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Have you ever executed a campaign that generated brand awareness, but never business results? Recently, Centro met a company that was frustrated with the return on their digital campaigns. This self- storage company had historically relied on paid search to drive new leads, but had not seen an increase in customer sign-ups on their website. Other partners had proved unsuccessful in turning display advertising into customer acquisition, so the storage company turned to our teams at Centro to produce real-time results at scale.
A Warehouse of Expertise
Centro’s Audience Buying Solution was designed for challenges exactly like the one our new client faced. Our team put together a plan to combine tactics to reach the client’s audience in both the upper and lower areas of the purchase funnel. The campaign leveraged an SEO keyword list, contextual channel alignment, predictive targeting and re-targeting tactics. Additionally, our teams monitored and optimized campaign performance to ensure that the client’s goals were far exceeded.
Performance in the box
Our campaign packaged up great insights and even better performance, all with ease and efficiency. Within just the first few months, we drove down the Cost per Acquisition to almost half of the client’s lowest CPA goal. Spend efficiency on the campaign doubled as a result of our continuous refinement in tactics and targeting. Getting more bang for their buck, the client was able to expand into additional markets, partnering with Centro to continue to drive exceptional campaign performance.
Full Package Partnership
At Centro, we offer a modern approach to digital media. With over 13 years and 100,000 campaigns to our name, we leverage advanced technology, proven tactics, and industry expertise to build campaigns around the channels and platforms that drive the greatest results for our client’s specific business needs. Data is paired with intuition for a comprehensive approach to the media buy. People and technology are at the heart of Centro, and are the essential parts in every #CentroInAction story.
Exchange-traded spending will account for a nearly 1/3 of U.S. display spend by 2017, according to research from industry analyst firm Forrester. This and other predictions on programmatic are available in Centro’s conversation with Forrester, view it here.
The exact range of how large the programmatic pie depends on who you ask. Some say it may even be as high as 80% in a couple of years. What’s clear is that programmatic media buying will be in high demand for brands, agencies and publishers alike.
Audience buying on the rise
As audience buying gains in popularity, particularly through biddable media available in exchanges and other programmatic channels, marketers will compete more heavily for specific audiences that perform well against predetermined goals. Driving this buying trend are two key aspects:
A complex mix of elements
When Centro walks a buyer through the programmatic options at his/her disposal, there is a lot to choose from. We evaluate scale, creative, data integration, pricing, transparency levels, and more. There are more elements to manage in digital than there are in traditional media. Therefore, there’s a lot more decisions for a buyer.
According to Forrester, the buying community is moving to a model that is:
Buying across channels and touch-points
Furthermore from Forrester, the industry should expect to see ad exchanges increasingly handling and offering all kinds of addressable ad inventory: TV, OOH, etc.The demand-side platforms of today will morph into buying platforms that access all channels and all possible touch-points: web, mobile, social, TV, etc. From the buyer POV, the critical work will be done managing first party-data and integrating third-party data to target real audiences. Media buying agencies will have two types of teams: programmatic buyers and brand experience buyers, with the latter looking after data driven, yet highly customized, deals with specific publishers.
A new kind of media buyer
As such, a new set of skills and capabilities will be in demand for the successful media buyers of the 21st century. Whereas before, buying clout, negotiation and manual management were the skills that mattered. Now, data-driven decision making, real-price dynamics analysis and automated and predictive management are the differentiators. This is a new type of professional that can nurture professional relationships AND do so based on a solid understanding of the data describing the performance of campaigns.
Programmatic advertising is beyond the conceptual stage. It’s time for experimentation, testing and learning. Brands should ask their in-house buyers or their agencies for programmatic media tactics as part of the plan – whether it’s programmatic direct, open exchanges or others. This is the future of media buying.
We figured we would start off your week with some things from our Digital Innovation team’s Digital Innovations Awesome List (DIAL).
Keeping up with all of the news and trends can be tough so we want to make it easier to find the articles, reports, and other bits of awesomeness you probably missed, but should have read. Enjoy!
With Atlas Relaunch, Facebook Advances New Cross-Device ID Based On Logged In Users
16 months. That’s the amount of time Facebook took the beleaguered ad server, Atlas, and rebuilt it into a cross-device measurement solution. This AdExchanger article gives the best breakdown of what it is and what it could mean. The second best? This Digiday article.
