Omnichannel Advertising, Attribution, and Unifying Brand & Performance with Katie Arena

Listen to the Podcast

In this episode of The Long Game, Alex Birkett talks with Katie Arena, the global marketing and communications leader at Clinch, an omni-channel advertising platform. Katie explains the differences between multi-channel and omni-channel advertising, emphasizing the importance of streamlining ad campaigns, personalizing creative content, and analyzing performance data in a unified way. The conversation touches on the complexities of modern advertising, including audience targeting, decision logic, and optimizing ad spend across platforms. Katie also discusses her views on subtle, well-executed ads, like Nike’s marathon campaigns, and highlights how technology enables efficiency in managing large-scale ad campaigns.

Key Takeaways

• Omni-Channel vs. Multi-Channel Advertising: Multi-channel means operating across platforms, but omni-channel focuses on creating a connected, streamlined experience across all touchpoints with data-driven personalization.
• Streamlining Creative Development: Clinch’s ad-builder helps advertisers efficiently version, optimize, and repurpose ad creatives across multiple channels, saving time and resources.
• Personalization Drives Results: Effective campaigns use dynamic decision logic to tailor ads to the audience, considering contexts like weather, time of day, or events (e.g., Olympics medal count updates).
• Combining KPIs and Optimization: While each channel may have unique KPIs, centralizing the analysis helps advertisers identify what resonates most and optimize accordingly.
• Complex Campaign Management: The fragmented nature of teams (strategy, creative, and media) can cause inefficiencies. Unified platforms bring visibility, better communication, and data-driven decisions.
• Bold Advertising in a Crowded Space: Successful ads balance subtlety and creativity, resonating with target audiences while occasionally taking risks to stand out, as seen with Nike or Jaguar campaigns.

Show Links

• Visit Clinch
• Connect with Katie Arena on LinkedIn
• Connect with Alex Birkett on LinkedIn and Twitter
• Connect with Omniscient Digital on LinkedIn or Twitter

Time Stamps

• [00:00] Introduction to Katie Arena and the Topic of Omni-Channel Advertising
• [05:15] Brand Ads: Subtle Storytelling and Cultural Relevance
• [10:40] Understanding the Difference: Multi-Channel vs. Omni-Channel Advertising
• [18:30] How Clinch Streamlines Ad Campaign Creation and Creative Development
• [23:50] Personalization and Dynamic Decisioning Logic in Advertising
• [29:15] Stakeholder Silo Problems and Unified Platforms for Team Efficiency
• [35:40] KPIs and Experimentation Across Advertising Channels
• [42:20] How Data-Driven Platforms Solve Complexity in Ad Campaigns