Master the Google Display Network & Expand the Reach of Your Brand

There are more than 2 million websites on the Google Display Network. According to Google, that reaches more than 90% of the entire internet population. But one of the best aspects of the Google Display Network is that it lets you specifically target your audience based on a whole mess of different criteria.

Spotlight

LGD Communications

More than a mere advertising agency (although we do that), LGD Communications is a Marketing Partner. In this capacity, LGD has earned its reputation for excellence with expertise gained over nearly three decades of presenting elevated lifestyle opportunities to prosperous consumers worldwide.

OTHER ARTICLES
Social Media Advertising

Ghost Ads and Bidding to Measure Incrementality

Article | July 14, 2022

Marketers and agencies must investigate the relevant counterfactual to advertising exposure to assess advertising effectiveness. Ghost ads can compare exposed and non-exposed consumers to measure ad-related behavior changes. What are Ghost Ads? Ghost ads are a great way to measure ad effectiveness or incrementality (the lift or increase in desired outcome through marketing) because they allow brands to see how their ad is received by two distinct consumer groups: those targeted and those who would have seen it organically. Leveraging Ghost Ads for Causal Ad Measurement: Here is why leveraging ghost ads to measure ad-related behavioral changes is a great idea: You don’t need to invest additional funds to create a control group You can have extensive reach within the DSP (demand-side platform) You can measure behavior for all formats such as mobile, audio and CTV Ghost Bidding: Mapping Consumer Behavior: In ghost bidding, a DSP platform accepts auctions for ad placements on publisher websites/apps/connected devices and bids on them. It records whether the auction was won (and the ad displayed). Before bidding, the platform assigns the user ID to a control or exposed group. For control group users, the bid is withdrawn so that no ad was shown during the study. This creates two identical groups, one that saw the ad and one that didn’t. You can then compare the test and control groups' website purchases, landing page visits, etc. Over a period of time, it is possible to record large effect sizes across several behaviors. A Large U.S-based Apparel Company Measured Their Ad Incrementality Using Ghost Ads: Using ghost ads and ghost bidding, a U.S based apparel company measured its ad incrementality. Over 21 million unique individuals saw the company’s ads over a 15 month period, for an average of around 35.4 ads per individual. The exposed group had a 1.42% greater chance of visiting the site, for a topline lift of 54.9%, compared to the ghost ad viewers. With this information, the company was able to optimize its advertising campaigns on the flu to have a bigger impact on its audience. Last Word: Cost-per-click, cost-per-site-visit, and other metrics used by marketers don't show any change in advertising behavior. Ghost Ads are the most cost-effective way to analyze digital marketing campaigns' causality.

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Ad Networks

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

Article | October 20, 2022

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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Retargeting