Agency Execs Predict Programmatic TV Will Ramp up in Coming Year
Growth from 1% to 5% may not seem like much, but when you’re talking about the $300b TV industry and what’s growing is the rise of programmatic TV it matters. Programmatic TV buying is not necessarily about automating the entire transaction like we do digital, it is more about buying inventory based on data from programmatic tech.
Connected TV Players Turn on the Programmatic Pipes
As more consumers purchase Smart TVs and OTT devices, video advertising opportunities have growth as well, including the ability to buy a portion of this inventory programmatically. Though it’s still difficult to scale at a local level and generally something we recommend including as part of a multi-platform video buy, additional CTV inventory becoming available may attract more TV buyers to the idea of programmatic buying overall.
Sony TV to Carry 22 Viacom Networks
Further disruption in how consumers can consume TV content through Sony’s newish/to-be-launched cloud-based TV service. How will this change the way we can buy TV/video ads and what level of targeting will be available? Something to keep your eye on.
Macy's Brings Location-Based Deals Nationwide With Expansion of iBeacon
With a successful pilot program in the books, Macy’s plans to expand their in-store offer beacon program to all locations. Next year they plan to roll out department specific offers.
Why Banner Ads Are Broken Beyond Repair
A link-baiting title for a thought provoking article about antiquated forms of measurement/success (ie; clicks) and how we can start thinking about the next evolution of digital advertising, especially in an increasingly multi-platform and programmatic world. And some even better points in the rebuttal. Both articles essentially argue that non-targeted banners using CTR as the KPI need to RIP. For bonus insights, read the comments.
Google Builds Out Native Ad Solutions, As Smaller Players Gain Speed
Reports are saying that Google is expanding into Native. By 2015, they are expected to rollout ad-serving support for sponsored posts on premium publisher websites (similar to Nativo and Distroscale), as well as a content recommendation engine (similar to Outbrain and Taboola).
The 5 Most Common Misconceptions on Attribution
Digital advertising was sold through in its earliest days as being so very traceable. Fast forward to today when we’re running big, cross-platform, multi-channel campaigns, and we run into problems trying to take a holistic approach in determining how much credit goes to which components of the campaign. This is a good primer on the 5 common attribution misconceptions.
These Drone-Based Advertisements Were Super Cool And Only A Little Creepy
Are you tired of people droning on about drones? No!? Well then check out this list of drones in advertising and revel in the opportunities for the newest out of home this world ad opportunity.
This World Map Shows Every Device Connected To The Internet
Awesome visual that shows how the world is connected, specifically where every internet connected device is.
Hope your Oktober is pretty guten!
Hey, people! It is Friday again and welcome the #AXWI edition of Five on Friday.
Have a wonderful Friday and a fantastic weekend. Be happy and be kind.
Welcome to the first part in our four part series: Centro on the Run. Marathon season is upon us and Centrons, being the trendy folks that we are, can’t help but get in on the fun (marathons are fun…right?). So it’s no surprise that there are plenty of Centrons who love to go the distance (pun intended) and stay healthy by running. With our internal Wellnesspalooza week all wrapped up, Centrons across the country are strapping on their trainers and taking on some new wellness challenges.
We’d like to dedicate this blog post to these active folks; whether it be a 5K or a full marathon, we have the inside scoop on who’s running what, when. We’ll also peek in on their progress and pass along some fun findings.
Enjoy the first issue of Centro on the Run! We hope you brought plenty of water.
The Runners
NAME: Amanda Burchfield
POSITION: Sr. Billing Specialist
CITY: Chicago
WHY RUN? A friend of mine suggested that we do a Thanksgiving Day 10k in Detroit about 4 years ago. I only ran because I felt like it was a good work out, but I’ve always hated it.
NEXT RACE: October 12th, Chicago Marathon
NAME: Carrie Mathos
POSITION: Sr. Campaign Analyst
CITY: Chicago
WHY RUN? I’ve (almost) always been a runner, but took a break for about 7 years. I got back into running around 2010, mostly, honestly, because I was getting married and wanted to feel great on “the big day”. Once I started running again, I remembered how much I liked it, so I kept it up. I’m doing the marathon this year because I decided when I was 16 that I wanted to do one, so here I am.
NEXT RACE: October 12th, Chicago Marathon
NAME: Erin Peralta
POSITION: Copywriter
CITY: New York
WHY RUN? I started running when I was in high school. I ran hurdles then, but obviously couldn’t continue doing that past college. If I tried to hurdle something today, I think I’d end up in the hospital! With the amount of races available these days, long distance running seemed like a good (?) option.
