• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, May 26, 2020

Marketers need to understand where, when and how consumers plan to engage with advertising as they step back into advertising. 

Ninety percent of respondents to a survey released today said they still want to see ads targeted to them as long as they are relevant and useful.

Adobe Advertising Cloud commissioned a survey of more than 1,000 global consumers and 500 brand marketers and found that consumers overwhelmingly still want to see ads.

Brand marketers believe consumers want ads showcasing them how brands engage with communities and how they help people, but nearly 20% are more likely to believe this than everyday consumers.

It’s time to move beyond COVID-19 ads celebrating community and focus on everyday essentials and things that take the minds of Americans away from the crisis.

"There is no one-size fits all formula, but opportunities certainly exist for brands to return to advertising and capitalize on pockets of opportunity," said Ryan Fleisch, head of product marketing at Adobe Advertising Cloud. "Following advertising best practices like nimble and granular segmentation, messaging authenticity, and ability to move with customers across devices and channels are no longer a “nice to have” they are mission-critical right now."

Adobe’s data sees an increase in spending among millennial men and those who are employed full-time. More than half of millennial men are shopping and spending more online than they did prior to the pandemic, and 48% of all consumers employed full time are doing the same.

Despite being the generation most negatively impacted economically by COVID-19, 40% of Gen Z respondents said they want luxury or non-essential brand advertising directed to them.

Connected TV and video see increases in ad dollar spend, up on average of 32% more according to brand marketers. Two-thirds of Americans are turning to premium content more than pre-pandemic, yet ad prices are dropping significantly, according to Adobe. 

Fleisch estimates between 5% and 10% reduction in CPMs on average, but as high as 25% in certain pockets during the past month.

Brands answering a specific need have better experiences with consumers. The findings suggest 56% of consumers will be receptive to it, even if they were unfamiliar with the brand name prior to COVID.