Author name: khazi@cubera.co

Programmatic advertising is the perfect choice for those seeking an efficient way to access huge relevant audiences in this data-driven world. It is the ideal solution to buy digital ads and effectively place your ads in the current advertising landscape. The efficient use of programmatic advertising technology can help marketers drive conversions and increase Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS) throughout the customer journey. The popularity of Programmatic Advertising Technology is evident from the fact that marketers spend more than half of their media budget solely on programmatic advertising. There has been tremendous growth in the acceptance of programmatic advertising, as evidenced by the fact that by 2022 the spending on programmatic advertising will surpass USD 100 billion. Programmatic Advertising and its significance We can discuss briefly what programmatic advertising is and how it is beneficial for the various stakeholders. Programmatic advertising entails the end-to-end process of automated buying and selling of ad spaces. Before the onset of programmatic advertising, ordering, setting, and reporting ads had to be done manually, and it was a highly hectic task. The decision about managing ad space, and negotiating the sale and purchase of ad spaces, has always been a challenge for publishers and advertisers. With the advent of programmatic advertising technology, these hectic and time-consuming processes have been streamlined to make them highly effective and efficient. Before programmatic advertising gained prominence, digital ads were commercially transacted manually, making the process exorbitant and unreliable. These stumbling blocks were all eliminated with the advent of programmatic advertising. Programmatic advertising is highly beneficial to both advertisers and publishers. Publishers prefer it because it reduces the impact of ad blockers on their ad spaces compared to other ad platforms and types. For marketers, on the other hand, it is beneficial as it drastically improves the ads that lead to crafting successful marketing campaigns. We can now discuss the process of programmatic advertising briefly. It starts when a visitor clicks on the publisher’s website, where the publisher puts the ad impression for auction through SSP. Advertisers will then begin to compete for ad impressions through DSPs. Ultimately, the highest bidder wins the ad impression and gets it displayed on the publisher’s website. The ultimate step is that a visitor clicks on the ad  may lead to conversion. We can briefly discuss programmatic advertising and the various platforms involved in programmatic advertising. Programmatic advertising helps connect publishers with ad spaces on their websites to advertisers willing to buy them to promote their brands. Advertisers turn to programmatic advertising agencies to launch an ad campaign for their products or services. These programmatic ad agencies use the Demand Side Platform that automates buying ad impressions to meet the campaign goals. We can briefly discuss the various platforms indispensable to the programmatic advertising methodology. Demand Side Platform – Advertisers and ad agencies can access ad inventories from several publishers through a state-of-the-art Demand side platform. Using the Data Management Platform, which manages the audience data, the demand side platform ensures that ads are displayed to the correct audience. Targeting the appropriate audience is primarily achieved using data such as location, demographics, behavior, and online activity. Demand Side Platforms collect and harness this data, which analyzes it and matches it with their data and target parameters to display suitable ads to the right audiences. Data Management Platform – Having the right data is the essence of programmatic advertising, and the Data management platform facilitates this. In programmatic advertising methodology, data management platforms collect, analyze, and activate data. This robust platform provides advertisers with complete customer profiles. By matching visitors more likely to convert, the programmatic algorithm delivers ads suited to them based on the data. Supply Side Platforms – Supply Side Platforms is the custodian of  publishers with publisher’s ad inventory. A Supply Side Platform is a     programmatic software that facilitates publishers to sell their ad inventory or ad spaces. A Supply Side Platform connects publishers with several ad exchanges, demand-side platforms, and ad networks, enabling publishers to sell ad spaces to a larger pool of potential buyers. Therefore, publishers can set their bids to maximize revenue when they have access to a larger pool of advertisers or other potential buyers. A supply-side platform also allows publishers to filter ads based on advertisers and other criteria. Ad Exchanges – Ad Exchanges is a digital marketplace that facilitates advertisers and publishers come together to buy and sell ad spaces through real-time auctions. The buying and selling of ad inventory take place via real-time auctions powered by real-time bidding, with publishers able to sell ad spaces to the highest bidder. The Benefits of Programmatic Advertising to Advertisers Traditional marketing posed some challenges to the advertisers as they found it strenuous to access the publisher’s ad spaces. It became evident that the problem was widespread when over 60% of publisher space went unsold. Ad inventory buying became very much more manageable for advertisers after automation was introduced through programmatic advertising.  The main advantages for advertisers through programmatic advertising were as follows. Programmatic advertising allows advertisers to bid on an ad inventory from the available ad spaces, thus reaching a larger audience than conventional marketing. Based on the ad impressions received, advertisers can make real-time adjustments to their ads to incorporate these adjustments into their targeting criteria and increase their marketing campaigns’ efficiency. Economic efficiency while running a marketing campaign can be drastically improved for advertisers through programmatic advertising. Due to the streamlined end-to-end process of programmatic advertising, advertisers can serve relevant ads through effective targeting. When advertisers have too many publishers, it is possible to increase their return on ad spend (ROAS). The Benefit of Programmatic Advertising for Publishers Programmatic advertising allows publishers to host relevant ads by equipping them with the right tools. By bidding effectively, they can secure deals that will maximize their revenue and help them to win deals that will benefit them. The main advantages for advertisers through programmatic advertising were as follows. Through programmatic advertising, it is easier for publishers to sell their ad spaces and optimize ad sales, substantially reducing the investment required

