The Wall Street Journal's newly launched WSJ Brand Council enlists the help of CMOs to create new ad concepts that connect with affluent audiences and result in transparent digital ROI metrics that can be trusted
Lexus has become one of three advertisers to join The Wall Street Journal’s newly launched WSJ Brand Council that claims to be working with leading chief marketing officers to develop new ad concepts.
While Lexus will represent the automotive sector in the WSJ Brand Council, lifestyle and apparel label Ralph Lauren will rep for fashion and an undisclosed cloud computing provider is the third category launch member. The council’s initial ad concepts will debut to members next week at the Cannes Lions advertising festival at Cannes in the South of France.
"It's a great opportunity for us to work together with WSJ to reliably test consumer response and engagement while driving innovation,” said Spiros Fotinos, global head of brand management and marketing at Lexus, in a statement.
“This collaborative project aimed at evaluating true ROI is especially important at a time when the integrity and accuracy of digital metrics is in question," he said.
A Dow Jones title controlled by Rupert Murdoch’s New Corp., The Journal is the world’s leading business publication with 2.3 million subscribers and 200 live events worldwide.
Make numbers count
The Journal has been working for six months to create these ad concepts in consultation with CMOs.
The program is designed to address challenges such as connecting with high-influence audiences in an online and mobile environment, advertising that does not dilute user experience and ensuring transparency in measurement with digital advertising.
Starting with mobile, WSJ’s creative and developer teams will build and test these advertising formats within its Apple iOS news application.
After Cannes Lions, the council will continue working to fine-tune the ad and marketing concepts, followed by a white paper for wider distribution.
“Brands are finding it increasingly challenging to drive meaningful connections with coveted high-influence audiences,” said Suzi Watford, chief marketing and membership officer at The Journal, in a statement.
“The WSJ Brand Council has been created to change that,” she said. “It represents a new, collaborative approach that allows us to partner with brands and deliver real impact.
“The council will convene some of the brightest marketing leaders and combine their collective thinking with the power of our creative and developer talent to bring concepts to life. Partners will be able to access the WSJ mobile app technology as well as our senior creatives and developers to help bring fresh and impactful ideas to reality.”
The Wall Street Journal's new WSJ Brand Council