Great Examples of Father’s Day Ads
Father’s Day is coming soon! Did you know that since 2009, the average spend on Father’s Day presents has increased from $90 to $196? More people are looking to gift their fathers a unique gift or something that can create a special memory. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF)’s 2023 survey, 75% of people plan to celebrate this special day. They also revealed the top 3 gift categories that increased in popularity were: Greeting Cards (61%) Clothing (55%) Special Outings (52%) It’s interesting to see “Special Outings” get a big boost, as we bounce back from COVID. When we first published this blog in 2021, the top three categories were Personal Care, Home Gardening, and Tools and Appliances which reflected the year where everyone was staying at home. Like our Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day blogs, we will be sharing some examples of Father’s Day ads we think are pretty great! Why? As an advertising agency, we love a good ad that is creative and connects with the target audience. We try to publish these “Top Ad” blogs a few weeks before to get you in the mood for the special day. Editor’s Note: This blog will serve as a living document. We will be updating it each year with more Father’s Day ads we think are neat! Macy’s Macy’s ad charmingly showcases the bond between three generations and the timeless tradition of passing down style and classic items to their sons. What sets this campaign apart is its clever inclusion of a curated selection of products readily available at Macy’s stores. By featuring these items, it provides a convenient and thoughtful solution for viewers to find the perfect gifts for their own fathers. Durex We absolutely love Durex’s cheeky approach in their Father’s Day ad campaigns. Their straight-to-the-point and humorous ads not only make us laugh but also solidify their position as the industry’s top leader. The message that they’re one of the last line of defense from men becoming fathers, it definitely captures your attention effectively and you’ll probably recall this ad next time you’re in the family planning aisle! Father’s Day is in June, and it also happens to be Pride Month, so Durex decided to hit two birds with one stone with this Instagram post. It’s all about inclusivity and celebrating all types of dads and father figures. They’re spreading the love to gay dads, straight dads, trans dads, and everyone in between. Whether you’re a biological dad, an adoptive dad, or even just a proud dog dad, Durex celebrates all dads! McDonald’s McDonald’s Canada ingeniously leveraged the power of their iconic and catchy jingle in an Instagram post for Father’s Day. The clever use of their brand’s signature jingle not only reinforces their identity but also creates a memorable and engaging experience for viewers. Aviation Gin If you follow our other blogs, you know we love a good Ryan Reynold ad, especially since he’s a Vancouver boy! In 2018, Reynolds acquired a stake in Aviation Gin. Since then, he’s been promoting the brand with his star power and signature humor. In this ad, he teaches you how to make a tasty cocktail for Father’s Day, cheekily named, “The Vasectomy” with deadpan delivery. You can really celebrate the “joys” the fatherhood, wink wink. But we actually like the humor and the camerawork and lighting actually makes the cocktail very fresh and tasty. The gin featured is also a star in this ad. Nike Nike tells compelling stories with barely any dialogue. It shows a dad coaching his daughter basketball, and her trying her best, practicing shooting hoops. The camera focuses on the basketball shoes in the beginning, giving the audience a good look at the product, the bounce in the step, and the colorful design. But what they’re selling are moments like this, bonding through sports and forming forever memories! Oreo This 30-second video shows a typical slice-of-life scene for dads with little ones. But it’s a heartwarming one. Something as simple as milk and cookies as a late-night snack with dad could mean the world to a kid. The messaging isn’t only Oreo is a tasty snack, but to also cherish the moment with your loved ones, no matter if the gesture is big or small. Volkswagen The print ad’s caption at the very bottom says, “no matter how old you get, you still have a lot to learn from him.” Not only does it echo the notion that fathers know best, but it’s also Volkswagon’s way to show off how long they have been in the automobile game. The beetle is absolutely iconic and still going strong. The visual also is an easy contrast between the latest model with the old.Selling your brand AND complimenting dads? That’s an effective message and a win-win situation! Gilette Being a caregiver for an aging parent is tough. It can be emotionally taxing as it is rewarding. Razors are a typical Father’s Day gift, and typically it’s the father teaching a teenage son how to use it, so this reverse portrayal of an adult child assisting his aging father was a nice change. It’s raw and intimate. At the end of the cilp, Gilette states that over 4000 types of razors are designed to shave oneself, but none are designed to shave another person. Wow, that makes the introduction of the product even more impactful—the first razor designed for assisted shaving. We think it’s a great ad that perfectly showcases the product and unique value proposition — all while tugging on your heartstrings! Dove Dove debuted this commercial in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a compilation of videos and images shot on mobile since everyone was staying at home. The videos capture sweet and humorous moments between dads and their children. We love that they also take the time to acknowledge fathers working on the frontlines, those juggling working from home and being a dad. The montage is diverse, candid, relatable, and authentic. Star Wars Here is an ad produced by