Incrementality measurement is a process used to determine the incremental effect of a particular marketing campaign, such as an advertisement or promotion, on business outcomes like sales or website traffic. The goal of incrementality measurement is to determine the impact of the campaign beyond what would have occurred without it, also known as the “incremental lift.” This allows marketers to understand the true value of their campaign and make data-driven decisions about how to allocate marketing resources. Need for Incrementality Measurement Incrementality measurement is a critical tool for companies looking to understand the impact of their marketing campaigns on business outcomes. With so many variables at play, it can be difficult to determine the specific cause of changes in sales, website traffic, and other metrics. Incrementality measurement helps to solve this problem by isolating the effect of a specific campaign, so that companies can better understand the Return on Advertising Spend(ROAS) of their marketing efforts. One of the key benefits of incrementality measurement is that it allows companies to make data-driven decisions choosing where to spend their marketing budgets. Without this information, companies may be spending money on campaigns that aren’t actually driving the desired outcomes. By measuring incrementality, companies can identify which campaigns are most effective and focus their resources on those efforts. Another important benefit of incrementality measurement is that it helps companies to identify areas of their marketing strategy that can be improved in an omni channel advertising approach. For example, if a campaign is found to be less effective than expected, companies can use that information to adjust their approach and optimize their efforts moving forward. With the help of an audience manager, companies can build custom audiences, create lookalike audiences, and target their campaigns to specific segments. This enables them to deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time, resulting in more effective marketing campaigns and a higher Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS). Subsequently, leveraging incrementality measurement companies can get a clearer picture of the impact of their marketing campaigns. With this information, they can make better decisions about how to allocate resources and drive business outcomes. It’s important to keep in mind that incrementality measurement is not always a straightforward task. There are different methods for measuring it, and the best approach will depend on the type of campaign, the goals of the campaign, and the available data. The process of incrementality measurement may involve statistical models, experimentation and control groups, it’s important to understand the underlying principles and assumptions of the methodology used to measure incrementality. All in all, Incrementality measurement provides companies with a clear, data-driven understanding of their marketing ROI, and it helps them to make informed decisions that can have a notable impact on their bottom line. Methods for Measuring Incrementality There are several methods for measuring incrementality, but the two most common are experimentation and statistical modeling. Experimentation One way to measure incrementality is through experimentation, in which companies create a control group and an experimental group. The control group is exposed to normal business conditions and the experimental group is exposed to the marketing campaign in question. By comparing the outcomes of the two groups, companies can isolate the effect of the campaign. For example, a company may randomly divide customers into two groups: one group will receive an email marketing campaign, while the other group will not. By comparing the sales of the two groups before and after the campaign, the company can determine how much of an impact the campaign had on sales. Statistical Modeling Another way to measure incrementality is through statistical modeling. This method involves using statistical techniques to analyze historical data, including data on past marketing campaigns and their corresponding outcomes. By looking at patterns in the data, companies can estimate the effect of a given campaign. For example, a company may use regression analysis to examine the relationship between past marketing campaigns and changes in sales. By analyzing the data, the company can determine which campaigns had the greatest impact on sales and estimate the effect of a new campaign. Both of these methods have their own strengths and weaknesses and the choice of which method to use will depend on the specifics of the campaign, the data available and the goals of the campaign. When using experimentation, it’s important to note that, randomizing the population and controlling all other factors that might affect the outcome is critical to prevent any bias, otherwise, the results might be misleading. Statistical modeling can be very powerful but it also relies on assumptions and the quality of data, the models used and their assumptions should be carefully chosen and evaluated. In all cases, it’s important that companies have a clear understanding of the underlying principles and assumptions of the methodology used, to ensure the results are accurate and can be trusted. In toto There are numerous elements that can impact the accuracy of incrementality measurement in an omni channel advertising approach, including sample size, sample representativeness, and the length of the measurement period. It is important to carefully consider these factors and make adjustments as necessary to ensure the most accurate results. Incrementality measurement is a valuable tool for businesses and advertisers to understand the true impact of their marketing efforts and optimize their resources accordingly. By using specialized tools and software and maintaining a robust and reliable data set, businesses can ensure the most accurate and meaningful results from their incrementality measurement efforts.

