Group Black’s Post

Exciting news from Group Black! 🚀🤝 We're thrilled to announce our latest partnership with Advertising Week, Greenwood Ave, and Lockstep Ventures to launch NIL+, a groundbreaking program dedicated to creating exclusive NIL content and fostering meaningful connections between student-athletes and brands. NIL+ will be a first-of-its-kind event at Advertising Week New York, offering a full day of programming, dynamic discussions, and a unique ‘match-making’ marketplace, empowering student-athletes and driving innovation across the marketing industry. 🏅💡 At Group Black, our mission is to elevate diverse voices and create impactful opportunities for brands to engage authentically with these audiences. This partnership is a significant step forward in that journey, and we can’t wait to see the powerful connections and collaborations that come out of NIL+. 🌍✨ Stay tuned for more updates, and if you’re attending Advertising Week New York on October 8th, make sure to join us for this exciting experience! 📅🎉 #GroupBlack #NILPlus #AdvertisingWeek #DiverseAudiences #Innovation #Partnerships #Marketing

Back to School Vibes in the Ad World! 📚 As students return to school this week, there's a powerful lesson brewing not just for them but for the ad industry too. 🎒📖 Frances Ralston-Good, our Global Chief Operating Officer, speaks to The Drum about how, in this fast-paced world, it's time to channel our inner student. Read the article here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eB7dkETY #BackToSchool #Advertising #BreakthroughForBrands #NewCommunicationsEconomy

🌟 Small Businesses, Big Opportunities: The Savvy Brand’s Guide to Growth 🌟 at Advertising Week! What’s keeping small business owners up at night? A recent survey by Small Business Xchange found that economic volatility and rising costs are major concerns. But here’s the good news—many small businesses are turning these challenges into growth opportunities. Join Alicia Esposito, VP of Content for Emerald's Small Business Exchange, as she shares insights on how small businesses are investing in their teams, embracing new marketing strategies, and optimizing operations for long-term success. Alicia will be joined by Lisa Rizzo, CEO and Founder of Limitless Slides® and I AM Apparel LLC (dba Limitless Slides), and Sofia Laurell 🌱, CEO of Tiny Organics. This is a must-attend session for anyone looking to thrive in today’s dynamic business landscape. https://lnkd.in/epsk4s3J #SmallBusiness #AW2024 #Emerald #GrowthOpportunities #AdvertisingWeek #EmeraldEvents #Leadership #Marketing #Entrepreneurship #BusinessResilience

I had a lot of outreach from young creatives on my last post. Which only proves my post is happening in our industry. And I've had a few people reach out who sell programs they've created to help people excel at being the best the version of themselves. I'll be honest, I'm dubious of anyone selling anything that helps people get better and being creative or a creative leader. So when I see someone selling a book or system or a program, I immediately look at their pedigree. This is where things usually fall apart for me. How can you teach me how to do what I do better if you've never done anything that I aspire to do? I want to learn from someone who has experience, not someone who can write what they've heard or read in one of Simon Sinek's books. Look at Jason Bagley. He's done some of the most famous work in modern advertising. Work that people would literally kill for the chance to say they had a part in. So when he left Weidento start The Audacious School of Astonishing Pursuits, (ASAP) yeah, to me? That's a legit program. I would sign up. In fact, me and Brandt Lewis pay for a young female or POC creative to attend to his program every year. Because if more creatives could do that kind of work, our industry would be a happier place to work—again. But when I see someone who's never worked at an agency I would want to work at or never done the kind of advertising that I would want to do—selling advice on how to get better, I say, "Nah. I'm good. But thanks, my guy." Beyond that I think, "What about the younger creatives who desperately need mentorship and don't have thousands of disposable income to invest in a program or portfolio school? Do they just have to struggle to navigate this industry as they save up every extra dollar to pay for one?" For these folks, I decided a while ago to create a FREE series of videos that give you ideas, tips and Ad•Vice on how to get better, do better and be better as a creative or advertising professional. And until you can save up and pay for ASAP, this is a resource to help. Again, IT'S FREE. So don't be too harsh on it. But if it helps, it was worth the investment of time. It's a little all over the place, but it has all of the advice I find myself giving to young creatives all the time. So, I hope it helps! #Stayhungrymyfriends

