Category: Blog

The Covid-19 crisis brought about many changes around the world, including a massive shift in corporate work life. Before the pandemic, working from home was considered a perk, and almost an incentive. Nearly three years later, remote and hybrid work has become the new normal. And just as workstyles have changed, so too have employees’ preferences and expectations.  

While working from home has allowed employees more flexibility and freedom, it has also come with significant challenges, especially for team leaders. Last week, Johanna Bauman, CMO at PubMatic, sat down with Rachel Conforti, SVP of Marketing at LoopMe, for our next edition of LoopWe, Remote Leadership and the Global Workforce. 

Whether you’re a new leader or you have years of management experience, managing a team remotely can feel overwhelming. An added layer of complexity is added when some – or most – employees begin returning to hybrid in-office schedules. Here are some of the biggest challenges and tips on how to overcome them:

Onboarding: Be prescriptive yet adaptable with onboarding plans to provide clarity and alignment on expectations. Make sure new starters know who to meet with in their first days and weeks to jumpstart their training even if you are not physically together. Create 30-60-90 plans so new employees know what projects to focus on, and then check in regularly and adjust as needed. It’s also a good idea to assign each new member a “buddy” (often someone on another team), whose personalities or interests align. This buddy can help create another touchpoint and connection within the org, and also teach them about company culture. Johanna also recommends investing in a learning and development system so new hires have access to all of the materials and training they need, and can consume the content on demand on their own timetable (PubMatic uses Mindtickle). 

Communication: Being a remote manager means building a system that balances trust and support for your team. Be transparent and thoughtful when it comes to communicating, and focus on documenting key actions and next steps. Remember that not everyone needs to be in the meeting, but they do need an opportunity to provide input and feedback on what was discussed, so pre-reads and follow-ups are crucial. This is even more important when managing international teams and juggling time zones. And similarly, especially when remotely managing a team that is physically together, managers should accept that discussions and brainstorms will happen without them there, and need to trust their teams to follow the same best practices of inclusive communication.  

Culture & Experience: Evangelize company mission and goals, and communicate them clearly. It’s easy for remote workers to feel disconnected from the company culture, so priority must be placed on solving for that. Hosting virtual or in-person team offsites at least once a year can help employees understand the company’s vision and more importantly connect to one another, which will keep motivation high. If hybrid employees are in the office, plan a casual happy hour or provide lunch to encourage face to face time. It’s also important to emphasize the ongoing importance of work/life balance. Make sure employees still feel comfortable needing to pause work to run an errand, exercise, or pick up their kids from school. 

As companies are figuring out how to work in a post-pandemic environment, it’s clear that remote and hybrid work is here to stay for the near future. The pandemic has resulted in a revolution in how we work, and like all revolutions, these work styles are still difficult to navigate. However, companies have found success in utilizing both options and will continue to be a work in progress as this becomes the new normal. 

 

In an ever-changing ad tech space, many of us are continuously seeking to develop new skills, learn new things, and challenge ourselves in our careers. However, this can feel overwhelming and few know where to start. 

Having the right mentor is one of the most valuable and effective career development opportunities. Some important benefits include an increase in self-confidence, exposure to new ways of thinking, and support in networking. This week, we were thrilled to welcome Marni Gordon, Senior VP of Partnerships at the ANA Educational Foundation to our next edition of LoopWe, “The Magic of Mentorship”. 

Marni is passionate about helping others with career and leadership development, and has been a mentor for over 15 years. 

Marni sat down with Rachel Conforti, SVP of Marketing at LoopMe to share her knowledge and provide tips to those exploring mentorship. Here are a few key takeaways:

• What is a mentor? Mentors are usually an experienced individual who shares knowledge, experience, and advice with a less experienced person, or “mentee.”  This person will share advice, help you network, provide support in finding new opportunities, and help navigate challenging situations such as transitioning to a new role or taking on a major goal. It’s important to remember that a mentor differs from a coach. Coaches partner with their clients to ask powerful questions to help them develop their own key insights, action plan and accountability based on the client’s agenda.
• When is the right time to seek a mentor? The time is now! It is strongly recommended to have a general idea of short and long term career goals, as this will make it easier to find the right mentor. 
• How to find a mentor: Finding a mentor program is easy! Here are a few ways to find the right mentor:

1. Contact career development centers at universities you’re interested in, or have attended.
2. Reach out to your network. Seek out individuals in your industry who are currently in a role you wish to be in in the future. Linkedin is a great place to start! 
3. Approach your industry trade association. Connect with a member representative to see if they have a mentoring program you can participate in.

