Women’s Sports Fans: Understanding A Surging Audience

A new approach to understanding, reaching, and resonating with sports fans is overdue. Across the world, a new consumer segment of sports fans is surging: women’s sports fans. It should come as no surprise that people are catching on to the entertaining and exciting world that is women’s sports – take the US Women’s Soccer team’s huge 13-0 win over Thailand in the first round of the 2019 World Cup. Even though fans are now tuning into more and more women’s sports, simply put, many brands and advertisers have yet to adjust to the unprecedented pace of change that our culture has placed on sports.
With nearly two-thirds of the population saying they have interest in at least one women’s sport, what do marketers need to know about this growing audience? This infographic dives into women’s sports fans, profiling the attributes they share, and key recommendations for marketers looking to reach them.


The lifestyle of Women’s Sports Fans
People that enjoy watching female athletes compete at the highest level have similar attributes when it comes to the manner in which they live their life. Overall they are interested in the following:

  • Green or Eco-friendly living
  • Actively helping and donating to Charitable organizations
  • Health & Wellness

The work life of Women’s Sports Fans
Overall, women’s sports fans are established in their careers, working administrative or management jobs in a variety of industries. The most common jobs for fans of female sports to have are:

  • Administration
  • General Management
  • Product Development
  • Human Resources
  • Information Technology

The interests of Women’s Sports Fans
Obviously these sports fans aren’t going to spend their entire day watching sports, so what do they also enjoy doing? These sports fans have diverse interests including:

  • Handicraft/DIY
  • Photography
  • Food & Wine
  • Home Reco

Recommendations for Marketers
With major sporting events like the 2019 Women’s World Cup, the French Open and growing interest in professional sports leagues like the WNBA, advertisers and marketers have a great opportunity to hone in on these audiences, understand who they are and their interests. These sports fans are complex individuals with unique interests, but advertisers can use this to their advantage. Using multi-device programmatic advertising, advertisers can reach fans first-and-foremost while they’re watching the game, but also through an omni-channel experience. After analyzing these audiences, our team has come up with a few ways to target and interact with these passionate women’s sports fans:

  • Utilize Cross-Device Display: Nearly 93% of women’s sports watchers say they reach for another device while they tune in to watch TV, most popularly their phone. If these fans aren’t using their phone to message their friends, they are using social media (54%), checking emails (48%) or searching for products to buy (36%). All of these actions offer great opportunities for marketers – if it isn’t in the budget to pay for a TV spot, if you’re aware of a game or tournament going on, you can target these fans via mobile of desktop.
  • Incorporate App Ownership: As previously stated, because people watching these games are also invested in their phone, there is a great opportunity to target based on app ownership data. Knowing the interests of these audiences, you can target them based on downloaded apps beyond sports – but photography, DIY, food & wine and their other many interests to further drive interactions.

Interested in learning more about targeting this growing women’s sports fan audience – or other specific audiences that your brand is looking to reach? Learn how you can leverage programmatic in your brand’s marketing plan with Digilant. Reach out to us for more information here.

Methodology
This infographic is based on the findings of a study conducted by Digilant. To conduct this study, Digilant combined Consumer Persona, a proprietary insight, and predictive modeling technology, with third-party consumer data to uncover the unique attributes shared by women’s sports fans. Data was collected in June 2019.

2019 Travel & Tourism Trends: A Digital Marketer’s Programmatic Passport – Part 5

Summer is a little over a month away and digital consumers are just a search, scroll, and click away from taking advantage of the flexibility that the season grants, as many take a break from their day-to-day and book the perfect getaway. As one of the largest industries, projected to reach $2.4 trillion in the next ten years, digital marketers need to ensure they are up-to-date on the latest trends and technologies, especially as consumers continue to utilize online booking capabilities. Nearly half of travelers begin trip planning with a search engine, 30% on social media and 23% watch videos, so utilizing the power of digital advertising and ensuring your brand is front-and-center in the planning process is key. It’s essential for marketers/media planners to understand the different types of travelers, how they are deciding where to go, when they’re booking and how to reach them in order to execute a winning programmatic campaign. So, Digilant has complied an infographic, based on industry research and insights, outlining the answers to all these questions.

