News & Events - Mason Interactive

Mason Interactive’s recent feature in Happi magazine discusses how brands can meet the expectations of today’s shoppers by reimagining the customer journey. The new “always-on shopping” mindset requires holistic marketing strategies that enable seamless experiences at every touchpoint.

Holistic Digital Marketing Strategies for more (and, happier) Customers

The article starts by clearing out the pathway where brands and modern consumers meet. Customer expectations are more demanding than ever. Technology and buying power accelerate sales for brands delivering consumer-savvy over product-savvy promotions. Remaining consumer-centric means using holistic marketing to create seamless experiences along the consumer journey.

In the article, we explain how an omnichannel approach helped Risewell, a natural oral care brand, increase sales by 5.5X. The strategy included social and shopping ads to build awareness and acquire new customers in sequence with remarketing campaigns to increase order value and drive sales.

Knowing which devices and channels provide the most reach means “getting to the heart of your customer” for a customer-centered marketing strategy. Using Mason Interactive’s approach helps brands meet customer expectations on the platforms that matter most to your brand. Equally important, analytic tools provide data and insights you need to create audience personas, which leads Happi readers to their next step: finding the media mix.

“To win the future, retailers must remove friction along the shopping journey, creating seamless customer experiences.”

Mason Interactive offers a complimentary digital audit to Happi readers (but you can get one, too) to help them create a “happy” mix of channels where they will find their most valuable shoppers. Book your free consultation to learn more about our agency expertise in A/B testing, audience building, and media mix strategies for holistic marketing that amplifies your brand.

Read the full article here.

Happi is one of the best in media for personal and household product brands, promoting content to help brands reach their consumers and increase sales for the last 50+ years.

Beauty Independent, a digital publication for entrepreneurs and marketers in the beauty industry, recently interviewed Brook Llewelyn Shepard, Founder and CEO of Mason Interactive. With years of industry experience, Brook shared his tips and insights on building a successful direct-to-consumer strategy.

Metrics That Really Drive Direct-To-Consumer Success

The interview begins with today’s hot topic; data privacy. The upcoming privacy changes, including Apple iOS 14 and cookie-less Chrome, are raising concerns in the advertising industry, in particular amongst small businesses. While this won’t be the end of digital advertising, targeting, reporting, and optimizing ad campaigns will become less effective. Brook anticipates that brands without “superpowers” are going to have a very hard time navigating the new landscape. “If your product really is better for the environment or it really is cheaper or it really does work with more skin colors and tones, it does have something actually unique, and we call that a superpower”, he explains.

Harvesting first-party data today can help brands prepare for the privacy changes and limitations in the use of third-party data. If you’re a brand looking to launch in the near future, Brook recommends you to start building first-party data immediately, while reaching out to micro-influencers and building relationships with people who can represent your brand.

During the interview, Brook discusses the leading indicators in the advertising industry, what metrics advertisers should focus on, and shares his thoughts about ROI. “I look at the cycle of the year. We have seasonality. Some of our beauty brands are bigger in early summer. Our women’s wear companies are bigger around Black Friday.” He suggests that brands that accept a negative ROI during the early months while building their brand and audience, can make more money in the long run.

Social media metrics, like followers, engagements, and likes, may be nice numbers to look at, but are less important to the advertising ecosystem. “They are proxies, but I don’t know that they directly translate into sales because the quality of the followers is a different issue”, Brook says.

Read the entire interview with Beauty Independent here. Interested in learning more about direct-to-consumer best practices? Book a free consultation with Mason Interactive’s digital experts.

Inc. magazine today revealed that Mason Interactive is No. 114 on its second annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: New York City Metro list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing New York City area-based private companies. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the NYC area economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent small businesses.

“We are honored to be on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in the New York City Metro Region”, says Mason Interactive Founder and CEO Brook Llewellyn Shepard. “The digital ecosystem is moving super-fast, and I’m proud to be at the vanguard. While we experience steady growth year over year, we’ve stayed true to our core values, offering white-glove level of service, and growing a team that genuinely cares about its client partners.”

