Advance the clock two hours; the heads of Creative and Marketing meet with our CEO, to further discuss the plan of attack. Fifteen minutes later, the old plan was tossed out and new ideas formulated with a clear focus on beauty and inspiration. Another fifteen minutes go by and the entire Marketing team assembles.  Magic starts to happen.

With the new focus, the team immediately chomped at the bit with “out-of-the-box” ideas on how to take the branding campaign to the next level. Excitement was at an all-time high and questions were asked as if they were coming from a machine gun. Not to mention, the room was warming up from the almost self-combusting energy and smiles that were radiating across everyone’s faces. This wasn’t work. This wasn’t another project.  This was magic.

This experience made me wish that every media professional could experience this same magic over and over again. It’s invigorating and infectious all at the same time. Sadly, it’s the logistics that often stifle this same creativity and strategy. So what can we take away from this experience? I encourage every media professional to challenge current processes and thinking to ensure they are continually bringing back advertising magic.

• Digiday posted an interesting read on how two powerful brands, Tiffany and Zales, battle it out in the digital space. Tiffany effectively executes a holistic approach, which leverages social media, mobile and video to reinforce its brand. The author makes a great point in response to their success, “the best type of advertising is the type that does not feel like advertising at all.” Just think of that signature blue and white box and what it represents; it’s more than jewelry… it’s a personal and emotional experience that in turn creates brand loyalty. Read More: Battle of the Digital Brands: Tiffany vs. Zales
• What are some of your favorite advertisements? What elements make them a success? Check out the latest TNT video, which magnificently combines reality, entertainment, comedy and curiosity to get its “dramatic” brand message across. This is the type of advertising that successfully tells a brand story. Additionally, it has significant viral potential, retelling its story over and over. To keep this message strong, more opportunities should be seized (across numerous consumer touch-points) to build off this creative masterpiece. Read More: Click Here for Your Daily Dose of Drama

How is mobile changing the media landscape? According to a new forecast from Strategy Analytics project, mobile ad spending worldwide will grow 85% in 2012 from $6.3 billion to $11.6 billion. In the U.S., the technology research firm predicts mobile advertising will grow even faster, more than doubling (up 128%) to just under $4.2 billion.

What does this mean? We’re at the precipice of another paradigm shift in display advertising, from a fragmented mobile and desktop web to a once-again unified internet. We’ll access it from our phones, our tablets, and our computers, but what we’ll see across those devices will all be the same. It is being born from what we today call ‘mobile’, and those advertisers who embrace that direction now will have the easiest time transitioning as it proliferates throughout our digital media landscape.

“Shawn Riegsecker, Centro’s founder and President, sees employee satisfaction as essential to business success. ‘We believe that creating happy employees translates into hyper-growth and hyper-success.’” (Crain’s Chicago Business, April 2012).

Earlier this month Centro was honored with the title of the #1 Place to Work in Chicago for the second year in a row by Crain’s Chicago Business.  We would like to extend our gratitude to Crain’s for their recognition, and congratulations to all of the businesses recognized!

For the last ten years, the company’s leaders have worked towards implementing a blueprint that supports the ideals of personal, professional and organizational success, also known as The Centro Employee Manifesto. The combination of the principles outlined in the manifesto and the passion, dedication and character of all Centro employees, creates an exemplary working atmosphere in an organization built by motivated and driven individuals.

Shawn, along with the members of our Executive Team and Culture Club, share a unique vision of the perfect working community that encourages personal and professional growth, while sustaining a collaborative and intellectual environment for all employees. Centro has instilled a variety of leadership and management practices that promote transparency and trust throughout the organization. This year, our Culture Club team developed and implemented a new program called the School of Leadership to further instill these principles as the company grows.

Within this program, Centro peeps have the ability to take part in a nine month workshop allowing them to develop their leadership skills. By using real life experiences as coaching tools, the participants progress through the course with a coach that provides feedback and development goals. Programs like these allow employees to not only advance their career skills, but also build confidence and recognize the value they bring to the company.

What motivates you as an employee to come to work each day? Better yet, what part about your job makes you happy?  What are you doing as business owner or manager to ensure that your employees are empowered to grow and learn as individuals?

Read more from Crain’s Chicago Business: Best Places to Work No. 1 Centro LLC 

To learn more about employment opportunities at Centro, please visit our careers page.

• Digital expansion is making history. According to a recent IAB revenue report, internet ad revenue hit a historic high ($31 billion), up 22% over 2010. Display-related advertising revenue in 2011 totaled $11.1 billion (35% of 2011 revenues), up 15% in 2010, while mobile experienced triple-digit growth, up 149% from 2010. This tremendous growth opens exciting yet challenging doors for media professionals. Success will be determined by their ability to generate fresh ideas that are executed with young and nimble approaches. Read More: Internet Ad Revenues Hit $31 Billion in 2011, Historic High Up 22% Over 2010 Record-Breaking Numbers
• We all know that digital advancements are accompanied with increased pressures, particularly for CMOs. In fact, the average tenure of a CMO is reported to be anywhere from 23.6 months to 42 months. A recent Mediapost article highlights this issue and offers tips on how to outlive this brief time span. One of the most valuable tips is to “identify and simplify the problem.” By identifying the obstacles in the media and buying process and simplifying them, media professionals will benefit from efficiency, speed and promising futures (i.e.,  job security and growth). Read More: CMOs: How To Cheat A Quick Death

• Expectations are high and marketers are pressured to prove the value of their campaigns. According to eMarketer, marketers are relying on different metrics, such as CTR, brand lift, GRP, view-throughs, etc., which are leveraged in various ways. So, how should success be measured?  It is incredibly important for marketers to embrace holistic strategies that are accompanied by holistic performance metrics. Too often, we see marketers zero in on one metric or one channel, which may not represent the full potential and success of an entire campaign (e.g., CTR is used for branding initiatives, multiple screens/touch-points are overlooked).

Read More: Effective Digital Branding Measurement Requires a Mix of Metrics

• Social media’s disruptive force has led to a coalition of communities that breed trust among online consumers, according to a recent Nielsen study. Consumers are heavily relying on online recommendations, reviews and ratings. The study also found that online paid media, including banner ads, has experienced an increase in trust, while traditional paid media has declined over time. By levering paid, earned and owned media, marketers can continue to develop strong bonds with consumers. For example, earned media can be achieved with the help of strong brand-focused owned and paid media, which creates loyal and raving consumers.

Read More: Consumer Trust in Online, Social and Mobile Advertising Grows

• The outbreak of digital screens is spurring more news consumption. According to a PewResearch study, people are taking in news more often and for longer periods of time from all of their mobile devices; they are not replacing one for another. The study also found that the reputation/brand of a news organization was the most important factor in determining where consumers go for news.

These findings offer valuable insights to marketers.

1. Create a holistic marketing strategy
2. Select high-quality and high-impact media placements
3. Remember strong branding creates loyalty.

Read More: State of the News Media 2012