 

Download the infographic here.

Part 5: The Power of Programmatic – Next Steps

The power of programmatic is unmistakable when it comes to the travel industry. Consumers peruse through apps, websites, and social media accounts when trip planning and the amount of information they come across is overwhelming. They are overloaded with clutter from advertisers, influencers and friends at all times of the day. Simplicity is difficult to come across amidst streams of mass messages. And consumers are discouraged. To ease their frustrations, your brand needs to reach out to targets in individualized ways at the right places and times. Programmatic makes this possible by matching the most accurate travel ads to the most promising groups of consumers in seconds.
Why Programmatic? What’s the Use?
Employing programmatic techniques means targeting audiences as accurately as possible. It’s an automated process that digitally purchases ads, serving the right campaigns to consumers based on past browsing habits. It’s an area of advertising that is booming and becoming a necessity across industries. By 2022, about 90% of mobile display ads will be processed programmatically. And 78% of travelers are downloading more, (or the same amount) of travel apps this year than they did in 2018. Tech users grow and tech applications only continue to advance. To keep up — especially in the travel industry, where tech is heavily relied upon — programmatic must be used to successfully catch the attention of consumers who rely on their mobile devices and laptop screens.

How Can Programmatic Engage With Travelers?
When it comes to travel planning, the customer journey is a lengthy, exhausting one. To simplify lives and make a profit, begin to track and act on programmatic campaigns with the following in mind:

  • Optimize Your Creative: Visuals speak louder than words in the travel industry. Today’s tech allows marketers to reach out to consumers with data in mind. They have extensive access to names, past browsing histories, locations, and so on. Using these past engagements to fuel stronger, more personalized ads in the future can assist in amplifying interest (Read more about optimizing creative with DCO here). Programmatic makes the development and successful delivery of these ads more than possible. And by mixing these abilities with mobile, your company has the ability to make great impact upon summer 2019 travelers.
  • Mobile is the place to be: 46% of travel brands feel like they haven’t invested enough in mobile tactics. Another 16% of brands have strayed away from mobile marketing entirely. Regardless of where your company stands, consider the immense power of social media upon today’s tourists. They are always using their phones. They travel with them and rely upon them. Advertising on mobile, is becoming the best way to communicate with travelers in 2019. To not invest would mean missing out on reaching massive groups of prospective consumers.
  • Use Your Voice: More and more, consumers are coming to terms with the idea, and beyond that, the benefits of artificial intelligence and chatbots. Millennials and Gen Z consumers believe that chatbots of digital assistants would make the booking process easier and business travelers are already actively using voice assistants to check-in to their flight or check the status of it. So, consumers are already expecting to be able to connect with a voice – real or artificial – during travel, making it essential that your brand is prepared for this capability.

Make sure you are all set for the 2019 summer travel season by ensuring your programmatic plans are reaching their full potential. Interested in learning how Digilant can help with your next programmatic video buy? Contact us here.

2019 Travel & Tourism Trends: A Digital Marketer’s Programmatic Passport – Part 4

Summer is a little over a month away and digital consumers are just a search, scroll, and click away from taking advantage of the flexibility that the season grants, as many take a break from their day-to-day and book the perfect getaway. As one of the largest industries, projected to reach $2.4 trillion in the next ten years, digital marketers need to ensure they are up-to-date on the latest trends and technologies, especially as consumers continue to utilize online booking capabilities. Nearly half of travelers begin trip planning with a search engine, 30% on social media and 23% watch videos, so utilizing the power of digital advertising and ensuring your brand is front-and-center in the planning process is key. It’s essential for marketers/media planners to understand the different types of travelers, how they are deciding where to go, when they’re booking and how to reach them in order to execute a winning programmatic campaign. So, Digilant has complied an infographic, based on industry research and insights, outlining the answers to all these questions.

Download the infographic here.

