Category: Promotion

Advertising was a mad world, and the business was entrusted to mad men. Of late, advertising is shifting to maths men. Big Blue has built Interactive Experience the world’s largest digital agency. Deloitte has set up Deloitte Digital and Accenture has started Accenture Interactive. Sapient has entered the digital arena. A single click provides the brand experience that has been promoted meticulously through brand story in mass media. There has to be a consistency between what is being promoted and the brand experience on the digital media.

Tech firms bring their capability in analysis and insights. They can guide the company in new product development. They can be true marketing partners to the CEOs. Tech firms formerly used to hire engineers and MBAs, but these days they hire designers. Design thinking is the in-thing. Tech firms in ad business just do not rely on intuition. They rely more on science.

It does not mean the death of the large agencies, but it means the death of the working style of the large agencies.

Still the tech giants are not the first port of call for marketing solutions. However, things are changing very fast.

Digital agencies are dealing with CMOs and CFOs. They use technology to understand and discover user preferences and then deliver the right level of experience.

In design thinking the approach is not piecemeal but holistic. There could be a new way of discovering a problem and finding its solution. In selling diapers, you can use the whole processers of conception, delivery and growing up of the baby. In this process of rearing up the child, you may need diapers, wipes and gripe water. The foundation is big data which is analysed to understand the problem.

Digital customer is connected. It has led to the changes the way digital marketing is handled. As usual customers are not interested in the hard sell. They would like to know how far that works for them. Video marketing is a tool to achieve this. To break the clutter, the customer is inclined to press the play button. This trend of video marketing is of recent origin. Business to business marketing used video to attract the audience and to distinguish the message. In 2015, Facebook played over eight billion videos. Internet traffic in future is going to stream videos increasingly. Video enhances the journey of the customer. It is not plain advertising but is storytelling. Videos should be convincing. They should be kept short and suggest the steps which ultimately lead to action. While scrolling the feed, videos now auto play without the audio. Therefore, the initial visuals must be attention grabbing. Videos based on emotions have a more lasting impact on the consumers. The campaigns are becoming participative.

Native advertising is that advertising that matches the form and function of the platform on which it appears. It is so indistinguishable from the other editorial matter. It is mostly online, but is feasible elsewhere too. Generally, native advertising assumes the form of an article or video produced by an advertiser for promotional purposes which match the editorial content. Native here refers to the content coherence. It blends with the surroundings. Somewhere in order to avoid deception, it is indicated in corners, or at the bottom of the ad that it is an ad. This is called disclosure. The Hall Mark of Fame series which first appreared in 1951 is an earliest instance of native advertising. Mostly these ads are publisher produced brand content. The ads that appear along side the search results are native to the search experience. All promoted tweets, stories and posts on social media are native marketing. It is a moot point whether content marketing is native advertising or not.

An ad that is hard to identify as an ad performs better against ad blockers. The disclosures make it easier to block.

Native advertising is highly contextual and audience-centric. It is not much brand-centric. Readers themselves reject the content that sound like a sales pitch. This applies to blogs and content marketing. It is important to know where not to advertise. Or else it leads to brand dilution.

It all boils down to the creativity of the marketer. The communication should add value to the online user’s experience.It should be integrated and relevant. It does so through storytelling.

At the same time, it is important to monitor and track the results. In the light of this feedback, we can modify the ad and improve upon it.

In measuring the effect of the native content, it is important to focus on emotional aspects. The traditional metrics just measure the clicks, and emotional impact is underreported.

Native ads are used to connect with the consumers at a deeper level. They are not short term tactical tools.

Native ads are consumed across multiple platforms — from TV to online to mobile apps. Each brand cannot build campaigns for multiple platforms.

Native ads can use fixed slots, but the better idea is to create these ads dynamically based on user interaction.

To buy native inventory over exchange is challenging. Its major inventory is with the publishers. If negotiations are held with the sales team of the publishers, the ability of the advertisers to negotiate is reduced. It is for the publisher to decide how much advertising-driven content is to be allowed. It is necessary for them to maintain editorial integrity. There should not be content mismatch too.

According to the research project of Science of Engahament ( SoE ) sponsored by BBC, some facial coding techniques have been explored. The maxim is that ‘your face never lies’ holds true.The project measured an individual’s unconscious response to native content. Well-excuted native content is trusted and persuasive. It does exercise emotional impact.

Native ad clients must collaborate with the publisher and must be ready to devote time, effort and resources.

Branded content must be informative and be in tune with the interest of the users.There should be transparency in disclosures. The content must be compelling. It should be consistent across the platforms. They should not be distractive, demanding attention but must sync with the editorial content. There should be experiemantation with content and formats.

arketerailabommendd the deadhich eSince we have entered the Internet age, online ads have become an integral part of our lives. It is necessary to understand the variety of online ads available. The following discussion explains the categories of online ads.