NEXT RACE: October 18th, Baltimore Marathon
NAME: Hank Rooney
POSITION: Account Executive
CITY: NYC
WHY RUN? I gained over 30lbs my freshmen year of college, no joke. Had a ton of fun doing it but hated being out of shape so started I started running.
NEXT RACE: October 11th, Tough Mudder
NAME: Michael Legat
POSITION: Director, Account Management, West Region
CITY: Los Angeles
WHY RUN? My fitness instructor/roller derby skater wife, Robin, is the one that basically talked me into every race I’ve run thus far, including my first half-marathon in November.
NEXT RACE: November 16th, Disneyland Marvel Avengers Half Marathon
NAME: Michael Mahler
POSITION: Director, Publisher Solutions
CITY: Santa Monica
WHY RUN? My first race was a 5k in 2004. I was running a 15k a couple of weeks later and wanted a practice race to work out some of the pre-race jitters.
NEXT RACE: December 6th, Santa Monica/Venice Christmas Run
NAME: Michael Thill
POSITION: Director, SoCal
CITY: Los Angeles
WHY RUN? It’s a fun escape from the world that lets me free my mind and enjoy the setting around me. I also lost 70 pounds focusing on health and fitness, so it’s become part of my daily routine.
NEXT RACE: November 27th, Turkey Trot Long Beach
Fun in the Run
Now that you know why they run, let’s get into the tough stuff. We compiled a list of questions, both related and unrelated to running. We felt compelled to share the fun with you all. Enjoy these great answers and get to know our Centrons on the Run a little better.
If you could run a race with anyone from history, who would it be?
Amanda: Chuck Norris. Ok so he’s not really from history, but he’d Chuck Norris me through that race in Chuck Norris time.
Erin: WOW! Ahhhh - maybe Jackie Joyner Kersee. She rocked.
If you could run anywhere in the world, where would you want to run?
Michael T: It’s not possible but if it were, along the Bering Strait from Alaska to Russia.
Carrie: Hmmm…I’ll say the Bordeaux region of France so I can just run from vineyard to vineyard- have a goal and some fun while doing it.
Amanda: I ran in Spain this past summer and one of the routes was up Mont Juic in Barcelona. It was rough but the views were breathtaking. But if I had to choose somewhere else, probably somewhere in Africa so I could run with the giraffes and elephants in the Safari.
What is your favorite part of running a race?
Hank: The beer after.
Michael M: The end…and passing people.
Michael T: I love the camaraderie with all the runners and fans. When you feel you’re at your tipping point, the runners and fans around you give you that extra boost to power through.
Unrelated and Humorous
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
Erin: Lightening-speed, of course!
Michael L: Freeze time.
If you we given $1 million, what would you do with it?
Hank: PC answer, donate to a charity of course. Honest answer, buy an airplane. Got my pilots license last year.
Carrie: Hire a financial advisor; stash several hundred thousand safely away so it can accrue interest and I hopefully won’t have to worry about money for the rest of my life (is that possible? See, that’s why financial advisor is #1); the typical- pay off house/debt; travel and purchase a vacation home in one or two of my favorite spots; donate some; buy artwork; renovate my house; share with my close family; enjoy it!
Michael L: Start a record label in Nashville, TN.
Well, that wraps up the first leg of the race. Tune in next time to see how the Centrons are doing with their training, how they are feeling about their upcoming races, and more running fun as this series enters its second leg.
Republished from the SiteScout Blog.
Measurement matters in a programmatic buying environment. You can’t just import traditional measurement methods, though. The measurement must fit the workflow.
In a programmatic buying environment, analytics has to be more accurate and stable than the initial modelling used for the programmatic buy. That means it has to be a more dependable information source than what’s provided in the programmatic scheme pre-transaction. It also has to be quick enough to let actions be taken throughout a campaign, and needs to be sufficiently granular in order to identify areas where action is required.
Programmatic measurement must also be easily accessed. It should address the fundamental objectives that marketers are trying to accomplish. Finally, programmatic measurement must be independent and unbiased.
The Rise of In-Image Programmatic Ads
In-image ads can now be programmatic thanks to a partnership between GumGum, which offers ads that appear in Web images, and ad-trading tech platform Xaxis.