This question was never really raised when the concept of “big data” first came into the picture. For the first time, businesses could collect customer data on a large scale to analyze and utilize it to improve their product and services under data as a service model. In turn, many businesses took advantage of this opportunity. They did, in fact, improve their offerings. According to reports, Netflix studied viewer data to identify and classify its library into nearly 80,000 ‘micro-genres’ of film. It used them to generate personalized recommendations, which proved critical to its success. However, many consumers have recently begun to oppose the notion of giving a data company complete control over their data. They are concerned about security and have broader ethical concerns. According to a survey, 79% of the respondents expressed that they are very or somewhat concerned about how businesses use the data they gather about them. 48% said they had already switched businesses or service providers due to data policies or data sharing practices. While 46% of customers believe they no longer have control over their data, 137 out of 190 countries have passed laws to ensure data protection and privacy. This brings us back to the original question: Is data an asset or a liability? Data as a Liability Data is valuable beyond dispute. But it also carries a clear risk. In fact, data is not the lauded resource that is frequently thought of as being. It might prove challenging and even dangerous. The most frequent critiques of data’s benefits center on issues of cost, security, and consumer safety. The most fundamental argument for data being a liability is cost. Keeping and processing all of the data a data company collects costs money and consumes a lot of energy. This includes not only the cost of data hosting, but also the costs of the software required to collect, analyze, and manage the data under the model of data as a service. Many people are reluctant to share their data due to the increased awareness and instances of data breaches and cybercrime. Businesses that do collect the data then have to worry about making sure it’s secure. Another case of the risk associated with data hoarding is this one, where a breach could harm your reputation with customers and undermine any trust you may have gained. And this holds true whether or not you used that information. In addition to significant data breaches, data collection and use may compromise privacy. People typically dislike feeling as if they are being spied on. Nobody wants to have their every move followed and watched. Therefore, it can be annoying or unsettling for customers when they receive services and products based on details they haven’t shared. It might scare them away in some instances or harm their relationship with your brand. Data as an Asset When used properly, data can be a benefit. It provides information that is crucial to guiding and improving all of the business endeavors. However, companies are gathering a tremendous amount of it. In fact, it’s getting to the point where it’s a liability. Therefore, a data company must ensure that they are using their customers’ data effectively if they want to optimize it. We should constantly ask ourselves, “Does the advantage outweigh the costs?” Only gathering pertinent data is the first step toward accurate and efficient data use. It implies abiding by the law when using it. And it entails carefully analyzing how to utilize the insight it provides. Using data as a service model, you can analyze the data that you have collected and monetize your data according to its usefulness. Turn Data into an Asset from a Liability The general consensus up until recently was that the best data was just more data. However, new privacy and regulatory concerns have shifted the conversation and are still influencing how marketers handle data. The truth is that more data is not necessarily always better. Smart marketers are increasingly concentrating on the data they hold and control. Thankfully, developments in artificial intelligence have made it possible to survive by refocusing attention from “all the data” to the most pertinent and useful data for the task at hand. The following tips can help you to make the best out of the data in hand and perceive it as an asset, not a liability: Determine and resolve your data issues. Encourage a Data-Driven Culture Utilize Data to Make Future Plans Get rid of the irrelevant data Prepare your data to put into work To Sum It Up It’s time to declutter your data. All the useless data that is cluttering up your systems needs to be stopped from being stored. If the upside of retaining the data does not exceed the threat of storing it, there is no point. Concentrating on collecting and keeping only the data a business actually use and need is the key to lowering the liability of data. You must also be conscious of the potential consequences of any decisions made in light of data insight. Keep the data that is an asset and discard the information that is merely a liability.  If you are a marketer and looking for a rich repository of zero-party data that is relevant to your business, Cubera is the place. Cubera offers rich self-declared data that is free from cluttered and irrelevant information. The data has been collected by abiding all necessary policies and regulations and allows to monetize your data.

The ad tech industry is in constant innovation as there has been instant consumer transformation preferring online shopping. As the possibility of online advertising is increasing exponentially, advertisers have to find phenomenal ways to reach the appropriate audience at the perfect time on the right screen with the ideal content. The strategies have to be productive for the entire advertising ecosystem that includes content creators, consumers, etc. Fortunately, incredible innovations in the ad tech industry have resulted in ample solutions for developing effective ad campaigns. Ad exchanges are a vital part of this whole ad tech ecosystem. Ad exchange’s prime function is to buy and sell ad slots directly to one another. This model benefits both advertisers and publishers the former gets substantial flexibility over ad formats and the latter gets more control over published ads. What is an Ad Exchange? Ad Exchange which possesses an imperative role in advertising technology is a virtual marketplace where publishers and advertisers combinedly trade available digital ad spaces. The ad space that a publisher has on their website is called ad inventory and it includes ad spaces such as native, display, mobile games, video, and in-app ad inventory. The selling and buying of ad inventory that happens in real-time are called real-time bidding. Ad exchange prevalence is based on a simple demand and supply mechanism. Publishers are in constant search for the highest bidders to sell advertising space on their website and advertisers are struggling to find the perfect ad slot where there are high chances to get better visibility. This is where the role of ad exchange commences. Real-time bidding powers this self-sufficient virtual platform, which also enables programmatic ad purchasing. A digital marketplace that automates the exchange of advertising between publishers and advertisers is known as an ad exchange. Ad exchanges use real-time bidding technology and are a component of the programmatic advertising ecosystem. They link publishers on