Google Search Ads

These ads appear alongside the results of our searches. Here the search is initiated by putting a key word in the box, and the results are displayed. The ads appear on the side. These ads are pay-per-click ads (PPC ) and are managed by Goole AdWords Platform. Advertisers bid for key words through this platform. Advertisers provide the crafted ads and set budgets. An advertiser has to create Google AdWords account to advertise here.

AdWord Ads

These are similar to search ads. These also use AdWords platform. Many blogs subscribe to AdWords to get advertisement.

PPC Ads

Pay-per-click ads are priced on the basis of the number of clicks an ad receives. AdWords and BigAds both generate Pay-per-click ads.

Bing Ads

These are similar to Google ads since they too are on pay-per-click basis. Bing was formerly called Microsoft adCenter. Here too just like AdWords,one has tocreate a Bing Ads account.

Facebook Ads

Social media have emerged as big ad platforms, and carry different forms of ads.

Marketplace ads appear as side columns of the Fle for acebook. The elements we see are the headline, copy and an image. Another method is to have promoted posts which are ads that permit advertisers to pay a flat rate to promote a single post on the Facebook business page. Such promoted posts have a wider reach. A user’s interaction with an advertisers page or product page is shown to the user’s friends and larger network through sponsored stories. These stories appear in a user’s newsfeed. Facebook Exchange ( FBX ) are remarketing ads, which considers a user’s surfing habits to project ads to the precise target audience.

Twitter Ads

Twitter ads are the paid boosts. Brands use these to extend the reach of the tweets, promote hashtag and get more followers.There are promoted tweets to have a wider reach. There are which show up more frequently in the Who to Follow recommendation feature. Promoted trends put the custom hashtag in Trends Bar. That attracts additional attention.

Tumblr Ads

There are several formats of Tumblr ads. Tumlr Radar and Spotlight are sponsored  feature in highlights of unique content and accounts. These sponsored web post ads — are pieces of Tumblr content crafted by advertisers. These appear on dashboard feed of the users.A dollar sign distinguishes these as ads. To advertise on Tumblr, one has to become Tumbl sponsor.

Banner Ads

Theses ads are placed on the side, top or bottom and are image-based. They are of different sizes and designs. They appear in blogs, web sites and communities. Some websites brokerage the ad space with Ad Exchanges ( Google Display Network ). Alternatively, these ads can be bought directly.

Google Display Ads

These are banner ads too in a context and are used in Google Display Network. YouTube, Gmail, Blogger are part of the Network. Display ads can be text-based or image-based. They can be viseo too. Online ads through Google Display Network can be served using Google AdWords.

Retargeting Ads

These lure a user into the site. They are similar to Google Remarketing ads. These use the past web history of a user. A user surfs a site, say of the advertiser. He then moves to other sites. The ads then can appear. These are better than regular banner ads.

Flash Ads

Flash ads are also banner ads which use Flash design. It may have interactive feature to lure a user. These days Flash is used subtly, rather than going overboard.

Reddit Ads

Reddit ads have the elements of headline, destintion URL, and an optional image. These are bid-based. Advertiser sets a budget and time-frame. There are unique targeting options. Users can vote — either upvote or downvote in the comments section. This feedback goes to the advertiser directly. Reddits are frequented by young tech savy audience. Reddit is risque too. If properly executed, they arrest the attention economically. One can advertise on Reddit through their website.

Mobile Ads

These ads appear on smart phones. tablets or any other mobile device. Social media, websites and apps have a unique mobile version. In Google AdWords, one can avail of Enhanced Campaigns to place ads on mobile devices.

In Game Ads 

These ads appear in computer or video games. In sport games, there are billboards. Brand names appear as status symbols.

AdMob Ads

These ads appear in mobile apps. AdMob is Google’s mobile platform. Game creators can benefit, if the games are free, by offering ad space. Advertisers get ad spots. The format could be interstitials using rich HTML5 or image-based banner ads.

E-Mail Ads

While sending web mail, these ads can be offered. These could be notifications of promotions, price discount schemes, or new features. Images are large and text minimum. Message should be clear and concise. The subject line must be compelling. E-mail ads could be spammed under the Spam Act, and so the provisions of the Act have to be complied with.

G-Mail Ads

Google’s email service is called Gmail. Here contextual ads are placed. These are generated by an automated process.

Video Ads

Videos are becoming popular, as the Internet speeds pick up. There is no blatant advertising, but the branded content that subtly associate the product with the story. Humorous video ads too perform well. They use video ad network, and add an element of interactivity.

