Millward Brown has released its annual digital and media predictions for the year ahead, which identifies the need for marketers to “empower” programmatic media buying systems in an effort to do more than simply access cheaper and more targeted impressions.
To make the transition, the report states that marketers will need to build creative that can be customised and “seamlessly delivered” by media buying algorithms. Millward Brown says brands that achieve this will be able to “create a new form of dynamic and relevant storytelling.”
At the same time, Millward Brown says that marketers will need to “ensure the advantages that come from programmatic targeting are not delivered at the expense of other key campaign objectives,” such as communicating brand messages and building longevity.
According to the report, successful programmatic providers will increasingly differentiate themselves based on their ability to deliver campaigns that not only drive behaviours, but also improve brand metrics.
“To date, the debate around programmatic media has been firmly centred on the ‘how’ of operations and behavioural metrics such as cost per click,” said Duncan Southgate, global brand director for digital at Millward Brown.
“In 2015 we expect marketers to be equally focused on the benefits programmatic may be able to bring to building meaningful brands and the opportunities to leverage it more creatively.”
Millward Brown’s predictions also state that as native advertising becomes an established medium, advertisers should partner with “best-in-class publishers” who strike the right balance between advertising and editorial.
“New and exciting” paid marketing opportunities are expected to emerge on micro-video platforms, while location-based marketing opportunities “will become powerful when brands focus on consumers’ interests rather than on their own.”
“Native, micro-video and location-based marketing are disparate technologies, but they are connected by marketers’ desire to deliver more relevant communication,” added Southgate.
“A key challenge for marketers in 2015 will be balancing identification of the perfect marketing moment with a need to generate cost-effective scale and reach.”
