Client councils are crucial for companies like Meta and X (formerly Twitter) to engage marketers and turn skeptics into believers. Executives like Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, excel at keeping marketers' interest piqued. Yaccarino's recent meeting with the X client council resulted in optimism and potential for increased spending, despite the platform’s gloomy ads business outlook.
However, the effectiveness of these councils is questioned as they often result in laid-back gatherings rather than hardball negotiations. They are seen as essential focus groups providing direct feedback and fresh ideas, but also serve as a means for platforms to curry favor with senior marketers and extract market intelligence. The benefits of these councils can fluctuate with the platforms’ changing priorities.
An example is Snapchat’s AR council, which has left marketers uncertain about the priority of augmented reality technology after the company decided to focus more on AI.
Marketers prefer to be actively participating in these councils rather than standing outside looking in, allowing them to adjust their expectations according to the platforms’ changing priorities. Seasoned marketers like Lou Paskalis, CEO of AJL Advisory, and Jeremy Hull, chief product officer for Brainlabs, evaluate the effectiveness of these councils based on whether their feedback is genuinely heard and acted upon.
LinkedIn’s client council is an example of a council that genuinely values marketer feedback. It focuses on understanding the amount of data the platform has and how it’s enhanced by the fact that LinkedIn is part of the broader Microsoft ecosystem.
In conclusion, each council serves a specific goal, aligned with what the platform intends to accomplish, representing a practical alliance between platforms and advertisers.
