Cracking the CRED Code: A Deep Dive into its Advertising Mastery
This case study explores how the Indian fintech company CRED went from zero to hero thanks to its marketing team and advertising approach.
Introduction
CRED, an Indian Fin-Tech business, became well-known in India thanks to its creative marketing strategy. The sole objective of CRED is to educate Indians about money and establish their creditworthiness
Path to Tackling Challenges
CRED was able to pinpoint the difficulties customers had paying off credit card debt and other bills and unveiled a business plan centered on these issues.
- EMI payments.
- Significant late payment fees.
- Hidden fees and additional interest
In response to the pain points, here’s what they provided their users with-
- Method for tracking bills
- On-time payment method with an automated payment option.
- Points for every payment of a bill and other features
Advertising and Marketing Campaigns
The primary goal of CRED was to successfully dominate digital marketing rather than conventional marketing. It used a variety of marketing techniques, some of which you may be familiar with.
Ad Campaigns
Here are some of the campaigns CRED has carried out leading them to become a unicorn start-up.
1. Celebrity Endorsements
CRED used celebrities from the world of sports and Bollywood in many high-profile marketing efforts to advance the brand. Because the notion was novel at the time, the brand used well-known faces to pique people’s interest while also fostering consumer confidence. CRED is famous for endorsing Famous 90s celebrities in its advertisements. For the initial part of their marketing campaign, their goal was to increase app downloads, and that’s exactly what they conveyed through their ads.
Indiranagar ka Gunda Ad
The ad showcased Rahul Dravid in a never-seen persona. The implication? Getting rewards after paying credit card bills through CRED was just as absurd as the chances of Rahul Dravid having anger issues. The ad trended #1 on Twitter. This was CRED’s highest-grossing ad. Within a week of its screening, it generated a wave of user-generated content, from memes to brand engagements. ,
By numbers,
- The ad generated over 3.6 million views on YouTube
- Garnered 114K in engagements within a week
- 31K mentions on social media
- Share sentiment of the ad was positive with 59%
2. Kunal Shah’s Personal Branding
Kunal Shah, the founder of CRED, is quite active on social media. He built his personal brand by selecting information on financial subjects, expressing his views on the startup scene, and interacting with other Twitter influencers.
In the last one year you’ve spent more time at:
— Kunal Shah (@kunalb11) July 26, 2023
3. Platform Marketing
The brand maintains a vibrant presence across several social media platforms, which has had a big impact on its performance. They interact with other firms’ tweets, entice celebrities to promote and retweet their material and use other marketing strategies to increase their audience base.
Do they not know about my Oscar?@CRED_club pic.twitter.com/BcW18zXLBO
— Anil Kapoor (@AnilKapoor) September 19, 2020
4. Content Marketing
Furthermore, CRED also engages with its audience on YouTube. The company curates blogs related to the finance sector, releases podcast on topic related to start-up trends, money and much more.
Results
The marketing and advertising plan used by CRED was quite successful. CRED has effectively tapped all of the advertising’s potential. The IPL season of 2021 was CRED’s most prosperous marketing initiative.
- App downloads increased by 700%.
- Spent around Rs. 120 cr during its three-year affiliation with the Indian Premier League.
- Aimed to cut through the clutter and evoke nostalgia.
- Emphasized simply one CTA—download CRED
- Has millions of active downloads and is RBI-certified.
- Today, CRED processes more than 20% of all credit card payments made in India.
Today in India, Cred is among the brands that people are most familiar with. The influence that CRED has made can serve as an example for up-and-coming, innovative enterprises. CRED has created goods that people today would not have imagined using in the past. Their successful golden strategy of changing society’s behavioral design has turned them into a billion-dollar business and is an intriguing case study for India’s startup scene.
Read More: 10 Game-Changing AI Tools for Digital Marketing in 2023
Dentsu India Debuts Game-Changing Media Insights Tool
Planners can only integrate APIs (application programming interfaces) into the media analysis program they employ. They are forced to manually search through several sources for the information. Media services from Dentsu India announced the Dentsu Intelligence Dashboard (DID), a first-of-its-kind competitive media insights and intelligence solution, to address this issue. Planners and clients will be able to quickly understand the most recent competitor data and make decisions more quickly as a result. The program offers automatic data analysis of online and offline media expenditures, gross rating points (GRP), and impressions.
The Denstu Intelligence Dashboard
The DID was developed in accordance with the network’s ongoing collaborations with sources that are distributed by the industry. It is designed to compile and transform data from various media channels onto a single platform. Dentsu wants to make the process easier by providing views with its digital data, aggregated data, and automated PPT capability through this application. Moreover, it allows media planners the freedom to tailor their searches at different levels.
The system utilizes its dynamic capabilities to select sectors, categories, brands, advertisers, etc. The application also provides a comprehensive perspective of data analysis from several channels, including TV, Print, Digital, and Radio. The solution will improve Dentsu India’s capacity to provide clients with access to the most recent GRP data. This will be irrespective of the category or brand, which is important to mention.
Read More: Adlook – Adsquare Join Forces for Advanced Brand Growth Solutions
Here’s what they said
Commenting on the tool launch Anita Kotwani, CEO of Media, South Asia, Dentsu said,
At dentsu, we are on a journey that requires us to compete with ourselves. Our determination to break our records ensures that we invest in building one-of-its-kind cutting-edge solutions for our clients. The tool is certainly a game changer & one-stop go-to for our clients. Media pulls a massive chunk of financial budgets for every brand and the slightest deviation in seeking the true picture could ruin all their efforts. Dentsu Intelligence Dashboard simplistically offers data insights that are accurately curated in an easy-to-understand format and save resources. The launch of this tool is just the beginning of the many firsts that we are working towards.
Bhasker Jaiswal, Chief Operating Officer, Media, Dentsu India, states it will be the first tool in the market to integrate data from multiple data sources. It will further help to reduce workload and enhance strategy-making. He further added,
We believe in upgrading our practices to best serve our clients and people. Dentsu Intelligence Dashboard is also proof of our commitment to contributing to the industry at large. It goes way beyond a simple dashboard and gives planners/clients a readymade competitive overview for Digital as well as TV GRPs which will certainly make it a must-have for all brands.
Pankaj Bhatlawande, Vice President – Media Analytics, Media, Dentsu India commented,
Built on scalable architecture and powered by new-age technologies, the Dentsu Intelligence Dashboard will deliver unparalleled competitive intelligence to media planners. Using serverless technologies like BigQuery enabled data transformation of RLD data, and GRP calculations at scale and reliability. We are certain of this being a game-changer which will elevate marketing strategies to newer heights and redefine business approaches in this digital age.
