Dynamically Mashed Ads

The advertising industry is embracing the mashing phenomenom to bring more sophistication to advanced targeting and creative versatility.

When considering key strategies for leveraging the power of digital TV we need to consider two components:

interactivity
relevance of your message

Advertising agencies have long perfected the science of advanced targeting techniques using contextual and behavioral tactis.

These tactics become more powerful as the advertiser learns more about each viewers relationship with the client. For instance, different ads may be served based upon whether the viewer:

Has never been to the clients site previously
Has already made a purchase
Has already made multiple purchases

At the next level, the creative can consider layering dynamically generated creative assets, adding in the latest prices and any locality relevant news. This could be considered the ultimate in mased ads.

Whilst highly relevant targeting such as this has to date been applied to banner ads, the same innovation can be applied to video ads.

This will allow the advertiser to incorporate franchise customisations and variable pricing, whilst retaining pure brandng.

It was once a concern that individulism and consumer customisation would see a death to the big brands, but this has not proven to be so.

Instead, brands have been gaining strength though building connections with relevance, storytelling, and great ideas.

Starting with a central brand story board, the ad can take on a life of its own based on consumer interaction. This creates mini-ads within the main ad branding circle. A kind of ripple effect resonating out to reach multiple niches for a central theme.

This is a new dimension to the once heralded linear storytelling based ad campaigns.

As each market niche gets pulled into the story, it does so in a subtly morphed version of the original, more targeted to their communication style - and that's good news for advertising. It becomes a natural consumer relevance factor.

Overall, the central brand message retains consistency within multiple segments, all at the same time.

Ad technology has been developing over the past two years to accomodate this controlled viral environment:

behavioral targeting
nonlinear storytelling
digital video

The result is dynamic video advertising using a core suite of creative assets; capable of being mashed into multiple variations driven by business rules such as:

Designated market area (DMA)
Average demographics
Current product availability
Current product promotions.
Customer - Adveriser relationship.

Mashed ad media can be delivered either via TV or on broadband video.

Elements can be mashed together using elements such as:

text overlays
music options
voiceover changes

All of which can have a powerful impact on overall relevance. These can be mashed either linearly in :05 or :10 time chunks or as overlays built up to cover the whole :30 spot.

Key time spots of layers can be retained in all ad versions to maintain unity, and message and brand cohesion

The additional cost to create the additional suite of creatives is minimal in terms of the overal value of the ad package created.

And assets are instantly reusable in following campaigns.

The more versions - the higher the chance of connecting with the audience in a meaningful way.

Test to date used Mashed Ads have been very positive. Expect to see more creative online targeting and dynamic ad assembly in the future.

Next: Video Ads