Tag: data
Whilst the idea of personalised communication isn’t exactly new news, we in Create think this will grow to pretty epic proportions.
Not sure about personalised marketing? What if we told you content featuring a targeted call-to-action performed 178% better than a generic call-to-action. Not only do these personalised messages deliver better performance, they are also preferred by customers. 50% of U.S. consumers say they prefer receiving personalised marketing messages and 91% are more likely to shop with brands who send personalised offers.
As the volume of branded content across platforms continues to grow, so too does user ‘blindness’ to content that doesn’t immediately resonate. This increasingly competitive environment for consumer attention will force brands to invest more time, resource and money in to content that is crafted to meet the preferences and behaviours of specific groups of consumers. The ability to deliver this content is driven by both user preference, but also more sophisticated targeting technology.
How?
Firstly, via data collection: Using data to better understand your consumers provides the stimulus for a content strategy that more accurately caters to their actual desires.
Alternatively, a technology solution: For example, dynamic creative optimisation (DCO) is a set of technologies that massively simplifies the process of tailoring content experiences for consumers in real-time. With this capability, advertisers can reach target audiences with potentially infinite unique creative variations that cater to the specific user being served the ad, without the legwork you’d expect.
What’s more, the emerging ability to use DCO in native advertising campaigns brings a powerful tactic, enabling brands to tailor each component of the content their audience is exposed to. Marketing is hopefully about to become far more relevant, and therefore hopefully both more effective and worth your audience’s time.
We sent Piers Drake, our Head of eCommerce, and Chelsea Horncastle, our Senior Product Innovation Manager and AI/AR specialist, to Cologne to check-out DMEXCO 2018. Here they discuss what they found:
Piers Drake: So, Chelsea, that was a busy couple of days; my Fitbit tells me we covered 15miles lapping the halls of the Koelnmesse! Other than aching feet, the overall theme that jumped out for me was one of retrenching in these post-GDPR times. ‘Take CARE’ was the DMEXCO tag line, and every other booth had the words ‘Safety’ and ‘Transparency’ written large on their displays, with a somewhat apologetic tone!
Chelsea Horncastle: On top of which the keynotes were frequently referencing the disruption of data, gender inequality and the bleak outlook for retail! Quite negative thematically, but the atmosphere was actually very optimistic and buzzy, particularly when it came to the application of newer tech to consumer problems. And the halls were absolutely packed!
PD: Definitely. This was a transitional year for the industry I think. For me personally, the most interesting and positive stuff was when we dug below the surface and asked the exhibitors what they had coming down the pipeline for 2019. I think we found the seeds of some very cool tech and new approaches, but these weren’t always obvious from browsing the displays.
CH: The narrative that kept coming up with vendors, Google and AWS for example, was getting the appropriate infrastructure in place now to take advantage of the vast amounts of data – video, images, and more – already being collected. Also making voice and visual search technology more accessible, and using it to free up people’s time rather than for it’s own sake. I think the story of the next 12 months will be baby steps around implementation of these technologies at scale.
PD: One exhibitor that brought this to life for me was Oath, who were demoing their AR content via Ryot Studio and HoloLens. Beyond the novelty of playing with virtual Smurfs (!), crucially they were talking confidently about the need to unite the content and publishing with an ‘insights engine’ of data in the background; what I’d call an end-to-end approach.
CH: Yep. The tech is impressive, but we need to move beyond the ‘cool technology’ angle and take it back to consumer insights – what are our goals with using these new formats and how do they help real consumers? And, AI can generate insights from big datasets, which is one of the most actionable ‘today’ applications.
PD: Thinking real-world applications, I was excited by the computer vision and ‘visual search’ tools we saw from Google, Microsoft and a number of startups. The Google Lens demo was particularly good because they were emphasising the practical uses, for example where you can identify plants or shoes or paintings with a tap, but then the UI drives you directly to other Google tools such as Shopping, Maps or Translate for the next steps. It’s going to be a great timesaver AND drive business results.
CH: Google Lens is great! On the B2B side, we saw Microsoft analysing the faces of people walking past their stand and estimating their genders, ages and moods – all in real time. This kind of real time analysis of video is a potential gamechanger for lots of industries, retail in particular.