Read More: Dentsu-Microsoft Forge AI-Powered Alliance for Agency Brands
Google Boosts Performance Max with URL Contains Targeting Tool
Performance Max (PMax) campaigns now include the ‘URL Contains Targeting Functionality’ feature from Google. The tech behemoth has yet again raised the bar in the fiercely competitive field of digital marketing. It is poised to transform marketing tactics with its latest product, URL Contains Targeting Functionality for PMax. The multinational software company has always sought to connect its technology with the goal of giving advertising useful solutions. By providing a clever gateway between advertisers and their target demographic, this feature raises the bar once again. Advertisers can manually specify the URL to show the PMax advertisements using the capability, which is also accessible in Dynamic Search advertisements (DSA).
What is Performance Max Campaigns in Google Ads?
PMax campaign is a Google Ads campaign type. What distinguishes it from the competition is its capacity to integrate smart bidding and targeting elements into a single goal-based campaign across the whole Google Network. It utilizes all of Google’s advertising platforms. PMax’s main objective is to assist advertisers in growing their visibility and conversions within the Google Network. The campaign type uses smart bidding, an AI-driven automated bidding technique, to optimize ad performance in real time. Depending on what is most effective at a specific place and time, advertisements are displayed in a variety of formats.
How does a PMax Campaign work?
Ad Optimization
Ads are automatically and dynamically optimized utilizing data provided by advertisers (including various assets tailored to each advertising channel, such as photos, videos, logos, and ad content).
Cross-channel advertising
Performance Max may choose when and where to display adverts across the Google Advertising Network. This is possible thanks to machine learning technologies. PMax displays ads where the target audience is most likely to interact.
Bidding and budget strategy automation
It uses ML and automation to increase conversions and maximize budget efficiency.
Campaign issue identification
Detects campaign problems automatically and offers a diagnostic insights tool. Every time a potential issue arises in relation to an account, billing, campaign status, some policy violations, ad strength, budget, and more, advertisers receive immediate alerts that include solutions to troubleshoot the issue.
Read More: Google’s Triple Treat- Unleashes a Trio of Updates to Elevate User Experience
A Deep Dive into URL Contains Targeting Functionality
Advertisers can manually specify the URL where the PMax adverts are displayed by using the URL Contains Targeting tool. It substantially improves ad optimization by enabling the deliberate routing of users to certain URLs, like blogs or about us pages.
The significance of URL functionality to advertisers
Advertisers can use this essential feature to remove non-monetizable pages from their ad campaigns. It gives them the ability to target and provide ads to audiences that are most appropriate for their offerings. By focusing on the URL-included feature, marketers may enhance conversions
URL Contains Targeting Functionality- How does it work?
Advertisers can target particular pages using URLs that contain a particular text string, or “Token.” It is important to note that a text fragment enclosed by a delimiter (:, /,?, +, &) is referred to as a token within URLs. It‘s vital to keep in mind, though, that this capability does not apply to all URL types. It cannot be utilized, for instance, with URLs like “electronicexample.com/servicemenu” since the term MENU is present after the targeted keyword SERVICES. However, URLs like “electronicsexample.com/services-menu/” are compatible with this feature. This is due to the ‘-‘ separating the keyword SERVICES from the word MENU.
Google’s URL Contains Targeting Functionality that eliminates uncertainty in ad tactics at a time when digital marketing is constantly changing, allowing advertisers to increase their reach and impact. With such potent features, it’s intriguing to wonder what Google may release next.
Here’s what they said
As reported by Search Engine Land, Google said
This is a new feature rolling out for Performance Max. We are bringing the same URL Contains targeting functionality from Dynamic Search ads (DSA) into Performance Max to better support DSA use cases in PMax as part of the voluntary upgrade we announced in July. This feature works exactly as it does in DSA today.
Read More: Google Unveils Fresh Consent Management Rules for EEA and UK
10 Game-Changing AI Tools for Digital Marketing in 2023
Welcome to the realm of artificial intelligence! In this day and age, where corporations are scrambling to embrace AI’s disruptive powers, it is only a matter of time before this expanding technology completely takes over our lives. AI has had a significant impact on our world today. It has transformed every industry. Digital marketing companies are more affected than ever. Through sophisticated business techniques, it is transforming the way these firms communicate with their clients and generating unparalleled success.
According to a Statista report, more than 90% of digital marketers in 35 countries use AI in their company’s operations. While businesses invest in AI capabilities, marketers are becoming more inventive in how they use this technology, from better targeting to content creation. The technology is becoming so prevalent that it is estimated that by 2028, AI in marketing revenue will reach $107 billion, up from $27.4 billion in 2023.
Many organizations now rely solely on AI solutions for advertising and marketing. Marketers in these fast-paced industries seek novel ways to reach potential clients. Still, considering AI in your business? Here are some data to help you decide.
AI is transforming every sector. We’ve looked at the importance of artificial intelligence in digital marketing and the tools you should utilize in the digital age. So, let us dive into AI, where creativity meets marketing. We will also uncover the limitless potential AI has to offer your organization to succeed in this ever-changing terrain.
AI in Digital Marketing
AI in digital marketing has helped make life and work easier and more efficient. Now, you might wonder how this technology can help marketers in their jobs. Here’s how:
- Streamline Tasks: It can automate difficult tasks like finding potential customers, creating content, and enhancing marketing campaigns, thus reducing manual efforts
- Personalization: AI has the ability to analyze and understand what customers want, their behaviors, and their needs, and formulate messages and recommendations accordingly.
- Understand customers: Marketers can use AI to analyze consumer trends from vast internet data.
- Chatbots: Customers can now have real-world conversations with AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Bard, etc. They can interact with virtual assistants to help them with queries or issues. This makes things easier for not only customers but for companies too.
- Forecast Future: AI analyzes historical data to predict future trends and market performance, allowing for more effective marketing campaigns.
- Target Ads: Analyzing customer data will help marketers to target ads efficiently. In simple words, the data can help to show ads to the right people at the right time, making the ads more effective.
- Competitor analysis: AI helps to understand how your competitors are performing, and what they are doing. This helps marketers to stay ahead of the competition and dominate the market.
AI Tools for Digital Marketing
Due to advancements in AI, hundreds of AI tools are available for you to choose from. But we have used and curated a list of ones you can implement in your business. Here are some AI tools you can use to take your business to the next level.
- AI Tools for Content Generation
- AI Tool for Content Optimization
- AI Tools for presentation
- AI tool for segmentation.
- AI tool for Campaign Optimization
- AI Tools for Email Marketing
- AI tools for SEO optimization.
- Video and image editing tools
- AI chatbot
1. AI tools for Content Generation
An important part of digital marketing, content generation means creating information or marketing material for a group of people. This can include images, texts, infographics, video, or audio files.
i. MarketMuse
Don’t you wish you had customized objective insights about your platform to avoid all the guesswork? MarketMuse offers exactly what you need! With this tool, you can analyze your existing keywords to find improvements during your research.
