Editorial Articles

Behavioural retargeting and real time bidding are changing display advertising, says Chris Evans of IgnitionOne

Display advertising plays a central role in the digital marketing mix. While premium placements continue to be an important focus for marketers, developments in creative brand execution, result-driven volume business, and social media are significantly boosting display’s stock.

Increased bandwidth and new compression technologies are making creative executions much more attractive for marketers. The use of video, combined with highly engaging creative ad formats, enables marketers to create a ‘mini website’ within a display format, so the customer can engage with the brand without having to leave their existing web page.

For performance related marketers, display has often meant low cost and high volumes to drive results. However, behavioural retargeting and real time bidding are changing the game once again. With a sophisticated understanding of customer intentions, individuals can be targeted based on who they are and what they are doing, not just where they happen to be on the web.

Retargeting is not only more sophisticated, it’s also more cost effective. Consider a customer who has abandoned an online insurance quote. It is cheaper to re-target that customer than entice new customers by bidding on expensive insurance-related search terms.

From display’s standpoint, social media can only become more important. Facebook alone has effectively encouraged brand marketers to invest more wholeheartedly in digital media – even FMCG brands that had previously struggled to see its value. More generally, social media has altered the way brands interact with customers, it’s created a two way – or even multi-sided live conversation, where previously the only feedback came from market research and transaction data.

Anywhere there’s a need to drive customers online, more engaging ad formats and increased relevance helps to convert purchases by serving highly tailored, creative and direct communications. The smart money is on anyone helping marketers deliver this.