Maria Baudet Zubi
Maria Budet, Group Director at Zubi Advertising, described today’s consumers as informed and empowered people who demand more from brands than ever: “They accept the fact that they are being presented with an ad, some more than others, but are raising the bar and demand relevance, authenticity, inclusion and respect. We have the tools to be more efficient, but many times brands forget that this cannot happen at the expense of brand building if they still want to be effective.”She said the art of storytelling is generally assumed by everyone at forums, from Instagram to YouTube, to erase the boundaries between content and advertising. “Brands that are doing it well trust their agency partners and are seeking something beyond a click, more like a kiss, that harmonizes the old with the new for a more successful today and tomorrow.”The executive concluded that the ad industry in the U.S. faces an important challenge with the changed agency models, consultancies and transnational groups all competing for clients’ attention: “Expertise in segments is being underestimated in many ways, and is a great loss because it keeps certain voices and experiences from reaching the right consumers. This in many ways represents a reversal, despite the pioneers having worked for decades on the accuracy and relevance of their narratives.”