What’s To Love About?
- Automates content audit and deciphers the most effective strategy for you and your business.
- Saves 11+ hours of time that would otherwise be spent on manual content audits.
- Helps manage your SERP rankings.
- Gives you analyses of your competitors.
- Information about gaps in your competitors’ coverage for your business to exploit.
- Shows you what topics to include, the value they will bring, and how challenging it will be to rank,
- Prompts keywords with best ranking chance, content brief templates with SEO-optimized titles, sub-headings, meta description, and usable internal links.
- Now integrated with ChatGPT for accelerating the content process.
Available Plans
Free Plan, Standard Plan starting from $149/month, Team plan starting from $399/month
ii. Writesonic by Cohesive.so
Deciding on topics and outlines for blogs is time-consuming. Add to that, writer’s block hinders a streamlined writing process. Writesonic helps you overcome all that, but also generates an entire blog in seconds. You can ask it to summarize the entire blog in a few sentences, change the tone of voice, and even upload high-resolution images from Unsplash.
What’s to Love About?
You can choose from a variety of options, including:
- 150 different templates
- 100+ AI images and 10+ AI voices
- Up to 5 integrations with unlimited PDF and audio downloads
- 10 different languages to compose, rephrase, and more
- Connect your WordPress account to publish your content directly
And the cherry on top? It’s completely FREE!
We experimented with the tool to know more about it! Here’s a prompt we put in:
Instagram caption for the role of AI in digital marketing
iii. Hemingway
Want to get all Grammarly benefits, but do not want to pay for a subscription? Look no further. Hemingway is the most suitable alternative to Grammarly. Different color markings show you opportunities to improve your writing. It even offers suggestions for condensing your sentences for better readability.
Another FREE tool? Sign me up!
2. AI Tool for Content Optimization
It is the process of improving your digital content, be it on the website page, blog posts, videos, and social media to increase its value and make it more relatable to your target audiences. The main objective of content optimization is to make your content visible, engage with your audience, and ultimately drive more traffic, conversions, and revenue.
i. Alicent
Do you find the content written for your website or campaign too generic and basic? Do you want a specific product to sell more or target a specific set of audiences? Alicent is here for that purpose. This tool, powered by ChatGPT helps optimize your content and even offers prompts for various use cases. It saves you time and provides a structured format for your website. Just put in your ideas at the prompt and get instant results with strategies to work with.
What’s To Love About?
- Alicent hosts a curated library of 250+ templates to choose from.
- It is supported by 50+ languages so don’t be afraid to reach other demographics.
Here’s how it works!
We have two words for this: freaking cool!
3. AI Tools for presentations
i. Gamma AI
Creating vibrant and appealing presentations is no longer a headache! With Gamma AI, you can design, customize, and choose templates from a range of available themes.
What’s to Love About?
It’s literally an advanced chatbot for presentations! You can save hours of work by designing and customizing entire slide decks with AI. All you have to do is specify the topic of your presentation. The tool creates an entire presentation within seconds!
- Enjoy endless image choices thanks to integrated apps like Unsplash, Giphy, Vimeo and many more.
- Equipped with changing the tone of voice to better suit your target audience.
- Get insights to understand which part of the presentation fascinated your clients the most
- Analysis helps determine potential areas for improvement within the business.
We tried using it to make you life easier! Might we just say, how cool was it!
Available Plans
The Free plan offers unlimited user collaboration and slide decks with basic analytics. The Plus plan starts at $8 per month. Head over to Gamma AI to design beautiful and personalized presentations!
4. AI Tools for Audience Segmentation
Audience segmentation is done to divide a large and diverse group of people into smaller and more manageable segments on the basis of shared interests, preferences, demographics, and other factors. This allows advertisers to target and customize campaigns for the segments effectively.
i. Spatial.ai
What is Spatial.AI, you wonder? No, it’s not about space! But it’s an AI tool that predicts and influences customer behavior in real time. The tool analyzes activities in the social, mobile, and web landscape and provides perceptive insights and data about consumer behavior.
What’s To Love About?
The major benefit is location-based segmentation. It also provides answers to your questions “what are my customers like?” or “what is the social activity in the area like?”
- They offer geosocial segmentation rather than just demographics based on consumer patterns.
- Data can be used to draft a campaign strategy by separating users into niche cohorts.
- Competitor analysis to see which market share you are competing for
- Targeting specific customer segments to improve social media engagement
- Campaign optimization based on real-time data
Available Plans
You can only sign up for the Freemium package after you request a demo.
5. AI Tool for Campaign Optimization
Campaign optimization, in simple terms, means improving digital advertising performance by adjusting certain aspects like keywords, interests, targeting strategies, ad copy and so on. This is to get desired business results.
i. Peachly.ai
AI tools like ChatGPT, DALL-E2, and Copy-AI are all fused into one. That is what Peachly.AI is! It features an advanced artificial intelligence tool for creating, targeting, and optimizing your ads. With Peachly.AI, you can breathe easily while launching a campaign. Your business can achieve maximum results with cutting-edge technology.
What’s To Love About?
All you have to do is input your ad account, and budget, and sit back. Peachly.AI will handle the rest, from setting up the campaign to optimizing it for maximum output. Here’s how to streamline the advertising process:
- Upload the website link you want to promote to Peachly.AI
- The AI will then crunch through the data, and deliver the most effective targeting strategies. Additionally, it will also draft engaging ads that reach your target audience.
- The tool will review it to make sure the ads meet industry standards and your marketing goals.
- The ads will then be published on your linked accounts.
- The tool will continuously monitor and optimize your ads for maximum results.
Available Plans
The platform offers a 7-day free trial. The starter pack starts at $29 per month, and the AI accelerator pack starts at $37 per month.
6. AI Tool for Email Marketing
A digital marketing approach which involves sending out messages and promotional content to a group of people through emails. It is the most powerful channel available to marketers that allows businesses to interact with customers directly.
i. Smartwriter.ai
Smartwriter.AI is an email marketing and outreach tool that provides templates for drafting emails. The tool generates customized email messages and headlines depending on the consumer’s profile.
What’s to Love About?
Technology scrambles through the web in search of the consumer or company your business wants to target. Businesses can obtain audience profiles from LinkedIn to draft customized messages that pique the client’s interest.
- Consists of a feature that allows businesses to personalize messages based on the target’s company news, case studies, blogs, and website.
- Provides outlines for emails, blogs, product descriptions for Shopify products, and SEO-optimized meta titles and descriptions to rank higher.
- Assists with keywords that help increase email reach and opens rather than directly marking it as spam.
Here’s an experiment we tried with this tool!
