Why this latest Facebook advertiser ‘boycott ’ may be different

This week, senior correspondent Lara O'Reilly explored why the latest Facebook advertiser boycott may be different from previous efforts and marketing editor Kristina Monllos spoke to diversity advocates and Black agency employees about the limits of D&I exec roles and approaches to improve culture at agencies. Digiday+ members also had exclusive access to insights from a recent Digiday+ Talk with executives from Meredith about adapting their programmatic strategy, including how to respond to client demands for more flexibility.

Check out a taste of our recent coverage below and subscribe to Digiday+ for access to all member exclusives, original research and charts, live digital events, reports and guides and much more.

Why this latest Facebook advertiser ‘boycott’ may be different

For a time, the core focus of Facebook’s presence at ad industry events was to showcase upcoming features. More recently, Facebook’s PR strategy for big industry get togethers has been less about launches and more about mea culpas.

The media and advertising world’s annual jaunt to the French riviera has, of course, been canceled this year. Had Cannes Lions taken place as planned, Facebook executives would probably have been steeling themselves for another week’s worth of uncomfortable conversations with their advertisers.

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‘D&I execs should report to the CEO’: As agencies examine diversity, execs point to the current limits of the chief diversity officer

In talking to diversity advocates and Black employees at agencies in recent weeks, Kristina Monllos heard about the limits of the role and that approach to improving the culture at agencies. That’s not to say that there aren’t great chief diversity officers who are working to make their agencies better places to work for all, but that the scope of making an agency truly inclusive is much too big for one person, especially if that person doesn’t have the resources, funds and C-suite support they need to make true change happen, according to agency execs and industry observers.

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Bright spot: Meredith sees programmatic ad prices rebound to higher than pre-coronavirus levels

During the pandemic, Meredith needed to adapt its strategy, including how to figure out how to respond to client demands for more flexibility. In the latest edition of the Digiday+ Talks, Meredith’s svp of data, ad platforms & monetization, Nicole Lesko, and svp of data and programmatic solutions, Chip Schenck, talk about how they’ve worked with their clients and their teams to keep programmatic advertising a strong revenue driver for the company.

To access the full Talk, including the on-demand video, presentation slides and key learnings, subscribe to Digiday+ here.

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