Part 4: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence and Chatbots

Artificial intelligence in the form of chatbots and voice assistants is making travel planning a simpler endeavor for today’s travelers. 36% of Gen Z and 32% of millennial consumers in the US already believe digital assistants are simplifying the booking process. Younger travelers crave being in constant communication. As they engage with hotel, airline, and rental car brands, they want to connect, (either with human or bot) at every stage of the process. There are trillions of questions that arise when vacation planning — particularly regarding prices, locations, activities, etc. — and A.I. has the power to address concerns and solve problems quicker than ever before. Companies affiliated with the travel industry must prioritize combining technology with communication this year because by 2020, almost 85% of consumer interactions will come to life through bot conversationalists.

What’s the Appeal? Why AI?
Adding artificial elements to your brand’s site or mobile app will enhance your consumer’s journeys tremendously. Today’s travelers have little time to submit contact forms and wait weeks for responses back – they are preoccupied and impatient, seeking accurate answers in real-time, so being directed from place to place like a pinball is discouraging. With a bot or voice assistant, a consumer knows where to ask a question and trusts that these devices will either (a) give them the answer or (b) direct them to someone who can answer the concern right away. This technology has the power to give your brand a unique voice that is strong, efficient, and entirely consumer-focused. Whether chatbot, mobile trip planning app, (think of Walt Disney World’s My Disney Experience app) or Amazon Alexa voice command, artificial intelligence provides instant connectivity that is accurate and straight-to-the-point. It’s the transparent communication revolution that travelers have been craving for years. Embracing advanced technology will not only enhance the planning process, but the entire vacation itself.

Why Should a Brand Invest?

30% of travelers have used chat platforms to research and solidify trips. Another 60% would be comfortable doing so in the future. Consumer interests aside, technology is advancing and expanding across the globe quickly. Ample voice assistants are being introduced to the public. More chatbot businesses are forming and expanding their reach to companies across all industries. Simply put, sitting out on artificial intelligence is no longer a viable option. As the preferences and expectations of consumers change, so do a brand’s operations and strategies. Investing in A.I. comes at a hefty price, but its power to transform how your company forms relationships with vendors and consumers is undeniable. 40% of travel brands plan to use 2019 to invest in voice technology. By implementing new tech, your company is able to become a top competitor in today’s long awaited, extremely profitable, newly embraced A.I world that is here to stay.

2019 Travel & Tourism Trends: A Digital Marketer’s Programmatic Passport – Part 2

Summer is a little over a month away and digital consumers are just a search, scroll, and click away from taking advantage of the flexibility that the season grants, as many take a break from their day-to-day and book the perfect getaway. As one of the largest industries, projected to reach $2.4 trillion in the next ten years, digital marketers need to ensure they are up-to-date on the latest trends and technologies, especially as consumers continue to utilize online booking capabilities. Nearly half of travelers begin trip planning with a search engine, 30% on social media and 23% watch videos, so utilizing the power of digital advertising and ensuring your brand is front-and-center in the planning process is key. It’s essential for marketers/media planners to understand the different types of travelers, how they are deciding where to go, when they’re booking and how to reach them in order to execute a winning programmatic campaign. So, Digilant has complied an infographic, based on industry research and insights, outlining the answers to all these questions.
Download the infographic here.

Part 2: How and When Travelers Book

In 2015, the average traveler would click through 38 websites before booking a trip. In 2019, that number has dropped to 4.4 websites. As more sites and digital experiences improve, trip planning processes become simplified and streamlined. Consumers are no longer hit with a million different options at once when searching for hotels, destinations, or flights, instead, the use of data has made online searching less complicated with the delivery of targeted links and ads. This simplicity, paired with an increased desire to see and do more, has altered how travelers decide where to go and when. For summer 2019 travelers, expect the following habits as consumers begin to pack and venture elsewhere.

The Booking Process
A majority of summer travelers will be unphased by brand loyalty this year. Only 9% already know what brands they want to book with while others remain unbiased. Travelers, (younger consumers especially) are more concerned about price and convenience. Brand consideration, therefore, will only come into play after an affordable, time convenient option rises to the surface. 60% of US consumers consider an impulse trip based on a good hotel or flight deal. Whether it’s a high-end hotel discount or questionable red-eye flight offer, price assures commitment. This motivation will mean a rise in shorter, last-minute trips across age-groups in 2019.

