Throughout this year, we’re seeing more and more excitement around Virtual Reality (VR). You couldn’t walk the floor at CES without seeing dozens of people wearing the headsets. It was all the buzz at SXSW this year (even having its own dedicated content track). Nearly every Digital Newfronts presentation included some mention of content being produced for it. It overtook ‘programmatic’ as the most talked-about (and showcased) technology at Cannes. It’s time for a Virtual Reality check!

With an expected 6.5 million VR users worldwide this year, and what’s expected to be nearly 25 million by 2020 (according to Deutsche Bank), Virtual Reality is hitting its stride and moving beyond a novelty to something more brands and marketers need to take note of.

From a demographic perspective, eMarketer, Greenlight VR and Touchstone Research found that Gen Z (those kids between 10 and 17 years of age) have the biggest appetite for VR at 79%. But what is even more fascinating is that nearly 64% of Baby Boomers are interested in VR as well.

While 360° is not true VR, it is still an incredibly immersive experience and it is what most consumers, and more brands, will identify as Virtual Reality content. You’ve likely scrolled through Facebook and have seen extremely compelling 360° video content filling your feed from the likes of GoPro, Vice, Discovery or Royal Caribbean.

Of course, great content is not enough by itself -- the price point on VR devices has dramatically come down and driven increased adoption. The Samsung Gear VR is only $99, a Google Cardboard is less than $10, and even the Facebook or YouTube 360 videos can be viewed in their full spherical glory on just about any smartphone. If you haven’t yet to strapped on an Oculus headset, or even held a Google Cardboard up to your face, find someone to show you how the innovations in this technology are opening the door to a completely new three-dimensional canvas to communicate.

As consumers continue to show their disdain for traditional digital banner ads, and more native ads become in-favor, the larger theme that marketers are gravitating towards is better storytelling. What is fascinating is that it is not just consumer-focused brands that are taking advantage of virtual reality and 360° video, but also some forward-thinking B2B brands. Our partner, Bluetext, is at the forefront of developing VR experiences for B2B clients. One of its recent campaigns launched a VR experience for security tech firm Varonis at a massive IT conference to help it stand out from other booths on the conference floor. Bluetext is now helping the company drive online prospects to view a variety of VR experiences on their own via the tech firm’s site.

Seeing is believing, so check out this 360° video experience – where you can drag the  video around for different perspectives on desktop or literally turn yourself around on mobile. Bluetext co-founder Jason Siegel and I talk about the realities of virtual reality.

Keep an eye on this space. Marketing best practices with VR continue to emerge and perhaps it will inspire you to dip your toes in the VR pool.

As the flow of advertising dollars shift more and more to automation – programmatic digital display ad spending in the U.S. is expected to reach $22.1 billion in 2016, according to eMarketer – it’s become a challenge for publishers and advertisers to keep pace. At first glance, ad exchanges seem like a logical and safe place to do your digital business, but buyers and sellers beware: Not all exchanges are alike. In fact, many are littered with fraudulent activity and poor quality inventory.

With ad spend being funneled to dozens of ad exchanges in the online marketplace, it can often seem impossible for marketers to keep track of where their ads are placed -- not to mention making sure units are seen by a human and not a bot. On the sell-side, publishers who monetize inventory in open marketplaces are often left with low-quality and low-paying advertisers who only want cheap inventory.

That’s where Centro Brand Exchange comes in. Centro Brand Exchange is the largest invitation-only exchange for high-quality advertisers and publishers. In addition to being integrated with all major DSPs and ad buying platforms, as well as sourcing ad budgets directly from local and national agencies, Centro Brand Exchange is recognized for publisher quality, brand-safe local inventory, and transparency.

Publisher Quality
Centro Brand Exchange consists of 2,000 carefully vetted journalistic news and information sites. Our publisher vetting process is paired with direct and long-standing relationships with local and national publishers. This gives the Centro Brand Exchange local market reach in 98 of the top 100 metropolitan areas – and includes the No. 1 or No. 2 newspaper site in 20 of the top 25 markets.

Related Post: What is Header Bidding?

Ads served on high-quality sites are the ads more likely to be noticed because they are placed alongside highly engaging content. According to Trust Metrics, which provides third party brand-safety measurement data, 94% of publishers in Centro Brand Exchange are considered “excellent” for advertisers. Compare this to Trust Metric’s aggregate measurement showing that only 7% of all the publishers it measured received an “excellent” rating. Furthermore, Pixalate, an independent advertising security firm, recently ranked Centro Brand Exchange as the No. 11 marketplace on the Global Seller Trust Index – out of 500 ad sellers in the ecosystem – and No. 1 for viewability.

Keep your eyes on Centro Brand Exchange in 2016 as we expand our offerings. Whether you’re an advertiser or publisher, there are enormous benefits to being connected with high-quality peers. To learn even more about Centro Brand Exchange or get started, click here.

 

 

"One of the hottest jobs in NYC right now is a digital media, or ad, buyer. According to Kelly Wenzel, chief marketing officer at Centro, the city is the heart of the U.S. media economy."

Read more in AM New York.

"Ad fraud is a big problem with a big price tag. In an ever-adaptive landscape, marketers should always embrace defensive buying tactics. Everyone in the ad tech industry shares a duty to raise awareness, identify scammers, and protect client investments. Advertisers have a role to play in this effort."

Read more from Centro's Ian Trider on iMedia.

"At ad tech firm Centro, reports for digital campaigns and screenshots of digital ads used to take up to 20% of entry-level workers' time, according to Scott Neslund, exec VP-client services. Now AutonomyWorks handles those tasks, giving media associates more time to do research and possibly bring more insights to a client's media buy, or to improve their accuracy by spending more time on other tasks."

