Despite hitting theatres over 35 years ago, Robert Zemeckis’s 1989 blockbuster “Back to the Future Part II” surprisingly predicted much of the technology that defines modern times—from smartwatches and video calls to VR headsets, biometrics, and the growing use of automation.

But perhaps its most uncanny prediction—especially for modern marketers—is the emergence of digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising.

Twelve minutes into the movie, Marty (played by Michael J. Fox) stumbles back into his hometown of Hill Valley in the not-so-distant year of 2015.

Now a neon-filled vision of the future, everything seems different, right down to the sneakers on his feet.

Suddenly, in the haze of his confusion, a giant holographic shark bursts from a nearby movie marquee and lunges at him.

He’s safe—it’s just an augmented reality (AR) ad for the latest movie in the Jaws franchise, Jaws 19.

Then, he turns around and sees a hovering digital billboard promoting the newest line of flying cars.

DOOH Advertising: From Sci-Fi Spectacle to Everyday Reality

At the time, a 3D holographic billboard snapping at passersby felt like a far-fetched fantasy.

But over the past decade, Zemeckis’s vision of the future has come remarkably close to reality.

From digital billboards that seem to defy physical limits, to ads that feel personalized and perfectly timed to each moment, DOOH advertising has evolved from a sci-fi novelty to the go-to channel that modern marketers rely on to reach audiences in the real world.

As a result, what once felt like science fiction has become one of the fastest-growing channels in modern media.

In 2025, out-of-home (OOH) ad spending surpassed $9 billion USD, with DOOH making up roughly 34% of total OOH investment—a share that continues to climb year over year.

The reason? Flexibility, precision, and speed.

As marketing teams increasingly look to do more with less, DOOH offers the agility that traditional channels can’t match, allowing campaigns to adapt in real time, respond to audience signals, and localize messaging with dynamic creative and pinpoint accuracy.

Whether you’re new to DOOH advertising or looking to level up your skills, this blog post breaks down the most effective strategies for planning, activating, and optimizing your campaigns, regardless of what industry you’re in.

But first, let’s review the basics (you can skip ahead to the strategies if you already know them).

How to Get Started With DOOH Advertising

Before you optimize or scale a campaign, start by learning how to build one from the ground up.

Here are a few straightforward steps you can take to guide your campaign planning from strategy to execution.

Step 1: Define Your Campaign Goals

Before planning any DOOH campaign, start by clarifying your objectives:

• Is your goal to increase brand visibility? 
• Drive traffic to a website for sign-ups, registrations, or demos? 
• Increase foot traffic to a physical location? 

Defining your goals early will determine the most effective way to reach your audience.

Step 2: Choose Key Locations and Formats

Once you’ve defined your goals, the next step is deciding where your ads will appear and which formats make the most sense for each environment.

The locations you choose for your DOOH ads should align with your objectives, target audience, and budget. For example, premium, high-visibility screens deliver the biggest impact but typically require a larger investment.

Think about where your customers spend their time and which settings are most likely to influence their decisions. These environments—known as venue types—could include airports, gyms, offices, grocery stores, or restaurants, depending on your campaign focus.

Different environments support different DOOH formats. Large-format screens in high-traffic areas are best suited for awareness campaigns, while smaller, more contextual placements are ideal for driving action closer to the point of purchase.

Step 3: Pinpoint Your Audience

Get your targeting right to ensure your DOOH campaign reaches the right people.

Programmatic advertising platforms make this possible by layering factors like location, time of day, event triggers, and audience patterns to serve messages when and where they’ll have the most impact. 

These tools allow you to fine-tune delivery, boost efficiency, and focus impressions on audiences most likely to engage with your ad. Just be mindful that adding too many layers of targeting can narrow your reach and limit delivery frequency, especially if your bids are on the lower end.

Step 4: Pick the Right Buying Method

How you buy DOOH placements matters just as much as where you run them.

The right buying method depends on your campaign goals.

If you want flexibility, room to test creatives, or to stretch a smaller budget, open exchanges or PMPs are often your best bet.

If you need to secure premium screens during major events like the Olympics, World Cup, or key industry conferences, programmatic guaranteed or direct IOs offer more certainty.

The key is to align your buying method with your campaign’s goals, budget, and timing. For example, direct IOs often require higher minimum spends, so they’re best suited for larger campaigns planned in advance rather than quick activations. 

Doing so ensures you maximize your spend and secure the right inventory for your objectives.

DOOH Advertising Strategy Basics

Before you can unlock the full potential of DOOH, it’s important to understand the core strategies that make campaigns effective. From omnichannel integration to ad placement, these fundamentals show how DOOH works in practice and how to use it to achieve your marketing goals.

Integrate DOOH With Omnichannel Marketing Campaigns

Connect your DOOH campaigns with channels like display and connected TV (CTV) to deliver a consistent brand experience across every touchpoint. Doing so reinforces your message, extends reach, and keeps your brand top of mind both online and in the real world.

Leverage Programmatic DOOH Advertising

Activate your DOOH campaigns programmatically to tap into greater speed and flexibility. While placements depend on factors like bidding and inventory availability, programmatic buying gives marketers access to a wide range of screens and insights to optimize performance.

Use audience movement, location, and contextual data to deliver the right message at the right moment.

Use Strategic and Location-Based Targeting

Use geo, proximity, and point of interest targeting to tailor ad placements based on audience movement and environment. Place screens near retail stores, busy transit hubs, or major events and ensure every ad speaks directly to its surroundings.

Diversify Screen Formats and Placement

Run your DOOH campaigns across a mix of screen formats and environments to maximize visibility and impact. Combine large-format screens in high-traffic city centers with smaller placements in venues like malls, gyms, and office elevators to keep your brand visible wherever your audience goes.

Integrate DOOH With In-Store Media

Extend your DOOH strategy into retail environments to influence shoppers at the point of purchase. Access retail media networks (RMNs) to activate screens near product displays, checkouts, and store entrances to capture attention where buying decisions happen.

Creative Best Practices for DOOH Advertising

Strong creativity is ultimately what turns an ad into a memorable experience. 

In DOOH, as with any other channel, thoughtful design can make all the difference between being seen and being remembered.

Here are some tips from StackAdapt’s award-winning in-house Creative Studio team on how to design eye-catching campaigns that are impossible to forget.

1. Avoid White Backgrounds

In LED technology, white doesn’t carry the same pop or vibrancy as other colours. Use darker backgrounds to make your messaging, products, and visuals stand out.

This beer ad from the Creative Studio is a great example. It features a bold green background that contrasts with the product and keeps the copy simple and legible, making the message unmissable in a grocery setting.

2. Take Time of Day Into Consideration

Plan creative layouts around the times your ads will appear.

Rich, bold background colours, like the ones in this ad for a ramen restaurant, perform better during the day, while pastel colours stand out more at night.

3. Watch Your Font Sizes on Bigger Locations

For large-format DOOH ads, use oversized text that’s clear and easy to read from a distance.

Viewers often encounter these placements while driving or moving quickly through their day, so bold typography ensures your message lands in seconds.

Clear, accessible fonts help audiences absorb key details even in fast-moving environments where attention spans are short.

4. Use Strong Focal Points

Avoid cluttered visuals. Viewers have only a few seconds to take in your message, so choose images with a single, clear focal point that draws attention instantly.

Consider dwell time when designing creative. Keep roadside billboards and highway placements simple, with bold visuals and minimal copy that audiences can process almost instantly. Environments with longer dwell times—like elevators, airport terminals, or waiting rooms—give you room for a bit more detail or storytelling. 

This shoe ad is effective because the bold product image and high-contrast copy immediately command focus, while supporting details remain easy to read.

5. Less Is More

Keep designs clean and focused. Too much text or too many elements dilute impact, especially when ads are viewed from a distance.

This airline ad promoting travel to Dubai works well because it pairs a striking visual of the skyline with minimal copy, making the message instantly clear and the brand easy to recall.

6. Lean Into Location

Select placements that enhance your message by connecting to their environment.

This watch ad inside a gym works because it pairs performance-driven messaging with an audience already focused on fitness.

When creative reflects both the setting and consumer behaviour, it feels more relevant, boosts recall, and increases the chance that someone will explore or purchase the product.

Industry-Specific DOOH Advertising Strategies

DOOH isn’t one-size-fits-all. The way brands and agencies use it can vary dramatically depending on the audience, environment, and business objectives.

Here’s how marketers across sectors can use it to reach audiences in meaningful ways.

Reach Decision-Makers Beyond the Conference

DOOH advertising strategies for B2B typically fall into two categories: tentpole event activations and evergreen brand campaigns.

Think of tentpole events like AWS re:Invent, CES, and Dreamforce—large-scale conferences that draw industry leaders and senior executives from around the world. 

If you’re in B2B tech or enterprise services, these events are prime opportunities to build credibility, capture attention, and drive demand and booth visits, even if they require significant investment.

To make every ad dollar count, reach business leaders across multiple touchpoints throughout their day, whether it’s waiting at the baggage carousel to taking a rideshare to the hotel to unwinding over dinner after sessions.

Marketers can target DOOH placements at airports, in taxis, and around conference centres and restaurants to maximize visibility and stay top of mind with key stakeholders throughout major events.

For more evergreen brand campaigns, it pays to be present during the in-between moments of a decision-maker’s workday. Advertisers can activate screens in office elevators, near corporate campuses, or inside private jet terminals to connect with senior executives and high-value prospects on the move.

For existing customers, DOOH can also serve as a powerful retention and education tool. Running ad campaigns in the office buildings of current clients can help promote new products or features and keep your brand visible between sales cycles. At the same time, marketers can use targeted placements near the headquarters of prospective accounts to highlight tailored value propositions or incentives that can spark interest and open doors for your sales team.

Get In Front of Voters Where They Live and Work

DOOH gives political marketers new ways to connect with constituents, shape public opinion, and drive voter engagement at the community level.

With political district targeting in StackAdapt, marketers can apply geo-specific parameters to congressional and legislative districts or electoral ridings, ensuring ads reach the exact audiences most relevant to campaign goals. DOOH placements can also update dynamically to reflect campaign milestones, debates, or breaking news.

For example, a candidate in a close race could target swing districts to persuade undecided voters or launch get-out-the-vote ads that remind supporters on election day.

Beyond elections, advocacy groups can use DOOH to raise awareness around local issues or reach policymakers near where they live and work.

For instance, an industry association might run DOOH ads in a capital city to build visibility ahead of a legislative vote, while a commuter advocacy group could target transit hubs to highlight the impact of rising transportation costs.

Campaigns can also layer cross-device and contextual targeting to reach audiences based on their online engagement with key issues and retarget those exposed to DOOH through channels like CTV and display to reinforce messaging across touchpoints.

Inspire Wanderlust in the Real World

DOOH allows travel and tourism marketers to inspire bookings while travellers are in motion.

Take this mockup example the StackAdapt Creative Studio designed for a New York sightseeing bus. It captures visitors the moment they arrive with a bold DOOH ad at the baggage carousel.

Weather-based and contextual triggers make DOOH even more powerful as part of a travel and tourism marketing strategy.

A tropical resort or tourism board can advertise to downtown commuters in colder cities during winter to spark vacation envy.

Campaigns can also be tailored to feeder cities or affluent neighbourhoods that send a high volume of travellers to specific destinations.

For example, an airline could promote a new flight route to Iceland in New York and Boston, emphasizing short travel times and frequent departures. Similarly, a ski resort in Aspen could target affluent travellers in tech hubs like San Francisco or Seattle with creative that showcases fresh powder and luxury accommodations.

Reach Audiences When Health Is Top of Mind

DOOH helps healthcare and pharma marketers educate, inform, and build trust by reaching people in everyday environments. 

Screens near clinics, gyms, and pharmacies help brands reach consumers when they’re already thinking about health, while geo-targeted campaigns around medical conferences or workplaces allow marketers to connect with healthcare professionals on the move.

Because of industry regulations, promotion of prescription products is limited. But DOOH plays a key role for adjacent categories like wellness services, medical tech, and consumer health products.

For example, a fitness brand might advertise recovery drinks near gyms, while a digital health company could run DOOH near hospitals or industry events to spotlight innovations in patient care.

Campaigns in this vertical work best when creative is clear, professional, and trustworthy, reinforcing credibility with audiences seeking reliable information. 

This approach guided the StackAdapt Creative Studio mockup for Eko Health, which used a dark background and a short video clip to highlight its digital stethoscopes in a way that was both eye-catching and direct.

Influence Shoppers in the Final Moments Before Purchase

DOOH excels in retail and CPG because it reaches buyers at the moment intent peaks.

When ads appear close to the point of sale, they’re perfectly positioned to capture impulse purchases and remind shoppers of promotions or essentials.

Digital displays at self-checkouts, end caps, and store entrances can nudge shoppers toward last-minute add-ons, while screens inside or around malls, grocery stores, and gas stations keep products top of mind throughout the shopping journey.

Want a real-world example? StackAdapt and UK-based agency MOBSTA partnered on a holiday campaign for Michael Kors Jewelry, pairing premium placements with striking creative.

The campaign delivered more than 14 million impressions by running in airports, luxury malls, and high streets—proving that well-placed DOOH can cut through peak-season noise.

Where DOOH Advertising Strategies Are Headed Next

DOOH is evolving fast. As DOOH becomes more integrated into the spaces and moments that shape daily life, the next wave of innovation will center on context, connectivity, and convergence.

Sports Marketing Takes the Spotlight

In sports marketing, DOOH is already scoring big. Nearly 60% of US adults recall seeing an OOH ad for a major sporting event, and 90% take an action after seeing one—whether that’s tuning in, sharing online, or talking about it with friends. 

As global events like the Olympics and World Cup introduce more digital infrastructure for DOOH ads, brands will gain new opportunities to engage fans on both local and international stages.

Retail Media Redefines the Point of Purchase

In-store screens are turning point-of-purchase moments into digital touchpoints, giving marketers insights into shopper behaviour and influencing decisions right in the aisle.

As a result, in-store retail media ad spending is projected to make up nearly one-fifth of total ad spend by 2027 and account for 55.9% of total DOOH growth between 2025 and 2029.

With RMNs integrating with programmatic platforms at a record pace, marketers will increasingly plan, measure, and optimize in-store campaigns alongside other advertising channels, bringing digital precision to physical retail environments.

New Venues Expand DOOH’s Everyday Reach

Finally, DOOH is expanding into new environments, including gyms, healthcare spaces, movie theatres, roads, and even waterways

In movie theatres, big screen placements can extend storytelling into immersive, high-attention environments, while DOOH screens on vehicles offer the flexibility to move between events and swarm high-traffic areas with coordinated takeovers.

As DOOH inventory grows across these touchpoints, marketers will gain new ways to engage audiences throughout the day and build stronger connections between lifestyle, location, and brand experience.

The Future of DOOH Is Already Here

DOOH is no longer an emerging channel. It’s a core part of how modern brands connect with audiences in the physical world. 

As technology, creativity, and data converge, marketers have more tools than ever to plan, activate, and measure campaigns that reach people at the right place and time.

To learn more, download StackAdapt’s guide to DOOH advertising strategies or speak with someone on our team.

The holiday season is often known for gift-giving, good food, and, most importantly, spending time with friends and family.

But for marketers, it’s also a time of high stress, higher stakes, and intense competition, leaving little time to slow down and recalibrate.

To stand out during the busiest shopping season of the year, marketers must rely on creative thinking, strategic decision-making, and a little holiday magic to achieve their goals.

→ Download Now: Holiday Marketing Strategies for 2025

In this blog post, we’ll go over some holiday marketing ideas to help you think outside the box and break through the chaos this holiday shopping season. 

But first, let’s take a quick look back at what happened in 2024 and explore the trends shaping holiday marketing in 2025 and beyond. (If you want to skip ahead and get to our holiday marketing ideas, click here.)

Recapping Holiday Retail Sales in 2024

Despite cautious forecasts, US holiday sales grew by 4.3% in 2024, hitting a record $1.343 trillion USD and surpassing expectations by nearly 1.5%.

This strong performance was mainly driven by lower inflation, early-season promotions, and increased in-store shopping, helping holiday season sales reach their highest growth rate since 2021.

In 2024, e-commerce also reached a new milestone, representing over 20% of total holiday retail sales for the first time ever.

But, despite the gains, only three retail categories experienced accelerated online sales growth: 

• Apparel, footwear, and accessories 
• Computers and consumer electronics 
• Furniture and home furnishings

Key takeaway: Targeted promotions of high-performing categories, especially early in the season, can still deliver results, even when shoppers are feeling the pinch from rising costs and financial instability.

Predictions for the 2025 Holiday Shopping Season

Although official holiday shopping forecasts from the National Retail Federation (NRF) weren’t available at the time of publishing, early sales indicators still provide some valuable insights for holiday campaign planning:

According to the NRF, total retail sales in the US are expected to grow 2.7% to 3.7% in 2025, reaching between $5.42 trillion and $5.48 trillion USD.

In July, the US Census Bureau reported that retail sales climbed 3.5% through the first half of 2025, closely aligning with NRF’s full-year predictions—a sign that, even with ongoing tariff concerns, consumer spending remains steady and is outpacing inflation. But the NRF says that continued policy uncertainty could weigh on both consumer and business confidence.

Key takeaway: According to EMARKETER, although it may be tempting for media buyers to focus on bottom-funnel metrics in the face of economic uncertainty, it’s important to resist the urge to drastically reduce spend.

Brands that maintain upper- and mid-funnel investment, especially during high-intent periods like the holidays, are better positioned to stay visible during the discovery and consideration phases when customer demand is building.

In other words, while performance channels ultimately drive conversions, using a full-funnel strategy ensures there are customers in the pipeline ready to convert in the first place.

Holiday Marketing and Shopping Trends to Keep In Mind

Before you lock in your media plan, it’s worth stepping back to see how—and when—consumers are actually shopping.

Here are some seasonal shifts and customer behaviours to consider when crafting your holiday marketing campaigns:

Mobile Shopping Continues to Rise

The days of desperate parents racing to local malls for last-minute holiday shopping may not be completely over, but they’re certainly on the way out.

In 2025, mobile commerce (aka m-commerce) is expected to account for 56.5% of US holiday e-commerce sales and 11.5% of total holiday season sales. M-commerce is also forecasted to represent nearly a third of incremental holiday sales growth this year, highlighting just how central smartphones have become to the consumer journey.

Strategic advice: Mobile plays a key role in any cross-channel strategy and should be treated as both a discovery touchpoint and a path to purchase. Build mobile-optimized campaigns that deliver engaging, personalized ad experiences across channels—from in-app to mobile web—to capture attention and drive conversions, whether a customer is on the go or panic-buying from the couch.

Shoppers Still Search for Ideas Online

Although it’s easy to ask a special someone what they want this year, the NRF says that the internet remains the most popular place for gift ideas, with a 2024 survey finding that 44% of shoppers go online to look for inspiration.

Of those shoppers, Gen Zers (i.e., people typically born between 1997 and 2012) are most likely to go on social media for gift ideas.

Strategic advice: Seasonal campaigns should be optimized for second-screen usage, featuring creatives designed specifically for audiences seeking inspiration on social media or wherever they search for ideas online.

Holiday Shopping Will Start Earlier

Black Friday has long been the unofficial kickoff of the holiday shopping season. But as The New York Times reports, due to rising costs, inflation, and uncertainty around tariffs, 21% of shoppers started their holiday shopping in the summer (up from 16% in 2024).

That said, November and December accounted for roughly 75% of Q4 online holiday sales in 2024, so late-season holiday advertising is still important to overall campaign success.

Strategic advice: Start your campaigns early to capture attention from customers looking to stockpile goods ahead of the holiday rush, but maintain budget flexibility, so you can scale spend later when holiday shopping peaks during traditional months.

When to Plan Your Holiday Marketing Strategy

With nearly 20% of the US population starting their holiday shopping in October last year (and even earlier this year), if you haven’t started planning your holiday campaigns yet, chances are you’re already behind. 

But it’s never too late to get started. 

In 2024, the 10 busiest shopping days were projected to account for 30–40% of all holiday retail traffic, and all of them happened in November and December.

Strategic advice: Use this table to map out your campaign timelines. Then, fine-tune pacing and budget allocation to take advantage of high-traffic days without overspending too early.

Holiday Marketing Ideas for 2025

This year, how—and when—people shop for the holidays is changing faster than ever, and what worked last year won’t necessarily work this season. 

From finding budget-conscious buyers to personalizing messages at scale, here are a few holiday marketing ideas you can use to meet shoppers exactly where they are, just in time for the holidays.

Retarget Customers Who Abandoned Carts

According to Statista, cart abandonment rates have been climbing steadily since 2014 and have been hovering around 70% over the past few years.

With shoppers browsing multiple sites over the holidays looking for gifts, it’s easy for customers to get distracted and leave purchases unfinished.

StackAdapt’s email marketing capabilities help you re-engage shoppers by automatically sending emails highlighting the items they’ve left in their cart. If shoppers open the email but don’t purchase the product, StackAdapt can retarget them across devices with display ads, keeping your brand top-of-mind and making it easier for them to return and complete their purchase.

Use Contextual Targeting to Reach Shoppers Researching Gifts

It’s no surprise that searches for terms like “Christmas gift ideas” and “holiday gifts” spike in October and November, as shoppers increasingly turn to the internet for inspiration and ideas in the form of gift guides.

Marketers can capitalize on this early enthusiasm by using contextual targeting to reach consumers at the precise moment they’re hunting for the perfect gift, delivering timely ads that match their interests and purchase intent. 

Contextual targeting also helps advertisers navigate privacy concerns and tightening regulations by relying on content relevance instead of user-specific data, allowing them to reach shoppers open to discovering new brands or products without compromising consumer trust or privacy.

Extend Your Holiday Reach Beyond Social

During the holidays, social media content becomes especially powerful as shoppers scroll looking for gift recommendations. 

Marketers can get more mileage from their best-performing festive content by extending their reach beyond the usual feeds with StackAdapt’s Social Display Ads, which allow you to easily repurpose social media posts and ads and place them across premium websites.

These programmatic social-style ads often outperform traditional banner ads by including likes, comments, and shares, helping you build brand credibility and amplify content across other channels without creating new assets from scratch.

Promote Holiday Deals to Price-Conscious Shoppers

Right now, it’s business as usual. But if economic pressures like inflation or interest rates worsen, customers may have to reduce their holiday shopping budgets, and that’s bad news for retailers counting on year-end revenue.

Marketers can stay agile by using display ads to promote flash sales to price-sensitive customers looking for the best deals this holiday season.

Use dynamic countdown clocks to create a sense of urgency and geotargeting to advertise local deals to the right shoppers.

Boost Holiday Foot Traffic With Digital Out-of-Home Ads

During the holidays, shoppers may start online, but many still hit local stores to find gifts, avoid shipping hassles, or hunt for last-minute deals.

Digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising lets you capture attention in high-traffic locations—such as malls, transit hubs, and bus shelters—to boost local awareness and direct shoppers straight to your doorstep. Use DOOH ads to promote nearby store locations, seasonal deals, or exclusive in-store offers.

Use Connected TV to Aid Product Discovery and Gain Incremental Reach

Connected TV (CTV) advertising is often seen as purely a branding play. But according to a recent study, 59% of holiday shoppers say CTV ads help guide their holiday purchase decisions.

The study found that 36% of CTV viewers get gift ideas while streaming ads—on par with social media—while 89% want to see more specific deals or promotions over the holidays.

With CTV viewership increasing and cost-conscious consumers migrating to free ad-supported streaming platforms to save money, marketers can increasingly use CTV as a performance channel, delivering personalized deals over the holidays while gaining incremental reach beyond traditional linear TV.

Personalize Holiday Ads at Scale With Dynamic Creative Optimization

Over 70% of shoppers expect personalized experiences. But when you’re targeting thousands of potential holiday customers, keeping it personal can feel impossible.

With dynamic creative optimization (DCO), a single creative concept can be instantly transformed into hundreds of tailored ads, automatically adapting messaging, imagery, and promotions to match customer tastes, browsing habits, and real-time product availability. 

DCO is like having a savvy personal shopper responsible for every impression, delivering what customers want, when they’re ready to buy, without increasing your creative team’s workload.

Reach New Holiday Shoppers With Lookalike Audiences

Your best customers hold the key to finding more people just like them. 

Using lookalike modelling, marketers can identify and target shoppers who share similar browsing behaviours, purchase histories, and interests of their existing audience, helping you scale holiday campaigns quickly and cost-effectively. 

With this approach, you’re more likely to reach the types of consumers who already love your products, driving higher engagement, better performance, and more conversions without breaking the bank.

Influence Holiday Shoppers Directly at the Point of Purchase

Holiday shoppers have always flocked to retailer websites and stores seeking inspiration, ideas, and deals. Retail media networks allow marketers to tap into their interest, providing them with powerful tools to influence purchase decisions, in-store and online.

Leveraging exclusive 1st-party data and premium placements from top retailers, brands can precisely target customers actively browsing, researching, or ready to buy products to maximize holiday performance.

Start Your Holiday Marketing Now

With consumer habits changing and holiday competition getting fiercer, marketers need strategies that are creative, agile, and built to adapt. 

Staying ahead of key trends is only one piece of the puzzle. Tapping into smarter, data-driven solutions can help make the 2025 holiday shopping season your strongest yet. 

Ready to put these holiday marketing ideas into action? Request a demo of StackAdapt and get ahead of the holiday rush.

Marketing leaders today are operating in one of the most demanding environments the industry has seen. Campaigns span more platforms, data lives in more places, and expectations for results haven’t eased. 

Yet, amid this pressure, a subset of agencies is outperforming the rest, thanks to smarter, more connected marketing strategies that prioritize integration, measurement, and adaptability over sheer volume.

A new research report—conducted by Ascend2 and commissioned by StackAdapt—surfaces what sets these teams apart. It examines how the most effective agencies are approaching everything from brand and performance integration to AI, measurement, and channel strategy.

This blog post pulls out a few of the most useful shifts marketers should be paying attention to right now. For the full analysis—and the data behind the decisions—download the complete report.

Shift #1: Balancing Brand and Performance in Your Marketing Strategy for Advertising Agency Growth

The divide between brand and performance is shrinking—and that’s a good thing. According to the report, 41% of agencies now lean more heavily into brand-building. But high-performing teams aren’t making that shift at the expense of performance. Instead, they’re building strategies that connect the two.

Top agencies are tying brand and performance efforts to shared KPIs, aligning teams around unified messaging, and using tools like incrementality testing to measure how brand investment drives bottom-line results. These aren’t siloed strategies but mutually reinforcing systems.

In fact, agencies that align brand and performance goals are 20% more likely to report satisfaction with campaign outcomes. They’re proving that long-term brand equity and short-term lead generation don’t need to compete—they can work in sync.

The full report takes this further, detailing which KPIs leading agencies use to evaluate brand impact, how they integrate creative across the funnel, and what tools they rely on to close the loop between awareness and action. 

If your team still treats brand and performance as separate playbooks, it may be time to update the strategy.

Shift #2: Multi-Channel Alone Isn’t Enough—Orchestrated Strategy Wins

Top-performing agencies aren’t simply active on more channels—they’re building strategies where those channels work together. The data shows that 48% of high performers run campaigns across five or more programmatic channels, compared to just 33% of others. 

Multi-channel execution brings real challenges: maintaining consistent messaging, integrating data across platforms, and managing resources across a growing number of formats. These friction points often lead to fragmented campaigns and missed opportunities.

What sets high performers apart is their ability to orchestrate. They align creative and messaging across platforms, tie brand and performance to shared objectives, and use tools that allow for cross-channel tracking and optimization. Instead of building isolated campaigns by platform, they’re building systems that compound value with every touch point.

The full report goes deeper into how these agencies structure their multi-channel mixes, including which platforms they rely on most and where they see the next wave of opportunity. From connected TV to shoppable ads and AR, the future of media is connected.

Shift #3: Why AI Belongs at the Core of Your Advertising Agency Marketing Strategy

AI is moving from experiment to infrastructure. According to the report, 39% of agencies say AI is now a core part of their workflow, and those with deeper integration report significantly higher satisfaction with their tech stacks and stronger campaign performance overall.

The most common applications include audience targeting, creative optimization, performance tracking, and predictive analytics. Agencies are using AI to analyze data faster, personalize messaging at scale, and adapt media strategies in real time.

But automation isn’t replacing human insight. It’s reinforcing it. High-performing teams are reshaping how creative, analytics, and strategy roles collaborate, allowing AI to handle the repetitive or analytical tasks while people focus on the decisions that require nuance, context, and brand voice.

The report offers a detailed look at where AI is making the biggest impact and where human oversight still plays a critical role. It also compares how AI is being used across high- versus low-performing agencies, offering benchmarks and ideas for teams that are just beginning to operationalize it. 

For marketing leaders, the takeaway is clear: AI is becoming the foundation for how modern campaigns are planned and optimized.

Shift #4: Turning 1st-Party Data Into Personalized, Cross-Channel Advantage

The report shows that top-performing agencies are applying 1st-party data across a range of use cases, from personalization and targeting to predictive modelling and attribution. It’s this breadth of application that separates leaders from the rest.

Having clean, owned data is valuable, but the impact comes from how it’s used across the campaign lifecycle. High performers are building systems that allow them to act on insights quickly—adapting creatives, refining audience segments, and measuring results with greater accuracy.

The full report breaks down which data types agencies find most valuable for optimization, and how the most effective teams are evolving their tech stacks to reduce lag between insight and execution. 

For marketers looking to future-proof their strategy, operationalizing 1st-party data is the next competitive edge.

Building a Smarter Marketing Strategy for Advertising Agency Teams Starts Here

The agencies leading in today’s landscape aren’t necessarily spending more or launching bigger campaigns—they’re building smarter systems. What sets them apart is how they integrate tools, align brand and performance, activate data, and adapt quickly using AI and cross-channel insights.

This article scratches the surface of what the research uncovered. The full report dives deeper into the benchmarks, strategies, and decision-making frameworks top agencies are using to navigate complexity and outperform their peers.

Download the full report here to explore the data, compare your approach, and identify where your team can gain a competitive advantage this year.

Healthcare and pharmaceutical marketers encounter challenges that few other marketers face. 

The patient and healthcare professional (HCP) journey is long and complex. Data privacy rules and regulations are stringent and continually evolving. And, as EMARKETER reports, healthcare marketers are increasingly expected to do “more with less” as budgets drop in practically every vertical, despite the average cost per lead now reaching $320 USD.

But as more doctors and patients go online to learn about new medications, treatments, and healthcare solutions, digital marketing is emerging as an antidote to the industry’s mounting pressures.

With digital advertising accounting for 72.2% of the industry’s total media ad spending, and healthcare and pharma digital ad spend projected to reach $24.71 billion USD in 2026, it’s clear that there’s a growing opportunity for marketers to reach high-intent audiences with precision and efficiency—especially with programmatic advertising.

Read on to learn the benefits of digital marketing in healthcare, trends shaping the industry, and strategies to connect with patients and HCPs throughout the entire research and decision-making journey.

But first, the basics.

What is Healthcare Marketing?

