For those who have been following me of late on Twitter, you will know I have been wrestling for some time on the measuring of online advertising – especially heightened in relevance due to recession and demands for greater accountability. Steeped within a false notion of “display advertising is dying”, argued by the misinformed who are quoting declining click-thru rates, and materialized through falling CPMs of display media – which will undoubtedly kill off some ad networks over the coming months. We have shown that any intelligence around online advertising over the last ten years plus has been reduced by some to ‘kiss-me-quick’ instant ideologies propagated by code-junkies and barrow-boy buyers.

Clicks originally seemed to afford us an innate intelligence into the future of media, but that was yesterday – and that was all we had. To limit advertising to such simple gratification is to grossly miss the systematic behaviour that results in perception changes and heightening desire afforded by greater stimulation of senses – the nature of true engagement.

Youth take note, you are out of touch with reality seen within a bigger holistic media picture formed through the fires over time, yet we welcome your continued challenge of the status quo. Grandparents your esteemed intellect and knowledge is admirable, yet under question as your reasoning for resistance and reluctance to ask why is being superseded by a tsunami of consumer change that will leave many swept away.

Yet the desire of all of us on both sides of the media fence is to hone our craft and perfect our art form; something we once termed ‘commercial art’ as it was not merely aesthetics alone, but with a duty to inform and educate – and as such had a price-tag of value. It is this pursuit which we try to measure in some kind of simple an tangible way – and offer touch points of an indication of intent – in a manner that is transparent, scalable and portable across all media.

Between the no-mans-land of GRPs and laborious but insightful web funneling there may well be an indication of exposure that seeks to satisfy just that. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you “Dwell” – a measurement for modern media.

Eyeblaster Analytics Bulletin Issue 4 | Trends of Time and Attention in Online Advertising

Download, digest and dispute. We welcome the debate.
And I hope you too will come to Dwell in the land of opportunity.Dean Donaldson | Director of Digital Experience

P.S. Knowing that for some, surface statistics are not sufficient, I have also recently submitted a thesis on Dwell to the Academia world. So feel free to peruse if you want the whole nine yards.

Online Display: The demise of Click, the rise of Dwell
A study into measuring the intrinsic value of online display media and investigation to the nature of advertising and consumer engagement in general. The document is based around a calculated argument for shifting away from historic response-based metrics into a more natural measurement of consumer stimulation.

“For the last ten years, the start of every year I have heard someone, somewhere say ‘this is the year for mobile’. It’s become a standing joke in our industry – from SMS to Wap – seems everything has tried and failed. Well, now it’s my turn – and at the risk of being laughed at, I am going to tell you ‘this is the year for mobile!’ This is why.

Currently 1 billon people in the world are online – that’s about a sixth of the world’s population. However 4 billion people – that’s two-thirds of the population – have a mobile phone. It reaches into some of the most remotest parts of our planet, areas where there is only a cyber-café or internet access and a TV between a street – even here mobile phones exist. No roads to dig up and put in wires, a fashion accessory that demands upgrade at least 3 times as often as your PC, we are talking one of the fastest growing and widest reaching technologies known to man. In Japan, all mobile phones are connected to online, in fact all mobile phones let you watch TV on the move – it’s just a matter of time before they are here. With iPhones and Google Android, we have seen the demand for mobile internet escalate to the point where 1MM new iPhones were sold within the first three days of release. That is some uptake. From mail to music to maps – and a myriad of applications, all interfacing into your favourite online services. This is just the start. Even personally speaking, I think at least 10% of my ‘online’ time now is done via my iPhone – my Twitter and Facebook updates die when my mobile battery runs out or I am out of range.

Mobile Internet is now quickly becoming a fact of life. Yep, looks like we are catching Japan up.

So what does that mean for advertisers? Several things; new reach to remote markets, enabling investigation and comparison of products whilst out shopping, grabbing content from posters via QR codes or even SMS interaction with TV programs – this is a device that is creating a personal link between all media and interactivity with brands without wires, as well as true personalization of content. But despite huge benefits of gaining new market share or motivating existing audiences, what is the real problem with mobile adoption?

Mobile advertising  is currently where internet was ten years ago, both in terms of revenue share and technology implementation. Each publisher runs its own system, but these do not share data fluidly with agencies. There is no creative interface. No unified planning, delivery, reporting… the practicalities of checking each creative per publisher or trafficking each one is one thing – and publishers soon learn its a headache they are not geared up for – but pulling data? The time taken by agencies to collate multiple sources is prohibitive in its own right, but also to de-duplicate sources and analyze is another, let alone compare it against web reach. All in all it’s preventing any kind of scalability for the medium desperately needed to promote agency adoption. This is what agency focused ad serving brought to bear prior to the turn of the millennium, and the fortuitous growth we have all enjoyed in the medium since is testament to that. Now as we are about to turn yet another decade, a new device needs the same boost. Digital already is getting far too complicated, with an agency split between social media on one direction, content creation for an advertiser on another and new interface platforms like mobile pulling them in yet another direction - any kind of simplification of this process is a welcome addition indeed.

