Happy 4/20! Thanks to the many layers of regulation, marketers navigating the cannabis space may end up feeling lost in the weeds. To make sure your cannabis campaign doesn’t go up in smoke, check out these five highly useful tips that any brand can use to build an impactful cannabis marketing strategy.
Google Ads published the results of an experiment designed to test Google’s interest-based audience solutions, including Topics API, first-party publisher IDs, and contextual data. The results: “Lukewarm optimism,” according to AdExchanger. Meanwhile, Marketing Dive further explored the (many) caveats to the study’s relative success.
Google is sprinting to bring new AI-powered features to its search engine under threat of competitors like the new Bing (which Samsung may reportedly ditch Google for). But even as Google rushes to keep up, the CEO of OpenAI has warned the research strategy on which their chatbot is based is “played out.”
How have publishers performed against their goals of increasing diversity among their workforces in the past few years? Candidly: not great. This piece explores some of the latest trends and reports. P.S.: Check out the latest episode of AdTech Unfiltered to learn how marketers can support a more diverse media ecosystem.
After suffering a precipitous fall from grace back in 2021, legacy measurement firm Nielsen was redeemed this week when their National Television Audience Measurement service was reaccredited. Here's what advertisers need to know about the development—including an important caveat.
Show off your marketing chops with our question of the week. This week’s hot topic: podcast advertising.
In 2023, US podcast ad spend will reach $2 billion. What percentage of total digital audio ad spend does that number represent?
A. 15.2%
B. 29.5%
C. 41.4%
D. 52.8%
Click here to get the answer, plus a rundown of four key things digital marketers need to know to make the most of their podcast advertising in 2023.
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Recognizing the importance of digital media in modern marketing strategies, Dalton Agency sought a reliable adtech partner to keep up with the fast-paced digital landscape. After careful consideration, they transitioned their digital media business exclusively to Basis Technologies.
By partnering with Basis, Dalton Agency aimed to:
Digital Media Expertise:
Thought Leadership:
Raving Fan Service:
Dalton Agency is a communications and branding agency that caters to clients of all sizes and industries worldwide. They specialize in reaching out to audiences through various channels, whether it's online, offline, or in-person, and have a proven track record of delivering successful outcomes.
“Our team sees Basis Technologies as an integral part of our operations. What we highly appreciate about our partnership is the insightful guidance, exceptional campaign results, and unwavering focus on precision and accuracy.
- Carly Bauer, SVP, Paid Media at Dalton Agency
From Serial, to My Favorite Murder, to Pod Save America, almost everyone has a favorite podcast these days. In 2023, 38.3% of the US population will listen to a podcast each month—a number that’s steadily increased since Apple first released their podcast app in 2012.
Beyond their popularity with listeners, podcasts offer advertisers a unique opportunity to connect with consumers whenever and wherever they’re listening, within content they’re actively engaged with. Podcast ads also reach listeners on a wide variety of devices—from tablets, to mobile phones, to desktops and laptops, to smart speakers. Given these benefits, it’s no wonder that more and more advertisers are incorporating podcasts into their omnichannel media mix.
So, what should advertisers know about the state of podcast advertising in 2023? Read on to find out:
Podcast audiences exploded during the pandemic. In 2019, the number of podcast listeners in the US increased by 28% year-over-year (YoY), reaching 92.4 million; in 2020, that number grew by 32.4% to reach 107.7 million.
Though growth today is less rapid than a few years ago, podcast listenership is still steadily increasing. In 2022, there were 124.2 million podcast listeners in the US, and that number is forecast to reach 129.9 million this year.
Beyond this growth in listenership, time spent with podcasts is also increasing. In 2023, it’s forecast that the total US population will increase its time tuning in by more than 11%, reaching 25 minutes per day. For active listeners, that number is expected to reach 57 minutes per day.
And just what shows are folks listening to? As of January 2023, there were more than four million total podcasts registered around the world, spanning topics from sports, to true crime, to lifestyle, to news, and more. For advertisers, this provides a great opportunity to use contextual targeting to reach key audiences in a privacy-friendly way (because who’s going to be more receptive to a home security system ad than someone binge listening to a true crime podcast? We’ll wait…).
