How Performance and Data Cuts Through Noise to Reach Millennials
Millennials expect more value, less disruptive user experiences from ads.
For advertisers, building brand awareness is essential to your quest for undying brand loyalty which, we hope, turns into never ending sales. You want to cut through the noise, connect with your audience, and get them engaged.
But the fact of the matter is that traditional “spray and pray” marketing just don’t work anymore. We know it’s expensive, often wasteful, and can potentially have the exact opposite effect of what you want for your brand. If your ads are being ignored by consumers, they might as well be invisible.
Traditional “Spray and Pray” Marketing Doesn’t Work on Millennials
Take the Millennial consumer. Born between 1980 and 2000, they are the biggest generation in U.S. history (92 million). According to Neilsen, they’re also the most trusting when it comes to advertising. Last year, the United States Census Bureau reported that Millennials now outnumber Baby Boomers, representing more than a quarter of the U.S.’s population. To top it off, their makeup is more diverse. Millennials are the driving force of change for the global economy, yet Business Insider reports that advertisers are failing to reach them.
The reasons aren’t exactly shocking. Daniel Newman, Principal Analyst and Founding Partner at Futurum, discussed in an article on Forbes stating that “millennials don’t want to be talked at.” As one of the most tech savvy audiences out there today, “they are used to having control over the information in their day to day lives, and their interactions with brands online is no different. They want to control their messaging,” Newman explains.
Performance and Data is the Secret Formula
This is where Performance marketing and most importantly data is essential for cutting through the noise to actually engage Millennials.
Real-time audience profile data layered over campaigns enables advertisers to target dynamically, based on purchaser intent and behaviour. Performance strategy enables advertisers to run campaigns based only on successful actions so ROI is actually measurable, down to the click.
Millennials expect more value and better, less disruptive user experiences from ads.
“Layering data enables the exploration and prospecting window to be shortened. What that means is conversion data can be collected at early stages in the campaign so your focus can be shifted from identifying the audience to actually driving performance.”
Debrani Ghosh / Programmatic Client Services Director
ClearPier
Debrani Ghosh, Programmatic Client Services Director at ClearPier, tells us that “from a performance stand point, layering data enables the exploration and prospecting window to be shortened. What that means is conversion data can be collected at early stages in the campaign so your focus can be shifted from identifying the audience to actually driving performance.” Read: drive results equals drive more sales.
Ghosh, who has over a decade of media buying experience in the programmatic space working at independent trade desks and DSPs, also added that when applying data, we should also look beyond generic data like age and demo. Instead, create consumer profiles based on behavioral and contextual intent for more precise targeting.
Megan Sun, Director of Publisher Relations at ClearPier, explains, “A good example is when you know a user is conscious about organic, locally grown, ethical food choices and is in market for a car. Do you think they’re more likely to purchase a gas guzzler vehicle or an electric economy car? Looking at your data and using it to your advantage in campaign would make the user happier because you can deliver relevant ads, while boosting results in campaign performance.”
Relevance is Key to Engagement
If Millennials are pre-occupied with authenticity and controlling the information they receive, then advertisers should make it their top priority to personalize their ad targeting down to the creative level.
Sun also adds, “With growing budgets for online media versus traditional methods like print and radio, online advertising is being cluttered with irrelevant ads to the user. While big custom executions hit the user on endemic sites, targeting users based on their behavior increases ROI for advertisers. The practice of driving performance by layering data is beneficial to audiences because, ultimately, it produces more relevant ads that add to the user’s experience, even when they’re visiting non-endemic sites.”
Combining Data with Performance strategy means trackable results, less ad spend waste for advertisers, and superior audience targeting. In other words, advertisers need to get on the Data train to drive Performance. Show your ads to consumers only when they want to see it so you’re brand doesn’t get ignored. Then sit back, and watch the results roll in.
Want to learn how First-Party Data and Performance can drive your sales? Connect with our team at sales@clearpier.com
Closing the Mobile Gap with Performance
Mobile advertising spend continues to grow, but it is still punching well below its weight.
A year ago the IAB published their definitive 2015 report on advertising expenditures and usage trends in the US market across all media channels. The report clearly demonstrated the huge $25 Billion gap that exists between time spent on mobile devices, and mobile media’s share of total advertising budgets in the USA.
What’s the mobile gap?
Talking specifically to the Canadian market, IAB projected that mobile media ad expenditures will increase by up to 55% in 2016 to reach a total of $3.21 Billion for the year. Over the same period, total Canadian media expenditures were projected to grow at only 3% over 2015.
With print and radio losing significant ground, and TV and digital growth relatively flat, we’re now seeing the dynamic presence of Mobile in our media landscape. However fast forward to 2016 and time spent on mobile devices is now approaching 3.4 hours daily. Mobile time spent is exceeding time spent watching TV by 65%, while equaling Digital time spent. Despite the data, the mobile media gap is still not closing fast enough.
So why does mobile remain an under-valued and under-utilized vehicle for Canadian advertisers?
Is it our national risk aversion and lack of knowledge regarding mobile that emphasizes a need to follow rather than lead? Or is it inertia and shortsightedness in our strategic and media agencies that’s effecting our ability to adapt? In agencies where annual TV buys and even some long-term digital commitments already in place, longstanding pre-established profitable pricing schedules may be what reigns. Change, even towards improvement, can therefore be a challenge.