Ad Networks for Publishers & Advertisers: Efficient Ad Buying & Selling

Article | July 20, 2022

When print publishers transitioned to online publishing, they were keen to find a way to generate revenue. Their revenue model in the print world was advertising, so they needed to monetize their content online. Display ads were a great start for them. They sold their advertising space to interested advertisers directly. Even then, there would always be some ad inventory that remained unsold. The need of the hour was a platform that could help them sell this inventory. That is when ad networks for publishers and advertisers came into the picture. Let us take a deeper look into how ad networks are helping both publishers and advertisers optimize their selling and buying processes. Ad Networks: Simplifying Ad Buying and Selling An ad network is a technology-backed platform that acts as an intermediary between a group of publishers who want to sell their ads and advertisers interested in buying them. Ad networks for publishers and advertisers first appeared in the mid-nineties as the earliest advertising technology to support online advertising. They helped advertisers buy ad space across multiple publishing platforms. The primary purpose of an ad network was to collect unsold ads from different publishers and put them up for offer to advertisers at a lower price than what a direct sale would cost. This kind of ad inventory was mostly referred to as remnant, non-premium ads that publishers struggled to sell directly. Today, ad networks for publishers focus on offering advertisers exclusive ad deals at premium prices. They pre-buy inventory from different publishers and then resell it to advertisers at premium prices to help advertisers get the impressions they expect. Types of Ad Networks Based on your audience, industry, topics, and formats, you have four main types of ad networks to choose from: Inventory-specific networks: Such networks have ads of a specific type, such as mobile or video. Vertical advertising networks: These are ad networks that focus on a specific topic, such as fashion, automobiles, or business. Premium networks: These are the networks that offer premium inventory, mostly from popular publishers. Targeted networks: These networks offer specific targeting capabilities through a built-in ad server. How do Ad Networks Work? Ad networks for publishers and advertisers keep on evolving with technological advancements. To understand how the best ads network works, here are the dynamic steps they follow to benefit publishers and advertisers: Ad networks compile multiple publishers with available ad inventory. Advertisers create campaigns using the ad network’s campaign panel, keeping in mind their budget, target audience, and any other special attributes. The publishers install relevant ad network tags on their websites. When there is a match between an ad campaign set by an advertiser and the publisher’s ad inventory, ad information is sent to the publisher. The ad network provider gets a share of the ad revenue generated from the campaign or by selling the inventory at a higher price than the publisher. Using the ad network’s campaign panel, the advertiser tracks and manages the ad’s performance. Ad Networks in Programmatic Advertising Ad networks for publishers and advertisers are a part of programmatic advertising, which is the process of automatically buying and selling digital advertising space. In this space, demand-side platforms (which help advertisers) and supply-side platforms (which help publishers) streamline the buying and selling process through real-time bidding (RTB). Businesses and enterprises rely on programmatic advertising for their digital advertising needs because publishers are adopting native ads on their websites. Thanks to native ads, ad blockers don’t affect advertising, and marketers can optimize and improve their ads with programmatic techniques for campaign success. It's no surprise that programmatic digital display ad spending is expected to increase by 25.8% this year (Source: Brand Equity). In conjugation with ad networks, an ad exchange connects DSPs and SSPs autonomously. An ad exchange came into the picture in 2005 when ad networks were not enough to solve the cumbersome problem publishers were facing ─ selling unsold ad space. Automation in the open marketplace for buying and selling digital ads was the solution. An ad exchange offers a streamlined platform for advertisers, publishers, ad networks, and other parties to connect their ad serving technologies for efficiency. Ad Network and Ad Exchange: What is the Difference? In the programmatic advertising ecosystem, the ad network and the ad exchange are two important components that are often mistaken to be the same because of their role in media buying. Let us take a look at the factors that separate the two. Attribute Ad Network Ad Exchange Function Intermediary between publishers and advertisers Open marketplace for everyone Identity Company Technology Key Users Publishers, advertisers and agencies Publishers, advertisers, agencies, ad networks, DSPs, SSPs and ATDs Important Characteristic Pre-segmented ads for particular audience. Promotes bulk buying and selling. Pool of various types of ad inventory. Based on an impression-per-impression trade Ad Quality Top-tier ad inventory, often sold for the first time All available inventory on sale including remnant ad slots Optimization Time consuming Optimization possible on-the-go Cost Stable and determined by the ad network Dynamic pricing based on real-time bidding by advertisers Impact on Advertiser Ad prices are higher Advertisers can define the pricing Impact on Publisher Low control over inventory pricing and optimization More control over value per impression Buyer/Seller Information Advertisers are unaware of the placement of their ads Publishers don’t know who the advertisers are Both advertisers and publishers have each other’s information Why Advertisers and Publishers Rely on Ad Networks? A Wider Range of Options With the help of top ad networks, advertisers and publishers can buy or sell more ad space. As a part of monetization strategies for publishers, they can rapidly increase their revenue through premium or remnant inventory because ad networks bring them the highest paying bids. Advertisers, on the other hand, can easily find any type of ad inventory that matches their budget for ad publishing. Higher Return on Investment Top ad networks bring in more revenue from advertising. The better the quality of ads, the higher the revenue for advertisers because they get precisely matched with their targeting needs and they can choose the most profitable deals. Increased Efficiency Automation in matching publishers and advertisers is the biggest advantage of advertising networks. It saves the time of manually looking for suitable deals or favorable pricing. The best publishers that bring the best impressions on ads can easily be approached. Publishers can get their inventory sold for the best price thanks to digital advertising networks. Features of an Ideal Ad Network for Publishers & Advertisers Here is a list of features you can refer to while choosing an ad network that caters to your needs: Size: The size of the advertising network matters because it facilitates a steady traffic. The more traffic it can deliver, the higher your ROI will be. Quality: Identify the quality of the inventory that an ad network offers. It should match the kind of inventory you need. Audience Targeting: Your ad network should support different audience targeting options so that ad campaigns work perfectly well. Format Support: Your ad network should support different formats like responsive, call-only, animated GIF or simple banners so you can diversify into different formats without any hassles. Reliability: Depending on your requirements, ensure that the network doesn’t go down and provides consistent service so your business remains unaffected. The interface should also be easy to use, clean, and rich with data to help your marketing team optimize their personalization efforts. CTV Streaming Platform Used PubMatic to Bump its Revenue by 400% Future Today, a premium CTV streaming platform, used PubMatic’s platform to drive its ad revenue. PubMatic helped Future Today partner with a leading CTV DSP and achieve a lucrative private marketplace (PMP) agreement to create incremental demand through direct integration and optimized engagement. “PubMatic has been one of Future Today's fastest growing demand partners in the last 6 months. The entire team has been a pleasure to work with and they genuinely understand the value of CTV in the market.” – Katya Shkolnik, Head of Partnerships, Future Today Inc. Key Takeaways Display, native, and banner advertising campaigns are critical for marketers like you to scale your business, so understanding how and what an ad network for publishers and advertisers does is important to creating the best, most effective advertising campaigns that bear results.