Catchy Intro Lines for sending emails to digital marketers to start using AI tools
Available Plans
The tool offers a 7-day trial. After that, the Basic plan starts at $49 per month and the Popular plan starts at $124 per month.
7. AI Tool for SEO Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of increasing the visibility of a website on search engine results pages. Technical and content adjustments are made to the website or any readily accessible content in order to enhance traffic and ranking.
i. GrowthBar SEO
A content generation automation tool that suggests keywords to be included in a blog post. It’s a dream haven for digital marketers! GrowthBar SEO is the SEO optimization tool you need to use today.
What’s to Love About?
Consequently, in order to rank higher in SERPs, the bots scan the internet for qualified keywords.
- It assists with keyword research and rank tracker.
- Helps with blog post generator prompts and outlines for meta descriptions, newsletters, press releases, and more
- Provides a Chrome extension with extensive backlinks.
- Utilizes GPT-3 model developed by OpenAI for content generation
With this AI tool, we wanted to understand which keywords would work the best.
Available Plans
GrowthBar SEO offers a 14-day free trial. Moreover, the standard plan starts at $29 per month whereas the Pro plan costs $79 per month.
8. AI Tool for Image and Video editing
i. Craiyon.ai
Image creation is now easy! Create AI-generated images for nothing. All you need is an idea to write a prompt. Craiyon.ai will generate it within minutes.
Here in the example, we input a prompt to create an image of a business meet under the sea. The results were fascinating!
9. AI chatbot
i. Perplexity
We all know ChatGPT. But have you heard of Perplexity? It is a chatbot that goes further from ChatGPT.
What’s to Love About?
- Gives you instant results for your queries.
- Gives you cited articles related to your search request.
We even gave this tool a try to help you decide better!
Isn’t that amazing? It saves you time looking for sources to cite and helps you to focus more on the job at hand!
Available Plans
It costs nothing! Furthermore, you can choose their premium plan which costs $20 per month to avail of more features like Copilot and GPT-4.
Conclusion
Artificial intelligence in digital marketing has proven to be a boon. AI tools are not meant to replace humans’ creativity and intuition. AI provides valuable insights. Therefore, it’s up to marketers to use these insights and data to create campaigns that resonate with their audiences. Businesses can achieve remarkable results with AI and human expertise. It’s time for you to step up your digital marketing arsenal with these game-changing tools to dominate the competition in 2023!
Read More: Mastering Digital Marketing: Insights from Kosal Malladi, VP at Madison Loop
Driving Brand Success: In Conversation with Vishal Shah from EssenceMediacom
Vishal Shah, Managing Partner at EssenceMediacom, is a prominent marketing professional in the media, marketing and advertising industry. With a strong background in brand building, digital marketing and media strategy, he has made significant contributions to the growth and success of various brands and campaigns. As a dedicated and innovative leader, he continues to make a lasting impact in the media landscape, driving excellence and fostering strong relationships with clients and partners.
In an exclusive interview, he shares his insights on achieving agency of the Year, building brands, and embracing the future of digital marketing.
Firstly, congratulations on EssenceMediacom winning the agency of the year at Goafest! What key factors and strategies do you attribute to this remarkable achievement, and how do you plan to build upon this success in the future?
Thank you very much. We are elated about this accomplishment. It is a remarkable achievement, and we are proud to be working with the best minds in the industry. We have received overwhelming appreciation from clients and partners, who are proud and happy to be associated with an agency that is producing such fantastic work. We aim to maintain this momentum across all our brands and build upon this success in the future.
As the Managing Partner of Essence Mediacom, you have played a significant role in the company’s growth and success. Can you share some key insights into your journey and the challenges you faced while scaling the business?
Four days after I joined, the COVID-19 pandemic peaked, and authorities announced a nationwide lockdown, abruptly shifting us to remote work. Overnight, we faced numerous challenges. Firstly, working remotely on such a large scale for an extended period was a unique and unprecedented experience, requiring everyone to quickly adapt. Meeting my entire team virtually was particularly challenging given its size. I honed my voice recognition skills as many team members experienced bandwidth issues, preventing them from enabling their cameras during virtual meetings. Additionally, a significant hurdle emerged when most clients decided to drastically cut their marketing budgets due to prevailing uncertainty.
I faced a two-fold challenge:
a)Convincing clients to maintain their investment in marketing. b) Boosting team morale and keeping spirits high.
In response, we revisited our strategies and implemented multiple changes in our work processes. These adjustments yielded exceptional results, fueling unparalleled growth in our business and teams over the past three years. We remain committed to building upon this success and sustaining our upward trajectory.
With your extensive experience, how do you approach the process of creating and nurturing a brand identity, especially in today’s highly competitive and fast-paced digital landscape?
Building brands has shifted from a mass media economy to a new-age economy, requiring a distinct approach and mindset. We closely collaborate with clients, developing breakthrough capabilities instead of simply cutting through. Our multidimensional approach generates breakthroughs for our brands, transcending traditional boundaries. A Breakthrough because it took two incredibly successful individual agencies and brought them together to create something new – Essence & Mediacom.
We created a new agency that unlocks the potential of the new communication economy, moving beyond brand vs. performance, digital vs. analogue, and media vs. creative. Clients trust and choose to work with us to advance, break new ground, and shape future brands and businesses. We are already delivering these outcomes for the world’s biggest and most influential brands, consistently and globally. EM is the only agency capable of consistently providing new ideas and opportunities to understand and connect with people. This is made possible by our scale, exceptional team, advanced technology, and strong leadership.
Storytelling is a powerful tool in brand communications. How do you perceive the power of storytelling, particularly its ability to create emotional connections with the target audience?
The very essence of storytelling lies in its ability to create an emotional connection between the brand and the consumer, thereby humanizing the brand and bringing it to life. It transforms the brand from a mere logo to a meaningful connection. Storytelling is unparalleled in building trust, and loyalty, and establishing a strong connection with consumers. In the marketing communications business, storytelling is at the heart of every connection between the brand and the consumer, making it the most definitive way to build strong brands.
Essence Mediacom prides itself on utilizing data-driven strategies. Could you provide an example of how data analysis has significantly impacted a client’s campaign, leading to tangible results?
The legacies of Essence and Mediacom, combined with the power of WPP, Group M, and Nexus, mean that we possess the most advanced suite of tech products and experts in the market.
This manifests not only in our individual products and agency tools but also in the embedded innovation teams within our agencies, which swiftly develop scripts to solve immediate problems.All of this is consolidated in EMOS: a global planning operating system that we can customize for clients and is utilized by our personnel every day. EMOS merges the finest technology from MediaCom with Essence’s automation, data governance, and data storage, resulting in the industry’s most advanced reporting tech and analytics suite applied to billions of dollars of client spend.
