Tag: Advertising

Singapore – Social media platform TikTok has announced the launch of ‘Search Ads Campaign’, a new campaign type that enables advertisers to connect with high-intent audiences in the moments that matter most for their reach.

‘Search Ads Campaign’ enables sophisticated keyword-based ads which specifically target TikTok’s search results page. From a user experience perspective, the ads are the same, but for advertisers, a whole host of new features and targeting capabilities are now available.

Moreover, with ‘Search Ads Campaign’, brands have full control over how their content appears on the TikTok search results page, ensuring the right creative is served to the right users. This service currently supports both traffic and web conversion objectives, meaning that advertisers can optimise their campaigns for both scale and performance.

“This innovative new campaign type offers brands a unique opportunity to tap into the moments when users are actively exploring content, whether they’re searching intentionally or stumbling upon something new. This allows ads to be served to audiences at key decision moments, using keyword targeting to drive impactful engagement and conversions,” TikTok said in an online blog announcing the service.

With this service, advertisers can now tap into TikTok’s multifaceted search behaviours, where highly motivated users discover content both intentionally and serendipitously. Moreover, with its comprehensive planning tools, advertisers can effectively align their content with the varied search behaviours of TikTok’s users.

As TikTok’s diverse search landscape allows advertisers to connect with audiences across all demographics, and capture demand across a wide variety of interests, ‘Search Ads Campaign offers unparalleled control through keyword targeting, enhanced bidding capabilities, creative flexibility, and comprehensive search budget management, enabling advertisers to target high-intent users with precision.

It is worth noting that the ‘Search Ads Campaign’ begins with the typical search journey with a user clicking the search button at the top of the For You page. From there, they type in a search query, which then yields a series of search results. The ads appear among these search results and can be viewed within the in-feed experience. Once a user clicks on a Search Ad, they are able to continue scrolling through the search results in the order they appear on the page.

“We are excited to continuously innovate the TikTok search experience and deliver more ways for brands to connect and engage with the TikTok community. With Search Ads Campaign, brands now have increased control over their targeting to ensure they show up next to content relevant to their business, product, or service, while providing users with a more personalised ad experience,” TikTok further added.

As of this writing, TikTok’s ‘Search Ads Campaign’ is available in the United States, and testing in other markets.

Singapore – Global web advertising company Taboola has announced an expanded partnership with the international internet business department of Xiaomi, which will allow Xiaomi to utilise Taboola News to power recommendations in new ways across their devices in several markets globally.

Taboola News brings recommendations from Taboola’s large publisher network directly into offerings from mobile carriers and device manufacturers, including smartphone screens and web browsers. 

As part of a long-term partnership with Taboola, Xiaomi will integrate these recommendations on multiple touchpoints within their mobile devices, connecting consumers with relevant and engaging content from publishers.

Moreover, Taboola News creates new opportunities for engagement and revenue for mobile carriers, device manufacturers, publishers, and brands. Carriers and manufacturers use Taboola News to deliver personalised, relevant content to their users from Taboola’s global network of publishers, while tapping into new revenue streams. 

With this, publishers receive increased user traffic at no additional cost and advertisers have more opportunities to tap into Taboola’s massive reader scale to reach the right audiences.

Song Qiang, general manager of international internet business at Xiaomi, said, “Delivering relevant experiences and recommendations to Xiaomi device owners is crucial. Working with Taboola for several years, their company has shown it has a strong foundation in news and recommendations, made up of a large set of outstanding news publishers from all across the world. As we further integrate their recommendations on our devices, we look forward to delivering more value to our users.”

Meanwhile, Adam Singolda, CEO at Taboola, commented, “Xiaomi has proven itself as an iconic mobile brand that consumers trust. With their large user base, Xiaomi devices have become a great medium for millions of consumers to discover news and engage with content, all around the world. We’ve had a long-term partnership with Xiaomi where we’ve mutually grown. And we’ve worked closely with their team to deliver experiences to consumers that keep them engaged, while also providing new ways to monetise.”

Jakarta, Indonesia – Telkom Indonesia, through its Metra Digital Media (MDMedia) subsidiary, has announced the launch of its ‘programmatic advertising platform which will leverage telco data to deliver more targeted digital ads.

The new platform, called ‘AdXelerate,’ is a demand-side platform (DSP) service that enables digital advertisers to buy ads more quickly and automatically match them for optimum placement across multiple publishers.

According to Telkom Indonesia, another advantage of the ‘AdXelerate’ service is the ability to optimise ads directly in real-time and based on performance, thus providing flexibility and efficiency for advertisers. 

In addition, said DSP platform also provides the advantage of a re-targeting process by sharpening the segmentation of the target audience through a big data analytic learning process that can increase conversions according to the advertiser’s expected goals. 

In terms of data security, this platform is designed with the main priority of compliance with privacy regulations that refer to the Personal Data Protection Act.

During the platform’s launch, Arif Prabowo, president director at MDMedia said the platform also benefits by using datasets from Telkom’s fixed and mobile operations.

“This service can help advertisers face modern challenges in today’s digital marketing by analysing insights from diverse telco data. Through the use of AdXelerate, advertisers can provide optimal, effective, and efficient results,” Prabowo said.

Meanwhile, Honesti Basyir, business development director at Telkom Group, commented, “AdXelerate is the result of Telkom Group’s collaboration between MDMedia and Telkomsel which is able to accelerate advertising promotions from customers to be more targeted and efficient through the application of big data analytics.”

London, United Kingdom – Multiple instances of short attentive exposure to an advertisement are more effective at driving brand results than having a single exposure with sustained attention, research by Havas Media Network claims.

