Since its days based in a server room, Centro has had offices in River North. But when the company outgrew its space on West Hubbard Street, it decided it needed room to stretch.

Read more in Chicago Tribune.

From now on, smartphones will require a smarter strategy. This year, mobile will account for 50% of all digital ad expenditure for the first time. That’s no surprise, given the adoption rate of mobile devices. But just re-purposing your desktop activations in the mobile world isn’t cutting it any more.

Adults 18-54 are at smartphone penetration rate upwards of 90% - Mobile Comscore

As mobile has evolved, better technology and more robust data collection have improved the way we can target audiences. The level of granularity available today offers many opportunities to fine-tune and optimize, far beyond just assessing CTR.  Understanding the possibilities and learning how to leverage them can have a powerful impact on your campaigns and drive bigger returns. So how can you transition from just “doing mobile” to dominating mobile?

The answer is at hand - introducing the 4 Targeting Tactics for a Mature Mobile Strategy

Targeting Tactic #1: Mobile Re-Targeting

Mobile retargeting is actually a bit of a misnomer. Up to this point, it hasn’t been possible to track users across mobile sites and apps because they are different ecosystems and don’t speak the same language. When you hear “mobile retargeting” it usually really means app remarketing or ad retargeting.

How To Use It

• Look for publishers that will allow you to buy on a cost-per site visit. A pixel is placed to confirm that a user visited that site and enables you target based on post-click actions to the owned site.

Did you know? A growing library of mobile javascript tags made in tandem with app SDK libraries now allows you  to track a consumer with a unique mobile ID across mobile spaces.

Mobile spending is expected to surpass $100 Billion in 2016 - eMarketer

Targeting Tactic #2: Cross-Device Targeting

Cross-device targeting uses two means of identification: deterministic and probabilistic.

Deterministic data is simply registration data, which verifies that a user is the same when logged in across multiple screens.

Probabilistic data uses several pieces of information passed through an ad call to confirm that you are reaching the same individual. It’s not a 100% match rate, but still very effective.

Did you know? The smaller players that offer cross-device targeting are usually working with probabilistic data.

How to Use It

• Get a sense of cross-screen attribution and identify exactly where your audience is connecting with you. For instance, does one screen convert better than another? Be sure to establish goals that are focused on cross-device targeting.
• Build creative that leverages the strengths of each different screen and then take notice of which versions your audience reacts to.
• Prioritize unique insight gathering across screens— for example, targeting consumers on desktop during the work day and on mobile during the weekends. Your audience might exhibit different behaviors on different screens and you should use those learnings to fine tune your campaigns.

In 2016, mobile users will spend 3 hours and 15 minutes a day using apps - eMarketer

Targeting Tactic #3: Viewability

Exact standards for mobile viewability have not been defined. Currently, the Media Rating Council is taking the standards built for the desktop space and applying them to mobile. There are some MRC-accredited third party players that are measuring mobile viewability.

Average viewability rates are around 50% - Think With Google

How to Use It

• Find an MRC-accredited partner who has experience in the mobile space, like MOAT.
• Leverage partners that measure viewability without compromising other KPIs.
• Assess how viewability plays a role in overall campaign CTR and post-click activity. If you haven’t been tracking it to date, adding it to the mix may have a big impact on these and other key stats.

In 2015, nearly 20% of Americans relied on smartphones exclusively to access the internet - Pew Research Study 2015

Targeting Tactic #4: Mobile Location Targeting

Mobile location targeting provides powerful data that can be used to drive consumers to shop online and in-store. It allows you to reach the right user based on foot traffic patterns, lifestyle, habits and more.

It also enables you to assess whether a location-based mobile ad actually led to a purchase or a visit at a specific store or point of interest.

Did you know? Sales lift data is now more widely available thanks to partnerships with companies like Nielsen Catalina, Datalogix, and Mastercard.

How to Use It

• Build custom location segments and test them against one another. For example, how do Millennials, Moms and Travelers react differently to your messaging?
• Assess real-world location segments against digital audience segments. Essentially, look at how your audiences are behaving in the real-world vs. how they behave on mobile sites and apps.
• When you have the opportunity to drive consumers to a physical location, do so and track sales lift and other stats such as verified walk-in data or in-store foot traffic data.

The Keys to a Mature Mobile Strategy

Retarget Consumers More Effectively. Reach that mobile consumer who has visited your brand’s site or app to drive them to purchase.

Find Your Audience Across Screens. Get a sense of cross-screen attribution and where your consumer is connecting with you.

Leverage Location and Site Visit Data. Use powerful location data to drive consumers to shop online and in stores.

Assess Viewability. Determine how media partners are accounting for this type of measurement.

For more insights check out our blog at centro.net/blog

Questions? Email us at [email protected]

Please Join us next month as we analyze ad fraud in our first-ever, hour-long 3TSpotlight webinar. You can register here.

 

La facilidad de uso de DSP es la razón principal por la que los clientes están seleccionando nuestra plataforma para manejar sus iniciativas digitales. En dos semanas, estaremos introduciendo algunos cambios a nuestra interfaz y flujo de trabajo con el propósito de mejorar y hacer más eficiente el proceso de creación y ejecución de campañas.