a Supply Side Platform (SSP) with advertisers on a Demand Side Platform (DSP) (SSP) How Does an Ad Exchange Work? To have a better understanding of the functionality of ad exchange, the process has to be viewed from both advertisers’ and publishers’ perspectives. Both parties must be part of the same network to exchange ads. All of the publisher’s pages are inventoried by the ad exchange. Every ad location and ad space are taken into account as a potential impression. The publisher’s responsibility is to make their ad inventory available through an SSP. With the use of cookies, information about a user is gathered when a visitor enters a publisher’s page. The ad exchange uses this data to select the most appropriate bidders. On the other hand, the advertisers must connect to an ad exchange through a DSP. The advertisers need to get maximum cost-per-impression for the amount he is willing to pay for the ad slot. Moreover, the advertisers have to get an ad slot that matches the demand with available ad impressions. Potential bidders are notified by a bid request whenever new inventory becomes available, at which point the bidding starts. The entire process takes place almost immediately. Whenever there is a change in inventory, it also starts automatically. Ad exchanges can therefore sell digital ad inventory quickly and in large quantities. Categories of Ad Exchanges Predominantly, three kinds of ad exchanges are prevalent such as open ad exchanges, private ad exchanges, and preferred ad exchanges. Let us look into them in detail. Open Ad Exchange: A virtual marketplace that provides open auctions is known as an open ad exchange. All advertisers on the platform have access to a wide selection of publisher ad inventory through this kind of ad exchange. Given the large number of publications, open ad exchanges are likely to be chosen by marketers trying to increase their reach. An open ad exchange, however, does not provide in-depth publisher information. Private Ad Exchanges: Private Ad Exchange is a Private Market Place (PMP). Premium publishers get access to this private platform. Publishers who administer these PMPs typically choose the advertisers who can use their ad space. Publishers have control over who can bid, at what price, and under what conditions on a private ad exchange. Through the use of these PMPs, marketers, ad agencies, and brands and publishers can develop direct partnerships. This can result in more direct discussions between the parties. Preferred Ad Exchanges: A publisher can sell ad inventory for preferred advertisers at a fixed price that has been agreed upon through a preferred ad exchange or preferred agreement. This method of selling digital ad space is more custom. The publisher receives consistent ad revenue from this kind of ad exchange. On the other side, advertisers profit from steady prices. Examples of Ad Exchanges Publishers and advertisers can choose from a wide variety of ad exchanges. They can select the ideal one based on their requirements. Here are a few of the more well-liked ones: Google Ad Exchange: This is the most used ad exchange at present. Publishers can have access to both premium ads and AdSense advertisers using this. OpenX: This Ad exchange guarantees stakeholder autonomy. AppNexus: It includes ad slots from several publishers which offer advertisers a wide variety of options. Magnite: It ensures a worldwide advertising system that currently makes it possible to do more than 1 billion transactions each month. Smarty Ads: It provides a free market that links top publications with international advertising. To sum up The procuring and selling of digital ad inventory have been facilitated by ad exchanges. They provide a platform for publishers and advertisers to interact, transact business, and profit from one another. In the end, using a digital marketplace to acquire and sell ad inventory is considerably simpler than using salespeople.

The last two decades have seen a significant evolution in advertising techniques. Advertisers are doing everything possible to promote their goods and services. The days of being annoyed or frustrated by advertisements are long gone. In order to prevent you from feeling the urge to click on skip or block, marketers are now concentrating on how to make their advertising interesting and engaging. Playable advertisements are one outcome of such efforts. Mobile ad spending is projected to reach 446.14 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, so it is imperative for marketers to invest in campaigns through which they can ensure maximum customer engagement. Over the past few years, playables have become increasingly popular in mobile gaming and have captured players’ attention. Playable ads, however, are no longer restricted to mobile games! Brands can now easily create and deliver playable ads to hundreds of millions of consumers, particularly in video advertising, thanks to the introduction of new tools and the adoption of playable ads by many social platforms and ad exchanges. What are Playable Ads? In order to allow users to “try before they buy,” you must develop an abridged version of your app’s core features. Playable ads permit the users to test out that sample of your app before installing it and ultimately having access to the full experience. Playable advertisements are frequently linked to mobile game marketing because they develop the interest of the users by allowing them to test the gameplay before downloading it. Other verticals are, however, also coming up with creative ways to profit from really interesting playable ads. For its brand awareness campaigns, Australian fintech company Lendi, for instance, used playable ads on Facebook. The business increased incremental leads by 30% and decreased cost per lead by 66% by creating a playable refinance calculator. Users may be persuaded to download your app with just a brief glimpse of how it works; this is especially true if you offer in-app purchases and other incentives that can only be redeemed within your app. The average length of these gameplay snippets is under a minute. Your advertisement should feature a call to action (CTA) after the preview concludes to enable the user to click install. There are primarily two types of Playable Ads: HTML Playable App HTML ads recreate a small portion of a mobile game’s gameplay using the game’s assets and HTML code, giving users a very accurate representation of the app’s functionality. Interactive Videos The playable advertisement is made possible by combining HTML with the video from the game. Although interactive video ads are simpler to create, they are not always as interesting as HTML ads. Elements Involved in Playable Ads Playable ads are premium, content-rich ad units that typically have three main creative components to inform, engage, and motivate consumer behaviour. They are: Tutorial Prompt The tutorial prompt utilizes visual cues to show users how to interact with the advertisement. The placement and length of a tutorial should be determined by the video advertisement or style of the game. A long tutorial may quickly lose the user’s interest and lower retention rates. So, it is recommended to keep the tutorial prompt brief, allowing users to, almost immediately, engage with the playable ad. The Game/Interactive Experience When it comes to producing playable advertisements, there are many options. The ultimate objective is to deliver an innately