Tessa Barron

I’ve scored more than 40 RFP submissions in the last 90 days (media buying and/or marketing and comms.) Seriously, this is the stack and it’s about ½ of what I've read. From that- I've come up with a checklist that will stop you from writing an incomplete proposal and take you into finalist status. 1. Check. The. Boxes. Mirror the RFP structure the organization has put out and answer every prompt. If we ask for goals in your case studies, give them. Are creative examples required? Put them in. 2. Social media impressions aren’t outcomes. Stop with the vanity metrics. We need to understand if you make things HAPPEN. Show business impact: leads, lift, conversion, cost per result, CTR. 3. Prove you understand the problem. Understand the brand and the challenge before you start to write your response. Then summarize the brand challenge in their language. Bonus points for adding 1–2 data points that will direct the organization towards success. 4. Use relevant proof. Parallel case studies beat “your greatest hits” every time. I've seen the EXACT SAME examples in three of the RFP's I've scored lately- you don't know who is reading your work and may have seen your other responses. 5. Name the actual doers. Who is leading strategy, buying, creative, reporting? Don't just send a stack of resumes. And be realistic. Don't name your president when you know that appearance will be rare. 6. Methodology > vibes. If you’re “now doing buys” and not just a PR or content work company anymore OR if you're a traditional broadcast company at heart- show your process, not just results. 7. Don’t just say what you do, show how you do it. “Statewide reach” is a claim. What’s the plan that gets you there? 8. Create a Table of Contents that matches the RFP sections. And then add anything else to the TOC that you feel is important. This way you address everything we're asking for + share your bonus information on why you’re the one to do the job. 9. Put Quality Assurance into this team process like your life depends on it. Double-check. And then check again. No leftover text from another proposal. Ever. I unfortunately have seen it. If you’re writing an RFP response anytime soon: save this. Want a 1-page RFP response template? Comment “RFP” and I’ll share it. I hope this was helpful!

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The second Next Gen News Report from FT Strategies, Northwestern University Knight Lab and Google News Initiative is out, sharing a roadmap for news organizations to reach younger audiences. 🤸 The core of the report is the 7 Modes of Engagement, which distinguishes how "next gen" consumers (ages 18-25+) discover, consume, and share news 🤳 According to the research, younger consumers are not passive; they are active “information curators” who cycle through distinct mindsets. 7️⃣ To reach the next generation of news consumers, publishers must stop thinking about “the audience” as a monolith and start designing for 7 specific “modes” of behavior: The “Sift” Modes: how news is discovered Mode 1️⃣: Scroll Mode 2️⃣: Seek Mode 3️⃣: Subscribe The “Consumption” Modes: how news is processed Mode 4️⃣: Substantiate Mode 5️⃣: Study Mode 6️⃣: Socialize Mode 7️⃣: The “Social” Mode: how news is shared 👉 Find our summary of the report with best practices to ace each mode on Audiencers: https://lnkd.in/e_RN8v_8 👉 Or check out the full research at https://lnkd.in/ekq9brFR

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🔥Hot take: in the age of AI, TV advertising is going to be more important than ever for Marketing. 📺 The best way to displace incumbents in a world where LLMs amplify the general consensus and existing corpus of information out there, the best way to break through it is to engage people when they are in a leaned back state. 👀 It doesn't have to be traditional TV or even TV at all, but it's important to focus on demand generation, not just demand capture.

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Just released: Golin's CEO Impact Index documents a "cone of retreat" in H1 2025. CEOs pulled back from traditional media while doubling down on controlled platforms and quality engagement. The result? A fundamental shift where precision-driven strategies now outperform volume-based visibility. Learn how top CEOs are adapting: https://lnkd.in/eZ5Y9PPV #CorporateReputation #CorporateAffairs #CEO #CEOCommunications #GoAllIn

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Podcast coming soon, as part of a new series from Berkeley Communications. With thanks to Chris Hewitt. AI doesn’t replace marketers — but it may replace mediocre ones, the future CMO is part economist, part storyteller, part technologist. #hyphenated #berkeleycommunications #storytelling Aaron Frank Caroline James

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The future of film is being shaped by independent voices. Not on the margins—but at the center of culture. At the #SundanceFilmFestival, we’re seeing how filmmakers are redefining storytelling: blending formats, building community earlier, and using new tools to move faster without losing their point of view. That’s why @Adobe continues to invest in this ecosystem—supporting creators with production-ready tools, meaningful spaces for collaboration, and expanded access through the Adobe Film & TV Fund and Ignite. As technology evolves, including AI, our role is clear: empower creators to stay in control of their work, protect creative intent, and keep storytelling deeply human. Sundance isn’t just a moment—it’s a signal of what’s next. And we’re proud to support the filmmakers leading the way. Looking forward to seeing so many amazing filmmakers and creators this week! 🔗 https://adobe.ly/4qGay7E #EmpoweringEveryoneToCreate