As more and more people tune into podcasts (and spend more time listening to their favorite shows), it’s no surprise that ad spend is following in kind. After all, advertisers want to connect with audiences where they’re spending time, and podcasts offer them the chance to do so within content that consumers are personally connected with.
Here are some key stats to know about the state of podcast ad spend in 2023 and where it’s projected to go from here:
Sure, they’re popular. And more and more people are listening. But why are podcast ads effective?
In short, podcast advertisements reach people as they engage with content that’s meaningful, and often personal, to them. When listeners spend hours tuning into a specific show, they’re building a connection with that show and its hosts. As a result, that host’s recommendation, or even an ad placed within an episode, will likely go a long way.
This phenomenon, dubbed the “audio trust halo,” is backed by research. A 2022 study by iHeartMedia found that 51% of respondents say they are more trusting of radio and podcast advertisers than advertisers on any other medium.
Beyond the “audio trust halo,” here are a few other stats that demonstrate how podcast ads are particularly resonant with audiences:
Everyone’s taking part in the podcast craze, but programmatic podcast activation is still an emerging market. eMarketer predicts that US podcast ad spending will surpass 29% of total digital audio ad spending this year, but only 8.3% of podcast advertising will be bought programmatically in 2023 (up from 3.3% in 2020).
However, as programmatic audio technologies evolve, more and more advertisers will take advantage of the benefits it offers: namely, the ability to place audio ads—in real-time—and to harness the power of advanced targeting, measurement, and optimization technologies to ensure those ads reach key audiences. A 2023 study forecasts programmatic podcast ad spend will triple by 2027. For marketers today, this means that there’s a big opportunity to get in ahead of the curve.
Podcast advertising offers a distinct opportunity to digital advertisers in 2023, allowing them to engage with audiences across their devices and in a variety of settings. And, with programmatic podcast ad spend gaining steam, more and more advertisers are utilizing this channel in an automated and data-driven way. Given its benefits, it makes sense that podcast advertising is forecast to continue to grow in the coming years.
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Want even more insight into the audio opportunities available within to digital marketers? Check out our digital audio advertising guide for a deeper dive.
Welcome to Scout! Each week, our team tracks down the best digital marketing articles, POVs, and reports—so you don't have to. Here’s what to read from the week of 4/7/23 - 4/13/23 to stay ahead of the curve:
Even as advertisers consider how to navigate a potential TikTok ban, companies like Apple, Pepsi, DoorDash, and Amazon have increased their spend on the platform.
By now, you’re likely aware that greenwashing is a marketing no-no—but what do you know about digital advertising’s carbon footprint? Here’s what consumers are paying attention to, and how marketers can start to minimize their carbon emissions in a way that's also beneficial for overall campaign performance.
The IAB has released its much-anticipated annual report on internet ad revenues. Among its findings: US digital ad revenue surpassed $200 billion for the first time, ad spend grew by 10.8% YoY, and buyers are diversifying their spending to direct more dollars toward digital video, digital audio, and programmatic. Also of note: Ad spend in the US will grow more than initially expected this year, per S&P.
Flexibility: It’s been a huge buzzword in the TV world the past few years—which means that, like many buzzwords, what people actually mean when they use it is a bit up for debate (synergy, anyone?). This piece explores how executives are using the terms “flexibility” and “fluidity,” and what it might signal about changes to the upfront cycle.
Show off your marketing chops with our question of the week. This week’s hot topic: TikTok.
According to TikTok executives speaking at SXSW back in March, what percentage of all product discovery now happens on the app?
A. 8%
B. 15%
C. 27%
D. 36%
Get the answer, plus 30 other TikTok-related stats and a look at all the reasons why the platform continues to be the talk of the digital advertising town—both good and bad!
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As a B2B or B2C marketer, you probably have a lot of thoughts when election season comes around and political marketing campaigns are in full swing. You can’t ignore the increases in certain CPMs while planning out your own campaigns, but you definitely appreciate the beauty of a well-crafted, well-timed ad or campaign.
While it may not be obvious on the surface—or when you watch a particularly cringeworthy political ad—there’s actually a lot that B2B and B2C marketers can learn from their political counterparts. And in many ways, the specific pressures political agencies deal with force them to make strategic decisions that, in ways, would prove valuable to marketers in all fields.
