P&G / Gerry D'Angelo / Global Media Director / Programmatic

‘The potential for programmatic is so ripe but it is yet to be fulfilled’

This quote comes from Gerry D’Angelo - Global Media Director at P&G this week on the #ShinyNewObject podcast. We discuss how the rate of innovation in marketing technology is so fast that the creatives in our industry are slow to keep up. Gerry is passionate that creatives should be briefed on where the media placement will be. If the billboard is going to be next to a motorway then the creative should know that before they start coming up with ideas. Despite his passion for new marketing tech he believes that “there is something special in the shared experience” like the Tide Superbowl ad.

Gerry is responsible for P&G’s “not insubstantial” global media budget and is helping the FMCG giant in “re-inventing media” and preparing them for the future of advertising. His career involved roles at Leo Burnett, Starcom, Sky, Samsung and Mondelez and confesses that “‘it’s hard working at agencies” and would politely decline any offers to go back! Despite his considerable seniority Gerry admits “I’ve made quite a few mistakes in my career” and is candid about how these errors have taught him “never forget who pays the bills.”

I asked him if P&G were likely to move their media spend from Google/Facebook to Amazon to take advantage of the granular consumer purchase history. He tells us that major platform’s data have different strengths and you need different data for different jobs and P&G will continue to use the relevant data where necessary.

We riff on the idea of ‘Programmatic Products’ - that are invented in real time in response to consumer data. But Gerry warns us that big organisations will need to continue to be diligent and at all times understand the safety and health of their customers is far more important than any innovation efforts. Despite this Gerry is an optimist and is excited about guiding P&G into the future with the belief that “technology could take us anywhere.”

Thanks so much to London’s most lovable strategic communications agency Bluestripemedia.co.uk and @Andyoakes for sponsoring the podcast.