Additional Influences
A consumer finds an affordable flight one day and they’re on their way to a tropical destination the next. Sure, the price played a part, but what encouraged them to travel in the first place? When it comes to social media, 37% of consumers claim to be influenced by destination-based photos and videos posted by others. Compare that number to the 24% of travelers who are motivated by branded travel ads.  As 97% of millennials post content from their trips on social media, more and more consumers are compelled to make purchases. They rely on the words of others and remain vigilant of trends. With more posts comes more influence and, as a result, more reasons to travel.
Instagram post or travel advertisement, today’s consumers are heavily impacted by visual content. They rank Instagram – a visually powered app  – as one of the most influential platforms for travel-based advertisements. Popularity in photo and video driven apps has quickly made “the image” the most memorable part of any campaign, especially when it’s targeted and uniquely personalized. Investing in appealing, high-quality images has quickly become a necessity when it comes to communicating with today’s consumers. This is especially the case when reaching out to the vacation, digitally minded consumers who will be traveling during the summer of 2019.

2019 Travel & Tourism Trends: A Digital Marketer’s Programmatic Passport – Part 1

Summer is a little over a month away and digital consumers are just a search, scroll, and click away from taking advantage of the flexibility that the season grants, as many take a break from their day-to-day and book the perfect getaway. As one of the largest industries, projected to reach $2.4 trillion in the next ten years, digital marketers need to ensure they are up-to-date on the latest trends and technologies, especially as consumers continue to utilize online booking capabilities. Nearly half of travelers begin trip planning with a search engine, 30% on social media and 23% watch videos, so utilizing the power of digital advertising and ensuring your brand is front-and-center in the planning process is key. It’s essential for marketers/media planners to understand the different types of travelers, how they are deciding where to go, when they’re booking and how to reach them in order to execute a winning programmatic campaign. So, Digilant has complied an infographic, based on industry research and insights, outlining the answers to all these questions.
Download the infographic here.

Part 1: The Different Types of Travelers

People of different generations will be jumping on planes, renting cars, and exploring various areas of the globe this summer for a number of reasons. Whether venturing for business or relaxation, travel consumerism is on the rise. Looking into who is traveling and why, (especially far in advance) can determine how and when your company engages with the right audience. Generations respond to ads in different ways, at different times. To resonate with targets best, consider Digilant’s findings regarding this year’s most impactful groups of travelers:

Who will be traveling in 2019?
The Dominant Force (baby boomers): Those born between 1946 and 1964, will be the dominant group of travelers in 2019. They are projected to go on 4 to 5 trips this year, particularly on longer vacations based around upgraded accommodations. This group puts an emphasis on finding the best hotel rooms, flight arrangements, and dining plans, which explains why they spend 20 to 50% more on trips than any other group. They secure excursions far in advance –  31% already booked 2019 trips by September 2018 – and actively keep tabs on future vacations. They will be traveling internationally this year, (over 40% of international travelers will be going to Europe) and domestically.
The Last Minute Travelers (Millennials): This group is also expected to take 4 to 5 trips in 2019. What’s unique about this group, however, is their universal expertise in planning at the very last minute. They leap at the opportunity to go on authentic, transformative experiences and approach their planning processes in sporadic ways. They’re not just searching for a beautiful destination – they’re searching for a destination chock-full of inspirational activities. And if that comes together a month (or week) in advance, they’ll make it happen. Because of their delayed interest in the thrill, millennials have quickly come to represent $50 billion worth of travel consumerism in the US.

Traveling for the #Gram (Gen Z):  These consumers have a completely different approach to traveling. They’ll be taking around 3 trips this year, many journeying to picturesque locations around the globe. They prioritize aesthetic and are heavily swayed by travel-based images and videos found on social media. 40% prioritize Instagrammability when choosing a destination and 51% want to go somewhere new, especially a place their friends haven’t been to before. The joy in being able to post from a vacation spot before anyone else is what compels them to invest the time and money into traveling elsewhere.
These three groups have unique travel interests, timelines and budgets so clumping them all into one big group of “travelers” is not an effective way to reach and interact with them. Utilizing programmatic tactics that allow you to specifically hone in on your ideal target is essential when determining where to place your media dollars. Interested in learning more about how to properly target different travelers in 2019? Reach out to us here.

