Commentary

Logging In: In the Long Run

A few words for whoever called creative the last mile

Logging In: In the Long Run

I want a word with whoever first threw around the "last mile" bit about creative in the display-ad ecosystem. It's fair enough, I suppose, to leave the creative as the "last mile" these days. If you look at the degree of innovation that's occurred in how display ads are bought, targeted and trafficked in the last two years alone, there's a lot to be proud of. We can buy the right audiences using sophisticated algorithms instead of inefficient spreadsheets. We can do amazing things like bid differently for different audiences based on their value to us - in real time - and effectively cherry-pick from publisher inventory. This is a giant leap forward in the promise of display advertising. 

Except, as a consumer, I couldn't possibly care less. Stop anyone on the street and ask them if they think banner ads have gotten more or less relevant to them as they browse the Web. Ask anyone who doesn't read this magazine if they've noticed the giant leap forward in the promise of display advertising. The question is, what has this major innovation done for the conversations we're supposed to be having with our customers? 

Truth be told, a lot. This innovation of DSPs, third-party data providers, and the ecosystem around them has built the necessary infrastructure for display ads to finally improve. But the "last mile" of creative optimization is the single most important element of any ad campaign, and it's the first point of contact with your target customer. If your ads aren't informational or useful to your customer, all the real-time bidding in the world isn't going to save your campaign. Creative is the first mile from your customer's perspective.

While it's true that consumers will never actually admit to liking any banner ad, there are certainly things we as marketers can do to take advantage of the innovation going on right now to build ads that are actually useful to our customers. Think: Your Web site is essentially a great big ad, where someone can interact with your site to get some task accomplished (one would hope). Nobody walks around saying they're "sick of Web sites on the Web." Our challenge is not to get consumers to tolerate our ads, but to get our ads to stop being ads for a change.
 
Here's an example: If you're an airline, instead of saying "The Most Flights to Europe," why not target only in-market travelers (or those that have some implied intent to become in-market travelers) to Europe with actual routes and fares that might appeal to them? Airlines have Web sites with great deals, great fares and great experiences to bring to their consumers. There are consumers out there who want to travel with you, but just don't know it. Same goes for retail. My fiancée wants a green dress. Nordstrom has lots of green dresses. She browses the Web all day ...

Now that the buying efficiency is here, we can finally drive more roi with our display ads. Now that better data is here, we can finally target the right audience, wherever they're browsing. Now it's time to nail that first creative mile of interaction with our customers.

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