PD: Yes, let’s talk retail! eCommerce vendors were dotted around the show and my main takeaway was that online retail is no longer an awkward cousin of digital! Everybody is talking about commerce outcomes, trying to explicitly link investment to sales (at last!)
CH: Ha! eCommerce seems much more mainstream this year and I heard a lot about AI-led personalisation. Salesforce were talking about ‘Shoptimism’ and the benefits of AI-driven recommendations on online stores, with their data showing a 5x transaction value from that.
PD: Whether it’s via human curation, AI or a hybrid – recommendations and personalised experiences are a key area where rivals can offer something different to Amazon. They had a sizeable presence at the show but were characteristically reluctant to discuss their plans. The explosive growth of their Amazon Advertising platform was a frequent topic of conversation with third party tool providers like Kenshoo, who told me that Amazon Search is growing at 10x the rate of Google Search.
CH: From my side, I was surprised that Alexa was invisible among the other AI assistant demos on show. Meanwhile, you said eBay had some interesting ideas when you spoke to them?
PD: I think eBay is one to watch as they are launching new tools and trying to shift perceptions of it as a ‘second hand’ eCommerce platform – their data is that over 80% of product sold is brand new. They already have an upper-funnel proposition and potentially it could evolve into a brand-friendly ‘end-to-end’ platform that offers more control over the shopping experience than Amazon.
CH: Let’s talk social for a moment. Facebook, LinkedIn and Snapchat were all there. Snapchat was the most low-key of these, mainly letting the product do the talking. Facebook were primarily featuring Instagram and Blueprint, showing some neat upgrades to IG Stories with more animation and motion.
PD: Social was a little low-key all round. I was surprised by the lack of messaging platforms around DMEXCO given the predictions of how ‘conversational UI’ was going to be big by now. And social commerce was invisible. We’re out of time unfortunately, so what was your highlight overall?
CH: Overall, it was a demo that sparked my imagination. That is the best part of attending conferences like Dmexco. This demo used image recognition to create a connected car experience, where it could understand what people see as they drive past buildings giving additional information or actions as needed. The idea is still very new, but it allows us to think about what the future could look like. And, yours?
PD: It’s slightly off-the-wall, but one of the most crowded and best-looking stands was a replica of a general store with tins, bottles and bags of pasta on display, with ‘shopkeepers.’ The popularity of it really captured for me why the eCommerce story is becoming about joining online up with physical retail – because despite all the info available online, people love browsing real shops….and going to trade shows like DMEXCO!
We sent Piers Drake, our Head of eCommerce, and Chelsea Horncastle, our Senior Product Innovation Manager and AI/AR specialist, to Cologne to check-out DMEXCO 2018. Here they discuss what they found:
Piers Drake: So, Chelsea, that was a busy couple of days; my Fitbit tells me we covered 15miles lapping the halls of the Koelnmesse! Other than aching feet, the overall theme that jumped out for me was one of retrenching in these post-GDPR times. ‘Take CARE’ was the DMEXCO tag line, and every other booth had the words ‘Safety’ and ‘Transparency’ written large on their displays, with a somewhat apologetic tone!
Chelsea Horncastle: On top of which the keynotes were frequently referencing the disruption of data, gender inequality and the bleak outlook for retail! Quite negative thematically, but the atmosphere was actually very optimistic and buzzy, particularly when it came to the application of newer tech to consumer problems. And the halls were absolutely packed!
PD: Definitely. This was a transitional year for the industry I think. For me personally, the most interesting and positive stuff was when we dug below the surface and asked the exhibitors what they had coming down the pipeline for 2019. I think we found the seeds of some very cool tech and new approaches, but these weren’t always obvious from browsing the displays.
CH: The narrative that kept coming up with vendors, Google and AWS for example, was getting the appropriate infrastructure in place now to take advantage of the vast amounts of data – video, images, and more – already being collected. Also making voice and visual search technology more accessible, and using it to free up people’s time rather than for it’s own sake. I think the story of the next 12 months will be baby steps around implementation of these technologies at scale.