Healthcare marketing refers to the strategic promotion of healthcare services, products, and solutions to increase awareness, drive engagement, and build trust with patients, HCPs, and key stakeholders. It differs from other types of marketing, which may prioritize increasing brand visibility and sales over other considerations, in its commitment to patient well-being, adherence to ethical standards, and compliance with strict industry regulations, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other data privacy laws.

Why is Marketing Important in Healthcare and Pharma?

With a strategic digital marketing strategy, healthcare organizations and brands can increase visibility across key digital channels, strengthening brand reputation and credibility while improving lead quality and lowering acquisition costs.

In pharma marketing specifically, digital advertising plays a crucial role in educating patients and HCPs about emerging therapies, treatment options, and new medications, increasing awareness while ultimately improving patient health outcomes.

By focusing on educating and supporting the end consumer, healthcare organizations can drive measurable business growth. According to McKinsey, healthcare providers that improved the consumer experience, including through better marketing, saw their revenue grow by up to 20% over five years.

Demographic and Audience Trends to Keep In Mind When Planning Your Healthcare Marketing Strategy

Shifts in consumer behaviour are constantly occurring due to evolving technology, demographics, and patient expectations. Here are some key trends to consider when developing your healthcare and pharma campaigns.

Women Are Consistently Underrepresented

According to a report from the Association of National Advertisers’ SeeHer initiative, women, who are responsible for 80% of all healthcare decisions made in the US, are accurately portrayed in only one-third of all pharmaceutical and healthcare ads, not to mention being underrepresented in clinical trials.

With women accounting for 85% of all purchase decisions and 50% of women seeking more realistic portrayals of themselves in pharma advertising, marketers are missing a significant opportunity by overlooking their influence. The report found that brands that accurately represent women in healthcare advertising can see a 10x increase in sales lift.

To help close the gap, healthcare marketers should ensure creative assets accurately reflect women’s experiences, needs, and roles as healthcare decision-makers to improve engagement, brand trust, and campaign effectiveness.

Different Generations Begin Their Patient Journey in Different Places

The patient journey—from initial research through treatment decisions and ongoing care—typically consists of three stages: 

• Researching symptoms and treatment options.
• Choosing where to get care and what to purchase.
• Building trust with healthcare providers and pharmacists. 

However, where they begin that journey ultimately depends on their generation. 

According to EMARKETER, while the majority of patients across all age groups go online when researching possible medical conditions, symptoms, and treatments, Gen Zers and millennials are more likely to start their journeys on social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube, while Gen Xers and baby boomers are more likely to turn to search engines and medical websites for information.

Healthcare and pharma marketers should tailor their strategies accordingly, balancing digital and traditional channels to ensure they reach the right audience at the right moment, regardless of what generation they’re part of.

HCPs Prefer Digital Educational Content Marketing Over Traditional Product-Focused Marketing

The traditional method of sending out a sales representative to meet face-to-face with an HCP and drop off a brochure no longer has the impact it once did.

According to a 2024 survey, more doctors want to receive information about new medications and treatments through online channels, such as digital video, email, and social media, and on their own time rather than during a meeting with a sales representative.

With six out of 10 HCPs saying they feel overwhelmed by the amount of digital content that’s focused on product information, marketers should prioritize clear, relevant, and educational content that directly supports clinical decision-making, rather than purely promotional materials.

Digital Marketing Strategies for Healthcare and Pharma Marketers

Healthcare marketing requires a strategic, privacy-conscious approach to reaching patients and HCPs across an increasingly complex digital landscape. Here are a few strategies healthcare and pharma marketers can use to build brand trust, drive engagement, and deliver measurable results while staying compliant.

Use Contextual Advertising for Privacy-Friendly Targeting

According to a survey from the Pew Research Center, a third of Americans go online to self-diagnose their health conditions.

Under HIPAA, marketers must adopt strategies that safeguard consumer and patient data with the highest privacy and security standards or risk substantial fines, penalties, and reputational damage.

That’s where contextual advertising comes in.

Contextual targeting solutions, like StackAdapt’s Page Context AI, help healthcare marketers target ads to people actively engaging with relevant content based on particular phrases and keywords that appear in specific articles on a publisher’s website. This allows them to reach target audiences when they’re already interested in (or browsing) a topic,  without relying on 3rd-party cookies or other identifiers.

In doing so, healthcare marketers can connect with audiences at the perfect moment without compromising privacy.

Optimize for Organic Search to Reach Patients Actively Seeking Care

Pre-pandemic, 7% of Google’s daily queries were health-related. These days, that number is likely even higher.

In addition to running paid search and contextual advertising campaigns, healthcare marketers can use search engine optimization, which involves optimizing website content around relevant keywords and improving site structure, to boost their visibility in organic search results.

This is especially important for healthcare organizations with physical locations or regional services. Because many healthcare-related searches are location-based (for example, “urgent care near me” or “pediatrician in Denver”), optimizing for local search through high-quality, patient-centred content, such as blog posts, FAQs, and service pages, can help you increase visibility to patients seeking nearby providers and drive more appointment bookings.

Reach Audiences Beyond Linear TV With CTV Advertising

According to EMARKETER, healthcare and pharma marketers spend more of their budget on traditional channels (27.8%) than any other industry they measure. That’s because they typically target older demographics who require more medical care and are more likely to consume traditional media (and for longer periods of time) than younger generations.

But marketers who run traditional TV campaigns are often restricted to show-level and geographic targeting, limiting their ability to reach specific audiences.

CTV advertising offers a more targeted, data-driven alternative.

For instance, StackAdapt’s Incremental Reach Forecasting helps you understand who else you could be reaching through CTV campaigns. It allows you to make more informed decisions about where to allocate your advertising budget, helping you plan and optimize campaigns more effectively to reach the right audience, regardless of where they’re watching content.

Use DOOH to Reach Patients at the Point of Care

When reaching patients at key moments in their decision-making journey, digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising is increasingly playing an important role.

According to a 2023 study, 55% of US consumers said the doctor’s office was the most appropriate environment for seeing an ad for a prescription drug.

Healthcare and pharma marketers can use point-of-care inventory to deliver messaging in contextually relevant environments, such as doctors’ offices, hospitals, or clinics. When combined with other digital advertising channels, DOOH can help you build brand awareness during early research stages and drive patient acquisition closer to the point of care than traditional billboards alone.

Personalize Your Outreach With NPI Targeting and Email Marketing

For healthcare and pharma marketers, reaching decision-makers responsible for prescribing medications or recommending treatments is essential to driving brand growth and improving patient outcomes. But doing so while staying compliant can be difficult.

Using fully deterministic National Provider Identifier (NPI) data, healthcare and pharma marketers can segment and reach HCPs based on detailed criteria like their medical specialty, clinical behaviour, and prescribing history.

Email marketing can be used in tandem with programmatic advertising to share clinical updates and educational resources with HCPs, promote plan options and enrollment deadlines during open enrollment season for health insurers, and announce new technologies, research findings, or product launches for healthtech and biotech companies.

For example, let’s say a healthcare brand runs a programmatic campaign targeting HCPs with native and display ads promoting a new treatment. When an HCP engages with an ad and submits a form to request more information about a particular pharma product, it can be set up to trigger an automated email drip campaign that shares additional clinical data, patient testimonials, and prescribing information. 

These strategies keep the treatment top-of-mind, increase HCP engagement, and drive higher prescription intent over time by ensuring each campaign is highly relevant and reaches the right audience.

Connect With HCPs and Healthcare Consumers Throughout Their Day Using a Multi-Channel Strategy

Due to the increased scrutiny healthcare and pharma marketers face because of privacy regulations, some marketers may hesitate to move beyond familiar channels when running programmatic campaigns. But taking a multi-channel approach can help ensure you connect with HCPs across every touch point while staying compliant.

For example, a healthcare brand could engage HCPs by running programmatic audio ads as they listen to a podcast during their morning commute, followed by CTV ads as they relax while streaming TV at the end of a busy work day.

Similarly, on the patient side, brands could promote general condition awareness through native and video ads during lunch breaks and reinforce messaging with DOOH ads near clinics and pharmacies as they head to pick up prescriptions or attend appointments.

Using a coordinated, multi-channel approach, brands can stay top-of-mind and drive stronger engagement across various touch points without over-relying on any single channel or device.

Track Healthcare Campaign Influence With Brand Lift Studies

A major benefit of digital marketing is the ability to track performance and make campaign adjustments in real time. But because multiple touch points may be needed before a prescription gets filled or a treatment decision is made, measuring success in healthcare marketing requires a more strategic approach. Strict privacy regulations limit the amount of data marketers collect and analyze, making matters even more challenging.

With patients researching conditions and treatment options more and more before visiting a doctor, and HCPs increasingly relying on digital channels for clinical information, brand lift studies can be used to measure changes in consumer perception against key incrementality metrics specific to healthcare and pharma. 

For example, marketers could gauge patients’ and physicians’: 

• Treatment awareness
• Treatment favourability
• Intent to treat
• Intent to fill a prescription

And other healthcare-related behaviours that can help you measure campaign influence, even when direct conversions aren’t immediately apparent.

Putting It All Together

According to McKinsey, most healthcare providers struggle to deliver a seamless, personalized marketing experience due to siloed systems, limited data, and a lack of integration.

If you’re not already…

• Using privacy-conscious targeting solutions like Page Context AI.
• Building a multi-channel programmatic strategy to reach HCPs across multiple touch points and devices.
• Measuring campaign lift and sentiment impact to gauge brand perception and treatment awareness.

…then it’s time to evolve your approach. 

Learn more about our healthcare marketing solutions and speak with someone on our team.

And, if you’re new to the programmatic space, learn the basics and level up your skillset by enrolling in free courses and certifications with the StackAdapt Academy.

If you’re leading an ad agency today, you’re almost certainly using AI. According to Forrester, 91% of agencies in the US are actively using or exploring generative AI tools, and 90% of advertising professionals rely on them at least once a week. 

Most agencies are putting AI to work for brainstorming (86%) and content drafting (61.4%), helping teams move faster and push out more work than ever before. But speed alone isn’t a strategy.

“The problem with brainstorming is that everyone else will get the same answer with AI,” says Yang Han, CTO at StackAdapt. “It’s important to know where AI is truly strong and can create real value—otherwise you’re just accelerating sameness.”

Right now, most agencies are using AI to get better at doing what everyone else is doing, faster. That efficiency boost might feel good in the short term, but it’s creating a deeper threat: creative sameness. When everyone’s feeding the same prompts into the same engines, the outputs blur together. And that’s a problem for your margins, your client relationships, and your agency’s long-term relevance.

Margins are already getting squeezed. Clients are increasingly asking why they should pay premium fees when DIY tools promise “good enough” creative. Meanwhile, top talent—the strategists, creators, and innovators you rely on—is drifting toward shops that feel more cutting-edge.

Ad agencies today can’t afford to treat AI like a shortcut. They need to use it to build defensible advantages with proprietary tools, systems, and insights that win new business, protect profits, and make them indispensable in a crowded, AI-powered market.

Why Surface-Level AI Use Is a Trap

Right now, a silent threat is creeping across the agency world—and it’s dressed up as progress. Generative AI, for all its speed and convenience, is trained on the same massive pile of internet content. When everyone pulls from the same data well and feeds similar prompts into similar tools, the result is predictable: creative homogenization.

If your agency’s creative output looks and sounds like what clients are seeing from five other shops—or worse, from their own internal teams using ChatGPT—you’re already caught in the trap.

The stakes are real and growing:

• RFP losses are stacking up because agencies are offering “me-too” ideas that feel safe, familiar, and ultimately interchangeable.
• Clients are questioning agency fees when they believe they can generate content in-house with a few AI prompts and a marketing intern.
• Your agency’s unique value proposition erodes when strategic thinking starts to look like templated outputs dressed in different colours.

And when everything sounds the same, there’s only one lever left to pull: price. Competing on price leads to thinner margins, lower morale, and a slower death spiral of cost-cutting over innovation. It’s a race to the bottom, and no agency wins at that game.

If you want to stay competitive, your AI strategy must go deeper. Surface-level AI use won’t save you—it will slowly make you invisible.

The Opportunity: Build Proprietary IP That Your Ad Agency’s Clients Can’t Get Anywhere Else

If commoditization is the trap, proprietary IP is the way out.

When we talk about IP in the context of agencies today, we’re not talking about patents or traditional intellectual property. We’re talking about custom-built AI models, frameworks, and tools—assets that no other agency can offer, and that clients can’t easily replicate in-house.

This is how you shift AI from a shortcut into a strategic advantage.

Imagine the difference it would make if your agency could offer:

• Proprietary trend forecasting models that predict cultural shifts faster and more accurately than public tools.
• Internal LLMs trained on your clients’ niche audiences, delivering campaign ideas and copy that actually feel human and hyper-relevant, not one-size-fits-all.
• Brand voice and sentiment engines that safeguard client tone and emotional resonance across every piece of content.
• SEO and paid media optimization systems built on 1st-party insights, helping clients win not just today’s clicks, but tomorrow’s loyal audiences.

Han says that “building true IP with AI is rare because it often requires engineering resources that most agencies don’t have. But for those who do invest, it creates a powerful differentiator.”

When you invest in building proprietary AI capabilities like these, you create a value moat around your agency:

• Higher client retention rates, because clients know they can’t just “DIY” what you offer.
• Premium pricing, because you’re delivering differentiated value that free tools or freelancers can’t match.
• Increased pitch win rates, because you show up not just with ideas, but with proprietary systems that make results more predictable and success more scalable.

In a landscape where most agencies will sound the same and offer the same, your unique IP becomes your shield, your sword, and your brand story.

The agencies that recognize this opportunity—and move now—will not only survive the AI era, they’ll dominate it.

Underutilized AI Plays That Protect Your Ad Agency’s Margins

Most agencies are just scratching the surface of what AI can actually do—the majority are still missing some of the biggest opportunities to protect margins and grow strategic value. Here are three areas where smart agencies can leap ahead.

1. SEO Optimization: A Wide-Open Lane (Only 31% Adoption)

While nearly every agency is playing with AI for content, only 31% are using it to fuel SEO strategies (and that’s a missed opportunity). 

AI excels at processing massive volumes of search data, spotting visibility gaps, clustering keywords, and identifying emerging topics at a scale human teams can’t match. The real power comes when agencies layer in revenue potential, product priorities, and customer pain points to turn those insights into search roadmaps that clients can use.

Instead of just offering blog posts, you could be offering:

• Content gap analyses delivered in minutes, not days.
• Keyword-to-conversion prioritization that aligns with business goals.
• Strategic content calendars grounded in real demand signals.

When agencies offer AI-fueled SEO strategies they make it easier to justify premium retainers and longer-term partnerships with clients.

2. Process Streamlining: Profitability Hiding in Plain Sight (Only 44.4% Adoption)

Only 44.4% of agencies use AI to automate and optimize internal workflows. If you streamline briefing, versioning, QA, or reporting with smart automations, you reduce project delivery costs without touching quality.  

That means better margins without raising client fees—a rare win-win that makes the agency more profitable and more scalable.

3. Data Optimization: The Untapped Goldmine (Only 25.7% Adoption) 

Just 25.7% of agencies use AI to optimize data. That’s a huge miss, considering AI’s native strength is spotting patterns humans can’t. If you can turn a client’s messy CRM exports, ad campaign data, or even social listening feeds into predictive insights—like identifying emerging audiences or surfacing high-LTV customer segments—you immediately move from “vendor” to strategic growth partner.

“Agencies exist to help brands grow,” Han says. “Providing deep insights into what’s working and accelerating processes to service clients across the board drives better results and long-term retention.”

Each of these plays is a low-competition move right now. They build an agency model that’s more resilient, more profitable, and more valuable to clients who want more than pretty ads—they want real outcomes.

Leadership Moves: How You Can Shift Today

Leadership Move	What to Do	Why It Matters
Audit your current AI use	Review where and how your teams are using AI. Ask: Is this just making us faster, or is it making us smarter and more strategic?	Identify gaps where AI can move from tactical support to strategic advantage.
Create an AI innovation task force	Form a small, cross-disciplinary team (strategy, creative, data, tech) focused on building proprietary AI assets and frameworks.	Drive IP development and future-proof the agency’s service offering.
Invest in AI training and partnerships	Go beyond prompt training. Upskill teams on AI model customization, data optimization, and product thinking. Collaborate with AI experts when needed.	Build real capabilities, not just surface-level AI usage, to stand out in a competitive market.
Package your IP	Turn internal tools and systems into branded solutions. Create go-to-market narratives that show clients how these assets drive better results.	Position your agency as irreplaceable and justify premium pricing.
Champion AI-powered creativity	Lead a cultural shift where human intuition directs AI work. Celebrate bold thinking, strategic insights, and AI as a creative ally, not a replacement.	Keep top talent inspired and differentiate your creative output from generic AI-driven content.

Now’s the Time for Ad Agencies to Act

The window to treat AI as a competitive advantage is closing fast. If you stick with surface-level AI use—just faster brainstorming and copywriting—you’re not future-proofing your agency. You’re leaving it vulnerable.

Here’s what’s already happening to agencies that don’t evolve:

• Losing RFPs to faster, smarter, more AI-native competitors who show up with proprietary tools and more strategic insights.
• Clients building in-house AI teams, cutting agencies out of the picture altogether because they no longer see external partners as offering unique value.
• Margins shrinking as agencies are forced to compete on price when their services feel commoditized and easily replicated.
• Top talent walking out the door, lured by agencies that have a real vision for using AI as a creative and strategic superpower.

According to Han, process acceleration is probably the biggest advantage AI brings: “It amplifies the human workforce agencies already have, which is critical in a business that’s historically been heavily human-dependent.”

If you’re leading an agency today, standing still is the most dangerous move you can make. Treat AI as your agency’s strategic advantage, not a shortcut. 

The months ahead will separate the shops that adapt—and the ones that vanish.

Talk to us to learn how we can help you leverage AI today.

Every marketing campaign ultimately has one goal in mind: conversions.

Arriving at one often involves a combination of brand marketing and performance marketing to build interest, drive action, and deliver results.

Historically, both strategies have existed at opposite ends of the marketing funnel, with brand marketers focused on building awareness and long-term brand equity and performance marketers focused on driving lead generation, customer acquisition, and revenue.

Conversion marketing emphasizes the need to do both.

Although most commonly associated with optimizing websites, landing pages, and user experiences to increase conversion rates, conversion marketing is increasingly used to describe a holistic, end-to-end approach that bridges brand and performance marketing to move prospects seamlessly across the entire customer journey from awareness to conversion.

In this article, we’ll explore what conversion marketing is, how it’s evolving, and how to use it to increase customer engagement and drive growth through every stage of the marketing funnel.

What Is Conversion Marketing?

Conversion marketing is a digital marketing strategy focused on getting users to perform a specific action. What that action is depends on the goal of your campaign, whether that’s encouraging users to click on an ad, sign up for a webinar, download a guide, request a demo, or purchase a product or service.

Ultimately, the purpose of conversion marketing is to grow the percentage of users who perform these actions by optimizing your marketing efforts at each stage of the buyer’s journey.

For example, in long, more nuanced sales cycles, like B2B, users may encounter and complete various touchpoints and conversions—both early on and late in the sales process—as they move through the funnel. Conversion marketing ensures each interaction is optimized to guide users toward the next step, ultimately leading to a final conversion.

Types of Marketing Conversions

Here’s a quick breakdown of the two different types of conversions you may find across marketing campaigns:

Performance Marketing Conversions

At its core, performance marketing focuses on achieving specific, measurable outcomes such as sales, leads, or clicks. As such, performance marketing conversions are typically associated with purchases, form submissions, downloads, or any other action that directly contributes to pipeline growth or new revenue.

Brand Marketing Conversions

Many marketers overlook the role brand marketing plays in driving conversions, but recognizing this connection can help you rethink and build more effective marketing campaigns. 

The goal of brand marketing is to build awareness, recall, and affinity by capturing an audience’s attention and forming a connection, with conversions often taking the form of direct engagement, increased traffic, and other interactions that signal brand interest.

While performance marketing conversions are often quantifiable and directly tied to revenue, brand marketing conversions can be more subjective and focused on brand recognition and recall. 

Conversion marketing bridges the gap, generating awareness, engagement, and long-term growth.

How to Optimize Your Conversion Funnel

Now that we’ve broken down the different types of conversions, let’s look at how to use conversion marketing to attract, nurture, and convert customers through each stage of the marketing funnel.

Funnel Stage	Objective	Action
Awareness	Build brand recognition and reach new audiences.	Use programmatic display, video, and other upper-funnel channels—like social media advertising, connected TV (CTV), and digital out-of-home—to capture attention and increase visibility.
Consideration	Nurture and move users toward conversion.	Utilize retargeting, dynamic creative optimization (DCO), and contextual targeting to deliver relevant messaging, reinforce brand credibility, and increase engagement.
Decision	Drive conversions and maximize efficiency.	Personalize content based on user behaviour, offer limited-time deals, and optimize landing pages to remove friction and improve conversion rates.
Retention	Build loyalty and increase customer lifetime value (CLV).	Use 1st-party data, loyalty programs, and automated re-engagement campaigns to encourage repeat purchases, reduce churn, and strengthen brand affinity.

Key Metrics and KPIs for Measuring Conversion Marketing

Measuring conversion marketing involves tracking a variety of metrics and KPIs across different stages of the marketing funnel. Here are some key metrics you should monitor to understand the effectiveness of your campaigns:

• Reach: The number of people exposed to your ad.
• Impressions: The number of times your ads or content are viewed by users.
• Lead Volume: The amount of new leads generated by your campaign.
• Cost Per Lead: The cost of acquiring each lead.
• Click-Through Rate: Measures the overall effectiveness of your ads or content in driving clicks.
• Cost Per Click: The cost of each click on your ads.
• Conversion Rate: Measures the percentage of visitors who take a desired action (for example, signing up for a newsletter or requesting a demo).
• Customer Acquisition Cost: The cost of acquiring each customer.
• Return on Ad Spend: Measures how much revenue is earned for every dollar spent on advertising.
• CLV: The total amount of money a customer is likely to spend with your business or brand over time.

Additionally, marketers can track landing page bounce rates to identify friction points, which traffic sources (for example, organic search, digital advertising, and email marketing) drive the highest-quality conversions, and churn rate to assess retention and long-term customer value.

Essential Technologies for Conversion Marketing

To succeed in conversion marketing, marketers must rely on a mix of adtech and martech tools that focus on both brand and performance efforts to enhance targeting, personalization, and optimization across the entire customer journey.

Here are some key tools and technologies that can help:

• Programmatic Advertising Platforms: Software like StackAdapt provides multi-channel advertising capabilities and advanced targeting that can help brands reach audiences across various touchpoints, improving marketing efficiency and increasing the likelihood of a conversion.
• Marketing Automation Platforms: Automation tools allow marketers to streamline lead nurturing, trigger personalized messaging based on user behaviour, and optimize campaigns to deliver higher conversion rates.
• Analytics and Reporting Tools: Data and analytics platforms help marketers gain insights into website traffic, audience engagement, and conversion rates, which marketers can leverage to refine audience segmentation and improve campaign performance.
• Email Marketing Tools: Email marketing platforms let marketers automate, segment, and personalize campaigns with tailored messaging and creatives to improve engagement and conversion rates.

The ongoing convergence of martech and adtech is especially beneficial for conversion marketing.

For example, a B2B marketer promoting enterprise software could use a demand-side platform to serve programmatic display ads to decision-makers at a company that is actively researching solutions. 

Let’s say a prospect clicks on an ad and submits their contact information to download an industry report but never schedules a demo. An email marketing platform could then trigger a personalized follow-up sequence that shares additional resources—such as case studies or a webinar invite—that would be relevant to their use case, nudging them toward the next step. 

Meanwhile, marketers could use retargeting campaigns on different programmatic channels, such as CTV, to keep the brand top of mind as the prospect moves through the buying process.

In doing so, marketers can ensure consistent, personalized messaging across touchpoints, guiding prospects from initial interest to conversion.

Conversion Marketing Best Practices

To run successful conversion marketing campaigns, marketers must strategically use data, creativity, and customer insights to optimize the user experience across the entire funnel. 

Here are a few best practices that can help you attract the right audiences, remove friction, and improve performance at every stage of their buying journey:

Use Data to Segment and Personalize

Knowing what resonates with your audience is key to any successful marketing campaign. Create detailed buyer personas based on your audience’s demographics, psychographics, and online behaviour to help tailor your conversion marketing efforts. 

Craft Compelling Content and Messaging

Develop messaging that clearly communicates your brand’s unique value and encourages immediate action. Use direct, concise copy and clear calls-to-action in your ad creatives and on your website to capture attention and encourage customers to take the next step.

Use AI to Generate and Test Creatives at Scale

Generative AI is reshaping ad creation and can do everything from adjusting messaging based on user intent to tailoring visuals for different audience segments. Use AI to quickly produce creative variants and DCO to test which combinations drive the strongest response at scale.

Offer a Seamless User Experience on Websites and Landing Pages

If the final step of your marketing campaign involves directing users to a landing page or website before they convert, that experience should reinforce your key value propositions and make it easy to act. Ensure your website and landing pages are streamlined with minimal distractions by using tools like heatmaps and other usability testing platforms to optimize the user experience and remove friction.

Nurture and Retarget Prospective Customers

With most marketing campaigns, it’s unlikely that prospective customers will convert after a single interaction. Use email marketing and retargeting campaigns to re-engage users who have shown interest in your brand, nurture them with relevant content, and guide them toward conversion.

Test and Continuously Improve

Let data guide your decision-making. Regularly conduct A/B testing on ad creatives, landing pages, and messaging to identify what works best for your audience. Monitor campaign performance and make adjustments that help nudge prospects closer to conversion.

Putting Conversion Marketing in Motion

It’s never been easier for marketers to reach audiences and yet harder to get them to convert.

According to a 2024 study, brands spent 13.2% more on digital advertising in 2024 than they did the year prior but still experienced a 6.1% year-over-year decline in conversions—underscoring the increasing need for a more connected, end-to-end approach to teams’ marketing strategies.

The software you use and the partners you work with play a major role in closing that gap.

Want to learn how we’re helping marketers deliver results throughout the entire customer journey? Reach out to learn more about StackAdapt.

Conversion Marketing FAQS

Connected TV (CTV) advertising has experienced significant growth in recent years thanks to its ability to combine the broad reach of traditional linear TV advertising with the precise audience targeting, real-time measurement, and attribution capabilities typically associated with modern digital advertising. But another area where CTV excels is in retargeting campaigns.

With CTV retargeting, the channel transforms from a top-of-funnel awareness tool into a powerful performance driver, allowing marketers to deliver sequential messaging and re-engage audiences across multiple channels and devices.

In this blog post, we’ll explain what CTV retargeting is, how it works, and the ways marketers can use it to move viewers further down the funnel and drive them toward conversion.

What Is Connected TV Retargeting?

CTV retargeting is a programmatic advertising strategy that allows brands to serve targeted ads to viewers who have previously interacted with them. It uses audience data to re-engage viewers while they watch content on streaming services like Disney, Max, and Peacock or across other digital advertising channels.

How CTV Retargeting Works

It all starts with an ad.

In the most common scenario, a viewer is at home watching TV on an ad-supported streaming service like Paramount+ or Pluto TV. When they reach an ad break, a bid request gets sent to a demand-side platform, such as StackAdapt, which processes it based on the advertiser’s campaign parameters and determines whether to bid on it.

Once the ad is delivered to the viewer, a cross-device or identity graph links their exposure to other digital touchpoints by matching residential IP addresses, device IDs, and other deterministic or probabilistic signals. This allows marketers to place them into an audience segment for retargeting and deliver follow-up ads on other devices across digital advertising channels like display, native, and video.

Unlike CTV, where direct engagement usually isn’t possible, these channels provide opportunities for users to take a specific action, such as clicking a link, filling out a form, or making a purchase—moving them further down the conversion funnel.

Ultimately, though, there’s no defined sequence regarding what channels you use and in what order as part of your retargeting campaign.

For example, you could use native or display ads to drive initial engagement and then use a retargeting pixel, which identifies and pools users who either visited your site or completed a specific action into a retargeting audience, to re-engage site visitors on CTV devices by serving them ads while they’re streaming content. This allows you to make a greater visual impact on a bigger screen than a laptop or smartphone—perfect for brands with strong visuals and more of a story to tell.

CTV vs. Traditional TV

Although traditional linear TV has long been prized for its broad reach and brand-building capabilities, things are changing.

After peaking in 2018, linear TV ad spending is on a downward trend, with ad spend expected to decrease from $60.56 billion USD in 2024 to $56.83 billion USD in 2027. At the same time, CTV usage is increasing, with EMARKETER forecasting that US adults will spend 20% of their entire media time watching CTV by 2026.

As a result, EMARKETER reports that CTV ad spending will experience consistent double-digit annual growth between now and 2028 when it will officially surpass traditional linear TV ad spending for the first time.

A big part of that is CTV’s precise targeting capabilities. 

Although addressable TV is helping to bridge the gap, an IAB survey found that 84% of marketers believe CTV delivers better audience targeting capabilities than traditional linear TV. CTV becomes even more effective when used as part of a multi-channel retargeting strategy, allowing marketers to run campaigns more efficiently and at a lower cost than relying on traditional TV alone.

Benefits of CTV Retargeting

Along with its growing audience and enhanced targeting capabilities, here are a few reasons why you should use CTV as part of your retargeting strategy:

Higher Viewability and Completion Rates

Unlike traditional linear TV and other video advertising formats, viewers often can’t skip ads while streaming TV. That’s part of why viewability rates on CTV are so high, with CTV having an average viewability rate of 93.3% and a completion rate of 94.5%.

As a result, CTV ads offer greater ad exposure and higher engagement, making them a valuable tool for brand awareness and performance-driven campaigns.

For example, a marketer could retarget users who watched a CTV ad in full and serve follow-up ads encouraging users who are more likely to convert to click through and complete an action, such as a purchase, sign-up, or form fill.

Enhanced Engagement

Although the exact number is often debated, the average person sees anywhere from a handful to hundreds of ads per day. 

How sticky they are—or, to phrase it another way, how memorable they are—often depends on the channel.

CTV—with its lean-back viewing experience and big-screen impact—is more immersive than other forms of digital advertising. It captures people’s attention, making it easier to build brand awareness, whether used as the first touchpoint in a campaign or to reinforce messaging when retargeting users.

Premium Ad Placements

On a similar note, because CTV provides access to high-quality inventory in the form of ad breaks that air before, during, and after prestige programming, live sports, and popular TV shows—content that naturally drives high levels of engagement—it’s often easier for viewers to recall the brand message and associate it with premium content. 

This is especially important in retargeting campaigns, where repeated exposure and consistent messaging across multiple touchpoints help reinforce brand recognition and increase the likelihood of conversion.

Incremental Reach

Linear TV viewership continues to decline as more audiences shift to streaming platforms. Meanwhile, ad blockers can reduce the reach of traditional display and video ads on desktop and mobile. CTV fills this gap by engaging cord-cutters and streaming-first audiences who may be unreachable through traditional linear TV or digital display ads. When used in retargeting campaigns, it extends reach beyond desktop and mobile, ensuring brands stay top-of-mind across multiple screens.