interesting and fun experience that encourages user engagement. If the playable is an advertisement for a mobile game, it will typically give viewers a sneak peek of the actual gameplay that lasts anywhere between 15 to 60 seconds. Despite the fact that each brand’s playable ads will have a different specific objective, they will typically fall into one of the following three categories: To grab consumer’s attention To push marketing messages To encourage CTA. End Card The end card, which can be tailored for any brand and campaign type, is the last component of the playable ad experience. The final card typically contains a call to action that encourages the user to take some sort of action, like, clicking on a learn more button, downloading coupons, making a purchase, etc. What you can achieve with Playable Ads Playable ads are beneficial to both publishers and advertisers who have had to reconsider their advertising campaign strategies as a result of ad-blocking technologies and data tracking restrictions. Playable advertisements enable the analysis of each in-ad interaction point for performance and behavioral information. As a result, advertisers can now optimize each creative component for even better targeting without having to rely on conventional tracking techniques to gather crucial first-party data. Playable ads are a successful way to engage users because they give them the chance to try your app before downloading it. Additionally, users who choose to download your app will know exactly what to anticipate, which will lower churn and uninstall rates. Your audience’s lifetime value (LTV) will increase by luring customers who are likely to stick around longer, giving you better value for every dollar spent on advertising. In a nutshell Engagement dictates the shift in trends these days. With the passage of every year, more avenues open up, enabling customer engagement through gamification. Since ads have already been revolutionized in the digital realm, one can only imagine the next iteration and its impact on the industry. Web3 has spread its influence in the last few years and remains one of the most promising interactive ad spaces for brands and publishers. It won’t be long before we see advertisements being placed in a variety of locations with various features and engagement strategies. Until then, we shall surf alongside the trends of every decade, witnessing the paradigm shifts.

Video advertising possesses a vital role in marketing. This type of advertising can significantly contribute to the success of the business. It is an established way of communication with consumers that has the potential to bring evident results to the business. Thus, video advertising helps to create quality and unique content that boosts outreach, sales, and brand recognition. This blog gives you a clear picture of what are VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) tags, and how they will be useful for digital publishers. An Overview of VAST Tags The Interactive Advertising Bureau introduced VAST tags in the year 2008. It was primarily done because of the substantial change the video advertising witnessed. Back then, the IAB made numerous updations that include VAST 2.0, VAST 3.0, and the most recent VAST 4.0 which got released in 2016. According to IAB, VAST is an XML schema for running adverts in digital video players and defines which ad to play, how long it shows, and whether viewers can skip it or not.  VAST is an acronym used for Video Ad Serving Template. It is a script meant for video players and ad servers to communicate effectively. The XML data contains details about the type of ad and where the ad creative is located in the ad server. As a result, this greatly simplifies things because any publisher can display third-party video advertising because their video player is VAST-compliant, regardless of the publisher’s ad network or ad server. Because they don’t need to re-equip their video players every time video advertising needs to be displayed from a different supplier, Ad Ops staff can save time as a result. What is a VAST Tag? As mentioned earlier, the markup language used by VAST is an XML schema. The coding units in this language are called VAST tags. Through the use of these tags, advertisers can comprehend the following elements: The destination URL for audience clicks Running time of the video ad Where is the video ad located, etc? Integral Elements of a VAST Tag The main elements differ in a VAST tag according to the advertiser’s requirements from a video player.  Let us examine what are the prime elements in a VAST Tag. Media file Every VAST tag shares a link with the media file containing the advertisement creative. The tag often contains a link to the URL where the media file can be downloaded. In other instances, certain attributes are given and a link to the ad server for the creative is created. Video format The format of the video creative is also included in the VAST tag. It can be a flash video, mp4, and others. Tracking  Tracking the effectiveness of video ads is crucial because simply displaying them is insufficient. A link to a resource file on the ad server is typically present in the VAST tag. A tracking pixel records the impression or any other pertinent data as soon as contact is made. Prime Objectives of VAST Tags The innovation of VAST tags brought remarkable changes in the domain of data monetization. It has helped an ample number of publishers in increasing their scope of advertising strategy. This is hardly possible if VAST tags were not there. Some of the benefits of VAST tags are: Aligned communication between the ad server and the video players. A shared and consistent communication between publishers and advertisers for exhibiting video ads. Thus, they can display and track ad performance. Instructions can be coordinated by tags. Thus, mitigating the possibility of playback errors. More empowerment for the advertisers for executing video ads. Sufficient time and money can be saved for publishers when adhered to VAST tags. Different Kinds of Ads that can be Displayed using VAST Tags Companion ads: These are termed to be display ads, text, or rich media that are visible around or alongside the video player. In-line ads:  This kind of ad is served through the VAST protocol, which has all the essential elements. Hence, the visual experience of the ad is boosted by the video content. Overlays:  These are advertisements that appear as text or image snippets above the main video and flow naturally with it without pausing play. Joint banners: Outside of the video player, joint banners are shown on a web page. They typically start when certain things happen, such as a mouse hover, etc. Conclusion Advertisers and publishers can save time and, ultimately, money by using the Video Ad Serving Template. It offers simplified, one-way communication between ad servers and video players, which prevents technological issues. In addition, VAST tags offer tracking data, enabling all stakeholders to examine a thorough breakdown of ad performance. It is generally acknowledged that a sizable fraction of individuals prefers to watch video advertisements before making a purchase. And it is anticipated that it will significantly rise with the widespread use of social media platforms and cutting-edge electronic devices. As a result, implementing video advertisements using VAST tags will improve video ad performance on all web pages.

