DTC brands are running into TV advertising’s legacy limitations

Underwear company ThirdLove doesn’t work with agencies to buy ads, except for when it’s buying TV ads. “You have to go through an agency. It’s almost impossible to buy [TV] directly yourself,” said Dave Spector, co-founder and co-CEO of ThirdLove, in an interview at the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Annual Leadership Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.

Spotlight

Evok Advertising

Founded in 2002 with a single-minded goal: to create advertising communications that motivate consumers. Our clients range from companies just beginning to market themselves or introduce new products or services, to established businesses seeking to strengthen their image, awareness among consumers and overall brand position. The evok team dedicates itself to fully understanding who your audience is, what’s important to them and what motivates them to action. We produce creative with a distinctive image and brand position that reaches your target market with effective precision while staying on time and on budget. We strongly believe in building lasting relationships with clients – becoming a partner instead of just a vendor. For us to achieve this, clients need to be happy with our creative work and our service. It’s important that we deliver on both fronts, and we have fun doing it.

OTHER ARTICLES
Advertiser Campaign Management, CMO Strategy

What is Retargeting and How to Use it to Drive Your Growth

Article | June 3, 2024

What is retargeting and why do you need it? Well, because it’s easier than ever to lose a sale online. Think of it like this: you successfully drive a potential customer to your site with great content or social media engagement. But then their phone rings. Or they have to take a quick meeting. Their child calls their name. They look up at the TV and forget to return. Or one of a million other potential distractions in our fast-paced world get in the way. They could be lost forever. Or — you could use retargeting to get them back to your site. That’s what we’ll cover in the sections that follow. You’ll learn what retargeting entails, why your business should be using it, which platforms to do it on, and best practices to maximize ROI. Let’s get started. Quick Takeaways Only 2% of web users convert on their first visit to a website. Retargeted web visitors convert at a 70% higher rate. Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social platforms are effective places to use retargeting. Retargeting ads are most effective when they incentivize, are personalized, and/or leverage high-value content. What is retargeting? So what exactly is retargeting? In short, it’s the process of monitoring the behavior of your web visitors so you can drive them back to your site later. It’s done by adding code to your website that tracks user actions by placing cookies in their browsers. You can then use that information to show them targeted ads when they’re elsewhere on the internet. Those requests you get to “accept all cookies” when you visit a new website? It’s retargeting in action. Brands are asking your permission to track what you’re doing so they can show you ads that are relevant to you. Today 87% of marketers use site retargeting to attract potential customers back to their website. Given that only 2% (!) of web visitors convert on their first visit to any site, it’s a smart strategy for brands to capture low-hanging fruit in their web traffic and avoid losing prospects who will likely convert with a little bit of encouragement. Let’s look at 3 reasons why retargeting should be part of your digital marketing strategy and the benefits your brand will experience from doing it. Why Retargeting Needs to Be Part of Your Strategy Consumers actually like retargeted ads The consensus view of retargeted ads has always been tainted with a little bit of uncertainty about their use of individual consumer data. And there’s no doubt about it — consumers do worry about their online privacy. At the same time, however, they are also more aware than ever that brands are using their information to advertise to them and target their buying preferences. And they still browse and buy online at a rapidly increasing rate. Here’s what it comes down to: retargeting doesn’t turn consumers off as long as it’s done ethically (AKA you’re only retargeting people when it actually makes sense and they’ve agreed to your privacy policy). In fact, recent research has found that 25% of consumers say they actually enjoy