If 75% of Canadians own smartphones, and people are checking their phones more than 150 times per day as reported by Business Insider, then it is time for advertisers to embrace the mobile opportunity. To reach broader, more engaged audiences, media buyers needs to tailor their messages on the devices that surround every facet of their lives.
For decades, savvy marketers have understood the need to move customers progressively along the Marketing Continuum from Awareness on-wards towards Loyalty. In our newly evolved digital world this now must embrace ENGAGEMENT/RE-ENGAGEMENT as the ultimate destination to replace that somewhat intangible Loyalty factor.
Re-examining the Funnel
Applying this as an overarching strategy to media planning, dictates a deeper examination of the Funnel Theory:
This approach clearly presents significant opportunities for Digital Media to impact programming success at each level of the funnel and specifically to drive the Re-Engagement process via targeted mobile marketing initiatives. Placing real value on Engagement remains an inconsistent practice despite all the conversation on how to get consumers engaged. However, quality time-spent by a qualified target customer interacting with your brand should be considered an invaluable metric and as indicator of on-going customer retention.
Adapting to the Mobile Challenge
Consistent technical development of the major publishers and content producers in the digital and mobile space has resulted in an ever richer data pool behind consumer demographics and usage trends. For successful advertisers, selecting media sources with advanced data profiling and aggregation resources is key to optimizing your media investments. Selecting vendors with access to first-party data, for example, can present significant incremental marketing efficiencies. Via the application of contextual and projected ‘look-alike’ profiling as well as real-time optimization of creative executions, targeting the right audience at the right time can now also happen at the right mobile-moment.
It’s time for educated marketers to challenge their media planners, whether on-staff or at an agency partner, to build integrated campaigns that use digital and mobile media to amplify the impact and effectiveness of the ad dollars spent. As our digital landscape continues to evolve, planners need to demand performance KPIs that build your brands.
KEVIN ASTLE is President of ClearPier’s Blyk Mobile division. A veteran marketer with long-standing industry experience across the Digital/Social/Mobile space.
Want to learn more? Connect with our team at sales@clearpier.com
[Infographic] How Video is Changing the Digital Advertising Landscape
From advertisers to publishers,
and ad-tech providers, the
video evolution effects everyone.
This morning when you scrolled through your feed on your phone, how many videos did you encounter? Browsing through your favourite news site, how many videos did you see while you scrolled? Chances are you saw a lot of videos.
Whether they are simply cat videos on your social feed, humorous content, or pre-roll ads, they’re everywhere! Video, its here to stay.
The video revolution has been unfolding in the industry for some time now, but advertisers, publishers, and ad-tech providers alike are beginning to re-assess how to best utilize this media format. Born from the TV tradition, video is evolving for the new digital age across our screens.
We explore how this evolution is effecting the digital advertising landscape and changing it forever. Check out the infographic below!
Want to learn more? Connect with our team at sales@clearpier.com
Is Branding Versus Performance an Outdated Notion?
Advertisers are shifting towards a blended approach, combining the strengths of one with the other.
What is the difference between performance and brand marketing? If you’re like me and have been working in the adtech/agency world, you know that performance and brand-based marketing teams approach advertising differently. Skill sets vary as well with agency folk generally deemed more creative, whereas performance marketers are seen as analytics focused.
The Brand Tradition
Branding has always been a high-cost but poorly measured tradition. There is no denying the persuasive powers that creative campaigns have over consumers, but at what cost?
Take for example Dove’s “Campaign for Real Beauty” launched by Unilever in 2004. The campaign tackled two goals: sell more Dove soap and change the way we as a society think of beauty. The campaign has been cited repeatedly as groundbreaking and bold. More than ten years after it originally ran, we still remember it.
Dove’s campaign has become an iconic part of a cultural shift in the way we think of beauty and self-love. Jennifer Bremmer, Unilever Marketing Director, has stated that in a survey conducted ten years post-campaign, three times as many women felt they were responsible for their own definition of beauty than the 23% the global survey in 2004 found (AdAge).
Dove’s sales increased from $2.5 billion to $4 billion during the campaign’s run.
So we know that brand campaigns work since overall sales increase or decrease indicates a campaign’s level of success. But brand campaigns are still notoriously difficult to track on a more granular level and therefore optimize.
And while this is one example of a successful brand campaign that drove sales, Unilever reportedly allocated over $8 billion in 2014 alone to its global advertising budget. That’s a lot of money. A lot of which has traditionally gone towards TV, of which the results are nearly impossible to track. Just because a lot of people saw that $8 million “America is Beautiful” Coca-Cola spot that ran during the 2014 Super Bowl, doesn’t mean everyone went out and immediately bought a Coke.
The Performance Path
When it comes to performance marketing, tracking is an essential part of all executions. Compared to brand campaigns, which are more about building relationships with consumers, direct response is all about making the immediate sale.
High-performance campaigns where clear goals are set and ROI easily measured are valuable to marketers trying to squeeze more out of their ad budgets.
