“Don’t Skip This Ad” - 5 reasons creative counts in a digital world
“I don’t think we should be using the term ‘digital' anymore - it’s the majority of our business, so let’s just call it advertising and put labels on everything else instead”.
This is what I was recently told (and I’ve paraphrased) by a senior media agency network exec during a conversation about how digital is shaping the ad landscape. It really captured the imagination of the digital native in me - the next big thing we’ve been evangelising for the past decade is now well and truly the main course.
It got me thinking about just how much digital has shaped the media landscape in the past decade, but more importantly what we could learn from the industry’s history; where have traditional techniques succeeded and where have they failed? The single thread that seems to hold true through this evolution is this: ad formats come and go, but great creative can still break down the barrier between advertiser and consumer, blocking out all the noise and landing the message where it was intended to go.
The following are five observations on how traditional media thinking is exasperatingly still being applied in a digital world, and how we can learn from great creative to unlock the true potential of today’s platforms.
1. “Don’t Skip This Ad” - Pre-rolls aren’t TVC placeholders
How many times have you been greeted with a pre-roll or banner that is literally just a TVC or movie trailer slapped into a digital ad unit? It’s hard to come across specific stats on how many of these are actually skipped, but we know it’s the vast majority (the figure is somewhere between 70% and 90% depending on who you ask). TVCs are created to fit the “interruption” model of advertising, but applying logic from a couch-bound experience to an interactive environment obviously doesn’t work. No matter how targeted your ad is, ignoring the context of the user is a surefire way to go unnoticed or worse, be an annoyance.
Take a look at some pre-rolls where the creative actually takes advantage of the context:
Geico - The unskippable adhttp://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/ad-day-geico-makes-clever-pre-roll-ads-are-basically-unskippable-163233
Allianz - Be OKhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2MZ1OwtZOs
Optus - Ricky Gervais for Netflixhttp://www.bandt.com.au/advertising/ricky-gervais-fronts-hilarious-campaign-for-optus-and-netflix
2. “Make it viral” - Content still works when we give it a fighting chance
Remember the time that brand created an ad that was so engaging it went viral? Those days just don’t exist anymore. That’s not to say there aren’t brands out there creating brilliant, engaging content that people want to watch and interact with; but in such a cluttered environment, chances are that great viral video you saw got to the elusive “viral” tipping point via a well planned media push. This combination of brilliant creative and efficient media spend is the natural equilibrium of viral, and it can pack a hugely efficient punch when done right.
In a post-“Will It Blend” world, here are some brands that know consumers will seek out their content if they can create buzz around a great story:
Corning - Mythbusters and the Glass Agehttp://wersm.com/how-to-get-millions-of-views-on-a-10-minute-pre-roll/
Volvo - JCVD Epic Splithttp://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/undivided-attention-how-epic-split-became-buzziest-ad-cannes-158248
3. “And now a word from our sponsor” - Podcasts can give us a history lesson
In the early days of TV, ads looked very different. It was typical for an announcer to take a short break in the broadcast to simply talk about a product, hopefully in a personalised way that made it feel like they actually endorsed the product. We’ve seen this model come and go across lots of different types of media, but today we can see this age old model being employed in podcasts.
The typical process is for podcasters to be given a script and are requested to do a minimum 15 second read. However, the effectiveness (and therefore future sponsorship prospects) of these podcasters is measured through unique promo codes, meaning the content creators have a vested interest in making the ads succeed. This is where great creative comes into play - the more personalised and relevant to their audience they can make it, the more successful the ads tend to be.
In a format that is still very much in its infancy, we’re already seeing some great examples of podcast producers recognising how creative advertising can enhance the listener’s experience:
Tell ‘Em Steve Dave / MeUndies.com - their advertisers give the podcasters free reign on the creative front, to a point where the ads are now a major component of the contenthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31yIqiSwU5s#t=127m10s (language warning)
Serial / Mailchimp - the MailKimp parodies alone have boosted their brand awareness beyond any previous effortshttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/27/serial-podcast-mailchimp-advert
4. “Do as the natives do” - Native ads could finally kill the banner
The combination of mobile & social have forced advertisers to shift the way they think about digital. Banners have failed to cut through in these platforms, giving rise to native advertising. We’re all familiar with product placement and advertorial content, but the line between content and advertising has never been as blurred as it is now. By nature, native doesn’t have any set guidelines... yet. Despite so many of the major players having entered the native market, it is still evolving and the battleground could be decided by a few great creative case studies that attract advertisers to one platform or format over another.
Some noteworthy examples that illustrate how native ads are creating this shift:
News Corp / MX Mobile App: has completely removed banners in favour of native unitshttp://www.adnews.com.au/news/mx-does-away-with-banner-ads-as-its-new-app-goes-live
New York Times / Netflix: a 1,500 word native ad placement for "Orange is the New Black" really blurs the lines between advertising and contenthttp://adage.com/article/media/york-times-runs-native-ad-orange-black/293713/
5. “100% Organic” - Don’t forget the “social” in social media
When Facebook announced they were culling inactive users, it was breathtaking to see the outcry from many marketers - they were actually complaining about losing fans who either don’t use Facebook anymore or in some cases were actually deceased. The point here seems obvious, but I’ll make it anyway: if you’re still measuring your social success by volume of fans (dead or alive), you don’t understand social media.
Organic reach has been another sore point - “Facebook just killed organic reach!” screamed the headlines. Again, advertisers need to shift their focus from spending money on fluffy pieces of irrelevant content in the hopes of chasing Likes and instead focus their ad spend on highly targeted, relevant and creative posts. They will see a better return on that investment (good for the advertiser), will have a business case to spend more (good for the publisher), and will only put their message in front of users who want to see it (good for the consumer). Success metrics will gradually shift from impressions to real interactions (not just Likes).
Facebook have shown for a while that traditional marketing KPIs don’t apply in their world, but the most recent development shows how far ahead they’re thinking. A recent Facebook patent highlighted an algorithm that can identify real influencers - ie. not just users who have lots of followers, but people who measurably cause a spike in views to a piece of content.
The ability for advertisers target these influencers with premium content is a much more real way to organically spread a brand message - the success of the campaign will be democratically decided by how relevant the creative is to the audience. Adam Smith would be proud.
Don’t believe in the power of influencers? Forrester recently published a social media report that cites a case study for the release of a Harry Potter DVD: the agency targeted 43 influencers who in turn reached 5.3 million fans with a 9.3% CTR. How many content calendars full of cat posts can boast those figures? If the content is a compelling piece of creative and is served to the right people at the right time, there are no boundaries to reach and engagement.
We can learn a lot from where advertising has come from, and in many ways the industry’s tendency to latch on to new trends (big data, programmatic, native, etc etc) is nothing new. Some things never change, and as marketers and ad agencies come to grips with how digital has shifted the picture of success, expect to see a renewed focus on brilliant storytelling designed to resonate with audiences. Creativity may take courage, but it takes courage to prevail.