seeing retargeted ads. And while a quarter of consumers may not seem encouraging, actual consumer behavior suggests that number is quite a bit higher. Here’s what the numbers tell us: Retargeted ads earn a click-through rate 10x higher than regular display ads Retargeted website visitors are 70% more likely to convert 3 out of 4 consumers notice retargeted ads when they see them It’s helpful to think about this in the context of your own life, too. We all see ads for products and brands we’ve briefly visited without buying from. But rather than get annoyed, our interest is usually sparked again. We may click on the ad to look at it again and rethink whatever reasoning we had before for not buying. We may follow the brand on social media for updates. Retargeting is a massive opportunity for brands to cut down on lost sales by reminding consumers why they were interested in the first place and incentivizing them to come back and make a purchase. Where to Retarget Google and YouTube Google and YouTube are the two most visited websites in the world, with a casual combined 85 billion monthly views (nbd). You can target ads on these massive platforms with Google Ads on the Google Display Network. Most consumers are doing their brand and product research using Google search. What better place, then, to have your ads displayed to convince users to choose you? Facebook and Instagram Ads on the two platforms are both run under Facebook Ads Manager. You add the Facebook Pixel to your website’s code. When users take an action on your site (for example, adding to cart or making a purchase) the pixel is triggered and they’ll see retargeted ads on both Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the Facebook Pixel here. TikTok TikTok has exploded onto the scene over the past two years. It’s easy to assume this platform might be best for targeting younger audiences, but the truth is there are tons of audiences on TikTok that encompass a range of ages and interest areas. For example #MomTok — moms sharing tips, stories, and advice — is one of the most active corners of the app. #BusinessTok, #FitnessTok, and #BookTok are some of the other most popular hashtag-driven interest groups on the app. These are only a few examples. In other words: retargeting on TikTok is for every type of audience. You can get started at TikTok for Business. LinkedIn For B2B companies or brands targeting a more corporate or professional audience, LinkedIn could be an ideal platform for your retargeting efforts. You can add the LinkedIn Insight Tag to your website to begin tracking your visitors and serving them ads on the LinkedIn platform. 3 Retargeting Best Practices Incentivize The thing about web visitors you retarget is that they have shown interest in your brand already, but for some reason they weren’t motivated to make a purchase (or maybe they did but haven’t been back to make another one). The way to convince them? Offering incentives. Consider this: you see a pair of shoes you love. You almost buy them but you think “Well, they’re just a little too pricey. I’m going to pass.” A few days later you see those shoes you love, except they’re being offered at a discount. Your main argument for not buying the shoes is gone. You’re much more likely to go back and make the purchase. Incentivizing your retargeting audiences is worthwhile because you eliminate one of the biggest roadblocks to purchase: concerns about price. Personalize Like all other kinds of online experiences, consumers want their retargeted ads to be personalized to their preferences. Nearly 80% of consumers say personally relevant ad content from brands increases their purchase intent. Adding simple phrases that are unique to a person’s experience with your brand (i.e. “You left this item in your cart!” or “Based on your previous purchase, we think you’d love this!”) can be what makes your ad stand out to your audience. Leverage Content Content drives more organic traffic than any other method of digital marketing. That said, targeted ads are the highest-converting of all methods. Why not combine the two for maximum ROI? Consider the types of content your web visitors interact with and/or what content created by your brand would be most relevant to them. Promote it through your ads, emphasizing how it can help users solve problems, learn something new, or accomplish an important goal. Content that can be effectively marketed through retargeting ads include: Blog articles How-to guides Checklists Webinars and video demos Ebooks and whitepapers

