As online investment continues to grow, digital brand advertising has unlocked a new world of opportunities for creativity and targeting, yet many advertisers are struggling to make the most of it.
With a seemingly infinite number of creative formats, data targeting, publishing options and measurement solutions, the unfair perception is that digital brand advertising can be seen as a complex and luxurious form of advertising that compliments a digital plan rather than being at the heart of it.
Despite offering great opportunities for advertisers and claiming an ever-increasing share of the digital display market pie, digital brand advertising can still be considered an afterthought, frequently meaning creative is simply repurposed for particular digital media. However, to achieve the best results, content needs to be produced and tailored for the digital environment in which it will live from the outset.
So where should advertisers start when formulating an effective digital brand advertising strategy? Here are five key steps to take you in the right direction:
1. Set and communicate clear business objectives
Digital brand advertising has the power and agility to be tailored to a range of campaign objectives – engagement, awareness, impact, etc. However, the true value comes from delivering a strategy that sets appropriate data and creativity against tangible business objectives, such as improving perception and purchase consideration.
Setting clear business objectives from the outset will not only maximise the effect of your digital brand activity, but also lead to a more insightful performance that can drive real business benefits. The more information you provide about who you’re trying to reach and why, the closer the campaign can be tailored to fit those objectives.
2. Make digital central to your marketing strategy
As with all media, without careful planning around creative and targeting, the real value of brand advertising can be easily lost.
Incorporating digital advertising at the concept stage ensures that the creative can be better tailored to the medium. This not only provides greater efficiency, insight and support to the overall business objectives, but means that activity can be seamlessly weaved into the overall marketing strategy from the outset.
3. Embrace rich media and video creativity
Digital’s unique mix of creative opportunities allows you to deliver more detailed messages and concepts. However, avoid the temptation to use every creative asset at your disposal, as ‘too much’ or ‘too little’ can dilute your messaging.
Adding a new dimension to your digital creative – sight, sound and motion – is proven to boost greater interaction and drive brand effectiveness. But only if you keep it relevant across desktop, mobile and tablet devices by building a value exchange between brand and consumer through video and interactive rich media to encourage engagement or a response. And again, be clear on your objectives and where the activity sits within the purchase funnel when deciding on appropriate formats and channels to match those goals.
4. Use programmatic and data strategically
The rapid rise of programmatic and data technology (60% of all desktop display) means that it’s never been easier to target your digital advertising to the right audience, in the right place, at the right time.
While it has opened doors to drive buying efficiency, more importantly it can improve the quality of ad messaging through the use of dynamic creative to engage the target audience – and ultimately deliver a more rewarding consumer experience between brand and consumer.
5. Know what success looks like
It’s no good setting out clear objectives at the start of your digital campaign if you are unable to demonstrate whether they have been met once it’s over. Developing strong KPIs from the start can also help guide the creative approach and overall brand strategy as it will provide a clear picture of what success will look like.
For brand activity, the best insights will come from the measurement of campaigns against business objectives versus traditional performance indicators, such as click through rates (CTR).
As digital brand advertising continues to grow, those advertisers that have a clear strategy from the start will be best positioned to capitalise on the huge opportunity this market can offer.
Taking the above factors into account at the planning stage will certainly be a good start in helping to maximise the value and insight digital brand advertising can provide.
By Paul Lowrey, strategy director at Collective
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