PD: One exhibitor that brought this to life for me was Oath, who were demoing their AR content via Ryot Studio and HoloLens. Beyond the novelty of playing with virtual Smurfs (!), crucially they were talking confidently about the need to unite the content and publishing with an ‘insights engine’ of data in the background; what I’d call an end-to-end approach.
CH: Yep. The tech is impressive, but we need to move beyond the ‘cool technology’ angle and take it back to consumer insights – what are our goals with using these new formats and how do they help real consumers? And, AI can generate insights from big datasets, which is one of the most actionable ‘today’ applications.
PD: Thinking real-world applications, I was excited by the computer vision and ‘visual search’ tools we saw from Google, Microsoft and a number of startups. The Google Lens demo was particularly good because they were emphasising the practical uses, for example where you can identify plants or shoes or paintings with a tap, but then the UI drives you directly to other Google tools such as Shopping, Maps or Translate for the next steps. It’s going to be a great timesaver AND drive business results.
CH: Google Lens is great! On the B2B side, we saw Microsoft analysing the faces of people walking past their stand and estimating their genders, ages and moods – all in real time. This kind of real time analysis of video is a potential gamechanger for lots of industries, retail in particular.
PD: Yes, let’s talk retail! eCommerce vendors were dotted around the show and my main takeaway was that online retail is no longer an awkward cousin of digital! Everybody is talking about commerce outcomes, trying to explicitly link investment to sales (at last!)
CH: Ha! eCommerce seems much more mainstream this year and I heard a lot about AI-led personalisation. Salesforce were talking about ‘Shoptimism’ and the benefits of AI-driven recommendations on online stores, with their data showing a 5x transaction value from that.
PD: Whether it’s via human curation, AI or a hybrid – recommendations and personalised experiences are a key area where rivals can offer something different to Amazon. They had a sizeable presence at the show but were characteristically reluctant to discuss their plans. The explosive growth of their Amazon Advertising platform was a frequent topic of conversation with third party tool providers like Kenshoo, who told me that Amazon Search is growing at 10x the rate of Google Search.
CH: From my side, I was surprised that Alexa was invisible among the other AI assistant demos on show. Meanwhile, you said eBay had some interesting ideas when you spoke to them?
PD: I think eBay is one to watch as they are launching new tools and trying to shift perceptions of it as a ‘second hand’ eCommerce platform – their data is that over 80% of product sold is brand new. They already have an upper-funnel proposition and potentially it could evolve into a brand-friendly ‘end-to-end’ platform that offers more control over the shopping experience than Amazon.
CH: Let’s talk social for a moment. Facebook, LinkedIn and Snapchat were all there. Snapchat was the most low-key of these, mainly letting the product do the talking. Facebook were primarily featuring Instagram and Blueprint, showing some neat upgrades to IG Stories with more animation and motion.
PD: Social was a little low-key all round. I was surprised by the lack of messaging platforms around DMEXCO given the predictions of how ‘conversational UI’ was going to be big by now. And social commerce was invisible. We’re out of time unfortunately, so what was your highlight overall?
CH: Overall, it was a demo that sparked my imagination. That is the best part of attending conferences like Dmexco. This demo used image recognition to create a connected car experience, where it could understand what people see as they drive past buildings giving additional information or actions as needed. The idea is still very new, but it allows us to think about what the future could look like. And, yours?
PD: It’s slightly off-the-wall, but one of the most crowded and best-looking stands was a replica of a general store with tins, bottles and bags of pasta on display, with ‘shopkeepers.’ The popularity of it really captured for me why the eCommerce story is becoming about joining online up with physical retail – because despite all the info available online, people love browsing real shops….and going to trade shows like DMEXCO!
At this year’s DMEXCO OMD Worldwide CEO, Florian Adamski, took to the stage to take part in a panel discussing what will be the biggest challenges and risks of running a global company in the next five years. Alongside Mark Grether, CEO at Sizmek; the two leaders compared markets to each other in terms of capabilities, niches and commonalities to highlight the importance of acting global, but understanding local.
To kick off the panel, the audience were first asked to vote on the following question:
What are the big challenges in managing a global company? To match the different needs of consumers in different markets OR to scale local demands with a global technology set-up?
