led to consolidation of systems and logins. In other words, the rising tide of mergers and acquisitions has yet to impact our people on the front lines. Nearly half of respondents say they have to log in to four to six different software platforms to do their job, and 30 percent say they use seven or more. With technology so closely linked to employee productivity, we must seize opportunities to consolidate data and functionality into a single system of record that gives a holistic view across media channels.

Here’s another wakeup call: a full quarter of survey respondents said ad tech vendors are “not too helpful” or “not helpful” at all in easing their workload burdens. An additional 52 percent said they’re only “somewhat helpful.” Said differently, 75 percent indicate their ad tech partners are somewhat helpful – or worse! Damned by faint praise, indeed. This problem is especially acute for media buyers and planners, 80 percent of whom rely on outside ad tech vendors to accomplish their jobs. By the numbers, 56 percent of buyers and planners work with one to three partners during a typical campaign, while 31 percent are juggling four to seven. Considering that these outside vendors’ sole reason for being is to offer services that make media professionals’ lives easier and campaigns more effective, this is a wake-up call to vendors: give greater value and utility – and quickly.

We also took a deeper look at media planners and buyers specifically to get a sense of where, exactly, needs the most improvement. Not surprisingly, analysis and optimization were identified as the areas that need the most training, followed by planning and buying. We asked these same workers to choose the two tasks that occupied the most time in their day-to-day, and these same areas continued to dominate. Additionally, reporting was conveyed as requiring relatively little training (under ten percent), but that it takes a significant amount of time to do (44 percent). This makes sense because it’s a task dependent on data and other output from multiple sources, which includes the often messy task of reconciling information received from many different partners. It’s easy to see how this could be a sore point.

No one is calling for a workplace revolution quite yet, but clearly, we can do better. It’s time to give our talent one of the most critical tools for success – and that’s time back in their day. Time for creativity, time for strategic thinking, or even time to have less work in their life – or more life in their work. It’s time to change the way we work. To use technology not just to make our media dollars go farther and our campaigns more effective, but to better the lives of everyone in our business.

What an exciting and compelling mission. I can’t wait to see what 2016 will bring.

To learn more about what the state of our peoples tells us about the fate of our industry, download the entire Digiday report here.

In a world with big-box retailers like WalMart, Lowes, and Home Depot on virtually every corner, it’s often a struggle for smaller manufacturers to drive share and awareness in such a competitive space. For that reason, Char-Griller, a small, family-owned grills and smokers business, came to Centro in need of some digital expertise.

Char-Griller was new to digital, having been more previously focused on traditional, low-cost marketing efforts like local print and mailers in the past. In order to compete with the advertising initiatives (and big names) of the larger brands, the client needed something a bit more powerful and impactful – digital. Char-Griller had three main objectives: to drive sales conversions at retail stores, engage and build audiences, and drive a baseline for advertising spend/results. In addition, the client wanted to target an audience of men ages 25 to 54 with a household income of $50,000 to 75,000, as well as run a test with the Hispanic audience as a secondary focus. With these goals as fuel, Char-Griller and its agency partner, Daisy Media Company, sought out to ignite a digital flame – a fire that they were hoping would lead to an increase in sales and customers. And it just so happened that Centro was the perfect match.

Using a combination of approaches, including display, social, video and search tactics, we helped the client drive awareness, engagement, intent to purchase, and conversions among its target audiences. We also leveraged our DSP to extend the client’s reach among future intenders and audiences through the use of historical learnings and data. Furthermore, programmatic technology allowed us to quickly shift dollars mid-campaign towards the sites and channels that were performing better, which meant that we were able to maximize Char-Griller’s budget by only funding what actually worked. Paid search was a key inclusion, garnering performance more than four times the industry average. Collectively, these approaches helped the campaign efficiently deliver incremental sales, beat industry performance standards, and come in at a lower eCPM than initially planned for, thus providing for additional added value impressions.

