9 Up-and-Coming Media Planners Who Have Our Attention
The fragmentation of media is the root cause of much of advertising’s upheaval in recent years, a point perhaps no more true than for those who work in, well, media.
With that in mind, we wanted to showcase media planners who are coming up in the industry and bringing new ideas with them along the way.
LBB’s Addison Capper chats with folk from dentsu X, M&C Saatchi Performance, Media by Mother, Wavemaker, Initiative, and Connected Digital.
Natalie Seitz
LBB> What first drew you to media as a career?
Natalie> I was drawn to a career in media when I realised its influence. Creatively using that power to benefit people and shape brands is what landed me in advertising.
During my freshman year of college, I took a course that was focused on disability representation in media around the world, where we researched media as a mechanism for societal evolution and a powerful tool in shaping views. This class is what sparked my interest in advertising and media. I learned that I enjoy the mix of creativity, business, and consumer behaviour. Calculated risk taking is media planning to me.
Working on a mission-based client like Vital Farms, a company committed to sustainability and ethical food, has been a great experience. They have a creative all about how they are truly an ethical company compared to corporations that pretend to be ethical on paper. So, we sponsored the Succession Season 4 premiere on MAX and ran their creative centred around corporate responsibility (or lack thereof) in the industry. The messaging was essentially a direct contradiction of the whole Succession plot. It was super ironic, witty, and memorable.
LBB> What’s the most exciting disruption in media right now?
Natalie> Audience and attention fragmentation is definitely an interesting disruption. I think the easy answer is AI, but that’s just one of the examples of the proliferation of attention. Everybody's attention is scattered, there are new social apps launching monthly, and audiences are tricker to reach.
Something exciting we did for SkinnyPop popcorn was have a celebrity endorse it. We saw the celeb eating SkinnyPop on a documentary about his podcast, so it was a natural way to tie the brand to someone people genuinely listen to and believe in. We did the endorsement within the podcast, which was a no-brainer because we've seen our dentsu Attention Economy metrics show that audio is a strong attention driver. It just made sense and was so fun to do. The celeb and his co-hosts are very entertaining.
LBB> What do you think the future of media planning looks like?
Natalie> I think the human element of advertising and media planning will become more vital than ever as AI and other technology becomes integrated into our industry. While technology will make us more efficient and release content more quickly, we’ll need to present our ideas with passion and excitement to clients to show differentiation. While AI may be able to generate images and text, marrying that content with the client’s vision will be our responsibility. The future needs to be personal and brands need to be compelling to break through the clutter.
Kathryn Nguyen
LBB> What first drew you to media as a career?
Kathryn> Coming from a background in analytics, the media industry - media analytics particularly - first drew me in because of the long history it has of utilising data science to inform decisions. Compared to the other fields that utilise data analytics and AI, the media industry along with the martech industry is some of the most mature in its analytics development while still offering a wide playground for change. I started a career in media for its opportunities in analytics and it has pleasantly surprised me with the vast number of areas I can explore.
LBB> What’s the most exciting disruption in media right now?
Kathryn> In the few years that I have spent in the media industry, digital disruption has expanded the opportunities for ultra-targeted advertising and content in general. Hyper-localised platforms such as NextDoor or hyper-targeted content on all social media platforms like TikTok present more opportunities for the utilisation of data analytics to aggregate information on the ecosystem of media audiences are exposed to. Digital studios like Netflix, Hulu, MAX, and Apple TV becoming the new leaders of content production has created a bigger appetite for an array of other ad-supported streaming services like FreeVee, Roku, Tubi, etc. This has generated more need for agencies to act as guides to navigate the media landscape through marrying digital media data with business outcomes.
LBB> What do you think the future of media planning looks like
Kathryn> The wide landscape of digital spaces where audiences can be reached creates an opportunity for agencies to become data hubs and analytical competitors due to their position between the advertiser and all these platforms. Threading strategy and planning into activation using analytics, and using the insights we gathered to create a feedback loop is where I think the media industry is going. Media agencies should aim to be analytical competitors and strategic partners for clients, and I think it is just my luck that this is the ethos of Media by Mother.