The combined tech of both agencies has created something truly unique: the ability to provide data-driven breakthroughs to every client through customized products and capabilities accessible to all our planners across all markets. Our tools are developed with the consumer journey in mind, spanning the marketing cycle, campaign cycle, and optimization cycle, enabling timely interventions for breakthrough planning.
Start-ups often face unique challenges when it comes to brand building and marketing. What advice do you have for start-up founders looking to establish a strong brand presence and effectively communicate their value proposition to potential investors and customers?
Strong brands are built over time through consistent actions. A strong brand is defined by what consumers think, feel, do, and how they interact with it, not by the perceptions of founders or investors. It is imperative to create a consistent brand experience that provides meaningful interactions and addresses consumers’ unmet needs. The brand needs to have differentiated benefits, appeal, and proposition and communicate this with consumers regularly. They will also need to continue building brand trust, as it is a gradual process that requires commitment. Maintaining the right balance between brand building and performance marketing is crucial, and consistent investment in both areas will help founders establish strong brands.
Mentorship can play a significant role in personal and professional growth. Can you share an experience where a mentor or role model had a profound impact on your career, and what lessons did you learn from them?
I strongly believe that mentors play a critical role in your personal and professional journey. With the right mentor, you can receive help and guidance across key areas, not only in your professional life but also in your personal life. I have been very lucky to have had some very good mentors who have shown me the way throughout my career. Here are the key lessons that I learned from my mentors:
1. Attitude and passion make all the difference; if they are in the right place, they will take you places. Where there is a will, there is a way!
2. Two key areas that matter the most are business management and people management. Most things we do will revolve around these two areas, and we need to continuously maintain a learning mindset to build on these areas.
As a thought leader in the marketing industry, what are your predictions for the future of digital marketing, and is the industry preparing to capitalize on these trends to maintain its competitive edge?
Digital marketing is poised to dominate the advertising industry. India ranks among the top 10 globally in terms of ad spend and continues to be the fastest-growing market worldwide.
Key predictions:
1.5G will be a game changer in many ways for India.
2.Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality will become mainstream.
3.Understanding and investing in data and technology will not be optional; it will be crucial and require super acceleration if brands and marketers want to remain relevant.
4.Influencer Marketing
5. Voice and everything related to it will have many more use cases and applications.
Navigating the Digital Frontier: A Discussion with Reena Jagtap, Lead Digital Marketer at Henkel
Reena Jagtap, a Lead Digital Marketer at Henkel is an accomplished marketing professional with a diverse background in engineering, brand communication, and digital expertise. She has worked with renowned brands, collaborated with industry leaders, and received multiple awards for her contributions.
In this insightful and exclusive interview, she shares her digital marketing expertise, campaign strategies, and industry wisdom.
Can you share your journey and experience in becoming a lead digital marketer at Henkel?
I started my career as a Production Engineer specializing in Switch Gears and EOMs for L&T. After pursuing an MBA in Brand Communication, I have led functions like digital marketing, social media, and PR for renowned brands.
I started my marketing career at Edelman India, where I worked on several projects in the consumer, hospitality, and auto industry. Here, I got the opportunity to collaborate closely with the team of Mr. Ratan Tata as I was handling the Tata Trusts account.
At Audi India, I joined the Digital and Digitalization team and got the opportunity to work with some of the best leaders in the automotive industry. I gained exposure to the world of luxury marketing and worked on several launch campaigns and global campaigns. There was tremendous learning across the Marketing and technology domains. I received the ‘Above and Beyond Employee of the Year Award’ from the Skoda Auto Volkswagen Group for my contribution and achievements.
With a perfect blend of years of digital expertise, an engineering background, and creative skills, I joined Henkel Adhesive Technologies. I am part of the Digital Transformation and Customer Experience team. I lead Digital Media, Content & Campaigns. I’ve been recognized as a ’40 under 40 Industry Expert 2023′ in Social Media Strategy by Business Mint and listed among the ’50 under 50 Inspiring Women 2022′ by Fox Story India. Additionally, I have served as a jury member for prestigious digital industry awards and enjoy mentoring talent at universities and on upskilling platforms.
What are the key components of a successful content strategy, and how do you ensure they align with the overall marketing objectives?
To establish a robust digital identity and achieve sustainable impact, brand marketers must prioritize-
a) Content Strategy: Create engaging content and deliver it through interactive formats b) Media Strategy: Targeting audiences based on their digital consumption patterns
In today’s content-saturated landscape, where various genres flood our social feeds, capturing attention is a major challenge due to fast-paced scrolling behaviour. Developing a thumb-stopping content strategy is the key to successful marketing. Your business goals should serve as the foundation for creating any type of content. Based on my experience, the focus should be on crafting content that grabs the audience’s attention, intrigues them to click, and prompts them to take the desired action. I view content through the lens of the marketing funnel, which consists of three stages: Awareness, Consideration, and Conversion. To make an impact, it’s crucial to collaborate closely with creative partners and develop IMMERSIVE, INTERACTIVE, and INCLUSIVE content mapped to the different funnels. By implementing an effective content strategy, brands can achieve remarkable results in their marketing efforts as both factors are interdependent.
What are some of the most effective campaign strategies you have implemented, and what made them successful?
In the vast digital landscape, locating relevant consumers and driving online conversions is like finding diamonds in a coal mine. Throughout my career, I have developed content strategies for diverse categories, leveraging storytelling as a powerful driver. Working with top creative and media agencies globally, I crafted successful campaign strategies based on three pillars- campaign objectives, target audience, and key messaging. Thorough research, on consumer and brand studies, guides me to craft a robust communication strategy.
I believe in a phased campaign approach: Pre-launch for awareness and intrigue, Launch for showcasing product/service benefits, and Post-launch for retargeting and nurturing. Utilizing the right media channels and targeting based on interests and behaviour patterns are crucial. By tracking the end-to-end customer journey using CRM platforms and tools, helps attribute conversions to specific sources and enables better decision-making in terms of campaign optimization. Examples of some successful and engaging campaigns that I have executed over the years:
Category-specific campaigns:
Engaging the B2B consumer online is not as easy as marketing consumer goods. Identifying the right platform and creating category-specific communication that entices them to click and turn into prospects is the approach that I have taken for the Engineering Adhesive category.
Audi e-tron Launch: When we launched the first electric Audi, the Audi e-tron, in India, we generated significant buzz through #ReadyForElectric #etronInIndia #FutureIsAnAttitude.We collaborated with prominent influencers from various industries, who shared their electrifying moments and stories.
#DriveTheChange: This topical content campaign for Women’s Day was aimed at challenging stereotypes about women driving cars. We collaborated with our customers who are women and conducted a performance car drive to showcase their potential and capabilities.
#TogetherWithAudi: During the uncertain times of the COVID-19 pandemic, this campaign focused on creating an inclusive environment for Audi’s followers and fostering a sense of togetherness.
