Ad Networks
prnewswire | August 09, 2023
Skai, an omnichannel platform for performance marketing, published its Q2 2023 Digital Marketing Quarterly Trends Report, an in-depth analysis of the digital marketing trends that defined the second quarter of this year, along with an interactive infographic detailing key analysis. While the pattern of more ads at lower prices mostly continued to affect year-over-year (YoY) trends, comparing Q2 2023 to the previous quarter suggests an improving economy on numerous fronts.
Retail media growth accelerates while other channels hold
Year-over-year (YoY) spending grew 35% for retail media, up from 30% last quarter, while paid search and paid social only varied slightly from last quarter's trend. Paid search spending increased 3% YoY while paid social spending declined by 4%, both down one percentage point from Q1 YoY levels.
Virtuous cycle drives retail media, paid search
Retail media and paid search cost-per-click (CPC) both grew 11% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) while conversion rate (CVR) was up 8% in retail media and 10% in search. Higher conversion rates translate to fewer clicks leading to a purchase, which then offset the higher click costs without negatively affecting return on ad spend (ROAS). Higher CPC then also allows for higher-quality placements on search results or product description pages.
Bright spots in paid social
While overall social spending was down, several segments saw YoY growth over Q2 2022. Video ads grew 12% and both Instagram ads and Awareness & Engagement campaign objectives were up 5% over last year.
Expansion of formats and placements for commerce ads
In each channel, commerce ads that are taking new forms and reaching new audiences showed robust QoQ growth. Amazon DSP spending increased 56% from Q1 to Q2, while Google Performance Max campaigns and Meta Advantage Shopping Campaigns+ grew 34% and 38%, respectively.
"Retail media is already showing signs of accelerating spending growth, while both paid search and paid social look like they are hitting the end of recent deceleration trends. This all bodes well for a strong H2 for digital marketing spend as economic conditions improve," said Chris Costello, Senior Director of Marketing Research at Skai. "Meanwhile, digital publishers are consolidating disparate elements of campaign management and then expanding those campaigns to new audiences and properties to reinforce their value to advertisers."
For more information and to view the infographic, visit skai.io/digital-marketing-trends/.
Methodology
Analysis is drawn from a population of approximately $9 billion in advertising spend over five quarters, comprising more than 3,000 advertiser and agency accounts across 40 vertical industries and more than 150 countries running on the Skai™ platform on Google, Microsoft, Baidu, Yandex, Yahoo! Japan, Verizon Media, Amazon, Walmart, Instacart, Criteo, Kroger, Apple Search Ads, Pinterest, Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram. Except where noted, only advertisers with 15 consecutive months of performance data are included. Some additional outliers have been excluded. Ad spending and pricing have been translated to USD at the time the spending was incurred, where applicable.
About Skai
Skai (formerly Kenshoo) is a leading omnichannel marketing platform that uniquely connects data and media for informed decisions, high efficiencies, and optimal returns. Its partners include Google, Meta, Amazon Ads, TikTok, Snap, Walmart Connect, Instacart, Roundel, Criteo, CitrusAd, Pinterest, Microsoft, Apple Search Ads, and more. For over 15 years Skai has been trusted by an impressive roster of brands including Pepsico, Michaels, Reckitt, Daimler, LG, and Vodafone. The company is headquartered out of Tel Aviv, with seven international locations, and is backed by Sequoia Capital, Arts Alliance, Tenaya Capital, Bain Capital Ventures, Pitango, and Qumra Capital.
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Social Media Advertising
prnewswire | August 18, 2023
BENlabs, the leading entertainment AI company for brands and creators, released a new report today finding that 63% of consumers have positive emotions after seeing products or brands in TV content, while 47% say they enjoy seeing their favorite brands in shows. The report, "State of Product Placement 2023," analyzed product placement's ROI, and consumers' feelings on it compared to traditional marketing and advertisements.
The survey focused on three areas: understanding marketers' perspectives on product placement, understanding consumers' perspectives on product placement and consumers' research and purchase behaviors. The report found that:
Marketers' are overwhelmingly optimistic about product placement – In fact, 86% of U.S. marketers who've tried product placement rate it highly, while 81% consider it to be an effective marketing channel. Additionally, 91% see it as effective in reaching non-ad supported audiences.
To top it off, eight-in-10 marketers consider AI to be very important when making a decision about what marketing company to use for product placement opportunities.
Successful product placement can elicit positive emotions in viewers – A little over six-in-10 (63%) of respondents reported feeling positive emotions (happiness, inspiration, interest, and/or curiosity) after seeing a product or brand in a film or TV programs, while 47% like seeing their favorite brands and products in TV shows and films. Given a choice, a majority (52%) of consumers would prefer to watch a TV program with product placement over advertising.
Consumers are quick to research products and brands they see on screen – Three-quarters (75%) of consumers have searched for a product/brand on at least one platform after seeing it on TV/film, furthermore, 57% of those consumers go on to purchase the same product, or a different product from the same brand.
