The Year Ahead: Top Resolutions for Digital Advertisers
As the ball drops on December 31st, make sure your media strategies are stacked with timely resolutions to make the most of 2017.
With the holiday season in full swing and New Year’s Eve around the corner, the stage is set for another year of goal setting and hopeful resolutions. Though different, almost all resolutions are somewhat similar at their core- it’s something you want to be better at.
Whether you want to work up to running a half marathon, sharpen your skills at a new hobby, or even just devote more time to friends and family, the new year acts as a reset button of sorts, filled with endless possibilities and dedicated minds to make something better.
In advertising, change is the only constant. With proper goal setting, the New Year can act as a similar catalyst for change for marketers looking to keep up with the quick-paced nature of consumers. With that, and looking ahead to what 2017 has in store, here are the top 3 resolutions for the digital advertising space.
Bulking Up on Mobile Innovation
One of top resolutions consumers make every year is to get in shape, get stronger – one way of achieving this is by focusing activity that builds and strengthens muscle.
The same can be said for marketers – as an industry, we want to get our marketing plans in shape to help brands facilitate connection when and where it matters most. Over the past few years, the industry has committed to building our collective mobile muscle by testing and learning, now it’s time to bulk up on mobile marketing innovation.
eMarketer’s annual roundup of predictions support the market is primed for advanced mobile capabilities with mobile commerce sales figures far surpassing forecasts at 43% in 2016. Additionally, mobile payments exploded 3X this year beyond the expected figures.
In the year ahead, marketers can strengthen their mobile strategy by focusing on creating and curating “authentically mobile experiences” such as 3D mobile ads, the Pokemon Go phenomenon and continued popularity of Uber.
Forming and refining marketing strategies that leverage mobile innovation can complement or act as a keystone to a cross channel strategy. By aligning ad spending with where consumers are spending the majority of their time and making the most of their purchasing decisions, marketers are sure to increase their relevancy and impact.
Spend Wisely (With Better Targeting and Influencer Marketing Strategies)
Another popular New Year’s resolution consumers make is to spend wisely. We know that spray-and-pray media techniques have all but phased out of most marketing strategies.
In 2017 we will see an even greater ability for marketers to drive media efficiencies by utilizing advanced technology that enables marketers to glean data and insights to inform and optimize audience targeting. By developing a deeper understanding of target consumers, brands can more efficiently and effectively deliver their media campaigns in the moments that matter most to their audience.
Another targeting strategy we will see take on more prominence is influencer marketing. According to eMarketer, influencer marketing revenues worldwide on Instagram alone will total more than $570 million by the end of this year. Consumers have become increasingly resistant to traditional marketing, calling out it’s propensity to be inauthentic and irrelevant. With user generated content that influencer marketing relies on, audiences can relate to the content they engage with in a more meaningful way.
Live Life to the Fullest (With Immersive, Authentic, Ad Formats)
Similar to why influencer marketing has gained popularity, consumers will continue to respond positively to immersive ad formats that tell a story. Consumers want to be fully involved in an experience of an ad, beyond what they would get from merely reading words or seeing pictures on a screen.
The increased popularity in Virtual Reality in the middle of 2016 is a testament to consumers’ willingness and eagerness to experience new ad formats. Although VR is still in an infancy stages (and still becoming more cost conscious of the everyday consumer), interactive ad formats like 3D and rich media units allow consumers to be in the driver’s seat of what ads they see and how they interact with them.
With so many ways to enhance campaign efficiencies and effectiveness, brands and marketers have incredible opportunities going into the New Year. So as the ball drops on December 31st, make sure your media strategies are stacked with timely resolutions to make the most of 2017.