We are thankful to our team, our clients, and our partners for their support and making the growth possible. We’ll stay committed to delivering digital marketing solutions that are backed by data, regularly monitored and optimized, and tailored to client’s specific needs.

The companies on the 5000 Regionals: N.Y. Metro list show stunning rates of growth across all industries in the New York City area. Between 2017 and 2019, these 250 private companies had an average growth rate of 214 percent and, in 2019 alone, they employed more than 48,000 people and added nearly $9 billion to the NYC Metro area economy. Companies based in Stamford, Connecticut, New York City, and central New Jersey brought in the highest revenue overall.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals: NYC Metro area, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, can be found here.

“This list proves the power of companies in the New York City area no matter the industry,” says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. “The impressive revenues and growth rates prove the insight and diligence of CEOs and that these businesses are here to stay.”

In 2020, Mason Interactive was recognized on Inc. 5000 list of America’s most successful companies. Contact us today to work with our team on your digital marketing strategy.

The advertising industry has seen a positive shift in recent years with brands, marketing teams, and advertising agencies paying more attention to support and relate to black communities.

Right now, the buzz words in every industry are diversity and inclusivity, and we believe that both will impact the advertising industry for decades to come. But, to understand our future, we must acknowledge our past. In honor of Black History Month and our love for the black community, let’s recognize ways black people have shaped the advertising industry in history .

5 Influential Black People in the History of Advertising

1 | Vince Cullers, Vince Cullers Advertising

Cullers (1924-2003), inspired by the rising civil rights movement, founded Vince Cullers Advertising in 1956 to create black advertising opportunities. After completing his degree at the Art Institute of Chicago, Cullers found a lack of options in the advertising market for qualified black artists. Cullers used his artistic talents to run the agency with his wife, who handled the administration. Together, they grew the company and worked with brands like Johnson Products and Kellogg’s. Today, the black and advertising community recognizes Vince Cullers Advertising as the first black agency in the United States.

70% of black Millenials (the generation with the most considerable buying power today) say they are more likely to buy from a brand that takes a stand on race-related issues.
Think with Google

2 | Tom Burrell, Burrell Communications

Burrell was one of the first black men advertising in Chicago in the 1960s. After receiving many awards in the Chicago area and leading multicultural campaigns for brands like McDonalds, Burrell entered the Advertising Hall of Fame in 2004. Burrell is known as being a “change agent in targeted marketing” in the advertising industry. Today, Burrell Communications leads transcultural campaigns for global brands.

3 | Carol H Williams, Carol H. Williams Advertising

Williams began her advertising company in 1986. Since then, Williams has created notable campaigns for Disney, Secret, Pillsbury, and many more. Inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 2017, Williams remains an influential voice for advertising to the ever-sophisticated black audience. In 2020, Williams accepted the Ad Ages “Vanguard Award” for her lifetime achievements.

4 | Roy Eaton, Roy Eaton Music Agency

The world knows Eaton for his ad music and jingles, including one for Beefaroni from the 1960s. Eaton may have been one of the first black advertisers in New York. In 1982, the New York Times called him a “pioneer in the field of ad agency music direction” in an article announcing the opening of Roy Eaton Music. Eaton is retired today but joined the Advertising Hall of Fame in 2010.

5 | Caroline Jones, Caroline Jones Inc

Jones was one of the first prominent, black, and female advertisers in New York City. Jones obtained her bachelor’s degree in English and challenged gender and racial barriers in the advertising industry. She began as the first African-American copywriter for J. Walter Thompson. Jones worked her way into roles like Creative Director, Executive Vice President, and President of Caroline Jones, Inc. Jones died of breast cancer at 59 years old. Still, the National Museum of American History keeps her story alive.

There are so many more black people bringing their creativity and skill to marketing and advertising. As a diverse digital advertising agency, we’re committed to supporting black advertisers, brands, and people. Whether as advertisers or consumers, the black community brings a beautiful perspective to our digital and real worlds ‍ .

Stay connected with Blacks in Advertising by following @blacksinadvertising on Instagram.

