In September, we announced the winners and finalists of the Microsoft Advertising Partner Celebration. Now, we want to put these Celebrated Partners in the spotlight. We interviewed the seven winners to get an inside look on these companies, their history, objectives, partnership with Microsoft Advertising and more.
Microsoft Advertising Celebrated Partner, Canada — The Aber Group
Sam Leung, VP, Search & Ad Technologies at The Aber Group
Microsoft Advertising: Tell us about your company — its history, and current objectives.
At The Aber Group, we’re a leading, independent, digital media and search engine marketing firm that specializes in direct response campaigns. We develop hundreds of successful digital media campaigns each year and know first-hand about the ever-changing digital marketing landscape — search engine marketing, online and mobile media, programmatic media, native ads, video, social network ads, digital out-of-home, connected TV and more. We deliver strong returns on media spending through innovative, creative media plans, effective use of data, and continuous, ruthless campaign optimization.
What is your company’s vision/mission/specialization?
Our philosophy starts with our tag line, “Smarter Internet Marketing.” Make smart decisions. Challenge the status quo. Ask the awkward and tough questions. Investigate options diligently. Test before committing large budgets. Track results accurately. Encourage calculated risk taking. Never stop looking for ways to improve upon existing processes. Negotiate great rates. Secure value-added tactics. Have a laser focus on meeting and exceeding client goals. That is how we thrive in the highly competitive world of digital media buying and planning. We are honest, ethical, and transparent and typically ask our clients to pay for media themselves so they can be certain that there are no hidden mark-ups or fees.
What product features offered by Microsoft Advertising do you rely on the most to achieve your vision?
The Microsoft Advertising Blog is my go-to for the latest from Microsoft Advertising. It helps the team stay up to date on new platform developments, best practices, as well as the latest data and insights to share with our clients and partners.
How does your company embody inclusivity and giving?
Our clients include dozens of charities and not for profit organizations with a broad range of causes including international aid, children’s health, and food insecurity. We support them by offering discounted rates on our fees, pro-bono advice and education, direct donations, and by taking part in their fundraising activities.
We are also active participants in the advertising industry in Canada. I currently serve as co-chair of Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada’s Search Committee as well as the Canadian Marketing Association’s Martech Council. Our President is vice-chair of the IAB and serves on George Brown College’s Marketing Advisory Council. We encourage our team members to stay involved with the industry through their participation in industry groups and councils as well. We often speak at colleges and universities to educate them about our industry and encourage students to consider a career in marketing.
How have you adapted to recent changes in consumer trends brought about by COVID-19?
To assist our fundraising clients in navigating the pandemic, we fielded a series of three surveys from April to August to gauge donor attitudes in Canada and the USA toward charitable giving and charities in general. Through a series of free webinars, we shared findings with clients and non-clients alike.
Congratulations to The Aber Group and a huge thank you to all those that submitted nominations. Don’t miss our spotlights on Celebrated Partners from the US, UK, France, Australia, Netherlands and Germany! The next round of nominations for Microsoft Advertising Celebrated Partners will be accepted April 5-15, 2021.
If you haven’t enrolled in the Microsoft Advertising Partner Program yet, make sure that you apply at microsoftadvertisingpartners.com so you’re eligible for the next round.
If you’re an enrolled partner, stay connected with us and up to speed on all things partner-related by joining the Microsoft Advertising Partner Community on LinkedIn.
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