#Tracking

Do you understand the difference between data and insights? Are you really understanding your data, or do you have surface-level knowledge that can be improved? In an Adweek article by Anastasia Leng, she warns against doing the same thing multiple times without ever “validating if it’s having the intended result.” Leng says many have easy access to metrics without the right tools to differentiate them. Simply put, just because something can be measured doesn’t mean that data should make the decisions for you.

You’re sitting at home, having a conversation with someone about a restaurant or a new piece of clothing you want to buy. Two minutes later, you see an advertisement on your phone for that same exact restaurant or clothing store. How does your phone know what you’re saying? Is there a microphone, constantly listening for buzzwords and then rapidly bringing you ads for those things you talk about? Advertising these days can be pretty advanced, but when you look at life in general, everything is very interconnected.

On Sunday, February 13, 2022, millions will gather in their homes—and at SoFi Stadium in California—to watch one of the greatest sports spectacles around: The Super Bowl. Super Bowl 56 is expected to be a big event, with perhaps more watching at home in lieu of COVID-19/Omicron surges in the past two months. Still, one thing we can all agree on is that the advertisements during the Super Bowl are some of the most creative and funniest to be seen.

Did you know the story of The Tortoise and the Hare is actually an amazing marketing analogy? Most businesses want to be the Hare—speedy and instantaneous. But in the marketing world, where the race is a conversion cycle, the Tortoise wins every time. Why? Because the tortoise is patient, steady, and smart. We’re sharing our best tips for understanding the conversion cycle, what a typical conversion looks like, and how you can feel more confident in your marketing efforts, from first impressions to final clicks.

In 2017, 76% of marketers reported that they currently had or planned to have marketing attribution. Fast forward to today, where that number has only increased, as marketing attribution is a crucial part of any marketing strategy. With attribution being so widely used in one form or another, marketers must use an attribution model that is the right fit for them. A minuscule 22% of marketers believe they’re using the right attribution model, leaving 78% wondering what they should be doing.

In marketing and advertising, we know that the more you know, the more you can optimize and succeed. When it comes to attribution and reporting, knowing the full picture about a potential customer can be the difference between landing a solid conversion and losing a crucial lead. While other OTT & Connected TV marketers claim to provide thorough attribution, what you may not know is that they may not be giving you the whole picture.

From Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (which has 50 million viewers), there is no shortage of big events to watch for this holiday season. A 2020 study from Unruly (interviewing Americans) revealed that during the winter season: 51% planned to watch more TV 58% planned to spend more time on the Internet 34% planned to spend more time playing video games Unruly researcher Nick Woodford added, “With more eyeballs on screens, it’s never been more important for brands to get their holiday campaigns right.

Over the last few years, there have been several changes to how browsers handle first and third-party cookies. And now it looks like it might be time to say goodbye to third-party cookies for good. Yet the largest internet browser, Google Chrome, just announced that it is delaying its rollout of removing cookie tracking from mid 2022 until mid 2023 in an attempt to make sure they get things right.

Too many marketers forget that the ad is only the first impression—known as the “pre-click experience.” Everything that happens after a prospect clicks your ad, or when they visit your website a day, week, or month later is part of the post-click experience, and it’s this stage in the customer journey that has the greatest impact on whether your customer will convert. Understanding how to properly optimize the post-click experience for your customers can be tricky, but don’t worry.

The most important factor when working to improve your return on ad spend is relevance. Brand relevance must be prioritized to succeed in any marketplace, but it’s even more crucial to maintain your pertinence in a market currently experiencing significant swings due to unforeseen events, such as ours. So how can advertisers stay relevant in today’s world? And who determines what is (or is not) relevant anyway? Both questions have the same answer: the consumer.