The era of the “one size fits all” ad creative is over. In case you somehow missed it, there has been a major shift from the old model of display advertising, which depended on advertisers distributing generic content everywhere in the hope of reaching their target audience, to highly personalized content within dynamic ads delivered directly to pre-targeted consumers on whatever device they happen to be using. Learn more about implementing dynamic ads in our brochure.

What has fueled the shift?

Advancements in technology and data capture have fueled the shift - providing online advertisers with access to detailed information on target audiences such as their location, interests, environment and even their preferred ways of communicating with brands. Marketers are now able to turn data into actionable information in real-time, for example, by segmenting audiences and brands while simultaneously considering weather, location, date and time, device, and more.

Data Driven Dynamic Advertising

Data-driven dynamic advertising is an emerging capability in display advertising that addresses the demand for personalized messaging by leveraging vast stores of available customer data, to personalize ads to an individual and to a device.

Innovators are using segment identification and external data triggers to help them achieve real-time, "moment marketing" by tying advertising and brand messaging to pop culture events and social media trends as they are happening.

This approach is also popular among advertisers with multiple products specific to factors such as location. A travel booking company for example, might use IP addresses to determine the local weather for consumers and adapt its display ads accordingly (e.g., inserting images of clouds for a rainy day), and deliver a real-time message that's appropriate (such as current ticket prices for a sunny weather destination). Some ask for a user's Zip code in the ad unit itself before committing to a customized creative, thus sourcing even more accurate user information from which to work.

What does this mean for brands?

There has been a groundswell of excitement about data in all its forms - analytics and metrics, DMPs, social media and environmental triggers, and how it is on the cusp of dramatically changing digital advertising and advertising in ways that benefit brands and consumers alike.

As programmatic media buying continues to become more prevalent, marketers are looking for ways to increase the efficiency of their ad spend. One way to do this is to increase the relevance of ad content with personalized messaging, at the level of the individual consumer. This messaging ensures higher user engagement and therefore increased brand awareness and conversion opportunities.

As a result of the shift to big data, campaigns are no longer being measured only by impressions: Ad viewability, personalization and engagement are all new measures in which to optimize and mesagure success.