What’s new in the realms of paid search and social media? Basis’ Senior Vice President of Paid Search and Social compiles all the latest news, trends, and resources each month for easy access.
The latest research on 2022 holiday shopping shows that close to 60% of Gen Z and Millennials will do at least some of their shopping on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and other social apps—and Gen X and boomers are warming up to the trend too. Even when shoppers don’t turn to social platforms to buy, social is influencing purchases by exposing users to products of interest.
Time spent on TikTok by US adults continues to rise, now beating out all other social platforms, including YouTube. Its audience of social buyers is also still on the rise, overtaking other platforms like Pinterest. Bonus content: TikTok released findings from several studies showing how the platform works to drive business results.
Microsoft recently announced a slew of new ad products, including “credit card ads,” better ways to monitor and troubleshoot pixel/tag activity, RSA import tools, customer match first party audience targeting, “similar audience” lookalike segments, and in-market audience targeting for soccer fans.
While technically announced a few months ago at the Search On event, more details are becoming available around new ad products that let you search for food near you through Google Lens, translate text on complex backgrounds, shop through AR, and search and explore neighborhoods in Google Maps. Bonus content: YouTube recently announced the launch of Target Frequency for YouTube, giving advertisers more control over how often viewers see their ads.
Snapchat unveiled new ad placements and partnerships with brands including Adidas, Samsung, and Chevrolet for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. This comes after several other recent large partnership announcements, including ads powered by Kroger retail data and Amazon-powered AR shopping lenses. eMarketer thinks the timing could very well lead to an increase in usership of Snapchat's AR products, and therefore of commerce conversions tied to them. To bolster interest, Snap released a new report highlighting the rising potential of AR for marketing.
Pinterest's latest performance update showed increases in both users and advertising revenue, after three periods of declines in both areas. In a recently published technical overview of their algorithm, their engineering team shared that they’re now taking in more recent user actions in the app to fuel how they surface and recommend relevant pins.
For advertisers who are new to LinkedIn or are looking to expand beyond sponsored content, this guide is a helpful recap of all ad types, objective optimizations, and content best practices.
According to eMarketer analyst Jasmine Enberg, “brands continue to spend on influencer partnerships, particularly with long-term creator partners, throughout this volatile economic environment… it’s one of the better-growing digital marketing tactics.” Brands are spending more on partnerships with “micro- and nano-influencers” specifically, and increases in TikTok usage are generating a natural headwind for creator/brand partnerships.
Here, eMarketer summarizes advertiser attitudes toward Twitter in the wake of Elon Musk’s takeover. Plus, they've compiled some useful data points for those considering investing or divesting in Twitter. Bonus content: This chart shows how the $2.6 billion in ad spend Twitter captured this year compares to other major social networks. One particularly interesting nugget: TikTok's 2022 ad revenues are double those of Twitter.
With advertisers jumping ship from Twitter, many are landing on Reddit as a next frontier of social advertising testing. To help with the influx of new advertisers coming to their platform, Reddit shared these tips to help brands connect with the platform's community. There are some great best practices here around video length and content, the importance of headlines and messaging tone, and how to leverage their in-house creative strategy team for support.
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A puppy and a Clydesdale’s unlikely friendship. A Shaggy remix (feat. Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher). Two brothers’ unbreakable bond. A thank you letter to moms everywhere. When we think of the ads that have stuck with us (some, for years), these are a few that come to mind.
Some use humor, others appeal to emotion, but they’re united by one thing: each tells a story that’s authentic, relatable, and memorable. In other words, their creative is on-point.
And though having strong creative might seem like a no-brainer for marketers, in today’s complex digital media environment (not to mention tumultuous economic state), it’s easy for other parts of a campaign to take precedent.
Today, we’ll analyze why it’s so critical for advertisers to focus on creative in their campaigns. We’ll also explore a tool that’s invaluable to advertisers looking to amp up their creative. Ready to learn more? Let’s dive in.