How the Metaverse will Change the Internet & Marketing
Welcome to the future. You might have heard the term “Web 3.0” pop up everywhere. It’s the concept of the next generation of the Internet. Currently, we’re at the Web 2.0 stage. Let’s say you have an awesome Instagram account. Meta is the one that owns the content you create on there. They reserve the right to ban your account. As we move towards a new age of the Internet, users will have more autonomy and control over their online creations, identities, digital assets, etc. There’s no doubt Web 3.0 will complement the Metaverse, which is what we’ll be focusing on today. We’ll explore what the Metaverse is, how the concept came about, how it will change the technology landscape, and how marketing comes into play. Here are the topics we’ll cover: What is the Metaverse? How Did the Concept of Metaverse Originate? Why is the Metaverse Being Developed Now? Layers of the Metaverse Misconceptions of the Metaverse How Metaverse Will Revolutionalize the Internet? Opportunities for Marketers in the Metaverse Predictions for the Future Editor’s Note : One thing to note is that Facebook (now known as Meta) is working on building the “Metaverse,” but other tech giants like Google are also developing their own. When we say “metaverse” in this article, we will be referring to this new concept as a whole, not just Facebook’s “Meta.” Without further ado, let’s jump right into it! What is the Metaverse If you Google the term “metaverse,” there might be countless definitions, but here is what you need to know. It is a virtual world where people can interact, socialize, conduct business and enjoy entertainment. It would be a virtual world powered by the Internet, physical reality, and augmented reality (AR). Metaverse is the blend of the words “meta” (beyond) and “universe,” which is the term used to describe the futuristic version of the Internet. Practically, the metaverse will be creating brand new experiences people want, offering new marketplaces to engage in commerce, and digital asset ownership that gets used in the world you interact with. Here is Adobe’s mockup of what a day in the life of augmented reality might look like: How Did the Concept of Metaverse Originate The term “metaverse” was first coined in 1992 in the novel “Snow Crash” by Neal Stephenson. It’s about a dystopian society triggered by a pandemic (sound familiar?), which features a computer-generated world where users can interact in that’s made up of software and a worldwide fiber-optic network. The concept of technology enabling us to be immersed in a virtual environment has been around for a while. Before that, you can see other metaverse-like concepts in 1982’s Tron and 1989’s Power Gloves by Nintendo. Why is the Metaverse Being Developed Now We’re at the precipice of the creation of a new version of the Internet. Aside from Facebook and Google, other companies like Epic Games (Fortnite), Microsoft (Minecraft), Roblox etc. are working on their own version of the metaverse. Take a quick look at how many companies are currently working on developing something related to a metaverse: In April 2022, Lego announced that they partnered up with Epic Games (who created Fortnite) and are working to develop a kid-friendly metaverse that’s safe, interactive, and enjoyable. You can see that it’s not just a fad but a tangible concept big companies are investing in heavily.Hot take: in a sense, Tech titans like Google, Amazon, and Facebook are the middleman of the economy.On one side, we have brands selling products and services, and on the other end are the consumers. Advertising platforms are in the middle, selling these brands and pushing people to purchase, funneling them through the customer journey, again and again, pushing the economy along.The metaverse isn’t created only for gamers; the goal is to create a new Internet landscape for people of all ages and walks of life to enjoy.Sure, Virtual Reality has been gaining popularity in the past few years: Steam, Oculus, etc. have all been developing VR headsets and games for home consumption. But, COVID-19 was what shifted the general population online more than ever: Virtual meetings Live-streamed events Real-time gatherings taking place in games Snapchat filters that make you grow a beard Eyeglasses brands that enable you to try on glasses virtually These examples are all experiences gearing us up for a metaverse future. There is a higher demand for user input, new experiences, and better visuals. Online social events are becoming mainstream, and it’s a channel that brands shouldn’t miss out on. Layers of the Metaverse Just how many components will make up the metaverse? More than you think! Jon Radoff, an entrepreneur and game tech expert, created an informative slide deck on the metaverse. In it, he highlights the seven layers of the metaverse. We’ll break it down from the core. Infrastructure The infrastructure of the metaverse will be the hardware, software, and materials. For example, WiFi, Cloud storage, 5G (or even 6G), etc. Human Interface How will people enter and interact in the metaverse? This could be through