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Advertiser Platforms

Podcast Advertising: A Promising Avenue for Result-oriented B2B Ad Campaigns

Article | March 18, 2024

Marketers in the B2B domain have a multi-channel approach to marketing because they target companies as buying groups. B2B marketers are leveraging podcast advertising with the help of advertisers, creators, and publishers for brand building and generating leads. They leverage up-and-coming avenues of advertising, most of which are a part of digital media channels. One such avenue is podcast advertising. Podcast advertising is emerging as one of the fastest-growing digital media channels for advertising. It is estimated to grow to more than $2.13 billion in 2022, according to a study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PwC. But, what is driving this growth? Engagement. People are finding podcasts more engaging than ever. Consequently, the demand for podcast ads across all categories is growing. Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI): The Rise of Automated Ad Tech Dynamic ad insertion is a form of programmatic advertising that uses first or third-party data. This data comes from the device playing a podcast, a device user agent, the device’s IP address, and what episode is requested, to serve ads to a target demographic. The ad server of the podcast hosting platform decides which ads should be stitched into a particular podcast episode. If done well, the audience will never know the difference between a dynamically inserted ad and a baked-in ad, which is a permanent part of the audio of the podcast. Podcast hosting platforms, advertisers, and publishers adopted DAI because it helps brands win contextual relevance and efficiency through granular advertising opportunities. Through custom audio ads that appeal to the target audience, dynamic or seasonal geo-targeted ads, measurable variables, and performance data, DAI gives advertisers good control over podcast ad campaigns. This control allows them to tailor the campaigns based on the marketers’ demands. DAI is evolving and has great potential in transcription-based targeting using AI and machine learning. It also has greater creative interactivity to make audio ads engaging through voice interactivity, personalization, and mobile phone engagement. A podcast advertising example using DAI would be a brand creating multiple versions of pre-recorded audio ads that are served to target audiences on any podcast that meets the campaign criteria. Podcast Advertising Anchors Digital Marketers for Effective Outreach Edison Research’s Podcast Consumer 2017 report found that:  24% of people between the ages of 18 and 54 listen to podcasts monthly  Listeners are almost evenly split between men and women  Listeners tend to be affluent, mainly educated consumers  In the 25-54 age bracket, monthly listening has grown year over year for the past four years These stats demonstrate the growing market for podcast advertising and a very stable demographic that B2B marketers would want to target. Marketers rely more on podcast advertisers and platforms to tap into the potential of podcasts as a media channel. Here are some of the ways in which podcast advertising can enhance B2B marketing plans and bring in more conversions: Listener behavior expansion− By understanding what kinds of podcasts the target audience listens to, marketers can create ads that appeal to them, and advertisers can help them get the perfect spot for the ad campaign to make it more successful. Pivoting messaging is easier− Using different voiceovers, marketers can deliver the same message but elicit a different reaction from their target audience. Recycling old ad files is also a viable option to save time and resources. Human connection− Hyper-personalized targeted ads relevant to the podcast content create a human connection with the audience and can influence their opinion about a brand. Personal influence− Podcast hosts create a personal influence on the listeners so they keep tuning in to the podcast and even listen to the episodes again after a period. Ads on such podcasts receive stronger engagement and response. Additionally, hosts can also relay brand messages to listeners and influence their buying decisions. Regional marketing− Podcasts are a great way to connect with a target demographic residing in a certain geographical area. Geo-targeting is a boon for region-specific marketing endeavors. Effective storytelling− Podcasts can fuse autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) for immersive storytelling to impress listeners. The continuity and power of an engaging narration keeps the listeners subscribed and attached, ensuring that any kind of advertising on such podcasts can reach a wider audience. Advertisers Are Helping B2B Marketers Generate Revenue According to a forecast by IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau), podcast advertising revenue will exceed $4 billion by 2024. Marketers are dependent on advertisers to tap into the podcast advertising potential to generate revenue in the following ways: Demand Generation An estimated 62 million Americans (Source: Edison Research) listen to podcasts, and this number is expected to grow. An interview by a product expert on an industry-relevant podcast can help get leads without wasting any budget on creating awareness, making it cost-effective. It’s no wonder LinkedIn and HubSpot have started their own podcast networks to host business and career-related content. Brand Building & Customer Retention Apart from using podcasts to generate leads, it can also help with brand building. Sponsoring a popular and relevant podcast episode can create a brand’s reputation and trust. It can also help retain existing customers as sponsorships demonstrate a continuous commitment to industry growth and development. Ad Effectiveness 75% of podcast listeners were happy with the purchase they had made from podcast ads (A Study by Voices, the #1 voice marketplace). This goes to show that podcast advertising brings out expected results and conversions without compromising the customer experience or opinion. Podcast as a Medium for Thought Leadership Podcasts are a great medium for B2B thought leadership. They are a free space to express expert industry opinion, talk about the current industry trends, address the pain points of the customers, discuss tech advancements, and create a personal connection with the listeners. Tailored thought leadership content can fuel brand engagement and bring in leads that convert because of brand trust. Feedback gathered through interactive content can help B2B marketers create personalized marketing plans to align their goals with ad campaigns better. Podcast Ads: Taking the First Step Before you step into the world of podcast advertising, make sure you consider aspects like target demographic, podcast ad pricing, industry/brand relevant podcasts, ad purchasing, the reputation of the podcast advertising network, and podcast advertising platforms. Policygenius, a New York-based insurance agency, invested early in podcast advertising through Ad Results Media, an ad agency. Policygenius achieved its ROI goals, and its media spending increased by 10x in two years. You can buy podcast ads directly, through a podcast advertising network, or programmatically. To track the success of your ads, use KPIs like unique listeners, ranking and reviews, subscribers, social sharing, and episode-by-episode metrics. Wrapping It Up Podcasts can be a great advertising avenue for B2B companies to influence their buying groups and create new customers. Its monumental growth as a media channel and its ad revenue over the past couple of years indicate that it is here to stay and should be harnessed for a wider reach and bigger sales numbers. FAQ What is the role of podcast advertising networks? A podcast advertising network is a full-service podcast advertising solution that maintains podcast ad inventory and manages ad campaigns for marketers. How is podcast advertising different from traditional advertising methods? Podcast advertising uses automated ad tech to create dynamic ad campaigns across relevant podcasts, while traditional advertising methods focus on print ads, outdoor billboards, and cable television. Which are some popular podcast advertising platforms? Some popular podcast advertising platforms are Midroll, AdvertiseCast, PodGrid, and Archer Avenue.