Also, can you describe a digital marketing campaign that presented unexpected challenges or outcomes? What were your learnings from them for future campaigns?
Media Challenge: Reaching and converting the relevant B2B audience for Engineering adhesives across digital platforms poses unique difficulties compared to consumer products and services.
Navigation of challenges: We focused on two key objectives:
a) Increasing e-commerce orders on the website with a higher average order value (AOV) and lower cost per order (CPO)
b) Boosting lead volumes and achieving high-quality conversions
To overcome these challenges, we collaborated with industry-specific platforms and database partners to target the right audience with tailored messaging, ultimately improving conversions.
Key Learnings: Invested in platforms that yielded higher ROI. These insights helped us develop performance-driven media strategies, setting targets based on previous years’ platform performance. Weekly reviews and campaign optimizations were conducted to steadily progress toward our objectives and optimize costs.
Content Challenge: While managing the digital Marketing and Digitalization responsibilities at Audi India, I faced the task of creating a strong digital impact for the brand by connecting with our luxury customers and fanbase on a local level. Our campaign visuals heavily relied on international premium imagery, and our communication lacked a strong local connection.
Navigation of challenges: To engage and connect with our audience, I directed my agency to create a campaign that leverages local elements. We explored adding a local touch to our campaign communication. We focussed on India’s diverse cultures and languages and created a video focusing on pronunciation. The outcome was the #MyKindofAudi campaign to celebrate 10 years of Audi in India. We highlighted the unique pronunciations of “Audi” across various regions in India. We curated a video to support this concept.
Key Learnings: The #MyKindofAudi campaign achieved high organic reach and engagement, generating substantial media value through PR. Collaborating with influential personalities such as Aditya Patel, Ravi Shastri, and Virat Kohli further enhanced its impact. Customized local content and relatable faces proved more effective than generic strategies.
How do you leverage data-driven insights to optimize your marketing campaigns and improve their performance?
Data lies at the core of my decision-making process. I track data across campaigns and platforms to set targets, optimize performance, and enhance conversions. Key metrics are assigned to evaluate content and ad format performance, enabling strategic budget allocation across platforms.
By utilizing first-party data, one can create audience cohorts and customize content based on customer profiling. This approach maximizes engagement and improves return on ad spend (ROAS). Collaboration with the sales team at every stage is vital across all businesses. Their feedback on lead quality helps us provide valuable input to agencies and publishers, enhancing our marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) and aiming for higher sales-qualified leads (SQLs).
How do you think generative AI will shape the future of digital marketing, and what skills should marketers develop to stay ahead of the curve?
Generative AI, an advanced category of AI algorithms, has revolutionized content creation in the digital marketing industry. Tools like Chat GPT, Bard, DALL-E 2, Lex, and AlphaCode have simplified the once tedious task, enabling faster and more efficient content generation. This serves consumers with minimal effort, making their experience seamless. To stay updated with the latest trends and technologies, Google offers free courses, and universities now provide specialized modules. Keeping pace with ever-evolving consumer behaviour is crucial for professionals in this field. By embracing an innovative and impactful mindset, digital marketers can take their strategies to the next level.
How do you manage your time and prioritize tasks in a fast-paced environment to meet deadlines and achieve your goals?
Every day feels like an exciting adventure when you wake up to do what you love. The world of Digital always inspires me to think beyond the status quo and discover innovative solutions that benefit the brand, the consumers, and businesses. To stay organized, I plan tasks in advance, set deadlines, and track my progress using reminders and creating project plans. In the fast-paced digital industry, prioritizing work and effectively balancing personal commitments is essential. I make sure to allocate time for activities that help me relax, unwind, and focus on personal growth. Painting, swimming, dance workouts, meditation, and maintaining a balanced diet keep me energized and motivated to take on new challenges in the digital world.
What advice would you give to someone looking to start a career in digital marketing, and what skills do you believe are essential for success in this field?
Believing in limitless possibilities and finding contentment within oneself are the foundations for excelling in any field. In the digital and digitalization industry, I’ve learned that trends and consumer behaviour can change rapidly. Agility at work and humility with all stakeholders are two vital learnings that guide my strategic decision-making and foster strong connections.
To newcomers in this industry, a few words of wisdom that I can share is, “Believe in yourself and explore your talent and potential. Do all that it takes to nurture it to perfection. Learn to unlearn and create the best solutions with what exists around you.”
Mastering Digital Marketing: Insights from Kosal Malladi, VP at Madison Loop
Kosal Malladi, the accomplished Vice President of Madison Loop, is renowned for his expertise in digital marketing and media planning. With a rich background in the industry, he has made remarkable contributions, working with diverse clients in sectors like Auto, BFSI, Entertainment, Social, and FMCG. His extensive experience spans both agency and client sides, providing unique insights into data-driven marketing, influencer collaboration, social media management, and the exciting future of the digital marketing landscape.
In this exclusive interview, we explore his vision, leadership, and the exciting journey that led him to the forefront of digital marketing innovation.
Can you provide an overview of your experience and background in the field of digital marketing and media planning?
My interest in digital marketing started during my MBA. Google held a competition where they provided INR 1000 vouchers to each team and tasked them with setting up Google AdWords campaigns. This experience sparked my interest in digital marketing, and I further developed my skills during an internship at ESPNStar, where I implemented what I had learned.
I began my career in Digital Media Planning with Media2Win, where I gained valuable experience and eventually took on leadership roles in managing digital mandates for clients such as Mondelez and Asian Paints, among many others. This field is constantly evolving, and I find it exciting to continually learn and adapt to new trends and strategies.
In your opinion, how has the intersection of data and technology transformed the landscape of digital marketing and media planning? What opportunities and challenges does this convergence present?
The biggest challenge for digital marketing is data, whether it’s too much or too little. Initially, the focus shifted towards tracking leads/sales, neglecting brand building. Short-term gains became more tempting than long-term benefits. However, with increased spending, the demand for accountability has grown. Technology allows us to analyze data and derive actionable solutions from it. Nonetheless, the absence of a universally accepted authority like Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) poses a challenge for digital marketing. Until then, disputes will persist. The ultimate solution lies in digital marketing delivering positive business outcomes, which we are witnessing today.
What initially attracted you to lead the digital creative unit ‘Madison Loop’?
Media is only a part of digital marketing; creative aspects are equally important in driving positive business metrics. I have noticed a tendency for media and creative teams to blame each other when campaigns fail. Creative individuals often lack a grasp of numbers, while media professionals may struggle with creativity. Madison Loop was founded to bridge this gap between media and creative, symbolized by its name. At Madison Loop, we strive to complete the business loop and achieve results.
How do you approach social media management to effectively engage audiences and drive brand awareness?