Multi-Channel, Cross-Device Targeting

Last but certainly not least is the ability to use CTV as part of full-funnel, end-to-end campaigns. A platform like StackAdapt provides access to not just CTV but other channels—like native, display, video, and more—on devices like smartphones, tablets, and computers. This allows marketers to deliver a seamless brand experience across multiple screens, ensuring consistent messaging and better engagement throughout the customer journey.

Developing a CTV Retargeting Strategy: Best Practices

Now that we’ve gone over what CTV retargeting is, how it works, and its benefits to marketers, here are a few tips and considerations to keep in mind as you start planning your campaigns:

Keep Creatives Consistent

Whether you design your CTV ads in-house or work with an external creative agency, you want to ensure that they match the look and feel of one another. This will help reinforce brand identity and create a cohesive user experience.

For example, you could repurpose your CTV ad creatives for an in-banner video ad that auto-plays in a display placement online to reinforce brand recognition and further drive engagement.

Avoid Going Too Granular

The goal of any retargeting campaign is to re-engage a user who’s shown interest in your brand to keep them engaged and move them closer to a conversion.

Although you can use data to make informed targeting decisions, it’s hard to know what devices they’ll use, websites they’ll browse, or shows they’ll stream after seeing your ad.

So, instead of layering on overly restrictive targeting criteria, which can limit your scale, go broad with your choice of inventory and device types for your retargeting campaign to ensure you reach your audience wherever they are.

Track Return On Ad Spend to Understand Campaign Impact

There are a ton of metrics you can track. But any data analyst will tell you that it can get really fragmented once you go down the rabbit hole and start breaking down too many individual metrics.

With any marketing campaign, at the end of the day, you’re trying to prove how effectively your ad dollars are driving measurable results.

Thankfully, that’s easier in multi-channel campaigns, where CTV’s flexibility allows for real-time optimizations. Tweaking inventory types, adjusting audience segments, or optimizing ad placements based on engagement can provide immediate insights that help fine-tune campaign performance.

To get the full picture, marketers need to work with technology partners to track the entire customer journey—from the moment a user sees a CTV ad to when they visit a site, engage with follow-up messaging, and ultimately convert—to understand its effectiveness as part of an end-to-end, multi-touch strategy.

Want to learn more about the power of CTV advertising? Download our latest guide or speak to someone on our team to learn more about what you can do with CTV retargeting in StackAdapt.

With back to school shoppers now making their purchases as early as July, it’s important for digital marketers to start planning their back to school campaigns well in advance—especially if they want to drive sales and maximize profits.. 

In 2024, US back to school spending was estimated to be $38.8 billion USD ($86.6 billion USD for college students), making it the second-highest sales year on record. Meanwhile, the global back to school market—estimated at $172.3 billion USD in 2024—is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.8% between 2025 to 2030, with North America capturing 21.23% of the market. 

That’s a lot of backpacks—not to mention shoes, laptops, and other important school supplies.

Prepping your back to school advertising plans early can help ensure your campaigns reach the right audience as they begin to think about back to school shopping. But you need the right strategy to be successful.

With that in mind, here are some A+ strategies, tips, and ideas to consider as you start planning your back to school campaigns.

1. Start Your Back to School Campaign Planning Early

Seriously, we can’t overstate this: it’s crucial to give yourself ample time to plan, budget, set goals, create compelling ads, and execute your marketing strategies to ensure a successful back to school campaign. Just like homework or studying for an exam, if you leave everything until the last minute, you may skip some critical steps and not get the results you’re looking for. 

Your campaign goals and target audience will ultimately determine how early you should start planning your back to school campaigns. 

Keep in mind the start dates for different types of schools—these dates vary between kindergarten, elementary school, college, and post-graduate programs, with elementary schools often starting the earliest and post-graduate programs the latest—and consider when your ideal customer is most likely to start shopping.

For example, the National Retail Federation (NRF) reports that as early as July, more than half (55%) of back to school and college shoppers have already begun buying items for the upcoming school year, and a 2024 survey from Deloitte found that 66% of back to school shoppers’ budgets were expected to be spent by the end of the month.

Adjust your campaign timing and budget allocation to capture back to school shoppers’ attention early and drive sales throughout the entire shopping season.

2. Keep Up-to-Date on the Latest Trends for Back to School Advertising 

A great starting point for planning seasonal shopping campaigns like back to school is looking at the latest shopping trends. For the best insights, you’ll want to look at data from the year prior.

Here are some key insights from Deloitte and NRF to help you get started with planning:

• 70% of back to school shoppers buy items both online and in-store.
• 7 in 10 shoppers prioritized convenience when deciding where to spend the most money.
• 50% of parents buy items for themselves while shopping for their children.
• The average parent planned to visit over four different stores while doing back to school shopping in 2024.
• 18% of back to school shoppers use generative AI to compile product reviews and save time researching products.

Along with leveraging shopping trends from the year before and predictions for the year ahead, you should review your prior back to school marketing campaigns—analyzing their performance can give you further insights into marketing trends and what products or services to focus on in the lead up to back to school.

3. Create a Detailed Profile of Your Target Audience 

Understanding the target audience for your back to school campaigns might seem simple: back to school shoppers are traditionally parents, teachers, and students. But the reality is that these shoppers can span various demographics. Understanding who they are in more detail can only benefit your back to school marketing campaigns. 

Customer profiles can help you understand everything you need to know about a specific group of target customers. You can leverage that information to create a digital marketing strategy that aligns with the wants and needs of your audience. 

For example, NRF recently found that electronics were a higher priority for college students (33%) than for K-12 shoppers (20%), while shoes were more important for K-12 shoppers (45%) compared to college students, who often don’t prioritize footwear in back to school shopping.

A customer profile also helps you make informed decisions about the campaign messaging, ad creatives, channels, and targeting tactics to use. 

Here are five key steps to building customer profiles for back to school ad campaigns:

1. Identify a broad audience: Focus on the problem your product, service, or business aims to solve and who needs that problem solved. For back to school retailers, it’s pretty simple: their broad audience includes parents, teachers, and students.
2. Narrow it down: This isn’t always straightforward, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. For example, if you’re a retailer selling laptops, you’re likely targeting students, but the age of those students will likely skew older.
3. Consider what motivates your audience to buy: Their location, age, and other factors may impact your audience’s motivations. Some audiences may be looking for deals, while others could be looking for the latest trends.
4. Consider your customers’ journey: Understanding how a customer goes from awareness and consideration to conversion helps you narrow down your audience even further. Knowing every touch point that a customer passes through before making a purchase will help inform what channels and ad formats you should leverage for your back to school campaigns.
5. Create a detailed description of your ideal customer profile: You now have a clearer idea of your audience and their overall customer journey, so it’s time to consider their demographics in more detail, such as their age, income level, family size, occupation, education level, and marital status. Doing so can help refine your messaging, improve targeting accuracy, and maximize campaign effectiveness.

4. Consider Emerging Ad Channels and Formats for Your Back to School Campaigns

To capture the attention of parents and students, it’s important to know where they’re spending their time.

Over the past few years, there’s been growth in adoption and use of different platforms and advertising channels like TikTok, which was the most downloaded app in 2024, and connected TV (CTV), which is experiencing record-breaking ad spending and will soon surpass linear TV. 

Meanwhile, retail media, digital audio (like podcasts and digital radio) and in-game advertising continue to see increased investments from US ad agencies and brands. 

Students, parents, and teachers might scroll social platforms first thing in the morning. Then, a teacher might listen to a podcast on their commute to school. During the day, students and parents might browse online, and in the evening, they could all stream content together at home.

Creating a multi-channel strategy enables you to reach parents, teachers, and students throughout the entire funnel, creating a cohesive story across channels like native, display, video, CTV, audio, in-game, and digital out-of-home (DOOH). 

It’s important to understand which channels are most effective for each audience segment and how they’re being used, as those insights can be leveraged to your benefit when running back to school marketing campaigns.

5. Optimize Targeting to Reach the Right Audience

Once you know your target audience and the best channels to reach them on, it’s time to consider how you’ll do it. Here are a few targeting strategies that can help ensure you reach the right audience with your back to school campaigns:

Use Geotargeting to Reach Consumers in Specific Locations 

Geotargeting delivers back to school ads to an audience using the geographic location information of the recipient. Some demand-side platforms—like StackAdapt—offer targeting by country, state, province, county, city, zip code, or postal code and even allow you to target specific commercial addresses using latitude or longitude coordinates with geo-radius targeting. 

Leverage Contextual Targeting to Reach Consumers Based on Their Life Stage 

School is a major milestone for students and parents alike. You can leverage contextual targeting to place back to school ads on webpages that align with the content your target audience engages with. For example, a parent is likely to read articles that cover how to prepare their child for the first day of school, while a college-age student may be researching dorm essentials or laptop recommendations.

Placing ads for back to school clothing, accessories, or tech products on these pages helps you reach your audience when they’re most interested, ensuring your message resonates when they’re actively looking for related information. 

Expand Your Reach Using 1st-Party Data

First-party audiences based on site visits and conversions are ideal for creating lookalike audiences. These audiences help you reach new consumers who share key characteristics with your existing customers, increasing the likelihood of engagement.

You can also use 1st-party data to build retargeting campaigns that re-engage visitors who have previously interacted with your brand or products, keeping your brand top of mind and driving them toward conversion.

Dynamically Retarget Individuals With Personalized Native or Display Ads 

Retargeting is a key tactic in programmatic advertising, especially for back to school campaigns, because they keep your products top of mind for users who have previously browsed your site. Standard retargeting serves general brand ads to past visitors, reinforcing awareness and encouraging them to return. Dynamic retargeting, on the other hand, can take things a step further by displaying ads featuring the exact products users previously viewed, increasing brand recall and the likelihood of conversion.

Back to School Marketing Campaign Ideas and Examples

Want to get a better idea of what a full-funnel, multi-channel back to school campaign looks like in action? Here’s an example our in-house agency the StackAdapt Creative Studio put together using some of the back to school marketing strategies and ideas we shared above:

Step 1: Build Awareness With CTV

First, CTV ads introduce the brand to back to school shoppers with eye-catching creatives that showcase must-have styles for the season—reaching parents and students in a distraction-free viewing environment and driving strong brand recall early in the shopping cycle.

Step 2: Drive Further Engagement With Display Ads

Display ads reinforce brand recognition and encourage deeper consideration by featuring dynamic visuals tailored to different audiences. In-banner video ads, which can easily reuse the creatives from a CTV ad to reinforce brand recall, highlight trending outfits, while carousel ads let shoppers browse multiple styles within the ad, making it easier to discover the perfect look.

Step 3: Convert Back to School Shoppers With Dynamic Countdowns

As back to school shopping peaks, countdown display ads create a sense of urgency by emphasizing limited-time deals on high-demand items. This format drives action by reminding last-minute shoppers that time is running out to grab their essentials before the first day of school.

This three-step, end-to-end back to school marketing strategy ensures the brand stays top of mind throughout the entire shopping journey—from awareness to conversion—maximizing engagement and driving sales during the second busiest shopping season of the year.

Plan A+ Back to School Campaigns With StackAdapt

According to NRF, families with elementary and high-school-aged children planned to spend an average of $874.68 USD per child in 2024, while college students and their families were expected to spend an average of $1,364.75 USD—similar to spending trends from the previous year.

How much they’ll spend in 2025 and beyond remains to be seen.

But with education shifting to a digital-first model and consumers increasing their time spent on digital channels, running your back to school campaigns on programmatic is a perfect opportunity to tap into this growing market.

Want to run exceptional back to school campaigns? Request a demo to learn more about StackAdapt.

The former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, once said that sport “has the power to change the world… to unite people in a way that little else does.”

There’s no denying the impact—and reach—sports have in our day-to-day lives. It entertains, inspires, and connects us in ways other pastimes don’t. (Soccer alone reportedly has 3.5 billion fans worldwide, representing 43.75% of the global population.)

But with such a large audience, marketers sometimes struggle to create campaigns that resonate with the right sports fans.

Whether you’re a retail marketer trying to position your product as the go-to Super Bowl snack or a travel marketer trying to attract fans planning a trip for a once-in-a-lifetime sporting event, here are some insights and strategies you can use to reach the right sports fans with your marketing campaigns.

Sports Fan Demographics, Trends, and Insights

The strength of any marketing campaign ultimately hinges on the people you’ll target. Here are some key stats demonstrating how big the sports market is and the types of people engaging with it.

How Much Is the Global Sports Market Worth?  

The global sports market will be worth over $680 billion USD in 2028. This massive industry includes the people, activities, and organizations that help create, support, engage with, and organize sporting events.

How Large Is the Audience for Major League Sports?

To understand how large the audience for major league sports is, it helps to narrow things down a bit. Here’s a breakdown of the most-watched 2023/24 regular season and championship games by US sports fans per league:

• NFL: Over 123 million viewers watched Super Bowl LVIII.
• MLB: An estimated 14.3 million people watched the 2024 MLB World Series.
• NHL: Over four million viewers watched the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals.
• NBA: An estimated 1.56 million viewers watched the NBA regular season, and 11.3 million people watched the 2024 NBA Finals.
• WNBA: A record-breaking 650,000 viewers watched the regular season.

Unsurprisingly, these major events are big business, especially for retailers. For the 2024 Super Bowl, the average American spent $86.04 USD on food, drinks, apparel (like team merchandise), and other items.

Who Watches Live Sports?

The supposed “sweet spot” for marketing to sports fans is millennials and Gen Zers, with people aged 25 to 44 representing most sports media consumers. (According to the data, the NBA had the youngest fan profile, with 56% of fans under 44.)

According to a 2023 survey in the US, the Hispanic population had the highest percentage of diehard sports fans (40%), followed by Black (32%), White (29%), and respondents of other racial or ethnic backgrounds (21%). Of those surveyed, 44% of avid sports fans were male, compared to 15% female.

How Do Sports Fans Watch Sports?

Traditional linear TV remains one of the most popular methods for watching sports in the US, particularly among adults over the age of 65 (82%). That said, sports fans are increasingly streaming TV to watch live sports. According to Statista, roughly 95.5 million people in the US watched live sports on digital platforms in 2023, outpacing the number of traditional pay TV sports viewers for the very first time.

3 Sports Fan Buyer Personas for Programmatic Campaigns

You’ll want to build buyer personas to take advantage of all this attention. 

Buyer personas help you understand who your customers (and prospective customers) are. With this insight, you can tailor your digital marketing campaigns to meet the specific needs, behaviours, and interests of the members of your target audience.

Let’s explore three sports fan personas that can help you better understand your audience when planning your next marketing campaign.

1. Meet Laura: The Fantasy Leaguer

Laura is a young unmarried professional, aged 25-34, who lives in Texas and is still paying down student loans from her college education.

With a household income between $30 and $60,000 USD, she’s starting to become financially stable with more disposable income. At work, she browses NFL and fantasy sports news and is an avid fan of the Dallas Cowboys.

Laura uses search terms such as:

• NFL fantasy lineup
• Fantasy football rankings
• NFL DFS tournaments
• Fantasy football trade analyzer

You’ll find Laura on sites like:

• fantasypros.com
• rotoworld.com
• espn.com/nfl
• reddit.com/r/nfl

2. Meet Jack: The Party Planner

Jack, aged 35-44, is a married professional with children. He’s an avid basketball fan and has a household income between $100–200,000 USD. Every March Madness, he hosts friends at home to watch the games. 

While he has a favourite team, he’s more invested in the tournament and the excitement that comes with it. He browses college basketball news and recipe sites at work. He’s always on the lookout for basketball-themed decor, party food, and new drink ideas.

Jack visits pages that contain phrases like:

• Party planning tips
• March Madness bracket
• Party food
• Easy-to-make drinks

Most often, Jack will browse sites like:

• ncaa.com/sports/basketball-men/d1
• foodnetwork.com
• hgtv.com
• foodandwine.com

3. Meet Rob: The Beer Enthusiast

College-educated Rob is between the ages of 25 and 34. Compared to Laura and Jack, he’s less interested in the outcome of the game and simply enjoys watching sports with friends for the social aspect of it. He enjoys trying new beers and is more likely to spend on men’s grooming and fashion.

Rob’s recently viewed pages include phrases like:

• Craft beer festival
• Best craft beer
• Types of beer
• Beer of the month

You’ll likely find Rob on sites such as:

• beeradvocate.com
• foodfornet.com
• mantelligence.com
• gq.com

Programmatic Advertising Tips For Connecting With Sports Fans

The world of digital advertising is loaded with opportunities. But it’s also filled with competition and lots of noise, which makes it difficult to stand out among diehard sports fans.

Here are a few ways you can capture their attention with programmatic advertising.

Use Contextual Targeting to Reach the Right Sports Fans

Remember all those keywords, phrases, and websites we listed for each buyer persona above? With contextual targeting, you can use that information to place ads on pages and sites highly relevant to your ideal audience.

For example, in StackAdapt, you can create audience segments based on the topics or keywords your ideal audience regularly searches for—like “fantasy football rankings,” “March Madness,” or “craft beer festivals”—or use a tool like Page Context AI to automatically identify and target pages with content that’s contextually relevant to specific phrases or topics your audience cares about.

Connect With Cord Cutters and Fans Who Stream Live Sports

With sports fans increasingly cutting ties with cable or using streaming services to access games that aren’t broadcast on traditional linear TV, connected TV (CTV) advertising provides a major opportunity to target your ideal audience and maximize incremental reach. You can use CTV to target sports fans based on their specific interests, behaviours, and demographics or place ads through premium publishers that stream live sports and shows your target audience likes to watch.

Leverage 3rd-Party Audiences to Expand Your Reach

Third-party audience segments are a great way to reach potential customers that match your buyer personas.

With StackAdapt, you can target NHL fans, heavy baseball watchers, visitors to NBA arenas, and NFL enthusiasts, just to name a few. You can also target fans of nearly any team in a major league. 

To stretch your budget even further, be sure to create lookalike audiences. This strategy allows you to reach individuals who exhibit similar online behaviour to people who have visited your site and completed a conversion, making it easier to connect with potential consumers who are more likely to be interested in your offerings.

Ready to get started? Request a demo to learn more about StackAdapt and how you can use it to reach sports fans with programmatic advertising.

The Super Bowl is not only the major highlight of the NFL season but one of television’s biggest events, drawing in millions of viewers from North America and abroad each year. 

In 2024, over 123 million viewers in the US watched the Super Bowl game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, making it not only the most-watched Super Bowl in history but one of the most popular TV broadcasts of all time.

Not surprisingly, advertising during the Super Bowl is big business, with hundreds of major brands competing for a coveted spot during the annual broadcast. That’s because having a commercial aired during the Super Bowl is the equivalent of playing in the Super Bowl itself: it means you’ve made it.

There’s just one problem: space is limited and expensive. 

In 2024, ad space for the Super Bowl sold out three months ahead of schedule, with a 30-second spot going for a record-breaking $7 million USD.

Not every brand has a big enough budget to capture the attention of sports fans on the big day, leaving many small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) on the sidelines.

Programmatic advertising is levelling the playing field—as Digiday reports, $7 million USD can go far on other advertising channels like social media, retail media, and connected TV (CTV), even on the big day.

Read on to learn more about the types of buyers who watch the Super Bowl and how you can use programmatic advertising to build brand awareness and convert customers before, during, and after the big game.

Super Bowl Audience Demographics and Trends

Before you start setting up your Super Bowl marketing campaigns, it helps to know who you’ll target. Let’s dig into the data.

Who Watches the Super Bowl? 

In 2024, Statista found that more than half of Americans planned on watching Super Bowl LVIII with the majority of people aged 30-44 and 45-64 saying they’d definitely watch it.

Coincidentally, that age range mirrors the generations with the highest consumer spending power, with Gen Xers (people born between 1965 and 1980) holding the largest share of global spending power at 23.5%, followed closely by millennials (born between 1981 and 1996).

Although the majority of Super Bowl viewers are men (54%), Taylor Swift’s publicized relationship with Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce caused a bump in female viewership during the 2023 regular season, with favourability amongst Gen Z and millennial women growing 11%.

How Much Money Does the Average Person Spend on the Super Bowl?

An estimated $17.3 billion USD was spent in the US economy for Super Bowl LVIII, with the average American spending $86.04 USD, mostly on food, drinks, apparel, decorations, and other major purchases—like televisions and furniture—for the big day.

How Do Viewers Tune Into the Super Bowl?

In 2024, Super Bowl LVIII aired in more than 195 countries and territories across nearly 100 partner networks, apps, and streaming services, with more than 62 million people tuning into the big game outside the US.

In recent years, streaming the Super Bowl via CTV has become a go-to method for watching the big game, especially among millennials and Gen Zers. Nielsen reported that Super Bowl viewership on smart TVs and other internet-connected devices increased by 50% in 2023.

A 2022 survey also found that 49% of people used two or more screens while watching football, with 69% using a mobile device or laptop to look up information about products or services advertised during game day.

What Does It All Mean?

Not only is the Super Bowl the biggest sporting and television event of the year, but it is also one of the biggest shopping days.

With people glued to their devices before, during, and after the big game, the Super Bowl presents a major opportunity for brands to capture undivided consumer attention.

6 Super Bowl Marketing Campaign Tips and Programmatic Advertising Strategies

Ready to kick off your Super Bowl marketing campaigns? Here are some programmatic advertising strategies to try during the upcoming championship.

1. Use CTV to Reach Fans Beyond the Super Bowl 

The Super Bowl is more than a three- to four-hour game or one-day affair. Excitement for the Super Bowl ramps up during the regular season and continues after the big day, with fans watching playoff games, behind-the-scenes coverage, and post-game recaps (not to mention highlights from the halftime show, which 129 million viewers watched in 2024) on platforms and devices outside of traditional linear TV.

CTV advertising allows brands to capitalize on the surge in excitement by strategically amplifying their campaigns before, during, and after the game. For example, advertisers could target viewers watching regular season games, general news coverage, or shows related to the Super Bowl—like sports documentaries—to connect with customers, even if it’s not during the game itself.

2. Connect With Sports Fans Listening to Their Favourite Podcasts or Radio Shows 

Programmatic audio lets advertisers place 15–30-second ads before, in between, or at the end of streaming playlists, podcasts, or digital radio shows.

With 64% of sports fans saying they listen to sports content through podcasts or radio shows, programmatic audio provides the perfect opportunity to capture consumer attention during screen-free moments.

3. Reach Relevant Audiences With Geotargeting

Geotargeting is a targeting tactic that lets you deliver ads based on a user’s location. With geotargeting, you can target by country, state, US county, city, or zip/postal code. You can also leverage a list of addresses or latitude and longitude coordinates to reach your desired audiences. 

Using geotargeting makes it possible to target and retarget consumers who pass through specific locations. To reach people who might watch the Super Bowl, you could set a radius around football stadiums where fans attend games, popular sports equipment or memorabilia stores, and pubs where fans gather on game day.

4. Leverage Cookieless Targeting to Reach Receptive Audiences

Contextual advertising is a cookieless targeting method that can help you reach the right audience by showing ads based on the content and keywords of the webpage they’re on. Ads get placed based on the content a user is consuming at that time, which means you can reach users in a specific frame of mind. 

For example, if you’d like to advertise a food-delivery promotion to consumers who plan on hosting a Super Bowl party, you can leverage contextual advertising to ensure your ads appear alongside relevant content, like snack ideas or game-day recipes.

Or, you can leverage digital out-of-home (DOOH) to advertise in high-traffic retail locations. For example, advertisers can place ads on digital screens beside the chip aisle or in the checkout line at grocery stores to remind people to pick up Super Bowl snacks for the big day.

5. Create a Cohesive Story With a Multi-Channel Strategy

A multi-channel strategy helps you reach consumers throughout the entire funnel by creating a cohesive story across various channels, like native, display, video, CTV, audio, in-game, and DOOH.  

The key benefit of a multi-channel strategy for a Super Bowl campaign is that you can reach viewers wherever they are before, during, or after the game. Your target audience probably uses a variety of devices and channels throughout their day, so it’s important to approach your targeting strategy holistically when trying to score a new customer.

6. Measure the Impact of Your Super Bowl Ads

Measuring the performance of your Super Bowl campaigns is crucial for understanding which touch points in your marketing funnel are generating the most value. You can then use this data to make informed budgetary decisions that will help to scale the profitability of your Super Bowl campaigns. 

You can also leverage a brand lift study to measure the impact of your Super Bowl campaigns across programmatic channels and get a clear picture of consumer sentiment and brand affinity after customers see your ads.

Win Big With Programmatic Advertising This Super Bowl

The Super Bowl may last only a few hours, but the right Super Bowl marketing campaign can make a big impact long after the final whistle blows.

Ready to kick off a programmatic campaign just in time for the Super Bowl? Request a demo to learn more about StackAdapt.

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), retail is, at its core, about delivering “the right product at the right price to the right customer.” But, whether it’s changing consumer demographics or the rise of social commerce, retail is constantly evolving, and connecting with the right customers at the right time and place has never been more difficult.

As such, retail marketers need to adapt, leveraging data-driven digital marketing strategies to reach consumers and help their brands stay ahead of the curve.

Read on to learn the trends impacting digital marketing in retail and the programmatic tips and strategies that will help your business succeed in 2025 and beyond.

The Changing Retail Marketing Landscape

Despite the first half of the decade ushering in economic uncertainty, retail sales growth is expected to remain consistent for the foreseeable future. US retail sales will reach $7.41 trillion USD in 2024 and the US retail market is projected to have an annual growth rate between 2.9% and 3.1% through 2028—close to the pre-pandemic average of 3.6% per year.

The growth rate for e-commerce is even stronger, with online sales projected to increase from 7% to 9%, reaching nearly $1.5 trillion USD in 2024. Annually, EMARKETER forecasts high-single-digit online sales growth, with e-commerce accounting for 20% of total US retail sales by 2028.

According to NRF, much of e-commerce’s growth is due to multi-channel sales, which rely heavily on physical locations to fulfill orders and enhance customer convenience, with 70% of retail sales still occurring in person.

As a result, despite e-commerce’s continued growth, retailers and brands need to connect with customers in multiple locations—namely, online, in-app, and in-store—to drive sales.

5 Retail Digital Marketing Trends to Watch

Keeping an eye on current trends can inform many aspects of your retail digital marketing strategy, from which channels and formats to advertise with to who you should target with your campaigns. 

Here are 5 trends to keep in mind when planning your retail digital marketing strategy: 

1. Mobile Commerce Continues to Rise 

As consumers spend more time on their smartphones and mobile devices, mobile commerce (aka m-commerce) has become one of the most popular methods for purchasing products online, with m-commerce projected to account for two-thirds of net online sales growth between 2024 and 2028. (In 2028, it’s projected that 94% of m-commerce sales will occur on smartphones.) As a result, retail marketers should prioritize mobile-friendly channels when advertising to consumers. 

2. Social Shopping Grows in Popularity 

Social commerce allows customers to shop directly through their favourite social media platforms. Social shopping is particularly popular among younger customers, with a 2024 survey finding that 55% of Gen Z consumers in the US reported purchasing through a social media platform in the previous six months. As social media’s influence continues to rise, US social commerce sales are expected to more than double by 2028, exceeding $141 billion USD.

3. Personalization Becomes the New Norm 

Brands are increasingly using 1st-party data collected from customer loyalty programs, in-store and online purchases, and email sign-ups to deliver more personalized ads and relevant promotions to consumers, resulting in better engagement, higher sales, and stronger brand loyalty. In fact, research from McKinsey & Company found that companies that do personalization well see 40% more revenue than companies that are only average at it.

4. Retail Media Networks Open the Doors for Mid-Market Brands

For brands that don’t have access to an extensive amount of 1st-party data, retail media networks (RMNs) allow brands to leverage a retailer’s proprietary customer data, ad inventory, and strategic partnerships to reach a wider audience and target customers closer to the point of purchase. With 64% of execs at US retailers telling Deloitte they planned to implement an RMN by the end of 2024, it’s never been easier for mid-market brands to compete with larger companies and reach the right customer in the right place at the right time—whether that’s in-store, online, or where they’re streaming content.

5. Emerging Technology is Improving the Customer Experience 

Brands are finding new ways to make online shopping more seamless for customers. With more people shopping online, customers have fewer in-person touchpoints with products, which makes discovery more challenging. That’s why many brands in the retail industry are investing in emerging technology, like augmented reality (AR) and virtual “try before you buy” experiences. This helps customers better engage with products online and reduces the barrier to purchase, especially for younger shoppers, with millennials and Gen Zers two to three times more likely to use emerging media like AR, VR, and even online live streams to learn about products before purchasing.  

Drive Results With These Retail Digital Marketing Strategies

With these emerging trends in mind, let’s look at a few ways retail marketers can better connect with customers. Here are 7 retail digital marketing strategies to consider when planning your next retail marketing campaign:

1. Use a Cross-Channel Marketing Strategy to Create a Seamless Customer Experience

People are spending more time on digital channels than ever before, especially on mobile devices. Update your retail advertising strategies to incorporate mobile-friendly programmatic channels like video and audio as part of a cross-channel marketing strategy to boost brand awareness and reach new customers. Retarget off of video completion rates (VCR) or listen completion rates (LCR) with highly engaging channels, such as native and display, to strengthen your branding efforts while keeping costs low. 

2. Include Social Channels as Part of Your Retargeting Strategy 

In recent years, social commerce has gained traction by guiding shoppers from discovery to purchase. To reach consumers who are actively using social channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, start by using programmatic channels like native, display, and video to capture customers’ attention and drive them to your website. Then, use social retargeting as part of a retargeting strategy to target customers on their favourite social media platforms and drive them further down the funnel towards a conversion.

3. Leverage RMNs to Reach Customers Throughout the Funnel

Although they’ve historically been used as a lower-funnel tactic to reach prospective customers when they’re in the buying mindset and directly at the point of purchase, RMNs are increasingly being used by both endemic and non-endemic brands to connect with consumers throughout the entire buying journey.

With off-site retail media—like display ads on 3rd-party websites, digital signage, and CTV—accounting for 18.5% of all US retail media ad spend in 2024 and only increasing, mid-market brands have more opportunities than ever to reach consumers outside of traditional retail channels and engage them throughout the buying journey.

4. Try Dynamic Retargeting to Reach Cart Abandoners and Mid-to-Lower-Funnel Customers

Unlike standard retargeting, which uses generic messaging to sway customers, dynamic retargeting leverages data captured from browsing behaviour, abandoned carts, or previously viewed product pages to automatically tailor ads to customers based on the specific products or content a user is interested in. 

For example, if a shopper browses for a particular pair of jeans on an e-commerce site but doesn’t complete a purchase, a retailer could use dynamic retargeting to target ads promoting that same pair of jeans or similar items across native, display, and other programmatic channels.

5. Reach the Right Customer With Contextual Targeting

Contextual targeting places ads on websites or apps based on the content viewed by a potential customer rather than relying on a user’s browsing history or personal data. It uses keywords, topics, and other contextual signals to ensure that ads appear alongside relevant content, increasing the likelihood of user engagement and, ultimately, a conversion.

