Ad Strategy in 2013 (and Beyond)
By Jeremy Bloom, Co-Founder of Integrate
The technology
advancements of 2011
and 2012 will drive the
platform and product
adoptions of 2013.
Marketers are already
starting to push away
the antiquated solutions
of yesteryear in
favor of automated,
real-time tools that
enable omnichannel
strategies. So, what
can you expect from
the 'Net advertising of
the future?
Mobile RTB will take off in a big way
In 2012, U.S. marketers spent $2 million-plus on digital
display ads purchased through a real-time bidding
(RTB) exchange or platform, doubling the previous
year’s figures. The value of RTB is clear: It provides advertisers
with the ability to reach a unique user in real
time, increasing ad relevance and spend efficiency. Most
Internet users have an identifiable browsing history
supported by cookies, and advertisers can use RTBenabled
exchanges and platforms to pinpoint specific
audience segments using cookie-based targeting.
Mobile, one of the fastest-growing marketing
channels, has been all but absent from the RTB chatter
due to its lack of cookie targeting. Mobile inventory
is currently available on an RTB basis only
through specialized providers, such as Turn, Moolah
Media and Tapad. However, 2013 will be different,
as we can expect to see a meteoric rise of RTB in the
mobile space courtesy of Facebook’s cookie-less mobile
ad network, giving advertisers the ability to purchase
high volumes of mobile display inventory
using RTB systems.
Although RTB-powered mobile ad buying is
currently available, adoption has been slow to ramp
up. More accurately, adoption rates are closely following
industry trends. Since mobile ads usually
redirect to a mobile site or an app store landing
page, buying mobile ads on an RTB basis is reasonable
only if your mobile site is optimized for mobile
devices or your goal is app downloads.
Further, although the rise of mobile advertising has
made it easier for marketers to reach their target audiences
on the move, tracking and attribution platforms
cannot accurately compare the performance of mobile
ads to other paid media, at least not currently. This limits
the effectiveness of mobile analytics on the path to
understanding how mobile ads drive users through
conversion paths. As more marketers develop and optimize
increasingly engaging mobile experiences and
learn to quantify the bottom-line result of mobile ads
with evolving cross-channel media attribution platforms,
mobile RTB spending will increase.
The elephant in the room, and what will largely
determine the rate at which mobile RTB ad buying
grows, is Facebook’s mobile ad network. The social
network recently paused a test of its beta ad
network, which allowed marketers to serve ads on
third-party mobile apps using Facebook targeting data.
This nifty feature circumvents the problem of targeting
mobile users without cookies and enables advertising
based on the content that Facebook users have shared
or liked.
Strategy #1: Prepare yourself for the return of Facebook’s
mobile ad network by experimenting with
current mobile RTB platforms like EveryScreen
Media, Strike Ad and Tapad, but only if your mobile
sites and landing pages are optimized for the small
screen. If your goal isn’t app installs, don’t waste time
with mobile ads until you’ve created a flawless mobile
experience.
B2B will look more like B2C
B2B marketers have traditionally paid 10 times more
than B2C marketers for media buys due to the finite
inventory that exists in the B2B market. With the advent
of programmatic buying, and more B2B marketers
becoming involved in retargeting and RTB
through demand-side platforms (DSPs), many marketers
had “ah ha” moments in 2012. They discovered
that B2B decision makers were buying products and
converting outside of the premium B2B placements
they were paying a pretty penny for.
By leveraging DSP-enabled technologies, B2B
marketers realized they could gain insight into
where their audiences live and convert once they
clock out of work for the day. Since marketers are
generally being asked to do more with an equal or
smaller budget, the tech-savvy B2B marketer will
embrace and test more segments with DSPs. We’ll
also see more placements of B2B brands and offers
with relevant B2C publishers. This is great for B2C
pubs and B2B brands, though somewhat concerning
to B2B publishers who have been living high on
the hog with exorbitantly priced CPMs — the good
old days are coming to an abrupt end, and the machines
are taking over. However, B2B publishers that
shift their strategies to combine new technology and
methods with their existing industry expertise will
continue to monetize their inventory effectively.
Strategy #2: To avoid neglecting profitable opportunities,
B2B marketers should understand and stay
abreast of trending B2C marketing strategies (e.g., targeting
individual as well as business characteristics)
and realize that every B2B target is also a consumer.
More from Website Magazine
Bridge the Automation Gap
Marketers must discover and understand the technologies available to automate lead nurturing and scoring, start here.


Leave Your Comment
Login to CommentBecome a Member
Not already a part of our community?
Sign UpSign up to participate in the discussion. It's free and quick.