Quality audience data is shaping the future of marketing. It’s in the minds of the world’s leading campaign-makers who respect that audiences are made up of human beings who need meaningful connections with brands. It’s a fact made clear by the activity captured in the Eyeota Index on audience data trends within the global programmatic ecosystem, discussed in this piece by, Kevin Tan, CEO, Eyeota (pictured).

In Q1 of this year, demand for audience data continued to rise against a backdrop of slowed overall advertising spend worldwide after the busy Q4 2014 holiday season. Yet, whilst sociodemographic reinstated its position as the data of choice for marketers, underlying this demand was a growing appetite for intelligence that revealed more than broad audience brushstrokes. Increasingly, marketers are valuing both the big picture and human detail afforded by high-quality audience data to achieve their marketing goals.

UK marketers from a cross-section of industries were amongst the leaders of this movement. They're seeking to understand the people behind the statistics and experimenting with the effects of using a mix of data types as the basis for their campaigns. Globally, the trend was highlighted further by the government organisations sector, which rose from obscurity to the top of the Index during a seasonal event driven by niche audience data.

The ever-popular socio

Experimentation may be a key aspect of this Index, but even with changes unfolding, the use of sociodemographic audience data from advertisers remained steadfast across the board. Long the central tenet of above-the-line advertising campaigns, in particular television, this segment has shown it bears equal weight in the programmatic sphere. Marketers from Europe and the UK, to Asia Pacific and the Americas (as well as new users of audience data), purchased more of this readily accessible data (53%) than any other type.

Sociodemographic data is used to gain a general impression of who and where consumers are. This is important, but audience data can also empower marketers to move from creating conversations to joining ones that are already happening. For instance, interest data helps them connect to the people who have shown an active engagement in an advertiser’s products and services and are therefore most open to influence; whereas purchase intent data flags online research conducted by potential customers. The opportunities to capitalise on these insights are significant, and while the popularity of sociodemographic will be hard to shake, the need for wide-ranging audience data to achieve break-through will lead to bolder purchasing decisions in the future.

Data experimentation – the next wave

Marketers and media buyers in the UK are savvy. Their propensity for learning more about the people who connect with their products and services is taking their data enquiries into a range of interesting zones. While sociodemographic still accounted for 69% of all data purchased in Q1, UK advertisers tested the different segments available, including the aforementioned purchase intent and interest, as well as seasonal and B2B – more so this year than in 2014.

Breaking this down by sector, while they all bought a mix of segments, automotive placed the highest premium on targeting data, with luxury vehicle brands seeking high-value in-market users; retailers were the top consumers of interest segments; and travel and leisure drove an increase in B2B spend, as business travellers became the focus of targeted campaigning. This sector also consumed the most sociodemographic data and was the biggest data spender in the UK overall (overtaking automotive).

Data experimentation by the leading advertisers is sophisticated and clever – it shows a grasp of the possibilities afforded by programmatic and a desire for more creative, effective marketing campaigns that put the human element first. The measurable impact of these campaigns will influence the nature and volume of audience data requests and the premiums placed on different segments – again, contributing to the changing landscape of programmatic around the world.

Where big events and quality data meet

Finally, we learned from the Index that high-quality audience data can drive advertising activities during seasonal events in compelling ways. Seasonal events are infrequent or one-off occasions that require a closer understanding of an audience for targeting with a very specific purpose.

Case in point: the UK general election, which contributed to the worldwide government organisations sector reaching the number one spot on our Growth and Price Indexes (respectively measuring sector growth in audience data spend from Q4 to Q1 and the sectors that placed a premium on targeting data in Q1). The election was predicted to be close, and with a key battle for the votes of young educated professionals, party advertisers sought large volumes of premium niche data that enabled them to closely monitor the intentions of this group and hit it with laser-focused messaging. This event should be a model for the opportunities presented by other seasonal activities. Certainly in the US, the 2016 election is expected to be the biggest audience data-driven event to take place yet.

It’s clear from the Index that we are in a new era of audience data usage. A modern and mature form of audience targeting is quickly becoming the norm for marketers looking to spend advertising dollars in new ways. They are advocating an advertising approach that considers consumers as humans and connects with them on that level. With expectations of quality increasing on both sides of the coin, this phenomenon will only gain momentum.