For example, a retailer could use StackAdapt’s Page Context AI to input a list of words and in-context phrases related to the product they’re promoting—like “summer BBQ essentials,” “sustainable clothing,” or “men’s sneakers”—and place ads on web pages that are contextually relevant and more likely to convert.

6. Use a Brand Lift Study to Gauge Brand Awareness and Perception 

Recent retail trends show that brand loyalty is shifting, with many consumers increasingly willing to leave legacy brands behind and try new products. To navigate this change, it’s important to go beyond basic metrics like impressions and dive deeper into consumer insights to fully understand the impact of your retail marketing campaigns.

Using a brand lift study, you can accurately measure how your ads influence consumer awareness and perception, providing insights into how people feel about your brand after seeing your campaign.

For example, Add3Connect used StackAdapt’s in-platform brand lift solution to measure ad and brand recall for their client, Nuun, and found that their CTV ads significantly increased brand awareness, ultimately justifying their ad spend. 

7. Incorporate a Footfall Attribution Study to Measure the Offline Impact of Your Campaigns

It’s more important than ever to understand how your digital campaigns are impacting in-store sales.

Footfall attribution (also known as foot traffic attribution) is a method used to connect impressions to actual store visits, helping you understand how your digital ads are contributing to increased foot traffic at brick and mortar locations.

Use foot traffic attribution to uncover store visitation patterns, assess the incremental impact of your campaigns, and measure the cost per store visit.

The Future of Retail Advertising

As consumer expectations and technology continues to evolve, retail marketers need to adapt their digital marketing strategies to stay competitive.

Programmatic advertising provides a scalable and efficient way to reach the right shoppers, helping drive foot traffic and sales for your brand. 

Request a demo to learn more.

Out-of-home (OOH) advertising—with its eye-catching visuals, prominent ad placements in high-traffic areas, and broad audience reach—has long been considered one of the most powerful and cost-effective methods for boosting brand recognition and engagement in public places.

There’s just one problem: historically, measuring the effectiveness of campaigns has been nearly impossible.

For years, advertisers were forced to make do with rough estimates and inconsistent reporting methods to understand and measure the impact of OOH campaigns.

Now, digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising is helping to change that, providing marketers with more meaningful insights thanks to technological advancements, real-time data, and improved audience targeting and location tracking.

Read on to learn the metrics, methods, and best practices you need to know to measure the success of your DOOH ads and drive performance.

Metrics and KPIs in DOOH Advertising

The digitization of OOH advertising has made it easier for advertisers to not only swap out creatives and adjust campaigns on the fly, but also measure their impact with many of the same metrics and KPIs used for evaluating the effectiveness of modern digital advertising.

Here are a few of the most important metrics and KPIs to keep an eye on as part of your DOOH campaigns.

Impressions and Cost Per Thousand Impressions (CPM)

Impressions refer to the number of times an audience sees an ad. Unlike digital ads that track individual user interactions, DOOH operates as a one-to-many channel. This means a single ad can be viewed by multiple people simultaneously in a public space, which makes accurately measuring viewership a bit more challenging.

To estimate the number of times an ad is seen, DOOH uses an impression multiplier. This method uses cameras, sensors, and location data from 3rd-party partnerships to more accurately estimate and determine a DOOH ad’s viewership and reach.

Another important metric in DOOH measurement is the CPM (or cost per mille—the word mille is Latin for thousand), which is used during campaign planning and optimization to ensure your advertising budget is used efficiently.

The impression multiplier plays a key role in this process. Without it, CPMs would shift throughout the day due to changes in the number of people passing by a screen at different times in a specific location. For example, an ad displayed outside a subway station entrance might see higher audience numbers during morning and evening rush hours compared to midday commutes, affecting cost estimates. Instead, the impression multiplier accounts for these variations and provides more accurate CPM calculations to advertisers, helping them budget, manage, and evaluate their campaigns more effectively.

Dwell Time

Dwell time measures the average length of time people spend looking at your DOOH ads. It’s calculated using sensors, cameras, anonymized mobile device location data, and even eye-tracking technology to know how long someone remains in the viewing area of a specific DOOH display. 

Dwell time is important for understanding if your ad creatives and messaging capture an audience’s attention. For example, a higher dwell time may mean that a DOOH ad is more engaging than one with a lower dwell time. 

That said, it’s important to have context. For example, interactive ads or ads shown on the side of bus shelters where people naturally spend more time may have longer dwell times than digital billboards next to a highway or at the intersection of a pedestrian crossing.

To increase dwell times, advertisers should focus on creating compelling ads (here are some DOOH ad examples and best practices to help you optimize your campaigns) and place them in contextually relevant environments tailored to their target audience.

In addition to the above metrics and KPIs, advertisers can also track the reach (the amount of people who see an ad), frequency (the average number of times a person sees an ad), the loop frequency (the number of times an ad plays within a single loop, which helps advertisers determine how often their ad is shown, the potential for repeated exposure, and whether or not they should purchase additional slots to increase ad visibility), and return on ad spend (or ROAS), which measures the revenue generated for every dollar spent on DOOH advertising.

How to Measure the Success of DOOH Advertising

Knowing how many people saw your DOOH ad is one thing. But understanding the impact it had on driving results for your brand is even more important.

Unlike traditional OOH advertising, DOOH can use data from location partners, surveys, and QR codes to link ad exposures to conversions and understand the impact DOOH campaigns have on driving business results.

Here are a few ways to measure the success of your DOOH campaigns and how to use those insights to drive customers further down the funnel. 

Brand Lift Studies

In a brand lift study, a group exposed to a DOOH ad (those who have seen a DOOH ad) and a control group (those who haven’t) are surveyed, and their responses are compared. The difference between these groups is then analyzed to understand the “lift” generated by the DOOH campaign.

Brand lift studies are particularly valuable at the top of the funnel for measuring important brand metrics and KPIs like ad recall, awareness, consideration, and purchase intent as part of product launches, seasonal promotions, and rebranding campaigns.

For example, UK-based agency MOBSTA partnered with StackAdapt on a DOOH campaign for their client Michael Kors Jewelry, targeting shoppers in Hamburg and Berlin. The campaign generated over 14 million impressions, and using StackAdapt Brand Lift, they were able to accurately measure and verify an increase in brand awareness of 13% and 39% for their client during the busy holiday shopping season.

Footfall Attribution Studies

If the goal of your DOOH campaign is to drive a particular in-person action, like visiting a nearby store, going to a restaurant, travelling to a specific destination, or attending an event, advertisers can use a footfall attribution study.

When mobile advertising IDs (MAIDs) are collected by a privacy-aware data location partner near where a DOOH ad is being served, that information is shared with the demand-side platform (DSP) used for the campaign to link DOOH ad exposure to estimated visits to a location.

For example, Adsquare enables StackAdapt clients to set up footfall studies directly in the platform. Instead of strictly relying on physical addresses, marketers can use custom radiuses and polygons to fine-tune their geographic parameters and capture more specific data. Speak with our team to learn more about StackAdapt Footfall Attribution.

In addition to the above studies, advertisers can also measure the effectiveness of their DOOH campaigns by tying online conversions, app downloads, and increases in sales by using QR codes, campaign-specific URLs, and sales lift studies, which provide additional insights into how DOOH exposure influences consumer actions online and in-store.

Using DOOH Measurement to Drive Further Success Down the Funnel

Programmatic advertising has transformed DOOH—with its granular targeting and advanced measurement capabilities—from a traditional awareness tool into a strategic channel that helps drive performance further down the funnel.

Now, advertisers can collect users exposed to their DOOH ads and retarget them on other programmatic channels with DOOH retargeting as part of their bottom-funnel strategies.

The DSP can then create cross-device segments of exposed users to enable DOOH retargeting across other channels—like native, display, video, CTV, audio, and in-game—and move users further down the funnel.

The Future of DOOH Advertising Measurement

DOOH is evolving at a rapid pace.

In the future, expect AI to play a crucial role in this transformation—as it does with everything in digital marketing—and improve DOOH planning, forecasting, and reporting by offering real-time, accurate audience measurement and behaviour updates, modelling metrics with higher precision, and enabling more personalized and contextually relevant ad placements.

Ready to improve your DOOH measurement and campaign performance? Request a demo.

In today’s digital world, consumers are increasingly going online first to browse different products and services. As a result, Forrester predicts that e-commerce sales will grow from $4.4 trillion USD in 2023 to $6.8 trillion USD by 2028, and represent 24% of global retail sales. 

Although those figures may seem impressive, it’s clear that many consumers still prefer to visit stores in person, even if they start their journey browsing online. EMARKETER reports that 83.7% of US retail sales will take place in brick and mortar locations in 2024, and Forrester forecasts that $28.7 trillion USD of global retail sales will still occur offline in 2028.

That’s why it’s essential for retail marketers to bridge the gap between online and offline shopping and understand which of their digital marketing strategies delivers the best return on investment (ROI) and drives traffic in-store. 

One way to do that is through footfall attribution.

What Is Footfall Attribution?

Footfall attribution (also known as foot traffic attribution) is a measurement method used to connect in-store traffic to digital marketing campaigns. It helps retailers and businesses understand how effective their advertising efforts are in driving foot traffic to physical locations.

With footfall attribution, marketers can gain deeper insights into consumer behaviour, the customer journey, and how their digital advertising efforts are impacting offline sales.

How to Measure Footfall 

Footfall attribution works by collecting data and then analyzing it to understand which digital ads lead to in-person visits and then draw actionable insights to optimize campaigns. 

Let’s walk through the process step by step.

Step 1: Start with Data Collection

Footfall attribution begins with data collection. When a consumer sees an ad and visits a store, their visit is tracked by a trusted app partner that accesses location data from their mobile device. This data is obtained only after notice has been given, consent has been obtained, and location sharing is enabled.

For example, Adsquare enables StackAdapt clients to set up footfall studies directly in the platform. Instead of strictly relying on physical addresses, marketers can use custom radiuses and polygons to fine-tune their geographic parameters and capture more specific data. When a customer visits a store, even if it’s located in a hard-to-track location or a specific area of interest like an airport or park, their visit is tracked, providing marketers with more accurate information for campaign reporting.

Step 2: Analyze the Data

Next, the data is analyzed to determine the uplift in visits to a physical location. This is done by comparing the results of customers who were exposed to a campaign to a control group that didn’t see the ads.

Step 3: Reporting and Insights

The final step in footfall attribution is reporting, which provides you with insights that can be used to optimize your digital marketing efforts.  

StackAdapt uses verified 3rd-party location partners that report on the actual devices that may have visited a location as a result of seeing an ad, as well as the projected number of future visits. This near-real-time reporting can be used to adjust in-flight campaigns and removes the guesswork from understanding an ad’s effectiveness in driving customers in-store.  

The Benefits of Footfall Attribution

Footfall attribution can provide you with meaningful insights to improve your retail marketing strategy and maximize offline results. 

Let’s dig into the benefits of footfall attribution a bit further.

Understand the Impact of Your Campaigns

Footfall attribution bridges the gap between online and offline consumer behaviour. By understanding how well digital advertising campaigns are driving store visits and sales, advertisers can gain a clearer picture of return on ad spend (ROAS). They can then fine-tune campaigns, so they’re only spending money on the strategies and channels that deliver the best results. 

Discover Valuable Insights About Your Customers

Footfall attribution can deliver powerful insights, such as which of your target customer segments are visiting your physical locations, when they visited, and other valuable information, which you can leverage to further inform and refine your campaign strategy. 

Optimize Your Multi-Channel Strategy 

Footfall attribution can help you measure and compare the effectiveness of your campaigns across channels, such as native, display, video, connected TV (CTV), digital out-of-home (DOOH), and audio. 

Using a digital advertising platform like StackAdapt, you can run multi-channel campaigns and leverage insights from your footfall analysis to optimize your ad spend based on which media mix is giving you the best results.

Footfall Attribution Benchmarks

To really succeed with footfall attribution, you’ll need to measure it against benchmarks. Doing so shows you how well your campaigns are performing and if there’s room for improvement.

Two of the main metrics you can use for benchmarking with footfall attribution are brand uplift and visit rate:

• Brand uplift measures the impact ad exposure has on driving in-store visits. It’s a key metric that helps you better understand the performance of your campaigns. It also helps measure consumer compatibility and what type of relationship a brand has with its customers.
• Visit rate identifies the average daily visits by specific customer segments. When it comes to footfall attribution, the visit rate, along with the uplift rate, can help you determine the effectiveness of your advertising campaigns in driving in-store traffic.

Using this data, you can gain a better understanding of which audience segments visit your stores after seeing an ad, and allocate budgets more effectively.

Use Foot Traffic Attribution to Understand Campaign Impact

Retail marketers today struggle to connect their programmatic campaigns with offline sales lift. One way to address this challenge is through footfall attribution.

With StackAdapt, you can access a self-serve, in-platform footfall attribution solution that will help you understand how your multi-channel campaigns are driving foot traffic to stores in North America and around the world. Request a demo to learn more.

Footfall Attribution FAQs

Marketers this year will need to be ready for uncertainties when planning their holiday campaigns. One way to prepare for an unpredictable Q4 is to broaden your digital advertising strategy. By experimenting with different tactics, holiday marketers can figure out what campaign tactics work best. One innovation to try in 2024? Contextual targeting. 

Holiday sales trends continue to normalize to pre-pandemic levels. In 2023, e-commerce increased 8.8% to reach $248.02 billion USD, per EMARKETER. Shopping online has now become a common consumer habit, and we can expect it to continue in 2024, with online sales expected to grow 7% to 9% year-over-year. 

With contextual targeting, you can target online shoppers based on the content they’re consuming. This ensures that you’ll capture them at the right moments. This strategy is valuable because the previous consumer behaviours of the year prior might not hold true to the current year.  

As buying habits continue to shift, so should your contextual advertising strategy. Adapting to your user’s behaviours will allow you to reach consumers in the right frame of mind at the right time.  

To help you get started with campaign planning, here are three contextual targeting strategies that will help you reach the right audience this holiday season. 

Tis’ the Season of Discovery 

During the holiday season, shoppers are more willing to explore new products and services. Whether they’re shopping for others or themselves, you can take advantage of this opportunity by using contextual targeting to reach their interests. 

You can start by analyzing your audience’s mindset. There are a couple of ways to gain insight into your audience’s frame of mind. For example, you can use analytics to understand your audience’s demographics, leverage creatives to encourage interaction, engage in social listening, and ultimately build customer profiles that provide factual information about the demographics and buying behaviours of your target audience.

These profiles will help you understand what content your audience is browsing and what frame of mind they should be in to be more receptive to your ads. By understanding your target audience, you can narrow down the best domains to target. Then, extend that customer profile with broader contexts by including consumers who haven’t encountered your brand before. 

Not sure of the right context? Ask them! 

With discovery display ads, you can ask the user questions to determine their interests or opinions based on the topics you choose.

Holiday Contextual Targeting Based on Life Stage 

A person’s life stage is a key demographic factor in campaign planning, as it influences the products or services they’re more likely to purchase during the holiday season. With contextual targeting, you can leverage the life stage of your target audience as a strategy for reaching the appropriate consumers. For example, parents of young children are likely to be looking for toys to give as gifts to their kids. 

To contextually target based on the life stage, use in-context phrases related to the interests and milestones of your target group. Continuing the example of parents with young children, you can use in-context phrases related to parenting and further narrow your focus based on the age appropriateness of your products. If you’re targeting parents of toddlers, use phrases related to toddler development so your ads appear on products related to that life stage. This ensures you reach an audience receptive to products meant for that age group.

Target Holiday Related Keywords and Content

The right keywords should hone in on the mindset of someone receptive at that moment to your product or service.

During the holidays, you have the opportunity to target consumers who may not be part of your target audience year-round. That’s because many consumers are interested in buying products as gifts, not for themselves.

When users skim through specific content about “the top holiday gifts of 2024” or similar articles, they signal to brands that they’re actively looking for holiday gift inspiration.

You can use a contextual campaign to highlight and position a brand’s products or services as the perfect gift by targeting phrases related to gift-giving. Target phrases like “holiday gift ideas” to have your ads appear alongside content users browse related to gift ideas to encourage them to buy something unique for that special someone in their life (even if it’s a co-worker looking for a change of scenery). 

Contextual Targeting is Home for the Holidays

With 2024’s unpredictable holiday shopping season, experimenting with a range of marketing strategies, like the ones mentioned above, will be the key to running a successful holiday campaign. 

Looking to start using contextual advertising for your holiday campaigns? Request a demo to learn more about StackAdapt.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are both shopping events with growing relevance, making them two events worth building a seasonal marketing strategy for. Black Friday historically has been known for brick and mortar sales, whereas Cyber Monday is the day businesses promote their e-commerce sales. Black Friday and Cyber Monday originated in the US, but the shopping event is becoming increasingly popular worldwide.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday Trends

Looking at historical data is beneficial to planning any programmatic campaign that will perform, but this is especially true for seasonal campaigns, such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Below, we’re sharing some of the biggest takeaways from Black Friday and Cyber Monday of 2023. According to the National Retail Federation, despite the pressure of rising inflation, people still participated in Black Friday and Cyber Monday in a big way. The insights below can help predict what the 2024 season might look like and the consumer mindset around Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 

• The holiday total for  online and other non-store sales, was up 8.2% at $276.8 billion USD.
• US Census Bureau data shows that core retail sales during the 2023 holiday season grew 3.8% over 2022 to a record $964.4 billion USD.
• In 2023, sales for the full year grew 3.6% over 2022 to a record $5.13 trillion USD.
• In 2023, all but two of nine retail categories increased, with electronics and personal care categories leading the way, growing by 9% or more this past year.    

6 Black Friday and Cyber Monday Digital Marketing Strategies

Ready to start planning your Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaigns? Here are 6 strategies to get you started. 

1. Plan Your Black Friday and Cyber Monday Strategy in Advance

Seasonal marketing events can sneak up on you! To make the most of your marketing efforts around Black Friday and Cyber Monday, start planning your campaigns well in advance. 

An important part of planning for these shopping events is understanding when your campaigns should launch. Holiday campaigns typically start weeks before key dates. Understanding when consumers are in the buying mindset, or starting to think about upcoming sales, allows you to get your campaigns ready in time for those receptive moments. 

Other key aspects of planning your Black Friday and Cyber Monday marketing strategy are building customer profiles for your ideal audience. Your shoppers can span across various demographics, so understanding who they are in detail will benefit your seasonal campaigns. 

Customer profiles describe everything you need to know about a specified group of customers. You can leverage that information to create a seasonal marketing strategy that aligns with the wants and needs of your audience. A customer profile will help you make informed decisions about campaign messaging, creative ads, channels, and which targeting tactics to use. 

2. Leverage Historical Data to Inform Your Strategy

Another important aspect of planning Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaigns is looking at historical data to uncover patterns. 

Reviewing your prior Black Friday and Cyber Monday ad campaigns can give you insights into current trends, and what products or services to focus your new campaign around. For the most relevant insights, look at data from the previous two years. 

Another great source of data is referencing general consumer trends. These insights can help you understand what products or services will best perform during a specific seasonal event, and also provide insight into how consumers are shopping. 

For example, the National Retail Federation recorded year-over-year gains in all but two of nine holiday season categories. 

3. Leverage Storytelling in Your Marketing

Seasonal campaigns often revolve around events that are meaningful to consumers. For example, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day celebrate parental figures. Black Friday and Cyber Monday tap into the holiday spirit. Because these shopping events occur at the start of the holiday season, many consumers view them as an opportunity to kick off their holiday shopping for loved ones. 

Knowing this, it is effective to use the power of storytelling to spur emotion from consumers who are interested in your product. One way you can spark emotion with your Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaigns is to leverage video advertising. By combining audio and visual elements, you can create video ads that not only spur emotion, but are memorable to viewers.

Whether your campaign tells a story that touches the heart or makes someone laugh, the ultimate goal is to establish a connection with your audience. By building that connection, the consumer is more likely to reference your brand when those big shopping holidays arrive.  

4. Build Anticipation For Black Friday and Cyber Monday Sales 

Leveraging interactive, creative ad formats for your Black Friday and Cyber Monday marketing will help you capture attention from your target audience and build awareness for your brand. 

Interactive ads invite users to perform an action in order to have something revealed within the ad itself, or to navigate towards a specific landing page. 

The action could be to hover over the ad, or it could be to click on something. This interactive viewer experience is the perfect way to uplift and complement your larger holiday marketing strategy, but it can also be used to alert consumers about your best Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. 

Shoppable video is another notable ad format for Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaigns. It showcases products while allowing users to browse right in the banner. With this ad format, you can reduce the steps a user has to take between awareness and conversion. 

Dynamic countdown ads are particularly useful during Black Friday and Cyber Monday because they can be leveraged to inform or remind users about your sales. A dynamic countdown ad will help create a sense of urgency for your audience to purchase. If your Black Friday sales last only 24 hours, a dynamic countdown ad can ensure your audience doesn’t miss out. 

5. Leverage Contextual Targeting to Reach the Right Audience

Contextual advertising is a cookieless targeting methodology that leverages content rather than user data to reach the right audience at the right time. By using this tactic, targeting is based on content, enabling you to connect with consumers who are more receptive to your ad’s messaging. 

Aligning ads with relevant content leads to a more personalized experience for your audience. For example, with contextual targeting, a person browsing a blog about the best holiday gifts for their mom might be served an ad for a Cyber Monday flash deal for a gift that mom would love. 

6. Dynamically Retarget Users Who Have Shown Interest 

In today’s programmatic advertising landscape, most users need to encounter your ads several times before they are likely to convert. 

Retargeting campaigns are a useful strategy for re-engaging consumers who have demonstrated an interest in a product based on the message that resonated with them. Reaching a user repeatedly requires less effort than reaching consumers who haven’t engaged with you.

Dynamic retargeting is a prominent tool used for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. You can serve an ad that a user has previously seen, but this time with a price tag. This personalized ad reminds the user about that product or service, encouraging further engagement and brand recall. 

To leverage retargeting for Black Friday and Cyber Monday marketing, it’s important to start your campaign early to build up a retargeting pool. Then, retarget those users closer to Black Friday and Cyber Monday (or on those exact dates) to entice them to take advantage of a sale. 

Reach Your Black Friday and Cyber Monday Goals

Measuring the performance of your Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaigns is crucial for understanding which touch points in your marketing funnel are generating the most value. 

Programmatic campaign reporting will be your map to success! It provides users with access to data that will help them make proper adjustments to Black Friday and Cyber Monday and use the same data for future campaigns.

Want to create exceptional Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaigns? Request a demo to learn more about StackAdapt.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday FAQs

The purchase path for today’s leisure travellers is becoming increasingly complex. Consumers have more options than ever before and are taking longer to make decisions. To engage today’s travellers and stand out from the competition, digital marketing in the travel industry needs to be dynamic, personalized, and timely. 

Programmatic advertising offers many opportunities for travel and tourism marketers. Digital marketing strategies like multi-channel campaigns and dynamic retargeting allow you to reach leisure travellers with the right message at the right time across multiple touchpoints and devices.

Ready to take flight? Read on to learn how you can drive better results and take your travel campaigns to new heights with these digital marketing strategies.

Programmatic Targeting Tactics to Help You Fly High 

Programmatic buying isn’t just efficient—it leads to more sophisticated and targeted campaigns. Below is a list of five travel industry targeting tactics to help you reach the right audience with precision.

1. Seasonal Targeting

Campaign timing is important because of the seasonal nature of travel bookings. Demand for travel services and offerings fluctuates based on the weather, events like festivals, sports competitions (for example, the Olympics and FIFA World Cup), and school holidays. 

It’s also important to consider how far in advance travellers are booking their adventures. An American Express Travel survey found that 54% of people like to plan trips three to six months in advance, and Expedia Group reports that the average traveller takes about 71 days of research and planning before booking a trip. With so many travellers thinking about their vacation plans months in advance, catching their attention early is key.

Travel peaks also differ by location. For example, December to April is the peak season for enjoying the beaches in Mexico, while the US travel high season is historically June through August.

Based on data from campaigns in StackAdapt, digital ad spend, site visits, and engagement are highest from May to June. This is likely because advertisers target travellers before and during the summer, with June being the most popular month. The second highest period for travel digital ad spend is September to November, which coincides with travellers planning their winter vacations to sunnier destinations. 

Your campaign objectives will also impact timing. Your objective could be advertising ahead of the peak season and taking advantage of existing travel intent to increase sales. Or it could be building awareness for off-season travel ideas, such as visiting a ski town in the summer when it’s more affordable and hiking instead of hitting the slopes. 

To determine seasonal campaign timing, look to industry and historical data to zero in on the times that have worked best (and worst) for travel marketers. The benefit of programmatic advertising is that you can continually optimize to find the campaign timing that works for you, ensuring every ad dollar delivers the most value.

2. Travel Intent Targeting

Intent-based targeting is a more granular form of targeting that allows you to identify individuals showing interest in travel. Custom audience segments use machine learning to target individuals looking for flights, hotels, and activities based on the content they’re consuming, such as travel blogs, reviews of attractions, and flight comparison sites. 

You can also identify individuals engaging with related content, such as research about neighbouring destinations, content about a competitor’s offerings or services, or reviews. Leveraging intent-based targeting can help you optimize ad spend and drive more qualified traffic.

3. Route Targeting

Travellers are more likely to click on ads showing relevant routes to exciting destinations. Include personalized messaging that mentions their location or the distance to reach a destination they’ve shown interest in to encourage them to click through. 

Additionally, you could leverage data about a potential traveller’s geographic location and show them ads with the most convenient departures. 

For example, you can advertise flights to Las Vegas from two different locations, highlighting where the user is coming from. Both ads are for the same flight aggregator site, but the messaging and creatives could differ based on who’s viewing them and where they’re located.

4. Targeting With Private Marketplace Deals

Private marketplace (PMP) deals enable publishers to sell premium inventory directly to select buyers. After search and social, PMP deals are among the most popular ad choices for digital marketing for the travel industry. 

Online travel agencies are highly-influential resources for travellers when making destination decisions. A PMP deal that displays your ads on a bundling site, like Expedia, can help your brand connect with consumers as they start mapping out their trip.

Leverage your programmatic platform’s deal packages to capture vertical-specific inventory most suited to your brand or campaign. Whether you aim to snag that above-the-fold placement or ensure an exact audience match with a curated list of travel publishers, PMPs can help you get there.

5. Dynamic Retargeting

Leveraging retargeting allows you to deliver ads to people based on their previous, intent-based actions online. This is an important tactic for re-engaging travellers who have previously shown interest in your services. By re-engaging them, you can move them down the funnel toward a conversion. Dynamically retarget individuals with personalized native or display ad content based on their previous website engagement or activity. If someone has browsed through your travel offerings, continue to remind them of what they’re interested in (or missing by not booking a trip or stay) throughout their online journey.

3 Channels to Use in Digital Marketing for the Travel Industry

Programmatic allows you to connect with travellers using a multi-channel approach. Here are some ways you can target travellers with video, audio, and display advertising.

1. Bring Travel to Life With Video

Travel is an emotional experience. Leveraging programmatic channels that tap into that emotion is a great way to capture the interest of your target audience. 

Video is particularly effective for travel marketers because it’s an engaging and immersive medium that uses visual cues to engage with customers. 

Digital marketers in the travel industry can use programmatic video advertising to engage potential travellers with storytelling that showcases the full breadth of experiences available to them, from getaways at boutique hotels to resorts located on tropical beaches. 

You could also repurpose your video campaign on connected TV (CTV), which provides a natural, full-screen experience and holds a viewer’s attention longer than linear TV ads. CTV ads are served in a lean-back environment where the audience is already engaged. When streaming CTV, viewers understand and accept that ads are part of the viewing experience. Knowing this, they’re more receptive to them. These benefits, combined with CTV’s precision targeting and premium inventory, are just part of why we’re seeing CTV overtake linear ad spend.

2. Influence Travellers With Programmatic Audio

EMARKETER forecasts that digital audio will grow 6.8% in 2024 to reach $7.12 billion USD. This growth will continue—with average annual growth rates above 5% expected until 2026—as more people embrace digital audio. 

Programmatic audio automates the selling and insertion of ads into audio content, such as music or podcasts on Spotify. Ads reach your audience through various devices, including desktop, mobile, and tablet. Another benefit is you can buy targeted ads from all the major audio publishers using one platform.

In digital marketing for the travel industry, audio ads can be leveraged to inspire, influence  and inform listeners about destinations, hotels, or experiences. Data shows that compared to other forms of advertising, digital audio ads are more likely to engage listeners, help them remember specific details, and increase their emotional response. This can lead to stronger brand awareness and recall, which is important when travellers take months to book a trip.

3. Collect Data With Interactive Display Ads

An interactive display ad can help collect valuable data about your ideal customer. For example, you can use a discovery ad to ask the user what the weather is like where they are, encouraging them to interact with the ad they’ve seen. This helps travel marketers figure out what type of vacation they might prefer.

Even if the viewer clicks all the weather options, you can still gauge interest in certain locations based on the conversion events. This example would be ideal to include in a retargeting campaign once the target market is familiar with your brand.

With dynamic countdown ads, you can ensure your audience is aware of your travel sales and promotions or remind them about upcoming holiday breaks. This creates a sense of urgency for your audience, encouraging them to perform a specific action, like research or book an upcoming trip before the sale is over.

Measuring the Impact of Digital Marketing Campaigns in the Travel and Tourism Industry

Finally, once you start running ads, you want to understand their effect on conversions. Here are two ways to do that:

1. Measure Awareness and Consideration With Brand Lift Studies

Brand lift studies allow marketers to demonstrate the impact of their ad spend beyond standard metrics like reach, frequency, and cost per impression. 

By conducting a travel and tourism lift study, marketers can measure travellers’ awareness of particular travel services, destinations or attractions, and gauge the likelihood of them making a booking.

For example, let’s say you’re a travel agency running a campaign to promote your new luxury European tour packages. A brand lift study can measure if your target audience’s awareness of these new touring offerings has increased after exposure to your ads and if they’re now more likely to book a vacation. These detailed insights can help you refine your ad targeting and messaging, improving the overall effectiveness of your advertising spend.

2. Use Data to Connect Travellers to Campaigns

Travel marketers can also understand the impact of their travel campaigns with a number of measurement tools. At StackAdapt, you can look at Destination Visitation Measurement to get insights on your campaign.

Similar to footfall attribution, when a user is exposed to your campaign and subsequently visits your destination, one of StackAdapt’s trusted visitation data collection partners uses location data to:

• Attribute overall visitation and lift (US only) to your campaigns.
• Identify where travellers visit your destination from at the country, state, and city level to determine your top origin markets.
• Understand how visitors spent time at your destination (for example, what restaurants, attractions, national parks, and museums they visited during their stay).
• Access insights from ongoing campaigns to optimize and increase campaign performance.

Using this information, travel marketers can understand how successful their campaigns were at driving visits to their destination and gain insights to help improve their overall travel marketing strategy.

For a more holistic view of your campaign’s effectiveness, travel marketers can also pair this with StackAdapt’s Economic Impact Report solution, which provides insights on where and how much your audience spends during their trip.

