Written by Anthony Del Gigante
“Dynamic creative advertising” isn’t some passing fad or a meaningless buzzword for an abstract idea. It’s a revolutionary approach to ad campaign development and execution that’s expected to have a major effect on the daily marketing efforts of brands and marketing professionals.
Although the term may not be in the mainstream yet, the concept is already being used by a number of brands. A driving force behind the dynamic creative advertising concept is artificial intelligence, and the approach will only become more prominent with the emergence of increasingly sophisticated AI technology.
But what is dynamic creative advertising? Why is it becoming so important? How is it influenced by AI? What must brands do to succeed at dynamic creative advertising?
A recent eMarketer report compiled information from a number of sources to summarize the current trends in dynamic creative advertising.
After analyzing the research, the branding and creative experts at MDG Advertising came away with answers to five key questions, which every brand should keep in mind when developing a marketing strategy:
1. What’s the definition of dynamic creative advertising? Are brands already using it?
Dynamic creative is an advertising approach that makes it possible to tailor the ads and content to specific groups or people. To put it more simply, dynamic creative advertising means that different individuals are given different content. In order to increase the effectiveness of its messaging, a dynamic creative approach dispenses with the idea of everyone seeing the same ad.
Although they may not realize it, many brands are already utilizing certain components of dynamic creative advertising, such as audience targeting. In reviewing data compiled by industry professionals, including the Winterberry Group, eMarketer (News - Alert) showed that 42 percent of marketing professionals say audience segmentation plays an important role in their existing strategy, 36 percent incorporate email personalization, 26 percent rely on location-based targeting, and 22 percent utilize website personalization and retargeting.
2. Why is dynamic creative advertising receiving such buzz?
The answer lies in the fact that brands and marketing professionals now have access to incredibly powerful digital platforms that place huge amounts of data at their fingertips.
Among the driving forces giving rise to dynamic creative advertising are the programmatic ad tools available on many of today’s platforms. These tools have streamlined the way that ad content is purchased and delivered, and allow brands to target and retarget their content more effectively and efficiently. Marketers also can make use of a wider variety of advertising opportunities to deliver messaging.
3. What’s the role of AI in dynamic creative advertising?
Most marketing professionals and brands are comfortable using information collected through AI to target their advertising in a more subtle way; however, they often neglect to use the information to fine tune the creative aspect of the advertising.
One reason for this is that humans have found it difficult to keep pace with the rapid evolution of digital platforms and the vast amounts of data that they provide. While brands may have endless ways to deliver their message, there’s very little variation in ads. Artificial intelligence not only improves the process—including audience segmentation, campaign modeling, and attribution—it also paves the way for advertisers to generate more and more creative ad options.
Today’s AI has the ability to create scale because it analyzes and learns. Marketers can use it to continually test, rework, and deliver messaging—without the intervention of humans—to make their campaigns more effective. AI also provides marketers with power in the form of information, such as demographics, browsing and purchasing history, and location, that was previously inaccessible.
The influence of AI on digital advertising that we see today may be the tip of the iceberg. The eMarketer report cited data from Econsultancy stating that fewer than half of marketing firms and major brands are using AI to create, segment, or target dynamic creative advertising, but this is beginning to change. Sixty-five percent of senior marketing professionals say that AI systems and data allow them to concentrate more on cross-channel measurement. Forty-five percent engage in programmatic buying for established formats, more than half have incorporated programmatic ad buying for new formats, and 51 percent use AI for audience segmentation.
4. What does it take to engage consumers with the full potential of dynamic creative?
The report from eMarketer answers this question by describing what can happen when multivariate testing and fast-track creative development are integrated into a cohesive campaign:
From wording and graphics to the exact angle of the product image, AI helps marketers determine the effectiveness of hundreds of different creative versions simultaneously. The result is a highly personalized ad designed to reach a certain consumer. In other words, no two consumers will receive the exact same ad, making it more likely that the ad will appeal to the specific individual.
5. How do you create a successful dynamic creative advertising campaign?
Just like any other type of advertising strategy, a dynamic creative campaign requires certain key elements in order to succeed. According to the eMarketer research, the two most important elements for success are the right people and the correct technology.
Since dynamic creative campaigns include so many components, such as creative optimization, segmentation, and targeting, it’s not enough that each technology component works well independently—the individual elements must be flawlessly integrated into a single cohesive system. The same principle applies to the people and organizational teams involved in developing and executing the dynamic creative campaign.
Ultimately, the approach requires the input and collaboration of individuals from different advertising disciplines, including creative development, technology, marketing, and media, who may not be accustomed to working together closely.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Anthony Del Gigante, Chief Creative Officer at MDG Advertising
Anthony Del Gigante is chief creative officer at MDG Advertising, a traditional ad/branding agency made digital, with offices in Boca Raton, Florida and Brooklyn, New York. Over the years, his unique talents in brand strategy, visual identity development, and brand activation have consistently delivered measurable results for a wide range of world-renowned clients, including American Express (News - Alert), Verizon, AbbVie, and Cushman Wakefield. A brand specialist, Anthony leads MDG’s creative development, working with clients to develop creative, strategic, and functional solutions for their brands.