What is needed is an agency focused mobile ad serving platform to mimic the way online works. It is only then that the headaches that have been seen within mobile to date have any chance of wiped away. There are benefits for publishers too, releasing the creating and data analysis pain points to the respective agencies to assist their focus on buying and targeting, whilst publishers can focus their attention on selling media and developing their offering. What is needed is a simple work flow solution that is easy to adopt and fits in with existing processes to set a solid foundation for the growth of mobile. Eyeblaster is currently testing such a solution with leading agencies.

One thing is for sure, it won’t take 10 years for mobile to reach the same point as the internet is now – and with quadruple the reach – expect an overtake in penetration even sooner than that. Yes this is year for mobile – and it’s very, very exciting!

Dean Donaldson, Director of Digital Experience Strategy

This article originally appeared here for DM EXCO.

Cannes is still in full swing for some, but I have bailed out. Perhaps it’s an age thing, but I simply can’t keep the pace with the plethora of Young Lions who have descended upon Cannes this year. Parties aside, is our industry getting younger, or am I just getting older? Maybe both? And that’s to say nothing of my memory – I have decided Twitter is my new online notebook. So reading back over my notes, let me summarize my own key take-away’s from Cannes 2009 for you:

The 10,000 foot view of Cannes shows there is a complete blur across the entire media landscape. Digital has well and truly begun to permeate everything. It throws questions on the various categories when Cumminsnitro from Brisbane’s ‘Tourism Queensland’ campaign – The Best Job in the World – takes the Grand Prix sweep stake for Direct, PR & Cyber awards. Where does one discipline end and another begin? Go Viral’s Chairman, Jimmy Maymann may well have made the case early on when he suggested the ‘median age for TV users are actually now 13 years higher than the general population.’ Nigel Morris, CEO, Aegis could not have put it more succinctly when he revealed research shows that ‘67% of searches online are result of exposure to offline media – 30+% of which result in actual sales.’ The online/offline debate seems to be drawing to a close – the media landscape is truly becoming one.

This is a feeling echoed around various seminars from Jonathan Mildenhall, Vice President Global Marketing Strategy and Creative Communications, Coca-Cola who feels that from here on in, ‘we need to see a lot of consolidation across traditional and digital agencies – all focused around consumer journeys’. Stefan Olander, Global Director of Brand Connections, Nike agrees; ‘It’s time to throw the silos off a cliff and seek to embrace a more holistic partnership throughout media. We must embrace consumer content’.

The very fact that the Media person of the year is Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft Corporation, highlights this maturity in thinking that digital no longer represents mere rational technology, but it has reached the emotional connection sought by brands. As Olander revealed in thinking through the problem with modern brands trying to own the conversation, ‘there is now no way to own creativity then allow others to adapt it. We have to place tools in others hands and merely participate.’ It’s not just an admission that consumers are in control, but is a partnership of respect as opposed to dictatorship. Beyond the rar-rar it felt rather like a sixties woman’s movement for equal rights was being formed there in the famous Debussy theatre, but this time it was in favor of the consumer. Morris’ case study for Adidas Originals obtaining 1.4m fans on Facebook – with each person a potential sale of $200 per year per user – ‘that’s a tangible business case for Social Media, right there’ he said.

Turning to revenues and recession, Marcel Fenez, Managing Partner, Global Entertainment & Media Practice – PricewaterhouseCoopers opened with a very bleak overview ‘This recession is not cyclical – it’s structural. In 2013, ad spend will still trail 2007 levels. Advertising spending as we know it is not coming back.’ Backed up with the recession is driving many to seek a bargain online, Fenez said there is now ‘no place to hide from the digital transformation’.

So what does that mean for the advertising industry – has our illustrious budgets truly gone and a smaller Cannes the future new world order – shall we forever reminisce about the ‘golden era’ from here on forward? Steve Ballmer thinks so; “I don’t think we are in a recession. l think we’ve reset. Recession implies a recovery.”

According to research, Ferez suggests that people are prepared to accept ads, even targeted ads as trade off for privacy in exchange for great entertainment content’. Interestingly this seemed to be counter to what Steve Balmer said; who argued that creation of digital media is cheaper than other media. With special effects, and high statistical analysis costs am not convinced these truly offset the distribution of print for example as any agency would agree given struggles in day-to-day process. So should falling CPM costs and pressure on publishers be the order of the day?

Digital advertising offers a targeted message that reduces overall wastage afforded by traditional means of delivery. This means that better ROI will be achieved with less overall spends as there will be less redundancy. Volume and associated cost of distribution will indeed be less, but that in no way should devalue the media content in which it sits. Good quality content which advertising needs to sit against costs money. To take a short-term view of making a quick buck on reduced CPM will kill content creation and hamper the entertainment content of the future. Will brands really want to become content providers and all associated costs of doing so? There needs to be a balance.

