Live Events advertising allows brands to showcase their video ad during a live event’s typical commercial segment as it’s being viewed in real-time on an OTT device – opposed to a user receiving an ad while viewing their programming as a playback or on demand. The advertiser can target one or more specific events that are airing live – no prerecorded shows or reruns – like the Super Bowl, the Grammys and March Madness. Since these events typically have upwards of millions of eyeballs watching, ads are sure to make an impression.

eMarketer reports that the platform viewing habits have shifted the most in the US for live sporting events. “The transition is driven by standalone streaming services, linear over-the-top (OTT) providers, and companies like Amazon, Facebook and Twitter, which are bidding for sports streaming rights.” Viewers no longer have to schedule their plans to be home during the biggest TV events of the year; they can watch them on the go on any device.

With Live Channel advertising, video ads play in those same commercial segments but the targeting approach is what sets it apart. Similar to standard channel targeting with display advertising, advertisers choose a channel, aka category, of shows to target with their ad. For example, the entertainment channel may include networks like A&E and Bravo, while the sports channel may include live television on ESPN and Fox Sports.

Both Live Events and Live Channel campaigns are targeted specifically to OTT devices (CTV, desktop, smartphone and tablet) at the DMA level. Campaigns can of course be scaled up to the national level or settle anywhere in between.

Fusion92’s Advanced TV and live TV streaming capabilities are continuously expanding to ensure that buying options reflect traditional TV capabilities with the benefits of granular digital targeting. The flexibility of these products helps advertisers reach their key customers and audiences with a 1:1 message.

Reach out to your Account Manager or Sales Rep to learn more about pricing for Live Channel and Live Events advertising, or any of our other media capabilities.

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What is Native Advertising?

Native advertising is defined as “material in an online publication which resembles the publication’s editorial content but is paid for by an advertiser and intended to promote the advertiser’s product.” Although they can flow with content seamlessly, they are always disclosed as a paid advertisement with small labels that can read “sponsored content,” “advertisement,” “promoted” or “boosted.”

Native on Mobile & Social Media

Native Advertising has experienced the most growth on mobile devices. The amount of time spent on mobile devices is a large contributing factor to this growth. Also, over 75% of Native ads are served as social posts. While Native ads are fairly new to programmatic display, it is quickly scaling.

Measuring the Success of Native/KPIs

Native Advertising has provided us with higher engagement, video completion, and expansion rates compared to standard formats. Most advertisers use viewability and engagement KPIs to measure the success of campaigns. These measurements are more reliable ways of measuring the success of a campaign and ensuring that an advertiser’s brand, product and/or message is recognized.

Why You Should Try Fusion92’s Native Offering

Fusion92’s programmatic Native Advertising offering is a huge potential area of growth for marketers looking for digital solutions to replace their standard banner ads or social campaigns. We offer high value content and guaranteed publisher-direct placements. Native Advertising is for the creative marketer—especially those who are willing to cultivate their ads to blend in with relevant content. Luckily, we make the ad creation process easy. Send us your image or logo with a few lines of text, and we will construct your ads with an authentic look and feel that users will enjoy. For more questions, contact your Account Manager, and check out our other Managed Media Services here.

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76% of U.S. consumers have purchased a product they’ve seen in a brand’s social media post (as reported by Curulate).  PwC’s Total Retail 2017 survey concluded that 59% of consumers use social media as a source of inspiration for purchases; 34% use social platforms to receive promotional offers; and 16% will click on an ad that is relevant to them.  Additionally, Adobe Analytics concluded that social media ads drive 3X more non-customers than existing customers to retailer websites; up 2.5 times since 2016.

So why are you still creating Facebook and Instagram ad units the old fashioned manual way when they can be created and curated dynamically?

Dynamic Social Ad Tech Makes Social Personalization Easy

• Curate to Specific Audiences – Dynamically populate ad units in real time to display unique offers and messages based on target audience (Example: electricians only see offers from within a brand’s electrical category)
• Efficiency through Automation – Content updates in real-time and updates are introduced/removed based on valid dates without pausing the campaign or having to traffic any new ad units
• Limitless possibilities – Choose from multiple fields to populate the ad unit such as image, title, deal, headlines, location, title, call to actions, click thru links and more
• Cut down on manual tasks to focus on solving other client goals – Hundreds to thousands of variant ad units built in real-time vs. pre-rendering units one at a time saves time and resources
• Advertise locally at scale – Show location for thousands of stores in the ad unit without having Facebook pages for each location
• Inventory updates in real-time – Ability to change out offers immediately based on inventory avails on a store-by-store basis
• Display location while optimizing against any Facebook  KPI goal – Ability to display location on an ad unit card while optimizing against any goal (if pulling in location from Facebook, the buy can only be optimized towards store visits)

Enhanced Results

• Custom curated communication driving online purchases and in-store visits using relevant content
• ROAS that exceeds standard non-dynamic Facebook ad units
• Serving the right offer to the right audience

Contact your Account Manager to learn more, or reach out to us here. Check out our Dynamic Ad Tech here.