mobile, tablet, desktop, or wearable technology like a VR headset or smartglasses. Maybe even layer in voice input and gesture tracking! Decentralization An interconnected, independent, and privately-owned system of computers will work together and provide private and secure access to the metaverse. Spatial Computing Ah, this is where we get technical. Tech experts will collaborate and develop geospatial mapping, 3D engines, VR, AR, user interface etc. Creator Economy As mentioned earlier, many companies are currently working on contributing to this layer. They will create tools and market assets for other companies (such as advertisers) to use. Discovery Here’s the layer where users gain entry to the metaverse. It could be through a browser, social platform, app store, ad network, etc. Experience Experience is the layer that internet users will enjoy. The metaverse is delivered in through games, social media, content consumption (such as theatre, video), online shopping, advertising, etc. It’s going to take a lot of moving pieces and brilliant
A Guide to Ad Creative Best Practices
You don’t need to be a designer or novelist to create an effective ad. Ever wondered how you can improve your click-through rate? What about maximizing your landing page performance? Or even what the best performing ad sizes are? Learn all this and more in our Creative Best Practices resource! As an agency that’s been in the advertising industry for over a decade, we’ve implemented thousands of ads for our clients. You can say we know a thing or two about what works and what doesn’t. We created this beautiful resource to share our insights and expertise. Why? Because when it comes to advertising, we believe in quality and effectiveness. Plus, who doesn’t want more clicks and conversions? This handy PDF guide on ad creative best practices focuses on display ads and landing page design. Learn how to create best-in-class visuals, copy, Call-To-Actions, and more! Whether you’re a small business looking to get started with digital marketing, or an advertising veteran that just wants a refresh — we’ve got you covered. Why You Need It Tips For Optimizations With practical tips and visual examples, optimizing your ad copy and landing page has never been easier. Detailed Breakdown We analyze every component in both display ad creatives and landing pages. Learn how to get your ad messaging out effectively Marketers of All Levels Whether you’re new to digital marketing or already a seasoned pro, this 30+ page eBook is packed with tips to elevate your ad strategy. Say hello to better ad creative today Download Now
A Marketer’s Guide to Online Travel Agencies (OTAs)
Ahoy! Welcome to our guide to Online Travel Agencies (OTAs). Did you know experts predict that in 2022, the travel industry’s ad spend will increase by 36%? Global travel is beginning to recover: travel and tourism marketers are gearing up to welcome travelers again, especially with the pent-up demand from the pandemic! Expedia presented this ad at the 2022 Superbowl, featuring Ewan McGregor: The messaging speaks to how travel is what enriches our lives and those experiences are what stays with us forever. Travel marketers need to get the customer journey right because the experience starts with someone researching their next travel destination. The travel customer journey has 5 stages: Dreaming Planning Booking Exploring Remembering Online Travel Agencies can inspire, influence, and convert travelers at every single stage. In this blog, we will be focusing on what they are, how they work, and why it’s an excellent channel for travel and tourism brands and organizations to advertise on. Here’s an overview of the topics we’ll cover: What are Online Travel Agencies (OTAs)? Examples of OTAs How Do Online Travel Agencies Work? How Do OTAs Make Money? Who Should List on an OTA? Why Do Travelers Like Booking Through OTAs? Why Should You Advertise on Online Travel Agencies? Most Common Types of Advertising on OTAs How We Can Elevate Your Travel Ad Strategy What are Online Travel Agencies (OTAs)? An Online Travel Agency is a one-stop shop for travel. They are the self-serve alternative to an offline travel agency. Directly on an OTA website, people can: Conduct research Compare prices Read reviews Book hotel and/or flights Rent cars Purchase vacation packages and more Online Travel Agencies are extremely popular because they offer a wide variety of options and a simplified process. They are essentially a third-party service that resells services on behalf of airlines, hotels, car and bus rental companies, etc. They often offer package deals like “Hotel + Flight + Rental Car”, or flash sales for specific dates or destinations. Because of this, OTAs are the most significant source of online bookings in the travel industry, boasting millions of visitors every day. Editor’s Note: Metasearch ads are similar but different. They exclusively focus on search and booking functions for hotels. Examples are Google Hotel Ads and Tripadvisor. We will build out a page for Metasearch in the near future. OTAs act as a marketing channel and distribution channel. Companies that list on OTAs leverage the platform for brand awareness to drive bookings and sales. Examples of Online Travel Agencies Aside from Airbnb, the OTA industry is dominated by two major groups: Booking.com and Expedia. Bookings.com owns the following products: Priceline Kayak Agoda Cheapflights OpenTable Momondo Rentalcars.com Expedia owns the following products: Hotels.com vrbo trivago Orbitz