The amount and quality of data and programmatic technologies available to performance marketers that enable them to target “the right ad at the right person, at the right time and place,” across screens are invaluable.
Performance goes beyond broad demographics, it relies on audience behavior, contextual data for precise targeting, and the ability to optimize and iterate efficiently across channels.
And while historically branding and performance have functioned separately, times are changing.
The Need for a Blended Approach
Unilever may have an $8.3 billion ad budget (2014), but nearly a quarter (24%) of its global spend goes towards digital (Business Insider). More recently, the company has worked on cutting ad spend by using a “zero-based budgeting” model that forces brand managers to “start from scratch to justify marketing and other outlays,” before more budget is assigned (AdAge). Sounds a lot like testing from a performance standpoint, no? In any case, the same approach is being executed for other brands including Heinz and Kraft.
Nike and its diverse array of athletic-wear lend itself to both brand and performance marketing.
Advertisers are shifting towards a blended approach, combining the strengths of one with the other to maximize reach, engagement, and measurable results. With consumers engaging with media across so many different devices and channels, often simultaneously, we can no longer treat branding and performance separately. They are two sides of the same coin.
A blended performance and branded approach, where technology enables superior targeting and strong creatives, helps cut through to audience resulting in better user experiences.
Ultimately, this will help advertisers overcome the threat of ad blocking that has become so prevalent in 2016. Delivering simultaneously relevant and entertaining ads for display and mobile is only the beginning. Once we acknowledge that the division between performance and brand advertising is an outdated way of thinking, we’ll be able to see new opportunities in video in the ongoing digital evolution.
Want to learn more? Connect with our team at sales@clearpier.com
5 Proven Monetization Tips to Boost Your Ad Revenue
In the digital landscape, publishers must experiment with strategies but keep ad quality top of mind.
So you’re a publisher with amazing content. You’ve got plenty of traffic, loyal followers, and diverse audience demographics. Producing content and ensuring top quality user experience is a labor of love for publishers. But another concern is how to monetize your properties effectively. You know that your ad space is valuable, but how can you get the most out of that revenue stream?
We sat down with ClearPier’s very own Director of Publisher Relations, Megan Sun, and Director of Business Development, Parag Joshi to chat about successful monetization strategies. Sun and Joshi have nearly two decades of experience in the media buying space between them and extensive expertise in publisher business development and ad quality. Here are their top 5 proven ad revenue boosting monetization tips for publishers.
1. Remember that Content is King
Joshi: This may sound obvious, but I think it’s important to emphasize the role that content plays in how much revenue you can generate. Ensure that you stay clear about your site’s raison d’être because your site’s purpose is precisely why audiences visit in the first place.
The most profitable publishers remember that their first priority is to always produce quality content, because they know this sustains audience engagement. Maintaining quality of content is the basis to driving all of your revenue models across ad inventory, native sponsorships, affiliation, subscriptions, and more.
“Whether it be conversions for ticket sales or tracking how many users are coming from your site through their landing pages, the better your performance is according to metrics, the higher your fill and CPMs.”
Parag Joshi / Director, Business Development
CLEARPIER
2. Get to Know Your Audience
Sun: Everyone says this but it’s so important to actually exercise this. You need to get to know your audience. Understanding your audience will help publishers realize the brands that will be most likely to purchase your inventory. There are platforms out there like Google Analytics, comScore, and Woopra that can provide insightful analytic data for publishers.
Once you know this, you can cater your content to fit the demographic and drive better performance for advertisers trying to target this specific audience segment. For instance, if you know that the majority of your users are women ages 18 to 34 with children, then you’ll be able to come to the conclusion that brands in the family and parenting categories would be a great fit for your site. With this insight, you can package your inventory appropriately.
3. Be Aware of Important Advertiser Metrics & Test for Optimization
Joshi: When it comes to your ad inventory, keep in mind that advertisers have a goal and to reach these goals they’re constantly optimizing against key metrics. Keep metrics like click-through rate and viewability in mind and test lazy loads (ads that only load upon scroll), or the positioning of your ads in different areas on your pages to see which perform best. Re-examine the data and see which ad unit size receives the best performance so you can weed out the lower performers.
There are also a lot of site optimization tools, like Visual Website Optimizer for example, that show you heat sensors patterns on where your users are most likely viewing your ads or engaging with your content. These tools also show you if your content is too long form and whether or not users are scrolling all the way down the page. If results show that your users do not scroll all the way down, then placing an ad at the bottom of the page will have poor results. Whether it be conversions for ticket sales or tracking how many users are coming from your site through their landing pages, the better your performance is according to metrics, the higher your fill and CPMs.
4. Keep Ad Quality Top of Mind
Sun: Publishers should be experimenting with their ad revenue strategies, but when it comes to their inventory it’s critical to keep ad quality top of mind. In platforms like ClearPier’s, there are features to control the types of ads being shown to the end user.
Publishers should always be making an effort to stay in control of the type of ads that run on their site because negative or inappropriate placements directly affect not only user experience, but also impacts a publisher’s brand reputation. This in turn effects the advertisers that will choose to work with you and could drive prospective clients away.