The Resound team is all around Advertising Week New York this week. At the end of each day, we will provide some additional context around some of the key themes our team heard throughout the day. Day 1 of #AWNewYork2024: It’s All About Authenticity. From brands like Mars, RITE AID and EOS to creators, agencies, and platforms, one message came through loud and clear: Authenticity is the key to making meaningful connections with consumers. Sue Bird and Colie Edison discussed the growing league fandom for the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association), Shaina Zafar and Akash Mehta lauded unique storytelling connections with multicultural audiences, even Subway celebrated what it means to meet consumers at the critical decision-making moment of QSR, all parts of the authentic connection audiences demand from effective advertising. Whether it’s Gen Z’s growing aversion to traditional ads or the evolving dynamics of the creator economy, the takeaway is clear—being real and meeting consumers where they are is essential. Voice, messaging, and creative direction need to resonate authentically - or the connection falls flat. It's only Day 1, but Resound notes one BIG gap in this authenticity conversation: namely, #audio. If sound is a human's fastest sense, if music creates a masterful shortcut to creating and conjuring memory, if the human voice is as unique as a fingerprint, and if audiences continue to spend at least four hours a day enjoying audio experiences -- the power of authentic connection through sound is a critical opportunity too many advertisers are missing. Join us tomorrow (Tuesday) as our very own Chief Creative Officer Lauren Nagel (she/her) speaks authentically about women, music, audio and creative storytelling at 11:30AM on the Media Stage.....and stay tuned for more insights from Advertising Week throughout the rest of this week!

We’ve been working since 2020 to combat the inequities diverse creators often face when monetizing their sites and formally launched our programmatic marketplace, Uplift by Mediavine, last year. Brands want to reach these audiences, and we have the scale they need to do so. But the process of certification for diverse creators, which enables them to receive these brand budgets more readily, is costly and can be time-consuming, so we knew we needed a solution. Our partnership with Sertify will change the way diverse creators are certified, unlocking greater opportunities for our diverse creator community and the programmatic industry at large. And the benefits don’t stop there. This partnership also empowers brands and advertisers to invest confidently in diverse voices, knowing they’re supporting authentic content that resonates with diverse audiences. Together, we’re breaking barriers and shaping a more inclusive future for programmatic advertising. We’d like to hear from you — what are the barriers you face when it comes to achieving your diversity goals? Read more about our partnership here: https://lnkd.in/earYGNR7

🔄 Legacy print and digital news companies are reassessing their reliance on advertising-driven and coercive subscription models, moving toward a diverse revenue pie that includes membership, sponsorships, events, and more. (News Revenue Hub founder Mary Walter-Brown has been advocating for this approach for over a decade, but better late than never — some folks just have to learn on their own!) 🚧 The realization that hard paywalls can deter both ad revenue and audience growth has led to this moment. At the Hub, we also believe hard paywalls are inequitable — often locking community members out of civic information when they need it most. ⚖️ This shift reflects a broad consensus that success in media now requires balancing wide audience reach with diverse revenue streams.

🔍 In an industry that prides itself on #creativity and innovation, the stark lack of diversity in ad production ecosystems is not just a paradox; it’s a problem. 🌟 Excited to share my latest op-ed! 📝🌈 I’ve jumped into #DEI in #advertising #production, exploring ways to put diversity, equity, and inclusion front and center. And check out the new WFA guide that covers DEIB in ad content production 👇🔗

Yesterday I had the amazing opportunity to attend Ad Club Colorado's "Is Your Story Worth Reading?" event featuring Kyle O'Brien & Doug Zanger. For those of you that missed out, here are my five largest takeaways: 1) You need a compelling story. 2) As an agency, you have to have a strong point of view. 3) Don't think of it as posting on social media. Instead, think of yourself as a publisher in control of the story you tell. 4) Your likability factor cannot be overestimated. 5) Good creative only happens when you have great strategy behind it.

Excited to kick off #AWNY! Check out this years amazing lineup featuring our industry leaders from Assembly Global, Stagwell, and many more! Join us for dynamic insights on the future of advertising and marketing. Don't miss out- add each session to your calendar below 👇 https://hubs.li/Q02SlLtz0 #advertising #AWNewYork24 #marketing #media #brandperformance Advertising Week New York