Digital Marketing for Travel Takes Off With Programmatic

Programmatic advertising is a highly-effective way to reach your target demographic throughout their travel-buying journey. Understanding the right targeting tactics and ad formats to leverage for your campaigns can help you attract more travellers and ultimately drive direct bookings.

Want to run exceptional programmatic travel campaigns? Request a demo to learn more about StackAdapt.

Television advertising is undergoing a monumental shift.

In 2019, less than one-tenth of combined US linear and connected TV (CTV) ad spend was dedicated to CTV. Now, it accounts for one-third, and EMARKETER predicts CTV’s share of ad spend in the US will be nearly equal to linear TV advertising by 2028.

Despite its meteoric rise, some advertisers and agencies have yet to incorporate CTV into their multi-channel advertising strategy.

Whether you’re new to CTV or looking to level up your skills, here’s what you need to know about developing a connected TV marketing strategy that meets your goals. 

Why Invest in Connected TV Marketing

As millions of people cut ties with their cable providers, more households are turning to connected TV for streaming content. 

Roughly 88% of US households own at least one internet-connected TV device, such as an Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, or gaming console. 

Although many of them stream content through paid subscriptions to services like Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and Peacock, free ad-supported (FAST) and ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) options are on the rise.

According to the New York Times, in the first three months of 2024, 56% of new subscribers to a streaming service chose a lower-priced ad tier. As a result, US ad-supported streaming subscriptions are predicted to grow by 82.8% in 2024, helping make CTV the fastest-growing major ad channel in the US.

As viewers continue shifting from traditional linear TV to streaming platforms, CTV advertising allows advertisers to reach engaged audiences at a lower cost than traditional linear TV advertising while future-proofing their marketing strategies.

The Elements of a CTV Marketing Strategy

Before you start selecting publishers, building creatives, and placing bids, it’s important to understand the five elements of a successful CTV marketing strategy.

1. Audience Segmentation and Targeting

With traditional linear TV advertising, a network allocates certain ad breaks during scheduled programming. An advertiser then works with an agency or network to purchase ad slots during specific shows or times based on the target audiences, ratings, and overall costs.

Linear TV ads are a great option if you want to reach older demographics and don’t mind who in a household sees your ads. 

However, with its IP and device-based targeting capabilities, CTV advertising allows marketers to go super granular and leverage 1st-party and 3rd-party data to target specific users and audiences at scale. 

Unlike traditional linear TV advertising, you don’t have to guess if you’re targeting the right audience. Advertisers selectively can purchase impressions based on specific preferences, viewing habits, demographics, interests, and behaviours. This helps reduce ad spend, increase engagement, and improve overall campaign performance.

That said, it’s important to remember that, unlike display advertising, CTV doesn’t have unlimited scale. There are only so many ad spots available during a commercial break, and the more targeting you add, the smaller the pool of users you can reach realistically in a designated market area (DMA). 

If building brand awareness is a top priority, don’t be restrictive with your publisher list. Instead, spread your budget across multiple publishers to maximize your reach while still targeting the right users.

2. Content and Creative

Unlike video advertising, CTV advertising provides a more immersive and cinematic experience. 

While traditional linear TV and programmatic video advertising have their benefits, CTV ads can be watched on larger screens, broadcast in 4K, and shown in more relaxed settings, making them more engaging than traditional advertising channels.

Think about it: when someone visits a website, they probably aren’t paying attention to every display ad they scroll across. With CTV ads, the viewer watches them while waiting for their content to play. That puts them in a more engaged and receptive frame of mind.

To maximize CTV’s potential, advertisers should invest in creating high-definition, attention-grabbing advertisements that stand out from the crowd.

That said, creating a CTV ad doesn’t have to be a blockbuster movie production. Many advertisers have found success repurposing existing traditional linear TV or video ad creatives, using 15 and 30-second spots (try to catch a viewer’s attention in the first three seconds), and playing around with different calls to action (CTAs) and creative variations.

Just ensure you follow some basic guidelines. The StackAdapt Creative Studio team says to follow these CTV creative best practices when creating and exporting CTV ads:

Resolution	HD resolution is strongly recommended (1280 x 720 for 720p, 1920 x 1080 for 1080p)
Ad Length	15 to 30 seconds is the most common
Aspect Ratio	16:9
File Format	MP4 is preferred
File Size	Under 1 GB

3. CTV Ad Types and Formats

Traditional linear TV advertising mainly consists of 15, 30, or 60-second video ads played before, during or after scheduled programming.

Similar to traditional TV ads, CTV has pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll video ads that can be played in-stream before, during or after streaming content. But CTV advertising offers even more ad formats and types to engage viewers: 

• Interactive ads allow viewers to play mini-games, answer surveys, click on ads to get information sent to another device, or scan QR codes to learn more about a product or service. 
• Overlay and companion ads can be inserted on top of or displayed alongside streaming content, so they don’t interrupt the flow of content. 
• Shoppable and sequential ads can be used to sell products directly through a viewer’s TV or tell a story over multiple commercial breaks.

Really, the sky’s the limit in terms of creativity and functionality, and the range of ad types and formats only grows more impressive with each passing year.

Check out IAB’s digital video and CTV ad format guidelines for general information on ad formats and specs. Or, speak with someone on our team to see what you can do in StackAdapt.

4. Platform Selection

One of the main reasons advertisers and agencies turn to demand-side platforms (DSPs) for CTV advertising is to automate the process of purchasing ad inventory across multiple ad exchanges, networks, and publishers at scale.

When selecting a platform, your DSP should not only provide access to native, display, video, CTV, audio, in-game, and digital out-of-home for multi-channel campaigns, but also offer premium inventory through top-tier publishers like Disney+, Hulu, Peacock, CNN, and HGTV. 

It’s important to note that many premium publishers care about the user experience just as much (if not more) than generating advertising dollars. As a result, with some of the big names in streaming, fewer ad slots may be available to place bids on, limiting your reach.

That doesn’t mean advertisers should ignore top-tier publishers. When you think about brand exposure, high-quality content generates high levels of audience engagement. But with equally engaging FAST platforms like Pluto TV and Tubi, advertisers can access a significant amount of scale due to the sheer volume of content they have available.

CTV advertising platforms should also be easy to use. You should be able to find the publisher you care about and activate an ad in minutes instead of waiting weeks or months for an ad to be delivered like you would with a traditional linear TV ad campaign.

5. Measurement and Analytics

With CTV advertising, buyers have different KPIs, such as cost per completed view (CPCV), video completion rate (VCR), unique device breakdown, and view-through conversions, depending on what they deem effective or the industry they operate in.

That said, reach and frequency are probably the two most important CTV metrics to track as part of your CTV marketing strategy.

• Reach measures the number of unique viewers who see your advertising campaign over a specific period. A higher reach means more potential customers are seeing your ads. Tracking reach is important because it shows the overall visibility and exposure of your CTV campaigns. This helps advertisers determine if their ads are effectively reaching their target audience.
• Frequency measures how many times a unique viewer sees your ad. Monitoring frequency is essential to prevent ad fatigue. However, a certain level of frequency is needed to build brand awareness and recall.

Reach and frequency are crucial for optimizing CTV ad campaigns, and finding the right balance is key to building campaigns that resonate with viewers and meet your goals.

CTV Marketing Strategies by Industry

From political campaigns to retail promotions, here’s how CTV advertising can help marketers across different industries achieve their digital advertising goals.

Use CTV to Reach More Voters

In 2024, political ad spending is projected to have a bigger effect on linear TV ad spending than the summer Olympics, with EMARKETER forecasting that US linear TV political ad spending will reach $7.06 billion USD.

For many political advertisers, traditional linear TV is still one of the most efficient ways to engage voters and educate them about potential candidates and specific issues. But when it comes to increasing awareness, CTV is becoming an important part of political advertisers’ digital marketing strategies.

CTV’s political ad growth has outpaced all other formats tracked by EMARKETER, increasing 506.3% between 2020 and 2024. In 2024, political ad spending will represent nearly half of all US digital political ad spending.

With CTV, political advertisers can combine 1st-party data (like voter lists and donation histories) with 3rd-party data and create personalized ads based on important issues, demographics, and viewing habits to hone in on specific households and engage voters. They can also use IP addresses and device IDs to retarget viewers on other platforms, helping to reinforce key messaging across multiple touchpoints.

While CTV provides ​​pinpoint accuracy compared to traditional linear TV, political advertisers should consider using both to reach an even larger audience. An EMARKETER report found that advertisers who leveraged both linear TV and CTV achieved a 32% increase in total reach compared to those who used linear TV alone.

Use CTV to Increase Sales and Foot Traffic

Brand exposure is the name of the game in retail advertising. If a customer has no idea what you sell, what’s in stock, or what’s on sale, they probably aren’t going to visit your store.

One of the major advantages of CTV advertising is that CTV devices are connected to the internet. This means advertisers can leverage 1st-party data from in-store visits, previous purchases, and cookies to target households directly using hard data like their IP addresses and device IDs.

As a result, retailers can get super granular with their targeting, cherry-picking individual IP addresses for customers who are likely to convert and segment audiences based on their geographic location. This allows advertisers to target the perfect buyer.

Not only that, but with its enhanced attribution and measurement capabilities, retailers can leverage device graphs to tie online purchases and in-store foot traffic back to CTV ads to get a holistic view of campaign performance.

Want some inspiration? Here’s a 15-second CTV ad the StackAdapt Creative Studio team put together as an example for a grocery store chain. Note the QR code at the end. It increases engagement by encouraging viewers to scan and find out about special offers and provides advertisers with valuable insights they can use for cross-device marketing and campaign optimization.

Use CTV to Transport Viewers to Inspiring Destinations

Similar to retail, building brand awareness is one of the main goals in travel and tourism marketing. But unlike in retail, the consideration phase is often a lot longer, with Expedia Group reporting that the average traveller takes about 71 days of research and planning before booking a trip.

Because of this, travel and tourism marketers often wait for consumers to express interest before serving them ads. EMARKETER reports that travel advertisers spent $3.92 billion USD of their collective $6.79 billion total on search in 2023 and are projected to have the highest search ad spending penetration of any industry in 2024.

The ability to understand the lifecycle of an individual user and what they’ve browsed over the past several weeks or months can tell an advertiser a lot about where someone’s considering travelling.

Ad frequency matters. Travel and tourism marketers can retarget users who have visited their site or expressed interest in a destination with CTV ads and use the power of high-def streaming to make them fall in love with far-flung locales. 

For example, Marriott recently partnered with Samsung Plus for a series of CTV ads that showcased the design inspiration behind some of their best-known hotels, increasing awareness, brand favourability, and consideration above the usual industry benchmarks.

Want some more design inspiration? Here’s a CTV ad example the StackAdapt Creative Studio team put together for a fictional resort that has the cinematic flair of an action sports movie.

Use CTV to Reach the Right Decision Makers at Scale

Historically, B2B hasn’t done much business with CTV.

Part of that has to do with a common misconception about the cost of CTV ads. Some think they’re prohibitively expensive. In actuality, the cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM) for premium CTV inventory is often only $15 to $30 USD, making CTV a cost-effective way for B2B marketers to reach their target audience without breaking the bank.

With LinkedIn reporting that only 5% of buyers are ready to make a purchase at any given time, consistent engagement is crucial in B2B marketing. The B2B buying process can take an average of one to five months (and sometimes up to a year, if not longer) and approval from five decision makers before a business makes a purchase or signs a contract.

With its precise targeting and broad reach, CTV allows advertisers to reach the right decision maker at the right time. 

B2B marketers can target ads based on demographics, job titles, industries, and individual companies or use an account-based marketing strategy to target specific decision makers—even if it’s one particular person, day after day—with tailored messaging to build awareness before sales calls or push prospective customers down the funnel.

Here’s a B2B CTV ad example the StackAdapt Creative Studio team made for GoCO that really helps its HR software stand out from the crowd.

Overcoming CTV Advertising Challenges

Creating a CTV marketing strategy can present several challenges for advertisers. Here are three of the most common obstacles and how choosing the right DSP can help overcome them:

Ad Fraud

As CTV grows in popularity and ad spend increases in the space, fraudsters are using tactics like IP and device spoofing, geographic misrepresentation, and invalid traffic generation to deceive advertisers and drain ad budgets. DSPs like StackAdapt use 3rd-party ad verification vendors, inventory filtering and inclusion lists, and machine learning to identify fraudulent bid requests and ensure ads only get shown to real audiences.

Limited Reach

Advertisers often limit their reach by focusing on well-known platforms. StackAdapt provides access to hundreds of apps, streaming services, networks, and shows. By expanding their targeting, advertisers can use the platform to maximize exposure and effectively reach their desired audience.

Frequency Capping

According to EMARKETER, 30% of marketers and publishers believe more efficient frequency capping would increase their CTV advertising spend. High ad frequencies can negatively impact a viewer’s perception of a brand, not to mention waste ad spend. Marketers should consider implementing frequency caps to prevent viewers from seeing the same ads repeatedly.

What’s Next for CTV Marketing Strategies

CTV is evolving. Every day, more people are cutting ties with their cable providers and streaming content over the top. With them come opportunities to target consumers in more precise and creative ways. But the biggest transition in the space may be the amount of quality inventory available.

In 2022, Netlifx announced a lower-priced ad-supported plan and has since amassed 40 million monthly users to its ad-supported tier. Now, premium publishers like Disney+, Peacock, Paramount+, and Max all provide advertising capabilities. 

With CTV platforms acquiring rights to live sporting events and FAST platforms bridging the gap between cable and on-demand streaming, it won’t be surprising if existing publishers up the amount of ads during commercial breaks and more platforms provide ad-supported tiers in the coming years.

The future of streaming may start to resemble the programming of the past. But for advertisers, it’ll be even easier and more affordable to reach new audiences and have ads appear alongside premium content.

Ready to make the leap into CTV advertising with StackAdapt? Request a demo today.

Education marketing has been consistently evolving to adapt to the drastic shift to online learning. While in-classroom learning is bouncing back, the adoption of virtual learning environments has created new opportunities. Among them, digital marketing has taken center stage as a strategy for increasing enrollment and bringing prospective students into programs. 

To find success in the upcoming school year and beyond, marketers should embrace recent changes to the education landscape. To help you earn that A, we’ve highlighted current education marketing trends, how education is evolving, and digital strategies you can leverage for your education marketing campaigns. 

Trends That Are Impacting Education Marketing

During and after the pandemic, institutions have made quick changes to help them adjust to educating students in a remote-first world For many, this has meant shifting to online education. The adoption of digital in education has resulted in a couple of notable trends that education marketers should keep top of mind.

1. Education Is for Everyone

Education is being increasingly viewed as a lifelong activity rather than a time-bound activity with set milestones, like graduating college. Students today are not just prospective school or college applicants, they are often professionals who are looking to upskill, retrain for a different career, or refresh their skills. 

This is especially relevant with the advent of Generative AI—in a study conducted by IBM, 46% of executives said they are spending more resources in upskilling and reskilling their workforce to work with AI.

2. Time Spent with Screens Is Rising

While many students returned to the classroom after the pandemic, the increase in screen time during that time is now an established habit that will likely persist. The average screen time of school-aged children, 6 to 14, is 2.77 hours per day, and 46% spend more than 2 hours per day with screens. 

3. Back to School Shopping Goes Digital

Retail saw a shift to digital since 2020, as did educational shopping. With education becoming digital-first, electronic products became the focus of back to school shopping lists for students and teachers. Parents spent $9.5 billion USD in 2023 on tech products for their kids as part of their back to school purchases. Tech products include computers and hardware, electronic gadgets, digital subscriptions, and voice/data plans.

How Education Is Evolving 

The above trends are a big part of the equation when it comes to how education is evolving. They are driving shifts in the education landscape that are important to note because these shifts highlight the audiences that education marketers should be targeting, and how best to reach those audiences. Here are 4 key ways in which education is evolving.  

E-learning Is Here To Stay

The pandemic accelerated the shift towards remote and hybrid learning. These trends are unlikely to reverse due to a confluence of factors, from safety concerns to the convenience and accessibility of remote learning. There will be one billion users of e-learning products by 2027. With the 5G rollout ramping up, wide access to high speed internet is expected to turbocharge applications that rely on streaming, with education being one of the beneficiaries. 

Fewer Students Are Interested in Full-service Degrees

Students are increasingly opting for ‘nano-learning’ models, such as micro-credentialing, competency-based education, and nano-degrees as alternatives. 

According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, students prefer shorter-term credentials. For instance, in 2023 enrollment in undergraduate certificate programs in the United States was up 9.9%, compared to 3.6% for associate degrees and 0.9% for bachelor’s degrees.

Affordability Is a Top Factor in Decision Making

Affordability, reputation, and academic credit for work or life experiences are the top three influencing factors for selecting a school. According to Statista, 77% of survey respondents chose affordability as the leading factor behind choosing an online program. Reputation of the school or program (63%), ability to customize program with electives (60%), and quickest path to a degree (58%) are some of the other factors that are high priority for students.

Earn an A With These Education Marketing Tips

Now that we’ve seen the full report card when it comes to trends and the education landscape, it’s time to dig into the best digital strategies for education marketers. Here are 4 tips that education marketers can leverage when building their digital strategy. 

1. Be Attentive to Emerging Formats

Student habits are shifting, which means it’s more important than ever to pay attention to emerging formats. For example, one-fifth of TikTok users are women between 18 and 24 years of age. 

Over-the-top (OTT), live video, and audio podcasts have all seen a surge in the last year and continue to capture an ever-growing percentage of the digital media diet. To capture the attention of prospective students, it’s important to have a pulse on where they are spending their time, and then be sure to be present on those channels. 

2. Adjust Your Strategy According to Digital Adoption

In the past, the education sector has had a more traditional marketing approach to the back to school season. Now is the time to embrace the digital signals students and educators have been adjusting to in the last year. For education marketers planning and strategizing for the school year ahead, it’s important to consider their prospective student’s perspective and habits, so that you’re able to connect with them, and offer a personalized experience. The starting point for this is to ensure institutions are creating a strong brand presence online, and a coherent digital strategy. This will help them to stand out from the crowd while gathering data to make informed decisions. 

3. Target Your Desired Audiences With Care

Key life decisions, such as a college selection, career change. and high-value purchases aren’t often made in isolation. Education marketers should leverage demographics and life-event data to not only capture prospective students, but also parents, family members, and peer groups. 

You can narrow down your targeting by using tactics like contextual advertising to target professionals who are looking to upskill and keep pace with demands of this skills-based economy. Or incorporate geo radius targeting as a strategy to reach prospective students, since 44% of online students live within 25 miles or less of the college campus.            

4. Use a Multi-channel Strategy to Capture Attention

Students today spend their time on a mixture of channels. They might scroll social platforms first thing in the morning, listen to a podcast on their commute, and then spend the afternoon browsing online. Education marketers should update their approach to reflect this consumer behaviour shift with a multi-channel strategy. With a multi-channel strategy, you can reach prospective students throughout the entire funnel, creating a cohesive story across channels like native, display, video, connected TV (CTV),  audio, in-game, and digital out-of-home. 

How Education Marketers Can School the Competition

In education marketing today, a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work. Education marketers should be on top of the rapidly changing trends and evolving education landscape, so that they’re able to speak to changing concerns and expectations of prospective students. 

Affordability, for example, ranks highest among factors that influence online program choice. Given this, education marketers should craft messaging that addresses pricing and highlights return on investment. It’s also key to cater the messaging depending on the type of student being targeted. For example, when reaching audiences who are evaluating a career change, emphasizing earning growth potential makes the most sense.

Ready to excel in education marketing? Earn an A in education marketing by being willing to experiment, and keeping your strategy fresh and nimble.

Tune into this episode of the How Agencies Thrive podcast to learn how education marketers have adopted new strategies to stay relevant and competitive in a rapidly changing education climate.

Father’s Day recognizes fathers, fatherhood, and father figures. For millions of caregivers around the world, it’s time for family gatherings, gifts, special outings, and crayon scribbled I-Love-Yous.

As we approach Father’s Day, it’s time to explore consumer behaviour around this occasion. Read on to learn important stats about consumers who are shopping for this annual celebration, tactics for leveraging digital marketing for Father’s Day, and how a programmatic strategy can support your efforts.

Who is Shopping for Father’s Day

Approximately 75% of US adults celebrated the occasion in 2023, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). With so much of the population celebrating these caregivers, there’s significant consumer spending around this day.  

The average expected spend on a Father’s Day gift per consumer was a record $196.23 USD, up from $171.79 last year.

Consumer spending over will reach a record $22.9 billion USD, up from last year’s $20 billion USD, according to NRF’s annual consumer survey.

Consumer Habits for Father’s Day 

According to NRF’s report, most Father’s Day consumers purchase gifts for their fathers, stepfathers, and husbands. Some consumers do buy gifts for their sons, brothers, friends, godfathers, and other relatives. 

The top gifts to give in 2023 were greeting cards, clothes, and special outings. In fact, nearly one-third are planning to give a gift of experience, such as tickets to a sporting event or a concert. That is up 25% from last year, according to NRF’s report.

Digital Marketing Tips for Father’s Day Campaigns

Let’s dive into 4 tips for leveraging digital marketing for Father’s Day. 

1. Reach Father’s Day Shoppers Where They Are

In recent years, there’s been a major adoption of e-commerce. Revenue from retail e-commerce in the US was estimated at roughly $905 billion USD in 2022. The Statista Digital Market Outlook forecasts that by 2027, online shopping revenue in the US will exceed $1.7 trillion dollars.

In-store shopping still has its place, but the adoption of e-commerce is here to stay. Consumers understand the benefits of online shopping, and enjoy the conveniences it brings, like quick delivery times, easy returns, and flexible payment options. In recent years, those benefits have increased as brands adapted their offerings to make online purchasing as frictionless as possible. 

The rise of e-commerce has also shifted how shoppers discover new services and products. Many consumers turn to the internet to look for new brands, services, and products. To reach these consumers, it’s more important than ever to leverage programmatic advertising. With digital marketing channels, you’re able to reach those shoppers exactly where they are: which is online. 

2. Leverage Multiple Programmatic Channels 

Multi-channel campaigns make it possible to reach users across different platforms and channels. You can run digital marketing for Father’s Day across two channels, like video and programmatic audio, or across more channels including in-game advertising and connected TV (CTV). Leveraging multiple channels helps you to gain a larger reach by capturing consumers who might only be on some channels.

A mix of complementary channels for a Father’s Day campaign increases the percentage of the total target audience that you can reach. It helps you to craft a cohesive message across all of the included channels.

With a multi-channel campaign you can also leverage a retargeting strategy to deliver online ads to people based on their previous, intent-based actions on the web. This is an important tactic for re-engaging consumers who previously showed interest in your brand or products. By re-engaging them, you can move them down the funnel toward a conversion. 

3. Experiment With New Channels for Father’s Day

Programmatic channels like in-game advertising and digital out-of-home (DOOH) are gaining increasing relevance. There’s no better time than now to start experimenting with these channels to reach your ideal Father’s Day consumers.

In-Game Advertising

It’s expected that there will be 3.10 billion video game users by 2027. This upward trend points to the fact that gamers are now nearly synonymous with everyday consumers.

In-game advertising enables ads to appear in mobile, computer, and video games. Ads are seamlessly integrated, so they don’t interrupt gameplay. You can leverage this channel for your Father’s Day marketing to drive brand awareness and connect with gamers, who are a highly-influential audience that’s fully immersed in gameplay.

Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) 

Digital out-of-home (DOOH) includes any digital ad that is found outside the home. They appear in public environments, like in transit stations, gas stations, stores, airports, and on billboards. 

Programmatic automates the buying and delivery of DOOH ads, so you can buy and manage your DOOH campaigns through your programmatic platform. DOOH is not subject to privacy regulations because it doesn’t use or collect cookies, and it’s an exciting format that can engage audiences in new ways.

For Father’s Day campaigns, you can leverage point-of-purchase (POP) ads to reach opportune or last minute consumers. POP signage is a type of DOOH ad that is usually found in shopping destinations like malls, grocery stores, and retail stores. With this DOOH format you can influence the purchasing decisions of consumers while they’re in-store. It’s the perfect ad format for reaching Father’s Day shoppers who need help coming up with gift ideas, or are last-minute shoppers. 

4. Tap Into Consumer Emotions to Inspire Shoppers

For Father’s Day campaigns, it’s important to remember that your target audience are people, and occasions like Father’s Day are very meaningful to them. Father’s Day is a chance for them to show their appreciation for a special person in their life. This is why tapping into the emotional aspect of this occasion can help inspire consumers. 

Don’t underestimate the power of storytelling for these campaigns. Storytelling spurs emotion, and there’s science to back this up! One way you can spark emotion with your Father’s Day ads is to leverage video. Video is the perfect medium to spark emotion because it combines audio and visual elements.

Whether your digital marketing for Father’s Day tells a story that your audience finds relatable, or one that just makes them chuckle, the fact that it spurred emotion creates a starting point for the shopper to have an emotional connection with your brand. Evoking emotion will make your ad memorable, and give you the opportunity to inspire your target audience to give your product or service to that special father figure in their life.  

Use Digital Marketing to Reach Father’s Day Shoppers

These strategies will help you leverage digital marketing for Father’s Day. Through a well-informed digital strategy, you can reach shoppers who are ready to celebrate not just their fathers, but partners, grandfathers, and other fatherly figures!

Want to run exceptional Father’s Day programmatic campaigns? Request a demo to learn more about StackAdapt.

Mother’s Day, which is sometimes called Mothering Sunday in the UK, recognizes mothers, motherhood, and maternal bonds in general. For millions of maternal figures and caregivers across the world, it’s time for breakfast in bed, family gatherings, gifts, bouquets of flowers, and crayon scribbled I-Love-Yous.

As we approach Mother’s Day, here are a few things you need to know about consumer behaviour. Read on to learn important stats about consumers who are shopping for this annual occasion, and how you can leverage a digital strategy to reach them.

Who is Shopping for Mother’s Day

We dug into the data in the US, UK, and Australia, so you don’t have to.

Mother’s Day Shoppers in the US

In 2023, 84% of Americans planned to celebrate Mother’s Day, and consumers planned on spending a record $35.7 billion USD on the occasion. The amount of spending has increased considerably over recent years. In 2023, consumers planned to spend $28 more on Mother’s Day purchases, and were expected to spend a record average of $274.02.

Unsurprisingly, the top three categories for spending were flowers, greeting cards, and special outings. While most consumers shopped online last year, people are returning to stores as a shopping destination this year. 

So, what do you get mom to make the day extra special? Almost 31% plan to take mom out to brunch, dinner, or other special outing. Meanwhile, almost half (46%) plan to gift a product subscription box, like coffee or clothes. 

While inflation is a top issue for consumers, making mom feel special remains a top priority. Rather than passing on a gift, consumers will take advantage of promotions (44%) or cutting back in other areas (34%), so mom feels special on her day.

Mothers Day Shoppers in the UK

After record breaking Mother’s Day sales in the UK in 2022, retail spending in 2023 was projected to decline by 14% down to £1.28 billion. In 2022, spending on Mother’s Day amounted to £1.49 billion.

Shoppers in the UK plan to buy the most popular gifts of cards and flowers, but are planning to cut back on beauty products (down 24%), chocolates (down 12%), and eating out at restaurants (down 13%). Of those celebrating Mother’s Day, 73% plan on having a lovely dinner at home.

Mothers Day Shoppers in Australia

Australians are set to put aside their cost of living woes and spoil their mom on her special day. According to research from the Australian Retailers Association in collaboration with Roy Morgan, Aussies are expected to spend an extra $166 million AUD from 2022 on Mother’s Day. 

Those shopping for mom are planning on spending an average of $92, up from $80 in 2022, on popular gifts like flowers, alcohol, food, and gift cards. Others are planning on celebrating the occasion with a meal at a restaurant (19%), while another 38% plan on splashing out on a family feast at home.

Reach Mother’s Day Shoppers Where They Are 

One major shift in consumer behaviour over recent years has been the adoption of e-commerce.

Revenue from retail e-commerce in the US was estimated at roughly $905 billion USD in 2022. The Statista Digital Market Insights report shows that by 2028, online shopping revenue in the US will exceed $1.3 trillion USD.

The UK has also seen growing adoption of e-commerce. According to eMarketer, annual e-commerce sales growth will hover around 4% through 2026 as shoppers return to in-store shopping and cut non-essential spending due to high inflation.  The UK now has the most advanced e-commerce market in Europe. By 2025, the country is expected to have 68.8 million e-commerce users—leaving only a minority of the population as non-digital buyers. 

While in-store shopping still has its place, the shift to e-commerce is here to stay. Consumers have recognized the benefits of online shopping—like quick delivery times, easy returns, and lots of payment options, like buy now, pay later. And in recent years, those benefits have grown as brands adapt their offerings to make online purchasing as frictionless as possible. 

The rise of e-commerce has also shifted how consumers discover new products. Many turn to the internet to look for brands, services, and products that they haven’t encountered before. These shifts in consumer behaviour mean that it’s more important than ever to be where consumers are: on digital marketing channels. 

Leverage a Multi-Channel Strategy

With multi-channel targeting, you’re able to reach users across different platforms and channels. You can run a campaign across two channels, like display and programmatic audio, or across more including video and connected TV (CTV). This strategy helps you to gain a larger reach by capturing users who are only on some channels. 

Using a mix of complementary channels increases the percentage of the total target audience that you can reach, and it helps you to craft a brand story throughout the entire consumer journey. The goal is to make sure you’ve created a cohesive message across all of the included channels.

Then, you can leverage a retargeting strategy to deliver online ads to people based on their previous intent-based actions on the web. This is an important tactic for re-engaging users who have shown interest in your brand, and it helps to move them down the funnel toward a conversion. Through cross-channel retargeting, you can increase the likelihood that your messaging reaches your audience repeatedly. 

Capture Shoppers’ Attention with Contextual Advertising

Today’s contextual advertising uses machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). This technology has made contextual advertising more effective than ever before. Modern contextual targeting is multi-channel and scalable, making it a reliable means for reaching your audience. 

Contextual advertising targets ads based on the environment in which the ad appears. Thanks to algorithms, ads are placed based on keywords, website content, and other metadata. This way, the ads are shown to users based on the content they are consuming at that moment in time. The benefit of this is that you’re able to reach users when they are in a receptive frame of mind.

For example, a restaurant brand could include phrases such as “activities with mom”, “Mother’s Day”, “brunch spots”, or “best restaurants” as target phrases in a contextual advertising campaign. This way, their ads would appear alongside articles that cover topics like “Activities for Mother’s Day.” 

Measure the Impact of Your Campaigns

Tracking the impact of your campaigns both online and offline is crucial because it enables you to measure the success of your efforts, and make in-flight adjustments. To measure the impact of your campaigns, make sure your programmatic platform offers a solution for tracking measurement and attribution. 

By monitoring performance, you can figure out which touch points in your marketing funnel are generating the most value, and use that data to make informed budgetary decisions that will help to scale the profitability of your digital campaigns. 

