What should be the key considerations for marketers in 2008? Remember it’s not all about the destination, the journey is as important.
In part one of the IAB’s look at the internet New Year stretching out before us, Jack Wallington discussed the impact of the iPhone, internet TV players, usability and how the internet is set to go even more mobile with the expansion of WiFi networks and the introduction of wafer-thin laptops. So what do these developments mean for marketers?
The most obvious thing to be said is that you must at least be aware of the new technology consumers will be using over the coming 18 months. As we may have mentioned once or twice last year, mobile and video are subjects certain to cross your path in 2008 and beyond, so you will need to consider these as part of your marketing mix.
Usability
Jack also outlined how the online success stories of previous years focussed on usability and its ability to bring an idea (not necessarily an original one) to the mass market. Consumers are swarming to usable and accessible internet products - websites or devices – and we are increasingly seeing ads of the same ilk proving successful. It's not just about good creative, it’s about usable, helpful experiences. If you can offer some kind of social currency your ads will be more engaging, more effective and results driven.
Usability isn't easily achievable in advertising, however, because it involves approaching a campaign from an entirely different angle, but good examples of such ads do exist. Just the other day I was perusing the internet at work – on my lunch hour naturally (and I'm about to prove this is true) - when McDonalds popped up in a banner on the left-hand side of the page offering 'buy one get one free Big Macs'. Whilst not normally a fast food fan when sober, I was hungry and the voucher was there for the taking. The campaign had obviously been set to appear only at meal times, it was simple, focussed and extremely usable – print and eat.
Then there are film ads that place the film trailer within a banner ad on entertainment sites - click and view. It's simple and instantly usable. O2 place their current banner ads on relevant pages and include part of an order form within the banner making the ad part of the functionality of the page. It’s useful and removes a step for the consumer.
Widgets
Similarly widgets are considered quite an exciting prospect for online advertisers this year. In advertising terms, a widget is a useful or entertaining branded application or tool, often found on social networking sites, that can be downloaded and add to the online experience. They can be fun, offer you additional or exclusive information or can enable to you to search the web, tag pages or images and share with friends. Numerous examples can be found on Facebook, such as the 'Cities I've visited' application from Tripadvisor, which allows you to present a worldmap on your profile page and mark which cities you've been to. Widgets are user-initiated, and are therefore a great way to reach your target audience on their terms, being entirely permission-based. Social networking sites have typically been a difficult area for advertisers to reach, because they are seen as ‘private’ – widgets are a good way to overcome this difficulty.
In 2008 there should be less of a focus on ‘the destination’. Brands should strive to get all they need to the consumer wherever they are and when they need it. All of the above examples of advertising ask the consumer to do more than just click through to a microsite. They act as a draw rather than a hopeful attempt at grabbing someone’s attention.
The start of a new year always brings with it resolutions and rethinks about the way we go about our personal and professional lives. We are extremely excited to be working for and alongside marketers looking to take their online activity to the next level.