Programmatic TV: Don’t Sit Back and Watch This Advertising Opportunity Pass You By

Last night while you were watching your favorite television show and that extremely relevant advertisement popped up was no coincidence. In fact, it’s just an occurrence that’s starting to pop up more and more across MVPDs, (multichannel video programming distributors,) and is all thanks to programmatic marketing techniques. Spending on programmatic television, or the data-driven mode of buying and supplying targeted TV advertisements, continues to grow and is expected to reach a record $4.7 billion in 2020. With it, advertisers spend less, increase accuracy, and enhance data results, thereby influencing digital advertisers to jump on this 2019 trend as soon as possible. These rewards continue to become even more advanced and worthwhile, making the future of television a promising one.

Programmatic TV is the act of buying TV spots or programs with viewers that match criteria set in place by the advertiser. It’s on the rise this year, and its newer subset, addressable TV, follows in suit with bringing about promising results. Unlike programmatic, addressable TV purchases audiences instead of programs and refrains from targeting at the individual level. Instead, matches are made on a household level and bid on in real-time to deliver targeted ads directly to applicable households. US addressable spend is expected to reach $3 billion this year as advertisers become more cognizant of the trend’s rewards. Targeting precision, means of measuring results, and the optimization of revenue are just a few of many to be sought.

Before delving into the realm of programmatic TV, it is important for marketers to understand how it works and how it continues to evolve. It all begins with advertisers using broadcaster’s STBs, (set-top boxes,) to identify specific subsets of consumers. From there, ads are sent via STBs to applicable audiences, (whether through purchased programs or households,) and data is sent back to MVPDs to analyze. This data is based on exposure and makes note of viewing times, viewing channels, and customer account numbers. In 2019, ad tech companies are hoping to standardize this household data as it derives from various live and on-demand programmings. The hope for standardization continues with MVPDs working together to create central organizations for selling addressable inventory. And the pressure is on as more than 70 million households in the US have addressable TV capabilities.

Adoption into programmatic TV means the growth of even more and more targeted videos during the ad breaks of early-morning news programs and late-night movies. This year, as illustrated in our 10 Top 2019 Programmatic Media Buying Trends infographic, programmatic TV ad spending will have a 236% increase from last year. Targeting consumers and reaching them across all platforms is necessary to influence action. Television is no exception as these new developments provide companies with ample opportunities to reach all the right households at all the right times.

2019 Programmatic Media Buying Trends

With a projected $3.8 billion spend on programmatic TV ads this year, there is great opportunity for advertisers to hone in on this trend and master techniques to increase their advertising ROI. US consumers spend nearly six hours a day watching video, television taking a huge chunk of this time. So, as advertisers, mastering the targeting techniques, measurements and optimization of programmatic TV is essential in 2019 and years to come.
Digilant has identified ten programmatic trends that will impact 2019. To read them all you can view our infographic here.

How to Fight Ad Fraud in 2019

In 2016, the Association of National Advertisers published a report chock full of findings that brought media buying transparency to light, highlighting the messy relationship between advertisers and agencies. Three years later, “transparency” remains an industry keyword as agencies push for better relationships with their media partners. However, it isn’t all bad news. Media buyers, publishers and advertisers are working very hard to find solutions to combat the issues regarding ad fraud. And, in the past three years, there has been tremendous effort to find solutions to combat the major issues the ANA brought forward.

What are the types of ad frauds that we are still facing?

  1. Domain Spoofing: Serving ads on a site other than the one provided in a Real Time Bid – or  RTB request.
  2. Bots: Malicious software applications that mirror human browsing such as site visits, clicking on links and watching videos and visiting.
  3. Pixel Stuffing & Ad Stacking: Pixel stuffing occurs when an ad that was designed to appear at 1,024:480 pixels is crammed into a 1:1 pixel square so although the ad is shown on a screen, there is no way a viewer would see it. Ad stacking is placing multiple ads on top of another where only the top one is seen, all the ads are registered as an impression.
  4. Masking URLs: URL masking is often done using an iframe, or a window within a window. Sites that want to mask their URLs place their ads within these iframes, so they still show on the page but point back to another website. Multiple iframes can be layered on top of each other, making it especially tricky to figure out where an ad is live.
  5. Ghost Sites: These are blank pages that are set up and pushed into low quality ad exchanges.
  6. Fraudulent Traffic Brokers: This is someone who promises a publisher increased traffic but uses bots in order to simulate human traffic.

