Although marketing has remained constant in principle, much has changed in practice. On October 27, 1993, AT&T published the first-ever banner ad on hotwired.com (Wired Magazine). This moment signified a transformation in how brands would engage with their audiences in the future. Since then, digital advertising technology has dramatically enhanced the capabilities of marketing teams in the following five ways:
The invention of the cookie allowed Advertisers to gain insights into different online users’ behavior and interests. Advertisers are able to use this information to create highly personalized messaging. Modern Advertising Technology systems now use a broad range of identifiers beyond the cookie in order to build user profiles and ensure the right message is reaching the right user at the right time.
In today’s digital landscape, advertisers can interact with potential customers on a variety of channels including smartphones, tablets, televisions, outdoor screens, apps, and even VR sets. The fourth P of marketing – Promotion, requires a CMO to utilize all of these opportunities by working with innovative technology partners like Adform who have access to a wide range of channels.
For CMOs buying media, technology has brought focus, control, and reach. Marketers can now control how often an ad is seen by an individual, ensuring money isn’t wasted on unengaged users; they can set algorithms that continuously learn and adapt to target users that are more likely to convert; and they can control what type of environments their ads are displayed in - all from one central location.
Today, digital advertising has allowed marketers to measure the direct impact of their campaigns with detailed information. They are able to use this information to effectively gauge which of their ads had the most compelling effect on generating a sale.
To facilitate long-term brand building and emotional experiences that sear into consumers’ minds, ad tech needs to be able to facilitate creative executions. This is not just about having a solid range of compelling digital formats, but about how data and technology can support creative storytelling experiences. For instance, with Dynamic Creative Optimization, marketers can use data to alter the visual composition of an ad so that it has direct relevance to the user’s specific context. Additionally, sequential storytelling can ensure that a series of ads tell a cohesive narrative.
These five areas represent just a few of the ways advertising technology has augmented marketing since the first digital ad in 1993. While the core principles of marketing – such as increasing share of voice and creating memorable messaging – have remained the same, marketers are now equipped with a wide range of tools and data to create greater reach, personalization, efficiency, and impact with their marketing campaigns.