55% of the audience agreed with Florian, that the different needs of consumers must be matched in different markets. How would you vote?
Throughout the session on the Debate Stage; data, e-privacy, growth and big market trends in specific industries were delved into in a passionate, pertinent and informed discussion. Florian shared his perspective on what drives global business.
People-obsessed
How important is it to have the right talent to manage the challenge of thinking globally and satisfying local needs?
“As a global media agency, we must have a sense of how many local freedoms a market needs” began Florian. He claims technological infrastructure, the connection to data, partners and ad partners, but also ‘people’ are top of the pack in terms of relevance to attracting and retaining quality talent. “A global client who declares himself to be ‘consistent’ will be encountered in 60 markets, in 60 countries in different variations”. How does this sit though, when markets are wanting to keep local freedom? Answer – “you must find the right people who are able to take care of the client. As an agency, you create a framework, a platform that recognises clients and employees worldwide.”
Connected teams through connected tools
One agreement that the panel came to was that it’s not always easy to find the right balance between local and global. The art of remaining relevant worldwide whilst also serving a market locally is a fine line that agencies continue to foster and develop.
“We have recently launched a platform – OMNI – that covers this and more through precision marketing – using data and technology in the right place to control and effectively present plans, optimisations, buying and reporting.” Florian was excited at how different regions and countries have the ability to focus on different functionalities on this platform. Said to be “an enterprise that is controlled globally”, its astounding how the focus can be so varied – “this isn’t always easy.”
Centralisation of the markets
Centralisation of markets was a topic which generated both light and shade. “At the end of the day, this is exactly what our job is: a global CMO can demand from us at any time that we use data to generate insights and evaluate the different markets on a number of levels.” It was agreed that no agency would be a good agency if it can’t afford and understand that a brand in the US has an unaided brand awareness of 80%, but in Germany only 10%. The idea of being ‘in-house’ is a theme that is heavily circulating the industry, and indeed, props up in several pitches. Florian observed that there are only a few companies that are able to define an Ad-Stack, but also using and optimising it in the long term. “This is a problem for many clients who have decided to do everything ‘in-house’ for reasons of transparency. The problem is that they can’t use the technology.” Great in principle, not so great in practice. Appreciating the value of a neutral consultant will be something moved towards in the coming year as clients begin to realise how complex the environment has become.
Globally flexible, locally relevant
Florian’s take home message for global to local fusing was that we shouldn’t “try to force something global onto regional talents that they can’t realise locally. Give them the freedom to make the right decisions for their markets. Try to create a vision and a road-map for this vision, so that they can get there using the skills and capabilities that we’ve empowered them to use. Let’s synergise local and global this year.”
At this year’s DMEXCO OMD Worldwide CEO, Florian Adamski, took to the stage to take part in a panel discussing what will be the biggest challenges and risks of running a global company in the next five years. Alongside Mark Grether, CEO at Sizmek; the two leaders compared markets to each other in terms of capabilities, niches and commonalities to highlight the importance of acting global, but understanding local.
To kick off the panel, the audience were first asked to vote on the following question:
What are the big challenges in managing a global company? To match the different needs of consumers in different markets OR to scale local demands with a global technology set-up?
55% of the audience agreed with Florian, that the different needs of consumers must be matched in different markets. How would you vote?
Throughout the session on the Debate Stage; data, e-privacy, growth and big market trends in specific industries were delved into in a passionate, pertinent and informed discussion. Florian shared his perspective on what drives global business.
People-obsessed
How important is it to have the right talent to manage the challenge of thinking globally and satisfying local needs?
“As a global media agency, we must have a sense of how many local freedoms a market needs” began Florian. He claims technological infrastructure, the connection to data, partners and ad partners, but also ‘people’ are top of the pack in terms of relevance to attracting and retaining quality talent. “A global client who declares himself to be ‘consistent’ will be encountered in 60 markets, in 60 countries in different variations”. How does this sit though, when markets are wanting to keep local freedom? Answer – “you must find the right people who are able to take care of the client. As an agency, you create a framework, a platform that recognises clients and employees worldwide.”
Connected teams through connected tools
One agreement that the panel came to was that it’s not always easy to find the right balance between local and global. The art of remaining relevant worldwide whilst also serving a market locally is a fine line that agencies continue to foster and develop.
