Jesse Semchuck | Director of Search, Display, and Performance Marketing | Purple

Jesse Semchuck Director of Search Display & Performance Marketing Purple

 

 

 

 

 

 

What emerging technologies or innovations will have the biggest impact on your branding strategy in 2019?

Predictive modeling for multi-touch attribution. Within the next few years I expect to see agencies and brands figure this out. It’s possible to piece some of this together today buying third party cross-device data, but nothing is 100%. I hope we’ll begin to see machine-learning systems in place to tell direct response marketers which channels to invest in and how they affect the buying cycle across different devices.

I also think AR, machine learning, dynamically created video for mobile, and chatbots will continue to grow exponentially.

What are the best ways for marketers to create useful and meaningful connections with consumers today?

Be memorable. Be genuine. But most importantly, don’t be boring. Leveraging in-market audiences and serving video across YouTube, Amazon, Google, Meta, Oath, and others, marketers can create connections with customers where they’re already consuming content. Not everything is going to be a win, but the only way to build a brand is to create a lasting impression. If you have a product that has a market differentiation, it’s imperative to figure out a way to tell that story

How has the creative process changed in the past few years and how do you see it evolving?

At Purple, we spend a lot of time thinking about how we can work with our video and design teams to create messaging that not only educates but entertains. For us, testing creative is baked into how we work, and our video sequencing is really important for us. Just a few years ago you might have created a great commercial for television, created one cut of that commercial, and seen good results. In digital, the same video might have dozens of different intros and outros and hundreds of possible outcomes. If you want people to actually watch your video content, you have to create versions for different sections of the funnel.

How do you define what it means to be a “modern marketer” today?

Never settling for just what’s working and always dedicating part of your budget to testing. Many marketers get “fat and happy” on top performing campaigns without taking the time to test what could be. Could you get an additional 20% out of those campaigns through testing alternate cuts or different images? Probably, but most settle for good enough.

**We are creating a “Media Archive” section on our website featuring our event speakers’ current favorite book, blog, television show, podcast. As we wrap up the year, do you have one to share with us? 

Blog – Sparktoro.com, Rand Fiskin’s search and digital trends blog