GALE

“We are seeing the same demand for a new approach to social-first marketing as we were when we entered the media space. We expect social-first to support the next wave of growth for GALE.” -CEO, Brad Simms At GALE, we believe that social-first marketing is necessary to thrive in the modern marketing landscape – and that means much more than a smart social media strategy. Digiday’s Michael Burgi spoke with Brad and social-first leads Colleen Saporito O'Donnell and Erin (Lyden) O'Connell to learn more about our expanded offering, how we’re using AI to enable creativity (not replace it), and what this approach means for the agency and our clients. Read here: https://lnkd.in/dZdVKNeV 

“Great marketing teams succeed because of the optimizations made once their work is in flight, not because they over-engineered it beforehand.” GALE CEO Brad Simms explains why he believes marketers win in the game – when their work is already out in the world – not in practice. Read in Forbes: https://bit.ly/4dBklp6

The term "social-first marketing" is often misunderstood as being just about social media activations. New research from GALE, however, shows it's much more than that. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4cFiCOi

New research from GALE shows the key to unlocking brand loyalty and cultural relevance extends beyond a strong social media strategy. Through a survey of nearly 2,000 US consumers, GALE identified the four characteristics of brands that resonate with 15-29 year olds today, along with their expectations for future engagements–both online and in the real world. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/etk-zd_S

Voting for #SXSW2025 closes this weekend – help us bring our panel on women in gaming and esports to the stage. Featuring Twitch streamer ThePeachCobbler, MilkPEP CEO Yin Woon Rani, and moderated by Max Bass, our panel will address the challenges women still face in this space and the critical role brands can play in driving change. Vote here: https://lnkd.in/g_4FTVxW #SXSW

Meet Yin Woon Rani. Yin isn't a gamer, but she and MilkPEP are committed to supporting women in sports—and that includes esports. To level the playing field and create new opportunities for women in gaming, GALE and MilkPEP launched the The Milk Cup—a first-of-its kind Fortnite tournament featuring the largest prize pool for women in North America. After three record-breaking live broadcasts, with 2.6 million views, 7.41 million total impressions, and more than 800 sign ups, the qualifiers for The Milk Cup have officially concluded. Before sending the gamers off to the finals, Yin shared this special message during the last qualifier. #gaming #fortnite #gonnaneedmilk

🗳Voting for #SXSW2025 panels is officially open and we need your help to bring ours to the Austin stage. Brands, fans, and networks are clamoring to join the groundswell around women in sports, but there’s a space that’s been largely ignored in the conversation: gaming and esports. Despite women making up nearly half of all gamers, they only represent 5% of pro gamers – with none in the top 500 earners – and still face significant harassment in this space. Our panel, featuring popular Twitch streamer ThePeachCobbler, leading brand execs, and more, will spotlight the issue and the role brands can play in driving change. Vote here: https://lnkd.in/g_4FTVxW #SXSW SXSW 

Last week, GALE attended “The Future of Creativity in Media & Marketing,” a conference hosted by Brand Innovators. Leaders from E.L.F. BEAUTY, Mastercard, Diageo, and more explored how they’ve harnessed creativity to propel their brands. Here are some of the top things we heard: 1. Consumers crave validation from brands, and brands that win the hearts and minds of consumers acknowledge this with clear recognition. They say, “You asked, we answered.” They reformulate products that are receiving complaints. They bring fan suggestions to life. Above all, they prove they’re listening actively, and taking action. 2. Ensure that all your actions are “on brand.” When considering new ventures–brand collaborations, partnerships with nonprofits, or celebrity endorsements, for instance–invest in things your customers care most about. Know your audience and your brand well before you make these decisions. 3. We’ve all heard it before: Consumers have an 8-second attention span–and Gen Z clocks in at 3 seconds. To capture and extend this time, create premium content that enchants. At GALE, we do so by creating entertainment, not ads. 4. To win in today’s world, brands must be agile. Cultural relevance is critical, and you can’t plan cultural relevance a year in advance. Leave room in your budget and content calendar to adapt to real-time trends or lean in on what’s resonating most with your audience.

The industry’s relentless addiction to performance marketing is finally fading, but brand building today is complex. Navigating through ad blockers, ad-free platforms, and thousands of daily ads vying for consumer attention – plus stiff competition from influencers and creators – is no easy task. In his latest for Forbes, GALE CEO Brad Simms spotlights the new era of brand entertainment, an increasingly effective strategy for brands, and why it takes more than simply copying the Barbie model to find success. https://bit.ly/4fylj6G

Introducing Camp Bomb Pop, our latest activation with Moonrock and Bomb Pop (Wells Enterprises), bringing the iconic ice pops back to Roblox. Following the success of last year’s Restaurant Tycoon 2 integration, Bomb Pop is now offering a unique digital summer camp experience in one of Roblox's fastest-growing games, Bayside High School. Camp Bomb Pop brings the joy and camaraderie of summer camp to the gaming space, where players can embark on adventures, earn exclusive in-game items, and enjoy plenty of Bomb Pops. Check it out: https://bit.ly/3WLDhLN