Travelocity Hotwire Wotif Expedia Cruises Egencia CarRentals.com How Do Online Travel Agencies Work? Online Travel Agency websites are easy to navigate as they were created to be conversion-driven websites to let people make an informed decision and efficiently book. Most of these OTAs have mobile apps optimized for easy user access. Here’s an example of Expedia’s mobile app layout: For example, a hotel can list on Expedia, and it will show up when someone types “hotels in Orange County” in the search bar. People can read all about its amenities, browse images of its rooms, and read hundreds of reviews and more. They can then compare prices with hotel listings and book either on the OTA or directly with the hotel itself. How Do OTAs Make Money? For OTAs like Expedia, There are no upfront fees. Instead, a commission is charged to the company for each booking made on the Online Travel Agency site. The amount is typically a percentage of the overall sale and varies amongst different OTAs, but typically falls between 5 to 25%. Note: If you’re interested in investing in the growing OTA market, you can consider using SoFi Invest. This user-friendly platform offers a range of investment options tailored to suit your financial goals and risk tolerance, allowing you to diversify your portfolio and potentially benefit from the expanding online travel industry. Who Should List on an OTA? Online Travel Agencies are great for both big and small players in the travel industry. Why? Smaller or independent hotels might not have their own booking engines, so OTAs might be the sole source and driver of bookings. Big hotel groups like Hilton, or Marriot own subbrands and offer their own loyalty programs. They still list on OTAs to get in front of as many travelers as possible. OTAs can reach all types of travelers around the world, and it’s an essential channel for travel vendors to diversify their audience reach. Why Do Travelers Like Booking Through Online Travel Agencies (OTAs)? The main reasons travelers like to book their trips on Online Travel Agencies are because the website and/or accomodating app is easy to navigate, which provides a smooth user experience. It grants them access to a global catalogue of accommodations and attractions, all while bypassing the traditional route of booking through a travel agent. OTAs also offer personalized recommendations based on the user’s interests and traveling patterns. There’s no doubt that the trend of travel bookings are moving online: 90% of travelers conduct their research online 82% of travelers end up booking online 76% of hotel shoppers book online via OTA A survey revealed the top 10 reasons travelers prefer using OTAs. Why Should You Advertise on Online Travel Agencies? OTAs are a reliable marketing channel to: Grow brand awareness Increase ad reach and bookings Test promotions Stimulate sales by creating a sense of urgency (i.e., 47 people are currently viewing this hotel) Reach international audiences that otherwise would be expensive to advertise to through other channels Travelers use OTAs to compare travel options 50% more than hotel websites. We elaborate on other benefits of investing in OTAs: Wider Reach with Less Investment You have definitely seen TV, magazine, and online ads for Expedia or Airbnb. These OTA titans invest millions of dollars for brand awareness each year, trying to
First Party Data and Advertising: How Does It Work?
First Party Data has got the “it” factor for marketers now, but why? We’ll be talking about what makes this type of data so desirable and the types of ads associated with it. Here are the topics we will cover: First, Second & Third Party Data Benefits of First Party Data Lead Ads Survey Ads How to Run First Party Ads First, Second & Third Party Data It’s 2022 and the retirement of Third Party cookies is coming soon (in 2024). For a long time, marketers have relied on Third Party data to target consumers. Advertising has always been content-based and contextual. Let’s say, our brand sells craft beer and our target demographic are male sports fans. We would serve digital ads on sports-themed websites. On top of that, with Third Party Data, we were able to target people who visited these pages and share an interest across the internet. However, the emphasis is starting to shift away from Third Party. Google announced the removal of Third Party cookies. They also introduced the Google Privacy Sandbox which offers alternative data-tracking options. So, the marketing industry had to a find new solution. Even Facebook and Google are recommending brand advertisers to focus on collecting First Party Data. Before we begin, here’s a quick refresher on types of data available: What is First Party Data? This is information you collect directly from your audience. You own the data that is collected through interactions with your brand. It can be from signing up for your newsletter or filling out a form to download an eBook. The use of First Party Data lets you hyper-target a specific audience. They can come from: Behavior and actions tracked on your website, app, or product Social Media Surveys Lead Forms and more What is Second Party Data? This type of data is another organization’s First Party Data. You would purchase it directly with the organization that collected the data. It’s different from Third Party data, in which you work with data aggregators. Direct interaction is required with your organization of choice that collected the data. Buyers and sellers agree on terms, then exchange data. What