The CPG industry or Consumer Packaged Goods industry operates and provides for customers across multiple geographies. Every business needs assistance from the right people/entities to sail through the supply and demand seas. Now, this brings into the picture the fact that cooperation between entities plays an essential part in the smooth functioning of processes and enhances revenue streams by bringing in more opportunities. If you are someone from a marketplace looking for more manufacturers to join the fold and boost your inventory, then bear in mind that establishing the right relationship with the manufacturer is the key. Incrementality measurement forms a crucial aspect of the campaign an organization runs. To put it simply, the last touchpoint determining a conversion helps in the calculation of the success/failure rate of a campaign. While digital marketing has its fair share of challenges, CPG industries have already dipped their toes into this realm. CPG in its own right has a scale to balance, now this scale comprises of a manufacturer and a seller. Balance them the right way and you’ll have a steady flow of returns. But what about the factors that drive a balance between the manufacturer and the seller? How does it affect cooperation? And how does it eventually impact the incrementality measurement side of things? Fret not for you will know it all by the end. Trust and Cooperation are important, actually! As stereotypical as it sounds, trust is what drives sales at the end of the day. If you focus on retaining your customers rather than leaving them be while searching for new ones, chances are you’ll attract neither. If you’re a potent member of the CPG industry then you already know the wonders that trust sprouts with the passage of time. In fact, trust and cooperation are crucial aspects of driving incrementality measurement. Here’s how: Zero restriction on data flow At the end of the day, data is what determines and drives things ahead in this digital world. If there’s a restriction to the flow, it’ll often result in situations that drive results toward the negative side of the spectrum. Cooperation between the manufacturer and the seller (a marketer/marketplace here) allows a smoother flow of data. With a rich stream of data, the right insights for the right audiences can be extracted, resulting in better last clicks and subsequent conversions. Enhanced transparency between parties Now that the importance of streamlined dataflow has been established, another associated benefit that stems from cooperation is transparency. For the most part, sellers often hide the right margins and pieces of data from the manufacturers, and vice versa. This more often than not gives rise to malpractices that plague the relationship between the manufacturer and the seller. Cooperation between these two parties gives rise to better transparency and an emphasis on the data being shared. Not to mention with transparency established in the right manner, you increase the chances of onboarding more manufacturers to fill your inventory. Setting the right competitive prices Another perk that comes with cooperation is the ability to set the right prices for your products. The right flow of data and the subsequent generation of insights enables the seller side to establish the right prices for their product lineup. This enables the seller to take into account the right guidelines set by the manufacturer as well as set up the campaign in a way that supports the manufacturer’s product lineup. And it also establishes the seller’s brand image in the market and drives more customers. It is a win-win situation for the seller as well as the manufacturer. How not to be a good example of incrementality measurement, a CPG example Way back in the early 2000s Walmart initiated a practice that eventually led to a downfall in its relationship with CPG manufacturers. Turns out that Walmart, in its bid to gain more profit from its sales pulled manufacturers down. The flow of data that was supposed to establish a cordial relationship was compromised from Walmart’s side. This led to manufacturers backing out of deals with Walmart and leaving the inventory devoid of products to sell. To add fuel to the fire, Walmart’s aggressive pricing methods also forced manufacturers to terminate their relationship with the retail giant. This move led to bad incrementality measurement scores, coupled with poor sales records and backlash from manufacturers and customers alike. Cooperation or the lack thereof became the key reason for this entire ordeal. Walmart became a bad example for the CPG industry in general. They did eventually improve upon the mistakes they made though. To sum it up Every marketing strategy involves playing the right moves at the right time and place. The CPG industry benefits from incrementality measurement as it helps the marketer understand the demographic and the way to woo it. However, data collection is experiencing a paradigm shift, the idea of a cookieless world is being brought to reality. If you’re someone looking for a way to board the cookieless world and the future possibilities it holds then Cubera is the name to choose. With a state-of-the-art algorithm lineup that assists publishers and advertisers achieve their marketing goals, it is high time to step out of the box and witness the AdTech revolution firsthand.