Read more on Advertising Age.

Centro takes great pride in our workplace culture, and it shows with the national and local awards we’ve received around this aspect of our organization. Recently, Centro was named No. 32 Best Workplace for Millennials in the United States. A major driver for this recognition comes from our philosophy (as stated in our Manifesto) that lasting success can only be achieved through dedication to the growth, well-being and happiness of the individual.

Fortune’s list is determined through surveys conducted with Great Place to Work, an organization that provides companies with benchmarks, frameworks, and expertise to create outstanding workplace cultures. In the U.S., Great Place to Work produces the annual Fortune "100 Best Companies to Work For" and a series of Great Place to Work Best Workplaces lists, including lists for Millennials, women, diversity, small and medium companies and over a half dozen different industries.

From the anonymous survey, many of Centro’s Millennial employees credit us with time-off flexibility, sharing of company information, and employee benefits. The other factors evaluated were managers' support for personal and professional aspects of employees’ lives, people's ability to be themselves at work, the meaning they get from their jobs, and more. The positive ratings from this list and the many others we’ve received from a variety of organizations are a testament that we’ve created a great employee experience, not only for Millennials, but for everyone who chooses to work with Centro.

As we continue to grow, we’re always looking for team members who can add to the enthusiasm and energy in our organization. We have a big and challenging mission – to improve the lives of the people who work in digital media – and we need a mix of expertise and competencies in technology, media, sales, marketing and more. Are you up for the challenge? Check out our list of open positions throughout the country and give us a shout if you’re interested in joining the Centro rocket ship.

At Centro, we know that keeping up with the trade pubs and latest trends can be tough and time consuming. To make that easier, we’ve compiled all the articles, reports, and other bits of awesomeness you may have missed, but should definitely read. Enjoy our latest list below!

More Agency Reviews Expected This Year

A study finds that 58% of marketers plan to review their agency in the next year, citing ongoing pressure to cut costs, the need to keep up with digital change, and transparency concerns.

Facebook Tweaks Algorithm…Again

This move seems to be Facebook’s annual reminder that they are the keepers of the kingdom. It’s a tweak that will likely have the most impact on content publishers, such as the New York Times, Mashable, and Wall Street Journal. Time will tell how, or if, this will affect a paid strategy. One thing is clear: brands and publishers will need to pay the piper to get their content distributed to audiences on the platform.

Data, CRM and Native Adverting Drivers in LinkedIn, Microsoft Marriage

Here are some considerations for what’s behind the $26 billion purchase of the B-to-B social platform. One important thing to note is this will mean more native ads for a platform that has previously struggled in the space. “When a content platform meets a CRM service, that’s where the route to market can really scale in a confined, manageable ecosystem.”

Amazon Beats Google as Starting Point for Product Searches

More people are starting their product searches on Amazon instead Google, or the brand and retail sites. The variety of products, free shipping options, deals and pricing, and the large amount of customer reviews are driving Amazon’s growth. One thing to note: nearly half of the users who started on Google ultimately clicked on an Amazon link.

Pinterest v. Amazon?

Pinterest doesn’t want to be called a social network anymore. They’re a “shopping network.” Statements like that and recent product updates suggest the platform may be less concerned with competing with Facebook and more with Amazon and Google.

Snapchat is Slashing Its Ad prices for Brands

Hooray for brands who are looking to get into the Snapchat game but have been off-put by the hefty price tag. While advertisers still need to plunk down six figures for a Snapchat program, the $100,000 minimum is an easier access point compared to their first minimum of $500,000.

Digital Courting TV Ad Dollars: an Epic Timeline

An interesting look at some key moves and innovations by the top digital media players -- like Google, Facebook, and Twitter -- that helped propel the industry forward and increase interest and investment from heavy TV advertisers.

Screen Size Matters: Nielsen-Backed Study Finds Higher Ad Recall for Shows Viewed on TV vs. Other Screens

For those pushing Advanced TV, a new Nielsen study shares a solid selling point on not just buying the video format but buying it to run on a television.

YouTube is Beefing Up Its Live Video Game to Compete with Facebook and Periscope

Not to be left out of the party, Google, during this year’s VidCon, announced an improved version of YouTube’s live-streaming product within its mobile app.

InMobi’s Illegal Location Tracking Debacle is Just the Tip Of the Iceberg and Regulators are Chomping at the Bit

Digital advertising regulators are finally getting their first wake-up call on the realities of being caught in the act of illegally obtaining users’ mobile location data, with the FTC formally fining mobile ad network InMobi nearly $1 million for wrongfully collecting location information on millions of smartphone users, including children.

Mobile Ad Spend Nears $100 Billion

Zenith’s new Advertising Expenditure Forecast found that mobile ad spend continues to rise rapidly and has been outpacing expected growth forecasts. Worldwide mobile spending is expected to reach upwards of $100 billion in total spending, widening its lead over desktop, which is expected to reach $97 billion in 2017.

"Marketers shouldn’t hang their hats on generational segmentation. It’s true that people born after 1980, especially those who have never known a world without the internet, are particularly adept at using new technologies. But the tech saturation in our culture has leveled the playing field, especially in terms of media consumption and sharing."

Read more from Centro's Ryan Manchee on CMO.com

"According to another millennial employee: I’ve never felt so connected or part of something before (not just a cog in the machine). The benefits here are great, as well. You can tell a lot of thought was given to treating us like people—with lives and families and friends and human needs."

Read More on Fortune.