Overall, Char-Griller saw a 6.4 percent increase in sales of the products advertised with us, which equates to a five times return on investment! The client and agency partners were more than pleased with the final outcome and hope to be able to renew at an even higher level with Centro for next year.

At Centro, we offer a modern approach to digital media. With over 13 years and 100,000 campaigns to our name, we leverage advanced technology, proven tactics, and industry expertise to build campaigns around the channels and platforms that drive the greatest results for our client’s specific business needs. People and technology are at the heart of Centro, and are the essential parts in every #CentroInAction story.

Read more on MediaPost

You may have heard - 2015 was a bigger and better year for digital advertising than even the most generous predictions called for. In addition, the mobile movement is in full swing and consumers are spending more time on more devices and screens now than they ever have before. This exciting growth calls for greater planning around the way in which messages and programs are being consumed across all points of interaction, from print to in-store, online and beyond. Today, the path to purchase for consumers is far from linear and presents tremendous new opportunities for marketers. This shift to cross-channel consumption, however, also presents a whole new set of challenges.

Earlier this year Kelly Wenzel, Chief Marketing Officer at Centro and Gunnard Johnson, SVP of Media Data & Analytics, presented a webinar to address these challenges in front of marketers. The webinar covers how a cross-channel strategy can go beyond just tactics to include a concrete performance plan.

If you’re considering cross-strategy tactics to create more robust, performance-based campaigns in 2016, this is information you need to know.

To learn how to execute this approach, watch the recording of the webinar now!

Since Centro’s inception, we’ve had one goal: to improve the lives of the people behind the campaigns. That’s why we created media management software to help people reach their business goals better, faster and more efficiently than ever before. In an industry of rapid growth, it’s imperative to have the best people tackling the toughest challenges and developing better solutions.

Interested in joining the Centro team? Check out our hottest tech openings of the week and apply today!

Data Architect – San Francisco, CA

We are seeking outstanding and forward-thinking data architect to help manage our ever-growing information needs and answer increasingly complex business questions. You will help us build and evolve our data infrastructure and related SaaS products that process, transform and analyze data resulting from over 100 billion transactions every day. Utilizing the latest technologies, our platform applies leading edge techniques in data science and engineering to gleen invaluable insights and provides automated optimization for our customers.

Software Engineer, Rails – Chicago, IL

Are you excited by the possibility of simplifying and streamlining the complexities of the digital advertising industry?  As a software engineer at Centro you’ll spend your days building out new products while updating and expanding our existing offerings and driving revenue for both Centro and those who use our products.   Our software is all about making media planners smarter and more creative, so come join our team.

Senior Software Engineer, Platform – Real Time Bidding – Toronto, Canada

In this role, you will be responsible for building out new products while updating and expanding our existing offerings. Core functions include developing on and improving Centro’s highly scalable real-time bidding (RTB) platform, which processes 60 billion auctions, each within 100 milliseconds, every day. You will actively participate on our team and help drive innovation for new products and services. Our software engineers enjoy rolling up their sleeves and writing code.

Welcome back to #PollingPalooza2015. Every week throughout November, we will be polling you, the people, to not only test your digital knowledge, but to help you understand the key issues in advertising today. Did we mention some cool swag is up for grabs? So use your voice, cast your vote, and join us for #PollingPalooza2015!

Well folks, the final question of November is here. With Thanksgiving on the horizon and the impending craziness of Black Friday set to overtake the US, we thought a retail question would be ideal. This year REI (Recreational Equipment Inc), one of the largest retail stores for outdoor gear and apparel, is closing its doors on Black Friday, dubbing the movement #OptOutside. Is this a wise move on such a huge retail day? Vote below and let us know what you think!

