Beyond the boundaries of creativity and innovation stands Harry Kargman, founder and chief executive officer of Kargo and a member of the Ad Council's Board of Directors. In the digital advertising space, Kargo has not only delivered award-winning brand experiences, but harnessed the power of media as a force for good. Through its partnership with the Ad Council, Kargo has brought its signature high-impact formats and first-to-market ad innovation to purpose-driven campaigns like "Love, Your Mind."
We spoke with Harry about what motivates him, the role media companies play in driving social impact and why these initiatives matter now more than ever.
Courtney Jacobs: You’ve built Kargo into a company known for creativity and innovation in digital advertising. What motivates you personally to collaborate on purpose-driven work with organizations like the Ad Council?
Harry Kargman: I've had the extraordinary honor to sit on the Ad Council board for more than a decade and have seen firsthand the incredible impact this special organization has had on society at large. Big ideas and vibrant messaging works not only for brands to connect with consumers but also has the power to effect change for good.
Marketing can be harnessed to change attitudes and soften positions to create a more just and accepting society. Purpose-driven marketing campaigns have been shown to save lives, driving people to get screened for cancer, secure guns in the home, seek help to avert suicide, extend acceptance to people who are different from oneself, and take precautions to prevent forest fires. Helping to drive impact at a national scale is a privilege and provides meaning beyond commercial success.
I get to use years of hard-won experience and craft to make things a bit better out there, and in the end isn’t that what it’s all about? If I can unlock the power of Kargo’s capabilities to achieve that mission, my life and the lives of those around me is fuller and more fulfilling.
CJ: Kargo recently partnered with the Ad Council to support our “Love, Your Mind” campaign using Kargo’s agentic media buying platform. What excited you most about this collaboration?
HK: I've seen the intention that goes into a campaign like "Love, Your Mind," the real care taken to get the message out to people who may be struggling. So, when we were given the chance to apply Kargo’s agentic media buying platform to that effort, it felt like a natural fit and a win-win.
Kargo’s platform amplifies messages with more precision and context sensitivity, pushing the needed messaging to the edge of the internet. We can find the exact right places and times to expose mantras promoting the importance of mental health. If we find the right environments at the right moment, we can save lives. This is where marketing and targeting science go far beyond media planning and activation for business purposes, becoming a guide that helps people find support and hope in some of their more difficult moments.
CJ: Mental health is such a personal and important issue for so many people. Why do you believe it’s critical for media and advertising companies to play a role in raising awareness and encouraging action in this space?
HK: Our industry has the reach and the tools to shape culture at scale, and mental health is one of those issues where staying silent comes at a cost. Companies like Kargo aren't just able to help raise awareness; we have an obligation to use our platform for good. We control the pathways to attention and we can use those channels to help people.
CJ: What have you and your team learned from working on social impact campaigns compared to traditional brand campaigns? This could be creative or strategic learnings.
HK: The biggest difference is how carefully we need to craft the message to make sure it helps and drives the desired impact. On a project like this, the word choices and images drive the efficacy and could save lives. The stakes are higher - we need to put the best message we can possibly create using the information that is gathered and the research on impact. That's pushed our creative and data teams to take a moment to test, learn, and optimize. Much of this lives in academic journals and fusing that with supply, creative, and data science is something new for our teams. It's made us curious and given us a new perspective, which has carried over into how we approach commercial work, too.
CJ: What advice would you offer to other companies looking to make a meaningful impact?
HK: Pick causes that align with what you already do in your everyday life and where you have a passion. The closer the impact you make aligns with your expertise and intuition, the greater the chance of making a difference. Learn as much as you can, and look for where you can partner and add value. The magic happens when you leverage your craft and apply your learnings to create an outsized impact.
The Ad Council is where I personally spend my time because it’s the largest organization using marketing to impact society, and that sits right at the intersection of where I have spent my career and where my passion lies. Kargo can leverage its creative technology and media targeting, because that's our strength, to actually help make the world a better place. Following this example, how can you use what you’re already good at to drive that same kind of outsized impact in the areas where you can make a difference?