You can also consider leveraging a brand lift study for your Mother’s Day campaign. A brand lift study measures the impact of your campaigns across programmatic channels. It helps to provide a picture of the consumer sentiment and brand affinity of people who have been exposed to your media. 

You can leverage a brand lift study to measure the impact of upper funnel campaigns on your consumers’ perception of your brand, but it’s also effective when it comes to mid to lower funnel campaigns, for measuring consideration or purchase intent. 

Reach Your Audience Online this Mother’s Day

Mum’s no longer the word! Knowing these insights about Mother’s Day consumer behaviour will help you prepare your marketing strategy for this annual occasion. By leveraging a well informed digital strategy, you can reach shoppers who are ready to celebrate not just their moms, but wives, grandmothers, and other caregivers!

Want to run exceptional Mother’s Day programmatic campaigns? Request a demo to learn more about StackAdapt.

Voter file data is crucial for any political advertising campaign—but you already knew that. What you may not know is the secret to using first-party data in such a way that your ad spend doesn’t go to waste. 

Even if you’re using voter data to inform your traditional ad campaigns, when targeting specific congressional districts and counties, you may still be reaching many wrong voters with your ads.

For example, when you buy a TV spot, you’re targeting Designated Market Area (DMA) regions, which are the geographic areas where Nielsen measures local television viewing.

Let’s say you buy ads for the Washington DC DMA. The problem is that you could still be targeting people in Maryland and Virginia, and even parts of West Virginia and Pennsylvania, where people can’t participate in an election in DC. 

What’s the solution? For starters, focus on digital advertising, so you can target voters more precisely.

“Something that is great about digital is that you can target specific congressional districts, counties, and even zip codes. You can make sure that your impressions are going to the places where people can actually vote,” says Emily Hohman, Sales Director at StackAdapt. “That’s just one advantage of digital over traditional advertising.” 

Now, how do you make sure your political advertising campaigns reach your target? Follow these four steps.

1. Optimize Political Campaigns for Speed

As a political marketer, you’re driving towards an election date, like November 5th in the US, and you’re asking yourself this question: How can I scale campaigns and deliver in full in a short amount of time?

According to Emily, approximately 75% of ad campaign spend happens in the 10 weeks leading up to an election day, requiring quick pivots between campaign strategies. Once an election is over, and you have any leftover funds, you can’t use them anymore.

“Speed is everything,” says Emily. “You want your message to be out there as quickly as possible. If you have a delay because you’re waiting on ad approvals, payment setup, or first-party data, then you could easily lose one or two weeks, which is valuable time that your ads should be up to persuade voters.” 

The good news is that programmatic advertising provides the speed you need for your political campaigns, as it leverages machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) together. This streamlines your advertising efforts, making decisions rapidly responding to pivots in how voters consume information.

Speed is so important during an election cycle that at StackAdapt we’ve made sure you can upload and activate first-party data and voter files within 30 minutes to a few hours.

This quick activation lets you react to events in real time, like after a debate. You do your best to plan, budget, and forecast, but unexpected things can happen that will require you to react swiftly—pivoting messaging, turning ads on or off, or changing targeting.

2. Target Voters with Precision

Voter file data allows for hyper-focused segmentation of audiences. If people vote early, you can upload files of those who have already voted in the election and suppress those early voters from seeing your ad campaigns. That way, you’re not targeting people who have voted early or mailed in their ballot.

You can also implement a waterfall strategy. For example, you could first target the first-party data that you have uploaded and then waterfall that into key political third-party segments or StackAdapt’s Browsing Audiences, which are segments based on a topic the audience is interested in. 

One way to bolster your existing voter file data, you can supplement it with segments from key political data providers such as L2, Tunnl, TargetSmart, and i360.

Let’s illustrate this process. If you are a political advertiser, you will start with a specific list of voters. Then, you can open it up to third-party segments of people who have voted for a candidate in a specific political party or share similar political interests. Lastly, you can use a browsing segment with people who have searched for those candidates—their names, their platforms, and the issues that they talk about—to encapsulate a much broader audience.

All this is possible with programmatic advertising, which allows you to target by geolocation, IP address, or even by context, to ensure you reach the voters more receptive to your messaging.

Take geotargeting for instance. Geotargeting is a key feature in political campaigns because it enables you to focus your efforts on specific regions. When you focus on specific locations or US congressional and legislative districts, you avoid wasting time and ad dollars on people outside of your target voting district.

StackAdapt allows you to combine your first-party data with third-party data and voter files to build refined segments with multiple attributes:

• Voting history
• Demographic attributes
• Political topical interest
• Voting behaviour

3. Measure Voter Actions with Offline Voter Attribution

Using voter file data, you can attribute voter registration or votes back to your advertising campaigns. You can leverage voter file data to answer questions such as: “Did my media dollars influence voter registration?” or ”Did audiences who showed up to the polls see impressions from my ad campaign?”.

With offline voter attribution, you ensure that you are measuring the actions that matter the most to your campaign. 

Kinetic Strategies, a StackAdapt client, used a waterfall strategy to target likely Democratic and swing voters in Texas’ 16th district ahead of the 2022 mid-term election, reaching 158,075 voters. The campaign prioritized first-party data and was complemented with additional demographic and geotargeting targeting. 

Following the election, Kinetic Strategies leveraged StackAdapt’s voter data attribution to gain crucial insights into the share of OTT and video audiences that actually cast their ballots on election day.

4. Choose a Partner that Understands Regulatory Compliance

Finding the right partner for your political advertising campaign cannot be overestimated. From technical to ethical issues, the wrong partner can break your campaign.

Find a partner who handles your data properly and ensures voter privacy is maintained.

With StackAdapt, voter files are uploaded directly to the data collaboration platform, LiveRamp, and then are hashed and sent back to LiveRamp for processing.

Remember, legal requirements for political ads may vary in different regions from what type of information must be kept confidential to particular disclaimers. With StackAdapt, your campaigns will be delivered fast and in a way that’s compliant with the law.

Leverage the Power of Voter File Data for Your Political Campaigns

The phasing out of cookies is a big challenge for advertisers in every industry. This makes the use of first-party data more urgent. 

If you are not leveraging first-party data for the upcoming election, you’re just guessing who your voters may be. 

“If you have access to that voter data,” says Emily, “it’s going to make your campaigns more targeted and more effective in getting your message out, and getting people to go to the polls and vote for your candidate.”

Request a demo to learn more about leveraging first-party data for your political advertising campaigns with StackAdapt.

B2B marketing is increasingly digital. According to eMarketer, digital ads will comprise nearly 50% of all B2B ad spending in 2024. With the rise of digital, marketers are facing challenges when it comes to B2B audience targeting. 

Whether it’s struggling to precisely target decision makers, meeting competitive key performance indicators (KPIs) such as cost per lead (CPL), or deriving deeper insights about your audience—it’s understandable that finding B2B strategies that satisfy all of your targeting needs is key. 

Read on to learn 6 programmatic advertising solutions for B2B marketers that you can leverage to help you target your ideal audiences with precision. 

6 Winning Strategies to Leverage for B2B Audience Targeting

1. Take Advantage of 3rd-Party Data Providers

Finding the right decision makers and other appropriate B2B contacts can be challenging. One tactic for overcoming this challenge is to leverage 3rd-party data for your B2B programmatic advertising. 

One way you can access 3rd-party data is through data management platforms (DMPs). The platforms gather data about user demographics, on-site or in-app behaviour, engagement with ads, and more.

DMPs can also help to hone down your audience data to be more manageable, making it easier to understand and use. They can identify users for you in the form of ready-to-use segments. From there, you can target decision makers, C-Suite executives, specific industries, and more. 

2. Reach Relevant Users With 1st-Party Data 

With 1st-party data you’re able to reach relevant users that you already have contact information for. Your demand-side platform (DSP) should allow you to easily upload your CRM data directly into its UI, making your segment ready to target in near real-time. This streamlined process means you can spend less time waiting to onboard, and more time focusing on your campaigns. 

For example, StackAdapt is partnered with LiveRamp, a data connectivity platform that enables us to offer marketers an audience integration. With this integration, you can generate your CRM audience quickly, providing fast access to proprietary 1st-party audience lists to target in your campaigns. This streamlined process means you can spend less time waiting to onboard, and more time focusing on your campaigns.

3. Target Specific Companies Using Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

Account-based marketing (ABM) is a business-to-business (B2B) marketing strategy that concentrates marketing toward a set of specific accounts within a market. 

Traditional ABM has relied on physical-world activities like events where marketers get one-on-one time with the stakeholders at a target company. Although traditional ABM works, personalization at scale for target accounts is a top challenge.

One way to overcome this challenge is by leveraging the power of programmatic. With programmatic ABM, you can use programmatic ad buying technology to target high-value B2B professionals based on account lists, firmographic, and personal-level data. You’re able to reach audiences with relevant, high-value ads that will win over the right accounts. 

Account-based marketing (ABM) lists are perfect for B2B marketers who already know which specific companies should see their ads. To leverage this strategy, start by identifying your top accounts. Then, upload a list of those accounts into your DSP. It will be populated so that it is ready to use alone, or intersected with any 3rd-party segment. 

This tactic is helpful if you have a very niche contact in mind that you need to get in front of, and are comfortable driving a high impression frequency. You can also save media dollars by using segment intersection options to ensure you are getting in front of the right people.

4. Target ISP Audiences to Reach Specific Wi-Fi Networks

To target users by their specific places of business, you can incorporate an internet service provider (ISP) targeting strategy. This strategy reaches people by their specific ISP, providing very targeted relevance for businesses who want to have their message seen by a location-specific audience. 

The main benefit of ISP targeting is that it delivers your ads to highly specific audiences. It’s an ideal tactic for B2B marketers who want to target the office buildings of a company they are wanting to prospect. 

5. Use Dayparting to Reach Users at the Right Time

Dayparting is a common campaign parameter that allows you to set particular ads to run only at certain times of the day. It allows you to split the day into time intervals to indicate when different campaigns will run throughout the day.

For B2B marketers, dayparting can be used to run campaigns on specific days of the week and at specific times. In this case, leverage dayparting to make sure your ads run Monday to Friday, between 9:00am and 5:00pm.

6. Use Targeting and Measurement to Track Results and Optimize

Ensuring your programmatic platform offers a solution for tracking measurement and attribution is key to your B2B campaign success. It’s by monitoring performance that you can uncover which touch points in your marketing funnel are generating the most value, and make optimizations in real-time.  

Once you know that, you can make informed budgetary decisions that will help to scale the profitability of your digital campaigns. For example, you can leverage reporting to understand exactly who engages with your ads, validate the quality of targeting data, refine audience segmentation, and optimize ad creative messaging. 

Use B2B Audience Targeting to Reach the Right Users

Engaging your audience across all stages of the buying process won’t be achieved with a one-size-fits-all approach. With B2B advertising, the key is specificity. 

Hone in on the benefits of your particular product or service, and experiment with different tactics to uncover how that benefit can best be communicated to your ideal audience. Use the above tactics to reach the right users with precision.

Ready to develop a comprehensive B2B targeting strategy? Request a demo to learn more about StackAdapt.

Healthcare marketers need to be aware of the many rules and regulations that exist within the healthcare digital marketing industry. With a ton of opportunities to win more patients and enhance brand reputation, you just need to know the right way to do it.

Below, we’re covering 4 programmatic advertising tactics that you can leverage to take advantage of this growing market and still remain compliant. But first, you need to understand the common challenges in healthcare marketing.

Healthcare Marketing Challenges

In the US, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires healthcare providers to adopt national standards for electronic healthcare transactions. The goal of this act is to protect the security of individually-identifiable health information. 

How does HIPAA impact your healthcare digital marketing plans? The main challenge is that you’re unable to use data from your CRM to target anyone who has been a patient because that is considered private information. 

Despite these limitations, you can still develop a strong healthcare marketing strategy. The key is to leverage the right audience segments and targeting tactics.

4 Targeting Tactics for Healthcare Digital Marketing

Let’s unpack 4 targeting tactics that you can leverage for your healthcare digital marketing. These tactics will help you create the right audience segments so you can target your target audience efficiently with a strong healthcare industry targeting strategy. 

1. Custom Audience Segments

Custom Audience Segments are a programmatic audience tactic that allows you to target based on intent, using 1st-party proprietary data that consists of content a user has consumed. You can capture potential patients who are looking for a general practitioner or medical specialist, or who are searching for health-related topics. 

Custom Audience Segments provide insight into the content that a user is consuming–without identifying what they’ve searched. This means you’re able to access an audience pool while putting privacy first. 

2. Lookalike Audiences

In programmatic advertising, lookalike audiences are a target audience that has similar characteristics to your existing customers or community. This audience is built by using a sophisticated algorithm that identifies users who share similar interests and behaviours with your already existing audience. 

Lookalike audiences are perfect for healthcare, because this targeting tactic helps deliver more impressions to a relevant audience that is likely to click and convert. Since the lookalike audience has the specific characteristics that will be ideal for your healthcare offering, you know your ad budget is being well spent. 

3. Third-Party Data

Third-party data gives you access to curated data sets, made of specific segments. Data intelligence companies collect user data that is pseudonymous and based on demographic or psychographic behaviour. 

Healthcare data providers like Epsilon and Swoop allow you to reach patients through the use of claims data by ailment, procedure, prescription, and more. From this data, relevant audience segments are curated. Third party data can also be used to target healthcare practitioners in a granular way through the use of National Provider Identifier (NPI) lists, specialty level targeting, and by clinical behaviours

To use 3rd-party audience segments in your healthcare digital marketing campaigns, you can search the user characteristics you are looking to target. Once you find segments that fit your desired targeting, the data provider will allow you to access and target users who match.

For healthcare campaigns, choose a few of the key characteristics of your buyer personas to align them with 3rd-party audience segments. Look for segments that have those characteristics in common with your buyer personas. For example, a naturopathic clinic would want to select a segment using characteristics related to alternative or holistic medicine. 

Now that you have a targeted segment of prospects, how can you be sure your ads are successful? With the right targeting tactic. 

4. Contextual Targeting

Contextual advertising targets ads based on the environment in which an ad appears. It uses algorithms to target ad placements based on keywords, website content, and other metadata. 

This way, ads are shown to users based on the content they are consuming at that moment in time. Modern cookieless targeting leverages machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), which has made this targeting method more effective than ever before. 

With contextual advertising, you can target niche contexts by specifying a topic or a collection of keywords. For example, a physiotherapy center can indicate keywords related to back pain or knee pain, to precisely target a niche user profile. 

This strategy is effective because it ensures your ads are served to people who are receptive to the niche attributes of your healthcare offering. 

5. Geotargeting

When looking for new patients, it’s important to target geographically-relevant audiences. Users looking for medical practitioners or services will typically be looking for options close to home. For example, a person located in New York is probably not interested in a general practitioner located in California. 

With geotargeting, you can target users by state, city or zip code. You also have the option to target audiences who have visited a nearby hospital or walk-in clinic. For the best results, couple your Custom Audience Segments with geotargeting. This way, you’ll have an audience pool that has similar intent, and is in your ideal location. 

Why stop there? If you’re running a clinical research campaign and need participants, you need to get more granular than just intent and geography. That’s where industry specific, 3rd-party data comes in.

Reach Healthcare Audiences With Digital Advertising

While there are many regulations healthcare marketers need to be wary of, with the right targeting and ad formats, you can run successful campaigns in this industry. Remember that for the best results, you’ll want to leverage these tactics as part of a marketing strategy that aligns with the healthcare journeys of patients and physicians.

For example, the patient journey will typically start with the awareness stage. A patient will likely try to identify their symptoms with a search engine query, which drives them to websites such as Mayo Clinic and WebMD. 

From there, they might contribute to online forums and seek out similar cases to narrow their pre-treatment research–this is the consideration stage. Finally, they will enter the conversion stage by selecting a provider to gather expert information and seek out professional treatments.

Identifying the journey that your target healthcare audience is on will help you to identify which tactics align your strategy with your audience’s needs, enabling you to better reach your campaign goals. 

Want to run exceptional healthcare campaigns? Request a demo to learn more about StackAdapt.

The retail industry is always evolving thanks to changing consumer trends and advancements in technology. For example, back in 2013, online sales of consumer packaged goods (CPG) products only accounted for 1% of total online sales revenue. By 2025, it’s estimated that number will grow to 20%. 

Today’s retail brands have the challenge of reaching consumers in brick and mortar stores, as well as online. As a retail marketer, you need to connect the digital world with offline behaviours, to prove sales lift from digital advertising. One way to do this is with programmatic advertising.

Programmatic advertising is a form of media buying that enables media buyers to purchase advertising space using a programmatic platform that leverages data insights and algorithms to reach the right users. 

It’s a process for buying advertising space that is automatic, rather than the traditional process that is typically manual. This automatic process serves ads at the right time, and at the right price.  

8 Essential Programmatic Tips For Retail Advertising 

Here are 8 tips that will help you build impactful programmatic advertising campaigns for retail, and measure their impact–both online and offline.   

1. Leverage the Latest Trends For Retail Advertising 

A great starting point for planning retail campaigns is by looking at the latest trends in the industry. For the best insights, you’ll want to look at data from the current year or the year prior. 

We’ve rounded up some of 2023’s retail shopping trends and stats to get you started. 

• Statista projects that global retail sales will reach around 32.8 trillion USD by 2026, up from approximately 26.4 trillion USD in 2021.
• According to research by the National Retail Federation (NRF), retail store counts are growing with the industry and the broader economy, despite the increasing importance of e-commerce. Retailers are leveraging storefronts to support buying across all channels. 
• According to the NRF, consumers are prioritizing value as a way to manage inflation, and they are researching products through various touch points before making a purchase.

2. Build a Profile Around Your Target Retail Audience 

Retail shoppers can span across various demographics, so understanding who they are in detail will benefit your campaigns. 

Customer profiles describe everything you need to know about a specified group of customers. You can leverage that information to create a digital strategy that aligns with the wants and needs of your audience. 

A customer profile will help you make informed decisions about campaign messaging, ad creative, the advertising channels to leverage, and targeting tactics to use. 

Here are 5 key steps to building customer profiles for retail advertising:

• Identify your broad audience. Focus on the problem your product, service, or business aims to solve and who needs that problem solved. 
• Narrow down that audience. This isn’t always straightforward, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. For example, if you’re a retailer selling baby formula, you’re likely targeting parents, caretakers, and parents-to-be. 
• Consider what makes your offering unique. Think about your audience demographic, and what problem you’re positioned to solve for them. The goal is to match your unique offering to the specific motivations of your potential buyers. 
• Consider your customers’ journey. Understanding how a customer goes from awareness and consideration to conversion and evaluation enables you to narrow your audience further. Knowing every touch point that a customer passes through before making a purchase will help inform what channels and ad formats you should leverage for the best results.
• Create a profile description. You now have a narrowed idea of your audience and their customer journey, so it’s time to consider their demographics and psychographics in detail. Start with demographics such as age, income level, family size, occupation, education level, and marital status. Then, layer on psychographics like their worldviews and cultural beliefs so you can market to them in a way that is more meaningful.

3. Consider a Seasonal Marketing Strategy

Seasonal marketing is any marketing that revolves around national holidays, cultural holidays, and events. These seasonal moments create a perfect opportunity for retail advertisers to tap into heightened excitement.

There are several key events throughout the year that are relevant to retailers across a number of industries. It’s up to you to decide which events align with the digital marketing goals you have for a brand, product, or service. 

Here are seasonal marketing events in North America that you’ll want to take note of: 

• Super Bowl 
• Mother’s Day and Father’s Day
• Valentine’s Day
• Back to School
• Holiday Season Events (including Black Friday and Cyber Monday)

These occasions have meaning and bring people together. Tapping into the emotional aspects of them can help you inspire your target audience. These events involve consumer purchasing, and so it’s an opportunity to personalize your marketing and reach receptive consumers. For example, holiday marketing will reach an audience that is likely ready to purchase gifts for family and friends. 

Not every seasonal marketing event is a good fit for every brand. For example, the back to school season should be a priority for brands that sell clothing, accessories, and school supplies because these are typically the leading retail categories for back to school shoppers. 

4. Use a Multi-Channel Strategy to Reach Your Target Audience

In today’s retail advertising landscape, it’s important to leverage multiple tactics to maximize brand awareness. Since consumers use a variety of devices and channels, it’s important to approach your targeting strategy holistically. 

Using a multi-channel strategy enables you to reach consumers across different channels. This approach helps you to mimic the customer journey, which doesn’t usually stay confined to one channel. 

A multi-channel approach to retail advertising also creates more visibility for a brand. The more presence you have on various channels, the more visible your retail products will be. That presence also means more opportunities for engagement with your content and ads. 

5. Use Emerging Programmatic Channels for Your Retail Ads

Ahead of a busy retail season, review the channels you typically leverage for your campaigns, and see if there are opportunities to introduce new ones, or identify if there are channels you haven’t adopted yet. Experiment with leveraging emerging programmatic channels that will help set your retail campaigns apart, like connected TV (CTV), audio, in-game, and digital out-of-home (DOOH). 

Connected TV (CTV) 

CTV is the perfect addition to your retail advertising strategy because it provides access to the open internet, enhanced targeting, and inventory selection. Retail marketers should add CTV to their media mix as a solution for delivering ads to generally hard to reach, and highly-specific audiences.

CTV ads are video ads that are delivered on CTV channels while audiences are watching streamed content on a CTV device. This means the viewer has made the active choice to watch the programming, and in most cases they don’t have the option to fast forward or skip the ads. This allows retailers to reach viewers in moments where they are highly engaged, through a medium that leverages storytelling.

Programmatic Audio

Digital audio captures the listener’s full attention. Listeners feel intimately connected to the content they are hearing, which allows for a better connection between a listener and a brand. When a programmatic audio ad comes on, a listener is more receptive, which creates the opportunity to drive engagement. Because of programmatic audio’s engaging nature, it’s the perfect channel for discovery. 

Listeners are receptive to hearing about products or services that they haven’t encountered or purchased before. And, the personal nature of audio also results in ads having a lasting and memorable effect, which means a higher rate of ad recall. 

In-Game Advertising

In-game advertising enables ads to appear in mobile, computer, and video games. With in-game advertising, marketers have an opportunity to tap into this expansive and growing audience. Because in-game is an emerging programmatic channel, advertisers have the unique opportunity to experiment with new strategies to reach engaged audiences. 

Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH)

DOOH ads are any digital ads that are found outside the home, and in a public environment. The classic example of a DOOH ad is an ad run on a billboard in Times Square. But the reality is, you can run DOOH campaigns on a variety of formats and sizes, and in various public environments. 

DOOH can be leveraged to cast a wide net that reaches a broad audience, which is ideal for brand awareness. Or, narrow down the audience with targeting tactics like geotargeting and geofencing, to maximize your chance of a conversion.

6. Leverage a Retargeting Strategy

Retargeting enables you to deliver online ads to your audience based on their previous intent-based actions on the web. It’s an effective way to re-engage consumers who have seen one of your ads before, or shown interest in your brand or products. Retargeting will help move them down the funnel toward a conversion.

In retail advertising, it’s important that your message is seen multiple times. It’s also key to ensure that the messaging is tailored according to where a consumer is seeing it, and where in the funnel they are. 

Having more eyeballs on a retail campaign isn’t always better. The real goal is to make sure you reach the right audience, at the right moment, and with the right messaging. Retargeting will help you do that!

7. Measure Offline Impact With Footfall Attribution

Footfall attribution, also known as foot traffic attribution, is the method used to relate campaign impressions or conversions to actual store visits. It helps you understand how your retail ads are contributing to the foot traffic at brick and mortar locations. This measurement tactic can help you gather data to determine the offline impact of your ads. 

Through footfall attribution, you’re able to understand how your campaigns are performing against your target audience. This is done by evaluating how effective your campaign was in driving store visits and revenue lift across all platforms and channels, including offline channels. 

With shopping behaviours and habits evolving, the main benefit of footfall attribution is that it will help you keep a pulse on current shopping trends. It also provides you with meaningful insights to inform optimizations to your retail marketing strategy for offline results. 

8. Measure Retail Advertising Impact With Brand Lift Study

A brand lift study measures the impact of your campaigns across all your programmatic channels. It typically will provide a picture of the consumer sentiment and brand affinity of people who have been exposed to your media. You can leverage data-driven insights from a brand lift study that will help them to better align brand messaging and strategy.

Brand lift studies go beyond traditional metrics, like impressions. It helps you measure a campaign’s impact on consumer perceptions and behaviour. Let’s say a cosmetics brand has just launched its first campaign around a new line of vegan makeup that wasn’t offered before. 

The retailer can run a brand lift study to understand whether their target audience is interested in vegan products. The study can uncover how likely a consumer is to purchase vegan cosmetics, the perception a consumer has about the brand after seeing an ad for the cosmetics, or what brand comes to mind when a consumer thinks about vegan cosmetics. 

Get Started With Retail Advertising

With these retail marketing tips, you can leverage programmatic advertising to create campaigns that reach consumers online, driving not just online sales, but in-store purchases, too. 

Want to run exceptional retail advertising campaigns? Request a demo to learn more about StackAdapt.

Always-on marketing is a strategy that involves continuous marketing activities. Instead of your seasonal or short-term campaigns, you run an ongoing campaign.  

This approach to marketing gives your brand a continuous presence online, which can bring many benefits. It strengthens the relationship with your existing customers, engages potential customers, and increases overall brand awareness, recall, and loyalty.

Let’s unpack the difference between always-on marketing and campaign-based marketing, when to use always-on marketing, its benefits, and some key strategies for always-on marketing. 

What Is an Always-On Marketing Strategy?

Always-on marketing is when your marketing efforts are up and running every day, year-round. It means marketing activities are continuous, rather than being tied to seasons, events, or specific campaigns. 

Always-on marketing campaigns leverage evergreen content that can be run on social media, email, and through programmatic advertising.

Always-On Vs. Campaign-Based Marketing

Always-on marketing campaigns are set up to run continuously throughout the whole year. They are exactly what their name describes: always on! This type of marketing leverages evergreen content to drive brand awareness through continued exposure. 

Campaign-based marketing doesn’t run continuously. This approach to marketing sets parameters that make a campaign short term, or a one-off. Campaign-based marketing has a start and end date.

Campaign-based marketing is a good fit for supporting a specific upcoming event, new product release, or seasonal campaigns. For example, a fashion retailer running a campaign to support an upcoming summer collection of clothing. 

Benefits of Always-On Marketing Campaigns

Always-on marketing campaigns can lift brand awareness, increase engagement, and lead to continuous rapport and dialogue with your target audience. Let’s unpack 4 benefits in detail. 

1. Taps Into the Mere Exposure Effect

The “mere exposure effect” is a phenomenon popularized by Robert Zajonc’s 1968 study. The study found that people tend to have a more favourable view of things they’re familiar with, which includes things they’ve been repeatedly exposed to. 

For brands, this means that even when their ads are noticed briefly, they’ll still get value out of being noticed at all. With an always-on campaign, your brand will benefit from the mere exposure effect. Your audience will have repeated exposure to your ads, which ultimately builds a positive impression of the brand. 

2. Nurtures Customers for Long-Term Loyalty

Repeated exposure to your ads does more than just result in a favourable view of a brand. It keeps your brand top of mind, helping to maintain the connection your customers have with your brand or offering. 

When your customers feel connected to your brand, they are more likely to stay loyal to your offering over the long term. With an always-on strategy, you’re able to reinforce your brand message and values, which ultimately drives growth, and long-term loyalty. 

3. Reaches Users Throughout the Funnel

An always-on marketing campaign enables you to reach customers holistically with a full-funnel strategy. This means you’re able to reach customers regardless of where they are in their customer journey.

An always-on strategy can cover the top of the funnel, also known as the awareness stage, where users are just starting to get introduced to your brand. And it reaches the bottom of the funnel, also known as the conversion stage, where the user is either ready to buy or has purchased your product.

4. Drives Engagement With Content

When you’re communicating with your target audience on a more frequent basis, you’ll drive more users to your content. By running your programmatic campaigns year round, you’ll increase traffic to your website and other content. 

An always-on marketing strategy will help to position your brand as a leader within the industry you’re in. And, increased traffic to your content will also help build the authority of your website on Google’s search results. 

Strategies For A Successful Always-On Campaign 

Ready to launch an always-on marketing campaign that drives results? Here are 3 key strategies to get you started. 

1. Run Your Campaign On Multiple Channels

When you run your always-on marketing campaign with programmatic, you’re able to deliver the campaign on multiple channels.

Running your campaign across channels like display, audio, in-game, and digital out-of-home means you’re able to reach your audience wherever they are: which could be scrolling on their phone, listening to a podcast, or walking through an airport. 

2. Develop Strong Ad Creative and Copy

Ensure the messaging of your ad creative is always engaging and relevant to avoid ad fatigue. For always-on campaigns, you’ll want to continuously test and optimize your creatives and ad copy. It’s recommended to refresh creatives approximately every 8 weeks to ensure they continue to capture attention. 

When you run an always-on campaign on programmatic, you have access to features that allow you to test your ad creatives and copy effectively.

You can mix A/B testing and brand lift studies into your strategy to see exactly what is driving engagement, and leave room to pivot. That way, you can optimize for increased performance when you identify what works best for your always-on strategy. 

3. Dynamically Retarget Users

Dynamic retargeting is the perfect strategy for combining your always-on campaign with your seasonal marketing efforts. When the right time of the year rolls around, start retargeting users who have seen or engaged with your always-on campaign. Retargeting them at the right moment will help drive conversions when your audience is most receptive.  

Get Started With Always-On Marketing

Always-on digital marketing isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it strategy. After implementing always-on marketing, analyze the data you’re collecting and leverage it to optimize your strategy, including ad creative and messaging. For the best results, you’ll need to continually test, analyze, and optimize.

Request a demo to learn more about running always-on marketing with StackAdapt.

Since 2008, digital political ad spend has been consistently growing. Candidates have identified that they can reach voters in ways that weren’t possible in past election cycles with the scale and speed that only programmatic allows. 

Digital marketing political campaigns provide tons of opportunity to influence voters by offering a method for reaching voters where they are—which is increasingly online.

Despite US midterm elections having traditionally lower voter turnout, advertisers hit record high spends per vote in 2022. It’s forecasted that this trend will continue into the 2024 election season with political advertising spending easily surpassing $10 billion USD. In fact, it’s being projected that political ad spending will top $11 billion USD in 2024. 

These projections mean that if there’s a moment to embrace digital marketing for your political campaigns, that moment is now. With the 2024 election just around the corner, a digital strategy will help drive the results your candidate wants.

4 Benefits of Digital Marketing For Political Campaigns 

Let’s dive into 4 digital marketing strategies that can be leveraged for political campaigns. 

Benefit #1: Achieve Greater and More Granular Reach

Programmatic allows you to connect with voters across all of their devices, capturing when and where they’re paying attention. Here are some of the other benefits of leveraging programmatic for your political campaigns. 

Programmatic offers huge potential audience reach because most users are online. In the US, there are 302 million active internet users, and many of these users are potential voters that you can target, narrowed down by your ideal voter demographic. 