is Third Party Data? Aggregators will collect data and sell them to advertisers. Third Party Data contains information about other companies, such as firmographic and technographic data or groups of people who may share: common interests, demography, or online behavior. It enables advertisers to reach a broader audience. All three types give you relevant data to make informed business decisions. Benefits of First Party Data First Party Data will be proprietary to you and can enhance your digital marketing efforts. Here are some other benefits: Better targeting Better understanding of the customer journey stages Insights into customer lifetime value Helps refine a more personalized brand experience It’ll give you an in-depth look at your target audience, leads, and customer base as well. We will discuss two types of ads that are great options to run to collect this type of data. Read on! Lead Ads Lead Generation is one of the most common marketing objectives for businesses. People provide their contact information in exchange for something that benefits them. You can typically find Lead Ads on a landing page or a lead generation ad on social media! These ads help find prospective customers and gather data, such as interests and behaviors. Lead Ads are used by all types of industries. Some of the most common industries are eCommerce, SaaS, B2B, and real estate. Once a user submits their contact information, the data will be stored in the backend, like Facebook or Hubspot. You’ll be able to follow up with the leads afterward. The process is set up to be automated. You can use Lead Forms to: Book appointments, schedule demos etc Grow newsletter list Increase sign-ups, downloads of e-resources, and more Types of Lead Ads to Run Downloadables Reservations Contests…etc Here are some examples of Lead Ads: Benefits of Lead Ads Generates brand awareness for your product or service offering Makes it easy to for advertisers to qualify leads from custom fields Directly syncs with the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) of your choice Hyper-targeted audience segments mean high value data to be collected How to choose the right advertising channel? Survey Ads Survey Ads are a type of Display Ad. They break the mold of traditional banner ads because they’re engaging! Users are prompted to answer a relevant question. You’ll be able to set a target audience and receive real responses from the users. It’s a great and affordable way to conduct market and customer research. Industries that often use these ads are automotive, travel & tourism, telecom, and retail, but it can work for any business. Here are some examples of survey ads: Benefits of Survey Ads Generates First Party Data from targeted audiences such as their interests Further audience segmentation after the survey to create customized ad experiences Drives purchase decisions Improves Brand Interaction and Brand Recognition It increases the Click-Through Rate (CTR) of the ad How Do You Run Ads to Collect First Party Data? To sum it all up: First Party Data is accurate and can provide better insights — it’s going to be the future (for now, until something new comes along). It’s a great push for us marketers to prioritize creating long-lasting customer relationships! Now you’re thinking, awesome — how do I start? War Room is an agency that specializes in programmatic advertising. We have partnerships with 90,000+ publishers with premium ad spaces. This means ad buying is direct and costs less, compared to when you buy ad space on the Google Display Network on your own. Plus, we strategize and execute ads that align with your business goals. We’re experts in building campaigns that make the most of your ad dollars and drive results. Fill out the form below for a free consultation and see if we are a good fit for you! Let’s Work Together Are you thinking of building a First Party Data ad strategy?Speak with one of our advertising experts today! Contact
What is Audio Advertising?
Listen up! Audio advertising is a new, growing “stream” of digital advertising that is a force to be reckoned with, and the COVID-19 pandemic is fueling the consumption of audio as it serves as on-the-go escapism. Did you know that there are over 400 million podcast listeners around the world? And that there are 2 million podcasts out there? Find out what audio ads are and if you should be using this exciting format to titillate your audiences’ ears! In this blog, we’ll cover the following points: What is Audio Advertising? Types of Audio Ads Examples of Audio Ads Traditional Radio Ads vs. Audio Ads Benefits of Audio Advertising TL;DR – What Have We Learned? What is Audio Advertising? Audio is how people consume media on the go. Some people might be jogging to an upbeat playlist or chilling out with a podcast during a commute; either way, they are fully immersed. Audio advertising is the delivery of ads in audio format through online streaming platforms like podcasts or music streaming apps. Examples of audio ad channels include: Amazon Music Apple Music AudioChuck BarStool Sports Daily Wire Deezer iHeartRadio NBC Pandora Podcast Ad Networks (eg. Midroll) Podcast Publishers (eg. NPR, Vox, ESPN) SiriusXM Sonos Advertising SoundCloud Spotify Stitcher (Podcasts) The New York Times TuneIn Univision YouTube Music Global music streaming marketshare 2023 (%) Spotify is the leading global platform for music and podcast consumption. A fourth of their total revenue comes from programmatic audio ads. They shared that their listeners daily