To say campaigns today are complex would be a serious understatement. There is so much work that goes into each stage—from strategizing and planning; to building campaigns; to launching, monitoring, and optimizing; to final reporting and billing reconciliation. Throw in the sheer volume of devices and channels available to advertisers (plus the different creative formats for each) and we totally get why advertisers might be left wondering: “Why do I need to focus on creative? Isn’t it enough to get something in front of my target consumers?”
But, just as today’s digital advertising landscape is complex, so too is a consumer’s digital experience. In 2022, the average US adult spends over 13 hours each day with digital media. That includes smartphones, CTV, OTT, social media, digital audio, and more. Talk about information overload!
Given how much digital media people consume, it isn’t enough for people to simply be exposed to your product or brand. Having strong creative—creative that tells your unique story and forges connections with consumers—will distinguish you in an advertising environment that’s incredibly competitive.
We get it: Marketers are not only wading through a fragmented media environment—they’re also trying to make strategic shifts based on a turbulent economic environment.
However, if your team is going to invest significant time and resources into crafting a strong campaign, shouldn’t the creative be something that tells your brand’s story in an exciting and authentic way?
We certainly think so.
We also know that simply reminding marketers of the importance of creative isn’t enough. It’s like telling someone who is struggling during a race to just pump their arms and move their legs faster—which is to say, it’s largely unhelpful! Advertisers need tangible tools to free up their time and energy so they can focus on this critical component of campaigns, without burning out.
One solution that can be particularly impactful? Advertising automation.
Within the context of marketing, advertising automation is the use of processes and technologies to streamline the entire lifecycle of a campaign. It can include:
In short? Advertising automation is a game-changer. And now that we’ve gone over what it looks like, let’s dive into its impact on creative.
For marketers to generate creative that’s compelling and authentic, they need to have the time and energy to do so. And with the majority of advertisers reporting they use seven platforms in a typical day and nine for their average ad campaign, it’s clear that something’s gotta give.
Here’s where advertising automation can help: by reducing the number of disparate solutions used, leveraging tech to eliminate manual labor wherever possible, and allowing marketers to manage the entirety of their campaign through a single platform, advertising automation saves time and energy. That time and energy can then be used to make strategic, intentional decisions as marketers craft creative that elevates their unique story.
To really illustrate the impact of automation, let’s take a step back and imagine two different advertisers trying to craft winning campaigns:
The first advertiser uses nine different platforms to run their campaign, and they’re already feeling zapped from trying to manage all those different sources of information. For the sake of personalization, their team is manually building out different creative variations to connect with different consumers. Because of all the manual tasks crowding their days, they lack the time, energy, and resources to really focus on crafting their story in a way that’s memorable.
Now, let’s imagine our second advertiser (you probably know where we’re going with this…):
This advertiser uses an automated platform to consolidate all their channels into one place. As such, they have the time to really think through their creative strategy, and the resulting ads authentically tell their story. They also know the need for personalization is huge—so they use available integrations to reach the right audience in a personalized way. For example, a strong automated platform will have integrations that allow for dynamic creative optimization (DCO), which includes real-time product-based retargeting, audience segmentation, customer journey enhancement, and more, so marketers can reach the ideal audience in an efficient and automated way.
By embracing advertising automation, marketers not only have the time to focus on creative strategy—they also have tools to quickly personalize that creative and get it in front of the right customer.
Let’s recap. A strong digital marketing campaign needs strong creative. Unfortunately, marketers’ days are eaten up by navigating the complexity and fragmentation of today’s media landscape, and creative often falls by the wayside as a result. To re-prioritize creative, marketers need more time, and more energy—both benefits that advertising automation is proven to provide.
Ironically? To re-prioritize creative in their campaigns, marketers don’t need to get creative at all…they just need to invest in the right tech.
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Interested in a deeper dive on all things automation? We’ve done pieces on workflow automation, automated billing, and automated reporting, as well as crafted a comprehensive guide that analyzes how automation can streamline your campaign process and save you valuable resources. Interested? Learn more here!
All things considered, it’s a pretty remarkable time to be a marketer. Looking at the advertising landscape, there are more opportunities than ever to reach consumers in the right place and at the right time.
