The Speed of Culture Podcast: Changes and Challenges With Leah Meranus of Dentsu X

How do innovative advertisers stay ahead of the curve?

Don't miss ADWEEK House at Cannes, June 16-19. Join us as we celebrate our 45th anniversary and explore the industry's now and next. RSVP.

When Leah Meranus accidentally started her journey in media nearly 20 years ago, advertisers only had a few channels to choose from: TV, radio, print.

Today, there are hundreds of channels for dozens of consumer behaviors—and more competition than ever. So, how do innovative advertisers stay ahead of the curve? 

This week on The Speed of Culture, Meranus and host Matt Britton, Suzy founder and CEO, talk about the connection between consumer behavior and market trends. They reflect on the evolution of media consumption from traditional channels to digital platforms such as social media, streaming services and online video.

They also explore how marketers need to shift their mindset from traditional tactics to an experience design approach. 

Meranus has worked with clients in retail, beauty, luxury, QSR/CDR, gaming, electronics and more. During her tenure at Initiative, the agency won Adweek’s U.S. Media Agency of the Year.

Stream the new episode below, listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or find it on Spotify.

To learn more about Dentsu X’s brand strategies and marketing tactics, check out the key takeaways of this episode:

  • 8:11-9:50 — What Differentiates Dentsu X From Other Agencies? One of the biggest reasons why people love to work at Dentsu X is because of the environment, according to Meranus. When it comes to talent retention, Dentsu X does a great job of investing in employees and its company culture, attracting rising talent who want to diversify their skills and become experts in more than one area. 
  • 18:30-21:30 — Is TV Dead? TV isn’t center stage anymore, but it’s part of a holistic marketing plan. As the format continues to evolve, marketers treat TV as a product in the way they would treat any long-form video. Right now, ratings are down, demand is low, and prime times are shifting. It will be interesting to see what happens in 2023 as app fatigue is expected to rise. 
  • 25-26 — Is Crypto Dead? Blockchain technology has promise in terms of interoperability, efficiency and accountability. However, many marketers are still waiting for Web3 and blockchain to take off. Although there was a lot of hype over the past few years, Web3 didn’t catch on as quickly as early adopters thought it would. Meranus expects it to take time to get the technology where it needs to be for Web3 to be viable. 
  • 28-29:25 — Game Advertising Strategies Gaming is a $300 billion industry that’s rapidly growing. Companies are “leaning into attention and innovation” because they see an enormous opportunity for growth. Like many marketing agencies, Dentsu X partners with software companies for more analytics capabilities. Recently, the company partnered with Twitch and Frameplay, and Dentsu formed a new partnership with GWI, a market research company.