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Let’s take a step back and define this emerging media channel. Podcasts are an on-demand format that allows advertisers to reach users when they are highly engaged with the content they are consuming. Unlike traditional radio that tends to be background noise, users who listen to podcasts have the intention of absorbing the information and are less likely to skip advertisements in fear of missing any content. It is an opportunity for advertisers to use this as a story telling avenue; unlike display advertising that conveys a message with a visual, podcast advertising audio ads provide the opportunity to tell the story of your brand and what you are trying to sell with personality and emotion through inflection, intonation etc. Research has proven that it is a full-funnel marketing strategy, and that 61% of listeners have bought something that was advertised via podcasts.

The typical podcast audience tends to index higher towards young, well-educated individuals with a higher household income. Furthermore, these users tend to be more mobile. Whether they are working out at the gym, taking public transportation or traveling around the country, you will reach them when they are most tuned-in.

Scale isn’t a concern either. It is found that nearly 73 million U.S. listeners tune into podcasts at least one a month which is more than 1/5 of the U.S. population! And because you are reaching users when they are most engaged, we see Listen Through Rates (LTR) at 90%+. What does that signify? Your message is being heard.

At Fusion92, we make it easy to incorporate podcasts into your programmatic buy all while utilizing our granular targeting capabilities. We can leverage our proprietary 3^rd party data stack in addition with our localized targeting strategies to ensure we are locked in on the right users. Reach out to your Account Manager to learn more!

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Over the past few years, we’ve seen digital video gain popularity at a steady rate. This year, there are about 229.9 million digital video viewers in the U.S. By 2022, there will be a projected 250 million. If that’s not enough to convince you, here’s another big stat: by 2020, people in the U.S. will spend on average 91.57 minutes per day with digital video. So, how do you get a piece of the pie? And more importantly, how do you find YOUR unique audience among literally millions of users?

The answer is simple – precise targeting!

This may seem a bit daunting, but the key is determining your core audience. Think of it this way, you’re not going to want to target Baby Boomers the same way you target a Millennial. For example, Baby Boomers are significantly more likely to be engaged on social networks, such as Facebook, than with a connected TV device, while the opposite is often true for Millennials. Your core audience’s demographics can help inform what platform is ideal for your video.

Once the demographic is determined, it’s time to narrow down a bit further. Are you looking to reach users across the nation, state, or city? There are a variety of geo-targeting options that can open up or narrow down your audience depending on how localized you’d like your message to be.

From there, targeting can go any which way advertisers want! Behavioral targeting can include household income, education level, political views, and more. Targeting can even get down as granular as specific interests like sports, travel, gaming, auto and cooking.

So, the moral of this story is – if you have an audience, it can be reached with digital video and refined to meet your unique scale and budget parameters. Video is a relevant tool for all advertisers, big or small!

The post Making Digital Video Work for Your Business appeared first on Shoppertech.

Did somebody say VCR?!

No, we’re not talking about that dusty dinosaur that you feed VHS tapes into after snagging the last copy of new release from Blockbuster (don’t forget to rewind!). VCR, or Video Completion Rate, is a measurement of the rate at which your digital video impressions play to 100%. Simply put, it’s square one for understanding the efficiency and effectiveness of your video campaign. High VCRs result in more time spent with your message and a lower cost-per-view, while low VCRs indicate room for improvement.

How can I set myself up for VCR success?

Glad you asked, because there are a bunch of things you can do!

First, understand your platform and device. CTV devices typically drive the highest completion rates (90%+), followed by Desktop (65%+), and finally Mobile (50%+)*. Choosing to run on devices or platforms with naturally high completion rates – like CTVs and OTT – may be more expensive compared to Desktop/Mobile, but the overall completion efficiency can be substantially superior.

Next, let’s talk about creative. Attention spans are shrinking and co-viewing (interacting with multiple devices simultaneously) is on the rise. That means advertisers need to get their message across quicker than ever before. We see the best completion performance with :6 and :15 second creatives, and recommend front-loading your message to grab the viewer’s attention. 30-second creatives are great for Broadcast, but they don’t translate well into a digital environment, so we’d recommend avoiding them when possible.