Almost one-in-five (17%) made the purchase as they were watching, 12% did so within two hours, 14% waited more than a day and 18% took longer than one week.
"We found that 46 percent of consumers have actually learned about a product for the first time after seeing it on TV or in movies. That's a staggering number and speaks to the effectiveness of product placement throughout the marketing funnel, from driving awareness and cultural relevance all the way down to sales and marketing," says Erin Schmidt, Chief Product Placement Officer of BENlabs. "Combining the power of this marketing channel with AI allows brands to target the audience most likely to drive ROI for their entertainment marketing investments."
Ad avoidance is at all-time highs, with over 41% of viewers habitually skipping or avoiding television advertisements. Combined with a massive shift to ad-free streaming platforms, this makes it harder than ever for businesses to reach audiences through traditional methods. BENlabs' newest report, with insights from approximately 350 marketing managers and 650 consumers, found product placement offers a strong new avenue for businesses to reach, retain and grow their customer base.
Methodology
BENlabs surveyed 349 senior marketing managers or above with direct responsibility for marketing spend and/or marketing innovation at their brands (December 2022), and 657 US consumers (excluding those who work in marketing and advertising) about their TV viewing habits and views on product placement within TV programs and films (April 2023). Unless otherwise specified, there were no significant differences in responses by age, gender, or viewing habits.
About BENlabs
BENlabs is an entertainment AI company that integrates brands into influencer, streaming, TV, music and film content with guaranteed ROI. BENlabs offers clients the world's largest influencer marketing business, comprising the world's largest product placement, promotions and licensing agency combined with TubeBuddy, the largest AI SaaS platform to help 15 million creators and brands optimize their audience and channel growth. BENlabs works with the world's top brands and creators, including Microsoft, General Motors, Frito-Lay, Bloomingdales, Tencent and Reckitt Benckiser.
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Advertiser Platforms
Business Wire | September 14, 2023
Wurl, the leader in data-driven solutions for CTV, today released How to Turn CTV into a Performance Marketing Channel for Growth, a new report developed in partnership with leading marketing platform AppLovin (NASDAQ: APP). With CTV ad spending projected to reach over $25 billion in 2023, and more and more viewers moving away from traditional cable, the report highlights the significant role CTV advertising plays in reaching new audiences and driving revenue.
“CTV advertising is bringing the performance power of mobile user acquisition into the world of television, unlocking unprecedented ROI for streamers, content publishers, and mobile marketers alike,” said Katie Jansen, Chief Marketing Officer, AppLovin. “Whether operating in the dynamic world of mobile apps, or as a streaming app delivering engaging content, CTV is driving incremental and profitable growth for performance-minded marketers.”
Marketers can now leverage data-driven targeting and measurement, providing a clearer understanding of campaign outcomes. The report details how to:
Drive incrementalityby expanding reach to previously untapped audiences and acquiring net-new users and subscribers.
Keep the right viewers engaged, targeting promos individually across CTV, mobile, and desktop.
Drive deeper engagement through dual-screeningwhen users are engaging with their mobile phones while watching CTV, and searching for information about the product or service.
Measure and optimize with a full-funnel, cross-channel mindsetensuring a holistic understanding of CTV's role in driving down-funnel actions.
Inspire engagement with CTV adsthat leave a lasting impression and feature a clear call to action that motivates users to take the next step.
The report also features real-world case studies from apps that increased their install rates with AppDiscovery campaigns tapping into Wurl’s premium CTV supply. Picsart, the number two top-downloaded photography app, tripled its spend after achieving high install rates and tremendous scale, and popular credit building app Kikoff decreased its cost-per-engagement (CPE) by 27% and increased its install rate by 3X.
“We know that nearly half of viewers discover new content to watch through ads during other TV shows,” said Ron Gutman, Chief Executive Officer, Wurl. “With performance-driven advertising, streamers and publishers can leverage CTV as part of their marketing mix to attract high-value viewers, increase engagement, and, in turn, boost retention. All campaigns are 100% measurable through Wurl’s ContentDiscovery solution, allowing advertisers to effectively transform their marketing efforts from a cost center to a revenue driver with the ability to immediately see their ROAS and down-funnel metric performance.”
Learn more about Wurl and read the full report, How to Turn CTV into a Performance Marketing Channel for Growth, here.
About Wurl
Wurl leads the CTV industry in helping content publishers and streamers reach millions of viewers worldwide. The company's market-leading solutions enable publishers and streamers to maximize their revenues, grow their CTV viewership, and strengthen their brand value. Wurl is owned by AppLovin (NASDAQ: APP). For more information, visit www.wurl.com, and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook.
About AppLovin
AppLovin makes technologies that help businesses of every size connect to their ideal customers. The company provides end-to-end software and AI solutions for businesses to reach, monetize and grow their global audiences. For more information about AppLovin, visit: www.applovin.com.
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