¿Qué está ocurriendo?
DSP está cambiando la manera en la que se procesan y manejan los anuncios (o los objetos de anuncios) en la plataforma. La nueva interfaz permitirá a los especialistas en marketing manejar de una manera más eficiente todos sus anuncios desde una ubicación centralizada y separada del sitio en el que manejan sus campañas. Este cambio, denominado My Ads, permite cargar, guardar, editar y enlazar fácilmente a cualquier unidad de anuncios.

¿Porqué es importante para los usuarios?
My Ads ayuda a los usuarios a hacer el seguimiento de múltiples anuncios y, al mismo tiempo, proporciona funciones adicionales de búsqueda, filtraje y presentación preliminar, todo desde una ubicación. Esto mejora la eficiencia durante la preparación de la campaña y la revisión de los anuncios. Las campañas se pueden crear y guardar sin anuncios y es posible crear y guardar anuncios sin necesidad de ser asociados con una campaña. Ahora, el proceso de revisión de anuncios comienza en el instante mismo en el que éste se guarda. Una vez que un anuncio se audita y se aprueba, el anuncio se guarda automáticamente en el sistema y está listo para ser utilizado en cualquier campaña.

¿Porqué es esto útil para los usuarios?
Una vez que un usuario haya cargado, guardado, auditado y aprobado un anuncio, éste podrá ser utilizado para cualquier campaña presente o futura. En lo sucesivo, las campañas no requerirán de la auditoría del equipor de Calidad de anuncios de Centro. Solo es necesario revisar los anuncios. Los usuarios pueden trabajar con los anuncios primeros y presentarlos al equipo de Calidad de anuncios de Centro mientras continúan trabajando en los detalles finales de las campañas. Esta flexibilidad representa un gran beneficio para los compradores porque les permite continuar avanzando en actividades de creación de borradores y edición de campañas sin anuncios, ya que los anuncios podrían ser enviados desde terceras partes (por ejemplo, el cliente o la agencia creativa). Una vez que un anuncio sea enlazado a una campañ, comenzará a competir inmediatamente, siempre y cuando el anunciante disponga de fondos, la campaña esté ACTIVA y dentros de las fechas de competencia especificadas. Los usuarios podrán cambiar fácilmente los anuncios para múltiples campañas en cualquier momento así como enlazar y desenlazar todos los anuncios que deseen utilizar para una campaña en particular en tiempo real. Las modificaciones que se hagan a un anuncio se aplicarán a todas las campañas que utilicen ese anuncio.

My Ads también proporciona funcionalidad de búsqueda para anuncios y nombres, campañas asociadas con anuncios y nombres y estatus y status de revisión de anuncios. Los usuarios pueden identificar los anuncios cuyo estatus ha sido revisado y los que están pendientes de revisión.

Pensamos que My Ads afectará positivamente el flujo de trabajo de nuestros usuarios. Compruébelo en DSP.

Nurturing employee happiness can have great returns for any company. It's because the best people stay, they love what they do, they excel, they attract other great people and they are motivated to go above and beyond for each other and our clients.

Read more from Centro's Shawn Riegsecker in the Great Places to Work Blog.

The ease-of-use of our DSP is a major reason customers are choosing our platform to manage digital advertising initiatives. In a couple of weeks, we will be unveiling some changes to our interface and workflow to improve further and streamline how users are creating and executing campaigns.

What’s happening?
Centro is changing the way ads (or ad objects) are treated and managed across the platform. The new interface will enable marketers to manage more efficiently all their ads from a centralized location, separate from where they manage campaigns. Called My Ads, this change allows easy upload, save, edit, and linking to every unique ad unit.

Why is this important to users?
My Ads helps users keep track of multiple ads while providing additional search, filtering and preview functions all from one location. This improves efficiency during campaign set-up and ad review. Campaigns can be set up and saved without ads, and ads can be created and saved without having to be associated with a campaign. The ad review process now begins the instant the ad is saved. Once an ad is audited and approved, the ad is automatically stored in the system and is ready for use in any campaign.

How would a user utilize this?
Once an ad has been uploaded, saved, audited and approved, it can be used for any present or future campaign(s). Campaigns will no longer require audit from Centro's Ad Quality team. Only ads are subject to review. Users can work with the ads first and put it in front of the Centro Ad Quality team while in the process of finalizing campaign details. This flexibility benefits buyers by allowing them to move forward with drafting and editing campaigns without ads, as the ads may be coming from a third party (e.g. client or creative agency). Once an ad is linked to a campaign, it will start bidding immediately, provided the advertiser has funds, and the campaign is ON and within the specified fight dates. Users can easily change ads for multiple campaigns at any time as well as link and unlink all the ads they want to use for a particular campaign in real-time. Edits made to an ad will automatically apply to all campaigns using that ad.

My Ads also provides search functionality for ads by names, campaigns associated with, status, and review status – users can easily identify which ads have been reviewed and which are still pending review.

We think My Ads will positively affect the user workflow. Give it a try when it goes live on April 7th.