Finally, we need to understand what kind of inventory we’re evaluating. Non-skippable In-Stream video inventory naturally drives higher completion rates than out-stream or in-banner video, so make sure you know what you’re buying. (All of Fusion92 Advanced TV and In-Stream in non-skippable.) Keep in mind that even if the inventory is non-skippable, that doesn’t guarantee a completion. Users can choose to abandon the content, click-through, or the ad can fail to load fully… all of which can result in less than a 100% completion.

What about clicks?

Clicks are video advertising’s worst enemy! Here’s why:

• We know that the majority of clicks, especially on mobile, are accidental!** That means they likely result in frustration instead of a conversion or on-site action.
• When a user clicks on your video, it interrupts the stream, preventing the ad impression from completing at 100% and thus hurting your VCR.
• Most importantly, your ad is already an “interruption” to the user’s browsing experience. Expecting the user to abandon the show or clip they’re trying to watch is lofty demand. You’re better off trying to keep them engaged with your brand for the 6-15 seconds of content in your ad.

What should I be measuring instead of clicks?

While VCR is a great starting point, there are a handful of other ways we can measure video advertising success instead of clicks. We recommend:

View-Through Conversions:

View-Through Conversion tracking allows us to track a user following their exposure to a video ad impression to determine if they take a future action on your website. It’s a great way to measure the success of your video impression because it assumes that the user is completing the spot at 100% (driving up your VCR), spending time with your message, and then being driven to act on your site without a direct interruption to their browsing experience.

Viewability:

For the more sophisticated advertiser, we also recommend evaluating Video Viewability. This measures an impression’s opportunity to be viewed on a screen. Video Viewability is generally high since the average video player takes up all or most of the screen, but it’s still worth monitoring. The higher the in-view rate, the more quality time spent with your brand’s message.

Want to learn more? Don’t hesitate to reach out or visit Managed Media Services.

*MOAT Q2 2018 Benchmarks
**MediaPost, 2016

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in January 2016 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness. 

The post VCR: What it is and why it’s meaningful appeared first on Shoppertech.

According to media research company eMarketer, $56 billion is spent on in-app advertising in the United States. comScore estimates U.S. mobile users spend over 18% of their daily app time streaming music; however, IAB found only $1.6 billion – or less than 3% of the $56 billion – is attributed to music streaming. The 15% difference between usage and spend unlocks a unique opportunity.

Audio Offerings

Brands looking to capitalize on this underserved market should be thrilled by the growing availability of Programmatic Audio advertising. Audio’s unique values include:

• Stellar performance compared to display in all engagement categories*, including:
  • 60% higher Ad Recall
  • 33% higher Relevance
  • 52% higher Increased Brand Interest
• Naturally audible environments, free from clutter and ad-blockers, driving high completion rates
• Brand Safe & Fraud Free buying thanks to direct and transparent inventory access
• Growing scale and exceptional user-level data for efficient targeting and cost
• Placement and optimization across all types of streaming devices, including the growing contingent of connected speakers like Alexa, Google Home and Sonos

(*According to Spotify)

Getting Started

Choose a 15 or 30-second audio spot and hone in on your target audience using any of our unique targeting capabilities:

• GEO – ZIP code, City, DMA, State, Country
• DEMO – Age or Gender
• BEHAVIORAL – Online or Offline User Attributes (i.e. HHI, Interests, Lifestyle, etc.)
• CHANNEL/CONTEXTUAL – Target based on app content, playlist, genre, and more!

Audio streaming presents the opportunity for an optional companion banner (300×250 or 640×640 on Spotify). Keep in mind that your primary KPI for any Audio Campaign is ACR (Audio Completion Rate) rather than clicks or CTR.

Audio utilizes the power of sound to guide the listener’s connection to the brand. The unique singular sense of audio gives the brand the ability to control and amplify an image with higher impact than a typical display campaign.

Learn more about our Managed Media Services

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Facebook prides itself on providing users with streamlined content that’s as easy to digest as possible. Their old rule of thumb was if your ad included 20% or more text it wouldn’t be approved. They have since changed this model—now allowing images and videos with heavy text in them to run. Sounds great, right? Well, not really. While these ads are allowed, they probably won’t have much, if any, reach. Try using the text fields to house this information—not your image. If you must include text in images and videos, reduce the font size and keep coverage to only a small portion of the ad. If you’re ever in doubt, Facebook has a text overlay tool where you can see just how much text is in your ad which can be found here. Just remember that the less text (under 20%) in your ad, the better the cost and the better the performance will be. When it comes to video, providing us with a text free thumbnail we can use helps creative approval as well. Something to also keep in mind is that most people are consuming the video ads they see with the sound off. Captions are helpful to both entice people to read along and prevent them from scrolling past them.

