The second and final day of dmexco is in full flow and the digital marketing conference is still giving attendees plenty to talk about as they make their way around the expo floor.
One of the key themes to arise from this year is ‘marketing you can measure’, according to some of those in attendance, evidenced alone by WPP CEO Martin Sorrell highlighting a lack of clear measurement tools for ascertaining the value of online media, especially on social media platforms like Facebook.
But some digital channels and their “inherent trackability” are big news, claims Ben Sidebottom – director of solution architecture for EMEA at ad tech group Visual IQ. In fact, their growing prowess is forcing certain groups to assess how they can better track their marketing efforts.
“As we’ve been hearing repeatedly at dmexco, the pressure is on marketers who are executing branding and direct response campaigns to quantify the contribution of every marketing dollar, pound or euro on the bottom line,” Sidebottom tells PerformanceIN.
“On one hand, direct response marketers have had a pretty clear line of sight between their efforts and the conversions they produce, such as leads, orders, sales and revenue. Marketers responsible for branding, on the other hand, have followed a bumpier road.”
A clearer view
Dmexco is proving a draw for advertisers with branding and direct response backgrounds, and the consensus is that discussions regarding the measurement of activity are becoming all the more applicable to both parties.
“Today’s brand marketers have yet to win the fight against antiquated approaches,” Sidebottom comments.
“In fact, a recent research study we conducted of US and UK-based brand marketers revealed that 80% of marketers feel that measuring the impact of branding efforts is more challenging than measuring the impact of direct response efforts.”
A similar study conducted by TagMan on brand marketers revealed that just under half (49%) are unsure about how to measure and reward channel performance, highlighting a general lack of confidence in being able to track the success of a branded effort.
The conundrum for these marketers is how to establish what their activity is doing, but Sidebottom insists that advances in technology will ensure this issue is addressed.
“In the not-so-distant future, both direct response and brand marketers will rely on advanced attribution to accurately quantify the results of their efforts – going beyond measurement to predict and automate their campaigns, and gaining a complete view of marketing performance.”