But there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and there’s no great opportunity without risk. Indeed, there may be more ways than ever to connect with your target audiences, but there are also more ways than ever to court controversy—whether it’s an unfortunate ad placement next to unethical content, a PR slipup that goes viral, or even politically and socially treacherous partnerships that, until recently, may have been seen as safe.
Case in point? Look no further than the 2022 FIFA World Cup. What was once a premier sponsorship opportunity that’d make any brand marketer drool is now the subject of consumer boycotts, increased scrutiny, limited press freedoms, accusations of intolerance, and a beer-battered sponsor calamity—though, unlike the 2022 Winter Olympics, no major advertisers have gone so far as to pull the plug on their campaigns during the sporting spectacle.
Then there’s the issue of hate speech and misinformation, a two-headed plague that has rattled the internet—and social media in particular—for years but has become even more pressing since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing global unrest.
Take, for example, the myriad controversies surrounding Twitter. From the early days of Elon Musk's bid to purchase the social media company back in spring 2022 through his eventual takeover that October, the billionaire has touted plans to bring "free speech" to the site and do away with many of the platform's efforts content moderation efforts. After an initial effort to assuage advertisers' fears with promises of a content moderation council and a pledge that Twitter would not become a "free-for-all hellscape", Musk has proceeded to layoff half of Twitter's staff, prompt the resignation of more than 1,000 others (including its longtime Head of Trust and Safety), and reinstate controversial and previously-banned accounts. Oh, and that content moderation council? It's nowhere to be found.
The result? A number of major advertisers have paused their spend the platform, negotiations on new contracts have come to a halt, and eMarketer's Intelligence Insider has projected that Twitter's ad revenue will shrink by nearly 40% between now and 2024.
Brand safety is, unsurprisingly, increasingly top-of-mind for advertisers everywhere, but it’s of particular importance to programmatic advertisers. The automated nature of programmatic media buying lends itself to situations where, if you aren’t careful, your brand could end up placing an ad next to some very, very controversial or undesired content.
The result could be anything from a minor uproar to widescale boycotts and long-term damage to your company’s reputation. At a time when customers have more choices than ever, and an increasing number of people say they are looking to support brands that share their values, companies quite literally cannot afford to inadvertently or carelessly involve themselves in any type of avoidable scandal.
Want to steer clear of negative headlines? Let’s take a quick look some of the ways digital marketers can protect their brands and avoid controversy.
When marketers are crafting their messaging and placing their media buys, they’ll naturally want to focus on the important things, like how and where to engage their audience and drive new business. Unfortunately, placements next to negative content can totally undermine all that good work.
So, how can your brand counter such risks? Well, as the old saying goes, sometimes the best defense is a good offense. Or, in the case of programmatic advertising: sometimes the best defense against harmful ad placements is a proactive approach that prevents you from bidding on those placements in the first place (which, admittedly, sounds a lot less cool than “sometimes the best defense is a good offense.”)
In this Golden Age of Content, where there is far too much material on the web for any one brand or agency to adequately monitor it all, media buyers need to rely on outside solutions and integrations to help ensure brand safety. This is especially critical when it comes to programmatic advertising, as it will protect you from inadvertently bidding on any undesired impressions. Having these systems in place can protect your brand’s ads from appearing alongside undesired or even dangerous content, thus damaging your own reputation in the process.
Partners such as Comscore, Grapeshot, and Peer39 can help advertisers tap into third-party brand safety segments upon campaign launch, enabling them to exclude sensitive content and determine placement based on criteria such as viewability, ad count on page, language, and more.
Another newer brand safety tool of note: NOBL, which bills itself as “the world’s first truly responsible programmatic advertising solution for responsible brands.” NOBL continually scans the internet looking for high-quality content, evaluating and scoring each page using NOBL’s natural language processing and machine learning algorithms. The pages that score above the minimum credibility threshold are made available, while the rest are avoided, thereby protecting media buyers from running ads next to low-quality or uncredible content.
By tapping into resources like NOBL, advertisers have an important safety net in place to help ensure brand safety.
Whether you’re at an agency or sitting on an in-house media buying team, agility is of the utmost importance. Campaigns are most likely to succeed—and brands are most likely to thrive—when advertisers have the time and resources they need to continuously monitor and optimize their advertising efforts.