Content & Language

Facebook has been recently cracking down on discriminatory ads. Ads that call out people for what may be considered discreet or embarrassing attributes will not be run. Other ads that are off-limits are any content that singles out people based on gender, race, family status, sexual orientation, medical and genetic conditions, religion, age, national origin, and disability. If Facebook identifies an ad as providing housing, credit, or employment opportunities while also using any other audience segments, Facebook will require advertisers to state that they are in compliant with their updated discrimination policy.

It’s important to remember both images and text play a role in this policy. The take-home point here is that Facebook tries to create and maintain a certain inclusive and inoffensive atmosphere for their audience, so images and messages which counter this goal are nearly impossible to get running.

For more info, visit Facebook’s Guide to Prohibited Content.

The post Facebook Ads Getting Rejected? Here’s Why appeared first on Shoppertech.

We are confident that the AdvancedTV Advertising product will become one of your most powerful video marketing tools as cord cutting among all demographics continues to rise in 2017. The new offering is curated by our team to present a best-in-class portfolio of TV-quality inventory across three scalable tiers: Over-the-Top (OTT), Connected TV (CTV), and Full Episode Player (FEP). Direct partnerships with premium publishers and platforms allow us to offer exclusive scale and targeting that is unmatched by our competitors.

Over-the-Top (OTT) Advertising
Think of OTT as premium in-stream video. Deliver your ad before, during or after TV quality content streamed on any device.

Targeting Available: Geo, Day-Part, Category, Demo

Why? Users stream video content from all devices at all times depending on their intent. It’s important that your media mix match their viewing habits. OTT advertising fills this final gap in the device ecosystem to create a true cross-platform offering – it’s also exceptionally cost-efficient and scalable for almost any media plan.

ConnectedTV (CTV) Advertising
Deliver your ad to TV viewers watching content on a Smart TV, or a TV set connected to the internet via streaming devices.

Targeting Available: Geo, Day-Part, Category

Why? Roku, Apple TV, Xbox, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Chromecast- the list goes on! Over 75% of US Households will access a CTV Device regularly in 2017, according to eMarketer. As the largest screen in the house, CTV presents a high-impact, naturally viewable format with impressive completion rates.

Full Episode Player (FEP) Advertising
As the most premium offering, FEP enables advertisers to place a video ad exclusively within full-length, high-quality inventory delivered through Apps, on any device.

Targeting Available: Geo, Day-Part, Category, Demo

Why? Have you experienced the beautiful convenience of catching up on your favorite TV show outside of its normal schedule by streaming an episode through the publisher’s site or app? You’re not alone- more than 40% of US digital video viewers had either cut or reduced their reliance on traditional TV as of August 2016, and the figure is only growing, according to eMarketer.

Interested in learning more? Ready to get started? Email us now!

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I think the answer is, it’s not just me. It’s how we behave and react as consumers. We’re much more inclined to act on something, consider something or pull the trigger based on what’s going on around us.

This idea is what drives Triggered Advertising. It’s simply using current events to maximize the relevance, importance and timeliness of your message. How so? Well, it’s actually fairly simple…

An advertiser first determines what “event” would change the way people would feel or act as it relates to their product or service. Maybe the trigger is stormy weather. With that, they create two to three different ads – one with standard branded messaging, and 1-2 with messaging related to the weather. By integrating with a weather-specific API, our ad serving platform is notified when the new condition (storming) is met, and it triggers a creative swap. Once the storms cease, the primary creative is reactivated and secondary creative becomes idle until the next occurrence.

Let’s say the advertiser is a roofing company. When the weather is pleasant, their default message might be something like “Don’t wait until it’s too late! Replace your roof now to avoid future leaks and damage.” Then when it’s storming, “We’re the experts in roof repair. Available 7 days a week. Call now.”

Studies show that people are 12% more likely to engage if an online ad is relevant to them in the moment. Why not take advantage of this behavioral pattern and drive interest or action based on…whatever you choose! Some example triggers are rain, snow, wind, pollen levels, drop/lift in oil prices, drop/lift in stock prices, drop/lift in mortgages rates, and then options are essentially endless. We can accommodate countless data points, just email us to confirm.

With Triggered Advertising, good timing is always on your side.

Reach out now to discuss how Triggered Advertising can work for you

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