Don’t believe us? We’re ready to prove it: Read on for three critical insights that B2B and B2C marketers can take from the world of political advertising:
Over the past few years, the Great Resignation and high rates of burnout in digital advertising have put a spotlight on employee retention. While many leaders have focused on important lessons around taking care of your employees and leading through turbulence, the political marketing world can offer some unique insights on how to build a great team.
For example, when a group of marketers come together to support a candidate or cause, there’s a certain level of built-in ideological alignment. In many ways, it’s kind of a no brainer: A marketer who leans left is less likely to join a team running a campaign for a conservative candidate.
Outside of the political arena, marketers increasingly want to work for brands they feel ideologically aligned with (just as consumers want to buy from brands whose values match their own). This kind of cohesion not only benefits the employee, but the employer as well: When your team is on the same page about the fundamentals, there’s an innate level of trust which in turn enables the flow and creativity that fuel winning campaigns. And this alignment does not have to be political—values like diversity, ambition, and work-life balance are often powerful indicators of a good fit between a marketer or consumer and an agency or brand.
Additionally, speed and agility are especially critical in the political campaign cycle, so choosing employees who have the ability and willingness to turn on a dime is key. Speaking of which…
Political campaign cycles are inherently turbulent. Marketers in these spaces must be reactive to what’s going on in the world and adjust their messaging based on factors like economic and political developments, campaigns run by opposing candidates, commitments formed by new sources of funding, and a whole lot more.
Even the weather is significant, as fewer people will turn out to the polls on a snowy or rainy Election Day. Marketers must consider how to adjust their messaging based on all of the unpredictable events going on around them and be able to make those adjustments as swiftly as possible. For perspective, many political clients adjust their budgets every single Monday to account for how the landscape changed over the weekend.
While B2B and B2C marketers typically have a bit more breathing room, the growing complexity of digital media makes agility a critical part of campaign success. Even more, consumers care about brand values, and younger demographics like Gen Z are more than willing to call out inauthenticity. In the face of controversy, B2B and B2C marketers must have the ability to move fast and make adjustments on the fly.
Who makes up the audience that political marketers want to reach? Simple: anyone who’s eligible to vote, right? While that's technically true, political marketers would be much less effective if that’s how they approached their work. The population of eligible voters is made up of many smaller groups defined by different behaviors, beliefs, and backgrounds, each of which create specific opportunities for messaging.
Beyond basic demographics, political marketers group audiences based on questions like, “Have they voted in the past?” “How often have they voted?” and “Is there any record of their political ideology?” Marketers then slice and dice that data in order to customize messaging to specific target audiences.
Political marketers also focus their efforts on a group called the “persuadable middle,” made up of voters who fall in between hardline conservatives and liberals. In product and service marketing, these individuals might be called “brand switchers.” There’s a huge opportunity to sway people who fall into this category, which political marketers often approach via education.
The takeaway? It pays to invest time in the process of deeply understanding the many groups that make up your audience. The more you can find out about past, current, and prospective customers, the more effectively you’ll be able to spend your budget on personalized messaging that’s tailored to reach specific groups.
See? Political marketing isn’t so different from B2B or B2C after all. By incorporating these insights about building the best team possible, prioritizing agility, and leaning into hyper-personalization, product and service marketers are sure to gain a significant competitive edge.
And these insights are just the beginning—there's a whole lot more that B2B and B2C marketers can glean from the world of political campaigns. Check out our webinar, Beyond the Ballot Box: Using Political Advertising Strategies to Connect with Consumers, to hear firsthand from political advertising experts on Basis’ Candidates + Causes team.
TikTok has reshaped the social media landscape.
With over 150 million monthly users in the US, it has revolutionized how consumers watch videos, discover products, engage with brands, and connect with creators. From its beginnings with dance challenges and viral trends, TikTok has evolved into a powerful entertainment platform offering marketers unique opportunities to reach their target audience.
In this webinar, TikTok Agency Partnership Manager Justin Liut and Measurement Partner Yangdi Li join host Ryan Manchee to discuss critical strategies and the latest best practices around how marketers at companies of all sizes can leverage the platform effectively.