Social media thrives on authenticity, but that doesn’t mean you can’t promote your brand. It’s important to be transparent about your intentions when selling. The key is to create authentic content and tap into the latest trends and fads. If you have to choose between posting high-quality content infrequently or good content regularly, opt for the latter. Consistent posting increases the chances of gaining traction. However, it’s important to note that there’s no guarantee of virality. Focus on regularly sharing good content, and something is likely to gain momentum—whether it’s tomorrow, a week later, or even a month later.
Would you like to share a successful social media campaign you managed on a specific platform like Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter, and explain how you tailored the content and engagement to match the platform’s unique characteristics?
For content to gain traction on social media, a hook is essential. Social trends often have a hook step, sound, or movement that captures attention. Dance steps, for instance, can go viral due to a catchy hook step. We have successfully utilized this principle numerous times. A recent example is Vicco’s campaign featuring Alia Bhatt, where she performed a unique action of showing her teeth to the dentist while making the sound “eeeeee.” We capitalized on this hook by collaborating with influencers who created their own versions of the hook. This strategy gained momentum, with millions of others joining in with their own “eeeeeeee.”
How do you effectively identify and collaborate with influencers, considering factors such as authenticity, engagement levels, and suitability for your client’s target audience in influencer marketing?
Today, the beauty of influencer marketing lies in the fact that anyone can become an influencer. This opens opportunities for brands to collaborate with everyday individuals and share their brand stories on a larger scale. However, precautions need to be taken.
At Madison Loop, we have implemented tools that help us identify influencers based on factors such as their location, topics of interest, demographics, and follower base. Additionally, we have an authenticity scoring system that considers factors like follower growth/fall, follower location, and more. These measures enable us to ensure the credibility of the influencers we work with.
Can you share your perspective on the future of digital marketing and media planning? What emerging technologies or trends do you believe will have a significant impact on the industry in the coming years?
In the past, digital planning was done blindly, but we have evolved to utilize available or claimed data for our plans. Over the years, data analysis and automation have played a crucial role in optimizing the process. The future will revolve around AI, driven by data analysis and automation. AI has already made significant strides and will continue to advance.
Some express fear about AI, believing it will replace their jobs. However, I believe it is not AI itself, but rather people who possess the knowledge of how to use AI effectively, who will take away those jobs. Human intervention will always be necessary in this field, although the nature of that intervention will evolve.
Can you share a valuable lesson or piece of advice that you have learned throughout your career in digital marketing and media planning?
Digital is a constantly evolving field. What is effective today may not be tomorrow. It is important to remain open to trying new strategies and approaches. Never assume that you know everything because there is always something new to learn.
How do you manage the pressure and demands that come with leading a digital creative unit, and how do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?
Finding a balance between work and personal life is essential. While work may seem never-ending, it’s crucial to establish a predefined end time for the day. Once you embrace this concept, achieving a balance becomes more natural. Personally, I find that prioritizing my personal time enhances my focus on work, allowing both aspects to thrive separately.
Mastering Growth Marketing: In Conversation with Sindhu Biswal
Sindhu Biswal is a multi-talented professional who has excelled in diverse fields. From aspiring astronaut to songwriter and now a marketing expert, his journey reflects his passion and determination. With notable contributions to companies like Paytm Insider, Better Half, Filter Copy to name a few, he is highly skilled in marketing, growth strategies, and business development. As a growth marketer, he is helping businesses achieve their objectives. Sindhu is also a sought-after speaker, mentor, and accomplished digital marketer known for delivering exceptional results.
Can you tell us about your background and how you got started in digital marketing?
I am a digital marketer who has led growth and digital marketing at FilterCopy, Dice Media, Betterhalf, and Paytm Insider. During the final years of MBA, I participated in the Google Online Marketing Challenge (GOMC) and was exposed to Google Search Ads. I fell in love with the craft, and that was my first introduction to the field of digital marketing.
How do you define growth marketing and what role does it play in your digital marketing strategy?
In simple words, growth marketing encompasses acquisition, activation, retention, referrals, and monetization. Growth marketers have a hacky mindset, are entrepreneurial, and challenge existing playbooks. It’s not just about acquiring more users but focusing on users who actively engage with your app, become paid users, and refer others. These are the key performance indicators (KPIs) for a growth marketer.
Would you like to share an example of a successful growth marketing campaign you’ve executed in the past?
There are 12 successful ones but my favorite campaign was the Roshan Joshi Typo campaign. While sending a push notification with the copy “Rohan Joshi is LIVE now. Tap to play,” However, I sent “Roshan Joshi is LIVE now” instead. I decided to repeat one typo every week, resulting in variations like Trojan Joshi, Mohan Joshi, Jogan Joshi. People started taking screenshots, and my push notification click rates increased. This campaign taught me that any retention channel can be turned into an awareness channel by thinking outside the box and challenging conventional strategies.
How do you stay up-to-date on the latest trends and best practices in digital marketing?
Most of my marketing ideas come from reading books and articles unrelated to marketing, such as psychology and philosophy. I read newsletters and follow Twitter threads from knowledgeable individuals to stay updated on the latest trends and best practices.
In your opinion, how has the advertising industry adapted to recent developments in AI and ChatGPT?
Currently, most ad copywriters and performance marketers are leveraging it to assist with ideation, writing ad descriptions, email copies, and more. It is a valuable tool to generate ideas and overcome creative blocks.
What advice do you have for young professionals who want to pursue a career in digital marketing?
My advice is to challenge existing playbooks, nurture creativity, and become skilled copywriters regardless of your specialization in marketing. Good copywriting is a fundamental skill that can set you apart in the digital marketing field.
The Journey From Deterministic To Probabilistic Marketing
For years, brands & marketers have been using 3rd party cookies & tracking pixels to track website visitors, improve the user experience, and collect data that helped them target ads to the right audiences. However, now this is going to change forever. Digital tracking capabilities are more restricted than ever. Third-party cookies are already redundant on browsers like Safari (iOS devices) as well as Firefox and now Chrome will discontinue supporting them from 2023. All apps on iOS require consent from the user to be able to track/monitor them. Law enforcement bodies across the globe are laying strict rules and guidelines for advertisers to restrict online tracking to avoid misuse of any PII (personally identifiable information) data. And above all the growing use of ad blockers by internet users restrict the data flow from one server to the other.
While this is progressing in the right direction as far as protecting users’ online privacy is concerned, on the flip side, these changes are taking digital marketing measurement back to its initial years. Back then, the digital infrastructure was just evolving and the most an advertiser could track from their digital marketing was how many people did they reach, how many impressions were delivered, and how many clicks/interactions came through. A major disruption in digital marketing came almost a decade back with the introduction of remarketing which was built on the back of third-party cookies and along with that followed a whole new eco-system of digital marketing attribution. Now marketers have complete visibility on who came to their website, from what source, using which device, which page of the website they dropped out, what products did they buy & finally retarget them with ads based on their interaction on the website. And the business world was only getting used to how sophisticated they can get when it comes to running as well as tracking their digital marketing campaigns when the lawmakers and the big tech giants decided to overhaul the system all over again.