YouTube Ads

This is video sharing site of Google where ads appear. After the take over of YouTube by Google, advertising on it has become easier. There are several targeting options and several formats. There could be banner ads, in-video overlay ads, in-stream video ads which are video ads that appear before or during YouTube video, and many other set-ups.

Pinterest Ads

These are pieces of content pinned by brands and advertisers. These ads have a dollar sign before the price indicating that the product is available for sale. The pinned item is linked to the official product page. Even contests can be arranged on Pinterest. A marketer has not to pay anything to Pinterest but production of the ad itself could be time and effort consuming.

Instagram Ads

Officially there are no Instagram ads, but creative Instagram pics which could be shared with the user-crafted content has advertising value.

Vine Ads

These are just like Instagram ads. Officially they are not ads. But brands produce vine videos that serve as content-based ads, and coalesce with user crafted content. Good vine ads are 6-second content that stand out and often stop-motion techniques are used.

When promotional messages are delivered on Internet, they are called online advertising or online marketing or Internet advertising or web advertising. Such promotion could be through emails, through search engines or mobile phones. In online advertising too, there is a publisher and an advertiser. A publisher integrates ads to the content. Advertiser provides the ads to be displayed on the content. Ad agencies generate the ad copy and ensure its placement. Ad servers deliver the ads and tracks the data. Advertising affiliates do the independent promotional work for the advertiver. To begin with, in the initial days of Internet, online ads were banned. Email ads were first used in 1978, and its use spread rapidly. It was in early 1990s, that non-commercial spam messages originated. Online banner ads appreared in the early 1990s. The first clickable ad appreared in 1993. Banner ads became mainstream in 1994. In 2003, search engine ad was started by Yahoo! AdWords was launched by Google in 2000. The trend now is to let the content and ad message merge. Coke’s online ad magazines, Red Bull’s streaming of space jump, Nike’s free apps for performance tracking are illustrations. Advertisers have taken to social media too. Mobile ads have grown.

The element of display ads are text, logos, videos, animations, photographs and other graphics. Targeting is related to user traits. That makes these ads effective. Tracking could be done by using cookies . Data is collected from a number of sources. This is behavioural targeting. There is contextual or semantic advertising too depending upon the content of the web page where the ads appear . Targeting is thus retargetting, behavioural targeting and contextual targeting. This makes advertising effective, and improves advertiser’s ROI. Apart from this, there is geotargeting based on a user’s suspected geography.

Web banner ads are graphical display ads within a webpage. They are delivered by a central server. These can be enriched by incorporating video, audio, animations, buttons, forms or other interactive elements. The software used could be Java applets, HTML5, Adobe Flash and such other programmes.

Traditional banners were frame ads. Here some space is set aside by publishers to have the frame ads.

Pop-ups and pop-unders. A pop-up ad is displayed in a new web browser window above a website visiter’s initial browser window. Conversely, pop-under ad opens in a new browser window under a website visitor’s initial browsing window.

Floating ads is also called overlay ads which is superimposed on the requested websiter’s content.

Expanding ads change dimensions as per the activities of the users over the ad. They allow advertisers to carry more information in restricted space.

Trick banners are banner ads. They imitate some commonly found screen elements, e.g.app message, OS message . Initially, the advertisers’ name is not mentioned. They are baits.

News feed ads are on the social media. They are intertwined with non-promoted news. Sponsored stories is an example. Twitter uses of promoted tweets and LinkedIn Sponsored updates. Newsfeed ads blend into other updates, and thus can be distiguished from the display ads.

Interestitial ad shows before a user can access the desired content. It could be embedded.

According to Deloitte TMT ( Telecom, Media and Technology ) report, 2016, mobile advertising in India is expected to grace from 2.4 per cent of the overall media expenditure at present to 15-20 per cent by 2020. The growing penetration of smart phones and mobile internet and m-commerce will give a big push to mobile advertising.

The digital population in India has increased from 10 million users to 100 million in a decade but then it has reached to 200 million in just three years. India will have 651 million smart phone users by 2019. In 2011, India’s mobile advertising was $ 25 million. In 2015, mobile advertising is $ 70-80 million. Its annual growth rate is 60-70 per cent. It is the fastest growing segment.

It started with SMS and telemarketing calls. It has now grown into sophisticated in-app ads, mobile web, mobile search and social media. Marshmallon in the latest Android version delivers customised ads on the locked screen of a smart phone. Mobile applications has led to innovations in mobile ads beyond  banner ads. Mobile web and mobile apps work the same way, but the apps are more intuitive, and hence do better targeting. Users spend more time on apps than on the mobile web. India ranks third in downloading apps from GooglePlay. The app budgets of brands are increasing. Many new formats are being  tried, leading to experimentation.

