Article

Phil Livingstone
Phil Livingstone 26 September 2016

Breaking the Digital Creative Stalemate

We’ve built the platforms, we’ve joined together several applications, we can reach and engage customers at scale and literally connected thousands of data points...and yet a rotating banner ad is served to a user. Why? Is that the best we've got?

I’m not totally bought into the concept of a fully programmatic future, without its partner in crime...creativity. Technology has advanced very quickly to enable pinpoint accuracy of people-based targeting with advanced optimisation capabilities but this is only half the story. Personalised messaging programmed, triggered by signals isn’t new but why aren’t more brands and advertisers experimenting with this?

We’ve built the platforms, we’ve joined together several applications, we can reach and engage customers at scale and literally connected thousands of data points...and yet a rotating banner ad is served to a user. Why? Is that the best we've got?

For all the innovation across digital marketing, it is outside of digital that we sometimes need to look for creativity in advertising.

We need to get out of the display rut and come together as a community and an industry to develop new and exciting ways to deliver advertising messages in the digital age.

If there is to be any sort of strategy against the ad blocking community then surely this is a good place to start? Better ads, better placement, sensible amount of ads on a page and relevant to the audience viewing it.

We can do better than a 30 second TV ad converted to video running on digital channels. Right? In London, we have the best creative types in the world that are itching (literally) to ahem ‘be creative’. Templated content driven sites and direct response targets shouldn’t be a barrier to this. As well as the technology we now need a collective and concerted effort to improve our creative output.

Intelligent creative, where each user is exposed to a brand’s message that adapts, changes and is personalised to them, regardless of the device or site they’re on. Will the segment of one ever become mainstream?

I’m not saying that personalised delivery is right for every campaign. Horses for courses.

The only thing missing then is to convince advertisers and brands to partner with progressive media owners wishing to break the creative stalemate.

Creative agencies, start your engines. Brands, put your brave faces on.

RIP banners.

 

@phillivingstone

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/iamphillivingstone

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