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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

LGD Communications

More than a mere advertising agency (although we do that), LGD Communications is a Marketing Partner. In this capacity, LGD has earned its reputation for excellence with expertise gained over nearly three decades of presenting elevated lifestyle opportunities to prosperous consumers worldwide.

Related News

Advertiser Platforms

MAGNA Study Explores Listening Rituals and How Audio Advertisers Can Improve Engagement and Purchase Intent by Complementing Daily Routines

Business Wire | April 18, 2023

Rituals, as routine as running errands and doing chores, are also key audio-consumption moments in people’s lives and create positive environments for advertisers, according to new research conducted by MAGNA’s Media Trials unit and leading multi-platform audio content and entertainment company, Audacy. The study found that advertisers who aligned with listeners’ rituals saw a greater lift in brand excitement (+10%) and brand relevance (+8%). The study, Aligning with Rituals: The Contextual Foundation of Audio, also noted that consumers experience greater “feelings of connection” with brands that synchronize with their audio rituals, by +12%, compared to +3% for non-aligned ads. MAGNA and Audacy tested both genre-based ads—such as a telecom brand advertising during an entertainment broadcast—and ritual-based ads—such as destination advertising during a “me-time” ritual--to examine the spectrum of contextual-alignment opportunities. “We’ve studied contextual in video before, but this is our first time to study it in audio, so we wanted to explore how consumers reacted to all types of audio advertising, from contextually aligned to non-aligned, across every daypart and layers of the funnel,” said Kara Manatt, EVP, Managing Director, Intelligence Solutions, MAGNA. “We were especially intrigued to note how daily rituals imply moments of calm and continuity in listeners’ lives and that brands that tap into these touchstones benefit tremendously.” Contextually aligned ads have the propensity to both excite (+10%) and create relevance (+8%) for brands, especially among those who are in-market. Further, contextual alignment boosts brand metrics that matter most, such as brand favorability (+8%), search intent (+12%), and purchase intent (+9%). Just what are consumers doing as they stream podcasts and listen to music? A ranking of typical listening rituals featured in a previous Audacy study, Audio Rituals was topped by running general errands (85%) and doing home maintenance (84%). Consumer engagement levels, though, were most heightened during me-time moments (73%), putting my child to bed (70%) and exercising outdoors (68%). Audacy’s Audio Rituals study also determined that 74% of listeners incorporated audio into their daily rituals and 40% planned their day/activities around audio content. “Audio advertisers can amplify the effectiveness of their buys through ritual moments,” said Idil Cakim, SVP, Head of Research and Insights, Audacy. “Study participants agreed that the stronger the match between advertisement and content, the better the outcome for KPIs like brand favorability and purchase intent.” Seventy-eight percent of participants agreed that strong content/ad matches mattered in brand favorability and 80% for purchase intent. Other key findings include: Mood Boosters: Participants who felt “energized or excited” by their audio content also were 24% more likely to state the test ads “caught my attention” (+24% lift) and were more likely to be open to the ads at the time of listening (+16% lift). These engaged and excited listeners also were more likely to search for the brand (+10%). Contextual Enhancement: Contextually aligning ads amplifies the information shared in audio ads – this is especially true among in-market audiences, who agree that these contextually-aligned ads “taught them something new” (73%). Dialed-In Dispatches: Regardless of the type of contextual alignment (ritual or genre-based), each approach has the propensity to drive search intent (+15% and +16%, respectively). Aligning with Rituals: The Contextual Foundation of Audio ran controlled testing among 1,920 weekly audio listeners who listened to 30-minute content blocks, ranging from podcasts to news, sports and music, interspersed with ads from three brands, covering the retail, telecom and travel industries. The