CO2 emissions and climate change: Subjects typically reserved for discussions among the world’s politicians, environmentalist groups, the scientific community, non-governmental organizations, and multinational conglomerates. But are they relevant to the digital advertising industry? You bet—and more than that, they present an opportunity for marketers.
Many of the world’s largest brands are working to tout their green credentials and communicate their milestones—successes like innovating packaging to reduce waste or optimizing their supply chain to become net zero. But what about the environmental impact of serving ads highlighting those efforts throughout the online ecosystem? The carbon cost involved in that process is meaningful, and it has often been overlooked...until now.
Indeed, two drivers have nudged this issue into the marketing spotlight:
In other words, brands willing to tackle the issue head-on stand to gain a more positive brand perception and higher ROI on ad spend. Like nearly every facet of society, digital advertisers have a role to play in decarbonizing the economy to meet the goals outlined in the Paris Agreement, and there are great rewards available to marketing organizations that tap into growing green value pools and actively participate in the sustainability movement.
A seminal environmental impact assessment review of online advertising estimated that in 2016, one-tenth of all emissions emanating from the internet—between 20.38 to 282.75 terawatt-hours (TWh) of energy—were attributable to online advertising. That was seven years ago! In the time since then, digital advertising has exploded and evolved, then exploded and evolved some more—and all the while siphoning dollars away from traditional offline media (radio, print, and TV).
Of course, it’s difficult to grasp whether that percentage share has increased on an annual basis up to now—especially considering the emergence of other data-hungry internet-related systems like cryptocurrency, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and generative AI—but it would be difficult to argue that the total energy usage of digital advertising hasn’t grown considerably. Of the $370+ billion US marketers are forecast to spend on advertising this year, a shade under three-quarters of that (74.6%) will go to digital channels, up from just 37.6% back in 2016. And there are no signs of this trend slowing down anytime soon, with that share projected to continue climbing every year through at least 2027, indicating the industry’s carbon footprint is only likely to keep increasing.
According to Good-Loop’s online carbon calculator, a sample ad campaign comprised of a 100-megabyte video file that delivers 100,000 impressions in the UK equates to around 5.4 tons of carbon. For a little perspective, that’s the same as driving over 13,000 miles in an average gasoline-powered passenger vehicle. Sum all the millions of digital activations that brands are collectively running at any given time and the energy and emissions implications become clear.
At question here is the mechanism by which ads are delivered to audiences, particularly as it pertains to programmatic buying. In the nanoseconds it takes for an ad to load on a webpage, a plethora of technology companies (such as ad agencies, data-management platforms, data clean rooms, ad exchanges, ad servers, ad verification firms, demand-side platforms (DSPs), supply-side platforms (SSPs), and brand-safety vendors) take part in a bidding process to win the auction that puts the ad in front of the consumer. In the process, thousands of servers are springing into action, requiring electricity to realize each ad call.
In essence, there is a significant amount of computing firepower at the heart of digital advertising, and as the landscape expands and grows more complex and fragmented, leaders must take urgent steps to first curb, then reduce, the carbon cost of its operational infrastructure.
Consumers today care about more than just the products and services a business creates and provides—they increasingly want to see actions that demonstrate strong societal and cultural values. Brand purpose is emerging as a key decision criterion, and consumers across the generational spectrum are putting environmental impact at its center:
Of course, what’s top of mind for consumers must be top of mind for brands. After facing a digital transformation imperative in the wake of the pandemic, marketing organizations are now dealing with a sustainability transformation imperative. To ignore it is to risk reputational fallout…and to miss a seriously golden green opportunity.
Now here’s the interesting thing: Becoming a more climate friendly brand doesn’t have to mean spending more money—in fact, the opposite is true. By making small tweaks to campaign KPIs and optimizing the digital supply path, marketers can start to minimize their carbon emissions in a way that is also beneficial for overall campaign performance. What’s the saying? Two birds, one stone? Let’s explore:
Attention metrics are on the rise: A trend fueled by the idea that the old proxies for performance—the likes of viewability, reach, and frequency—are no longer optimal since they fail to provide an accurate measure as to whether target consumers actually see ads. Attention data technology works by filling that knowledge gap, providing more definitive insights into how audiences engage with a brand’s content on specific domains.
How does this relate to cutting carbon costs, you may ask?