Today ads occupy a large portion of online as well as offline world. Whether it is newspapers, billboards or online platforms, you can find ads everywhere. It is anticipated that by the end of 2032, the global advertising services market will have grown at a CAGR of 7.2% and will be worth $1 trillion. While traditional methods of offline advertising are quite simple, online advertising has many factors involved. Cost Per Click (CPC) is one such factor involved in online advertising. Deciphering Cost Per Click and the way it works Cost per click (CPC) is a digital metric that falls under Pay-per-click (PPC) marketing model. It measures the average cost an advertiser pays to the publisher every time someone clicks on their advertisement. The CPC calculates the price of showing users advertisements on social media sites, search engines, the Google Display Network, and other publishers. When deciding on bid strategies and conversion bid types to maximize clicks in relation to budget size and target keywords, CPC is a key consideration. Your CPC can help you determine how effective your search advertising campaigns are, and if you are overpaying for any of your campaigns or not. You must bid on your target keywords if you want to appear on appropriate search engine results pages (SERPs). Your ad’s placement on the results page is influenced by your bid, among other factors. which has an impact on your clickthrough rate. Cost per click is a popular method used by advertisers when running a campaign on a daily budget. The ad is automatically taken out of rotation on the website for the balance of the billing period once the advertiser’s budget is met. How to calculate cost per click? There are, basically, two perspectives when it comes to calculating cost per click: from the advertisers’ perspective and from the publishers’ perspective. Taking the advertisers’ perspective into consideration, CPC can be calculated by dividing the total PPC campaign’s cost by the total number of clicks it received. CPC = Total cost of the PPC campaign/Total number of clicks it received But, when it comes to the Publishers’ perspective, calculating CPC is whole new deal. To determine their CPC rates, some publishers and ad networks use click bidding. This implies that a computerized system constantly calculates costs based on supply and demand. The price will then change based on how many advertisers are concurrently competing for the same publisher’s ad space. Some publishers use a different formula to calculate CPC. The most popular method for determining CPC is to multiply the cost per impression (CPI) by the click-through rate (%CTR). CPC = Cost per impression/Click through rate The actual CPC calculated for an ad campaign when using an advertising platform, however, is not a “stable” metric. Over time, it changes depending on the ads, campaigns, or ad groups. When to use cost per click? CPC is a crucial metric that can help you assess the financial performance of your paid search campaigns and estimate the cost of your advertising. Several CPC use cases are listed below: In order to determine your budget and CPC-based relative return on ad spend (ROAS). If you wish to prepare a budget-based plan and forecast the expected volume of traffic. If you want to know how your average CPC stacks up against the competition in the market. In order to calculate your relative ad strength. How can you lower your cost per click? To have as low a cost per click (CPC) as possible is a major concern for businesses using PPC ads. By doing this, you can make sure that your campaigns are affordable, which raises the crucial return on investment (ROI). Understanding the elements that may keep your CPC low is necessary. Here are some recommendations to get you off to a good start: Use long-tail keywords Low search volume keywords with a definite search intent are known as long tail keywords. The best way to reduce the CPC is to use long tail keywords because they typically have a higher Quality Score. The more competitive a keyword is, the higher the bid will be because more people will bid on it. Long tail keywords being precise and having a low search volume, are less likely to be the subject of pointless searches, saving you money on advertising. Use negative keywords Negative Keywords aid in reducing the CPC as well. They stop irrelevant search queries from triggering your ads, which can reduce your CTR, negatively impact your Quality Score and raise your CPC. They permit people who are searching for your ads and are interested in your goods or services to see your ads. Maintain the Quality Score The quality score is Google’s assessment of the relevance of your ads, landing page, and keywords. This may have a significant effect on both: where your ads appear and the cost of each click. Your potential ad rank will increase and your cost per click will decrease the higher your quality score is. Creating highly targeted ads that are more pertinent to the search queries will help you raise your quality score even more. Make use of Ad Scheduling Timing plays an important role when it comes to advertising. Displaying ads during those times of the day when customers are more likely to be online, gives your ad a better reach. Scheduling your ads not only helps you achieve that but also allow you to adjust your bid during certain times of the day. This information can be used to create a unique ad schedule. With more conversions coming from your budget, this strategy will assist you in maintaining and lowering your average CPC. Optimize your landing page for better experience Depending on your CTR, quality ratings can differ greatly. Therefore, you must ensure that visitors to your landing page become paying clients. A high-quality score also results in a lower CPC. Consequently, improve your landing pages to increase conversions. Conclusion One of the most effective marketing techniques for getting results right away is cost

