• by Anto Chittilappilly , Op-Ed Contributor, January 14, 2016

The Internet of Things is driving rapid change in consumer behavior and content consumption, including advertising consumption. According to a recent study conducted by Adobe, the average U.S. adult uses six different devices to connect to the Internet.

Connected devices extend beyond just desktop computers, smartphones and tablets.  Now they also include wearables like Fitbits and Apple Watches, gaming consoles like PlayStation and Xbox, and home appliances like smart refrigerators, thermostats and even lightbulbs. The proliferation of connected devices has forced marketers to try new advertising tactics to keep up with consumers’ multiscreen world.

Five cutting-edge tactics that stand out from last year are:

• Location-based advertising: This tactic has reached a new level of sophistication otherwise impossible without connected devices.  Geo-fencing targeting strategies go beyond geographic targeting by enabling advertisers to serve a specific ad to individuals based on their exact location. For example, a CPG manufacturer could serve an ad with a retailer-specific coupon when a consumer is near one of the retailer’s locations.
• Device-aware advertising: Not only can advertising be tailored to the individual’s exact location, but it can also be tailored to his or her device and apps. The message and the call-to-action may change depending on whether the ad is delivered via a gaming console, wearable, or desktop computer.
• Native advertising: Consumers no longer rely on the homepage of a major Web portal to get their digital news, and thus, advertisers can’t simply rely on a 300x250 homepage banner to deliver their message. Instead, consumers have a multitude of news sources and apps that they subscribe to. This has resulted in an increase in native advertising, where the advertising message seamlessly integrates within the editorial of these various publishers.
• Social media advertising: Marketers cannot ignore social media as consumers’ daily time spent with these platforms continues to grow. Originally, social media was used for connecting and sharing with friends and colleagues. Now consumers also turn to these platforms to solve challenges through the collective contributions of others. For example, Waze has changed the way drivers avoid traffic jams. Rather than waiting for the periodic traffic report on their local radio station, users can immediately identify and avoid traffic jams directly from their Waze app.
• Online video advertising: Online video advertising is growing significantly faster than other marketing channels as consumers turn to digital channels for their video content. Developing digital video assets for the specific purpose of online video advertising has become standard for most marketers, while gaining the rights to run traditional TV commercials online used to be a barrier.

Creative and media-buying teams have adapted to these new trends. Marketers can slice and dice their messages for each individual as never before. But as audience segments become more granular, the ability to understand what’s working and what’s not becomes increasingly complex. That’s why marketing measurement needs to adapt, too.

Not every marketing tactic will be effective for a given advertiser. It’s important that advertisers are able to test and measure new tactics using the same currency they use to measure the rest of their advertising.

Advanced measurement technologies enable marketers to measure the effectiveness of every dimension of their advertising, including device type, location, audience segment, creative version, ad format, and more. Multidimensional measurement can fuel a closed-loop marketing cycle even as new channels and tactics are introduced into the mix.