A proper advertiser is always on-time, never late - Digiday

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of the gutter.) I'm not asking if you've ever stiffed them. ... In a digital era, “I'm with him,” doesn't cut it. ..
PROPER CONDUCT FOR A PROGRAMMATIC AGE

ADVERTISER EDITION

Contents 3 Introduction

10 On selecting partners

4

On diversity

11 On premium inventory

6

On cost

13 On timeliness

7

On private exchanges

14 On staying sane

8

On interruptions

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PROPER CONDUCT FOR A PROGRAMMATIC AGE

OH, WHAT A BRAVE NEW WORLD WE LIVE IN!

ADVERTISER EDITION

OK, so maybe a world that lets you go days without interacting with another human being isn’t so brave, and I guess the Web is already 27 years old, so… What a world we live in! Especially in media: Programmatic has changed the game, accelerated the scale and hopefully increased your revenue -- all through a series of tubes.

This situation has some programmatic pros behaving pretty poorly toward their sell-side counterparts. But you’re in luck! We’ve put together some pointers that will have you acting like a proper advertiser in no time. Trust us: Your programmatic partners will thank you for it.

But somewhere along the way, we forgot that there are people on the other side of those tubes. No, not human vegetables serving as Matrix-style batteries, but actual people like me and you!

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PROPER CONDUCT FOR A PROGRAMMATIC AGE

ADVERTISER EDITION

A proper advertiser never puts all their eggs in one basket MONOCHROME IS SO OUT. (OR IS IT IN? I’VE LOST TRACK.) When Pantone releases its “Color of the Year,” high society doesn’t throw its old wardrobe out the window and commission a new one all in that color. Monochrome is so out. (Or is it in? I’ve lost track.)

A proper advertiser knows that successful campaigns should take a mix of formats and messages, carefully nudging their customers down the funnel with more sophistication than blasting them with the same CTA until they submit.

But whenever a shiny, new format hits the market, it’s tempting to double down. We’ve all seen our share of fingers raised in moments of inspired genius and bold exclamations, “We should only do [fill in the blank] this year!” Famous last words.

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REMEMBER TO TIP THE DOORMAN, OR IT’S NOT HIS FAULT IF THE DOOR HITS YOU ON THE WAY OUT.

PROPER CONDUCT FOR A PROGRAMMATIC AGE

ADVERTISER EDITION

A proper advertiser never expects handouts REMEMBER TO TIP THE DOORMAN, OR IT’S NOT HIS FAULT IF THE DOOR HITS YOU ON THE WAY OUT. In some countries, you don’t tip your waiter. The way they see it, you don’t reward someone for simply doing their job (and something about people being paid decent wages from the get-go). Weird, right?

Want to be a proper advertiser? Understand that quality has to cost someone, and if publishers can’t pass along some of the costs of layering on extras like data targeting, there’s less of a chance that they’ll offer them at all.

But have you ever felt OK not tipping a hotel bell-person, valet or delivery boy for doing something extra? (Get your mind out of the gutter.) I’m not asking if you’ve ever stiffed them. Everyone’s done that. But did it feel like an OK thing to do? Probably not.

So do remember to tip the doorman, or it’s not his fault if the door hits you on the way out next time.

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PROPER CONDUCT FOR A PROGRAMMATIC AGE

ADVERTISER EDITION

A proper advertiser never shows up without an invitation IN A DIGITAL ERA, “I’M WITH HIM,” DOESN’T CUT IT. Private parties are private for a few reasons: There might not be enough food and drink for a larger group; the party might cater to a specific type of person (e.g. not you); or they just might know about your severe allergy to fun.

These more intimate arrangements give you first dibs and better insights on publishers’ premium inventory, and programmatic makes the whole process as seamless as deals in the open exchange. But without an invitation, you’ll just have to take our word for it.

But one thing’s for sure: Nobody likes a party crasher. In a digital era, “I’m with him,” doesn’t cut it. Just ask politely and most publishers would be happy to let you into their PMPs.