life is surrounded by audio streaming: During gaming In the car Mobile Desktop SmartTV (Over-The-Top) Tablet and other connected devices Here’s what a typical day looks like for Spotify listeners in the US: 18% of adults have been listening to more podcasts since the pandemic. As the trend continues for working from home and socially-distancing, audio streaming will become more popular with time. That’s why marketers predict that total ad spend on podcasts will surpass $2 billion in 2023! Types of Audio Ads Programmatic Audio Ads are run similarly to Programmatic Video Ads. Target audience, budget, and parameters are set for each campaign. There are a few different options available: Audio Ads Just like video, ad placements can be: pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll. This means your ad can be played before, during, and after a streaming session. These are typically 15, 30, or 60 seconds long with no visuals. Ad Sequencing Tell a story through multiple ads over time. Many use it to create brand awareness and end the sequence with a compelling call-to-action. Skippable Ads Utilize the first few seconds to grab people’s attention before they skip. Pre-roll and mid-roll ads can have the option to be skippable. It’s a good option for advertisers to experiment with their content and observe listener behavior and interests! Examples of Audio Ads Here are some examples of audio ads on Spotify. You can see how brands decided to use their banner ad space differently. Some with a static image, some video, but all with a clear Call-To-Action. Traditional Radio vs. Audio Ads Traditional radio ads are delivered through airtime purchased from commercial radio stations. Brands compete for morning slots to capture a wide audience driving to work, which drives up the price for primetime. Your ad buy is limited to stations, shows, and time slots. Radio ads are typically costly and is similar to casting a wide net, you reach a lot of the general population but can’t properly track how many people listened to your ad. On the other hand, digital audio ads are distributed through mobile streaming apps. These are more accessible than a car radio, which means a broader audience. Advertisers can select specific artists or podcast genres that align with their target audiences’ interests and directly serve audio ads. The ads are then distributed throughout the stream at certain dedicated intervals. There is no need to compete for primetime timeslots as people stream audio whenever they feel like it. This option is flexible and versatile. Audio ads also tend to be more conversational in tone, and the ad content tends to be more personalized and specific to match the groups of listeners! Benefits of Audio Advertising Suppose you’re interested in investing in audio advertising. In that case, we recommend partnering with an agency like War Room, because most audio ad inventory is available through online auction. It is predicted by 2022, one out of five audio ads will be programmatic. Here are some other benefits to running these ads: High-Targeted Audience Reach Reach listeners based on the audio content that tickles their fancy. True crime podcast? Adrenaline-pumping songs for the gym? Your ads will be played to your target audience, whether they’re at home or on-the-go! Granular targeting means a better Return On Ad Spend. Engage Your Listeners to Take Action Despite human beings being visual creatures, a report states that audio ads have a 24% higher recall rate than traditional Display Ads. Furthermore, surveys show that 60% of podcast listeners made a purchase after listening to an audio ad! This means when people are streaming a playlist or podcast: they are highly engaged. Track Your Ad Spend & Be Cost-Effective Compared to traditional radio ads, audio ads have lower costs, and advertisers can actually attribute listens to ad spend. Audio ads provide in-depth data insights for advertisers to understand their campaign results better. They are also more target-specific, which yields a better return to the brand investing. Easier to Create Than You Think Audio is a new medium and so many advertisers are trying to capitalize on it. But what if you don’t have access to a recording studio? Don’t sweat it! Creating an audio ad for your brand is simpler, faster, and more affordable than you think. Companies like Voices.com offer professional voice actors for hire. You can check out their portfolios and get access to great voice talent in over 100 languages (great if you want to target different language markets). If you plan on using music in your audio ads, you’ll have to use a royalty-free
How to Choose the Right Advertising Channel
So, you’re running a marketing campaign, but not sure what advertising channel to choose? Advertising means bringing attention to a brand’s product or service and implementing specific tactics to achieve campaign objectives, such as increasing brand awareness or driving more sales. An advertising medium is how your brand’s message is delivered to your target audience. Popular advertising mediums are differentiated between traditional and digital. In this blog, we’ll touch upon what traditional advertising is but will mainly focus on digital advertising to give you a better idea of which advertising channels are right for you. What is Traditional Advertising? Traditional advertising means advertisements delivered through traditional media. This includes: Broadcast (TV or radio) Outdoor (billboards) Print (magazines) Traditional advertising