The Importance of Creative in Programmatic

Marketers are spending big when it comes to investing in programmatic technology and targeting capabilities that aid them in being able to reach the right consumer at the right time, and for many, it is proving fruitful. eMarketer predicts that by the end of 2019, global programmatic ad spend will eclipse $83bn. This is equal to one-third of total digital spend for the year and a 19% year-on-year increase from 2018. The staggering growth shouldn’t be surprising to marketers as the rise of AI and machine learning further enhances programmatic advertising. The challenge is in ensuring that once marketers reach their desired consumer, they captivate them with engaging content that encourages conversion and repeat purchases.

We live in an always-connected world and marketers have more opportunity to reach consumers than ever before. Coupled with technological advancements, for consumers, this has resulted in a bombardment of advertising that is at time distracting, annoying or irrelevant. So how do marketers cut through the clutter and differentiate their brand from the rest to ensure they’re creating experiences that are both relevant and engaging?

There are best practices that marketers can employ to enhance their creative strategy such as the use of engaging imagery, utilising standard ad sizes and including a compelling call-to-action that is visible in as many frames as possible. Utilise a product feed (and make sure it works!), and tailor your content according to the channel. Display is different from native, which is different from social, and retargeting and prospecting serve a different purpose. Consider the format and the function and then act accordingly. Employing best practices are essential when it comes to creating a good creative strategy. Outside of adhering to best practices though, there are strategies marketers can use that will elevate a good creative strategy, to a great creative strategy.

The first step is to make decisions based on more than click information. While it may not be an underlining goal or KPI for determining the success of your campaign, measuring engagement depicts vital information about how consumers interact with your brands creative. It may be a particular colour or image is most compelling when it comes to attracting consumer attention, or specific messaging results in greater interaction from shoppers. Using the engagement metric to test creative elements allows marketers to stand out from the crowd and effectively deliver a more engaged consumer base.

Understanding the importance of serving ads in the right environment is equally as important as the creative itself. Native advertising by nature is less intrusive, less annoying and often more informative for consumers. Whether it be content recommendations, in-ad native or in-feed native, the digital strategy gives brands the opportunity to serve ads in a style that match the publisher’s website perfectly. By matching the look, feel and function of a publisher’s site, consumers are presented with a better online experience, ultimately leading to a stronger CTR.

The final step in getting creative right starts with data. By utilising the data at their disposal, marketers can amplify their creative strategies. Dynamic Creative Optimisation (DCO), gives marketers the ability to optimise the performance of their creative using real-time technology. Using DCO allows for greater personalisation of ads towards consumer preferences based on things such as geography, products viewed and then layers the best performing visual components to display. This optimises both the content and the creative to serve more relevant and timely ads to consumers, which in turn delivers stronger campaign performance. 

While programmatic advertising may present some challenges when it comes to creative, it also offers an opportunity for marketers to better their creative strategies and deliver engaging and relevant advertising that enhances the overall consumer experience.

To find out more about how you can enhance your programmatic campaigns with creative, visit our website and speak to an expert today!