Engaging Your Audience Breaking Through the Clutter of Social Media

Joe Carney of The Player's Tribune has over 14 years of digital agency, media, advertising and marketing experience. He's worked with top multimedia brands, including MLB, MTV, ESPN and the NFL to name a few. He'll be part of our first Summit in Times Square on May 3rd, and was kind enough to answer a few quick questions...

Joe, how would you describe the effect Influencers have had on marketing?

The impact has been huge. The challenge is, in some instances, that effect has been very positive and in others, very negative.  I think brands, influencers and publishers need to do a better job ensuring the influencers they're partnering with have a real connection with the brand. A real connection with what the brand stands for and the message they're trying to communicate.

What is your biggest challenge at the moment? And what would you say is the biggest challenge in social media right now?

I see two big challenges. First is trying to create like-to-like comparisons for social platforms that are consumed differently and have different definitions for engagement.  The other challenge is breaking through the clutter as more content gets populated - the thumb scroll we all do gets quicker and quicker.  If I'm a brand, my challenge is this: What can I say or display to get that thumb to stop on my content?

What’s the most interesting marketing and/or social media trend so far in 2019?

Athletes are brands. This isn't new in 2019, but as we work with our athlete community on a day-to-day basis, we're seeing that the next generation of athletes, who grew up alongside some of these social platforms, are becoming more and more savvy about how to use social to build their brands. They're incredibly forward-thinking about how to engage audiences.

Any favorite marketers you feel are genuinely making a real difference in the world for the better?

I'm proud of the work we’ve personally done with P&G, and the work they do on their own.  The reason - it’s far more about creating a positive impact on society than it is about selling their products.  The campaign we co-created surrounding their Olympics message was about #LOVEOVERBIAS - it was focused on powerful storytelling featuring the moms of some amazing athletes.

(Meet Joe and our full lineup of speakers at INTERACT on May 3rd - full details here.)