How to Avoid Ad Fraud

When deciding where to allocate advertising dollars, although it seems simple, if a deal seems too good to be true, it most likely is. Don’t focus too much on low CPMs and CPCs, but rather focus on your campaign goal (sales, sign-ups, awareness) and find a partner who can see these goals come to fruition.
Having an open and transparent conversation with your media partner helps to alleviate the threat of ad fraud. However, taking this another step, find a media partner that actively combats ad fraud and ensures that your media dollars are being placed in ideal web settings. At Digilant, we use tactics to prevent ad fraud and partner with other companies who help to fight against ad fraud. These tactics include:

Ads.txt

This is a simple, flexible method for publishers and distributors to clearly state which companies are authorized to use their digital inventory. Companies drop a text file on their website that lists the different companies authorized to sell inventory on their site. This will enable buyers to see which programmatic firms have authorization to sell ad space on specific websites, ensuring validity in their purchase. The upkeep for this process is also simple. Someone will have to monitor additions to an ads.txt list to stay up to date with authorized sellers.

Private Marketplace

Private marketplaces are auctions that are only open to select advertisers through an invitation-only format. Some of these entail only one publisher offering up ad space, while others have a few. Before the auction, buyers and sellers negotiate a deal. Each deal is given a unique ID and advertisers bid on that deal only – inventory that does not meet the deal will not be bid on. This marketplace structure requires more work, however, it is much more transparent.

Digilant can help!

When researching best practices to avoid ad fraud, many sites list things such as: monitoring your campaign closely, knowing your metrics, using trusted ad networks, and increasing data sharing. Although these practices are necessary safeguards to assure that your digital media dollars are yielding optimal ROI, it can be daunting for a marketer to approach alone. Fortunately, there are programmatic partners like Digilant that employ all of these things, relieving marketers from the stress out of constantly monitoring and questioning the efficacy of their digital media campaigns.

So, although ad fraud is still a fight that the digital world is figuring out, solutions are emerging that seek to put an end to the battle. These solutions are already helping to solve the problem and as technology continues to evolve, they will become more advanced and powerful. In the meantime, choosing a partner that you can trust is a great first step to successfully investing your media dollars.

Interested in learning more about the transparent practices that Digilant utilizes as a programmatic partner? Reach out to us here to learn more about our digital media buying solutions and services

2019 Programmatic Media Buying Trends

Fee Transparency has become imperative for ad buyers. Agencies want to work with media buyers that they can trust and communicate effectively with about their campaign goals. Media vendors need to ensure that they inventory is safe and valid, taking the necessary precautions such as using ads.txt and private marketplaces. Agencies should also use caution when choosing a media partner, do research about them and ensure that they are implementing ad fraud prevention tactics. The fight for transparency has been going on for years, however as more companies require valid solutions to the problems, media companies will find solutions to ensure media dollars are not being wasted.

Digilant has identified ten programmatic trends that will impact 2019. To read them all you can view our infographic here.

Marketers Crank Up the Audio Advertising in 2019

It is common to associate programmatic advertising tactics with visual display advertisements. Whether it be a targeted ad on a billboard, a television screen, or a social media app, we have grown accustomed to seeing positioned photo or video campaigns that speak volumes about who we are as consumers and where our interests lie. Programmatic audio will join the messaging lineup this year and become a critical asset when it comes to establishing a holistic digital strategy. As 28% of Americans listen to podcasts monthly and 57% listen to streams every week, it is becoming increasingly evident that consumers can engage with media without staring at phone screens or looking into the darkened abyss of televisions. For consumers, this year is all about listening. For digital advertisers, it’s all about audio.