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Advertiser Platforms

YouTube, auditor spar over transparency of ads

Article | February 22, 2024

Google wants to substantially limit the information a key auditor of YouTube can share about the risks of advertising on the video service, according to people familiar with the situation, highlighting tensions between the tech giant and Madison Avenue. The auditor, New York-based OpenSlate, is refusing to sign a contract that would prevent it from reporting to clients when ads have run in videos with sensitive subject matter, including hate speech, adult content, children's content, profanity, violence and illegal substances, according to an email the firm sent this weekend to ad agencies.

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Ad Networks

3 Facebook Ad Ideas to Get Your Content Seen by Your ‘Perfect’ Audience

Article | June 21, 2021

You have countless ways to promote your content online, but one of the most effective is Facebook ads. With over 1.8 billion daily active users, you can almost guarantee your audience is there. You just need to learn how to get your content in front of them. Given a Facebook post’s organic reach is in the single digits, your time is best spent making the advertising side work for your content. In this guide, I detail three of my most effective ways to promote content using Facebook advertising (without ever touching that boost button.) 1. Create a “content bucket” campaign to reach new fans Many content creators are focused on more. They want more fans, more readers/listeners/viewers. With that in mind, focus first on growing your audience by reaching people who are unfamiliar with your brand or your brand’s content – but who would be interested in your topic. My “content bucket” campaign idea works so you don’t have to spend too much time creating big Facebook campaigns for every piece of content you publish. The concept is simple: You create one campaign. Every time you publish a new piece of content, add it to that campaign. Let me walk through how to set this up: Head into your Facebook ads manager and click on “create new campaign.” Pick an objective based on the content. If it’s a Facebook video, pick video views. If it’s a blog, podcast, YouTube video, or other non-Facebook content, select traffic.

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Spotlight

Evok Advertising

Founded in 2002 with a single-minded goal: to create advertising communications that motivate consumers. Our clients range from companies just beginning to market themselves or introduce new products or services, to established businesses seeking to strengthen their image, awareness among consumers and overall brand position. The evok team dedicates itself to fully understanding who your audience is, what’s important to them and what motivates them to action. We produce creative with a distinctive image and brand position that reaches your target market with effective precision while staying on time and on budget. We strongly believe in building lasting relationships with clients – becoming a partner instead of just a vendor. For us to achieve this, clients need to be happy with our creative work and our service. It’s important that we deliver on both fronts, and we have fun doing it.

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Ad Tech and Martech

Vidoomy launches in the UK market to bring the next level of branding solutions to the marketplace

Vidoomy | September 14, 2021

Vidoomy's presence in the UK outlines the success of the company's global expansion strategy. In one year the company has implemented Sales Teams across all major countries in the world. The Adtech company which specialises in delivering digital video solutions for advertisers, has opened its new offices based in London to bring to the market its Adtech solutions, helping brands and agencies in an even more demanding and agile context. The team in charge of the operation will be led by Sergio Tallón, Vidoomy's Country Manager in the UK, who will be responsible for generating new partnerships and collaborations with local advertisers and agencies. The recent incorporations within the local team are further proof of how the company continues to successfully strive in the British market through a commitment to grow its UK branch. International expansion Vidoomy is ranked as one of the companies with the highest audience reach in the digital advertising ecosystem. Since its beginnings, the firm has invested in the creation of a unique in-house technology, enabling brands and agencies to reach their audiences and brand territories through contextual and cookieless solutions across more than 2,500 premium publishers. Since 2019 Vidoomy has experienced rapid growth globally, which has led to the implementation of local teams across key countries around the world. Territories including the UK, Spain, Netherlands and Italy amongst others. The UK Team Sergio Tallón has been appointed to take on the role as Country Manager in the UK. Sergio has more than twenty years of experience within the industry, having worked alongside companies such as Dentsu, GroupM, HAVAS, OMD and Seedtag. Sergio will lead a team of experienced professionals ranging from different backgrounds in the digital landscape. Antonio Simarro, VP of Vidoomy, stated that, "Sergio's appointment to our team is a key step for positioning Vidoomy within the UK. Our projection for 2022 is turning the market into our strongest one within Europe. I'm sure that with Sergio's experience we will achieve this." Sergio mentioned, "I'm very excited to be part of this ambitious project. The response of the UK market has been outstanding, demonstrating that more agile and efficient alternatives are needed to cover the needs of the digital marketing industry."

