Online ads -- everything other than search -- are the stepchildren of the online marketing boom. Many of us are struggling with each facet of the medium -- sizes, formats, functionality/rich media and creative -- in an attempt to find a way to better connect with prospects and customers in cost efficient ways.
Instinctively we know that display ads in context based on behavioral serving criteria make logical sense. The same instinct signals that something's not quite where it needs to be. That also seems to be the feeling among attendees at iMedia's Agency Summit in Austin. Their real-time answers to statements during a presentation documents the ambivalence for the medium that we are all struggling with.
Here's what they said ...
Online advertising is still semi-nowhere. 54% found some truth in this statement another 10% said its not far from the truth. Anyone who is faced with shaping a campaign gets this queasy feeling when working with display ad formats or concepts. We all know everyone hates banners, pop-ups and pop-unders and while text ads usually yield a positive ROI, they have very little branding value and are entirely forgettable.
Agency Relationships are Decent. 47% say its difficult with room for improvement, 46% say its cooperative but could improve. So the problem isn't that we don't get along.
But Agency Types are Young and Inexperienced. We just want more from the buyers. So say the sellers, 44% of whom say the economics of the agency business mandate young newbies as buyers and 43% say they are trying but have a long way to go. Its a shame nobody asked how young and green the sellers are. So the medium is run day-to-day by young people trying to learn their jobs.
Big Ideas Come from Clients. 52% say agency-media-client cooperation scores with clients. This is a thinly disguised admission that clients are driving the boat feeding the agencies and the publishers what trhey want and how they want it.
We're So-So on Data. In an industry steeped in data, 69% say we are average, 29% say we suck. Is it that surprising that online ads aren't selling or working if the people buying and selling them aren't fluent and confident with the metrics?
Hybrid Metrics Rule. Metric messiness is evidenced by 58% who say they combine campaign and industry metrics to figure out whats going on. This answer sounds good and logical. But its a dodge. People genuinely on top of metrics, the buttoned-up ones who really know how to optimize every penny have ironclad metrics formulas. These are not hybrids; they are absolutes.
Low Confidence in Online Panels. Asked if online panels provide validation and adequate research support, 40% say yes, but just as a starting point. Another 46% say no, they want an alternative. So 8 in 10 practitioners don't rely on online panels as a backstop or as a way to triangulate what really happens online.
Nobody Likes the Last Ad Viewed. 53% say the reigning scoring metric is misleading. 38% say its just a place to start. DM'ers say its the measure of success but 91% of summit attendees don't want to be held to the clicks that result from the last ad viewed. If this doesn't erode your confidence in online advertising, nothing will.
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