It’s a hard fact that mobile is growing. Fast. According to ‘The Internet Trends’ report by Mary Meeker, more than 73% of the global population now own a mobile phone, 40% of which are smartphones. What’s more, Ericsson has predicted that more than two thirds of the world’s population will be using smartphones in 2020. That’s a lot of devices.
The market is moving at a phenomenal rate and brands and advertisers need to ensure they remain agile to stand out in a noisy landscape. Mass, generic advertising just doesn’t cut it these days and brands have to leverage new technology and methods to make sure they’re effectively targeting consumers. They need to track the consumer, know where they are and predict where they’re going next.
In the cross-device world, consumers are constantly connected to multiple devices at a time, leaving a trail of data behind them. This opens up a wealth of opportunities for advertisers and programmatic buying is key. By getting on board with a dedicated programmatic strategy, brands can manage campaigns effectively and efficiently from an automated, central space.
Diving in the data pool
According to Econsultancy’s programmatic branding report, 62% of marketers are using programmatic for brand campaigns, so it’s clear the industry recognises the potential it has. However, the only way this can be realised is if brands make the most of the data out there. Data empowers brands to better target consumers, and thanks to mobile there’s more available than ever. By teaming up, sharing data assets and creating a central repository of standardised customer information, advertisers can significantly increase the value, quality and accuracy of data they rely on and achieve accurate targeting across devices at the right time.
Deutsche Telekom recently reported a stalemate between brands and agencies over issues relating to programmatic. This needs to change! By simply working together, knowledge can be conquered and an industry standard can be established. Programmatic empowers brands to reach very specific audiences with the right message at the right time and on the right device. Not only does this provide on-point targeting in every instance, it also reduces wasted output, using minimum spend for maximum effect.
We’re all human
However, there’s no point in investing in programmatic if it’s not going to reach human eyeballs. Content viewed by a bot is worthless across the device spectrum, be it a smartphone, tablet or desktop. Viewability is central to programmatic. Advertisers need to know that their ads are being seen by the right people in a secure, brand-safe environment and the ads must be seen by real people. To do this, advertisers need to ensure they are working with trusted partners – without that basic foundation, there’s no guarantee who will see the ads. Programmatic can help brands ensure they are reaching genuine audiences with maximum effect with minimum risk of fraud.
Programmatic advertising is only going to grow. We know that advertisers already have a vested interest in making it work, and with the mobile market constantly expanding, it’s going to be more important than ever to get a solid cross-device strategy in place, which involves working with the right publishers. The next year will be a big one for programmatic – watch this space!