Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

Marketers have long known about the challenges of reaching affluent consumers with traditional media. Consumers with household incomes exceeding $100,000 have never been easily targeted via TV or radio. But, lately, this demographic group is showing a preference for digital media and online advertising.

The old saying that first impressions make a difference counts in marketing. Advertisers are routinely allocating a significant portion of their media budgets to display marketing. But those online ads can’t make much of a difference if they don’t have a chance to make an impression – often because they’re located in the wrong place.

Marketers are intent on reaching consumers as they go about their daily business. And they realize that not all consumers are delighted to read advertising on their smart phones. As a result, media planners and buyers have been steadily increasing the amount of money they are spending on digital place-based media or DOOH.

Earlier this week, I highlighted a report about the growing need for retailers to prepare for T-commerce – the online buying activity via consumers using their tablets. Retailers are well aware of the rapid growth in mobile commerce in general, but many believe that the best technology is not yet in place to optimize the mobile buying and selling experience. However, new research shows that vendors are actively searching for and experimenting with the best solutions.

The first thing most marketers want to know about their new ad campaign is how many consumers are paying attention to the content. For online display campaigns, the industry standard for measuring success has been the click-through rate (CTR). But as the online video display sector grows more popular, some industry experts are coming up with more specific metrics to help marketers improve campaign measurement.

Just when marketers think they have their mobile sites optimized for commerce, the bar has been raised. The new popularity of the tablet for everything from reading to shopping means consumers are expecting a seamless experience as they use their new devices. More retailers will be rolling out sites optimized for t-commerce (tablet commerce) this year.