channels are great for casting a wide net and ensuring lots of eyeballs on your campaign. However, you are competing with businesses from different industries for a prime spot, you need a big ad budget and you will have a harder time tracking the ad performance. How do you track how many people saw your mobile billboard from the street? What if people took a bathroom break when your TV commercial was airing? Enter: digital advertising. What is Digital Advertising? Digital advertising is the delivery of advertisements on online channels like social media, websites, search engines, videos etc. Digital advertising is flexible when it comes to budget and is full of potential for ad reach. You can and choose which channels work best for your target audience. You won’t be casting a wide net, instead, you’ll have more precision in selecting your demographic, and the placements of your ad serving. When it comes to the digital landscape, there is so much variety. Don’t make the rookie mistake of spreading yourself thin and going after a huge range of platforms to reach as many people as possible. It will be a waste of your time, resources, and precious ad dollars. You need to pinpoint your objectives and take a more focused approach: one that gets you in front of the right people that will convert. In this blog, we’ll break down digital advertising channels by what they are, a few statistics of demographics or fun facts and what types of marketing objectives the channel is great for. Which Digital Advertising Channel Should I Use? In this blog, we’ll break down digital advertising channels by what they are, a few statistics of demographics or fun facts and what types of marketing objectives the channel is great for. Here’s a list of the digital advertising channels we will cover: Weather SMS Performance Max Discovery Twitch Telegram Paid Search Google Ads Microsoft (Bing) Ads Quora Display Display Retargeting Video Native In-App Advertising Apple Search Ads Digital Out-Of-Home Social Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter TikTok Pinterest Snapchat Reddit Tumblr Shopping Ads Google Shopping Amazon Chinese WeChat Baidu Weibo Douyin TMall JD Youku Audio Spotify Pandora Hotel / Metasearch Ads Online Travel Agencies Tips for Choosing the Right Advertising Channel Photo by Mike Tyler on War Room Inc What Advertising Channels are Best for You? This blog is as a directory for all types of digital advertising channels we offer here at War Room. We’ll be continuously updating it. Take a look! Weather Weather ads are ads that automate based on the weather in your targeted location! The reason why advertisers love using them is because they can create hyper-relevant, greatly-timed ads that speak to your audience in the exact moment. It can be served across channels such as Search, Display, Social (all programmatically, too). Depending on the weather, consumer’s behavior, needs and responses may vary. For example, if it’s pouring rain, perhaps people are more inclined to order food delivery than dine in at a restaurant. By deploying weather-targeted ads, you can boost visibility and anticipate better results. Weather ads are a type of targeting ad, and can be served Search, Display, Social and other programmatic platforms Facts: Great for these industries: Travel & Hospitality, Food & Drink, Apparel, Leisure & Entertainment, Home & Garden, Energy, Insurance etc When it’s a lower temperature outside (cold, wet, or snowy), people have an increased desire for psychological warmth. Activities or services that have a social element might perform better! Warmer weather & exposure to sunlight increases peoples’ willingness to spend money up to 56%. Great For: Increasing Engagement Driving Conversions A healthy Return on Ad Spend Delivering a more Personalized Ad Experience Boosted Visibility During Key Moments SMS Ah, good ol’ SMS, text messages. Yes, even they have been made to have advertising options! SMS ads promote products and services through mobile phones. Through short and concise text messages, brands can bulk deliver their ads to subscribers worldwide. In a world where people are bombarded with emails and online ads, SMS ads are a cost-effective way to cut-through the noise and drive visibility with high open-rates. It’s a channel that would complement your other digital marketing efforts, such as email marketing and social! An SMS ad is 160 symbols. You can use them to send messages for: Notifications (like, launch of new product) Exclusive deals for your loyalty program members Text-To-Win competitions Discount codes Promotion for sales on your website or stores Facts: It usually takes a user to respond to an SMS ad within 90 seconds Response rates can be as high as 45% (in comparison to email responses, which averages around 6%) Click-Through Rate (CTR) is around 19% Great For: Driving higher Open Rate Boosted Visibility Promoting Deals and Discounts Complementing other Marketing Channels Performance Max Performance Max ads utilize machine learning to automate the audience targeting and ad delivery format, based on the information provided when setting up the campaign. Based on the creative assets you provide, the creation of the actual ad will be automated too. Then, the ad platform will run your campaign based on your specified conversion goals. Performance ad placements will be served across different channels dynamically. It greatly complements PPC Search Ads. You can choose to set up Performance Max Ads based on these conversions:
What is Google Topics API?