“Publishers should always be making an effort to stay in control of the type of ads that run on their site because negative or inappropriate placements directly affect not only user experience, but also impacts a publisher’s brand reputation.”
Megan Sun / Director, Publisher Relations
CLEARPIER
5. Consider Reinvesting Budget with a DMP
Sun: The goal for all publishers is to keep on driving that revenue up. As your ad revenue grows, consider reinvesting some of that budget and working with a DMP (data management platform). This will help you understand your audience at a more granular level and can be extremely attractive to clients.
Why? DMPs can create logical deductions based on a user’s browsing habit. Let’s take from the example we had above. Let’s say the majority of your users are women ages 18 to 34 with children. DMPs allow you to combine your data with theirs to reveal what percentage of these users are reading the sports section of your site. As a result, you discover that this audience segment actually splits into more than just family and parenting. This audience also encompasses a millennial audience interested in sports and health.
Understanding your audience is valuable to advertising partners because it helps advertisers when it comes to targeting. If you are able to offer clients the ability to target specific users and specific content at site-level across article genres, sections, home page, and more, then you’ll be able to scale up your monetization efforts.
Learn how ClearPier can help give your ad revenue a boost. Become a partner.
The Top 3 Emotion Driven Campaigns at the Rio Olympics
A look back at the 2016 Rio Olympic Game’s best branded campaigns to inspire us to be better marketers.
Seldom does a spectacle come along that draws as many eyes as the Olympics. It is an extraordinary feat to garner the attention of millions, and inspire such raw emotional reactions from around the world simultaneously.
Although Nielsen ratings have reported that U.S. television viewership numbers for this year’s Olympics were significantly lower than years past, there is no denying that brands made big waves digitally. Just over 27 million viewers tuned in to Rio’s opening ceremonies compared to the 40.65 million viewers of the 2012 London Games (CNBC). The near 30% decline in television viewers may be frustrating news for networks, but is indicative of a larger shift in the ways people are engaging with media, globally (Variety).
For marketers, the shift in screens from TV to digital is worth taking note. Although the games have officially ended now, advertisers should be re-examining the ways in which top brands leveraged the Olympics creatively and across screens.
We look back at the 2016 Rio Olympic game’s best brand executions that reached the podium, and inspires us to be better marketers.
1. “Unlimited” by Wieden + Kennedy Portland for Nike
Nike’s “Unlimited” campaign, which hails the everyday athlete as heroes, was ranked by Google as the most memorable campaign of the games. Among the top 12 brands that Google tracked that aired ads during NBC’s broadcast, Nike topped the list with 3.5 billion total impressions.
One of the most meta and most interesting video ads was “Unlimited You” which has garnered nearly 36.5 million views to date on YouTube. The spot shows how to inspire viewers by imagining the ordinary as extraordinary while maintaining viewer attention through the use of hyperbole. Featuring house-hold sports names like Serena Williams, Kevin Durant as well as those not so well known, the video reminds audiences that there are no limits. With Star Wars: The Force Awakens actor, Oscar Isaac, added into the mix as a fourth-wall breaking narrator, Nike’s “Unlimited You” gave a fresh take on the typical “inspiration sports ad.”
2. #ThatsGold by Ogilvy & Mather Brazil for Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is no stranger to the emotional-sell. From its iconic “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” commercial in 1971 – often cited as one of the most well-known ads of all time – to its “Open Happiness” campaign in 2011, Coca-Cola isn’t just a drink, it’s a feeling. Whether it’s a feeling of hope, peace, joy, or overwhelming achievement, you always “Taste the Feeling” with Coca-Cola.
The brand’s global Rio Olympics campaigns is no different. The “#ThatsGold” campaign is all about the thrill of winning starring 79 athletes of varying disciplines from 23 countries. An appropriate angle that reminds us that the Olympics is what it is – a competition.
Coca-Cola has been sponsoring the Games since 1928, but what’s interesting about this year was the brand’s ability to up audience engagement by tapping into real-time brand moments through social media. The #ThatsGold hashtag helped both its marketers and fans to capture relevant gold moments. In doing so, Coca-Cola illustrates how to get in front of audiences and get them engaged across multiple channels.
3. #DoWhatYouCant by Leo Burnett Chicago for Samsung
Samsung’s “Do What You Can’t” campaign is a powerful example of emotional selling. The campaign features six main athletes from around the globe that have defied impossible odds to be able to make it to the Olympic stage including Tom Daley of Great Britain, Shelley Watts of Australia, and Gabriel Medina of Brazil. The campaign also demonstrates the inspiration that comes from imagining a united world in full harmony, as seen in “The Anthem,” which has been viewed 29.8 million times on You Tube already.
One of the most moving ads, however, is “The Chant” featuring South Sudanese track star Margret Rumat Rumat Hassan for Samsung’s new cord-free IconX earbuds. Considering the fact that South Sudan was not yet recognized as a country just five years ago, Hassan’s achievement story – a symbol of South Sudan’s achievements – are what makes this ad so powerful. 2016 was the first time the country participated in the Olympics.