Yes, brands are engaging more with their customers. But walking around the print and outdoor or TV showcases shows that advertising has always been about good content in its own right. It’s an incredibly powerful form of art, and truly beautiful to behold. It offers information and education, not just intrusion. Long may we protect this craft and seek to embrace this thinking in an ever increasingly digital world. Log on to http://work.canneslions.com/ and take a look for yourself.

See how the Grand Prix Outdoor winner, the Zimbabwean’s ‘Trillion Dollar Billboard’, seeks to usurp a fascist regime. Contrast that with the Jewish Council for Education and Research ‘the Great Schlep’ for motivating votes for Obama, a truly cross media campaign. See the use of mobile in ‘Let it Ring’ for Road Safety Awareness in Belgium and tell me that advertising is dead, in which ever form. Then check out ‘Banner Concerts’ from Boondoggle, or even one of my personal favorite’s ‘Atrápalo’ from DoubleYou for how to push the humble banner ad way out into the stratosphere. If you are still taking this all too seriously, Warner Bros’ ‘Why So Serious’ will certainly bring a smile to your face.

So whilst I digest all this and try and get my head around it all, my gut reaction is ‘no advertising is not dead, it just hasn’t become all it can be quite yet.’ Andy Berndt, Global Creative Director, Google nailed it when he admitted the ‘role of advertising as an interrupt model is a challenge for Google; who will search for something they don’t know about?’ Thanks Andy, I wholeheartedly agree, content and advertising flowing seamlessly around the consumer, causing them to stop and take note, discuss and then investigate more information.

Meanwhile the only searching I will be doing tonight is to ‘search’ the cupboards for an aspirin…

Reproduced as appeared on iMedia Connection

Dean Donaldson | Digital Experience Strategist

A new study from TNS and Eyeblaster reveals cross channel campaigns constitute almost one quarter of total campaigns, showing a major move to integrate cross channel performance data – across TV, outdoor, mobile, print and online.

The survey polled 400 senior marketing executives across the globe citing that marketers are indeed looking for cross channel data and reporting. Evidence also points out that marketers expect total digital market spending to grow by 30% over the next two years with a third of the market experiencing growth over 50%. Highlights include:

- Nearly 67% of respondents cite that they already are running cross channel campaigns; yet only 12% are actually integrating cross channel performance data
- Marketers note the following as the barriers to cross channel adoption: 44% blame lack of suitable metrics to measure impact and ROI, 37% note lack of case studies to prove cross channel effectiveness & 34% cite lack of technology
- 51% of marketers are currently analyzing display with search on a PC – 38% would like to
- 22% are currently analyzing TV with PC or PC with mobile – 61% would like to
- 7-8% currently analyze TV to mobile and outdoor to mobile – 65% would like to

Looking ahead, respondents expect mobile and TV to be the top channels for branding and response as well as the go to channels for brands response synergy. To download the complete TNS/Eyeblaster white paper, click here.

Take a look at this article originally published in iMedia Connection featuring five of the best campaigns in digital advertising from the past month, .  They serve to inspire and include skins, videos, 2 rocking boats and … beer.

• 1. Canal Odisea Titanic (Spain)

Agency & Creative: Remo

Link: http://tinyurl.com/cz-titanic

This expandable banner campaign produced for The Odyssey Channel recreates the fateful story of the Titanic by taking over the page at the moment of impact with the iceberg.  It is designed to draw the attention of viewers to the variety of documentaries offered by Odyssey, and includes impressive sound effects and visuals.

 

• 2. Monsters vs. Aliens (UK)

Agency: MEC Interaction
Creative: Feref
Link: http://tinyurl.com/cz-monsters-aliens

By rolling over this ad, the user’s mouse pointer becomes a hand, which activates a wild home page takeover and a creative movie trailer.  Users can then enter a competition for a Nintendo Wii or play a game entitled Gallaxhar Invades (a trip down memory lane for those who remember Space Invaders).

 

3. Boat that Rocked (UK)

Agency: Mediacom
Creative: Feed
Link: http://tinyurl.com/cz-boat-rocked

1960′s colours set the mood of the movie using a home page skin.  Once the user clicks on the expandable banner, the ad opens with a rocking  boat, inviting the user to a high seas adventure.  A trailer, with an option to watch in full screen, and rolling movie reviews provide a rich user experience.

 

4.        Rickards

Agency: mediaedge: cia toronto

Creative: Pixelpusher

Link: http://tinyurl.com/cz-rickards

This skyscraper ad expands to let the user play with the amount of beer left in the glass.  The accompanying voices either cheer or complain depending on how much beer is left.  Users can click through to the Rickards site to see more.

• 5. Norton: Need for Speed

Agency: Grey
Creative: Godfrey Q and Partners

Link: http://tinyurl.com/cz-norton

And for the techies out there, check out the Norton Bandwidth Meter, which measures your bandwidth speed in the ad.  Users can then ‘get Nortonized’, uploading a photo or using a webcam to create a personalized widget of the Symantec Internet Threat Meter.  The widget regularly updates itself when you are connected to the web and keeps you up-to-date on the latest threats online.