“We have recently launched a platform – OMNI – that covers this and more through precision marketing – using data and technology in the right place to control and effectively present plans, optimisations, buying and reporting.” Florian was excited at how different regions and countries have the ability to focus on different functionalities on this platform. Said to be “an enterprise that is controlled globally”, its astounding how the focus can be so varied – “this isn’t always easy.”
Centralisation of the markets
Centralisation of markets was a topic which generated both light and shade. “At the end of the day, this is exactly what our job is: a global CMO can demand from us at any time that we use data to generate insights and evaluate the different markets on a number of levels.” It was agreed that no agency would be a good agency if it can’t afford and understand that a brand in the US has an unaided brand awareness of 80%, but in Germany only 10%. The idea of being ‘in-house’ is a theme that is heavily circulating the industry, and indeed, props up in several pitches. Florian observed that there are only a few companies that are able to define an Ad-Stack, but also using and optimising it in the long term. “This is a problem for many clients who have decided to do everything ‘in-house’ for reasons of transparency. The problem is that they can’t use the technology.” Great in principle, not so great in practice. Appreciating the value of a neutral consultant will be something moved towards in the coming year as clients begin to realise how complex the environment has become.
Globally flexible, locally relevant
Florian’s take home message for global to local fusing was that we shouldn’t “try to force something global onto regional talents that they can’t realise locally. Give them the freedom to make the right decisions for their markets. Try to create a vision and a road-map for this vision, so that they can get there using the skills and capabilities that we’ve empowered them to use. Let’s synergise local and global this year.”
TV viewing has dramatically changed over the past few years. New companies, new formats, new devices and new subscription models have all impacted what we can only very loosely still call ‘TV viewing.’ At a recent evening organised by MTM, we heard some of the brightest and the best from Sky, BBC, YouView and Google debate how our beloved googlebox experience may change even more over the next decade.
The biggest changes we can expect are around data, voice search, the user experience and ultimately the battle for YOUR living room.
Firstly, the opportunity with data is huge, and TV content providers are only just getting started. Everyone has taken note of the success Netflix had, and they are looking to improve the user experience through data to understand and personalise the viewing experience. This makes the EPG critical. In the UK, given their data capabilities and reach, Sky and BBC should be able to go toe to toe with Amazon and Netflix. Everyone else is in the uncomfortable position of playing catch-up.
The challenge is, viewers want content suggestions tailored to them and their viewing habits, but also want completely left-field suggestions they would never choose themselves and might love! No small task.
Voice search and command is highly significant, but also the great unknown. Searching via voice is twice as popular amongst 18-34s compared to all adults. Understandably, people are far more comfortable talking out loud from the comfort of their own house than in public. This means TV content is some of the most searched for via voice. Currently, content providers are trying to work out how to balance users switching between remote control use and voice.
Amazon’s Alexa’s technology is moving into more smart TV, offering Alexa as a catch-all assistant for viewing content on your TV, provided it is connected. Unsurprisingly, Google is not far behind in linking assistant to your TV alongside other household devices, and Apple TV already utilises Siri.
So rather than a battle for your TV, or perhaps your living room, this is quickly escalating into a battle for the OS to your home!
The engineers in the room were getting very excited about UX. Known to people like me as the user experience. It seems everyone is developing, learning from and improving upon everyone else’s UX. This amalgamation, where data meets the interface, meets navigation, and crucially gets you to compelling content fast, is the utopia moment for all broadcasters.
Interestingly, most are already testing different layouts, messaging and content. So, no-one’s Netflix or Sky interface will look the same as anyone else’s.
This brings us neatly onto the next significant development: The TV as an entertainment hub in the future. As voice interface more readily controls your TV, lights, curtains and thermostat, the TV may well become your main household interface. Whilst we may then spend more time with the big screen, TV content will be elbowed out the way by a plethora of other uses.
As TVs integrate a camera and movement recognition, we will more happily use the main set for video calls and games taken straight from apps. Games consoles can already be integrated into the main set. Photo albums and video clips can happily be called up from phone or Facebook with a simple command, and the TV becomes a social hub too. Snapchat lenses are far more fun when there is room for the whole family to be turned into rainbow-spewing trolls!