From the idea that barriers are made to be broken, to the feeling of winning; Nike, Coca-Cola and Samsung’s global campaigns for the Rio Olympics were hugely successful. They’re gleaming examples of how to make the emotional-sell work for today’s digital, multi-channel audiences. The challenge for marketers is to continue to reach the right audience and inspire them, no matter the channel. When it comes to sports related campaigns always remember: playing on the viewer’s heart strings is what brings home the gold.
Want to learn more? Connect with our team at sales@clearpier.com
Why Canadian Advertisers Prefer Private Marketplaces
PMPs on the Rise as Ad Spend Grows to One Third of Programmatic Budgets
Private marketplaces (PMPs) have been a hot topic among advertisers and publishers for some time now. PMPs have been on the rise since 2011 and just last year, eMarketer reported that ad spending on PMPs in the United States hit $3.7 billion, up from $80 million in 2014.
In Canada, over a third (35%) of programmatic spend goes to private markets compared to the U.S which tops out at 9%. Canada’s penchant for PMPs may, in part, be due to the nation’s late adoption of programmatic. But there are good reasons for why Canadian advertisers’ prefer PMPs.
More Control
In comparison to public marketplaces, where the floor is open to everyone and there is little or no contact between buyer and seller, private marketplaces enable direct and ongoing relations.
Not only do PMPs function on an invite-only basis, they also allow advertisers to customize deals to fit their needs by pre-setting targeting parameters, floor rates, and content, and more. Buyers are also given the opportunity of first-hand access on premium inventory that isn’t available in public exchanges.
When asked about the benefits of PMPs, Sunil Abraham, CEO of ClearPier and former performance marketer commented, “Publishers also benefit from increased control over deals.” He added, “This is because understanding levels of demand also helps them reallocate inventory across their demand streams including PMPs, open marketplaces, programmatic direct and direct.”
The result? Publishers can get more out of their entire ad inventory.
More Insight
Transacting on PMPs allows for a relationship focused approach compared to an overly technology dependent strategy when it comes to programmatic.
Having direct relationships with publishers means advertisers can target audiences more precisely by activating first-party publisher data. In the landscape beyond Facebook, advertisers must rely on publishers for accurate, high-quality audience data to drive successful campaigns.
Getting regular access to reliable data and leveraging that data enables advertisers transacting in PMPs to optimize their targeting on-the-fly across all parameters from demographic, to geo-location, to audience behaviour, to device usage and more.
More Creativity
Media buyers sometimes take issue with the limiting effects programmatic can have on creativity. Big brands and agencies are particularly frustrated by this issue which can be a challenge in open markets. After all, they want to be able to deliver the least intrusive and best user experience across all streams and ad formats to maximize engagement.
Another benefit of transacting in PMPs is premium high-quality data can be leveraged to continuously optimize and perfect creative campaigns without sacrificing targeting accuracy. The ability to do custom executions including full page takeovers, custom content, and custom stand-alone units tailored across devices, is a premium advertisers are willing to pay. As mobile ad spend continues to balloon while the need for better mobile user experiences climb, brands are looking for more creative ways to reach audiences on mobile. Thus, the customization capability of PMPs is a critical way advantage.
More Brand Safety
The key differentiator and benefit of private marketplaces however lies in the confidence with which both buyers and sellers can enter into deals. Transparency drives success and maintains direct relationship in PMPs.
In PMPs, advertisers always know where and when an ad is going to be served and the context in which it will be displayed. This ensures that your ad only shares screen time with contextually safe, appropriate and relevant content – a benefit to both buyers and sellers that prioritize their brand image.
Working with premium, vetted site-lists with quality audiences is a huge advantageous for advertisers as well as this is the first level of security against ad fraud. When PMPs or third-parties are able to layer on additional anti-fraud security measures like Integral Ad Science and GeoEdge.
Premium Continues to Grow in Canada
The stats indicate that buying media in premium environments like PMPs is growing in Canada. For both advertisers and publishers, there is also the added benefit of pricing transparency.
Some have pointed out that PMPs pose a scalability issue. But many advertisers are opting to partner with third-parties with expansive premium site-lists and the technology to scale up.
“In private marketplaces there is more accountability on the participating parties,” Abraham commented. Abraham added, “For too long, advertisers and publishers have been dealing with the same issues: ad fraud, inaccurate data, and unfair pricing. Premium buying environments benefits buyers and sellers by ensuring the ad ecosystem is fair so you can buy and sell with confidence.”
The move to PMPs is the next big shift in the ad ecosystem as spend rises. As mobile and video channels continue to drive growth, we can bet that a premium-first approach will firmly dominate the Canadian advertising landscape.
Want to learn more? Connect with our team at sales@clearpier.com
8 Awesome Things You Missed at ClearPier's Rooftop Party
Over 200 Agency Guests and Publishers Attended ClearPier’s Rooftop Party 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-kgOkEwVLk
This year’s inaugural Rooftop Party, hosted by ClearPier, was a big success. Over 200 agency guests and representatives of our exclusive publishers packed the house at the Thompson Hotel Rooftop and lounge in Toronto.
If you missed it, know that it was a pretty awesome party. So exactly what did you miss? Lets begin with:
1. This amazing view.
2. Some serious poolside lounging…with drinks.
3. A fantastic DJ who kept the party rolling until the midnight hour.
4. So much delicious food and drinks…all…night…long.
5. All the fun… with all the bubbles!
6. The unveiling of our mission film in front of a packed crowd.
If you still haven’t seen it, check it out here.