Maureen Cornely
Associate director, strategy at Initiative
LBB> What first drew you to media as a career?
Maureen> When I was younger, I always struggled with the ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ question. Every year I was driven to a new career, but eventually realised they all had two things in common – something that allowed me to express my creativity and would keep me excited day after day. I sort of stumbled upon strategy and media but was immediately hooked. It allowed me both of those things; being creative in crafting a brand story or connecting with culture and feeding my curiosity by digging deep into market research and solving brand challenges.
LBB> What’s the most exciting disruption in media right now?
Maureen> I would say the most exciting disruption is media finally getting a seat at the creative table. Fragmented attention as a result of the digital world has pushed brands to adapt and innovate beyond messaging. Media is that innovation. Immersive experiences, disruptive delivery, AI, and the metaverse all show how we're moving past media as just channel to create a more unexpected, fun, and memorable experience - giving consumers something they want instead of something they dread.
LBB> What do you think the future of media planning looks like?
Maureen> I hope that media planning becomes less focused on targets and more focused on humans. We're already starting to see a shift toward holistic media planning and more accurate measurement, which will have an incredible impact on more efficient planning, but when it comes to actually understanding who our targets are and what they want, the data doesn't always tell the full story. As the information available at our fingertips continues to increase, I think we'll gain a better understanding of the humans behind the data and be able to better show up for them.
Vineel Pasam
Media buyer at M&C Saatchi Performance
LBB> What first drew you to media as a career?
Vineel> A big part of my interest stems from how technology and the rise of social media changed how we view media today. Previously media was confined to traditional forms like TV, print, or radio but now it has expanded to websites, social media, mobile apps, and more. With this recent change, I felt that a career in media was the perfect balance between creativity and analytics. Not only am I able to test out new methods for bringing awareness or new customers to a client’s brand/company, but I’m also able to make real-time decisions based on how campaigns are performing. The industry is ever-changing, which helps keep things exciting, as it forces you to stay up to date with any change, whether it may be a new social media platform, privacy changes, or an ad format.
LBB> What’s the most exciting disruption in media right now?
Vineel> With the rise of streaming and OTT (over the top) in recent years, I think connected TV (CTV) is the most exciting disruption in media right now. Many US households have already cut the cord and no longer pay for cable. This number will grow exponentially in the coming years which shows that reach and interest in CTV advertising will continue to increase, making it a perfect opportunity for advertisers to target potential consumers.
Moreover, traditional TV casts a wide net where ads reach millions of viewers at once. However, these ads reach viewers who would never be considered into a particular brand’s target audience. Whereas with CTV, brands can reach their target audience with an array of audience segmentation options consisting of geo, behavioural, and demographic targeting. These segmentation options not only make CTV a great opportunity for awareness but also a viable option for user acquisition.
Many brands have already seen an increase in their return on ad spend after running CTV campaigns. As the attribution and measurement become more refined for this medium, more and more companies will at least run a test campaign on CTV. Especially with programmatic CTV making headway and saving companies a ton of time through real-time bidding/ad buying.
LBB> What do you think the future of media planning looks like?
Vineel> I think moving forward the future of media planning will begin to adhere to a full funnel approach. In the past many companies/brands have focused solely on maybe one or two layers of the funnel for their business to grow. However, now it seems apparent that companies/brands need to touch on every layer of the funnel even if it is minimal.
This is especially true when considering brand awareness because, with social media and influencers, it is crucial to stay relevant and at the top of consumers’ minds.
Additionally, tailoring ads to consumers' interests will increase the success rate of a campaign. Running generic creatives/campaigns will not capture the attention of potential consumers. Moreover, media planners and brands should not forget about their existing users. Retention is more valuable than user acquisition, at least in most cases.
