🔊 A new option for local media advertisers

Plus, how media buyers are re-evaluating their current ad strategies in wake of coronavirus. Mar 12, 2020 Good morning marketers, do you use local online media as an advertising channel? Vox Media has [launched a new ad solution]( designed to help brands scale regional messaging through smaller publishers and news outlets at the local level. Dubbed ‘Concert Local,’ the offering is an extension of Concert – Vox Media’s programmatic ad platform that launched in 2016. Concert Local uses its proprietary Athena ad unit, a creative canvas that publishers can easily integrate for “non-disruptive” ad experiences. Concert Local offers access to traditional inventory such as banners, high-impact display units and video at the local level. With a low barrier to entry, Concert Local is especially suited to small- and medium-sized advertisers looking to drive messages locally. And for larger brands, it offers a way to diversify messaging channels and reach local audiences outside of open web exchanges. As coronavirus continues to spread, analysts expect Google and Facebook will experience ad revenue declines in travel and other industries most affected by global efforts to slow the pandemic. On the ground, marketers and media buyers have been [re-evaluating their near-term advertising strategies](. Media buyers we heard from Wednesday shared a range of scenarios – from supply chain and demand concerns to a pervasive sense of uncertainty that has businesses on edge. While some aren’t seeing any changes yet, others are making dramatic adjustments to near-term budgets and even raising digital budgets. There’s more to read below, including an update on the IAB’s NewFronts season and the latest transparency initiative from TikTok. Taylor Peterson,Deputy Editor Soapbox Evidence-based advertising needs experience-based context “That sounds like a great idea, but what does the data tell us?” In recent years, the principle of evidence-based advertising has taken hold of the industry, bringing the tension between advertising as a science and an art to the foreground. When we commission a new piece of research, we should always begin with secondary and tertiary evidence. Whether it is stored in slide decks or our memory, this historical research can inform what questions we ask, and how. That way, we won’t collect data that isn’t useful, and the data we do collect will be optimized to support the answers we need. Different kinds of evidence build on one another to add meaning and mitigate misinterpretation. Hard data will always be the foundation of our evidence, but without drawing on the additional historical evidence of experience, we are left without a reliable way to structure and interpret this raw information. – [Peter Minnium]( is the president of Ipsos US Soapbox is a special feature for our community to share an observation about some pressing issues affecting our industry. [Submit your own here >>]( Webinar: Get answers to your burning B2B marketing questions Join our expert panel for the answers to your demand gen, revOps, and marketing automation strategy questions. In this “ask me anything” format, you’ll get all the expertise and none of the consultancy fees in this not-to-be missed, rapid-fire virtual event. [RSVP and submit your questions today »]( Social Shorts IAB says NewFronts will be streamable, TikTok announces a new transparency initiative IAB NewFronts to be live-streamed. Media buyers and content creators, take note. In wake of public health concerns, this year’s IAB NewFronts season (slated to take place April 27- May 6 in New York) will be [available to live stream](. Speakers participating in the 2020 Digital Content NewFronts – a series of media partner presentations and announcements from the likes of Twitter, YouTube, Hulu, Verizon Media, and others – will have the ability to remotely stream their presentations. Not all the details for streaming access are clear yet and the IAB is instructing users to “check back soon for more information and an updated schedule.” TikTok’s new ‘Transparency Center.’ Amid growing concerns around TikTok’s content censorship and use of personal data, the video-sharing social platform is [opening a “Transparency Center”]( to allow outside experts to examine and verify TikTok’s practices. The new facility will be located within TikTok’s LA office and will give outside experts visibility into the company’s day-to-day operations, including a look at how moderators apply TikTok’s content guidelines to review content flagged for review, TechCrunch reports. In addition, the experts will be shown how users and creators are able to raise concerns with TikTok and how those concerns are addressed. TikTok will also explain how the content on the platform aligns with its guidelines, the company says. Improve your SEO with new technical training at SMX Advanced Don’t miss the brand-new SEO for Developers track coming to Seattle June 8-10, featuring highly-technical sessions — many in live-coding format — focused on using code libraries and architecture models to develop applications that improve SEO. [Learn more »]( What we're reading We've curated our picks from across the web so you can retire your feed reader [Marketing in a Time of Crisis]( – CMS Wire [We Need To Start Thinking More Holistically About Customer Experience]( – Forbes [ANA: Advertisers extend time to pay agencies for marketing services]( – Marketing Dive [Quibi and Eko are in a legal battle over video tech]( – TechCrunch [YouTube will slowly start monetizing coronavirus videos following creator anger]( – The Verge [Nearly 80% of marketers want to work with microinfluencers]( – Retail Dive [Marketing Land] []( [Want to advertise?]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. [Unsubscribe]( [We respect your privacy.]( This email was sent by: Marketing Land - a Third Door Media, Inc. publication with headquarters at 279 Newtown Tpke. Redding, CT 06896 USA © 2006-2019 Third Door Media. All Rights Reserved.