7. A showcase of some of our top premium publishers.
8. Sparkling conversation with the industry’s best.
Until next year… Cheers! Don’t forget to check out the video for more.
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Five Key Learnings from the IAB's Programmatic - Live from the Trade Floor
Last week’s Programmatic – Live from the Trade Floor conference, presented by IAB Canada, was a high-speed day abuzz with the lively exchange of ideas and conversation, and industry insights. The main topic of discussion: programmatic media buying and the ways in which marketers can and must adapt to be able to successfully reach audiences, at scale.
From learning to understand growing demographics that are reshaping the way media is consumed, to the impact of performance in programmatic, and finally the importance of data tracking, analysis, and flow – there was a lot to learn.
If you missed it, here’s the top five takeaways:
1. Mobile Ad Data is Characterized by Millennials’ Behavior
We all know that everyone is on mobile these days. The stats tell all; in 2016 the average American adult spends over three hours each day on their phones according to eMarketer (other studies have reported up to 4.7 hours per day). The message to marketers has been loud and clear: your audience is on mobile, and you must be too.
And yet according to Tony Marlow, Head of Sales Insights at Yahoo, marketers are still drastically under-using mobile. As consumers increasingly shift towards app usage, Marlow explains that understanding that mobile ad data is characterized by the behavioral patterns of millennials is also essential to marketers.
#iabcanpro. 2/3 of millennials (18-34) multi task while on mobile phone. Half of mobile minutes are by millennials. pic.twitter.com/eSHAJdjH0C
— IAB Canada (@iabcanada) March 23, 2016
Millennials process the world’s information differently. They’re better multitaskers, and better at filtering the data that’s most relevant to them. Most significantly however, Millennials are open to using their network’s group knowledge in a tribal way – before making a buying decision.
So what does this mean for programmatic advertisers? For Marlow, mobile ad data and user behavior must inform our programmatic buying decisions to ensure marketers make better connections with audiences in an automated, tailored, relevant, and especially personal manner. Combining automation with customized messaging is the biggest challenge.
2. Creatives Must be Data-Driven in a Programmatic World
Marketers love programmatic; it makes media buying more efficient and perhaps more effective. Programmatic enables advertisers to deliver targeted, customized, and contextually relevant ads, it also offers an opportunity to get smarter creatives in front of consumers.
In a #programmatic world, we must improve data literacy across departments & bring creatives into the campaign creation process. #IABCanPro
— ClearPier (@ClearPier) March 23, 2016
Adam Green, Agency Business Development Lead at Google, explained there is too much of a gap in the process of how creatives are created in traditional agency methods, which doesn’t necessarily work for the developing digital process.
#iabcanpro How to start with data-driven creative? Improve data literacy of creatives, foster data collaboration. pic.twitter.com/WJlinH8IyW
— IAB Canada (@iabcanada) March 23, 2016
A lot of data exists between teams that may all be working on the same campaign, but there isn’t enough communication as planners, insights, and creatives work in disconnected silos. Green argues that we must improve data literacy across entire companies at every level and across every department to market better. Doing so will foster data-driven thinking, down to the creatives level. By using programmatic data in service of the creative vision and, finally, by driving a collaborative approach across departments, we can move towards delivering smarter, self-assembling ads.
3. In the Future, All Digital Marketing will be Classified as ‘Performance’
Performance & programmatic are perfect partners. W/performance, transactions are your KPI, & that's ROI. #iabcanpro pic.twitter.com/fsPaHcw1xH
— ClearPier (@ClearPier) March 23, 2016
Speaking on the perfect partnership of programmatic and performance marketing, Brian Gleason, Global CEO of Xaxis, also boldly stated that in the future, all digital marketing will be classified as “performance.”
Performance-based marketing empowers advertisers to not only be more selective about the type of outcomes they wish to achieve in their campaigns, but also to only pay when those specific outcomes are actually achieved.
Combining programmatic and performance will allow marketers to focus on driving sales, and will result in targeting precisely the right person, at the right time, in the right place, with the right message and pushing for an action to be completed instantaneously. Indeed, the best part of performance marketing is its transactional accountability – your key performance indicator – and that means measurable return on investment.
#iabcanpro Brian Gleason, head of Xaxis globally, now speaking. Performance Mktg is ability to measure+ take action pic.twitter.com/4wV9sosZuj
— IAB Canada (@iabcanada) March 23, 2016
The current shift towards programmatic performance with guaranteed pricing will allow advertisers to amplify their campaigns with no upfront risks, while benefiting from the reach and targeting capabilities of programmatic across screens. That risk is being absorbed by ad tech companies who are leveraging the risks they are taking to guarantee high performing media.
4. Approach Your Audience as Human Beings.
What marketers often forget after crunching the numbers and assessing the mountains of data we now have at our fingertips, is the fact that behind those stats and figures are live human consumers. Media iQ’s Head of Media Insights, Jennifer Clark, reminded marketers to approach their audience as human beings.