Where does this leave today’s content creator and provider? Interestingly there were some truisms that remain. The power of channel brands still exists, and their heritage makes them a default viewing option for years to come. Additionally, linear scheduling was still seen as important. Releasing an episode a week creates talkability over time which binge watching cannot yet compete with.
And finally, we may never rid ourselves of the power of Saturday Night. Families and friends still want to congregate together, to watch the biggest shows as a collective, connected mass. All the voice-controlled, Alexa-powered technology in the world cannot deter us from tuning into a bit of Ant n’ Dec.
dmexco is the global business and innovation platform of the digital economy, enabling visitors to experience disruptive trends and define the business potential of tomorrow. With over 250 hours of conference programme, more than 1,000 exhibitors and 90,000 square meters of exhibition space – Europe’s leading digital trade fair is growing. As the meeting place for makers and shakers, visionaries, marketing and media professionals, tech enthusiasts and creative thinkers, dmexco combines a leading trade fair for digital marketing with an extraordinary conference.
We are extremely excited that OMD, for the fifth year running is returning to Cologne to help guide our clients, partners and friends through the exhibition and offer an unparalleled experience. This year OMD is offering a comprehensive range of guided tours, from mobile and programmatic to data and social, live hacks focusing on data strategy and marketing technology, and bespoke recommendations for talks and panels you should attend to make your time at dmexco as profitable and educational as possible.
Let us guide you
Start your dmexco experience with a guided tour from our team of OMD experts. For German speaking tours please sign up here. For English speaking tours across mobile, programmatic, data and social please contact [email protected] to reserve your space. English tour timings are as follows:
September 13th
- The mobile and social tour- 10.00
- The programmatic and data tour- 12.00
- The overview tour- 16.00
September 14th
- The mobile and social tour- 12.00
- The programmatic and data tour- 14.00
- The overview tour- 16.00
Participation in the tours is only possible after registration. As participants are limited per tour, make sure to secure your place today.
Taking to the stage
Let our experts compile the panels and keynotes that you won’t want to miss. With past speakers including Mondelez’ Dana Anderson, Twitter’s Jack Dorsey, Vice’s Shane Smith and Google’s Sridhar Ramaswamy, the 2017 agenda, including our OMD and Omnicom spokespeople, is bound to be exceptional.
Your home at dmexco
With a jam-packed programme make sure you visit the OMD stand to re-energize. Join us for refreshments, networking opportunities or a guided tour. For more information about dmexco and how we can make your time in Cologne more valuable, please contact [email protected]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6XnoDuRPbU
The IAB Europe AdEx Benchmark report is always a great opportunity to halt the permanent hyperloop we all work in and take stock of exactly what our industry has gone through.We can see that growth has stayed at a consistent level of around 12% year-on-year over the past 5 years as online media matures, accounting for €42bn of all media. However, the following are four areas from this year’s report that I feel have driven real change within the market:
- Polarisation within Europe: The larger markets have matured as the tech landscape has settled and programmatic is now a cemented part of online activity within the largest markets. This compares to the emerging markets, who are seeing rapid growth as the tech giants transfer the learnings from the mature markets’ earlier development and infrastructure. This has meant exponential growth for the likes of Romania and Slovenia, as the initial entrants into areas such as programmatic have been received positively, driving further confidence.
- The Organisation of Data: The accountability of online media has always been positive, but equally it has led to further complexity in the market. Not only has measurement begun to see some degree of standardisation, helping brands understand true effectiveness over time, but it has also allowed for more dynamic, real time decisions to become a standard practice. However, this organisation of data has not just allowed for clearer measurement. Publishers and platforms have segmented their audiences with more effect – the understanding of observed behavioural insights, as well as development of robust custom audiences has meant that targeting is paying back a stronger ROI and, as a result, increasing investment.
- The Integration of Media and Content: Building on the last point, and due to the complexity of formats that online media comes with, content is playing a tighter role within all media decisions. The term “mobile first” is overused in our industry and not because people don’t appreciate the importance that the device plays in people’s lives, but because brands would all too often put their TV ad straight onto a mobile placement. The insights we are getting from our ability to analyse data more effectively has meant that the content creation and production process is now more dynamic and increasingly relevant to the device, context and environment when served.