participants answered a range of questions to determine advertising effectiveness and establish their mood and receptivity. The full study can be found here. About MAGNA MAGNA is the leading global media investment and intelligence company. Our trusted insights, proprietary trial offerings, industry-leading negotiation and unparalleled consultative solutions deliver an actionable marketplace advantage for our clients and subscribers. We are a team of experts driven by results, integrity and inquisitiveness. We operate across five key competencies, supporting clients and cross-functional teams through partnership, education, accountability, connectivity and enablement. For more information, please visit our website: https://magnaglobal.com/ and follow us on LinkedIn. About Audacy Audacy, Inc. (NYSE: AUD) is a leading multi-platform audio content and entertainment company with the country’s best collection of local music, news and sports brands, a premium podcast creator, major event producer, and digital innovator. Audacy engages 200 million consumers each month, bringing people together around content that matters to them. Learn more at www.audacyinc.com, Facebook (Audacy Corp), Twitter (@AudacyCorp) and LinkedIn (@Audacy-Inc).

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Brand Marketing

CitrusAd Brings Sponsorcart’s Shoppable Video to Retail Media

Business Wire | March 29, 2023

CitrusAd and sponsorcart.io partner to deliver on-site shoppable video ad technology to retail media networks in the U.S. and abroad. The CitrusAd and Sponsorcart partnership simplifies video campaign activation, and retail monetization, making it easier than ever for brand advertisers across the globe to activate shoppable video campaigns on retail media networks. Brands can implement, manage and scale video ad creative alongside, add-to-cart functionality for corresponding SKUs that enables closed-loop, transparent measurement of return-on-ad-spend (ROAS). The new, innovative video ad formats will drive high-impact engagement for brands and fetch greater CPM in the retailer’s revenue stream. “CitrusAd is excited to scale these dynamic and innovative video ad formats. Brands will be able to easily align commercial video assets with SKUs directly within the path-to-purchase in a shopper-relevant manner. These enhanced shopper experiences deliver tremendous storytelling power and an attractive way for retailers to expand their media offering,” said Adam Skinner, Managing Director, Retail Media Networks, CitrusAd. “Our goal was to make it easy for video to play a larger role in retail media. We are delighted to tie our video ad platform to CitrusAd to make shoppable video ad campaigns dynamically populate in a native and personalized manner with lightning-fast load times,” said Stephen Caffrey, CEO and co-founder of Sponsorcart. Advertisers spend $50BN per year in video ad spend as 66% of customers prefer video when learning about a new product. Retailers can improve customer experiences while earning up to five times CPM when adding video to advertising campaigns. Both companies will be at ShopTalk in LasVegas this week to provide further insight on the benefits of shoppable video. About Sponsorcart.io Sponsorcart.io is an onsite, end-to-end, shoppable video platform built for Retail Media Networks (RMNs). The platform makes it simple to launch and manage high-impact, unique video ad formats. Add-to-cart functionality provides closed-loop analytics for transparent and measurable ROI. Sponsorcart’s shopper centric, video solution appears natively along the path-to-purchase with dynamic SKU optimization led by privacy protected, first-party retailer data for personalized relevancy at scale. About CitrusAd CitrusAd is a leading retail media company and part of Epsilon, a global advertising and marketing technology company. The CitrusAd, powered by Epsilon platform, sits at the center of Publicis Groupe’s comprehensive, scalable retail media network offering. By harnessing the power of first-party data and industry-leading identity resolution, the unified, self-serve platform delivers shopper-relevant advertising experiences on commerce websites and across the open web resulting in higher conversions. Leading retailers across the globe rely on CitrusAd to help grow retail media as a core function for incremental media revenue and sales volume that delivers great ROI for brands. For more information, visit citrusad.com.