The Jose Bautista bat flip? Think of how many people shared in this event, in real time. #iabcanpro @MediaIQDigital pic.twitter.com/FFa1BsQE3V
— ClearPier (@ClearPier) March 23, 2016
To do so, Clark suggests following the data flow of programmatic from offline real-time moments to online. Take for example the Jose Bautista bat flip (now dubbed “the most ostentatious bat flip in M.L.B. history” by the New York Times) in that famous seventh inning Blue Jays vs. Texas Rangers game in 2015. It was a real time moment that commanded the eyes of Canadians across the nation, a moment when audiences were emotionally and socially synced.
As Clark puts it, marketers must also sync with audiences socially. By considering external and offline behavioral data and seeing audiences as human in their programmatic buying strategies, marketers can successfully capitalize on emotional moments to supercharge their digital campaigns.
5. Integrate Mobile and OOH Strategies
Although the majority of strategic discussions today focus on the online ad world – from digital, to mobile, to programmatic – Out of Home (OOH) advertising is still relevant, and is adapting to the new world order. Out of Home is going digital (DOOH). Dynamic messaging through digital boards is a game changer for this traditional channel.
According to the Director of Mobile at Cieslok, Mike Blanchard, while questions about tracking and measurability have been raised about traditional OOH practices, the current shift towards integration of DOOH with mobile strategies should dispel any mystery around the geographic impact of OOH ads.
The geo-impact of OOH ads -not a guessing game anymore. Now understand consumers in the real world. #iabcanpro Mike Blanchard @CieslokMedia
— ClearPier (@ClearPier) March 23, 2016
Though we spend much of our lives online, 70% of our time is also spent OOH. The “always connected” consumer therefore presents big opportunities to marketers. With OOH influence synced and layered over mobile geo-targeted ads, another actionable touch point is created, which also increases brand engagement in the real world. Syncing mobile geo-targeting with DOOH executions will also help advertisers to understand the ways consumers interact around each OOH ad location potentially down to individual store visits and purchases.
BONUS: Live Tweets from IAB’s Programmatic – Live from the Trade Floor
Proudly sponsoring today’s #IABCanPro Let’s talk transparent, trading. #programmatic #clearpier @IABCanada pic.twitter.com/8gp7zFxqoj
— ClearPier (@ClearPier) March 23, 2016
The lines were queued up at registration at #IABCanPro by @IABCanada We’re excited to be sponsoring! #programmatic pic.twitter.com/7pFnBDuegt
— ClearPier (@ClearPier) March 23, 2016
All setup @iabcanada for #IABCanPro today. Drop by let's talk about trading over frozen yoghurt by @MyMenchies ! pic.twitter.com/xYrtClElq2
— ClearPier (@ClearPier) March 23, 2016
With Mark Shapiro of @stockhouse Great to have you here w/ #ClearPier at #IABCanPro today! @IABCanada #programmatic pic.twitter.com/IwL5XxoYaG
— ClearPier (@ClearPier) March 23, 2016
Lunch. Then frozen yogurt dessert at the ClearPier booth. Let's talk transparent trading. Come on over! #iabcanpro pic.twitter.com/wJ4UbktrUL
— ClearPier (@ClearPier) March 23, 2016
Lots to learn today at #IABCanPro Our part of the convo is all about transparent, performance trading @IABCanada pic.twitter.com/0aixpyTTSI
— ClearPier (@ClearPier) March 23, 2016
Time to break for networking & cocktails at #IABCanPro Its been a great day of education @iabcanada #programmatic pic.twitter.com/0GvccCb2uC
— ClearPier (@ClearPier) March 23, 2016
Programmatic – Live from the Trade Floor was a big success in driving thought leadership and insights in the programmatic industry. If we can take anything away from the key learnings, it is this one resounding message: the future of marketing is automated, performance focused, and data-driven.
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Five Key Highlights from Dx3 Canada 2016
Last week Toronto hosted Dx3 Canada, the nation’s leading technology, digital marketing, and retail conference.
Now in its fifth year, Dx3 brought brands, agencies, retailers, advertisers, and publishers together for two days of networking and education. Despite a winter storm that threatened to throw off the entire show, over 120 exhibitors from diverse verticals, 4,000 attendees from all over Canada, and over 60 speakers participated. It was a stimulating conference featuring some of the most exciting and innovative technological advancements in the B2C space. Here are all the highlights you need to know!
1. ClearPier Makes a Splash at Dx3
ClearPier proudly sponsored the event and showcased our vision of the future of performance ad trading on the exhibitor floor. The ClearPier mission at Dx3: redefine existing conceptions about programmatic in the Canadian market by setting the expectation for an open, transparent, and accountable media landscape.
Above, Left: The ClearPier team happy to talk about transparent trading at Dx3 Canada 2016. Above Right: From left to right, Ben Mair, CRO, Sunil Abraham, CEO, Jignesh Shah, CTO.
Sunil Abraham, ClearPier CEO, firmly declares that change is underway for programmatic media buying in Canada. “Historically the least transparent elements of digital advertising have been price, performance, and placement. North American marketers have ‘exploited’ the traditional ad stack, hiding behind layers of broken vendor promises,” Abraham says.
