Programmatic advertising has focused on media efficiencies, yet the technology also provides opportunity for compelling creative. But the space needs the focus of creative agencies to unlock its full potential.
There has been a huge amount of attention devoted to programmatic advertising over the past year. Typically the conversation has been around the media opportunities in real-time bidding and audience targeting. This conversation has been between clients, media agencies, and media technology providers. But, what about the creative agencies that help provide direction for the brand, and make the assets used for programmatic?
For creative agencies, programmatic has been viewed as more of a constraint on creativity than an opportunity.
In the past, for an ad to be used for programmatic, it needed to fit a standard model or format to work through the automated process to fit into the available inventory. It was often the lowest common denominator, and it is difficult to be exceptionally creative when working toward the constraints of a basic display box.
That is now changing, as more rich format inventory is becoming available – including video. It is also changing as the technology providers introduce new and innovative products and services. The introduction of new formats, and new technologies, provides opportunities for new advertising moments, and new types of storytelling.
The advertising technology platforms are allowing the ability to synchronize messaging between devices as well as provide programmatic in different channels.
For example, some platforms allow the ability to match a mobile ad to what is happening on TV – so, imagine if you can watch a TV ad and then see an opportunity to do a virtual test drive of the vehicle on your iPad. Beacon technology is allowing for more targeted advertising through a billboard, or in-store.
This technology is being trialled by a number of retailers who are experimenting with customers who opt-in by providing different messages depending on what aisle or part of the store you are in. So, this might be relevant if you are shopping and looking for advice on latest trends, but also want to get access to the latest deals.
Imagine you are looking for a new white button-down shirt and you browse it on a website as part of your daily Web surfing. While today you might find that white shirt follow you from place to place with the same price point, in the future you might see the white shirt in a short video with the same character wearing it in different scenarios – on their way to work, socializing with friends, etc. It could even possibly reflect the site you are on – reading the newspaper on the news site, or watching tennis on the sports site.
The ads could take on other data inputs – like the weather – and show you ads that reflect the weather outside in your city at that moment. The product is still there, the message could sequentially change, but the ads might be just a bit more interesting. There are a lot of obstacles in the way of unlocking creativity in programmatic.
One of the key benefits of programmatic advertising is efficiency. This benefit will erode, as more time is spent conceptualizing creative ideas and producing assets.
The benefits of improved effectiveness likely outweigh the costs, but it might take some convincing to start.
According to a recent Economist article, the only interns hired at Mindshare New York last summer were math experts. This is a telling story for the future of advertising and also speaks to the emergency of programmatic.
That said, creativity will remain a competitive advantage in the future. The data and technology pieces are enablers – what you do with the data will be crucial.
How do you develop a creative brief that considers numerous audiences, the possibility of sending them different messaging based on a variety of contexts (time, location, etc.), and optimizing these messages over time? Most agencies (creative, media, or digital) were not developed with this in mind. There will be a steep learning curve to make this business as usual.
Today, a number of the ad-tech firms offer strategy and creative production as part of their service. However, in the future, this is something that creative agencies need to be better versed in. There will need to be strong collaboration between creative agencies, media agencies, and technology providers, including the various skill-sets within each (content marketers, creatives, strategists, technologists, etc.)
Programmatic advertising is here to stay and opens up opportunities for creative agencies. Great results will come from their understanding of technologies and collaboration with media agencies and technology providers.
At the end of the day, strong advertising can build an emotional connection with the user or consumer. Current programmatic advertising doesn’t accomplish this, but I am optimistic that future efforts will deliver. Programmatic advertising is still in its infancy, and needs strong creative power to help develop its possibilities.
Image via Shutterstock.