Critical to staying agile, of course, is bandwidth. When marketers have the time to make informed decisions on how and when to deploy their campaigns, they can better plan and execute on larger strategic goals—even if that means pivoting and course-correcting right in the middle of an ongoing campaign. This could involve updating creative, shifting budgets...or potentially dropping a campaign altogether (or, say, removing its assets from certain media properties) if it has inadvertently courted controversy.
One solution to the ever-pressing need for more time: automation, which can not only prevent harmful placements (as outlined above) but also help spare media buyers from tedious, repetitive tasks so they can better focus on things like strategy and creative. Studies have found that advertising automation platforms can simplify the media buying process and help marketers complete their campaign-related tasks 22% faster. That resulting increase in bandwidth can empower marketers to make quicker, more data-informed decisions about when, where, and how they want to advertise—or, in some instances, not advertise.
Whether responding to controversy or (ideally) trying to avoid it entirely, digital marketers know how critical it is to keep brand safety top of mind. After all, failing to so can cause PR nightmares and audience perception crises that take years to overcome.
Interested in learning more about responsible advertising? Check out this blog post on Basis’ partnership with NOBL, the world's first ethical programmatic advertising solution.
In recent years, the definition of “watching TV” has evolved: Whereas linear TV (cable, broadcast, and satellite) used to dominate, over-the-top streaming and digital video content are taking over. One of the most popular ways to access this content is via connected TV (CTV), which brings digital video and streaming content to big(ger) screens.
With more and more people consuming content via CTV each year, it’s no surprise that ad spend has exploded in kind. As marketers strive to make the most of the connected TV advertising opportunity, it’s likely they’ll encounter an overwhelming amount of information and recommendations. And, as the ol’ adage goes, you can’t trust everything you read—especially on the internet.
For advertisers wanting to separate fact from fiction when it comes to connected TV, this post is for you! Below, we’ll address some of the biggest misconceptions about this channel to help marketers utilize it as effectively as possible.
Ready? Let’s dive in.
Connected TV’s reach is expanding each year. In 2019, 195.9 million people used a CTV at least once a month; as of 2022, that number had grown to 225.7 million. And, in July 2022, for the first time, US streaming surpassed cable TV viewing.
And as CTV viewership is increasing, so too is CTV ad spend. In 2017, US CTV ad spend was just $2.8 billion; five years later, it surpassed $21 billion. And it makes sense, right? Advertisers want to reach people when and where they’re viewing video, and CTV…well, let’s just say it’s the place to be.
As people consume more and more video, there has been an explosion of terms used to describe digital video viewing and advertising experiences. And to be honest? Many of the terms are so closely related that it seems like they could be used interchangeably. Side note: If you’re having a hard time keeping up with all the lingo, our CTV glossary is here to help!
Two of the most commonly confused terms? Over-the-top (OTT) and connected TV (CTV). Though often used synonymously, these two terms are distinct. Let’s break it down:
Over-the-top (OTT) is a method of delivering video content to users through the internet, rather than via cable, broadcast, or satellite. OTT content (and advertising) can occur on smart phones, tablets, desktops, and—you guessed it!—CTVs.
Connected TV (CTV) is the term used for any television that is connected to the internet, such as smart TVs or regular television sets used with OTT devices. For something to be considered “CTV” it must be a television device—not a smart phone, tablet, or desktop!
One way we like to remember it? All CTV content is OTT content, but not all OTT content is CTV content (sort of like how all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares).
Today, more than ever, the CTV inventory available to advertisers is vast. And with streaming behemoths Netflix and Disney+ introducing ad-supported tiers, it just got more expansive. Having access to all that inventory gives advertisers a real competitive edge—through BasisTV+, for example, advertisers can reach 93% of US smart TVs.
“And what about live sports?” you might ask. “Surely that must still be primarily linear inventory?”
Again: Nope!
The future of live sports is digital. ESPN, NBC Sports, the NFL Network, Sling, CBS Sports, and so many more offer advanced TV advertising opportunities. With 84 million sports viewers currently tuning in on digital devices and 79% of sports fans saying that, if possible, they would watch live events exclusively on streaming platforms, the opportunity to reach sports viewers via CTV is significant.