Investing time and energy into programmatic audio is new for the US, despite the trend’s rapid growth. Though the industry is still evolving when it comes to standardized capabilities, brands are seeing the results of powerful audio advertisements and are eager to learn where they can optimize ads for their own campaigns. In 2018, for instance, 73 million people tuned in monthly to a podcast. Many of these listeners were ‘power users,’ or those who tuned in multiple times a month, and their numbers continue to grow by the year. From 3.3 million in 2013 to 48 million in 2018, these podcast fans are profitable and spend a massive chunk of time “listening” via headphones, car radios, and voice-activated speakers. What’s even more impressive about audio advertising is that the ‘listening experience’ is already a heavily customized one. Consumers engage with podcasts and playlists that reflect their moods, interests, and goals, making audio an incredible outlet for brands to reach buyers in a personal way.


Are Radio and Audio Platforms Going Programmatic?

Spotify is a major contributor when it comes to this year’s audio craze. The app launched programmatic capabilities in 2016 that now make up 20 to 25% of the platform’s revenue. Because of this, and because of being deemed the #1 app to offer podcasts, Spotify continues to transform and expand its targeting capabilities. The service plans to test an ‘audience upload’ feature, for example, that will allow a number of brands to insert their own obtained audience data into the app. This will allow advertisers to filter through some 100 million ad-supported users to reach the strongest, most promising audience possible. The opportunities are ample as Spotify continues to focus more on its podcast offerings. There are already more than 170,000 for users to choose from, but more exclusive podcasts are in store as the app seeks to stand farther and farther apart from competitors.

Pandora, a little late to the audio party, is beginning to make substantial moves in the right direction. The app only began to provide programmatic capabilities last year, but it is already considered Ad Age’s #2 app to offer podcasts. Its reputation became especially attractive with the acquisition of AdsWizz – the industry’s largest programmatic audio exchange – last March for $114 million. This newfound ownership, along with more than 100,000 podcast channels, makes Pandora a valuable outlet to pursue programmatic audio. Its appeal is only enhanced with a Music Genome Project that offers songs and entire channels to users based off of 1,500+ incoming signals.

“Audio is the fastest growing format in digital advertising and the marketplace is rapidly evolving,” said Pandora CEO, Roger Lynch.

2019 Programmatic Media Buying Trends

Programmatic audio is a media channel that will continue to evolve and grow in importance for advertisers as ear time begins to overstep screen time. Rather than copying and pasting standardized messages into podcasts, marketers should be paying attention to this 2019 trend to explore how and where they can programmatically reach audiences with one-of-a-kind introductions. According to eMarketer, those in the US spend around 52 minutes day listening to audio in some shape or form. To reach these users where they’re at, (or, in this case, where they’re listening,) is a necessity as technology continues to advance and more consumers plug in to an audio-filled world that fulfills their needs and wants.

Digilant has identified ten programmatic trends that will impact 2019. To read them all you can view our infographic here.

Digilant Releases New Infographic: 2019 Top Ten Trends for Programmatic Advertising

Visual Guide for 2019 Digital Media Planning

 
Boston, January 31, 2019 —-  Today, Digilant – a programmatic media buying services company – released a Top Programmatic Media Buying Trends of 2019  infographic. The exhibit outlines everything media buyers need to consider when planning media budgets for the year.

In this infographic, Digilant has summarized all of the most important digital advertising trends for 2019 — including voice marketing, shoppable ads and programmatic in-housing — into one easy-to-read page. With the constant evolution of technology in the advertising and media world, it is more critical than ever for advertisers to be aware of current trends, and more importantly, the tactical nuances that will require adaptation in the coming months.  With that backdrop in mind, Digilant’s infographic aims to help media buyers grasp the most important developments in programmatic advertising.

Key 2019 Trends

Today’s consumers are spending more time than ever on personal devices and are invested in their voice assistants, which have quickly become an integral part of our everyday lives. “The voice technology category is evolving rapidly and will affect the digital marketing landscape in a similar way that mobile devices and smartphones did a decade ago—except maybe faster and more pervasively,” says Raquel Rosenthal, CEO of Digilant, global digital media company.