With programmatic advertising, you can directly reach your ideal voters for any given goal by narrowing down the pool that you target. You can target by geolocation, congressional district, or even by context to ensure you reach voters who are receptive to your messaging. Granular targeting helps you to reach the right voters in the right moments. 

Benefit #2: Reach Digitally Engaged Voting Generations

Most voters today are active online. Understanding how each generation is interacting with digital channels, as well as their current relationship to the political landscape, will help candidates tailor their advertising efforts for the best results. 

• Baby boomers have the largest share of the voting-eligible population—and older generations have historically been more likely to turn out and vote. But, the baby boomer voting-eligible population peaked in size at 73 million in 2004, which signals their slow decline in voting power.

• Gen X and Millennials are approaching the baby boomers in their share of the American electorate. Since entering the electorate in large numbers in the 2004 election, millennial voter turnout has been increasing. They turned out in force in the 2020 US election, and we can expect this trend to continue in 2024.  

• Gen Z are a voting generation, similar to millennials. They are known for being both socially conscious as well as practical, and these traits drive their voting patterns. Gen Z is also the most diverse generation in the history of the US and this informs their voter preferences.

Benefit #3: Capture the Attention of Voters with Programmatic Formats

Sixty-five percent of adults in the US gather information about upcoming elections through digital channels. This means you can reach your audience where they’re engaged with a digital environment across a wide variety of formats and channels. Connected TV (CTV) and programmatic audio are two channels to consider for your 2024 campaign strategy: 

Connected TV

CTV spend increased by 1,500% in the 2022 US election, amounting to a total of $1.5 billion USD (half of the total digital ad spend). According to eMarketer, 69% percent of the US population will use a CTV device in 2024, and so it’s expected that digital TV ads will account for more ad spend across mobile, desktop, and tablet. 

Leverage CTV to grow your audience and collect a retargeting pool based on video completions. You can also build a retargeting list based on video starts, which is ideal for outstream, in-stream, and pre-roll for digital video. 

Programmatic Audio

In recent years, there’s been rapid growth in audio content and we’ve seen growth in digital audio advertising spend, too. Audio reaches listeners right in their ears, capturing voters’ attention, so you can be sure your messaging is really heard. 

With programmatic audio, you can strategically target premium-digital audiences against traditional broadcast metrics, such as geography, day-part, or format. You can use the same audience targeting parameters from video, mobile, and cross-device campaigns, or you can leverage data from partners to target specific demographics or interests. 

Benefit #4: DSP Features Support a Successful Political Campaign Strategy

When running digital marketing political campaigns, you’ll want to partner with a demand-side platform (DSP). The right DSP will have features and support that will help you plan your campaign, launch it, and optimize it, smoothly and quickly. 

With the rise in early voter numbers, the time to plan your digital campaign for the 2024 US presidential election is fast approaching. It’s important to consider all the tools you’ll need to run your campaign, and ensure that your programmatic platform offers them. 

Some key programmatic features for political campaigns to look out for include:

Forecasting: A feature that can be leveraged to better understand how your campaign is going to scale and perform before you spend at all. 

CRM direct upload: Supports the simple and fast uploading of CRM data directly into your DSP. From there, you can use pixels to retarget voters who have expressed interest. 

Geotargeting: Enables you to deliver content to an audience using the geographic location information of the recipient, for example country, state, US county, city, zip code, or US congressional district. 

Geo radius targeting: Leverage geo radius targeting (also known as geofencing) to build a geofence around a location where you know your audience is found. It could be a campaign district, a location, or a building where a campaign rally is being held. 

Lookalike audiences: Using a pixel, this feature allows you to reach potential voters who are likely to share similar interests and behaviours with your existing voter pool.

Contextual targeting: Enables you to target niche phrases that are related to a campaign’s platform, or to the political concerns of your target audience. This targeting methodology reaches users when they are in a receptive frame of mind.

Candidate lift: A candidate lift study is a form of brand lift that helps you to get a sense of what issues voters care most about, if they are planning to vote, and who they are planning to vote for. You can then retarget or suppress users based on their responses. 

Launch Your Digital Marketing Political Campaigns

Digital ad spend on political campaigns has been steadily growing, and the 2024 US presidential election is projected to continue the growth trend. 

Political advertisers can take advantage of this increasingly digital landscape by leveraging programmatic advertising. In 2024, be sure to plan, prepare, and implement digital political campaigns that reach the right voters.

Want to run exceptional political advertising campaigns? Request a demo to learn more about StackAdapt.

Every year, there are several holidays and events that digital marketers can build campaigns around. By prepping campaigns that align with events like Mother’s Day or Black Friday, you can tap into a highly relevant audience, in a relevant moment. This strategy is called seasonal marketing. 

What Is Seasonal Marketing?

Seasonal marketing is any marketing that revolves around national holidays, cultural holidays, and events like Mother’s Day, the back to school season, and the Super Bowl. Events like these create heightened excitement, which forms the perfect foil to support your marketing efforts. 

Why Seasonal Marketing Is Important

Adding a seasonal marketing plan to your digital strategy is important because ultimately, it can drive personalization, higher customer engagement, brand awareness, and sales throughout the year.

Seasonal campaigns often revolve around holidays and events that are meaningful. For example, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are all about celebrating caregivers and parental figures.

During the back to school season, students are feeling anticipation for the school year ahead. And watching a big game like the Super Bowl brings people together. 

Because these occasions have meaning and bring people together, tapping into the emotional aspects of them can help you inspire your target audience. These events involve consumer purchasing, and so it’s an opportunity to personalize your marketing and reach receptive consumers. For example, holiday marketing will reach an audience that is likely ready to purchase gifts for friends and family. 

Seasonal Marketing Example

Festive holidays like Christmas are a perfect time to leverage a seasonal marketing strategy that focuses on capturing the attention of holiday shoppers. 

A retail brand may want to leverage interactive creative formats like shoppable video ads. These ads showcase products while allowing a user to browse right in the banner. This format reduces the steps a user has to take between awareness and conversion. 

From there, a retail brand can use dynamic retargeting to serve ads that feature the most recent product page that a user visited. They’ll see a creative containing the exact item they viewed, reminding them of the product they showed interest in at some point in their online shopping journey. During the holidays, when a retail brand’s ultimate goal is conversion, this tactic will help drive results. 

Tips for Including Seasonal Marketing in Your Digital Strategy

1. Choose the Right Seasonal Events 

There are several key events throughout the year that are relevant to marketers across a number of industries. It’s up to you to decide which events align with the digital marketing goals you have for a brand, product, or service. 

Here are seasonal marketing events in North America that you’ll want to take note of: 

• Sporting events like the Super Bowl 
• Mother’s Day and Father’s Day
• Valentine’s Day
• Summer travel season
• Back to school
• Holiday season events (including Black Friday and Cyber Monday)

Not every seasonal marketing event is a good fit for every brand. For example, the back to school season should be a priority for brands that sell clothing, accessories, and school supplies because these are typically the leading retail categories for back to school shoppers. 

2. Plan for Key Seasonal Marketing Events

Once you know which seasonal marketing events are a good fit for your digital strategy, it’s time to plan. Factor these events into your digital marketing plan with enough time ahead of the season to implement a strong campaign. 

Don’t wait until the very last minute to launch a seasonal campaign. In general, you want to launch three to six months ahead of the season for optimal results. For example, it’s a marketing norm to start planning holiday campaigns in July. 

3. Know the Latest Trends

Looking at historical data is always beneficial to planning seasonal marketing campaigns. Reviewing your prior seasonal ad campaigns can give you insights into current trends, and what products or services to focus your new seasonal marketing campaign around. For the most relevant insights, look at data from the previous two years. 

Another great source of data is to look at general consumer trends around specific seasonal events. These insights can help you understand what products or services will best perform during a specific season, and also provide insight into how consumers are shopping. 

For example, the National Retail Federation (NRF) publishes consumer trend findings every year for back to school retailers. Their reports are full of valuable insights that marketers can use to inform their next back to school campaign. 

4. Determine Your Seasonal Marketing Goals

Before you launch seasonal marketing, it’s important to understand the goals you want to achieve with your campaign. Your campaign goals will inform your seasonal marketing strategy, and will enable you to effectively choose and track the right key performance indicators (KPIs).

To determine your seasonal marketing goal, you’ll want to figure out what it is that your business wants to accomplish. The goal may be to drive traffic to a brand’s website. It could be to drive brand awareness and boost brand engagement. Or, the goal could be conversions and increased revenue. 

5. Know Your Seasonal Marketing Audience

You’ll want to build customer profiles for your ideal seasonal marketing audience. Your shoppers can span across various demographics, so understanding who they are in detail will benefit your seasonal campaigns.

Customer profiles describe everything you need to know about a specified group of customers. You can leverage that information to create a seasonal marketing strategy that aligns with the wants and needs of your audience.

A customer profile will help you make informed decisions about campaign messaging, creative and channels, and which targeting tactics to use. Customer profiles are especially important when there are different types of customers shopping for the same occasion.

For example, Christmas shoppers include couples buying for each other, children buying for their caregivers or parents (or vice versa), friends buying for each other, and even employers buying for their colleagues.  

Christmas is also the peak time of the year for marriage proposals and engagements. A jewellery company might plan multiple campaigns targeting very different customers.

There could be a campaign targeting parents buying something special for their children, as well as a campaign targeting people who are planning to propose to their partner. 

Seasonal Marketing FAQs

Get Started With Seasonal Campaigns

Measuring the performance of your seasonal marketing efforts is crucial for understanding which touch points in your marketing funnel are generating the most value.

Programmatic campaign reporting will be your map to success! Not only will it help you to optimize in-flight, but you can leverage that reporting to inform your seasonal marketing strategy in the following year. 

Want to build exceptional seasonal marketing campaigns? Request a demo to learn more about StackAdapt.

Understanding the nuances of B2B vs. B2C marketing is essential when crafting your digital marketing strategy. These two audiences are distinctly different, which means the strategies and tactics you use to reach them will differ. 

The goal of B2C marketing in today’s digital landscape is to move prospective consumer through the funnel quickly. It’s all about meeting the customer where they are, and making it easy for them to purchase.

The B2B sales cycle is much more complex than B2C. There are many nuances to the B2B journey, and several parties and stakeholders involved with decision making.

Let’s break down the basic differences between B2B and B2C marketing. 

Business-to-Consumer (B2C) Marketing	Business-to-Business (B2B) Marketing
Business-to-consumer is the process whereby a company sells a product or service directly to consumers.	Business-to-business is a transaction conducted between one business and another.
Purchase decisions are typically made by one buyer, or their household.	Purchase decisions typically involve many stakeholders.
Transactions range from very small to large amounts, and purchase decisions are made typically within a few months.	Transactions are generally large amounts, and purchase decisions can take over a year to be made.

What Is B2B Digital Marketing?

The determining factor of B2B vs. B2C marketing is your target audience. In B2B digital marketing, campaigns are directed toward companies and organizations rather than individual customers. 

B2B campaigns are directed toward people or groups making buying decisions for their company. This can create some challenges that require different creative or a different message since marketers may not be dealing directly with a decision-maker. This wrinkle of B2B marketing also tends to make the entire marketing cycle longer compared to B2C marketing.

Some real-world examples of B2B marketing are:

• A SaaS company selling CRM software to businesses.
• A company providing email marketing tools to digital marketing agencies.
• A company selling medical equipment or software directly to healthcare facilities.
• A consulting firm selling advisory services to other organizations.

What Is B2C Digital Marketing?

The difference between B2B and B2C marketing is that B2B uses media, messages, and creative to target decision makers, who could be large teams, and C-level executives. B2C marketing campaigns, on the other hand, focus on directly reaching consumers. 

Examples of direct B2C marketing include:

• A real estate agency dealing directly with home buyers and sellers.
• An auto dealership selling cars directly to families.
• A beauty company who sells direct to their customers in retail stores.
• A family purchasing video-on-demand (VOD) streaming services directly from Netflix or Hulu.

Differences in Programmatic Strategies for B2B vs. B2C

Let’s explore how the strategies differ for B2B vs. B2C digital marketing, when planning a programmatic advertising campaign. 

1. Audience Strategy: Who You Are Trying to Reach

Identifying your target audience will set the tone and framework for the remainder of your campaign planning. You can have a proven strategy and eye-catching creatives, but without market research, your campaigns may struggle. 

Establishing a vivid picture of your ideal customer and their journey through every step of the marketing cycle is a great way to level up your targeting approach. 

Factors to consider for B2C target audiences:

• The consumer journey typically involves fewer decision makers, often just one individual.
• The consumer is in control and will decide on their own whether to purchase a product or service.
• The purchase could derive from a well-thought-out, research-backed decision or be a very sporadic and abrupt, emotion-based decision.

In B2C marketing, one of the most effective strategies to consider is retargeting. This strategy can be leveraged to remind consumers who have previously visited your site of the offerings that initially sparked their interest. Dynamic retargeting is also a very effective tactic as it satisfies a user’s craving for that personalized touch when they see an ad.

Factors to consider for target audiences in programmatic for B2B:

• Individuals must first be aware that a problem exists or that there is a more effective or efficient solution.
• Their next step would be to research and explore the existing solutions—B2B target audiences are very niche and specific.
• For marketers, the tricky part is not only identifying who those decision makers are within the organization, but also finding ways to connect with them.

For B2B marketing, consider using 3rd-party data partners to leverage their account-based marketing (ABM) targeting capabilities and their custom segments to target by job title, employment, or seniority that would benefit from your B2B product or service. 

Alternatively, intersecting 3rd-party audiences by occupational segments with custom segments of users actively reading topics related to your business online can help you reach that niche audience. 

2. Funnel Strategy: Identify Touch Points in the Sales Funnel

Not all purchase decisions are strictly linear in nature. By understanding how to execute a holistic full-funnel strategy, you can locate where your ideal audience is in your funnel and set yourself up for success. 

Considerations for B2C:

• Identify the top decision maker(s) or influencers for your product or service—this is where your marketing efforts should have the most impact.
• Ensuring your audience receives a holistic experience throughout their entire purchasing journey is critical. As your prospects navigate through your sales funnel, they will conduct their own research about the brand and its suitability through product reviews, and will compare your products with your competitors.
• Stay relevant and enhance the customer experience with a personalized and seamless check-out process. This will give you a competitive edge.

Considerations for B2B:

• By leveraging programmatic for B2B, companies throughout the funnel can deliver new levels of optimization—especially in a macro view of the upper- and mid-funnel.
• Invest in nurturing and building relationships with your audience by generating highly relevant and informative content. This can help inspire ideas on how your solution can benefit and have a pivotal change in their business.
• The conversion stage of the funnel in B2B marketing is twofold. The B2B conversion stage needs to handle both soft and hard conversions. A soft conversion can be downloading an ebook, white paper or case study, registering for a webinar, or requesting a demo. In contrast, a hard conversion will be the contractual agreement of a sale.
• As every B2B company structure is different when it comes to making business decisions, on average, it can take 16.7 weeks or more, and 6-10 decision makers to proceed with selecting a B2B offering to test.

3. Creative and Format Strategy: Capturing Audience Attention

With so many touch points throughout a buyer’s journey, it is crucial to execute a holistic multi-channel campaign and ensure your brand is present at every step. Identify where your audience is consuming content and use that insight to determine which format to leverage, and then align your objectives with your funnel and audience strategy.

With a longer sales cycle, sharing content, such as a blog post, is necessary to engage consumers during their research stage and guide them towards considering your product. To do that effectively requires different types of ad creative.

B2C creative considerations:

• Leverage creative messaging that is relatively broad and easily understood by a wide range of consumers—usually price-driven.
• Use language that drives an immediate sense of urgency.
• Examples of a call to action (CTA) include: “buy now” or “shop today.” 

B2B creative considerations:

• Creative messaging should speak to B2B professionals that are more benefit-driven rather than price.
• Use language that encourages the users to start the process of discovering or learning more about your brand and offering.
• Examples of research-focused CTAs include: “explore now,” “learn more,” or “start now.”

4. Solution Strategy: When to Implement a 3rd-Party Study

Supplementing your campaign strategy with a brand lift or sales lift study helps illustrate the effectiveness of your advertising initiatives. Marketers can bridge the online and offline communication gaps by measuring each channel’s impact on various post-exposure success metrics. 

• For B2C brands, it is possible to supplement a brand lift, sales lift, or footfall attribution study with any campaign to connect the dots between online and offline consumer activities.
• For B2B brands with a less tangible product, brand lift studies can go a long way in determining if your targeted audience is resonating with your offerings.

Hybrid B2B and B2C Marketing

The goal of B2C marketers is to position their product or service as the perfect solution to customers’ wants, concerns, and needs. Since most businesses ultimately deal with a customer base, B2C and B2B marketing strategies can sometimes intersect. Some companies will even run B2C and B2B campaigns simultaneously to get the most out of their marketing efforts.

Healthcare technology companies are a great example of this hybrid marketing strategy at work in the real world. This industry is responsible for powering the hospitals and emergency rooms we visit daily with the instruments to do their job properly. 

Simultaneously, they may also sell personal tools like glucose monitors and blood pressure monitors, more directly to consumers. You can see why a healthcare company like this would benefit from both B2C and B2B marketing.

Breaking Down the B2C vs. B2B Marketing Barrier

Campaign planning differs for B2C vs. B2B marketing, making it essential to align your marketing strategy. If a strategy works for a B2C campaign, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for B2B. 

Understand the sales cycles, your target audience, and leverage the appropriate tone of voice and language in your creatives. Doing so can help you better resonate with your consumers and clients and ultimately boost the performance of your marketing campaigns.

To explore the different strategies you can use in B2B vs. B2C campaigns with StackAdapt, request a demo.

FAQs

Business-to-business (B2B) marketing is different from business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing. B2B and B2C audiences are distinct from each other, which means the strategies and tactics you use to reach them will differ. B2B buying behaviour is evolving, with buyers increasingly seeking out a streamlined digital experience.

For B2B marketers to get in front of the right professionals, they need to leverage B2B digital marketing strategies that enable them to efficiently target their brand’s ideal accounts. With a long B2B sales cycle, the right B2B digital strategy will ensure your ads lead to meaningful conversions. 

Below, we’re sharing important B2B trends, and 4 B2B digital marketing strategies that you can leverage for success. 

B2B Digital Marketing Trends

B2B marketers should always keep a pulse on emerging trends in the B2B landscape. Let’s dive into recent B2B trends that should be on your radar.

• US B2B digital ad spend is projected to reach $18.47 billion USD by 2024, and digital ads will make up nearly 50% of all B2B ad spending in the US in 2024.
• Account-based marketing (ABM) is increasingly relevant. A report by Momentum ITSMA found that 84% of marketers using ABM experienced pipeline growth, and 77% reported revenue growth thanks to their ABM efforts. Seventy-two percent said that ABM delivered higher return-on-investment (ROI) than other types of marketing.
• An unexpected trend? It’s being forecasted that 2023 will mark the first year that more than 50% of digital B2B ads will be placed on mobile. Traditionally, B2B marketers have focused their efforts around desktop and laptop computers. But today, it’s clear that B2B buyer behaviour is shifting, and you can reach this audience on mobile, too.

4 B2B Digital Marketing Strategies

Now, we’re going to explore four strategies that will help you deliver a successful B2B digital marketing campaign.

1. Differentiate Your B2B Brand

In traditional B2B marketing, the goal has often been to use ads to present the solution itself. While this tried and true strategy can drive results, thinking outside the box can make for a more memorable and impactful ad. 

Don’t be afraid to be playful with your B2B digital ads. You don’t need to focus heavily on showing or talking about your offering to get your main message across. Instead, consider using your digital ads to highlight one of the benefits of your B2B product in a creative and fun way. This will spark emotion, create a positive association with your brand, and help build brand trust and recognition.

2. Use Digital Channels To Educate Your Audience 

One of the challenges that B2B marketers across industries face is that ads provide just a brief moment to capture users’ attention. When running an ad, it’s important to make the best use of the visuals, copy, and other creative elements, like sound and movement, to get your message across. 

While there are plenty of channels that B2B marketers can choose from, two that will help you truly stand out from the crowd are video advertising and audio ads. These programmatic channels allow you to reach potential customers wherever they may be watching or listening to content online.

Both of these formats have unique capabilities to help you stand out from the crowd and capture the attention of the audiences that matter. With video, you can differentiate your brand from others in the B2B space by combining the power of both visuals and audio to communicate your message.

With audio, you can use sound design to tap into your listener’s imagination. Audio is an immersive and intimate medium that leverages storytelling to create a connection between the content and the listener. Data shows that compared to other media, audio is more likely to engage long-term memory for both details and memories. This results in a better receptiveness between the audience and a brand, driving strong brand awareness.

3. Leverage Programmatic Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

Account-based marketing (ABM) is a business-to-business (B2B) marketing strategy that concentrates marketing toward a set of specific accounts within a market. Traditional ABM has relied on physical-world activities like events where marketers get one-on-one time with the stakeholders at a target company. Although traditional ABM works, personalization at scale for target accounts is a top challenge.

One way to overcome this challenge is by leveraging the power of programmatic. With programmatic ABM, you can use programmatic ad buying technology to target high-value B2B professionals based on account lists, firmographic, and personal-level data. You’re able to reach audiences with relevant, high-value ads that will win over the right accounts. 

4. Use Retargeting to Move Prospects Down the Funnel 

After reaching qualified B2B users with your digital ads, you can retarget them. Collect audiences that have, for example, completed watching your video ad, or listened to your audio ad. 

Then, retarget that audience with display or native ads on other devices. With B2B behaviour shifting, it’s a great time to test retargeting on mobile devices. Retargeting provides you more opportunities to move your target users down the funnel, and to build on the cohesive brand story that you’ve crafted through your video or audio ad.

Win Accounts With These B2B Digital Marketing Strategies

Another consideration for the future of B2B is the importance of testing. Identifying new solutions that can accelerate adoption and help to better measure performance will also further evolve advertising strategies based on past successes.

Finally, to demonstrate ROI, B2B marketers should take advantage of a diverse, multi-channel marketing mix and continue to work with industry-leading providers that can offer highly-targeted, account-based marketing (ABM) solutions. As B2B data quality improves, future focus areas include greater sophistication of account insights and measurement capabilities.

Want to run exceptional B2B digital marketing campaigns? Request a demo to learn more about StackAdapt.

Retargeting is an essential piece of your digital advertising strategy. With retargeting, you are able to deliver online ads to a user based on their previous intent-based actions on the web. This tactic is crucial for moving users down the funnel toward a campaign’s desired action.

In today’s digital landscape, a personalized experience for consumers is a key consideration at every touch point through the marketing funnel. For e-commerce brands, dynamic retargeting is a specific retargeting strategy that will remind users of your products in a personalized way. 

What is Dynamic Retargeting?

Dynamic retargeting is a strategy in digital advertising that enables marketers to serve ads to a user featuring the most recent product page they visited. Dynamically retargeting serves a native or display ad that contains the exact item a user viewed on a brand’s website, or custom messaging based on that product’s headline or body copy. This reminds users of the product they’ve shown interest in throughout their online journey. 

Dynamic retargeting is highly personalized compared to standard retargeting, where generic ads are served to users who have visited a site. Standard retargeting ads remind the user of a brand’s message, whereas a dynamic retargeting ad reminds the user of the exact item they were looking at. 

Example of Dynamic Retargeting

Dynamic retargeting ads will vary depending on the item a user viewed. In the images below, you can see that Snugglely used dynamic retargeting to remind site visitors of items they had looked at. The ads follow a similar structure, but the image and text varies based on the user’s browsing history. 

In one example, there’s a reminder about Snugglely’s mattress, in the other, a pillow. Depending on the interest of the site visitor, they will be reminded of the specific product that captured their attention. 

4 Benefits of Dynamic Retargeting

Leveraging dynamic retargeting allows you to reach your retargeting pool, with the most relevant message, not only increasing web traffic, but also encouraging brand recall. Let’s explore 4 key benefits of this retargeting strategy in more detail. 

1. Increases Brand Recall

When a user visits your site and is retargeted, your brand recall increases as they continue their online journey. Leveraging dynamic retargeting allows you to reach your retargeting pool, with the most relevant message, not only increasing web traffic, but also encouraging brand recall. These users have already shown interest.This is an ideal tactic for e-commerce sites that offer a range of products that appeal to a range of customers.

2. Creates a Personalized Experience

Dynamically retargeted ads are personalized toward each individual user. Personalized ads drive purchases because they are more relevant to the consumer’s interests. The retargeted dynamic ad will include imagery and messaging that is personalized to them. These ads also strengthen relationships with existing customers by prompting them to continually engage with your brand. 

3. Reaches Mid- to Low-Funnel Audiences

Dynamic retargeting is a useful strategy for reaching mid- to low-funnel audiences because these ads reach consumers who have already shown interest in a specific product. These users are a warmer lead than those who haven’t yet engaged with your site–they are already beyond the consideration stage. 

4. Lowers Abandoned Cart Rates

For e-commerce brands, dynamic retargeting can lower abandoned cart rates, and keep the brand and product top of mind for the user who has yet to convert. Or dynamic retargeting can be used as a re-engagement customer strategy for customers who have previously converted. 

When to Use Dynamic Retargeting

Since dynamic retargeting targets users who have visited your website and viewed a specific item, it’s obvious that they are aware of your brand. Therefore, it makes sense to leverage dynamic retargeting as a conversion driven campaign tactic. Create a retargeting pool for this audience and ensure that the ads they are served include a strong call to action (CTA). 

Dynamic Retargeting: FAQs

Get Started With Dynamic Retargeting

Dynamic retargeting is used to support conversion campaigns, since it is intended to move customers through the marketing journey. But, you can experiment with it! 

For example, try using dynamic retargeting to further engage your audience and provide them with offers or messaging that can drive interest towards brand loyalty and increased engagement.

Want to get started with dynamic retargeting? Request a demo to learn more about StackAdapt.

KPIs are a yardstick of success and essential for measuring the performance of all programmatic advertising campaigns. Knowing and understanding the most essential KPIs for programmatic campaigns will help you to plan, implement, and analyze your campaigns for the best results. 

What is a KPI?

A KPI is a quantifiable measure of performance over a specific period of time, and for a specific objective. Examples of KPIs include the number of engagements per quarter, or video completions per month. KPIs provide marketers with goals to target, milestones to gauge their progress, and insights that help teams across an organization make better decisions, and optimize for the best results. 

8 Programmatic Advertising KPIs Explained

Here are 8 common KPIs for programmatic campaigns. 

1. Impressions

Impressions measure the total number of times an ad is served through your campaign. An impression is counted each time a creative is downloaded to the user’s device, and has started to load. 

2. Clicks

The clicks metric tracks how many users clicked on your ad. Clicks help you to understand how well your target audience is responding to your ads. Combining clicks and impressions can help you calculate an actionable percentage and make informed campaign budget decisions.

3. Click-Through Rate (CTR)

A click-through rate (CTR) is a digital advertising metric that uses a ratio to show how often users who see an ad end up clicking it. CTR is the number of clicks that an ad receives, divided by the number of times that the ad is shown. CTR is typically displayed as a percentage, so you’ll multiply the resulting number by 100 to generate a percentage. 

4. Click-Through Conversion (CTC)

Click-through conversions (CTC) measure the amount of times a user sees an ad, clicks on it, and converts during that visit. CTC usually records first-time clickers, and so it’s useful for tracking conversions that happen right away, without nurturing.

5. Video Completion Rate (VCR)

Video completion rate (VCR) is a video marketing metric that measures how many users watched a video ad from start to finish. This rate helps advertisers figure out whether or not their audience is finding the content they’ve produced engaging.

6. Conversions

Conversions are measured when a user completes a particular action. This metric is unique because you’re able to customize what will constitute a conversion. 

You can calculate the conversion rate based on your specified campaign goals, like product sales or newsletter sign-ups. Your conversion rate will help you understand the overall engagement and determine which ads drive the targeted audience to take action.

7. Cost Per Completed View (CPCV)

Cost per completed view (CPCV) is an ad pricing model where marketers pay a publisher every time their video is watched from start to finish. This helps marketers target high-quality users. CPCV is calculated by dividing the budget of an ad campaign by the total number of completed views.

8. Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)

Cost per acquisition (CPA) is a digital marketing metric that measures the total cost of a defined goal, like a conversion. CPA is calculated by dividing the total campaign spend by the number of customers that were gained by that campaign. 

How to Choose the Right KPIs

For most programmatic campaigns, there will be a couple objectives you’re aiming to achieve. In most cases, you’ll choose several KPIs to help measure the various objectives. Here are the basic steps for choosing the right KPIs. 

Identify Your Target Audience and Their Journey

Identify the target audience for your campaign by building customer profiles. These describe everything you need to know about a specified group of customers. From there, map their customer journey.

Understanding how a customer goes from awareness and consideration to conversion and evaluation enables you to narrow your audience further. Knowing every touch point that a customer passes through before making a purchase will help inform what channels and ad formats you should leverage for the best results, as well as what KPIs will best measure the success of your campaign. 

Decide on Programmatic Campaign Goals

Knowing the goal of your campaign will shape which KPIs you choose for your campaign because your goals tell you which insights matter. For example, you may want to pull a geo report to understand which of the locations you’re targeting are contributing to the highest level of performance.

Establish Your Campaign Concept

A campaign concept is crucial to creating winning programmatic campaigns. It’s what ties together all elements of your campaign, and motivates your audience to complete the desired action. A strong campaign concept will resonate with your audience, tell a compelling story, and create brand recognition and loyalty.

Determine Which KPIs Are Most Valuable

Analyze your business goals, campaign goals, and customer journey mapping to choose the KPIs that will be most valuable. You want to choose KPIs that will provide the insights you’re looking for. For example, if the goal of your campaign is newsletter sign-ups, tracking CTR will be important because it will give you insight into how many users were curious enough to click your ad, but may not have signed up for your newsletter. 

Choose Just a Few KPIs

It can be tempting to track several KPIs, but actually you’ll want to keep focused on just a few. When you track too many programmatic KPIs, you can end up overloaded with data. With too much data, it’s easy to become confused, and finding accurate trends or insights can become challenging. Instead, focus on the key KPIs that are most important to your campaign and brand.

Leverage Brand Lift to Measure Impact

Metrics like impressions and click-throughs are crucial for campaign management, but you’ll also want to align brand messaging and strategy beyond those metrics. A tactic that marketers are increasingly leveraging to gain audience insights and identify the impact of their campaigns is running brand lift studies.

A brand lift study measures the impact of your campaigns across all your programmatic channels. It provides insight into the consumer sentiment and brand affinity of people who have been exposed to your media. 

It can be used to measure the impact of upper funnel campaigns on your consumers’ perception of your brand, but it’s also effective when it comes to mid- to lower funnel campaigns, for measuring consideration or purchase intent. 

Get Started With the Right KPIs 

Your KPIs will be part of your campaign reporting. It’s commonly assumed that reporting happens once a campaign has ended. While this is true (you’re able to pull post-campaign analytics at the end of your campaign), the groundwork for great campaign reporting starts during the planning stage of your campaign.

The strongest optimizations are data driven and should be evaluated throughout the duration of a campaign by measuring your KPIs. When programmatic campaign reporting is set up, it will provide you with insights that are necessary to drive increased performance. 