Brands of all sizes are already enjoying success from influencer-driven Instagram campaigns. It’s a different conversation than the one centered on traditional paid media, and it’s growing in importance as brands try to forge meaningful connections with their audiences.

Read more from Centro's Aubry Parks-Fried in Adweek's Social Times.

In 2016, “just doing mobile” is no longer enough. Centro’s Director of Mobile, Noor Naseer, delivered this strong message in her recent webinar, Build a Mature Mobile Strategy with Four Targeting Tactics. With spend on mobile booming, as well as the amount of time individuals spend on their mobile devices skyrocketing, it is imperative that marketers stay ahead of their competition by developing a mature, comprehensive mobile targeting strategy. Missed the webinar? You can download the recording, as well as the presentation, here.

Following the webinar, Noor tackled many questions but unfortunately, she was unable to address all of them. Here are her answers to the questions we couldn’t get to during our time together.

Given the controversy around Apple's privacy practices, how does consumer privacy factor in to location targeting?

Many of the concerns recently raised in relation to Apple’s privacy policies and the protection of consumer privacy are more so related to protecting data collected by Apple in native apps. That data collection and associated concerns are, as of now, independent from how mobile location data is passed through in mobile ad calls, so potential implications have yet to impact the mobile advertising industry. As is customary for Apple since the release of their unique advertising identifier, IDFA, Apple always offers an option for the user to opt-out of being tracked when it comes to advertising. Exact numbers of how many users opt-out have not been released.

When referring to mobile retargeting, how often do we see users delete or disable the cookies needed to target them?

Since the connectivity that enables retargeting is based on ad calls where the connectivity is achieved by reaching the same user across the mobile app and web space, there is no direct collection of data on the number of occasions where mobile users are deleting their cookies. To note, in these retargeting circumstances, the user is not just reliant on the cookie but also on the SDKs implemented into each of the apps in the exchanges

How large does a campaign need to be for site visitation to make sense?

If ‘large’ is a reference to the geography an advertiser would seek to retarget across, it does make sense to target on a national or large regional geographic level when the core of the campaign is based on mobile site visitation. Otherwise, if the advertiser additionally tries to leverage other common mobile tactics, like hyperlocal targeting, they will severely limit the number of opportunities that would enable mobile site retargeting to occur successfully and at scale.

Are there any difficulties when tracking conversions on mobile platforms when the goal of the campaign is to generate conversions?

Despite some advances that enable some usage of javascript tags on mobile web for retargeting purposes, the same degree of accuracy that cookie sessions offer in the online space are not replicated identically in mobile. There are still issues with proper attribution of all conversions that are drawn in from mobile. For this reason mobile solution providers leverage a combination of cookie, unique device IDs, and fingerprints to overcome the fragmentation issues that mobile poses.

What offline attribution partners do you recommend?

There are an assortment of offline attribution partners and each approach foot traffic lift a little differently. There are partners that leverage third-party panels and those who offer their own proprietary attribution solutions. Some offer softer lift data, such as a percentage lift overall in verified walk-ins to store locations and others that can offer 1:1 attribution on the number of mobile users who were exposed to ads and subsequently went to a store or similar point of interest. The right solution offering is based on the budget of the campaign, number of stores reached, duration of the campaign, and if clients are seeking 1:1 numbers or if more percentage-based store lift data will suffice.

How can you build custom audience segments?

In order to build a valuable custom audience segment based on location data, a client should think through the real world foot traffic patterns and behaviors of their consumer. What places do they naturally frequent that when added together would represent the consumer they are seeking to reach on mobile? Often times, major mobile location partners have built out many segments, so checking what is on the shelf and then testing a slightly altered version can be a good way to optimize.

What might be a good means of prioritizing viewability if I can’t work with an accredited viewability vendor?

Work with a partner that runs full-screen interstitials or IAB certified mobile adhesion units that constantly stay in view. Running these types of units when measuring viewability from a third party is not an option that enables the greatest likelihood of very high viewability of mobile ads.

Next month, on April 20^th, we are introducing a new installment of 3Ton30 called 3T Spotlight. In 3T Spotlight, we will comprehensively analyze a hot digital topic in an hour-long webinar. Join us next month for our 3T Spotlight: The Many Faces of Ad Fraud. Register here. We hope to see you there!

"Programmatic advertising is a skill in high demand, but employers say not enough people have hands-on training before being hired. Sheridan College saw that as an opportunity and will begin offering a course in programmatic advertising next month. The course is part of the Ontario college’s Digital Marketing Management certificate, with 21 hours of class time and a partnership with Centro that gives students the ability to train on its DSP software to learn about real-world case studies and actual campaign optimization."

Read more in Marketing Magazine

"Centro, a provider of enterprise-class software for digital advertising, today announced capabilities for political ad-buyers to automate how they reach U.S. voters at scale on brand-safe publishers. Within the Centro Brand Exchange, an invite-only ad marketplace of premium journalistic sites, marketing teams for political campaigns of all sizes can reach ‘Liberal’, ‘Conservative’, and ‘Political Enthusiast’ audiences across curated publishers."

Read more in ADOTAS