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Madison Avenue Goes to the Movies to Keep Oscar Viewers From Skipping Ads

Madison Avenue | February 24, 2019

Walmart peppered Sunday night’s telecast with commercials highlighting behind-the-camera personnel, while Google used intellectual property from movies such as “Deadpool” and “2001: A Space Odyssey” to keep movie buffs interested in their sundry pitches. Samsung teased Hollywood aficionados with spots for a smartphone it said could take “cinematic” pictures. Watchmaker Rolex featured A-list directors like Martin Scorsese and Kathryn Bigelow. Even Anheuser-Busch, a company that typically never borrows interest from a celebrity or movie project, tapped movie star Charlize Theron to get viewers to pay attention.

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Nestle, AT&T pull YouTube ads over pedophile concerns

Nestle | February 22, 2019

SAN FRANCISCO Several companies, including AT&T and Nestle, are pulling advertisements from YouTube because of concerns about inappropriate comments on videos of children. A video from a popular YouTuber and a report from Wired showed that pedophiles have made unseemly comments on innocuous videos of kids. The comments reportedly included time stamps that showed where kids innocently bared body parts.

Read More

Ad Tech and Martech

Vidoomy launches in the UK market to bring the next level of branding solutions to the marketplace

Vidoomy | September 14, 2021

Vidoomy's presence in the UK outlines the success of the company's global expansion strategy. In one year the company has implemented Sales Teams across all major countries in the world. The Adtech company which specialises in delivering digital video solutions for advertisers, has opened its new offices based in London to bring to the market its Adtech solutions, helping brands and agencies in an even more demanding and agile context. The team in charge of the operation will be led by Sergio Tallón, Vidoomy's Country Manager in the UK, who will be responsible for generating new partnerships and collaborations with local advertisers and agencies. The recent incorporations within the local team are further proof of how the company continues to successfully strive in the British market through a commitment to grow its UK branch. International expansion Vidoomy is ranked as one of the companies with the highest audience reach in the digital advertising ecosystem. Since its beginnings, the firm has invested in the creation of a unique in-house technology, enabling brands and agencies to reach their audiences and brand territories through contextual and cookieless solutions across more than 2,500 premium publishers. Since 2019 Vidoomy has experienced rapid growth globally, which has led to the implementation of local teams across key countries around the world. Territories including the UK, Spain, Netherlands and Italy amongst others. The UK Team Sergio Tallón has been appointed to take on the role as Country Manager in the UK. Sergio has more than twenty years of experience within the industry, having worked alongside companies such as Dentsu, GroupM, HAVAS, OMD and Seedtag. Sergio will lead a team of experienced professionals ranging from different backgrounds in the digital landscape. Antonio Simarro, VP of Vidoomy, stated that, "Sergio's appointment to our team is a key step for positioning Vidoomy within the UK. Our projection for 2022 is turning the market into our strongest one within Europe. I'm sure that with Sergio's experience we will achieve this." Sergio mentioned, "I'm very excited to be part of this ambitious project. The response of the UK market has been outstanding, demonstrating that more agile and efficient alternatives are needed to cover the needs of the digital marketing industry."

Read More

Madison Avenue Goes to the Movies to Keep Oscar Viewers From Skipping Ads

Madison Avenue | February 24, 2019

Walmart peppered Sunday night’s telecast with commercials highlighting behind-the-camera personnel, while Google used intellectual property from movies such as “Deadpool” and “2001: A Space Odyssey” to keep movie buffs interested in their sundry pitches. Samsung teased Hollywood aficionados with spots for a smartphone it said could take “cinematic” pictures. Watchmaker Rolex featured A-list directors like Martin Scorsese and Kathryn Bigelow. Even Anheuser-Busch, a company that typically never borrows interest from a celebrity or movie project, tapped movie star Charlize Theron to get viewers to pay attention.

Read More

Nestle, AT&T pull YouTube ads over pedophile concerns

Nestle | February 22, 2019

SAN FRANCISCO Several companies, including AT&T and Nestle, are pulling advertisements from YouTube because of concerns about inappropriate comments on videos of children. A video from a popular YouTuber and a report from Wired showed that pedophiles have made unseemly comments on innocuous videos of kids. The comments reportedly included time stamps that showed where kids innocently bared body parts.

Read More

Events