Thanks to the new partnerships, brands will now be able to create custom interactive-styled ads through a programmatic system that includes approximately 200 websites, according to GumGum CEO Ophir Tanz. Xaxis will allocate targeting parameters that determine where ads appear on the GumGum network.
Xaxis will be able to to create custom creative in-house that brands could use for image-friendly campaigns, as well as allowing clients to apply third-party tracking to capture standard metrics.
TV Programmatic: The Best Of All Possible Worlds?
There are three stages of “TV programmatism,” says Integrated Media Solutions’ Mitch Oscar: Cable versus broadcast, contextual audience networks, and “As We TV Programmatically Is.”
In trying to allow cable TV to compete with the effective CPM offered by broadcast, conceptual audience aggregation platforms arose, ultimately paving the way for addressable TV. Contextual audience networks would come to build upon those platforms under the premise that set-top-box viewership combined with third-party data could inform the purchase of local cable TV and national cable networks’ ad inventory.
Finally, the third stage involved the digital video community, where broadband video TV reach extension products would add reach to a marketer’s traditional TV campaign. They would do so by harnessing set-top-box data coupled with third-party data and first-party data appendages plus, of course, broadband video inventory.
Digitization has profoundly changed the way customers interact with technology and brands. Forrester Research, Inc. talked about this in 'The Future of Digital Media Buying' report back in September, 2012. So how much has changed since then?
Listen to the webcast now! Or read a brief synopsis below.
For starters, the digital environment has gotten a lot more complex. In just two years, the number of platforms available for media buying has accelerated at warp speed — and that’s just one example. In 2014, we’re practically burdened by the number of buying choices. That’s why the most knowledgeable buyers, analysts, and researchers, alike, are calling for consolidation. The question then becomes: How do we get there?
Join Forrester vice president and research director, Luca Paderni, and Centro EVP of media services, Scott Neslund, as they explore the future of media buying and how agencies and advertisers are tackling these challenges today.
Listen to their conversation now >>
Highlights from the talk include:
Greetings readers. It’s that time of the week again – Friday! Autumn is upon us and what better way to kick it off than with a new edition of Five on Friday? Go get yourself something pumpkin spiced (we prefer lattes) and indulge in the last Five on Friday of September.
That does it for this Five on Friday. Keep warm in the chilly fall weather! Have a beautiful weekend.
When it comes to campaign size and scale, Centro has tackled it all. We partner with agencies full of industry experts, and small brands who are just leveraging digital for the first time. We’re always excited when we have the opportunity to help a brand tune up their digital know-how to deliver business results today and educate their media decisions tomorrow.
Recently, a regional orchestra group struggled to profit from digital media investment. Their one-person media team wanted to invest in digital media, but lacked the tools, resources and expertise to properly navigate the environment. When they searched for a partner to help them achieve their business goals while learning the ropes of digital, they connected with Centro.
The Centro Ensemble
With over 13 years of experience coupled with the most cutting edge resources, Centro developed a digital plan to drive efficient business results for the orchestra group. Our dedicated support team tracked metrics and calculated ROI, all while educating the client along the way. At the end of a few short months, the once simplistic media strategy grew to an elegant campaign delivering display, social and audio media across a variety of digital platforms.
Finely Tuned Results
Centro did more than just introduce the orchestra group to digital, we also proved its power. Using our arsenal of internal and 3rd party research tools, we were able to refine the consumer audience, track their media habits and build a plan to precisely target them. We defined KPIs, which we carefully measured over the course of the campaign. At wrap-up, the client was able to attribute 16% of their online ticket sales to Centro’s placed media, which calculated into a 150% return on client investment.
Encore
The client was thrilled with their campaign results, and the new partnership they found in Centro. We still work with this orchestra group today, growing their business 200% year over year. Their one-person media team has new faith in the power of digital executed through Centro:
“Centro worked with us to not only begin measuring the right digital campaign KPIs, but they also continue to meet and exceed those KPIs with each campaign we execute with them. Our business has never seen media attribution like this.” – Marketing Manager
Directing Digital with Centro
At Centro, the way we plan media is different from the rest. With over 13 years and 100,000 campaigns to our name, we leverage modern technology and industry expertise to build campaigns around the channels and platforms that drive results for our client’s specific business needs. Data is paired with intuition for a comprehensive approach to the media buy. People and technology are at the heart of Centro, and the common notes in every #CentroInAction story.