One study found that by removing impressions that receive less than 0.5 seconds attention time, brands can reduce total emissions by 53% while increasing the average attention time per impression by nearly 40%. Or, to put it another way: advertisers that pull spend from publishers they know are offering little-to-no bang for their buck can weed out wasted spend and lower their carbon footprint in the process. Win-win.
Remember all those technology companies involved in the programmatic bidding process? Momentum is building toward a more streamlined—and, therefore, more efficient—network. Eliminating redundant auctions for the same inventory and optimizing the flow of data not only makes sense from a business perspective, but also reduces the amount of computing power needed to run the overall ad ecosystem. It also cuts costs by opting out of relationships that don’t provide value as part of this change and opting in to relationships that simplify the digital campaign workflow (be that centralizing planning processes, consolidating reporting, or reconciling financial data). And side note: With new data privacy laws coming into play requiring a more detailed understanding of who has access to consumer data throughout the bid stream, there has never been a better time to conduct a partner review. Win-win-win.
So, the carbon footprint of digital advertising is growing, consumers are invested in it, and incorporating climate friendly initiatives into larger business goals turns out to be not just a moral imperative but also a financial one.
What’s the hold-up, then, when it comes to greater action across the industry?
It boils down to these reasons: A lack of standardization, a lack of regulation, a lack of urgency, and a lack of education. Marketers are many things—creative thinkers, performance forecasters, data analysts, investigative journalists, and idea generators, to name a handful—but they are not climate experts. Only 24% of marketers say their company has set targets to address the carbon cost of online ad campaigns, and a negligible number say they have already reached net zero. Clearly, there is ample room for progress. But until the industry collectively garners a greater understanding of the issues at hand and agrees on common measurement methodologies, change will likely continue at a glacial pace.
Fortunately, though, help is on the way in the form of new tools and initiatives:
Then there are the stories of big brands already making proactive moves:
Without many global benchmarks and standards for marketers to follow, it is these stories and these actions that are sparking the conversation. More are bound to follow as the benefits of adopting sustainable digital practices come increasingly into view. Could 2023 be the tipping point? Only time will tell.
Advertisers and consumers alike are waking up to the carbon cost of digital advertising. Brands are facing myriad challenges in 2023 (most notably planning for the cookieless future and keeping up with all the latest regulations), but sustainability shouldn’t be deprioritized in planning discussions. As marketers start or continue their journey to become more sustainable, it’s important to focus on efficiency as a route to achieving success, and embracing greener digital ad buying efforts and shoring up the supply path are great places to begin. Those that do so now can gain the early mover advantage and set themselves up to foster greater brand loyalty and cost savings down the road.
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Looking for more tips to kickstart your sustainability transformation? Check out our blog post that dives into all the do’s and don’ts for digital marketers when it comes to climate change and sustainability advertising.
Welcome to Scout! Each week, our team tracks down the best digital marketing articles, POVs, and reports—so you don't have to. Here’s what to read from the week of 3/31/23 - 4/6/23 to stay ahead of the curve:
There’s a lot of hype around generative AI these days—but there’s also significant backlash from tech experts, regulators, and consumers alike. Despite these mixed reactions, tech companies don’t seem to be slowing down when it comes to developing their AI solutions, and demand for the technology remains high.
In the latest sign of regulation shaping the digital advertising landscape, Meta announced it would give EU users more control over the use of their personal data, allowing them to opt out of certain highly personalized ads, while also considering an all-out ban on political ads on Facebook and Instagram. Still unclear: whether the new capabilities will help the social giant stave off more GDPR-related fines (or ever make their way to the US).
Speaking of data: marketers are still coming to grips with how to navigate a cookieless future. This piece shares tangible tips marketing teams can use to adjust to increasing privacy regulations, ever-shifting policies from major tech companies, and evolving consumer sentiments.
Late last month, Iowa became the sixth state to pass consumer data privacy legislation—and it’s likely that others will follow suit. According to a new report, this patchwork approach to privacy legislation could eventually cost businesses $1 trillion over ten years. Here, panelists at the IAB Public Policy & Legal Summit discuss how marketers can comply with a patchwork of state data privacy legislation in the absence of a federal solution.