When it comes to CTV advertising, there are a lot of benefits. One of the most notable? All—yes, all!—CTV advertising is addressable. Importantly, the same cannot be said of linear.
Why is addressability so significant? It enables advertisers to create personalized ad experiences, target them to specific groups of consumers, and measure the results of those ads. With 62% of consumers expecting ads that are customized to their distinct interests and needs, personalization in advertising is a big deal—and CTV is a great way to achieve it.
It’s true that Gen Z accounts for a good amount of CTV viewership. But are they the only ones tuning in?
“No!” shout the millennials watching The Great British Baking Show on Netflix as they tend to their (many) houseplants.
Millennial trope jokes aside, CTV is a great way to reach a variety of viewers—across all generations—where they watch video. Case in point? The 2022 breakdown of US CTV users, by generation:
What’s better than reaching people where they’re watching video? Doing it as part of a holistic, omnichannel campaign!
Current technology not only allows advertisers to target CTV ads based on thousands of parameters, but also to target them across devices. That means that a consumer could first see an ad for your product while they’re binge-watching Rick and Morty, and then be re-targeted for that product on the same or a different device later on. Nifty, eh?
There are so many ways we could rewrite this one as a truth: Programmatic advertising and CTV go together like…PB&J; like French fries and ketchup; hot cocoa and ice skating; peas and carrots; pumpkin and spice…You get the picture.
Still unconvinced? Even after the screaming marmot and our terrible similes?! Here are a few stats to know:
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Congratulations! You’re well on your way to becoming a CTV advertising expert.
That said, there is a lot more to know about this channel than we can cover in one post.
If you’re looking to level up your CTV knowledge, our connected TV advertising guide can help. We go all-in: from viewership and advertising trends, to best practices and strategies, to key KPIs and optimizations, and so much more.
Interested?
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 11/11/22 - 11/17/22 to stay ahead of the curve:
Please note: our Scouts will be off duty next week for Thanksgiving. Check back on 12/1 for the next edition!
In the wake of Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover—and the subsequent blue checkmark debacle in which several brands were impersonated on Twitter—online misinformation is top of mind for digital advertisers. New research, outlined here, shows how consumers feel about mis- and disinformation, and how they think brands should address it.
As advertisers pull money out of Twitter due to aforementioned brand safety concerns, where exactly are those dollars going? While some marketers are reallocating spend to social platforms like Snapchat and TikTok, others are saving them for a rainy day (we are in an economic downturn, after all). What’s certain? Media organizations are making their plays for advertisers’ newly available cash.
In a world filled with all those misinformation fears, it makes sense that consumer trust plays (or should play) a fundamental role in financial services advertising. From optimizing data infrastructures to ensuring ethical targeting strategies, here’s how finserv brands can earn that critical consumer trust.
Plenty of marketers have worked with their company and/or client on campaigns focused on climate change, but what about the impact of the ads themselves? Between greenwashing, funding climate misinformation, and the media creation process itself, advertising-related emissions have reportedly increased by 11% since 2019—leading some agency leaders to call this moment a “wake-up call.”
With this quarter’s earnings season having come to a close, Marketing Brew has conveniently laid out how the major subscription streaming players stacked up to one another. Bonus: If all these streaming stats have got you wondering what the future might hold for CTV advertising, don’t miss eMarketer’s updated forecast (or our dynamic new guide).
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If we could wind back the hands of time to 20 years ago, chances are that folks would be baffled by the terms “cord-cutter,” “binge-watching,” and “streaming.” Today, thanks to the growth of connected TV (CTV), you’re likely quite familiar with them (and if not, boy—do we have a resource for you!) With more and more people watching digital video, it’s no surprise that CTV viewership has skyrocketed, and that advertising spend has closely followed.
With the rise of this new and increasingly popular channel, it makes sense that advertisers have questions: How extensive is the inventory? Can CTV ads be targeted? And, does embracing CTV advertising mean adding another point solution to our existing stack? Today, we’re digging into these questions—and more—as we explore some of the key benefits of connected TV advertising.
