High-impact advertising has significant creative potential. However, the lack of differentiation between high-impact and standard digital advertising means that it isn't being given the opportunity to shine. Rob Garber (pictured below), managing director, Undertone EMEA tells ExchangeWire how the industry needs to clarify the definitions of high-impact advertising and why it could be so powerful for brands.

Today’s consumers are exposed to roughly 7,000 marketing messages a day, according to Forrester Research. Therefore, as a marketer eager to connect with your audience, you’ll be even more than aware there’s a greater need to create relevant, useful, and high-quality advertising experiences capable of capturing a consumer’s attention in a split second.

Brands need to find a way to break through this perceived clutter. High-impact digital advertising provides this opportunity for today’s marketers. But, with multiple companies now offering high-impact solutions, choosing the correct partner is vital. More about this later.

Let’s start with what high-impact digital advertising means in its purest form: non-standard, scalable, large canvas ad formats with rich media features – formats that have creativity at their core, which can capture a consumer’s attention, build an emotional connection, and drive engagement. Their success depends on a number of factors – the ads must be:

– Highly engaging formats delivered intelligently across multiple screens
– Delivered on certified inventory to ensure they do not break websites
– Have a light file size to ensure they do not interfere with a webpage’s loading time
– Include a high level of universal frequency capping
– Have real-time performance analytics to inform the optimisation of the campaign

What makes high-impact advertising stand out is its huge creative potential. We have worked with brands from across all verticals, including auto and FMCG, to retail, and more – all of which have seized the increased canvas size and interactive options that come with the formats to produce some new and exciting ad experiences for their audiences. For example, we have worked with major auto brands that have incorporated 360 views of car interiors, giving consumers a true-to-life experience.

Rob Garber, MD, Undertone EMEA

Sure enough, high-impact advertising has the potential to drive higher consumer response rates than standard display ads. Research shows that high impact ads have a 40% higher overall likability than standard display and are 78% more likely than standard display ads to make a consumer want to learn more about a product/brand.

Unfortunately, despite the huge potential of high impact-formats, in the wider advertising market, they just aren’t properly differentiated from what’s out there today. We’re in the midst of a transitional period for the industry, and the climate is uncertain – publishers are still experimenting with new formats and brands aren’t sure which ones will work best for them yet. To address that uncertainty, providers should be working harder to clarify their offering and ensure a transparent industry model.

The reputation of the industry could well be at risk from those who attempt to provide a standard advertising solution that doesn’t deliver on a client’s brief and in the worst case disrupts the audience experience – creating yet another example of why ad blockers were installed in the first place. It’s not enough to run a unit that takes over a page – providers need to achieve the criteria listed above to make the customer’s experience a good one.

So, should there be a set definition for a specialised ad format? I believe so. Industry bodies, such as the IAB, should move quickly to update existing definitions to include new, innovative formats. In this way, guidelines, for issues such as viewability, can include allowances for high-impact formats. And this, in turn, will help rather than hamper emerging formats that enter the market. With better unit definitions, marketers will have knowledge on their side and will, therefore, have greater confidence in the market.

What else should buyers be aware of when it comes to matching potential suppliers against the marketing brief? They must understand not only the new metrics aligned to high-impact formats, but also which of these (engagement rate, dwell time, brand hours, and so on) best matches the desired outcome for their campaign. Provider-to-publisher set-up is also an important point: look for providers that can guarantee their formats will deliver the same high-quality execution on each impression – an essential detail to prevent wasted budgets.

While marketers are striving to understand the nuts and bolts of high-impact advertising, I believe that providers must work harder to help make the industry more transparent. It’s a crucial step to protect all parties and something that will help promote greater trust in the digital marketing ecosystem that will benefit all.

One way for the industry to move closer to transparency is to agree a minimum offering from a provider. There should be a commitment to formats that are consumer-sensitive, that won’t break publisher sites, and that will deliver consistent value on every impression. In addition, maintaining a clear understanding of the campaign metrics early in the process ensures that both providers and publishers know their remit and their goals. By setting out realistic expectations all parties are protected; while agreeing to a minimum ad standard helps to ensure an engaging campaign that benefits the consumer.

The rise of new high-impact ad formats represents a gold-rush era of digital marketing – there are brilliant opportunities in the market for brands of all kinds, with more sure to come. However, we must establish the rules, and play by them, to ensure that marketers are willing to experiment and reinvest in new formats. If we can build confidence in the industry through transparency and standardisation, high-impact advertising will enable marketers, providers, and consumers to share in an enhanced digital landscape.