Request a demo to learn more about running digital campaigns with StackAdapt.

In recent years, the finance industry has gone through a digital transformation, with customers increasingly embracing digital products and services, like online banking. Customers today are also turning to digital sources to conduct research before making their financial decisions. 

This means that digital marketing for finance is more important than ever before. To reach customers where they are, which is online, finance marketers should understand the finance industry funnel. They should build buyer personas, map their customer’s buying journey, and choose the right digital channels and tactics. 

Read on to learn 6 digital marketing for finance tips that you can take to the bank. 

Digital Marketing Finance Tips

1. Understand the Finance Industry Funnel

The finance industry has a unique sales funnel. Understanding it will help you better plan for and manage your digital marketing for finance. Finance products and services often require research on the buyer’s side. When it comes to money and finance, customers know that their purchase decisions should be well-thought-out and informed. 

This means that your customers are reading—a lot. People take a long time to make decisions involving their finances, and are looking for articles and information from knowledgeable sources.

The length of time a prospect spends researching financial services will need to be considered when building your campaign, not only for the length of your campaign, but also for which tactics you use and how to begin selecting your audience. 

2. Build Your Buyer Personas

There are a variety of finance products and services within the finance industry, ranging from insurance or tax services, to mortgages or loans. This diversity in offerings means that your ideal audience is also diverse. 

Advertising a credit card to a new university student or promoting a new mortgage opportunity to a prospective homeowner will require different targeting tactics, audience segments, as well as consideration cycles.

The best way to tackle this diversity is by building buyer personas for your various finance services and products. Building a buyer persona is essentially creating a profile of a person who represents the exact centre of your target market. 

This ideal (but fictional) customer is given a name, age, even a profile picture, and made into a “real” person by leveraging data that you collect. Having a data-informed view of your target audience makes it easier for finance marketers to identify and create ads for these users.

To build your personas, you’ll first want to leverage your 1st-party data. This primary data reveals important information on existing audience behaviours, traits, preferences, buying habits, and interests that can inform your personas. This data may also tell you something you didn’t know about your current customers.

For example, if you find that customers in the finance industry are typically buying multiple products together at once, you may consider this when targeting lookalike audiences in your media strategy.

Personas should be built using data, not hunches. If you try to answer these questions without using reliable data and sources, you might be overlooking some integral points of view that you hadn’t thought of previously.

Need some help getting started? Here are some questions to help guide your audience research efforts.

1. What websites do users frequently visit?
2. What publications do users read regularly?
3. How do users learn new skills?
4. Do users typically conduct research before making a purchase? If so, how many sources do they use?
5. Who do users trust for product recommendations?
6. What content format do users prefer (text, photos, video, etc.)?
7. Are users loyal to certain brands or technologies?
8. What key events and/or conferences do users attend?
9. Do users consider themselves tech-savvy?

3. Map Your Customer’s Buying Journey

Now that you have buyer personas, you can map their individual paths to purchase to determine where your ads will be most effective. In digital marketing for finance, it’s important to consider the entire research process for a potential customer, along with the purchasing stages and all of the ways they might be using channels and devices throughout. This is called “journey mapping.”

Journey mapping is about reaching the right audience on the right channel or device at the right moment and with the right message. A strong journey map will help personalize your digital marketing strategy so that the journey, and ultimately messaging, resonates with your ideal audience. 

For example, don’t assume that a couple shopping for a mortgage will only use a desktop computer to research products. You might end up overlooking their mobile activity, which could be integral to the buying process.

Once you have mapped out the customer’s buying journey, you can identify the best time to capture their attention with an ad, ultimately increasing the probability that your digital marketing for finance strategy will result in conversions.

4. Choose the Right Programmatic Channels

To effectively reach intended finance audiences, tap into programmatic channels that you can leverage to tell a story, and educate. 

Programmatic video advertising is the perfect channel for this. With video, you can create an emotional connection between your finance brand and your audience. This medium will capture the undivided attention of your target audience, provide an opportunity to educate them, build brand awareness, and develop trust.

Programmatic audio ads are another channel well-suited to digital marketing for finance. Audio is an immersive and intimate medium that leverages storytelling to create a connection between the content and listeners. With audio ads, you can target niche audiences, convey brand personality, and educate your target audience.

5. Leverage Cookieless Targeting for Your Finance Marketing

Cookieless targeting delivers ads based on the environment in which an ad appears. It uses algorithms to target ad placements based on keywords, website content, and other metadata. 

This way, ads are shown to users based on the content they are consuming at that moment in time. Modern cookieless targeting leverages machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), which has made this targeting method more effective than ever before. 

With cookieless advertising, when a person is browsing content about a specific topic, it signals their intent at that moment. This is what makes it so powerful for finance campaigns. If a user is reading a blog about how to get their first mortgage, they are in a receptive frame of mind when it comes to content and ads related to mortgage offerings. 

6. Leverage Retargeting for Your Finance Campaigns

Retargeting captures users who have previously shown interest in your financial products or services. With retargeting, you can deliver online ads to a user based on their previous intent-based actions on the web. It’s an important tactic for moving users down the funnel to conversion, or another desired action.

If you’re looking to set your finance campaigns apart from your competitors, leverage dynamic retargeting to provide a personalized experience. Dynamically retarget a customer visiting your website and who is browsing through your financial offerings, with ads that personalize the content of the ad, whether native or display, based on the nature of their prior website activity.

Example of Digital Marketing for Finance

Let’s explore an example of a strong digital marketing campaign for finance. In this example, we’re targeting millennials who are looking for investment opportunities. 

This audience is very savvy, and is interested in services that are customizable, and allow them to save on cost. If we were discussing television trends, these would be the cord cutters—they’re cutting fees and cutting out the middle man. They don’t depend on television providers to dictate programming, and they definitely don’t rely on a big bank to dictate the way they invest their money either.

As a result, this generation is looking for a finance brand they can align with and investing options that are simple to understand, navigate, and sign up for. Unlike older generations, millennials are not as likely to walk into a bank to speak with a financial adviser. They are online—and more importantly, mobile—and are going to find digital resources to educate themselves on what products work best for their needs. 

To capture interest, you will need to provide lots of content and video, to remove the clutter of how people traditionally buy stocks. This will help you target millennials who are less familiar with trading and investing.

Leverage connected TV (CTV) and audio ads to educate this audience, and point them to the relevant information they need. When choosing your audience segments, look for 3rd-party audience segments related to investing. And as the consideration cycle will be longer, retargeting and dynamic retargeting will play a large role in ensuring your brand remains top of mind.

Digital Marketing for Finance: Take Your Leads to the Bank!

Success in the finance industry banks on the ability to build long-term relationships with clients. As customers go online to research financial products, banks, and financial institutions need to strengthen their online presence to build brand awareness and trust with them. 

If you keep each of these digital marketing tips for finance in mind when building your campaigns, you should have no problem capturing a relevant and interested audience that you can count on for success. 

Want to run exceptional finance campaigns? Request a demo to learn more about StackAdapt.

Despite being a highly-regulated industry, cannabis sales are growing. Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2023-2027) of 15.77%, resulting in a market volume of US $92.1 billion by 2027. This upward trajectory is a sign that cannabis marketing has found ways to navigate the complicated landscape of this sensitive category, and thrive. 

Are you ready to outperform your competition with your cannabis marketing campaigns? Here are cannabis marketing strategies that will cultivate success.

The Cannabis Marketing Landscape 

The rise of cannabis sales reflects how sentiment and perception around cannabis have been evolving. Changes in legislation across the world, including in Canada and USA, has made cannabis use less stigmatized, and more culturally normalized.

We’ve also seen the rise of public markets in cannabis. In recent years, capital was raised for public markets, and there was a resulting hype cycle as money was invested into the industry.

Despite the gains seen in the cannabis industry in recent years, there’s a lot of room for growth. There will continue to be purchases and consolidation, and we’ll continue to see more public markets in the US—especially with more states (and countries) coming online. 

6 Cannabis Marketing Strategies

Ready to succeed in this budding industry? Let’s dive into 6 cannabis marketing strategies that can set you up for campaign success.

1. Note Marketing Regulation and Be Compliant

Compliance is a challenge in cannabis marketing because there are a number of regulations that limit the advertiser’s ability to drive conversions. Regulations around cannabis marketing vary between provinces and states in North America. This means the first crucial step in creating a cannabis campaign is to familiarize yourself with the regulations in the region where you’ll be advertising. 

For example, regulations around cannabis sales in Ontario are tight. Online recreational cannabis purchases can only be done through the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS), which is the only legal online retailer of cannabis in the province. 

When advertising cannabis in Canada, promoting cannabis and related products in any way that’s appealing to minors is restricted. You’re also not permitted to communicate information about its price or distribution. 

It’s important to be on top of regulations so that you can mitigate risk while advertising in this industry. If you do get flagged for breaking regulations, there are serious ramifications, like losing your license. 

2. Take a Consumer-Centric Approach

Creating a marketing strategy for a sensitive industry like cannabis makes it especially important to have a consumer-centric approach. Tight regulations make it extremely important to focus your cannabis marketing around consumer education and awareness building. 

Successful customer-centric marketing requires a deep understanding of why your customers need (or want) what your company or product provides. To figure this out, build out customer profiles. These profiles provide factual information about the demographics and buying behaviours of your target audience. 

A customer profile describes everything you need to know about a specified group of customers. You can then leverage that information to create a digital strategy that aligns with the wants and needs of that audience. 

Another thing to keep in mind for building a customer-centric cannabis marketing strategy is to approach cannabis as a lifestyle product. Build campaigns around it that use quality marketing and visuals to communicate to audiences how cannabis fits their lifestyle. In the end, centering the customer will set you up for long-term success and growth. 

3. Focus on Education

Cannabis can be a crowded market, and with so many restrictions around how it’s marketed, brand awareness is important. Because cannabis is a regulated product, it’s crucial to educate customers about the product and cannabis use. This gives them the confidence to buy, while also building their awareness of your brand. 

There are many misconceptions about cannabis and the broad range of cannabis products available. This makes education a key part of your brand awareness strategy. 

For example, CBD products are part of the cannabis industry, but many consumers are unaware that these products do not contain THC. You can leverage your cannabis marketing to clear up misconceptions like this, which will build customer confidence. 

4. Get Creative With Your Creative Messaging

When developing your ad creatives for cannabis marketing, you need to be aware of compliance. Creatives in cannabis marketing are usually very simple because that’s what regulations require. Cannabis ads must have basic imagery and copy. They can’t show the product or people, and the copy cannot attempt to influence. 

Instead cannabis marketers have to stick to neutral copy that highlights value adds like, “Delivery available same day.” Being creative is key because you need to send a compliant message without breaking any of the regulations in the geo you are advertising in.

It may seem like the regulations limit your opportunities to build out exciting campaigns, but actually, compliance doesn’t need to hold you back. You can find creative ways to work around cannabis marketing limitations. 

There are solutions emerging that help in navigating compliance. For example, many demand-side platforms (DSPs) offer compliance packages. Another workaround is to purchase placements through private marketplace (PMP) deals. 

5. Leverage Programmatic Advertising Channels

Let’s explore some of the best programmatic channels that you can leverage for your cannabis marketing strategies. 

Programmatic Audio

According to Insider Intelligence, by 2024 a fifth of all time spent with digital media in the US will go to digital audio. Time spent with audio is increasing, which signals the growing relevance of this digital channel. 

Programmatic audio automates the selling and insertion of ads into audio content. Ads reach your audience through various devices, including desktop, mobile, and tablet. You’re able to buy targeted ads from all the major audio publishers using one system.

Regulations in cannabis marketing mean there are limits to what you can explicitly show in an ad. But with audio, you can leverage the power of imagination to educate your cannabis audience.  

Data shows that compared to other media, digital audio is more likely to engage long-term memory for both details and memories, as well as increase emotional intensity. This results in a better receptiveness between the audience and a brand, which drives strong brand awareness.

Digital Out-of-Home

Digital out-of-home (DOOH) is any digital advertising found outside the home, in a public environment. The classic example of a DOOH ad is an ad run on a billboard in Times Square. 

But the reality is, you can run DOOH campaigns on a variety of formats and sizes, and in various public environments. And DOOH advertising is very versatile, which makes it ideal for cannabis marketing. 

DOOH ads can be leveraged to cast a wide net that reaches a broad audience, which is perfect for brand awareness. Or, narrow down the audience with targeting tactics like with geotargeting and geofencing, to maximize your chance of a conversion.

6. Use Targeting Tactics to Reach Your Audience

Let’s explore some of the best targeting tactics that you can leverage for your cannabis marketing strategy. 

Contextual Targeting

Contextual advertising targets ads based on the environment in which the ad appears. This targeting method uses algorithms to target ad placements based on keywords, website content, and other metadata. This way, ads are shown to users based on the content they are consuming at that moment in time. 

For cannabis marketing, this is a great strategy for reaching consumers who already buy cannabis products, or are curious about them. A consumer might go online to read articles about consumption practices for edibles. With contextual advertising, you can place ads for your cannabis brand on those pages, so they reach an audience that is in a receptive frame of mind.

Geotargeting

Geotargeting is a tactic that enables you to deliver ads based on a user’s location. With geotargeting, you can target by country, state, province, county, city, or postal or zip code. You also have the option to leverage a list of addresses or latitude and longitude coordinates to reach your desired audience. 

Geotargeting is a key strategy in cannabis marketing because regulations vary between states and provinces. With geotargeting, you can target and retarget consumers who pass through specific locations, while remaining compliant. 

Get Started With Cannabis Marketing

Projections for the growth in the cannabis industry are looking bright. In the coming years, we will see more federal legalization emerge across the US, and we’ll start to see fewer restrictions in the industry. 

With the cannabis industry becoming crowded, developing a unique brand with great messaging, which should include education, will help you to stand out. 

As the industry evolves, we will also see development on the technical side. For example, over time, agencies will be able to lean more onto CRM lists for their cannabis marketing campaigns.

For now, these cannabis marketing tips will help you to cultivate winning campaigns that reach your ideal audience. 

Request a demo to learn more about cannabis marketing with StackAdapt.

One major benefit of digital advertising is the ability to run campaigns in any location, regardless of where you are launching them from. With international targeting, you’re able to reach audiences in any location you desire, and in their language.  

Reaching an international audience with your campaigns can increase awareness, revenue, and foster a more established brand presence. As technology has allowed people to better communicate globally, advertising across borders has become the natural next step for companies to amplify their brand voice and expand their consumer base. 

Read on to learn what international targeting is, and get 9 strategic tips that you can use to build campaigns that engage specific geographic audiences. 

What is International Targeting?

International targeting is the process of optimizing your digital campaigns to reach audiences from a specific region or country, or audiences who speak different languages. 

9 Tips for International Targeting in Advertising

1. Adapt Your Digital Strategy

An international targeting strategy is more complex than just translating collateral to another language. Your strategy should actually localize the messaging so that it resonates with different audiences around the globe. 

Just because ad messaging works in one region, doesn’t mean it’ll resonate in the same way in another region. To adapt your messaging for audiences across the globe, get to know that local audience well. Learn what they need, in what formats, and what channels they spend time on. 

2. Consider What Language to Use

There are so many languages spoken around the world. In most countries, several are spoken.  When it comes time to build your international targeting campaign, a common strategy is to use English as the default for targeting—assuming that there are enough users that understand the language in your target region. 

Although this may be the simplest approach, a better way to appeal to the target audience is to speak their language. Start by researching the country you’re targeting to see what languages are commonly spoken to encourage higher engagement rates from your chosen market.

Then, leverage language settings in your campaign to ensure it has the capacity to reach the right users with the right language settings on their device.

3. Take Account of Time Zones

When expanding your advertising efforts internationally, keep in mind the time zone settings of your campaign. Ensure your ads will be displayed in the time zone of your selected geography and not the defaulted time zone in your account settings. 

Depending on your campaign strategy, you may have already tested running your campaign at specific times to maximize the visibility of your ad. For example, if it is a takeout option for dinner, showing ads between the hours of 3pm and 7pm would be ideal. 

With international targeting, these hours will differ depending on the time zone. Make sure you are aligning with the appropriate time zones, so that you don’t waste your media budget on times that are irrelevant to the campaign. 

Start by separating your campaign line items by geo. This will allow you to take advantage of dayparting options. You can then identify the exact hour you plan on launching and ending your campaign, ensuring you have the most control over your media spend. 

Timing considerations are also met with date considerations. How long do you want the ad to be in-market for? Some countries are almost a full day ahead based on the difference in time, so you will want to consider ending your international campaigns a day earlier or a day later, depending on the time zone your account is set in. 

4. Remember Seasonality 

If you are running seasonal campaigns, based on specific weather or outdoor environments, determine whether the country you are targeting is in the northern or southern hemisphere. 

You should also consider how the people living there experience the seasons. For example, winter in the US is from December to February, but it is from June to August in Australia. Winters may also be mild in some countries and colder in others. 

Have a roster of appropriate creatives for each season to ensure the ads align with the temperature the audience is experiencing. For example, if your product is a refreshing drink, ensure the country you are serving it to is currently in summer, or serve them different messaging to align with the winter season.

5. Personalize Your Creative Messaging

Creative messaging is the core of your brand’s voice and a powerful advertising tool that can influence how your users perceive your brand. Engaging and personalized creatives will get users to visit your site and, as we all know, the more clicks, the better! 

In order to make sure you’re properly equipped with engaging ads, consider these 4 factors for your international targeting campaigns. 

Leverage translators wherever possible. If you have found that different languages are spoken widely in the country you are hoping to target, find ways to translate the messaging for your creatives—don’t solely put your faith in Google Translate. A foreign language will resonate with the user more instead of defaulting to English. Hire a contractor for creative translation, or ask around the office to see if someone on the team is comfortable translating!

Consider the localization nuances. Being aware of local nuances, such as currency, phone numbers, and email addresses to name a few will help you “fit in” to your targeted market. For example, if you include prices in your ad, you will want to ensure the appropriate currency symbol and punctuation is used.

Use appropriate subtitles. When it comes to video advertising, use subtitles to clearly outline the messaging in text format to complement the audio. This is a general tip for video ads, but is quite important if you are using ads in different languages—your subtitles should be translated as well. Alternatively, like a foreign movie you can use subtitles to complement the original language in your video ad.

Respectfully showcase cultural references. Use fonts, colours, or show people doing activities in the ads that match the culture and style of the country you’re advertising to. Making the ad as relatable as possible to the country you are advertising to is imperative to your creative’s success. Coca Cola is completely rebranded in every single country for a reason. Why should your ads be any different?

6. Research Local Device Usage Trends

As you set your sights on international audiences, the types of ads you will run will be influenced by the devices they use. Device use differs internationally. China, India, and the US lead with the highest numbers of smartphone users, whereas other countries have significantly fewer. 

It’s important to determine what devices are being used by your target audience, and build your campaigns and creatives accordingly. For example, you’ll want to optimize your mobile ad creative for campaigns that are running in regions where mobile use is dominant.

7. Ensure Your Campaign Is Compliant

International targeting can be very beneficial to your company’s growth, but there are some international policies to keep in mind. It’s important to comply with the policies that are in place for specific regions because this ensures your campaigns can run. One pronounced law, specifically enforced in Europe since 2018, is GDPR, or General Data Protection Regulation. 

This law was created by the European Union (EU) to enforce the protection of user’s personal data, ensuring that users are consenting—via consent gate—to be tracked via cookies while browsing the web. More specifically, to be compliant with the law, your site must contain the following message:

“Consent must be clearly given for processing of personal data, the data subject must be made aware of how the information will be used, and they must have the ability to withdraw consent at any time.”

In order to have your site be compliant to run in the EU, you must ensure that your domain has a visible consent gate, similar to the one below:

If you’re wondering how to get this consent gate created, consider installing a plug-in to help you build a pre-made gate, or you can consult with your site development team to build one with custom code. If you’re running your next campaign in Europe, make sure you are asking for consent from the user to track their data—explaining how their data will be used and giving them an opt-out option if necessary.

Keep in mind, Europe is not the only region that has privacy laws in place for online advertising. Some countries have differing policies based on region—like CCPA in California.

Before you launch your digital campaign in new localities, it’s imperative that you double check your landing page’s domain to ensure you are complying with the digital laws of the countries (or regions) you wish to run in. 

8. Set Realistic Expectations For Campaign Scale

An important differentiator you need to keep in mind when running international campaigns is scale. It is much easier to run a campaign with plenty of scale when targeting English speakers in the US, but that is not true for all international campaigns. 

The number of available impressions is composed of the number of users that are online in that country, and the amount in international ad inventory. Contextual targeting is one of the best ways to ensure international scale. 

Stay flexible with your targeting strategy, so you can test which targeting methods work best for your international campaign. It’s also important to be patient! If you’re launching in a new market, it will take time to see the results of your efforts. Building brand awareness doesn’t happen overnight. 

9. Choose the Right Programmatic Channels

To effectively reach intended international audiences, you can tap into emerging programmatic channels like programmatic audio, digital out-of-home (DOOH), and in-game advertising. Adding these rising programmatic channels to your digital strategy will enable you to reach audiences using channels that capture attention. 

The key? Ensure the programmatic channels you want to run (particularly if you’re running a multi-channel campaign) are prominent in the regions you’re targeting. For example, in 2022, 67% of Americans listened to digital audio, a 5% increase year-over-year, whereas growth of digital audio listenership has been slower in China. 

Get Started With International Targeting

With the right foresight and planning, programmatic advertising can be a very effective and cost-efficient way of bringing international awareness and engagement to your brand. 

Want to leverage international targeting in your campaign strategy? Request a demo to learn more about StackAdapt. 

Building an automotive digital marketing strategy that stands out from the crowd can be challenging. There’s various factors unique to today’s auto industry, like the growth of online car buying, and the long, competitive sales cycle.  

To help you get started, we’re mapping out the basics. Read on to learn auto advertising trends, and the essential steps in building your digital auto campaign. 

Automotive Industry Advertising Trends

Keeping up with the latest industry trends is an important part of building an automotive digital marketing strategy that drives results.

Electric vehicles are on the rise.

The shift to electrified vehicles (EVs) is happening globally, but at different speeds depending on the individual market. For example, a Deloitte consumer report found that in China, the preference for EV or hybrid vehicles is higher than in the US. 

Deloitte also found that despite growing messaging around the need to address climate change, the shift to EVs is mostly based on the consumer perception that driving an EV will significantly reduce vehicle operating costs.

Product quality is top of mind for consumers.

The Deloitte report found that except for Japan, where vehicle features are the driving force behind choosing a brand, consumers around the world mainly rely on a perception of product quality when making a purchase decision. 

Consumers are opting for build-to-order.

The pandemic led to an inventory crisis in the auto industry, which resulted in more consumers turning to alternative options, like purchasing their vehicle online or via build-to-order. 

Lead times to get a build-to-order car can range from 4 weeks to 12 weeks. Even with the wait, a new study finds, 4 in 10 car shoppers plan to pre-order their next new vehicle. 

Online car buying is becoming increasingly popular.

The global online car buying market had a revenue holding of USD $256 billion in 2021. It is expected to reach USD $722 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 12.21% during the forecast period (2022-2030). North America will command the market while growing at a CAGR of 10.51%.

Steps for Building Your Automotive Digital Marketing Strategy

You’re up to date with the latest trends in the automotive industry. Now, it’s time to build your digital strategy. Here are 4 key steps to creating a strategy for your auto campaigns. 

1. Understand the Automotive Buying Journey

Before the pandemic, most Americans were interested in buying cars online, but few actually did so. A 2017 Washington Post story reported that 53% of US consumers would be either extremely likely or very likely to buy a car entirely online. At the time, most dealers didn’t offer online purchasing. 

Today, online car buying has become an increasingly available option that more and more consumers are embracing. This means that the automotive buying journey has evolved. This long, competitive sales cycle now has to account for two types of purchasing: offline and online. 

In many cases, auto campaigns have softer conversions—requesting a test drive or selecting custom features—with the goal of building brand awareness and keeping users engaged throughout the buying journey. These softer conversions often bring a consumer into a store or dealership, raising the likelihood of an in-person purchase. 

2. Choose the Right Channels for Automotive Industry Advertising

Let’s explore some of the programmatic channels that auto advertisers can leverage for their automotive digital marketing strategy. 

Reach auto consumers with programmatic audio.

Digital audio consumption is becoming mainstream. In 2022, 67% of Americans listened to digital audio, a 5% increase year-over-year. With programmatic audio, automotive advertisers can reach this audience as they tune into playlists, podcasts, audiobooks, and music. 

The audience tuning into digital audio is affluent: Buzzsprout found that over 66% of podcast listeners have university level education, are employed, and earn a household income above $75,000 USD per year. The employment status and financial stability of these listeners make them well-positioned for automotive prospecting through audio ads. 

Targeting on programmatic audio is very similar to channels that advertisers may already be familiar with. With programmatic audio, you can use the same audience targeting parameters from your native or display campaigns. 

Use video to convey lots of information, fast.

Video advertising allows you to reach potential automotive consumers wherever they may be watching video content online. Audiences may see a video ad ahead of streaming a TV series, or while scrolling through a blog. Video advertising uses data to reach fine-tuned, relevant audiences, and a video campaign also means you’ll have access to video marketing metrics that inform measurement and attribution. 

For an automotive digital marketing strategy, the real strength of video is how it combines visual and audio elements. With video, you can convey tons of information in a short period of time. You’re able to do more than just introduce a product or service. You can educate and engage the viewer, to start building trust between them and your brand. 

The engaging nature of video means it’s a channel where auto brands can express their identity and build brand awareness. Brands have also found that viewers have stronger brand recall after watching video ads that tell compelling and engaging stories.

Capture attention in public spaces with digital out-of-home advertising.

Digital out-of-home (DOOH) ads are found in public spaces like an airport, on a highway, or in a mall. DOOH campaigns can be run on a variety of formats and sizes, and in various public environments. 

DOOH ads automate the buying and delivery of ads, so campaigns can be managed through your programmatic platform. One of this channel’s most exciting benefits is that it can engage audiences in new ways. For example, DOOH ads can include interactive elements. An ad can entertain audiences with games or share helpful information. 

This is particularly effective in public spaces where audiences may be bored, such as at an airport, or at the gas station pump. As a result, DOOH ads have the potential to build brand relationships with audiences in moments when they’re looking for entertainment.

With DOOH, auto advertisers can reach audiences out in the real world. These ads are an effective channel for engaging people in public spaces, and driving brand awareness in contextual moments. For example, a person at the gas pump may be particularly receptive to auto ads. 

Tap into influential audiences with in-game advertising.

In-game advertising is a programmatic channel that enables ads to appear in mobile, computer, and console video games. In-game ads are typically display and video ads, which are seamlessly integrated, so they don’t interrupt gameplay. 

A 2021 study showed that 55% of US gamers identified as male and 45% identified as female, and while gamers are found across most generations the bulk of them are ages 18 to 34. Another study found that those who game several hours a week have two times more disposable income than non-gamers, which shows the impactful spending power of this audience. The income level of gamers makes them a valuable audience to advertise auto to.  

The in-game audience is broad and made up of a diverse set of demographics. Marketers can leverage this growing channel to reach engaged, focused users to build brand awareness and loyalty.  

3. Select Targeting Tactics for Your Auto Campaign

Now that you have what you need for setting up your auto campaign, you need to make sure your targeting is on point—especially given the long sales cycle of the auto market. The majority of auto campaigns are geared toward the upper funnel, followed by middle then lower, with conversion rates growing lower down in the funnel. This aligns with the idea that the majority of upper funnel tactics are creating brand awareness.

When allocating budget to your campaign, keep in mind that the higher in the funnel you are targeting, the more competition you’ll have, and it’s less likely to get a conversion from those awareness campaigns—so it’s important you allocate budget to all stages of the cycle.

Some of the targeting tactics to consider for your automotive digital marketing strategy include contextual targeting, geotargeting, and weather targeting.

Contextual Targeting

Contextual advertising targets ads based on the environment in which the ad appears. This targeting method uses algorithms to target ad placements based on keywords, website content, and other metadata. This way, ads are shown to users based on the content they are consuming at that moment in time. 

A parent or caregiver looking to buy a new vehicle may start browsing articles that cover “best cars for kids” or “most reliable vehicles.” With contextual advertising, automotive advertisers can place ads for vehicles on those pages, so they reach an audience that is in a receptive frame of mind.

Geotargeting

Geotargeting is a tactic that enables you to deliver ads based on a user’s location. With geotargeting, you can target by country, state, province, county, city, or zip code. You also have the option to leverage a list of addresses or latitude and longitude coordinates to reach your desired automotive audiences. 

Using geotargeting makes it possible to target and retarget consumers who pass through specific locations. To reach prospects, you might set the radius around gas stations, dealerships, or auto repair garages. 

Weather Targeting

Weather targeting is a targeting tactic that enables you to align your campaigns with fluctuations in weather. It’s a key marketing strategy because studies show that weather has a direct influence on consumer behaviour and intent. Car dealerships and manufacturers can use weather targeting to reach receptive audiences at the right moment. 

For example, weather targeting can be used to reach audiences that are looking to upgrade their vehicle for winter weather, or buy winter tires. Start by reviewing historical weather data against sales metrics to uncover the trends. 

Then, leverage that historical data to predict when the demand for all-wheel drive or winter tires will peak in winter regions. By setting parameters that run an all-wheel drive campaign during or following the worst winter weather, marketers can capture the interest of a consumer when car safety in winter conditions is top of mind. 

4. Choose the Right Programmatic Partner

The first step to building your automotive digital market strategy? Find the right programmatic platform to partner with. The right partner will have features and support that will help you go from the campaign planning stage, to launch and optimization smoothly, and quickly. A programmatic partner is a key part of your strategy! 

Automotive Digital Marketing Strategy F.A.Q.s

How can digital marketing be used in the automobile industry?

Digital marketing can be leveraged in the automobile industry to help dealerships and manufacturers reach their target audience and promote their vehicles, automotive products, and services. With digital marketing, automotive marketers can target a more specific or niche audience.

What are examples of automotive brand marketing strategies?

Brands can implement these automotive advertising strategies for campaign success: 

1. Leverage weather targeting to reach consumers at the right moment.
2. Use video to capture attention and convey information.
3. Connect with local consumers through geotargeting.
4. Reach an engaged, broad audience through in-game ads.
5. Align with consumers using contextual advertising.
6. Re-engage users in the funnel with retargeting.

What are the latest trends in the automotive industry?

The automotive industry is seeing a growing adoption of electric vehicles and build-to-order vehicles. This is in part because consumers are growing increasingly comfortable with online car buying. Recent studies have also found that consumers around the world mainly rely on a perception of product quality when making a vehicle purchase decision. 

Get Started With Digital Marketing for the Automotive Industry

There is a lot to keep in mind when creating and executing an automotive digital marketing strategy. We hope these tips, tricks and best practices will help you to create a stand-out, well-rounded, multimedia campaign that drives great results through every stage.

Want to run exceptional programmatic campaigns? Request a demo to learn more about StackAdapt.