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Brand Marketing

Augeo Acquires Brand Networks for Engagement Solutions

Augeo | February 20, 2023

Augeo, an enterprise engagement platform technology, has recently acquired Brand Networks, a social media marketing pioneer, for increasing engagement over social media platforms. In addition, its data collection and engagement solution, Valor Siren Ventures, participated with Augeo in this transaction. Brand Networks offers AI-powered tools to enhance advertising investments, media buying, and authentic employee advocacy through software solutions and clean room collaboration technology to turn audiences and first-party data over social media platforms into monetization. These services will help marketers, advertising companies like Augeo and creator communities with the creation, publication, and measurement of organic content in real-time on behalf of the organization. It leverages AI and machine learning algorithms for building brand relationships with customers through social media platforms like Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Meta. Garros Group, an investment bank in the advertising sector, served as a financial and strategic advisor for Brand Networks. Founder and CEO of Augeo, David Kristal, said, "We are eager to cultivate Brand Network's innovative paid social solutions that optimize cross-platform advertising budgets with data-driven strategies. Moreover, there is not a more authentic and inspired strategy to advance brand experiences than through the passion and advocacy of that brand's employees, customers, and partners. We recognize the power of synthesizing brand advocates across social media to deepen the connection to stakeholders and local communities." He added, "Augeo's acquisition of Brand Networks extends opportunities for our clients to leverage genuine employee advocacy—creating a unique and inevitable intersection of marketing and HR. Every day, thousands of employees are activated on behalf of major brands through Brand Networks, and we are excited to scale their efforts and accelerate the power of their solutions for our respective clients." (Source – Cision PR Newswire) About Augeo Headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Augeo, an advertising solutions provider, has been offering services for enterprise-level loyalty and engagement platforms and experience design since 1999. In addition, it serves solutions for loyalty programs, channel loyalty, employee recognition, sales incentives, web3 experiences, strategic gifting, event production, customer loyalty, experiential marketing, workplace engagement, digital agency services, employee engagement, card-linking experiences, B2B loyalty, membership benefits, employee recognition and rewards, insurance and voluntary benefits, custom solutions, and affinity partner networks.

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Advertiser Platforms

MAGNA Study Explores Listening Rituals and How Audio Advertisers Can Improve Engagement and Purchase Intent by Complementing Daily Routines

