Welcome To AdTech Weekly
Brand Advertising Is Alive And Well
We spend a lot of our time listening to people talk about the future of advertising. While we focus mostly on digital, the industry as a whole is in a liminal state. The transformative power of technology has had a direct influence on advertising in all of its forms, and not just the digital space.
There’s no denying the transition we find ourselves in; we hear weekly about companies tweaking its advertising strategies. This week, news of P&G rethinking part of their ad strategy at Facebook spread like wildfire. The world’s largest advertiser has decided that highly targeted advertisements may not be what they’re looking for as a company.
The way we define advertising is constantly in flux. On the one hand, brands are pushing customer targeting to new levels and on the other, brands are returning to their advertising roots and focusing on branding and awareness.
Take this fantastic advertisement from Nike as an example. The “Unlimited You” campaign has already been watched by 21-million people online. The video was published six days ago. It’s an obvious example of how embracing a multi-faceted advertising strategy can pay enormous dividends. In this case, Nike took their campaign to both YouTube and Facebook. The numbers also tell an interesting story, 21-million people watched the video on YouTube, while 5.2-million watched the video on Facebook.
If you’re looking to find people who want to buy something immediately, targeting is something you should be embracing, but if you hope to increase awareness and purchasing desire for your target market, there are other avenues to build momentum. A multi-touchpoint approach to advertising will always return better results than relying on one platform.
I didn’t click through on the Nike campaign and immediately buy a pair of shoes, but my goodness, do I find myself wanting to purchase a bunch of stuff from Nike. I also found myself sharing that advertisement with my colleagues at BuySellAds. I’m not sure of the last time I did that with an in-feed direct response ad on Facebook.
Well done, Nike. My goodness.
Todd Garland, CEO, and Founder at BuySellAds
AdTech News And Editorial
The biggest advertiser in the world just reminded us why Facebook wants to be TV
We got a reminder of that today, when the Wall Street Journal reported that P&G, the world’s biggest advertiser, was going to pull back on the targeted ads it was running on Facebook, because targeted ads weren’t helping P&G sell Tide and Pampers.
But P&G is increasing its TV budget.
Facebook will now block your ad blocker
The social network announced in a blog post on Tuesday that it is now circumventing ad blockers so that desktop users will see ads regardless of whether they have the software installed.
HEIST is a big DEAL
At this year’s BLACK HAT conference in Las Vegas, Belgian researchers Mathy Vanhoef and Tom Van Goethem demonstrated a newly discovered technique where JavaScript loaded by a third-party is able to circumvent the encryption of HTTPS and capture data from the page its loaded on.
FTC to Crack Down on Paid Celebrity Posts That Aren’t Clear Ads
The agency says brands and the social media stars who promote their products need to be more transparent about sponsored content.
Desktop Display Ad Blocking Rate Static in Germany
It seems as though for years advertisers have been fretting about ad blockers while consumers have been singing their praises. But perception and reality are sometimes different things: In Germany, at least, Bundersverband Digitale Wirtschaft (BVDW) and Online-Vermarkterkreis (OVK) report that the share of desktop display ads blocked has been virtually static for the past year, and in fact dipped under 20% in Q2 2016.
IAB releases its 2016 Mixx Awards shortlist
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has revealed the shortlist for this year’s 12th annual Mixx Awards, which honors the best in digital marketing.
Programmatic
Programmatic video spend set to rise but hurdles still to be overcome
Programmatic spend on video is set to rocket in the next year, with over 80% of respondents to a survey conducted by The Drum in association with The Trade Desk expecting to increase budget allocated to it.
Ad Of The Week
Ad Of The Week: Unlimited You
Life isn’t about finding your limits. It’s about realizing you have none.
Acquisitions
Dentsu Aegis To Acquire Merkle, CRM And Database Marketing Giant | AdExchanger
Japanese holding company Dentsu Aegis Network will acquire a majority stake in Maryland-based Merkle – a CRM and performance marketing specialist – and one of the largest independent digital agencies.