Therefore, it is crucial when planning media to bake in campaigns geared toward existing users to reward them for their loyalty. In doing so, media planners and brands can bring in new users and retain them to build lifetime value.
Taylor Sumelj
Senior account executive at Connected Digital
LBB> What first drew you to media as a career?
Taylor> I’ve always loved working with numbers (I get it from my dad!), but I’m equally creative and love thinking outside of the box (I get it from my mum!). When I started my university journey in 2018, I planned to pursue a career in accounting, but quickly realised I would be unfulfilled with the repetitiveness and lack of creative outlet. The following semester, I enrolled in a digital marketing elective to break up the data-heavy subjects I was studying, and immediately fell in love with it. Not only did it become my best subject (I scored 100% and was top of my class!), but it was the catalyst for my dramatic career change which, to this day, is the best decision I’ve made.
LBB> What’s the most exciting disruption in media right now?
Taylor> The exponential advancements in artificial intelligence are by far the most exciting disruption to the industry, and I love learning about and experimenting with the ways in which it can be incorporated into our work to drive efficiency and push boundaries. I primarily work within the Meta suite, and the development of their Advantage+ products have had the greatest impact on my day-to-day role. Witnessing how machine learning has quickly overtaken our previous best practices in driving performance has pushed us to adapt our strategies and processes to keep up with the ever-evolving world of media, and it’s so exciting to be a part of this monumental time in media history.
LBB> What do you think the future of media planning looks like?
Taylor> In the near future, a fundamental shift from thinking audience-first to creative-first will redefine success in the world of media planning. Improvements in performance metrics resulting from the inclusion of machine learning highlights an opportunity to reframe our creative approach to engage a wider audience that may have previously been overlooked in an audience-led strategy.
What this means for media planners is that we must think about campaigns holistically – media planning can no longer operate in isolation from creative, and this is something Connected has readily embraced. Within the last 12 months, we’ve introduced creative services into our business which, alongside a suite of other emerging technologies, have contributed to our continued success at driving great results for our clients.
But it’s not enough to just keep up. As artificial intelligence-driven technologies revolutionise audience planning, creative development, data analysis and optimisation, it’s the thoughtful and strategic human lens that will set successful media planners apart in the exciting era that lies ahead.
Gayan Anuruddha
Assistant business manager at Wavemaker Sri Lanka
LBB> What first drew you to media as a career?
Gayan> I love brands and have always had a keen interest in below areas the advertising space, how ads are airing on above the line mediums, communication platforms for different brands, and how advertising will affect a brand’s growth.
I believe my hunger to explore, learn and gather knowledge about brands and communications platforms drew me to media.
LBB> What’s the most exciting disruption in media right now?
Gayan> Ever changing consumer dynamics are something interesting that we can leverage for brand growth. To do things differently, disrupt norms, challenge the status quo, we must really understand our consumers beyond data points to unlock human truths. Insight-led communication strategies have always helped me to be agile and innovative.
LBB> What do you think the future of media planning looks like?
Gayan> I think brands are focusing on brand building now more than ever. It’s one thing that can never go wrong. Reconnecting with your roots, working towards a purpose, giving back to the people is what will help brands in the long-run.
Another emerging trend would be the use of AI. Though Sri Lanka as a market is still in the premature stages of using AI for brands, seeing and being inspired by what the world is already doing, I think AI and technology will play a major role in the future of media.
Brixton Barron
Account manager at M&C Saatchi Performance
LBB> What first drew you to media as a career?
Brixton> I grew up with almost every channel and social media app, always digesting content nonstop. I am an iPad kid at heart. A childhood friend was involved in photography and modelling, and when I tagged along at one of her jobs I was inspired to start creating content myself.
I enjoy being a storyteller and saw how to capture an audience's attention and influence them. However, I also had a desire to see and understand the impact the content I was making was having and this drove me to delve deeper into the world of performance marketing. Now, I have the opportunity to work with influencers and see tangible business results for clients which is very rewarding.
