Though rich media falls under the “display ad” umbrella, players in the interactive digital advertising ecosystem—digital ad agencies, for example—know its virtues extend well beyond those of standard display ads. Rich media offers just what its name implies, a richer ad experience for online audiences as well as richer measurement opportunities for agencies, publishers and advertisers.
Globally, as economies struggle under weakened conditions, many brand marketers respond by tightening their ad budgets. As a result, the inclination may be to increase the quantity versus the quality of online ads, which essentially subjects viewers to animated GIFs instead of engaging and compelling ad experiences. Rather than moving backward into this pattern of behavior, advertisers should consider utilizing rich media and online video ads as a way to build brand loyalty. Businesses staying front-of-mind with quality advertising during tough times inspire trust and portray a certain steadiness with consumers, while those that virtually “disappear” until the economy turns around lose customer confidence.
That said, why rich media? What does it bring to the table? To start, it invites users to become part of the ad experience instead of treating them like passive observers. Compelling creative inspires interest rather than annoyance, which is often the calling card of standard ads that employ flashing lights or neon text to grab viewers’ attention. Interactive digital ads utilizing rich media and video can pack a punch with a variety of ad formats and features that provide value to consumers, including polling, downloadable coupons, product information, games and viral elements like widgets and social media integrations.
There’s no limit to what rich media can do—if advertisers simply want a direct response from online audiences, say clicking through to a microsite, it’s easily implemented. Or, if the campaign objective is brand interaction, the ad might encourage users to spend all their time within the ad, watching videos or playing games. Really, it’s simply a matter of knowing what certain audiences want and making sure the ads deliver. According to a recent study, UK Internet users of all age groups paid attention to ads for the same reasons. Relevance was the chief motivator, followed by usefulness and discount opportunities. The entertainment value of an ad and offers of new or exclusive information were more important to 18-to-24-year-olds than to any other group.
The value for marketers is the measurement they gain—from total interaction rates and total video views to the time an ad is actually viewable in a browser window, all parties involved gain valuable data in terms of what elements people are looking at and for how long, or even if they’re able to see it. Essentially rich media provides the emotion of TV but with an added benefit of measurement.
On the other side of the coin, agencies (often the bridge between advertisers and the Web) are also potentially dealing with diminished resources due to a slower economy. However, they needn’t sacrifice creative resources. Instead, they can partner with rich media providers that are also service-leveraging technology organizations (SLTOs). Experts in the rich media landscape—similar to doctors with medical specialties as opposed to general practitioners—rich media SLTOs are professional, dedicated experts that act as partners in solving issues by supplying agencies with solutions and services tailored to fit their needs, a valuable commodity these days.
Another way for advertisers to make the most of their ad budgets is to consider running rich media across their network buys. Currently, much of rich media is short tail—but that can change by using ad networks, where the benefits are higher reach and frequency coupled with more engaging and enriching ad experiences. Plus, there are companies that track where rich media and standard ads are bought over an ad network run, offering a complete picture of network performance.
In short, the benefits of interactive digital advertising are overwhelming not just for brand marketers, agencies and publishers, but for audiences looking to the Web for information and entertainment. Because the Internet is used as an educational tool—whether for job searches or school term papers—as well as for watching movies or TV shows, online audiences will only keep growing. This growth will continue to provide the real estate and the opportunities for ads that push the boundaries of creative and engagement, ultimately leading to audience participation and interest and therefore better ROI for advertisers.
Author: Erwin Plomp, President EMEA, EyeWonder