In this exclusive article written for ExchangeWire following ATS Singapore 2022, John McNerney, senior director of platforms APAC, Yahoo, details how flexible and full-funnel marketing can help brands stay ahead in the privacy-first world.

It’s a brave new world out there for brands and marketers. The marketing and advertising landscape is changing rapidly, spurred by massive changes in consumer behaviour, data privacy, and the adoption of new technologies. Discussions with industry leaders at the recent ATS Singapore 2022, where I had the opportunity to speak as part of a panel on embracing omnichannel, have reinforced my belief that our industry is heading the right way - towards a consumer-first strategy that focuses on sustainable value for all, be it consumers, brands, publishers, or technology partners. That has been our focus at Yahoo. We’ve made strong fronts with our suite of identity (and ID-less) solutions, our full-stack omnichannel offering, and partnerships that will build great experiences and accelerate growth.  

Many of those I spoke to at ATS has come to the same conclusion — that it’s high time for brands to understand and cater to the full consumer journey. This entails embracing omnichannel growth through full-funnel marketing.

Here are some insights I’ve gathered on how brands can stay on top of a changing landscape.

Wean off the last-click attribution crack and go full-funnel

The last-click attribution model is addictive and diminishing quickly, so we need to start focusing on what’s effective. In a time where e-commerce has soared, especially in APAC, marketers have focused on the lower funnel, chasing audiences for those last clicks and optimising their campaigns accordingly, especially on social media. Yet, when we’re heading towards the cookieless future and tougher economic conditions, pumping more money into last clicks alone will not suffice, and instead, brands will start to see efficiency drops in the long term when the strategy plateaus.

At a time of market saturation and with consumers expecting more valuable brand experiences, marketers need to see the bigger picture and go full-funnel. Think beyond immediate gains and conversions and also consider brand equity, driving awareness, loyalty, and building a legacy - these are increasingly important to the next generation that buys into experiences, beyond just products and generic ads.

Consumers are bouncing across the web through various channels and devices, whether they’re at home or out and about. A full-funnel, omnichannel approach that understands the entire consumer journey - their online and offline behaviours, what catches their attention and what keeps them with you, how they interact with your brand, and how you fit into their lifestyles -  will allow marketers to make relevant consumer connections across the channel mix.

A full-stack omnichannel DSP lets you manage a unified omnichannel supply of media and gives you a complete picture of your audience and the campaign. This allows you to optimise channels and creatives to drive the best results against your objectives – whether it is awareness and reach, or conversions and engagements.

Don’t go silo - stay interoperable and flexible

The deprecation of third-party cookies and evolving consumer behaviour have worsened the fragmentation of the customer view and journey. In fact, right now, unaddressable audiences are at 30%; in 2024, this will rise upwards to 75%. 

Marketers need to learn how to connect the dots between all these fragments and channels, and do so in a privacy-centric manner. Those that adopt interoperable and flexible solutions will gain an advantage in the cookieless world. While those with first-party data will have a huge advantage, brands must fight the urge to go silo and retreat behind walled gardens, especially as consumers bounce across the web and more become unaddressable.

John McNerney, senior director of platforms APAC, Yahoo

We’ve taken a community garden approach by maintaining interoperability, flexibility, and transparency — ways to win in the cookieless world. At the heart of that is flexibility and collaboration across technology, data, and inventory. The upside for our partners is they can leverage our data, inventory, and technology — or theirs. Our solutions go beyond Yahoo’s iconic suite of brands, enabling them to leverage their own or other publishers’ inventory. From our partnership with Marriott that reaches high-intent travellers around the world to our partnership with Near that combines unique location intelligence data with our direct consumer relationship with nearly 900 million people around the world — our partnerships bring together industry-leading technologies and unprecedented scale that creates a win-win-win outcome for advertisers, publishers, and consumers.

Can I get your attention please?

Personalisation is more important than ever in today's fight for attention. On the back of a highly fragmented advertising and media space, brands will need to overcome banner blindness and the humdrum cycle of social scrolling. 

Even as consumers demand more data privacy, they continue to see the benefits of personalised ads. First-party data and automation can help power personalised creatives across different screens. This will ensure that the strengths of each channel and format are mastered, and audiences are appropriately engaged at each touchpoint in an omnichannel strategy.

The way to win in this new era? Be brave, think omnichannel with a full-funnel strategy. Back that up by adopting interoperable and flexible solutions that reach both ID-based and ID-less audiences, and capture attention through personalisation.