10,000 banner ads and where agencies can shove their big ideas.

As far as hot topics go, data seems to be on the tip of everyones tongue. But how do we use it? What trends are we seeing? Maybe most importantly, how can we optimize our output to take advantage of this new found world?

Think about this...

In the media landscape today, if you go to a car manufacturers website and look at a car, we (as marketers/advertisers) can track that. More than that, we can ensure all display ads you see afterwards feature the specific model you we’re just noodling over. Maybe you were browsing and wanted to see what it looked like in blue? Yep, the car in the ad you get served can now be blue. Maybe you had some sticker shock and kept clicking to compare prices. Guess what. That price point can now be prominently featured right above that blue car you loved so much! But you’re not that easily swayed by digital marketing tactics.

Some time goes by…

You create a profile in order to sign up for a newsletter (hoping that model or something close to it will just magically slide into your price range). Remember those ads? Yeah, now they’re all calling you out. Your name. In every single unit. Screaming “Hey John, BUY ME”. Creepy you’ll admit, but you’re still not convinced.

More time goes by…

You just bought a dog. Your new dog is so cute you can’t help but post photos of him on Facebook. Remember when you used that social login to create your profile all those months ago? Now all those ads have a f*%king cute dog in them! Not only that, the messaging in the unit now talks to how safe this model happens to be for pets. At this point you need a car and you’re not a puppy killer, what other options do you have?

So what the f*%& just happened?

We created a 10,000 variations of each digital media unit. Built then targeted each version to a specific user and step in the purchase cycle. An example (although slightly dramatized) of how we can use data to help a consumer along from consideration to purchase. The role of each display unit becoming a slight tap on the head of our consumer, slowly repositioning itself to become more attractive in every iteration.

So is context killing creative? Do we really need a big idea anymore?

I was reminded earlier this week, what it is that I actually do. The simple fact that when it comes to advertising, it’s all about the art of persuasion and not just the science of it. That a campaign based solely on the merit of it’s targeting or contextualized messaging can’t ever punch above it’s weight. That to be successful you need your “holy shit” idea to hold hands with some of these data smart tactics.

Even though this feels like a “no-duh” moment, we need to remember that in todays landscape you need to fight for your big idea. Put yourself in client A’s shoes. I can give you a “BUY ME NOW” campaign that features a logo and product, then based on data, I can tailor this unit to resonate with individual consumers. In fact, the less of an idea behind the creative, the more I can customize this unit. I can drive conversion with minimal risk because I’m not testing an idea, just presenting a product. In theory it’s smart creative, but are the creative handcuffs worth the output?

Two examples were pinned against each other to test the theory.

In one corner you have the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NYC) and in the other the Melbourne Transit Authority. Both have the same problem. They both need to make people aware of the danger around transit lines in order to help prevent accidental death. They both have access to data about fatalities, foot traffic and a multitude of other information on consumers. It’s how they use it and the results of each campaign that highlight a difference in approach.

Metro Transit Authority

• Used statistics to incite fear in consumers
• Large numbers used to drive awareness of growing problem
• Contextualized executions spoke to time and place in
  order to drive relevancy with consumers

Melbourne Transit Authority

• Made a song about it

One became a cultural phenomenon that drove awareness globally, the other you hadn’t heard about until 5 seconds ago.

The point is that data has it’s place, but if we become consumed by it, we might loose sight of the art that makes our communication effective. So tell a story, lead me to your brand, then put a cute dog in every ad you serve me and i’m sold.