Show off your marketing chops with our question of the week. This week’s hot topic: connected TV advertising.
What percentage of US households are projected to own a connected TV device in 2023?
A. 67.9%
B. 78.8%
C. 85.3%
D. 91.2%
Click here for the answer, along with a holistic exploration of connected TV (CTV) and over-the-top (OTT) advertising (and the differences between them).
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86% of US consumers are concerned about data privacy, with a full 3 in 10 unwilling to share their personal data for any reason. Data privacy and security is such a hot topic, it’s at the heart of efforts to regulate—if not outright ban—TikTok: US and state governments alike fear that the platform, which has been under US scrutiny for nearly three years due to its ownership by a China-based company, “may put sensitive user data, like location information, into the hands of the Chinese government.”
As a result of widespread consumer disapproval of targeting tools such as third-party cookies—not to mention government privacy regulations and changing policies from tech giants like Apple and Google—advertisers must find new ways to market relevant content to willing audience segments.
To that end, here are five things marketers should keep in mind as we move toward a privacy-first future:
Creating a cookieless new normal isn’t going to happen overnight—it’s a marathon, not a race. And a “one-size-fits-all” solution is unlikely to address each marketer’s unique concerns, from media placement options to audience targeting to conversion tracking. Easy, quick alternatives are not the way to go.
As Basis Technologies’ VP of Media Innovations & Technology, Noor Naseer, wrote in a recent blog post:
“Though it might be tempting to wait around for someone to come up with [a one size-fits-all third-party cookie replacement], those who choose progress over procrastination when exploring privacy-friendly solutions will come out on top.”
The key here is to test a variety of solutions to evaluate what mix of available alternatives will work for you. Which leads us to our next two points…
Marketers can leverage targeting options like contextual, semantic, and machine learning without worrying about consumer privacy concerns. Geo-based targeting is another option that’s often privacy-friendly, as is buying via PMPs, which won’t be affected by cookie deprecation.
P.S. For more about contextual targeting—how it works, why it’s privacy-friendly, and the many benefits it offers—check out Why Contextual Targeting is Having a Moment in Digital Advertising.
Whether you’re a publisher or a marketer, collecting and leveraging first-party data from consumers will be key moving forward. Since users give this information freely, it’s privacy-compliant. Plus, personalization and targeting efforts fueled by first-party data are more likely to resonate and yield positive campaign results.
If you have access to email addresses, phone numbers, or any other consented data from your consumer base, you can layer that data into other types of targeting to differentiate audience groups. This can be done by creating targetable audience segments within a CRM, creating lookalike audiences, or layering first-party data with contextual targeting for highly relevant reach.
In addition to exploring options like contextual and making the most of their first-party data, marketers should stay informed on how heavy hitters in the ad industry are developing identity solutions that are both high-performing and privacy compliant. There’s the International Advertising Bureau’s Project Rearc with its encrypted identifiers and consumer controls, for example, or LiveRamp’s RampID and its ability to resolve hundreds of identifiers into one unique ID.
The bottom line? The industry is innovating quickly to account for the loss of third-party cookies, and it’s important that marketers are aware of all the options.
The customer-centricity of a clearly crafted data usage policy won’t go unnoticed: That earlier study about privacy concerns also highlights that “76% of survey respondents say they want more transparency around how their personal data is being used by companies, and 40% say they would willingly share their personal data if they knew exactly how it would be used.” However, a McKinsey study showed that “only around 33 percent of Americans believe that companies are using their personal data responsibly.”
So, while ensuring data security through the right partnerships and infrastructure is necessary, and leveraging opted-in data and privacy-first media is a smart use of your available tools, your consumers’ trust is the leg that keeps the rest of the stool standing. The more integrity with which you use their data, the sturdier your overall relationship will be—before, during, and after your campaigns.
Being aware of, empathetic to, and responsible with consumers’ data privacy concerns is only becoming more critical—to brand/customer relationships, to marketing campaign success, and to a business’ bottom line. Marketers who plan now for ethical data collection, governance, and deployment will be well positioned to avoid a huge mess when the cookie finally crumbles.
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Looking for more insights into the changing landscape of consumer privacy? Check out Beyond Third-Party Cookies: Your Guide to Overcoming the Identity Crisis.