Marketing personalization is the primary key by which you can future-proof your business by evaluating and addressing the everchanging customers’ needs and aspirations. A recent study (the next in the personalization report 2021) depicts that those Companies that take an all-inclusive approach and outshine competitors in demonstrating intimacy with customers generate rapid revenue and business growth. Advertisers must address retailers’ ever-increasing needs and demands by delivering these needs and wants are met. In addition to building brand loyalty, this paves the way for elevated and effective customer interaction. With today’s fast-paced lifestyle, price pressures from discounters, disruption from online providers, and more transparency from shoppers, the retail environment is rapidly changing. Strategies once used by conventional retailers, such as strategic pricing and promotions, have now been easily replicated by competitors and are gradually losing effectiveness. Through effective marketing personalization, retailers can provide unique experiences tailored to individual customers. Customer expectation through personalized experiences Online pioneers have transformed the marketing landscape to the point where customers have grown to expect and demand personalization from retailers and online companies. Customers consider personalization as a  part of their hygiene; if any marketer messes up with this, they will permanently depart from those marketers. Omni-channel advertising has paved the way for a highly personalized customer experience because it successfully integrates multiple channels customers use to interact. Successful marketers seamlessly integrate their most valuable zero and first-party data, providing their clients with exceptional personalized experiences. Competitors have a hard time replicating this broad-based strategy. Successful execution of this strategy will create brand visibility and enable marketers to achieve sustainable competitive advantages. This will drive brand loyalty and turnover for the business, significantly increasing profit margins for the marketers. A recent study (SmarterHQ) indicates that more than 72% of customers like to engage with more personalized and tailor-made messages that meet their needs and preferences. As customers’ online interaction with various brands is thriving, brands are pushing themselves hard for better brand visibility, from social media to pay-per-click advertisements and email communications. Customers, by their rapid and frequent interactions with various digital touchpoints, the customer experience is gradually shifting from brand awareness to purchase and to loyalty. Marketing personalization, which used to be confined to targeted offers, now encompasses customers’ interaction with offline and online channels, underscoring the significance of effective omni-channel advertising. Customers interact with multiple personalized touchpoints, thus enabling them to appropriate their valuable time and money that suits their preferences. A proper marketing personalization process involves marketers involving customers in the dialogue so they can create individualized personalization to create custom audiences. As a result of efficient personalization, these custom audiences receive products, services, and offerings relevant to their needs and preferences. Advertisers will craft tailor-made campaigns based on rich zero and first-party data in this data-driven world. Advertisers must ensure that the communication they send to customers is relevant to the products or services they aspire to and does not bombard them with irrelevant messages. Advertisers must craft a well-executed marketing strategy backed by valuable data insights. To reach a custom audience, it is important to segment large customer groups based on similar tastes and preferences, which should be advertisers’ topmost priority. Creating identical customer profiles and personas helps advertisers define custom audiences and determine the best channels to reach them. How personalization can make the difference? Mckinsey’s recent study indicates that personalization at scale increases the chances of marketers clinching a deal by 1 to 2% by interacting with a large segment of their audience. Further, this helps reduce the marketing and sales cost by 10 to 20%. An excellent customer experience delivers a tremendous positive impact on customer satisfaction rate, improves sales conversion rates, and bolsters customer engagement. Advertisers harnessed and attained positive customer experiences have bestowed their shareholders three times higher returns than their competitors. To make the marketing personalization program fruitful, advertisers have to lay their eyes on their most loyal customers, giving them a return on investment three times higher than the mass promotional campaigns. By using their rich zero and first-party data accumulated from their loyal customer base, advertisers enhance their response rates and boost customer loyalty. Challenges persisting for integration of marketing personalization Mckinsey’s research shows that around 20% of advertisers have fully integrated market personalization strategies, and the balance, 80%, are still exploring this tremendous opportunity. Most advertisers are delving into defining personalization strategies in their core marketing activities and have begun experimentation initiatives. The prime challenges advertisers face while incorporating personalization strategies are It is very difficult for the majority of retailers to collect, integrate and collate the rich zero and first-party data. Maintaining an in-house and robust data analysis team is challenging for advertisers as it involves huge investment outlays. Every employee should use the enriched zero and first-party data across the organization. For the majority of marketers, the siloed data and organizational hierarchies obstruct the efficient and swift sharing of customer data. Breaking the siloed data and disseminating this rich data across the organization will facilitate making wise and informed decisions. Most marketers do not have the proper tools for effectively integrating personalization at scale to its core. Marketers who have implemented omnichannel advertising successfully still pose the challenge of organizing offers and administering across all touchpoints. With the right data and an efficacious data analytics team, marketers can quickly identify customers’ value triggers to facilitate efficient marketing personalization. Marketers must use a cutting-edge audience manager platform to fetch data quickly and deliver timely insights to make wise and informed decisions. With our robust audience manager platform, we gather and analyze rich zero and first-party data to activate customer segments in real-time to deliver a complete customer experience.