- The Growth of e-Commerce: The advancements of e-commerce from a platform experience (as well as improvements in distribution) have meant the consumer has more and more confidence in adopting this method of shopping. This has naturally has led to a rise in more direct performance media such as search. As content experience improves and the fact that the point of desire and traction can now happen in a matter of seconds, more immersive forms of online content has begun to prove direct attribution to sales.
There are still many opportunities across the industry to improve the experience that brands provide within online media, as well as simplifying the technical infrastructure that they operate in. However, there is a lot to be positive about as we enter the 3rd wave of disruption and the mass adoption of areas such as Artificial Intelligence and the internet of things.
The IAB Europe AdEx Benchmark report is always a great opportunity to halt the permanent hyperloop we all work in and take stock of exactly what our industry has gone through.We can see that growth has stayed at a consistent level of around 12% year-on-year over the past 5 years as online media matures, accounting for €42bn of all media. However, the following are four areas from this year’s report that I feel have driven real change within the market:
- Polarisation within Europe: The larger markets have matured as the tech landscape has settled and programmatic is now a cemented part of online activity within the largest markets. This compares to the emerging markets, who are seeing rapid growth as the tech giants transfer the learnings from the mature markets’ earlier development and infrastructure. This has meant exponential growth for the likes of Romania and Slovenia, as the initial entrants into areas such as programmatic have been received positively, driving further confidence.
- The Organisation of Data: The accountability of online media has always been positive, but equally it has led to further complexity in the market. Not only has measurement begun to see some degree of standardisation, helping brands understand true effectiveness over time, but it has also allowed for more dynamic, real time decisions to become a standard practice. However, this organisation of data has not just allowed for clearer measurement. Publishers and platforms have segmented their audiences with more effect – the understanding of observed behavioural insights, as well as development of robust custom audiences has meant that targeting is paying back a stronger ROI and, as a result, increasing investment.
- The Integration of Media and Content: Building on the last point, and due to the complexity of formats that online media comes with, content is playing a tighter role within all media decisions. The term “mobile first” is overused in our industry and not because people don’t appreciate the importance that the device plays in people’s lives, but because brands would all too often put their TV ad straight onto a mobile placement. The insights we are getting from our ability to analyse data more effectively has meant that the content creation and production process is now more dynamic and increasingly relevant to the device, context and environment when served.
- The Growth of e-Commerce: The advancements of e-commerce from a platform experience (as well as improvements in distribution) have meant the consumer has more and more confidence in adopting this method of shopping. This has naturally has led to a rise in more direct performance media such as search. As content experience improves and the fact that the point of desire and traction can now happen in a matter of seconds, more immersive forms of online content has begun to prove direct attribution to sales.
There are still many opportunities across the industry to improve the experience that brands provide within online media, as well as simplifying the technical infrastructure that they operate in. However, there is a lot to be positive about as we enter the 3rd wave of disruption and the mass adoption of areas such as Artificial Intelligence and the internet of things.
Hello and welcome to another weekly dose of OMD FWD, where most of our highlights come from the USA. As Trump continues to rock the world with his Muslin ban, tech giants including Google Microsoft and Facebook stand up for their existing employees and future talent. Meanwhile, Dove UK launch their #AlternativeFactsCampaign.
The Superbowl has also dominated recent headlines with Lady Gaga using 300 Intel-powered drones during halftime. With so much hype and exposure, it’s no wonder brands want to get a slice of the action, despite the $5M price tag! Don’t miss the best and worst from Superbowl TV ads in 2017.
HEADLINES
- Tech giants including Google, Microsoft and Facebook rally against Trump’s Muslim ban amidst fears for existing employees as well as the future of progressive thinking in the USA
- Instagram launches Snapchat-esque ‘disappearing’ photo and video functionality
- Dove UK brilliantly trolls the Trump administration’s attitude towards suspect information with their #AlternativeFacts campaign
INSIGHTS
COOL
DEEP READS
As ever, please tag and share anything you spot with #OMDFWD.