Interested in learning more? Check out Career Chat with Marni, a complimentary bi-monthly newsletter with easy-to-read tips and actionable advice for marketers on ways to take your career to the next level and how to master the art of networking. 

 

Here at LoopMe, we recognize the importance of gender equality and diversity in the tech industry. This year, we are proud and excited to launch LoopWe, (LoopMe Women Empowerment) a series of interactive and engaging masterclass workshops on topics to equip employees with practical advice and actionable strategies to support career development and the development of our teams.

Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting our first in-person LoopWe session at the NY office. Amanda Forgione, VP of Marketing at The 614 Group joined LoopMe’s SVP of Marketing, Rachel Conforti for an intimate discussion on work/life balance, finding time to learn, growing your career, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle balance.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

• Make time to network. Join local networking groups such as She Runs It, 212NYC, CIMA, ThinkLA, and others.
• Regularly set aside time for activities & hobbies that you enjoy. 
• Take care of your mental health. If you feel overwhelmed or constantly stressed, share these concerns and prioritize projects with your manager. 
• Take breaks! Whether it’s to eat lunch, get some fresh air, meditate, or simply take your eyes off of a screen for a few minutes. 
• Make quality time true quality time. Unplug and sign offline when you need to focus on family or friend time. 

Balancing your professional and personal life can be challenging, but learning to do so will reduce the risk of burnout and will increase productivity and happiness overall. 

If you are interested in being a LoopWe guest speaker, or want to learn more about this initiative, feel free to contact marketing@loopme.com.

We have been saddened and shocked by the terrible conflict in Ukraine. Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine and we will continue to do everything we can for our team and their families. 

With the evolving situation in the country, we want to take a moment to share with you how we are supporting our colleagues who are based there.

Our immediate priority is their health and safety. We are closely monitoring the situation and have plans in place to support them should their well-being come into question. We have opened an office in Krakow, Poland and in the west of Ukraine and will support anyone who wishes to move to either location.

With the help of our technical colleagues and contractors throughout the world – including Ukraine, the UK, Bulgaria, Singapore, and the United States – we continue to operate our core products and services without disruption. We operate a cloud-based data provider network in EU, US and Asia with dedicated servers in a data center in Germany. All customer data continues to be secure.

 This is a challenging time for all Ukrainians, including our team. We’re supporting local humanitarian efforts and join all of those calling for a swift and peaceful end to hostilities. 

If you wish to offer support, we have set up a donation page here that provides help directly to our Ukraine office and to other local resources. The Red Cross Ukraine donation page is available here.

We appreciate your business and your support for our team during this time.

The LoopMe Team

Ahead of joining Brand Innovators panel discussion on Collaborative Advertising: How AR Gives Ads New Purpose, last week LoopMe surveyed over 2,300 U.S. consumers and asked about the value of interactive, immersive advertising experience.

Nearly 20% of consumers say they’re more likely to pay attention to interactive ads with 2/3’s of them remember seeing ads while playing games on their mobile devices. So awareness of ads are high but the majority of consumers have not engaged with an AR ad — not surprising since we don’t see many brands really tapping into this yet.

Interestingly though, a quarter of consumers would have a better attitude of ads if they were more engaging and almost 40% of consumers may find it useful to use a virtual first look for products.

This is a huge opportunity for brands to reach consumers in a more meaningful memorable way.

Q1: Have you seen ads while playing games on your phone or tablet?

2/3 of consumers have seen ads while playing mobile games.

Q2: Are you more likely to pay attention to ads that offer interactive components?

20% of consumers say they’re more likely to pay attention to interactive ads.

Q3: Would you feel better about ads if they were more engaging?

1/4 of consumers would have a better attitude of ads if they were more engaging.

Q4: Have you ever engaged with an ad using your camera or augmented reality?

The majority of consumers (94%) have not engaged with an AR ad using their camera.

Q5: Would you find it useful to shop for a product if you can use the ad to create a virtual first look?

Almost 40% (39.5%) of consumers may find it useful to use a virtual first look for products.

Contact Us to find out more about LoopMe.