At 26, I’m still at the beginning stage of my career in advertising. Yet, as cliché as it may sound, I wish I knew then, what I know now. At least in regards to what I learned during Kelly Wenzel’s presentation at the annual Advertising Women of New York (AWNY) Advertising Career Conference earlier today. As the CMO at Centro, Kelly hasn’t gotten to where she is today without hard work and a few obstacles along the way. A vice president of marketing by the time she was 30, her career path has been one that many dream of – myself included. Which is why her presentation on the “Five Tips to Fast-Track Your Career” seemed to truly resonate with the 400+ crowd of young college students and recent grads eager to get their feet in the door and on the path toward a similar road to success. Awe-inspired by her strong physical presence and executive level title, they were keen to take advice from a seasoned marketing maven. And so was I. So for those still in college or maybe at the brink of their careers, or even just for anyone needing some third-party career guidance, here are Kelly’s five tips (plus one!) in a quick recap:

#1: Amp Your Empathy
The heart is the most important muscle in the body, but did you know that it’s also the most important in advertising? After all, advertising is a business powered by people. And in order to be successful, you need to know your customers – their wishes, wants, pains, and preferences – and be able to paint a picture that truly matters to them. Empathy is the key to making that connection – to telling that story. Put yourself in other peoples’ shoes. Because how you treat people in life matters. Relationships matter. Your skills might be the thing that gets you in the door, but relationships will be what lifts you up.

#2: Cultivate Curiosity
Albert Einstein once said, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” Asking questions is key. Because in order to succeed, you need to be constantly learning and sharpening your skillset. Think of new ways to cultivate your curiosity. For instance, instead of sitting at home watching Real Housewives of Orange County, invest your time in advancing your skillsets, finishing up an important presentation, or reading a good book. Time is the great equalizer. Everyone (you, me, Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg) gets access to 24 hours in a day – it’s what we do with those 24 hours that truly matters.

#3: Be a Go-Giver
You’ve probably heard the term go-getter before, but maybe not the term go-giver. In any case, pick up Bob Burg’s, “The Go-Giver,” a story about an ambitious young man named Joe who yearns for success. Without giving the entire plot away, here’s the story’s overall theme: change your focus from getting to giving – putting others’ interests first and continually adding value to their lives – and it will ultimately lead to unexpected returns. Always give more than you can receive and constantly ask what you can do to help. You’ll reap more benefits in the long run.

#4: Do Good Work
Stop worrying about promotions and pay raises and start focusing on what really matters – the work that you are doing. Good work gets you noticed. And good work gets you those titles and pay increases. Do what you can to make your boss’ job easier – and then some. And more importantly, everything that you are doing should come from a place of purpose. Don’t be afraid to ask why. Why am I doing this? Why does this project need to get done before that other project? Why is that the business process and not this?

#5: Dress for Tomorrow
You’re getting ready for the first day at a new job. When picking out your attire, ask yourself this: are you dressed for the part? Or are you dressed like you’re going out on a date? Only you can decide how you want to show up in the world. So show up like you’re there to take your job seriously. And it doesn’t have to be a suit and tie or fancy dress kind of attire, but it should look polished and put-together. If you have a goal to become a vice president of marketing by the time you’re 30, then dress like it.

Bonus Tip: Feedback is a Gift
Feedback is a gift, so don’t take it like it’s a knife to the stomach. Shift your mindset to take the emotion out of it. Because nine times out of ten, feedback is almost always about the other person than it is about you. And whether positive or negative, the best thing you can do is to learn and grow from it. It will make you a stronger person in the long run.

“Surprise, most of you are already executing native advertising!”

Don’t miss this chance to delve into a hot (but frequently misunderstood) topic in digital: native advertising and what it looks like in the social space. The combination of powerful social reach, the authenticity of native, and the science of data creates tremendous possibilities. To put a number to it, native ads are seen 53% more than classic banners.

In this downloadable webinar, Aubry goes over:

• The necessity for native ads (folks are banner-blind these days),
• Common types of native advertising (search ads count! See opening quote)
• How native ads are manifesting themselves in the social space (hint: Facebook = huge).

Any marketer looking to progress their digital presence will glean a tip or two from the webinar. Check out the recording below!

Questions on what you heard? We’d love to answer them. Drop us a line at centro.net.