Media Management

Sharmeen Lalani-Fade of Bayer on digital marketing in 2022

Producers and Procurers iQ are an official media partner of Programmatic Pioneers Summit. Ahead of the conference, we spoke to panellist Sharmeen Lalani-Fade about opportunities for digital marketing, the highlights offered by the Programmatic Pioneers Summit and the tech she is most excited for this coming year.

Readers of Producers and Procurers iQ can save 10% on your ticket with discount code: PPIQ22 when booking online here.

What is the biggest opportunity for advertisers in digital marketing in the next 12 months and why?

I see three main opportunities for advertisers: transparency, DEI and sustainability.

Transparency – As online platforms are scrutinized by the regulators and industry bodies lead the way in clearing the fog from consistent data definitions to seat IDs across supply chain.  The ANA and ISBA have been investigating this area since 2016 which will present an opportunity in 2022 to create a paradigm shift in transparency, fuelled by DEI & sustainability in the online space.

DEI – Over the next 12 months, the promotion of DEI within the media ecosystem will force advertisers to compete for diverse owned media and talent.  We will see messaging addressing decades of unhelpful stereotypes and the lack of communication progressiveness. This will present an opportunity for advertisers to take a step back and reflect on the image they want to portray leaving enough time in 2022 to achieve it.

Sustainability will also be at the forefront of digital marketing as advertisers are presented with the opportunity to think creatively about reducing their supply chain footprint. The forging of alliances will develop to address the environmental challenges that face all advertisers but in 2022, real progress will be seen. Advertisers have an opportunity to shine in their efforts to save the planet.

What is the most exciting aspect of attending Programmatic Pioneers Summit?

This will be the first in person summit I will be attending since Covid began and I am excited about making connections and listening to the talented panellists and speakers that are lined up.

What has been your, or your company’s, most impressive achievement this year and why?

Bayer is doing a great deal in terms of social impact ad sustainability. Group level targets are directly linked to Bayer’s compensation scheme. These include:

• Supporting 100M smallholder farmers in low to middle income countries
• Expanding access to self-care for 100m people in economically or medically underserved communities
• Providing 100m women in low/middle income countries with access to modern contraception

Achieving carbon neutrality by reducing emissions in our supply chain and net-zero emissions by 2050.

This is in alignment with the long-term goals of the Paris Climate Accord.

The crop science division we are reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% and reducing the environmental impact of crop protection by 30%.

The consumer health division will shift towards sustainable production through reduction, recycle, re-use and replace.

The list goes on, but what stands out for me, specifically in the media space, would have to be the efforts being made under, media for good, where Bayer is addressing 

gaps in communication progressiveness in the areas of audience strategy going beyond demographics, creative assets reducing harmful stereotyping and diverse media owner selection.

What technology are you most excited about at the moment and why?

AI is leading the way in digital marketing in that agile dynamic content creation and optimization will be king. With DEI being at the forefront, we will see DCO explode. I am also excited about the metaverse and the evolution of the gaming industry.

About the summit

The Programmatic Pioneers Summit returns live and in-person at the Tower Hotel in London this May 24-25. As Europe’s biggest event dedicated to programmatic, you can hear directly from 70+ programmatic media experts from all the leading brands, agencies and publishers.

See the agenda here for the full speaker line-up, key topics being covered as well as all the networking and interactive learning opportunities.