The advertising industry is in turmoil, and all of those involved admit as much – traditional advertising agencies, digital organizations, media companies, content producers who make their living from advertising, and of course the brands that are struggling for the attention of consumers and potential customers.
In order to prepare for the coming years, one should pay attention to five trends on five levels of activity: Technology, consumer acquisition channels, advertising formats, targeting and focus areas.
Technology: Programmatic
The rapid transition to programmatic advertising is one of the major changes which affects the advertising industry, and will continue to do so in the coming years. Everything is done automatically without the need for a sales dialog. Campaigns are based on real-time bidding technologies. To date, about 75% of digital campaigns in the US are programmatic.
These technologies will continue to lead the industry, and spread to its other parts, such as smart television advertising and billboards.
Channels: Influencers/Micro Media
Mass Marketing / Spray and Pray – These terms will soon be obsolete with the industry currently embracing accurate, more effective, measurable media that reinforce terms such as:
Emotional Engagement
These are micro-publishers – Influencers, bloggers, and public opinion leaders on social networks, individuals who have become influential and effective media vehicles. If you are a small fashion designer and wish to reach a target audience relevant to your new collection or line of products, there is no need to invest in advertising on major platforms, sites, TV channels or billboards. Collaborating with a blogger or relevant gate keepers can expose your products to tens of thousands of potential customers with a high attention index. What characterizes the relationship between these Influencers / micro Influencers and their followers is listening. They listen to their blogger or their social leader. Listening – something you would not be able to get by advertising on major sites or on television. These are the newest, most effective and measurable media.
Format: Snackable Ads
The most important audience in the digital age are the two generations born to digital:
Generations Y & Z
If you want to present them with an idea, product or service, you should come up with a way to do it in five to seven seconds – not easy, but possible. Agencies need to combine creativity and functionality. There are currently creative agencies around the world who specialize in producing and distributing snackable ads.
Targeting: The Passionate Segment
Targeting is also changing, launching a new radical path. More brands are about to focus on the most effective segment – the Passionates of their category. We know them: the fashion, sports, riding freaks, those who will not miss any natural health product, or those hungry for new electronic gadgets.
The Passionates will try your products. They will talk about your products, read your blog, be your Facebook friends and send your posts to theirs. This segment will become your brand’s best promoters. They will research your brand content and value, share with their friends, and more likely be the ones to initiate discussions about your brand and products.
This segment will bring you the best ROMI – Return On Marketing Investment
Focus : Consumers value / Inbound marketing
As for the brand’s messages, the advertising industry is also reorganizing itself. Brands should minimize promises and brand stories and shift its creativity toward content that generates value for the target audience. This is sometimes called – selling without selling – a relationship based on giving. One that at a certain point also prepares the ground for a sales dialog.