Written by Anthony Del Gigante
In a field dominated by catchy buzzwords and slogans, the phrase “dynamic creative advertising” may seem like just another theoretical idea with little substance. But, it’s already transforming advertising and is likely to have a significant impact on brands’ everyday marketing efforts.
Even if the term is unfamiliar, many marketers are now utilizing a dynamic creative approach in their advertising campaigns. The emergence of dynamic creative advertising is due in part to improvements in artificial intelligence that allow marketers to target ad campaigns to certain groups. As artificial intelligence continues to evolve and become more sophisticated, dynamic creative campaigns will likely increase in importance and prominence.
So, are you wondering exactly what the term dynamic creative advertising means? Are you unsure about what it looks like in action and how it ties in with artificial intelligence? Do you want to know how it can play a role in your next ad campaign?
To gain deeper insight into what’s currently going on with dynamic creative advertising, the branding team at MDG Advertising examined a recent study by eMarketer. Following are the answers we found to some of the most commonly asked questions:
What does dynamic creative advertising mean and how’s it currently used?
The term dynamic creative advertising merely means offering different creative content for different segments of your audience. Unlike a traditional campaign where everyone sees the same ad, TV commercial, or billboard, a dynamic creative approach allows specific segments of the audience or specific consumers to receive customized ads.
Audience targeting, a primary part of dynamic creative advertising, is being used by many major brands. As reported by eMarketer, 42 percent of marketers say that audience segmentation is central to their current marketing strategy. Thirty-six percent of the marketing professionals surveyed say that personalized email is a vital part of their marketing strategy, 26 percent utilize location-based targeting, 22 percent use personalize website content, and 22 percent incorporate retargeting into their strategy.
Why is dynamic creative advertising so popular now?
While it may seem like the concept of dynamic creative advertising has come out of the blue, it’s been gaining prominence for several years, as marketers gain access to increasingly robust digital platforms that provide them with an abundance of data about audience demographics and behaviors.
Digital platforms have revolutionized ad buying and delivery. Programmatic ad tools enable brands to efficiently and successfully target, and then retarget, their creative content. The emergence of new digital platforms also provides new tactics that marketers can use to deliver their messages exactly where they want.
How does artificial intelligence impact dynamic creative advertising? Is it essential?
Despite the fact that marketers are quickly adopting the use of artificial intelligence to target their content in subtle ways, there have been obstacles to unlocking the full power of the creative portion of the equation.
One hurdle is that platforms are evolving so quickly, and the amount of data is so vast, that humans are unable to adapt fast enough. Even though marketers have more options than ever before for delivering their ads, there hasn’t been a lot of variation in the creative for the ads.
Thanks to artificial intelligence, however, campaign modeling, audience segmentation, and attribution are becoming better and easier. This allows marketers to devote more time and resources to developing additional creative options.
Artificial intelligence also helps brands and marketers create scale. These increasingly sophisticated systems are able to analyze and learn, which makes it possible to test, rework, and deliver dynamic creative ad campaigns to make them more effective—without the need for human intervention.
If data compiled by Econsultancy is any indication, we still haven’t fully explored AI’s power in enhancing digital advertising. Less than 50 percent of major brands and marketing agencies currently utilize artificial intelligence to create dynamic content or to target and segment their advertising. The fact that digital platforms provide marketers with information that was previously inaccessible, such as location, demographics, and purchasing and browsing history, enables a vast array of new approaches.
Citing data from Winterberry Group and the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the eMarketer report concluded that 65 percent of senior U.S. marketers say better data and systems have allowed them to focus more on cross-channel measurement during the past 12 months. Fifty-one percent of those surveyed also increased their focus on programmatic buying in new formats and increased segmentation, and 45 percent focused on programmatic buying in established formats.
What is dynamic creative advertising like in action?
What kind of advertising is possible when multivariate testing and on-the-spot creative development come together? In its report, eMarketer offered a snapshot of what AI-driven creative advertising would look like:
– Multivariate testing, which analyzes the performance and effectiveness of different creative options, can be accomplished now with hundreds of ad variations thanks to artificial intelligence. This makes it possible for marketers to identify the specific elements—color, font, visuals, and calls to action—that are most likely to resonate with a specific consumer. For example, a retargeted ad can be modified to reflect a product that the consumer was shopping for the previous day, as well as the approach that the consumer might find the most appealing.
– The scope of this type of multivariate testing is truly mind-boggling. When used to its fullest, dynamic creative advertising makes it possible for each consumer to receive a personalized, one-off ad that’s directed exclusively to them.
What’s needed to achieve success with a dynamic creative campaign?
Have you decided that it’s time to incorporate dynamic creative content into your marketing strategy? According to eMarketer and industry experts, you’ll need two fundamental elements to be successful: the right technology and the right people.
A dynamic campaign has many moving parts, including creative optimization, targeting, segmentation, analysis, and buying. It’s essential that the systems used to develop and execute these elements function well on their own and also are seamlessly integrated.
Even with the best technology and platforms, a dynamic campaign still depends on people to succeed. This requires the involvement and cooperation of various teams within the organization, so colleagues from creative, marketing, technology, and media must collaborate and work closely together.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Anthony Del Gigante, Chief Creative Officer at MDG Advertising
Anthony Del Gigante is chief creative officer at MDG Advertising, a traditional ad/branding agency made digital, with offices in Boca Raton, Florida and Brooklyn, New York. Over the years, his unique talents in brand strategy, visual identity development, and brand activation have consistently delivered measurable results for a wide range of world-renowned clients, including American Express, Verizon, AbbVie, and Cushman Wakefield. A brand specialist, Anthony leads MDG’s creative development, working with clients to develop creative, strategic, and functional solutions for their brands.
