Save the Creative
Every online advertising campaign is different. Objectives, messaging and overall strategy depend on what is being advertised, where, to whom, and to what end. Advertisers have been making media buys and evaluating campaign success based on these factors for decades. Online marketers know no one media mix will prove most effective for everyone. Why, then, do so many insist on cycling through the same creative?
The creative, or actual image, being shown in any given advertising placement is the single most important aspect of any online advertising campaign, and not only for reasons a brand manager would recite, like positioning and brand identity. Creative are golden opportunities to connect with consumers on a personalized level, to increase brand equity and to drive engagement through relevant content that augments the site’s focus.
Think about it. It seems obvious that creative running on the New York Times home page would send a different message than those serving across Facebook. After all, you’re reaching different users with different interests and divergent needs. If an objective is to target multiple demographics, it should be obvious based on creative content.
For advertisers running online campaigns, creative should be customized based on where they will serve and who will see them. For publishers managing those campaigns, creative should be optimized based on back end performance metrics and current observations. Otherwise, brands miss out on the benefits niche online environments provide to engage consumers and drive behavior.
Rachel
Tags: Online Advertising
