Future of Marketing Archives

By Audrey Kemp

Fiver’s new launch, Togetherr, leverages AI to build optimized “dream teams” of creative talent for brands on individual projects.

For brands and agencies, putting together a dream team of talent has never been easier—at least, that’s the idea behind Togetherr.

Popular freelancer platform Fiverr teamed up with Tel Aviv-based advertising veteran Amir Guy to launch Togetherr. The platform’s algorithm, called the Creative Genome, builds virtual teams of highly skilled, independent talent and connects them with brands and agencies on an individual project basis.

Togetherr’s creators have compared its interface to fantasy football. “Togetherr allows brands to build creative teams that are tailored specifically to their needs… They are getting access to world class talent for any project they can imagine,” Guy told The Drum. “Togetherr gives brands what they need, faster, and with exceptional quality.”

The platform also provides freedom and flexibility to creatives by allowing them to choose the types of projects they want to partake in.

In addition to 30 micro-independent agencies, Togetherr’s growing portfolio counts over 1,100 vetted, award-winning creatives and ad industry leaders, who have worked on campaigns for Nike, Coca Cola, Apple and Netflix. The site launches today at Cannes.

Guy has spent over 25 years at creative agencies. Starting out at Young & Rubicam, he eventually climbed the ranks to take the helm of agency Grey, Israel, where he led regional accounts for P&G,Volkswagen and other brands.

It was here, Guy said, where the idea for Togetherr was born. After pitching the idea to Fiverr’s founders, they were happy to make it a reality.

How Togetherr works

When a client uses Togetherr, they’re immediately asked what they need, be it brand strategy and identity, creative concepting or something else. After making that choice, they can specify the channels they’re interested in, such as video, social or experiential.

Finally, the client inputs their industry, budget and brands that inspire them. That data helps Togetherr’s Creative Genome to quickly match the client to three teams of creatives best suited for their project.

Each team at least one creative lead and freelancers who have worked together previously, which ensures compatibility and punctuality among members.

A “dream team” built via Togetherr’s algorithm / Image credits: Fiverr + Togetherr

Togetherr’s future milestones

Guy has big dreams himself for this dream team model. Togetherr could also replace the advertising industry’s agency-of-record (AOR) model, which has gone stale over the past 25 years, he says.

“[AOR’s] hefty retainers, bloated head-count and overheads, combined with complex processes, is not meeting today’s client needs,” he saidsays. “Clients need a lot more for less, and faster. Trying to meet these needs without changing our industry’s complex system resulted in broken spirits and a lack of excitement.”

Although the site is officially live, Fiverr plans to continue to build out Togetherr’s platform and improve its AI, as well as add new talent that specializes in different areas, such as media buying and production.

“It’s also important to us to have talent from all over the world We want every team to be as diverse as possible.”

Feature Image Credit: Amir Guy, General Manager, Togetherr / Fiverr + Togetherr

By Audrey Kemp

Sourced from The Drum

By Michael J. Collins

Marketing is deeply in flux as rapid acceleration of digitalization and technological advancement continues to unfurl. To better predict the future of marketing requires learning from the past and accepting that the only thing that’s constant is change. The past year, in particular, has been remarkable, albeit disruptive, which has contributed significantly to the transformation to come.

For example, while Facebook advertising didn’t exist ten years ago Facebook generated $26.17 billion in revenue in Q1 of 2021 alone, mainly from advertising – which equals over $100 billion in ad dollars a year. This gets me thinking about where we invested ad dollars a decade ago. While this is just one example of a major shift, it’s imperative to be prepared for the new technologies and marketing practices that will certainly emerge and shape our business model as we know it.

I anticipate a variety of changes as we look to the future of marketing, but here are some of the ways I expect marketing to evolve over the next few years.

Original and interactive content will rule.

People crave originality, creativity and authenticity in content a lot more now than they used to, but there is stiff competition for share of voice. According to Microsoft data the average human attention span is now only eight seconds, which is shorter than that of a goldfish.

Digital fatigue is real, and consumers are becoming much more selective about the type of content they digest. Businesses and brands will need to invest more in original and unique content and tap into a higher level of creativity to retain and keep their audiences happy and engaged.

Additionally, original content helps gain mentions from media and influencers, which in turn, can drive additional brand visibility and increased website traffic. There’s no question that producing high-quality original content can be challenging. It requires tons of research, time, and effort; however, if you think about the exceptional benefits that you will get from your content and the impact on your brand you already know that it’s worth the investment.

The role of influencers in marketing will continue to evolve.

Influencer marketing has garnered a lot of interest over the last few years. In fact, over the last three years, Google searches for “influencer marketing” has increased by 1500%. This goes to prove that the future of influencer marketing is bursting with opportunities.

We know that influencer marketing is here to stay. But what does the future of influencer marketing hold? Just like all other marketing strategies, it’s bound to change with new technologies and trends. As modern consumers become more and more averse to traditional advertising, influencer marketing emerges as a promising advertising channel.

In particular, I predict that micro-influencers will play an increasingly important role. While micro-influencers may have fewer followers, they offer a more personal connection with their audience and an opportunity for much higher engagement.

Events will remain a mix of hybrid for some time.

I predicted earlier this year in a LinkedIn article outlining marketing predictions for a post-covid 2021 that many companies would make a move towards more in-person meetings by 2022. A global survey of event planners found that 30% said they would execute virtual-only events in 2021, versus 42% who said a hybrid approach would be their strategy.

At CFA Institute during the pandemic we found that our digital events were able to achieve high levels of engagement while broadening our reach beyond those who traditionally attended our in-person conferences.

I predict that moving forward, the combination of in-person and virtual elements, especially those that prioritize interactivity, will help businesses continue to deepen connections with their audiences. Brands that figure out how to include hybrid into their event marketing strategies through additional content development will stand out and have higher retention rates.

Audio platforms will continue to emerge as a solution to ease digital and video fatigue. Digital fatigue also encompasses Zoom fatigue, which today’s marketers are no stranger to. Luckily, the rise of audio has offered marketers and event planners globally a new way of hosting online events.

This past year Clubhouse, an exclusive invitation-only social networking platform, has emerged as a voice leader. Just like a conference call, Clubhouse provides a conversation room and once the conversation is over, the room is closed. The platform offers a sense of authenticity and real-time conversation, a breath of fresh air among those who embrace this emerging channel.

In addition, live podcast events are a great way to deepen relationships with customers, expand audiences and strengthen brand loyalty. The audio nature of podcasts offer a unique and more intimate user experience, far removed from the visual cues that we’re accustomed to.

The rise of audio options will continue to emerge in the future since listening stimulates a different part of the brain that makes us visualize concepts, creating an entirely different experience from watching on a desktop or smartphone.

It’s hard to know what other technology will emerge, but I’m eager and excited to see what the future of marketing holds.

Feature Image Credit: Shutterstock