While voice technology is forecast to have a breakout year in 2019, it is just one of ten key trends that Digilant identified in an effort keep clients and partners informed about marketplace developments and be successful in the coming year and beyond.  As a leading programmatic marketing company, Digilant is constantly assessing the media marketplace to understand threats and opportunities, and take advantage of new channels, formats, and categories.

Voice, Digital Out of Home (OOH), Audio and programmatic TV are just of few of the trends included in our analysis.  The top ten programmatic media buying trends for 2019 include:

  1. Prepare to embrace Voice Marketing as a new channel: Over 56 million smart speakers were shipped in 2018.
  2. Programmatic TV is seriously on the rise: eMarketer predicts U.S. advertisers will buy $3.8 billion in programmatic TV ads in 2019.
  3. Advertisers get serious about audio advertising: US people devote an average of 3.6 hours to their mobile device very day and 52 minutes of that is audio.
  4. Shoppable ads are taking off: Snapchatters are 20% more likely to make purchases on a mobile device after engaging with an ad.
  5. Digital Out of Home (DOOH) goes programmatic: 48% of consumers are more willing to click on a banner after being exposed to an DOOH ad.
  6. Media Buyers are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for media optimization: 4 in 10 advertisers are using AI for better audience segmentation and media spend optimization.
  7. Agencies are consolidating their media and DSP partners: Less platforms cuts down on the ad tech tax.
  8. Showing fees is a growing imperative for ad buyers: Agencies are pushing for more transparent relationships.
  9. CMOs want programmatic as a skill in-house: 78% of U.S. digital display ad dollars were bought programmatically in 2018, which is predicted to grow in 2019.
  10. More brands will be bringing their media in-house vs. 2018: 64% of people that took Forrester’s ‘In-House Agency Forum” survey said that they used in-house agencies in 2019.

The digital landscape is evolving at a breakneck pace – marketers of every type are racing to keep up with the latest trends in digital technology. Many trust focused media buying expert to ferret out opportunities, and guard against aggressive upstarts. Digilant’s infographic gives digital advertisers the information they need to help make 2019 a success.

Download the full infographic here.
 
About Digilant
 
Digilant is a programmatic buying company, designed for both agencies and brands. We connect people and technology to create a perfect blend of strategy, insight and efficiency that will elevate any marketing team to find massive success. We also support advertisers who are moving towards programmatic self-sufficiency by aligning with and training them on the right set of programmatic platforms and technologies.

Using MAIA – Marketing, Artificial Intelligence and Analytics – the harmonious combination of machine power and human expertise behind all things DIGILANT, we intelligently navigate massive data sets. MAIA enables marketers to use data as a currency to generate more efficient media buys, make better informed decisions, optimize and drive performance across all digital channels and campaigns.

Digilant is an ispDigital Group Company.  For more information, visit us at www.digilant.com, read our blog or follow us on Twitter @Digilant_US.

2019 Super Bowl Infographic – What Media Buyers Need to Know to Prepare for the Big Game

Your Guide to the 2019 Super Bowl

Over the weekend, the Patriots and Rams claimed their spots in Super Bowl LIII, and now, with the game less than two weeks away, fan will start preparing and planning for the biggest sporting event of the year.  Every year the Super Bowl sparks new conversations and buzz, so, as advertisers and media buyers, planning ahead and tuning in throughout the entire game is essential. It is important to stay up to date on the latest trends, conversations and consumer habits related to the game. Whether in a category directly related to the game or not, the Super Bowl is the perfect time to resonate with fans and join in on the “unofficial national holiday.”   In order to help you prepare for the game, Digilant’s Global Analysts team analyzed last year’s media trends, consumer data, and shopping habits to showcase the biggest trends and appeals of the Super Bowl. We put this all together to help organize your 2019 Super Bowl media and advertising plan.

In this infographic, you’ll learn:

  • How many people watched last year’s game and their motives behind tuning in?
  • How much mid-game television ads cost?
  • The impact the game has on social media?
  • How much consumers spend in preparation for the game?
  • What consumers spend money on – from food to alcohol and even new TVs, people go all out for the game of the year?

Download the COMPLETE SUPER BOWL INSIGHTS INFOGRAPHIC to uncover important insights!

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