Happy Black History Month!

Apple’s new iOS14 privacy features will impact how advertisers and agencies receive and process data and conversion events, from partners such as Facebook.

What does the new policy entail?

Apps will be required to ask users for permission to track them across apps and websites owned by other companies.
Until now, users have been automatically opted in, with an option to opt out afterwards. With the new iOS14 release, users will see a pop-up message when they open an app for the first time, allowing them to revoke or grant tracking permissions.
Unless the user opts in tracking via the prompt, Apple’s policy will prohibit the app to collect and share certain user data. As a result, ads personalization and performance reporting may be limited for both app and web conversion events.

At Mason Interactive we’re committed to help our clients prepare for Apple’s new policies so we can continue delivering high-performance digital advertising campaigns.

For additional reading, Facebook has published useful resources about Apple iOS 14 release’s impact on your ads and how to use Facebook Pixel to reach iOS users.

If you have any questions about the new iOS14 update please contact your account team or schedule a consultation with us.

2020 has been an unpredictable year, full of challenges, pivots, and unfathomable shifts toward digital firsts.

Insights from a Performance Marketing Agency

As a trusted marketing partner for clients within various industries, it’s our responsibility to follow the data – and luckily, we’ve spent the last 10 months gathering plenty of it. When news surrounding COVID-19 shook the world in March, it was no surprise that brands pulled out of the marketplace. While we understand the impulse, we also saw the cost of advertising drop while conversion rates remained steady.

The reality? More eyeballs were on devices and platforms than ever before. The data and trends showed “Black Friday” level traffic and transactions in April, despite an 8.7% drop in retail sales. The result? Brands that decided to stay in the market not only maintained their presence, but were able to stay in front of consumers for nearly half the price [of advertising].

But it didn’t stop there. The months that followed gave rise to a shift. Brands had the opportunity to not only stay in front of their target audience, but share their own stories along the way. We went back to our roots – our inherent nature to help one another – and showcase the realities of how businesses, both big and small, were navigating these unprecedented times. While some went into discount mode, others saw this as an opportunity to give back to those in need.

A Shift in Brand Preferences

While we can mention countless examples of brands that shifted for the greater good, we were fortunate to support a coalition of brands who joined together to form Brands x Better. This community of over 140 brands, including Dagne Dover, helped raise over $3.8M (to date) “to support and foster stability to our communities as they navigate critical social issues.”

As the uncertainties surrounding COVID-19 continued, a civil rights movement emerged and we began to see an uproar of support for the Black Lives Matter movement. When millions decided to stand in solidarity by posting [black squares] to their Instagram feed, we had to ask ourselves what role sponsored content played as we scrolled through in conversation?

Black Out July soon followed on Facebook, and many brands had to decide whether or not they would pull their presence (ad spend) from the social giant. In our view, it wasn’t a battle of right and wrong, but rather highlighted the reality that we live in the duopoly of Facebook and Google – and it’s our job to help our clients diversify.

Witnessing the Biggest eCommerce Event in History

Here at Mason, holiday planning starts in July. You’ll hear us reference the “leaky bucket” concept dozens of times leading up to the Q4 shopping season. Brands who began filling up their bucket with quality water [traffic] through top of the funnel, awareness strategies in Q3, were able to focus on bottom of the funnel strategies come holiday. They say that timing is everything, and although we couldn’t predict what the reality would look like in November, we knew that our strategy remained the same.

It’s December 2020 and the dust is beginning to settle. A vaccine is expected, and people around the world are feeling hopeful for the future. The numbers don’t lie – While the U.S. had its biggest e-commerce day ever, we also saw record numbers for Black Friday and Cyber Monday goals across our portfolio. And that is something to be proud of.

We’re not just helping businesses hit their goals this month, we’re helping them strategize for the future, and beyond. With 2020 almost behind us, we have to ask; who will walk through our door next year and how can we work in partnership to help drive success for the years to come?

Schedule a consultation with our digital experts and start the new year right with the help from a trusted digital marketing partner.