Business Wire | April 18, 2023

Rituals, as routine as running errands and doing chores, are also key audio-consumption moments in people’s lives and create positive environments for advertisers, according to new research conducted by MAGNA’s Media Trials unit and leading multi-platform audio content and entertainment company, Audacy. The study found that advertisers who aligned with listeners’ rituals saw a greater lift in brand excitement (+10%) and brand relevance (+8%). The study, Aligning with Rituals: The Contextual Foundation of Audio, also noted that consumers experience greater “feelings of connection” with brands that synchronize with their audio rituals, by +12%, compared to +3% for non-aligned ads. MAGNA and Audacy tested both genre-based ads—such as a telecom brand advertising during an entertainment broadcast—and ritual-based ads—such as destination advertising during a “me-time” ritual--to examine the spectrum of contextual-alignment opportunities. “We’ve studied contextual in video before, but this is our first time to study it in audio, so we wanted to explore how consumers reacted to all types of audio advertising, from contextually aligned to non-aligned, across every daypart and layers of the funnel,” said Kara Manatt, EVP, Managing Director, Intelligence Solutions, MAGNA. “We were especially intrigued to note how daily rituals imply moments of calm and continuity in listeners’ lives and that brands that tap into these touchstones benefit tremendously.” Contextually aligned ads have the propensity to both excite (+10%) and create relevance (+8%) for brands, especially among those who are in-market. Further, contextual alignment boosts brand metrics that matter most, such as brand favorability (+8%), search intent (+12%), and purchase intent (+9%). Just what are consumers doing as they stream podcasts and listen to music? A ranking of typical listening rituals featured in a previous Audacy study, Audio Rituals was topped by running general errands (85%) and doing home maintenance (84%). Consumer engagement levels, though, were most heightened during me-time moments (73%), putting my child to bed (70%) and exercising outdoors (68%). Audacy’s Audio Rituals study also determined that 74% of listeners incorporated audio into their daily rituals and 40% planned their day/activities around audio content. “Audio advertisers can amplify the effectiveness of their buys through ritual moments,” said Idil Cakim, SVP, Head of Research and Insights, Audacy. “Study participants agreed that the stronger the match between advertisement and content, the better the outcome for KPIs like brand favorability and purchase intent.” Seventy-eight percent of participants agreed that strong content/ad matches mattered in brand favorability and 80% for purchase intent. Other key findings include: Mood Boosters: Participants who felt “energized or excited” by their audio content also were 24% more likely to state the test ads “caught my attention” (+24% lift) and were more likely to be open to the ads at the time of listening (+16% lift). These engaged and excited listeners also were more likely to search for the brand (+10%). Contextual Enhancement: Contextually aligning ads amplifies the information shared in audio ads – this is especially true among in-market audiences, who agree that these contextually-aligned ads “taught them something new” (73%). Dialed-In Dispatches: Regardless of the type of contextual alignment (ritual or genre-based), each approach has the propensity to drive search intent (+15% and +16%, respectively). Aligning with Rituals: The Contextual Foundation of Audio ran controlled testing among 1,920 weekly audio listeners who listened to 30-minute content blocks, ranging from podcasts to news, sports and music, interspersed with ads from three brands, covering the retail, telecom and travel industries. The participants answered a range of questions to determine advertising effectiveness and establish their mood and receptivity. The full study can be found here. About MAGNA MAGNA is the leading global media investment and intelligence company. Our trusted insights, proprietary trial offerings, industry-leading negotiation and unparalleled consultative solutions deliver an actionable marketplace advantage for our clients and subscribers. We are a team of experts driven by results, integrity and inquisitiveness. We operate across five key competencies, supporting clients and cross-functional teams through partnership, education, accountability, connectivity and enablement. For more information, please visit our website: https://magnaglobal.com/ and follow us on LinkedIn. About Audacy Audacy, Inc. (NYSE: AUD) is a leading multi-platform audio content and entertainment company with the country’s best collection of local music, news and sports brands, a premium podcast creator, major event producer, and digital innovator. Audacy engages 200 million consumers each month, bringing people together around content that matters to them. Learn more at www.audacyinc.com, Facebook (Audacy Corp), Twitter (@AudacyCorp) and LinkedIn (@Audacy-Inc).