ClearPier is out to change these preconceptions, remove marketer hesitations in Canada, and re-introduce transparency into the ad ecosystem.
“We’re on the precipice of something great here. It’s an exciting time for programmatic, for Canada, and for ClearPier. We’re very excited to be here at Dx3 Canada among all these leading vendors,” says Ben Mair, ClearPier CRO.
While the primary focus for ClearPier is to unify demand for publishers across performance, direct sold, and programmatic campaigns, providing advertisers access to the exclusive premium inventory they demand, more is to be expected from this team of innovative technologists making waves in the Canadian media landscape.
2. Physical and Virtual Realities Collide at the Retail Collective Lab
A number of impressive curated interactive zones were on display at Dx3’s Retail Collective Lab, a showcase of the top retail technologies from around the world that unites physical and virtual realities.
This year’s Collective Lab story focused on the ‘store as media’ – the idea that the retail space is the facilitator of brand story and product experience. All of which should and can be measured with the assistance of technology.
Pictured above from left: Pepper the humanoid robot by SoftBank Robotics. A 3D screen shot taken live in Stefanka’s interactive fitting room.
Most prominently Pepper by SoftBank Robotics, the humanoid robot that reads your mood, recognizes facial and body language, and reacts accordingly, made its Canadian debut. For retailers, the wide-eyed four-foot tall robot promises to make communication of information with customers a more efficient in-store process.
Other fascinating retail focused technologies featured also included smart projection devices that helps shoppers select a variety of fabrics and furniture in real time by Vizera, and body scanning 3D interactive fitting rooms by Stefanka.
3. PayPal Startup Zone Features the Latest and Greatest
Besides the Collective Lab, Dx3 also hosted the PayPal Startup Zone where 25 of the leading Canadian marketing and retail startups exhibited.
The purpose: to reinforce the fact that if Canadian companies want to thrive in a commercial world with increasingly tech savvy consumers, they need to adapt to changing consumer needs and expectations.
Pictured: The teaBot booth located in the PayPal Startup Zone at Dx3. teaBot uses robotics to bring consumers an immersive, personalized experience at their self-serve tea kiosks.
Companies like Fetch, the social shopping app still in its beta testing stage, and SmoothPay, an up and coming mobile commerce and customer engagement platform, are re-imagining the consumer shopping experience with innovative technology and unconventional business models.
4. Key Note Learning: Creativity is Key to Innovation in a Tech-Obsessed World
At 8:30 AM on the first morning of Dx3 Neil Stevenson, executive portfolio director at design and consulting firm IDEO, stood in front of a room packed to the brim with entrepreneurs, technologists, marketers, and designers, listening intently. Speaking on the essentialness of creativity to inspire innovation, he likens creativity to breathing – something that’s always unconsciously at work. But to breathe more life into our creative problem solving abilities, we need to nurture our creative souls.
"Creativity is a new concept" says @ideo 's Neil Stevenson It was something only God could do. #Dx32016 pic.twitter.com/a1uhI9kizB
— Cision Canada (@Cision_Canada) March 2, 2016
“Most fundamentally, creativity has an input and output, you take something in and make something out of it,” Stevenson said.
If the purpose of businesses is to solve a consumer need, then we must find creative ways to solve them. Startups are great at disrupting conventional business models to bring out creative solutions, but success only comes when “you put your ideas out in an egoless way” and engage in a dialogue, whether it be with your creative team or your consumers.
For Stevenson, creative problem solving comes first, the technological solution, second, and listening is essential. It isn’t enough to bring your idea to the table. For ideas to become great, they must be ‘incubated’ – observed, critiqued, and re-shaped by more than one opinion based on the observed needs of the consumer.
5. Live Tweets from the Dx3 Exhibitor Floor
@jaypkim6 Testing out some very cool and realistic tech over at the @patioinc booth! @dx3canada #Dx32016 pic.twitter.com/uICO9cbJg8
— ClearPier (@ClearPier) March 2, 2016
Awesome custom 3D models from @Selftraits where they scan and mold you! #Dx32016 @dx3canada #tech #3dprinting pic.twitter.com/posM16DXby
— ClearPier (@ClearPier) March 3, 2016
Check out what's happening live at the @BrainSightsTO booth for cross-screen viewing insights #Dx32016 @dx3canada pic.twitter.com/gdxLiNHmER
— ClearPier (@ClearPier) March 3, 2016
@GageMair playing with all the tech from @patioinc 😎 You guys have some fun toys @dx3canada #Dx32016 #itsclear pic.twitter.com/wnirl5dduo
— ClearPier (@ClearPier) March 2, 2016
@dx3canada Day 1 is done. Time for beers and networking @LooseMooseTO #Dx32016 @readytalk @bnotions #itsclear pic.twitter.com/mckWZl3rPN
— ClearPier (@ClearPier) March 2, 2016
Dx3 was a big success – filled to the brim with fun, fantastic technological displays, and new learnings. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth to chat about transparent trading. Dx3 returns in in March once again next year and we hope to see you there.
Above: The ClearPier team exhibiting at Dx3 Canada 2016.
BONUS! If you missed the show, click to watch our video for a total recap of Dx3 Canada 2016 in under two minutes.
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