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Dear CMOs: Here's the script for getting your C-suite to invest in the two insurance policies that actually matter. I just helped a CMO get $2M approved for communications infrastructure. Not because her CEO suddenly loved comms. Because we changed the conversation. This wasn't a client -- it was an inbound call where we had a real heart to heart about the level of frustration around the weaknesses she was seeing and the risks. Stop talking about "brand building" and "employee engagement." Start talking about what keeps CEOs up at night: **Insurance Policy #1: Crisis Communications Planning** When Delta's systems crashed, it cost them $500 million in five days. Not because of the technology failure—because they had no crisis infrastructure. We build these plans. Run full-team workshops. Test scenarios before they're real. Your ask: "What's our plan when our top customer tweets about a product failure at 11 PM on a Friday?" If the room goes quiet, you've made your point. **Insurance Policy #2: Internal Communications as Retention Strategy** Employee disengagement cost the global economy $438 billion last year. Your competitors are spending 40% more on marketing to acquire talent you're about to lose. Strategic internal comms isn't about newsletters. It's about keeping your best people from updating their LinkedIn profiles. Your ask: "What's cheaper—investing in internal communications or replacing 20% of our workforce?" The math is simple. And it's on your side. Here's what that CMO told her CEO: "We spend $50K monthly on cyber insurance we've never used. We have D&O insurance, E&O insurance, property insurance. But when a crisis hits—and it will—we have no communications insurance. That's what will actually protect our valuation." She got approval in one meeting. In my Forbes article, I break down the full framework for building vs. buying this infrastructure. But you don't need the article to start the conversation. You need to stop asking for "communications investment" and start asking for "crisis insurance" and "retention infrastructure." Because that's what it actually is. Your CFO insures everything else that could tank the company. Why not the two things that definitely will? https://lnkd.in/gEE68m7r

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The 1️⃣ question to ask before your brand takes a public stance: "Does this stance genuinely reflect who we are as a company or is it primarily performative?" – that's the litmus test I shared in a recent Forbes Communications Council piece. In an era where consumers are more values-driven than ever, performative statements are easily sniffed out and can backfire spectacularly. True alignment between your actions, mission, and public messaging isn't just about avoiding backlash; it's the foundation of genuine brand loyalty. It's about doing the right thing, not just saying it. Thanks to my co-contributors: Sara (Cziok) Payne, Rich Bornstein, Rob Robinson, Rekha Thomas, Sarah Lero, Victoria Zelefsky, Katie Jewett, Andrew Frank, Cade Collister, Toby Wong, CPACC, ADAC, Barnaby Pung, PhD, Kerry-Ann Betton Stimpson, and Bob Pearson Link to the full article in comments below 👇👇👇 🤔 What's your take on brands making public statements? 🤔

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Discover how AI is transforming publishing and how Research Exchange leverages it to optimize workflows, support researchers, and enhance research integrity in our new whitepaper, "The Future of Research Publishing." https://ow.ly/YFqG50VZRpV

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If you’re in marketing and trying to make your paid media and acquisition programs work harder in 2025, this new CDP Institute white paper from David Raab is worth a read 👇 https://lnkd.in/ehbyb2Hf The paper explores: - Why acquisition is harder than ever in a privacy-first world - How CDPs help you convert more anonymous visitors - The tech features that really matter for acquisition success #CustomerAcquisition #CDP #DigitalMarketing #MarTech #FirstPartyData

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Here's how we help CMOs practically apply incrementality testing: at fusepoint we run hundreds of incrementality tests and marketing mix models, focused on understanding the true contribution of marketing activities (across paid, owned, and earned) to the overall business -- both top and bottom line. During our discovery process, I talk with a lot of executives or marketing practitioners that say things like: • I get incrementality in theory, but how do I apply it? • How does an MMM make an impact in my day to day? • What do I communicate to my team/agency on ad buying? • How do we actually optimize our campaigns with this insight? So we've developed a simple process to take advantage of the full feedback loop of MMM + incrementality test in your daily workflow. Understand Your Baseline =================== Run an initial MMM that helps paint the picture of channel contribution. This helps you understand: • How much revenue is coming from marketing • Are those marketing activities profitable overall • Are you over/under allocated in any priority channels The outcome of that analysis gives you a series of hypotheses across media allocation (you're not at the point where you're needing to "optimize" anything in-platforms yet). Run Incrementality Tests ================== Models are fallible and very easy to get wrong, so we place them lower on the authority hierarchy than proper incrementality tests. • Prioritize the biggest spending channels or initiatives • Consider doing a "full media holdout" across all • Focus on speed-to-impact tests Generally for our clients this is likely to be a test on Meta and/or Google right at the get go. If our MMM comes back that Meta has a 0.5x iROAS then we'd want to test that urgently to validate the model. Optimize Budget Allocation ==================== After the tests are run (and about 80% of the time they pretty closely match the MMM, but either way you want to update with those priors now that you have them) you'll want to change your budgets. • Usually this is a CUT to channels since most brands are over-spent • A lot of the time cutting the biggest "performance" tactic ~25% • Identify what iROAS or coefficients you need to be profitable The biggest levers in the early days of testing is going to be big budget swings. Lots of little tactical in-platform tweaks definitely help, but not as much as massive budget swings. Apply Incrementality Coefficients ======================== Now that you know the relationship between your deterministic attribution and your incremental contribution, you can come up with incrementality coefficients to give to your media buying teams. • Platform attribution of Meta: 1x ROAS • Actual incremental impact of Meta: 2x iROAS • Incrementality coefficient: 2x That way you can say "we need to be at a 4x iROAS to be profitable, or a 2x in platform ROAS. Optimize from there." Repeat Monthly/Quarterly (based on Size) ============================== As above.

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