So in 2013 we spent $120.5315 Billion on internet advertising.
And 25% of that*, so about $30 Billion was spent on display advertising.
Google has just reported that 56.1% of all display ads are not seen at all.
Even worse than that, ‘a display ad is considered viewable when 50% of an ad’s pixels are in view on the screen for a minimum of one second’, are you fucking kidding?
So by my overall calculations…. that is one massive waste of money, tantamount to fraud.
Google,The Importance of Being Seen: Viewability Insights for Digital Marketers and Publishers
*I know the Forresterdata is just for the US but I thought I could use it as a guide, if you are aware of the exact global figure and would like to share that would be great!
Rather than try and summarise the varied points of discussion
around, and different perspectives on strategy into one neat article, I thought
I’d write something with the aim of being short and helpful. So, in running order, here is one
thing I learned from each speaker;
I know this is not a particularly controversial or new
opinion (for most people working in agencies) but the other day something
clicked whilst reading Enrique Lafuente Ferrari in Goya’s Complete Etchings, Aquatints, and lithographs and I think I’ve got a clear articulation as to why not.
‘To be truly great, an artist must be able to create a world of his own, born from that driving urge which is the very essence of all art. In conception, this world must be coherent, and full of the instincts, intuitions, and passions that move humanity. To bring it all to life, the artist must depend not only upon his graphic talent and creative ability, but on his fantasy and imagination. Then, if it is his fortune to be gifted in this way, the most secretive workings of his soul and mind will find expression in line and form, light and shade, all inspired by that inner vision without which mere competence is nothing’
It’s SO easy to get carried away by how fast the world is
changing, to think that TV advertising is dead, or that the power is now in the
hands of the consumer or that the consumer wants to have a conversation… the
list goes on. The important part is not spotting trends but understanding what is
deep-rooted in human decision making that forms the basis for effective
communication.
I’d highly recommend reading Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends Report for 2014 as I believe it to be one of the most comprehensive yearly
global studies about tech and internet use. It’s full of very useful data,
trends, analyses and some great slides you could pinch for a presentation.
There is so much interesting stuff in there I feel like my
head is about to explode but here are 4 that stood out to me immediately, as
always from a planning point of view.
1. Tablets have been out shipping PCs for a while now but this enormous amount of sustained growth has, in my opinion, real implications for how we must design the internet. Amazingly the UK Government Digital Service has always been ahead of the game on this.
2. I think with that in mind we have a lot to learn from the
evolution of Apps.
This
has got the hallmarks of a great campaign in the making.
A great campaign that has the potential to mix paid media,
earned media and that holy grail of advertising, user generated content to great
effect. Other than the fact that the execution is banging (which is 90% of the
brilliance) here’s what I think those hallmarks are;
Paid media
It’s ready to go as a TV ad / cinema / pre-roll and could be
adapted to any format you’d care to mention.
Earned Media
It taps right into an observed internet phenomenon that gets
stuff watched / shared. And that’s making lists. Just look at the outrageous
success of Buzzfeed, all powered by lists.
User Generated
Content
1. Its asking the right sort of people to participate. It’s
not asking everyday Joe Bloggs to ‘show us your best whatever’ as so many
desperate brands do. Its talking to people who are really good at dancing, who
love to show off and would love to be in an ad. It’s talking to the interested
few not the disinterested many.
2. It’s walked the fine line of inviting participation and
begging people to help with the advertising.
‘Dance your way into our follow up’ - We’ve already done one
and its fucking cool. Dance your way into the second - earn it.
3. I don’t think the choice to set most of it on the street
is purely artistic. It’s made it really easy to get involved. Pick a letter, do
that kind of dance and do it on the street to fit in to the video. Everyone’s
got a street to dance on.
What do you reckon? P.S. If you liked the article and can give it a little shout out on Twitter that would be hugely appreciated!!
The CSOs from 7 of London's agencies each nominated one of their 20 somethings to share, within 5 minutes, their thoughts on re-imagining the planning world as if they were the CSO. I was fortunate enough to be invited and if you'd like to hear my thoughts just skip to 2.26. Or watch he whole thing, there's lots of really interesting takes on the subject.
This is the Dirichlet model of brand choice and purchase rates for Coca-Cola in the UK. Put simply this is how many people are buying coke how many times a year. It shows us that the vast majority of Coca-Cola’s customers very rarely buy Coca-Cola. This is also true for Pepsi. And Coca-Cola in the US. In fact this pattern ‘generalises around the world, over time, across product categories, and for all the different market research providers.’
Clearly
this totally contradicts loads of ‘marketing wisdom’ to do with loyalty and
brand love. The Dirchlet is 25 years old and has survived 25 years of testing.
It is one of marketing science’s greatest achievements as it provides the basis
for many of the scientific laws that can be applied to brands. If you’d like to
find out how this reveals predictable patterns in buying behaviour and sales growth, in jargon free writing supported by empirical scientific evidence, then I strongly recommend you read How Brands Grow by Byron Sharp.