The highest contributor to mobile advertising is going to be in-app ads. Next to it comes mobile videos and mobile ads. Video advertising has been increasing as there is consumption of short format videos on mobiles.

India’s internet access through mobiles is 60 per cent ( IAMAI report.)

Digital marketing is through digital channels, which could be online or offline. Online marketing is real time live Internet marketing. Digital marketing could be online, and goes beyond that, say through mobile phones, using apps, tablets and other means of communication such as Podcasts and SMSs. It is a broader term. Digital marketing does not use print media. It uses social media, mobile marketing SEO, QR codes etc. Online marketing is restricted to Internet. Digital marketing includes Internet Marketing, Digital Advertising, and TV, Radio, SMS and Billboards. It has digital foundation.

Internet marketing includes websites, search engine marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, content marketing, email marketing, mobile marketing and banner advertising.

Digital marketing is to be used in conjunction with the traditional marketing.

Digital marketing is more cost effective. Online marketing is measurable. Digital marketing is useful for brand development. Digital  lets us reach the qualified customers. It sets the stage for customer engagement.

Digital advertising is also a channel of digital marketing.

Digital marketing is through digital channels, which could be online or offline. Online marketing is real time live Internet marketing. Digital marketing could be online, and goes beyond that, say through mobile phones using apps, tablets and  other means of communication such as Podcasts and SMS. It is a broader term. Digital marketing does not use print media. It uses social media, mobile marketing, SEO, QR codes etc. Online marketing is restricted to Internet. Digital marketing includes Internet Marketing,  Digital Advertising, and TV, Radio, SMS and Billboards. It has digital foundation.

Internet marketing includes websites, search engine marketing, social media marketing, content, marketing, email marketing, mobile marketing and banner advertising.

Digital marketing is to be used in conjunction with the traditional marketing.

Digital marketing is more cost effective. Online marketing is measurable. Digital marketing is useful for brand development. Digital lets us reach the qualified customers. It sets the stage for customer engagement.

Digital advertising is also a channel of digital marketing.

There are two types of programmatic buying —

• Programmatic direct
• Programmatic RTB

Here programmatic refers to automatic. Ad space  is bought automatically on a web page by two methods — bidding for the space or buying it directly.

Programmatic RTB is like Google AdWords. It is only for display ads, and not for search results.

After RTB, the winning ad appears on the web page. Every time an ad loads, it is considered as one impression. Its price is determined by what buyers are willing to pay in real time. This is facilitated by DSPs. A DSP is a fully automated software that bids impressions from an ad exchange.

Programmatic direct is also called programmatic guaranteed and programmatic premium. It is an automated process of buying guaranteed space without involving in an action.

By definition, RTB is a method by which advertising inventory is purchased and sold on a per impression basis, through programmatic instant auction, similar to financial markets.

When the bid is won in an auction, the buyer’s ad is immediately put on the publisher’s site. RTB helps to manage and optimise ads from multiple sources ( ad networks ). It provides access to different networks permitting them to create and launch ad campaigns. It prioritizes networks and allocates a portion of unsold inventory, called backfill.

This stands in sharp contrast to static auctions. In dynnmic RTB, the bidding is per impression. In static auction, it is for a group of several thousand impressions RTB is thus more efficient and effective both for the publisher and advertisers.

Imagine a user visiting a site. Here a bid request is initiated. It covers the demographics of the user, his browsing history, his location and  the page being loaded. The request travels from the publisher to an ad exchange, The request and the accompanying data gets submitted to multiple advertisers. They submit their bids in real-time to place their ads. Advertisers bid for each and every ad impression on offer. The impression goes to the highest bidder. The highest bidder’s ad appears on the page the user has visited. The process is repeated for every ad slot available on the page. The whole transaction takes place in milliseconds from the moment the request is received by the exchange.

The bidding process is automatic. The advertisers set budgets for a campaign and the maximum bids. The criteria for bidding for consumers are complex, and consider a lot of data.

Probabilistic models guide us about the probability of a click or conversion, considering the user history. This probability can be used to decide the size of the bid for the respective slot.

DSPs give buyers direct RTB access to multiple sources of inventory. DSPs have the technology to determine the value of an individual impression in real-time — less then 100-milliseconds, considering user history. Large publishers use SSPs to manage advertising yield.

An individual browser history is more difficult to cull on mobile devices. Mobile real time bidding has no universal standards.

The first such RTB platform was launched by DoubleClick Ad Exchange from Google. Microsoft and Yahoo then launched Microsoft Advertising Exchange and Yahoo Ad Exchange respectively.