Virtual Colloquium: Restoring the Soul of Advertising with Math and Meaning

Abstract

Abstract: Advertising & Society Quarterly held its fifth annual Colloquium on November 12 & 15, 2021. During this virtual event, two sessions focused on the theme "Buyer Be Aware: Advertising Technologies to Understand the Consumer." Overall, the Colloquium assessed how marketers and advertisers have used technologies to understand and reach consumers in the past, present, and future. The cultural, political, and social consequences of these various technologies were also discussed. This article presents the Colloquium's second session where Rishad Tobaccowala, Senior Advisor with Publicis Groupe, gave a talk entitled "Restoring the Soul of Advertising with Math and Meaning," based on his recent book Restoring the Soul of Business: Staying Human in the Age of Data (HarperCollins Leadership, 2020). Before Tobaccowala's presentation, the editors of Advertising & Society Quarterly provide background about the Colloquium theme. Professor Jef Richards introduces Tobaccowala and his notable career focused on media and technology. Richards also facilitates a dialogue between Tobaccowala and Professor Joseph Turow (University of Pennsylvania), who presented during the Colloquium's first session.