CMOs: 3 action items to improve the effectiveness of your digital marketing efforts

As a CMO, running a successful marketing campaign is a daunting task, filled with great opportunities but also potential pitfalls. As a graduate student at the Medill School of Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University, I have found two articles which you will find interesting. 

In the AdvertisingAge's article, How To Protect Your Brand from Landing on Bad Websites, Co-founder of digital advertising company Undertone, Eric Franchi talks about how companies can achieve both scale and brand protection, and stresses that organizations need to stay in control and demand transparency. This is particularly critical with the proliferation of fake news sites, and the millions of dollars served to fake sites through programmatic advertising. "You, as a buyer,  have a right to ask, and a right to know," he says. 

Source: Geralt, Pixabay

Changing gears, Tech Radar's article Don't Run Commercials Designed to Trigger Smart Assistants delves into the viral advertisement ran by Burger King which triggered the Google Home devices in many homes. While it seemed like a smart and out-of-the-box way of reaching people, the response from consumers suggests the general public is not yet ready, says Michelle Fitzsimmons, TechRadar's senior news editor. More importantly, it raised nagging questions about privacy concerns that customers were creeped out by. 

Using the insights provided in both articles, I have developed the following three action items you can think about before launching your next campaign. 

• Stay in Control - As a representative for your company you have a right to ask and know where your advertisements are appearing and in what form. 

• Trust is priceless - When advertisers take the liberty to control our personal assistants, that opens a “frightening door, one that could lean to alarmingly personal forms of marketing”. Remember that these are very real fears of consumers and respect the boundaries. 

• Give it time - Being the first-mover is not necessarily the best move, if you are looking to try a new technology or platform. Wait for it to be established and make sure that your key audience is there before making the move.  

The next time you are planning your marketing campaign, consider theses three action items to help you protect your brand while achieving good reach. 

Mindy Tan is a Master's student in journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing, with an interest in digital and social marketing.  Connect via LinkedIn and Twitter.