LBB> What’s the most exciting disruption in media right now?
Brixton> It's amazing to see how influencer marketing has evolved over the years, particularly with the rise of TikTok. Previously, brands mainly partnered with prominent creators like David Dobrik due to their extensive reach. However, creators of all sizes are now in high demand because of their ability to personalise content to a brand’s identity, and we can also measure the outcomes of their impact.
TikTok's algorithm has shaped the content creation approach, as it prioritises videos that are attention-grabbing, interactive, and informative. However, viewers are ultimately the deciders on how well content performs. Influencers know how to reach these audiences, so brands not currently leveraging influencers are missing out on a valuable opportunity – the investment is without a doubt worthwhile.
LBB> What do you think the future of media planning looks like?
Brixton> There will always be the arrival of the next best thing. TikTok was misunderstood initially, yet it is now driving the growth of numerous businesses. Planners need to remain agile and determine whether they can anticipate the next significant trend with a chance to jump on it first. This trend might take place on a different social media platform, through podcasts, or via AI. Innovation has consistently and rapidly reshaped the landscape over the past 15 years and marketers have to be prepared to change according to what technology is available and what customers want. We cannot stick to the same methodologies in our planning and must always look to adapt.
Chad Levin
Associate director of integrated media planning at dentsu X
LBB> What first drew you to media as a career?
Chad> When I began considering different careers, marketing really excited me! Marketing and media are unique in that they allow you to connect and communicate directly with consumers. Whether it’s connecting people through a Snapchat lens or targeting customers who need a coupon in order to purchase a product, media gets to be the conduit to achieve a consumer need or desire.
LBB> What’s the most exciting disruption in media right now?
Chad> There are so many, but a recent innovation I’ve been excited about is dynamic creative optimisation (DCO). Pairing media strategy alongside DCO technology to take a base creative and generate multiple iterations based on a variety of insights can deliver more relevant and impactful assets that drive results towards KPIs. The DCO field is continuing to evolve making it a very exciting opportunity for marketers to crack the code on the best way to leverage AI-powered DCO amongst other media tactics.
LBB> What do you think the future of media planning looks like?
Chad> I think the future of media planning is moving away from a ‘one size fits all approach’ to a more personalised approach focused on each client’s KPIs. For example, you may have a client where personalisation is the primary focus, and with that comes much more expensive addressable activations. On the other end of the spectrum, you could have a client where driving mass awareness is the goal, in which you would go after more cost-efficient and scalable opportunities. In today’s evolving marketplace, it is important to keep in mind that tailoring your media strategy and planning around each client’s specific KPIs can help deliver even more valuable results.
Niranga Hewage
Business manager at Wavemaker Sri Lanka
LBB> What first drew you to media as a career?
Niranga> I embarked on my journey in the media industry on January 13, 2013, as an activation member at a media agency in Sri Lanka. During my tenure, I actively participated in three major events, dedicating my efforts to convey brand messages effectively. The results were inspiring, and I took immense pleasure in contributing to these successes. Subsequently, I engaged in smaller activations with emerging companies before transitioning to a role as a media industry trainer.
LBB> What’s the most exciting disruption in media right now?
Niranga> Identifying changes in consumer behaviour can be quite challenging at present. Therefore, it's crucial to maintain continuous monitoring and observation of industry shifts. Brands must align themselves with the right strategies to effectively plan their media efforts, ensuring they reach their target audience at the right moment for impactful awareness campaigns.
LBB> What do you think the future of media planning looks like?
Niranga> As industries continue to evolve and expand, the significance of future data in the media industry becomes increasingly pronounced. Media planning of the future will pivot around harnessing this data-driven approach. It will necessitate a comprehensive 360-degree strategy, with consumer behaviour insights taking centre stage as both a critical factor and a challenge for media planners.