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PROPER CONDUCT FOR A PROGRAMMATIC AGE

ADVERTISER EDITION

A proper advertiser knows it’s always rude to interrupt JUST WAIT UNTIL THEIR LIPS STOP MOVING. AND TRY NOT TO GET A GLAZED LOOK IN YOUR EYE. I’m not telling you to only speak when spoken to. But talking over others is never polite (and rarely effective), no matter what all those HBR management books tell you. You don’t even have to listen to what the other person is saying! Just wait until their lips stop moving. And try not to get a glazed look in your eye.

So when a user settles down to read or watch some content, they shouldn’t have to fight even when they’re just trying to but couldn’t

Stop doing that.

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YOU DRESS YOUR BEST, GET YOUR HAIR DONE TO IMMACULATE PERFECTION. YOU EVEN FLOSS!

PROPER CONDUCT FOR A PROGRAMMATIC AGE

ADVERTISER EDITION

A proper advertiser chooses their friends wisely YOU DRESS YOUR BEST, GET YOUR HAIR DONE TO IMMACULATE PERFECTION. YOU EVEN FLOSS! You both swiped right and set a date. You dress your best, get your hair done to immaculate perfection. You even floss! But when your would-be soulmate shows up and sees that you picked your local diner as the venue, all the perfume and charm in the world can’t make the night a success.

Proper advertisers know that their publishing partners set the stage for their consumers’ first impressions. To ensure brand safety, keep an updated blacklist of untouchables to filter out offensive or off-brand sites in real-time.

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PROPER CONDUCT FOR A PROGRAMMATIC AGE

ADVERTISER EDITION

A proper advertiser knows that the cream always rises to the top THE OPEN MARKET CAN FEEL LIKE AN ISLAND OF MISFIT TOYS; NOBODY’S FIRST CHOICE. There’s always a most boring person at the party. You probably feel bad for this person, but you’d rather be caught dead than be seen talking to them for any meaningful length of time. That’s unfortunately what the open market can feel like: an island of misfit toys; nobody’s first choice. Tragic, but not really your problem.

A proper advertiser knows where to find the premium inventory: private marketplaces, header bidding, automated guaranteed. Anywhere that gives you an exclusive first look (or even a non-exclusive first look; you’re not picky) is going to do your brand more of a service than dipping into the leftovers. Treat yourself.

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PROPER CONDUCT FOR A PROGRAMMATIC AGE

ADVERTISER EDITION

A proper advertiser is always on-time, never late (or too early) ALWAYS SAY THE RIGHT THING (JUST AS THE CONSUMER’S READY TO HEAR IT). Yeah, yeah, fashionable lateness is a thing, but I’m pretty sure it only applies to parties. How does your (ex-)boss feel when you’re fashionably late to every meeting? Consumers probably feel the same way about your advertising. You put in the hard work: consumer research, concepting, production. You produced big, bold, beautiful ads, and now is their moment to take center stage. At least it was, but then you waited too long and hit them with awareness of

your upcoming model right after they bought the old one. Or the opposite: You sent a direct response message their way when they were still evaluating their options. A proper advertiser uses consumer data (and an awareness of their journey) to always say the right thing (just as the consumer’s ready to hear it).

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PROPER CONDUCT FOR A PROGRAMMATIC AGE

ADVERTISER EDITION

A proper advertiser never spreads itself too thin IS IT POSSIBLE TO BE OVER-CONNECTED? (LEADING QUESTION: OBVIOUSLY YES.) In our post-Zuckerberg world, connection is everything. But is it possible to be over-connected? (Leading question: Obviously yes.) If you’re invited to a handful of events, you’re much more likely to go to all of them if each taps into a new group of friends, colleagues, or prospects. Why? Because you have needs, dammit! And each of those events puts you in touch with people who fulfill different ones.

Same goes for your partners: They all have different ways of solving your stack’s challenges, but even a great solution brings more problems than it’s worth if it interferes with the smooth operation you had going. Variety is crucial, but a proper advertiser honors their own sanity first by keeping things from getting too complicated.

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MAKE ADS MATTER. Programmatic advertising should be flexible, smart, and effective. That means platforms to help automate the process of buying and selling ads, technology to increase accuracy and rich data insights along the way. PulsePoint’s technology platforms are built to do just that. We are a global programmatic technology company redefining digital advertising for publishers, advertisers and tech partners.