• by Jeremy Carlin , Op-Ed Contributor, June 8, 2016

"One size fits all.” It’s an expression that made perfect sense in the age of mass production, but has no place in the world of digital advertising, in which flexibility and innovation rule the day.

Yet that’s exactly how many creative self-service platforms treat their clients.

In this era of big data and mass personalization, consumers routinely use technology to shape their worlds precisely to their likes and dislikes.

From Spotify playlists, to the friends and celebrities they follow on Twitter and the communities in which they take part online and IRL, a one-size-fits-all approach just doesn’t work in today’s digital ecosystem.

The same logic holds true for advertising creative and technology. Targeting data, dynamic creative personalization and programmatic delivery have combined to ensure no two users are likely to ever have the same ad experience.

The same holds true for agencies, publishers and platforms. The sheer number of ad-tech providers all but guarantees no two entities will ever share the same set of partners and protocols.

So why limit their choices when it comes to developing high-impact ad creative?

A common complaint heard all too often from frustrated clients:  "I use their self-service platform, but their customer service is virtually non-existent."  

Sure, self-service is an easy way to bring in revenue without paying a lot of people to interact with the customer. This model functions well for clients who have large design and development teams, but most do not.

Companies that force clients to use their tools without the support required for them to thrive are effectively strangling the very creativity the tools are meant to unleash.

Leaving them to figure things out on their own wastes precious time, under-utilizes the expertise of their partners and leaves clients stranded on a digital island to fend for themselves.

An even greater consequence is that we’re threatened with another extended period in which standard banners and IAB Rising Stars become the mainstay of online advertising creative – yikes!

While those units have their place, both consumers and the industry are pining for advertisers to express themselves in more innovative ways.

Prioritizing flexibility, service and the creative needs of clients ahead of the bottom line will avoid paralyzing them in an approach that simply isn’t productive for the industry. Whether you’re a self-service platform, a managed-service provider or a hybrid of the two, taking even small steps toward delivering the service clients deserve will make advertising creative great again.

And in the long run, it is likely to improve revenue, too.