So, let’s stop for a minute and imagine what the worst-case scenario would be – that all tracking goes away completely no more google analytics, no more data from Facebook you would have no idea who’s coming to your website, who’s buying your products or services, all tracking would be eliminated. How do we survive this situation & what should we do today to prepare ourselves if and when tracking starts to be depreciated? As per the latest update from Google, it will delay the deprecation of third-party cookies on Chrome by another 2 years or so. Therefore, it’s very important to use this time to have a strong plan to transition from what we call deterministic marketing to more probabilistic marketing.
In deterministic marketing, you can be 100% sure that John came from Facebook and brought a hat on your website. Probabilistic marketing on the other hand, only lets you know with a high degree of certainty that someone came from a particular channel or the probability that the user has certain attributes. Having said that, probabilistic marketing has its pros and cons. One of the best things about working in a probabilistic environment is that it’s going to work regardless of what they do to tracking. So, if we can start to train ourselves to rely on probabilistic data today and start to transition how we think about marketing into a probabilistic thought process we’re going to succeed when the big tech players continue to ratchet what tracking is available to us. Another advantage of probabilistic marketing is that it will still allow us to make optimization across all the channels and across various audiences so even if we don’t know specifically that John is John, we can still make a determination about the probability that John is John and that the audience that describes John will behave in this way. Another merit of a probabilistic marketing environment is that it really forces us to focus on the bigger picture without getting too far down in the weeds looking at individual landing pages, conversion points, customer journey, etc. We get to take a step back and analyze across all channels, landing pages, assets & customer journey what’s working well and what levers can we pull in order to increase the campaign performance. Working in a probabilistic environment will allow us to have access to campaign insights much faster as compared to that in a deterministic environment. In a deterministic setup, we need to track every single point of contact, know where the customer is in the journey, where they came from, have cross-device tracking, and all other aspects of tracking put in place perfectly. In a probabilistic setup, we just make assumptions and get close to similar results. It’s not going to be perfectly accurate, but the net results will resonate with what one would expect from having a perfect deterministic marketing setup.
However, not everything about probabilistic marketing is good. At its core, the data itself is less accurate. It is not as scientific as a deterministic marketing approach. A big drawback is that we lose the individual customer journey. All these journeys are grouped together into a probabilistic journey, but we can’t zero in on John to find out exactly what John did, how long he spent on each page, etc. If John comes in and he’s a top customer who did everything right and we want more Johns it’s pretty hard to determine exactly the steps that this one individual did so that we can get more of that customer. Instead, John is lost in the population of other people of who some were good, and some were bad but they weren’t all Johns and so with probabilistic attribution we lose that ability to get down to the individual level to know for certain what each person did. Another demerit is that as consumer preferences change and traffic on the website starts coming from a new source, the system needs to re-learn what this new traffic source is, how well is it converting, and then update the overall probabilities across channels. This disrupts the learning established so far and, in a way, resets the whole attribution pattern all over.
Therefore, to have an accurate attribution or to improve our marketing campaign with higher accuracy based on data, we need to rely on quality data. And typically, that is our own first-party data. We should start creating our own first-party universe and if we are successful in doing so, we should be able to thrive in today’s environment but also be future-proof in the event that cookie tracking goes away. As an immediate step, we should start capturing customer information by incentivizing the visitors on the website to register or login before they are able to access full content on the website. Once we build our own first-party data, we will not be reliant on the likes of Google, FB, and Amazon to target the right audience and get a better return on our advertising spends.
This guest post is written by Suparshv Chopra, Director of Digital Media at Serviceplan Group, Middle East.
Verizon Media Rolls Out Connect ID To Replace Third Party Cookies
Verizon Media this week rolled out a new unified identity solution Connect ID in an industry-wide effort to help advertisers and marketers to transition from using third-party data as the center of online ad targeting.
The third-party cookies will soon be redundant as Google and Apple take steps to limit audience tracking owing to consumer data privacy concerns. Though the advertising industry has seen numerous innovations by many growing companies such as Lotame introduced Panorama ID, Verizon claims Connect ID is powered by direct relationships with 900 million global consumers.
The company has valuable first-party data about the activities of millions of customers based on its 30+ owned and operated consumer brands including Yahoo (content, search, and mail), AOL, and TechCrunch. Verizon Media will generate 200 billion data signals based on deterministic first-party data to create an identity graph that can help advertisers target and track audiences across devices. With Connect Id, the company aims to provide audience targeting on a large scale.
The company is promoting Connect ID to more advertisers and publishers to use its programmatic platform to buy and sell digital ad placements in an ongoing effort to capture the market share of the industry’s biggest players. The company has a full-stack advertising technology solution with a demand-side platform (DSP) for buyers and a sell-side platform (SSP) for content providers like Newsweek that are looking to unlock the full value of their advertising inventories. Dev Pragad, CEO of Newsweek, said,
We want to deliver the best experience possible for our audiences as well as maximize revenue for the premium content we produce. To ensure we can maximize our clients’ user experience while maximizing our revenues, we need partners like Verizon Media who can connect our audiences with quality advertisers and experiences, maximize yield and ensure our audiences’ privacy choices are respected. That’s why we’ve signed up for Verizon Media ConnectID.
As a part of the launch of Connect Id, the company also announced several partnerships with leading data providers like Acxiom, Adstra, Equifax IXI, Experian, Neustar, TransUnion, and Throttle. Concurrently, Verizon Media Connect Id is also working with IAB Tech Lab programs to develop industry-wide pro-privacy solutions for addressability with accountability. Jordan Mitchell, SVP, Head of Consumer Privacy, Identity, and Data, IAB Tech Lab, said,
IAB Tech Lab is proud to have Verizon Media involved in the development of new privacy-preserving addressability standards and industry accountability programs through Project Rearc, and we look forward to their support of these standards and programs once they are released.
The unified ID helps advertisers buy, measure, and optimize ads while enabling publishers to manage, monetize, and navigate audiences–all without third-party cookies. The company says adoption of the unified solution delivered a 33% lift in performance compared to third-party cookies. Iván Markman, Chief Business Officer at Verizon Media told AdWeek,
Most of the identity solutions out there are largely dependent on third-party integrations. Most of the companies don’t really own the customer relationships, and more important they won’t have the assets [such as a news website or email services] to provide a value exchange.
Presently, Verizon Media ConnectID is available in North America, APAC and select LATAM markets at launch and will soon roll out to more markets.