Google announced they plan on retiring third-party cookies on Chrome in 2023. In order for that shift to happen, they built out a “Privacy Sandbox”, highlighting all the proposed APIs and tools to get them there. In our 2021 blog, “Google Privacy Sandbox Explained”, we dedicated a section to Google’s proposed Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) API, which would have been used to identify online users. In January 2022, Google announced they would be replacing the Federated Learning of Cohorts API with Topics. Why? We’ll dive into the following topics: Why is Google Replacing FLoC How Does the Topics API Work Pros & Cons of the Topics API What Should Advertisers Do With Topics? Why is Google Replacing FLoC The Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) was part of the Google Privacy Sandbox. The original FLoC API would generate an alphanumerical-stringed ID, which would reflect a user’s browsing pattern on Chrome. For example, Criteo discovered that you could still monitor and cross-track users’ browsing habits and cohort assignments using FLoC IDs. Also, FLoC didn’t address the issues related to sensitive category targeting or fingerprinting either. Comparing that to third-party cookies – it didn’t seem to protect user privacies better. After extensive testing in the summer of 2021 and receiving feedback, Google decided to scrap the FLoC plan and go back to the drawing board. The end goal is to appease advertisers and consumers (internet users) alike. Google wants to strike a balance between making interest-based advertising available to brands while having more robust protection for user privacy. How Does the Topics API Work? Before we get started, here is Google’s illustration of Third-Party Cookies (left) and Topics (right). They plan to make Topics easier to understand and manage: Google created this little animation of a quick summary of Topics for the public: Topics will allow Chrome to choose up to a maximum of five topics that represent a user’s top interest for a certain time period (three weeks), based on the websites they visited. Examples of Topics could be travel, music genre, books, team sports, etc. Websites would opt-in to participate in Topics API to serve personalized ads. When a user visits a site, the API will select three topics (one from each of the past three weeks) and share them with the site and its advertising partners. The three topics unique to the user will be available for the next three weeks. Afterward, they will be replaced by new topics. Google plans to start with 350 topics to categorize user interest and activity. They will expand the set of topics as they continue to test and receive feedback. AdExchanger reports that Google may be seeking a third-party like IAB Tech Lab to maintain the taxonomy. Improving on the shortcomings of FLoC, the new Topics API will address the sensitive category targeting issue by pulling topics curated by humans (instead of machines) and manually exclude sensitive categories like race, religion, or sexual orientation. Also, to bypass the fingerprinting issue, Google will limit the number of topics shared of each user. Chrome users will have the option to disable the Topics feature completely, or see what topics are being shared about them. Three topics per user every few weeks sounds limited, but Google is trying to counterbalance that by offering combined topics, for example, a book lover who also loves hip hop, to enable a deeper level of audience targeting. Google’s Topics API will utilize machine learning via user devices. Take a look at this step-by-step breakdown: Topics is Interest-Based Advertising Google’s Topics API was proposed to be an elevated version of FLoC with improved user privacy protection. Advertising is often contextual-based, which means an ad is more relevant to the content that it’s served around. It’s helpful because users who actively sought out that content are more likely to be interested in your ad. Google Topics API will move away from contextual advertising and instead be interest-based. What is Interest-Based Advertising? A form of personalized advertising that chooses the ad content for a user based on their interests drawn from the websites they have visited. What is Interest-Based Advertising? It helps advertisers reach potential customers Fund websites that can’t easily monetize site visits solely through contextual advertising Supplements contextual information for the current webpage to help find an appropriate ad for the visiting user Pros & Cons of Topics API Benefits of the new API: The Topics API will notify you if a topic you get for a user is one of their top 5 topics of the week Websites with ongoing relationships with users will get more data (first-party data is king) There is transparency and individual control for both users and websites. You can see the topics assigned to you, remove the ones you don’t like, or even opt out The API protects users and reduces fingerprinting All Topics will be public and human-curated to avoid sensitive topics like religion and race On the other hand, here are some of the shortcomings from an advertiser’s perspective: Users could opt-out from being tracked Less user data for targeting Data expires every three weeks Limits measurement Harder to cross-correlate / fingerprint users In Google’s technical explainer, they highlight these items as the step towards their privacy goals. It “provides a more private alternative than tracking to help deliver relevant ads.” Note that Topics is currently still in its proposal stage. Google is going to keep an open conversation with the public. It would help them test and decide what the final form of Topics API would look like. What Should Brand Advertisers Do with Topics API? There’s no doubt that the move away from third-party cookies is a step-down when it comes to advertising. It will limit ways to granularly target people with personalized ads, which may likely affect reach and frequency. Topics…as an input for advertisers…can look at various signals and make their own decision about what makes an ad most relevant in a given situation. – Ben Galbraith, Google Chrome Product Lead Advertisers had