All of us at ARM couldn’t be more delighted to welcome a dynamic new leader to our team. Kristen Abramo has joined us as our new Chief Operating Officer, bringing more than a decade of experience in media strategy to ARM. As a leader, creative thinker, and team builder, Kristen’s record is unmatched.
Kristen has a lot of wisdom to share about planning and executing developmental strategies with impact, that’s why we sat her down and asked her for some insight on topics that are top of mind for business leaders today.
With your extensive background in media strategy, including your leadership at Anagram, what lessons will you bring to your new role as COO?
My past experience definitely gives me a strong foundation for aligning operational excellence to daily execution of a company’s strategic goals. This balance is essential for driving efficiency, innovation, and growth. Some lessons I’ve learned that can translate to this role include:
To have a strategic vision with operational focus: You have to have the big picture view of where the agency is heading. In my role I want to bring this strategic insight into the day-to-day, ensuring that operational decisions align with long-term objectives to balance efficiency and growth.
The importance of people and culture: I’ve learned how critical team morale and culture are to the success of an agency. I look to foster a positive and productive work culture. It’s critical to invest in your employees and give them the tools they need to learn and grow.
Cross-departmental collaboration: My experience in past leadership roles made me understand how different functions contribute to overall agency performance. I want to streamline communication and collaboration between departments, breaking down silos to enhance efficiency and create smooth workflows
A client-centric approach: Coming from a client-facing leadership position, I understand clients’ needs and expectations. Having this experience allows me to ensure that our teams deliver high-quality, client-centric solutions to improve retention and satisfaction.
Data-driven decision making: It’s important to analyze metrics across departments to help optimize resources, set actionable goals and hold teams accountable.
Audio is often described as an intimate medium. In your experience working with brands, how do you see audio enhancing brand storytelling and creating deeper emotional connections with consumers?
It really lies in how audio connects with consumers on a deeply personal level. Visual media can be distracting, but audio has a way of drawing listeners in. With audio, consumers feel like they are part of a one-on-one experience. This personal context is very valuable for storytelling. For brands, this offers a chance to engage on a more emotional level by tailoring messaging that resonates directly with the listener’s lifestyle and values. Storytelling in audio can evoke nostalgia, relaxation, and more by pairing a brand message with the right tone, music, or even specific voices. Moreover, in the context of podcasts and streaming, audio content comes as a trusted recommendation from a host, which adds authenticity. Audio leaves room for brands to be part of a listener's unique interpretation of the content. This makes the message stickier and more memorable. And audio fits seamlessly into daily routines without requiring undivided attention, meaning brands can build relationships in a natural and unobtrusive way.
You've worked with brands to optimize both performance and brand-building campaigns. What unique advantages do you see in using audio for both upper-funnel brand awareness and lower-funnel conversion efforts?
Audio has strength in both upper and lower funnel. Audio’s reach across radio, podcasts, and streaming platforms lets brands access highly targeted audiences while creating an immediate emotional connection. When it comes to brand building, audio can tell a rich story that enhances brand recall. And a memorable audio signature, tone, or personality can build brand identity effectively by consistently engaging listeners in familiar environments.
Audio also excels lower in the funnel, especially given advancements in programmatic targeting. With dynamic ad insertions, brands can serve tailored messages based on listener data, making the experience more relevant and appealing without interrupting the listener experience. And it is so effective at encouraging listeners towards action like downloading an app, visiting a website, or redeeming an offer. It’s ability to embed actionable cues makes it an effective tool for bridging the journey from awareness to conversion.
How can brands avoid the "plateaus" that you’ve previously addressed in branding and performance, especially when using audio as a key medium?
I would recommend a brand experiment with storytelling styles, for starters. In order to keep brand messaging engaging, they need different approaches. They can mix narrative driven ads, interviews, and soundscapes to capture attention in new ways. And audio can depend heavily on voice talent and tone—so rotating voices or using a mix of familiar and fresh voices can sustain interest. Personalization and dynamic creative is also critical and it's now easier than ever. So, by tailoring messages to listener data and ensuring relevance with each interaction, brands can avoid plateaus. Interactive Ads and QR codes can prompt listeners to scan or interact through voice commands, which can change passive listening to an active engagement. Lastly, staying agile and responsive to changes in both listener preferences and technology can help brands maintain momentum.
You've spoken about the shift in consumer media consumption. How can brands leverage the growing popularity of podcasts, smart speakers, and other audio formats to maintain strong consumer engagement?
There are many things a brand can leverage here, like sponsoring relevant podcast content, using voice activated ad campaigns, creating branded podcasts or mini-series, using targeted ad insertion for personalized messaging, or refining strategies with insight from analytics—there are so many tactics!
Favorite podcast? For business? For fun?
For business, I’ve recently discovered Fixable, which discusses real business challenges from a team dynamic and market positioning. And for fun, Smartless, because Jason Bateman has been my celebrity crush since childhood! I also really want to start listening to Radio Rental by Rainn Wilson.
