Q&A with Brian R Johnson, Chief Innovation Officer and Co-Founder at Canopy Management

AI is still young, but not well executed by most organizations in the e-commerce space. It’s growing fast, but there’s either limited quality control or underserved advertising strategies.

MEDIA 7: How did you come up with the idea of Canopy Management?
BRIAN R JOHNSON: With 4 years of Amazon advertising management, training & coaching, and software - it was a natural extension to offer a done-for-you agency service for larger brands needing professional advertising management.

M7: What are some of the top Amazon PPC Strategies that you look forward to implementing in 2021?
BRJ: This year continues to focus on best practices for the Amazon platform, combining foundational ad strategy principles with ‘blue ocean’ (underused by competitors) ad tactics such as Sponsored Brand Video Ads and Broad Match Keyword Targeting.

M7: What marketing channels do you use, and which ones do you see as the most promising, given your target customers?
BRJ: Facebook, LinkedIn, Guest Podcasting, YouTube, and more recently Clubhouse are some of the biggest drivers of new clients and students.

I consume a lot of YouTube videos – including listening to my peers and upcoming content publishers in the Amazon space to listen for small tactics or common points of confusion.

M7: How do you prepare for an AI-centric world as a Chief Innovation Officer?
BRJ: AI is still young, but not well executed by most organizations in the e-commerce space. It’s growing fast, but there’s either limited quality control or underserved advertising strategies. For our Research & Development team, we use machine learning in our competitor analysis to identify gaps in the marketplace our clients can exploit and better serve the consumer.

M7: What do you believe are the top three product marketing challenges in the post COVID-19 era?
BRJ: A big shift I’m pushing brands to adapt to in 2021 is to better focus on the needs and benefits of the target consumer, speaking in a voice to the audience rather than copying competitor products or tricking the search engines to show their content and products.

Whether it’s a product, a service, or a course… why should I care about it? If a marketer can answer that question in a few words or a single sentence, right upfront, you’ll hold the prospect long enough to consider other benefits and features that may want or need.

M7: What do you read, and how do you consume information to stay at the top of your game?
BRJ: Primarily, I consume a lot of YouTube videos – including listening to my peers and upcoming content publishers in the Amazon space to listen for small tactics or common points of confusion.  I can translate good or bad topics by others into tactics I can improve upon and test. Second, I’ll participate in townhall conversations via Podcasts, Webinars, and Clubhouse Rooms to discuss hot topics.

M7: Words of wisdom for marketing professionals?
BRJ: For product marketing, “Lead with benefits, support with features.” 

Always answer the question “What’s In It For Me?”.

Whether it’s a product, a service, or a course… why should I care about it? If a marketer can answer that question in a few words or a single sentence, right upfront, you’ll hold the prospect long enough to consider other benefits and features that may want or need.