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Brand Marketing

CitrusAd Brings Sponsorcart’s Shoppable Video to Retail Media

Business Wire | March 29, 2023

CitrusAd and sponsorcart.io partner to deliver on-site shoppable video ad technology to retail media networks in the U.S. and abroad. The CitrusAd and Sponsorcart partnership simplifies video campaign activation, and retail monetization, making it easier than ever for brand advertisers across the globe to activate shoppable video campaigns on retail media networks. Brands can implement, manage and scale video ad creative alongside, add-to-cart functionality for corresponding SKUs that enables closed-loop, transparent measurement of return-on-ad-spend (ROAS). The new, innovative video ad formats will drive high-impact engagement for brands and fetch greater CPM in the retailer’s revenue stream. “CitrusAd is excited to scale these dynamic and innovative video ad formats. Brands will be able to easily align commercial video assets with SKUs directly within the path-to-purchase in a shopper-relevant manner. These enhanced shopper experiences deliver tremendous storytelling power and an attractive way for retailers to expand their media offering,” said Adam Skinner, Managing Director, Retail Media Networks, CitrusAd. “Our goal was to make it easy for video to play a larger role in retail media. We are delighted to tie our video ad platform to CitrusAd to make shoppable video ad campaigns dynamically populate in a native and personalized manner with lightning-fast load times,” said Stephen Caffrey, CEO and co-founder of Sponsorcart. Advertisers spend $50BN per year in video ad spend as 66% of customers prefer video when learning about a new product. Retailers can improve customer experiences while earning up to five times CPM when adding video to advertising campaigns. Both companies will be at ShopTalk in LasVegas this week to provide further insight on the benefits of shoppable video. About Sponsorcart.io Sponsorcart.io is an onsite, end-to-end, shoppable video platform built for Retail Media Networks (RMNs). The platform makes it simple to launch and manage high-impact, unique video ad formats. Add-to-cart functionality provides closed-loop analytics for transparent and measurable ROI. Sponsorcart’s shopper centric, video solution appears natively along the path-to-purchase with dynamic SKU optimization led by privacy protected, first-party retailer data for personalized relevancy at scale. About CitrusAd CitrusAd is a leading retail media company and part of Epsilon, a global advertising and marketing technology company. The CitrusAd, powered by Epsilon platform, sits at the center of Publicis Groupe’s comprehensive, scalable retail media network offering. By harnessing the power of first-party data and industry-leading identity resolution, the unified, self-serve platform delivers shopper-relevant advertising experiences on commerce websites and across the open web resulting in higher conversions. Leading retailers across the globe rely on CitrusAd to help grow retail media as a core function for incremental media revenue and sales volume that delivers great ROI for brands. For more information, visit citrusad.com.

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Brand Marketing

Augeo Acquires Brand Networks for Engagement Solutions

Augeo | February 20, 2023

Augeo, an enterprise engagement platform technology, has recently acquired Brand Networks, a social media marketing pioneer, for increasing engagement over social media platforms. In addition, its data collection and engagement solution, Valor Siren Ventures, participated with Augeo in this transaction. Brand Networks offers AI-powered tools to enhance advertising investments, media buying, and authentic employee advocacy through software solutions and clean room collaboration technology to turn audiences and first-party data over social media platforms into monetization. These services will help marketers, advertising companies like Augeo and creator communities with the creation, publication, and measurement of organic content in real-time on behalf of the organization. It leverages AI and machine learning algorithms for building brand relationships with customers through social media platforms like Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Meta. Garros Group, an investment bank in the advertising sector, served as a financial and strategic advisor for Brand Networks. Founder and CEO of Augeo, David Kristal, said, "We are eager to cultivate Brand Network's innovative paid social solutions that optimize cross-platform advertising budgets with data-driven strategies. Moreover, there is not a more authentic and inspired strategy to advance brand experiences than through the passion and advocacy of that brand's employees, customers, and partners. We recognize the power of synthesizing brand advocates across social media to deepen the connection to stakeholders and local communities." He added, "Augeo's acquisition of Brand Networks extends opportunities for our clients to leverage genuine employee advocacy—creating a unique and inevitable intersection of marketing and HR. Every day, thousands of employees are activated on behalf of major brands through Brand Networks, and we are excited to scale their efforts and accelerate the power of their solutions for our respective clients." (Source – Cision PR Newswire) About Augeo Headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Augeo, an advertising solutions provider, has been offering services for enterprise-level loyalty and engagement platforms and experience design since 1999. In addition, it serves solutions for loyalty programs, channel loyalty, employee recognition, sales incentives, web3 experiences, strategic gifting, event production, customer loyalty, experiential marketing, workplace engagement, digital agency services, employee engagement, card-linking experiences, B2B loyalty, membership benefits, employee recognition and rewards, insurance and voluntary benefits, custom solutions, and affinity partner networks.

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Events