Ready to learn why CTV should be part of your strategy? Let’s dive in.
It’s no secret that digital video is booming: By 2024, the average US adult will spend more time with digital video than traditional (aka linear) TV. But does that mean that the days of advertising during live sports, TV shows, and movies is gone?
Absolutely not. While time spent watching linear television might be decreasing, time watching video on connected TVs is increasing. As more and more content is offered via over-the-top (OTT) services—from TV shows, to blockbuster movies, to Thursday Night Football—people are increasingly turning to CTVs to watch content that used to only be available via cable, broadcast, or satellite. In other words, it’s not that people aren’t watching TV anymore—they’re just accessing the content in a different way.
And just how many people are tuning into CTVs for their digital video content? In 2021, 218.3 million people in the US were monthly CTV users, and by 2024, that number is forecast to exceed 230 million. Though levels of CTV adoption vary—from cord cutters, to cord shavers, to cord nevers—viewership is consistently increasing, especially among younger generations like Gen Z and millennials.
The big takeaway? For advertisers looking to engage with consumers where they’re viewing video—and often on big screens, to boot—CTV has a lot to offer.
Just as connected TV viewership is increasing, so too is the content offered via over-the-top (OTT) services. From Netflix and Disney+ joining the ad-supported tier game, to platforms like Amazon and YouTubeTV offering live sports coverage, CTV advertising inventory is extensive.
How can advertisers tap into these vast offerings? There are a couple of different ways to access CTV inventory within a DSP: via open exchange, and through private marketplace (PMP) deals. BasisTV+, for example, offers inventory that reaches 93% of US smart TVs. Here are a few key things to know about each buying approach:
We’ve discussed how CTV advertising is a great way to connect with audiences where they’re watching video, and that there’s a lot of inventory to choose from. But what about when it comes to getting your ad in front of the right consumer?
This is yet another of CTV’s strengths. Though only some linear TV advertising is addressable, all CTV advertising is. This means that marketers running CTV campaigns can use data to target audiences based on a variety of factors.
Here are a few of the (many!) targeting strategies that can be used within a CTV campaign:
And when it comes to contextual targeting? There are so many ways to segment and layer data contextually that it gets its own list:
Once targeting parameters are in place, advertising platform features like real-time reporting allow marketers to use data to optimize tactics and minimize wasteful ad spend.
More than ever, today’s consumers expect a personalized and intentional ad experience. Using targeting strategies like the ones we covered above is one way to achieve this; another is creating an omnichannel experience for potential customers.
Think about the last time you bought a product that you first saw in an ad. Perhaps it was an Instagram ad, a banner that showed up while you were searching for something on Google, or a video ad that rolled in the middle of that Hulu original you were binge-watching on your smart TV. Whatever the case, it’s likely that, after you were exposed to that product via one advertisement, you saw one—or more—subsequent ads on different platforms that kept the product top-of-mind, until you finally clicked “add to cart.”
Omnichannel ad experiences are those that target consumers across devices, with the intent of moving them further down the purchase funnel. After all, people spend time on a variety of devices, for a wide range of purposes, and advertisers want to reach them in a way that’s impactful. Connected TV fits wonderfully within an omnichannel approach: advertisers can strategically reach their target consumers via CTV, and then retarget on the same device or through other channels like search, social media, and more.
And if you’re worried that embracing CTV means adding another piece of complexity to today’s already-complex-enough digital media environment, here’s the great news: a strong DSP will allow you to tap into this inventory without having to use a different platform. BasisTV+, for example, allows advertisers not only to run CTV campaigns, but also to enable cross-device targeting features. With more than a thousand advanced TV targeting parameters and comprehensive real-time reporting, advertisers can use data and metrics to create a holistic, omnichannel experience for consumers.
Savvy marketers connect with consumers when and where they’re spending time. With nearly 84% of all US households using a connected TV in 2022 and with time spent watching on CTVs approaching two hours per day, CTV is a crucial part of any omnichannel advertising strategy.
Want to learn more about how to make the most of the connected TV advertising opportunity? In our CTV guide, we cover CTV advertising best practices and strategies, how to optimize campaigns, and so much more!
