1. Beyond the Banner Ad – The Potential Analog Value of Digital Data for
Marketers
By Paul Mander | StrategicServicesConsultant,BlueKai
Anysmart companystrivestobetterunderstanditscustomers. Inthe “analog”world,marketing
departmentsmake significantinvestmentsinfocusgroupsandevengofar as sendinganthropologists
intotheircustomers’home tostudytheirbehavior.Groupthinkoftenproducesmisleadingresultsfrom
focusgroups,and directlystudyingpeopletakestime andremainsexpensive.Both activitiesprovide
informationfromasnapshotintime,andmustbe undertakenagaininthe future toremaintimelyand
relevant.
The adventof searchand keywordbasedadvertisingawakenedthe digital marketingworldtothe power
of data.A fewyearslaterdisplayadvertisingdrankthe dataKool-Aid,andnow datadrivendisplay
advertisingleveragingDataManagementPlatforms(DMPs) isseeingtremendousgrowth. Online
marketersuse DMPs togain insightsintoaudiences, andthentargetthemwithappropriate ads and
content.Thisdata drivenapproachhasprovento be highlyeffectivewhencomparedto“traditional”
methodsof banneradvertising,asevidencedbynumerous case studies.
But doesithave to endwithCPMs and CTRs? Whynot use your audience (which bythe way consistsof
your customersandpotential customers) insightsfromaDMP to make offline marketingdecisions?For
example,suppose youare afinancial servicescompanythatoffersconsumersacreditcard.Your card
has rewardpointsthatyour customerscan earnand redeem withvariousmerchants.The rewardshave
to be relevanttoyourcustomersinorder to retainthemina competitive marketplace.Byleveraginga
DMP, you can discovernewinsightsaboutyour customers.Perhapsyou notice thatanoverwhelming
majorityof userswhologgedintoyourwebsite are alsoinmarketfora particularconsumerelectronic
device orcertainhousewares. Couldthispotentiallyleadyoutoanew partner for your rewards
program?Or maybe youhave a newco-promotional opportunityonyourhands?The beautyof usinga
DMP for these insightsisthatitupdatesitself –youcan jumpon a hot trendthat mattersto your
customers,and thenchange gearsonce somethingelsebecomesthe nextbigthing.Youwill quickly
realize thatthe oldfadno longermattersto yourcustomers,withouthavingtoconvene afocusgroup.A
DMP providesthe opportunitiesformarketersfrommanyindustries –consumerelectronics,financial
services,consumerproductgoods,tolearnwhatmattersto theircustomers.It’supto all the marketing
managersand brandmanagersto start leveragingthisvaluable resource inwaystheyhave notbefore!