2016 has truly shown how dynamic an ecosystem the digital advertising industry is. There have been highs and lows, but it has certainly been memorable. In a series of features reflecting on the past year and looking ahead to what we can expect in 2017, ExchangeWire invite over 100 thought leaders from across the industry to share their views. In the latest instalment of the series, experts deliver their opinions on the future of programmatic and creative.

Multiple data points to tailor creativity

“Those concentrating on the technical side of programmatic still need to remember that successful media and advertising rests on effective creative execution. We’ll start to see programmatic platforms use multiple data points (location, mode of travel, and destination) to tailor creative more effectively, creating truly personalised and contextual messaging. Companies like Cablato are offering hyper-personalised campaigns by tapping into the values and sentiments of every consumer being served an ad. This insight is combined with in-depth data to create relevant ads in real time. The move to programmatic creativity is facilitated by a much more sophisticated understanding of data and how we can interrogate it to gather insights with a view to making the messaging contextually relevant. This could mean using external inputs, such as time and weather, alongside the fact that you’re on a Eurostar to Paris, South West Train coming into Waterloo, or a National Express Coach to a festival to deliver something a passenger can believe in.”

Harjit Badesha, Co-founder, KBH Digital 

The rise in dynamic creative 

"This year, we have seen a consistent use of dynamic creative in display campaigns. Programmatic creative has been a driving force behind this awakened popularity, yet at present it is still operating in a silo. 2017 should see the emergent realisation of the importance of holistic planning, and the launch of a unified dynamic creative campaign strategy that transcends both premium and programmatic buying. The result of this will be a proliferation of dynamic creative across different channels from in-stream video to native executions. More impactful and engaging creative executions for HTML5 will also emerge – especially on mobile and tablet – as coders gain experience in HTML5, and authoring tools become richer and more powerful."

Alex Rahaman, VP Programmatic, Sizmek

Marketers need to break down data & creative barriers

"2017 will be the year of increasing creativity and stepping up the level of customisation available in digital advertising. Data-driven messages which are delivered dynamically and in real time, thanks to increasingly complex logics based on machine learning algorithms, are becoming possible. Programmatic creative will surely be the focus to target audiences in a more sophisticated and personalised way. If it is to truly be successful, marketers need to break down the barriers between data and creative to shake up the process in order for the different areas to work together seamlessly. There has been lots of talk around programmatic creative but 2017 will be the year that we really see it come into play."

Claudia Collu, Chief Commercial Officer, MainAd

The year of image recognition  

"With almost two billion images uploaded to the web every day, the opportunity for brands to start analysing this image-based data and use it to better connect with online audiences has become substantial. It is hardly surprising then that the global image recognition market is set to be worth more than £29bn by 2020; and that companies such as Google, Snapchat, and Facebook have all invested heavily in their own image-recognition capabilities in 2016. Technology has emerged which helps advertisers to take advantage of this trend too, by allowing them to use the wealth of image-based data to create highly engaging and contextually relevant ads in real time, which match the editorial or user-generated image they appear within and feed online audiences’ hunger for image-based content. As 2017 arrives, expect more advertisers to start thinking about how they can develop their own image-recognition strategy to keep up in the race."

Ed Preedy, Managing Director of Europe, GumGum

All talk, limited action

"Data-driven creative was the hot topic at Cannes Lions this year. Expect a lot of noise on this in 2017, but with few live examples actually adding true value. The potential is there, but only a few providers have the technology, talent, and data access to deliver."

Rob Webster, Chief Product Officer, Crimtan

Combining the two to drive better business outcomes

"We’ll see the wall separating creative and programmatic start to come tumbling down. Although there’s an appetite to do something positive, it requires going beyond talking a good game. Industry elements need to forget their differences and start working together to ensure the process of creating and delivering online ads isn’t fundamentally broken in the middle. This requires the mechanics of how ad exchanges assess and potentially deliver ads to be more heavily factored into the process of creating ads, so fewer are rejected and more appear correctly in whatever environment they’re delivered to. Programmatic enables marketers to connect the dots between different forms of consumer behaviour so the end result of joining it up with better creative will be a) improving consumer’s experience with online ads and b) making the process more efficient and effective for advertisers. Thus, delivering on digital’s true potential to deliver better business outcomes for marketers." 

Craig Tuck, UK MD, RadiumOne

Moving past one creative set

"We have reached a point when sending one set of creative for a programmatic campaign is completely irresponsible and unacceptable by today’s standards. We have access to the world’s most sophisticated algorithms and technology, professionals who are well-trained media and creative experts; and yet we’re still working with one set of creatives to tell a story to people with billions of unique personality traits, interests, and desires. This cannot, and should not, happen anymore. Brands that develop multiple creative sets have shown that they are generating a 10x uptick in performance; so I fully expect to see more brands adopting this proven method in 2017."

Charles Cantu, CEO & Founder, Huddled Masses