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 11/4/22 - 11/10/22 to stay ahead of the curve:
TikTok has seen a meteoric rise in the past few years (kind of like the meteoric rise of “It’s Corn” TikToks...we’ll see ourselves out), but its journey hasn’t been without troubles and controversies. This exploration of the platform’s evolution is, fittingly, made up of bite-sized stats and facts that paint a picture of how—and why—it’s become social media’s golden child.
Netflix’s lower-priced ad tier is finally live, and marketers’ first impressions are in. Here, Adweek takes a deep dive into the overall experience, the brands to watch out for, what’s not included, and even a cheeky little hack that allows viewers to get around the ads altogether.
Now that its ad tier is out in the world, Netflix is reportedly looking to further shake up its business model with live sports streaming rights. So far, the company’s bids have come up empty, but if efforts continue, it’s yet another major player in the increasingly competitive market for live sports advertising.
To say that Elon Musk’s first week as self-proclaimed “Twitter Complaint Hotline Operator” sparked controversy would be an understatement. Concerns over brand safety and security have led major advertisers and agencies to step back from the platform—can the "Chief Twit" himself right the ship, or is Twitter in for rough sails?
According to a new survey, around nine in 10 CMOs and senior marketing executives are planning to increase their marketing budgets in 2023, despite—or perhaps because of—economic upheaval. This piece outlines the top five areas of investment, weaving in insights on what’s to come in 2023.
At the same time, new research from Advertiser Perceptions shows that about half of US brands have frozen or reduced media spending as a result of pressures like economic uncertainty and supply chain disruption. This article explores the factors impacting advertisers around the world and details how they're reassessing media spend as a result.
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Professional wrestling is, at its core, a morality play. Good versus evil. Championship stakes with over-the-top theatrics. Predetermined performance art, yes, but it still involves two or more athletes running, jumping, and falling; being shoved, slammed, and shouted at; 20 minutes a night, 200 to 300 nights per year, all around the world, for as long as their bodies can stand it.
The wrestling profession isn’t meant for just anyone—your local schoolteacher, plumber, or dentist, say.
...Or is it?
There was a stretch in the mid-1990s when the World Wrestling Federation (now known as World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE) introduced a number of wrestlers whose characters were defined by their day jobs: a garbage man, a circus clown, and even a federal tax agent (who wrestled in a dress shirt, dress pants, suspenders, and a red tie…as one does).
Today, marketers in these real-life industries use digital advertising, not dropkicks, to improve their bottom lines and meet their business objectives. Kind of makes you wonder: If these wrestlers were around today, would this era of digital advertising help them to attract and earn enough business to stay out of the ring? Would online sales, critical app downloads, or lucrative appointments have deterred them from moonlighting as masked marauders?
We think there’s a case to be made here! Read on to learn about four former professional wrestlers whose “day jobs” would have benefited from today’s digital advertising ecosystem:
Accompanied to the ring by the din of dental drills over ominous orchestra music, and billed as living in “Decay-tur, Illinois,” Isaac Yankem, D.D.S. (get it? “I. Yankem”?) joined the ranks of WWE in July 1995 and was gone by September 1996, without leaving much of a cavity in the company’s roster. Never a champion, he debuted as the personal dentist of veteran heel Jerry “The King” Lawler. Well, a crown for a king and a crown for a tooth, we suppose.
The premise for the evil extractor was that “no one likes to go to the dentist,” but we know that’s not always true. Dentists are not only critical to our oral health, but they and their hygienists are often quite lovely people! Let’s get to the root of the problem: In this hyperlocal industry, dentists want to create awareness among nearby residents, promote their services, and generate phone calls or form fills leading to new appointments. In today’s world, Dr. Yankem could:
With his trusty plunger “Betsy” and his “muddy” work boots, pro wrestling’s plumber, T.L. Hopper, debuted in July 1996 (let us take a load off your mind: The T.L. stands for “Toilet Lid”). He was wiped from the roster by June 1997, with long stretches finding him without a single televised match. And because nothing’s funnier to a young professional wrestling fan than potty humor, Hopper’s “theme song” was the sounds of toilets flushing. For two minutes. Wow, this idea stunk.
This corny character was portrayed as though plumbers have a crappy job, but many plumbing, electrical, and heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) businesses are wildly successful. After all, nearly every home or apartment needs regular maintenance on any of those components. This industry thrives by booking a steady stream of appointments, plus creating awareness for seasonal promotions and parts or labor discounts. Instead of letting his career tank, Mr. Hopper could have used the tools of today’s trade to:
In hockey, the “goon” is the player who beats up or takes out the opposing team’s best member. He’s rough, he’s tough, he’s… going to wrestle professionally in boots that look like ice skates? Yes, The Goon debuted in July 1996, led to the ring by organ music over the arena’s public address system—and very little reaction from the public itself. He lost far more matches than he won during this period, and besides a couple one-off returns, The Goon was gone by March 1997.
Sports franchises large and small require lots of ticket sales—season tickets, single-game tickets, promotional night tickets—to boast success, and many have also branched off digitally to generate social media engagement, loyalty, and advocacy. One has to wonder: If The Goon had access to today’s digital advertising capabilities, might he have avoided the matchups in pro wrestling to stick with the face-offs of his beloved hockey? Thoughts for The Goon’s marketing team:
“Fingernails on a chalkboard” is more than just an idiom to describe a particularly annoying noise—it was the spine-tingling sound at the start of the theme song for Dean Douglas, an arrogant schoolteacher who stepped into the wrestling ring wearing a graduation gown, who would grade his opponents (often failing them), and who carried a paddle he called “The Board of Education.” To reinforce his snobbery, Douglas was billed as hailing from “the University of Higher Learning.” (Raise your hand if you applied there. Anyone? Anyone?)
Why would a schoolteacher feel compelled to wrestle professionally? Did Dean Douglas just need the stress relief? Perhaps the Institute of Higher Learning needed a little strategic nudge. Here are a few ideas for how the school’s marketing department could effectively connect with prospective students today:
With modern digital marketing tools, these pro wrestlers may never have had to enter the ring (you can decide for yourself whether that’s a good or bad thing). One tool that would have been a game-changer for all these performers? Digital advertising automation, a solution that streamlines key tasks within the campaign process to help marketers save time, plan campaigns efficiently, optimize for better performance, and measure their way to victory.
Want to learn more? We wrote the rulebook on advertising automation, and you can download it right here (not to ring our own bell, but it’s probably more reliable than the rulebook for wrestling!) Read all about how the complexity and fragmentation of the ad industry have created an urgent need for automation, and how a comprehensive automation system can give you the confidence to earn championship wins for your organization. We’ll be in the front row cheering you on!
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 10/28/22 – 11/3/22 to stay ahead of the curve:
It’s been just days since Elon Musk officially purchased Twitter, but boy has he been busy: Fire CEO and top executives? Check. Give the directive to investigate reviving Vine? Check. Convene with concerned advertisers to discuss brand safety? Check. Post a tweet that links to a site known to publish fake news? …Also check. Where to from here? Who the heck knows.
In other brand safety news: Apple faced some severe outcry when they allowed gambling ads to appear under apps designed to help users overcome gambling addiction. It’s a brand safety hiccup that perhaps speaks to Apple’s relative lack of experience managing an ad platform.
As the holidays approach, brands are grappling with the realities of inflation (see: Amazon predicting its lowest holiday sales growth ever). For their holiday campaign, Kohl’s has opted to face it head-on: They’re running with the tagline “More Gifts. More Savings.” They’re also leveraging social media creators to craft content surrounding savings hacks, as well as shoppable influencer gift guides via a mobile-focused strategy.
This year, US programmatic video ad spend is forecast to hit $62.96 billion (that’s up more than $10 billion from last year!) For advertisers in need of a refresher on how to make the most of this channel, this piece is for you.
Speaking of digital video: All eyes are on Netflix as their ad-supported tier launches on November 3. Though their COO and chief product officer told investors there has been “very strong” demand for ad inventory leading up to the launch, only time will tell if the platform will be able to give advertisers what they want.
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