According to the study, a viewer’s frequency of exposure to an advertisement can result in an aggregate attentive experience. Even if the viewer pays attention for merely one or two seconds, this number can increase over time and is effective at driving brand awareness. 

While sustaining viewers’ attention through a single advertisement exposure has its merits, multiple ones result in capturing ‘good enough’ attention and consequently in consideration and action intent. 

The research combines Lumen Research’s predictive attention models with Brand Metrics’ studies to generate results. 

“We’ve seen significant progress in the prominence of attention since this relatively nascent discipline was first introduced five years ago. However, while there has been an abundance of scholarship in this area, adoption into media planning and buying has lagged. Our new study with Lumen Research and Brand Metrics bridges this gap, providing actionable insights into the specific attention required to achieve brand metrics, allowing us to implement attention into planning and activation tools like never before,” Jon Waite, global managing director of marketing experience at Havas Media Network London, said.

“Brand Metrics was delighted to provide our brand lift research to this pioneering study of attention and brand metrics. By integrating brand questionnaires directly into publishers, we are able to mirror the different stages of the brand funnel and provide the survey consistency and impression-level viewability data necessary to understand the relationship between predicted attention and brand metrics at scale,” Anders Lithner, chief executive officer at Brand Metrics, said.

London, UK – Nearly one in three campaigns (27%) over the past 18 months have incorporated programmatic digital out-of-home (prDOOH), with this figure expected to increase to an average of 35% in the next 18 months, a recent study by VIOOH revealed. 

The research projects that France, Australia, Germany, and the US will lead in adopting prDOOH, with these markets seeing the biggest rise in campaigns using programmatic digital out-of-home. Globally, prDOOH investment is set to grow by 28% over the next 18 months, with the US, UK, and France each projecting a 29% increase.

Budgets are shifting towards prDOOH, with global marketers projected to boost investment in DOOH by 32% and prDOOH by 28%. Traditional out-of-home (OOH) investment is also expected to grow by 16%. This surge in digital spending highlights a greater adoption of technology-driven solutions in outdoor advertising.

VIOOH’s study found that over a third (37%) of marketers are shifting budgets from other digital channels to prDOOH, marking a 4 percentage point (ppt) increase year-over-year (YoY). When purchased by digital or programmatic teams, prDOOH budgets mainly come from other digital (81%) and traditional channels (79%), highlighting its growing appeal as part of a multi-channel media strategy.

In core markets, prDOOH budgets sourced from DOOH have risen by 16 ppt YoY, increasing from 53% to 69%. As prDOOH adoption grows, more than one-fifth (22%) of advertisers are allocating entirely new budgets to it, with the US and Australia leading the trend at 28% and 27%, respectively. Notably, prDOOH now accounts for a larger share of new advertising budgets in core markets (24%), reflecting a 10 ppt increase year-over-year.

The growth in global prDOOH investment is largely driven by existing adopters, who are more likely to include prDOOH in future media plans (36%), compared to first-time investors (32%). The study suggests that familiarity with prDOOH’s benefits is crucial as marketers increasingly adopt programmatic approaches for out-of-home advertising.

Interestingly, 92% of global respondents view prDOOH as the most innovative media channel, reflecting a 9 ppt YoY in core markets.

This trend is driven by prDOOH’s versatility in supporting various campaign strategies, crucial for both brand-led (85%) and performance-led (91%) objectives. Notably, prDOOH competes with social media (85%) as a leading choice for brand-led campaigns, even surpassing traditional DOOH (80%).

Globally, 81% of respondents are combining direct and programmatic DOOH buys for performance-led campaigns, benefiting from the increased reach and precise measurability of prDOOH. For brand-building, 83% are integrating social media with prDOOH, up 5 percentage points year-over-year in core markets.

In the five core markets, nearly all surveyed marketers (95%) acknowledge the benefits of dynamic creative optimisation (DCO) for prDOOH campaigns. Many are considering, testing, or actively using DCO to boost campaign effectiveness. The main advantages highlighted are creative flexibility (42%), improved relevance (40%), and optimised ad spend (38%).

The real-time adaptability of DCO drives its appeal, particularly in Australia (37%), the US (36%), and the UK (34%). This flexibility enables marketers to quickly respond to trends or events, enhancing the effectiveness of prDOOH campaigns.

On another note, VIOOH’s study also reveals that global advertisers and agencies are increasingly prioritising sustainability in their campaigns. The survey shows that 60% of marketers view sustainability as a key factor when investing in prDOOH.

Marketers in the UK (61%), Australia (65%), France (65%), and Brazil (65%) particularly favour prDOOH for its efficiency and sustainability. Its ability to reduce wasteful impressions by targeting specific audiences or conditions, along with its broad broadcast reach (62% for prDOOH vs. 58% for DOOH and 52% for OOH), enhances its appeal.

The increasing focus on sustainability, now a top-three priority for nearly a third of global marketers (31%), underscores a shift towards eco-conscious marketing practices. prDOOH stands out in this trend due to its clear sustainability advantages.

Jean-Christophe Conti, chief executive officer at VIOOH, said, “Globally marketers increasingly recognise prDOOH’s flexibility, dynamic creative opportunities, and sustainability benefits. We’re confident its growth will continue, and as this report indicates, we anticipate a 28% increase in prDOOH spending over the next 18 months, with significant budgets sourced from existing traditional and digital budgets, as well as entirely new budget allocations.”

Conti added, “The flexibility of programmatic buying has enabled marketers to seamlessly integrate prDOOH into their campaigns as part of broader multi-channel strategies, and we’re looking forward to continuing to drive the evolution of DOOH towards a programmatic, more integrated future in the media landscape.”

Sydney, Australia – Global adtech company PubMatic has announced the launch of a new collaborative approach to supply path optimisation (SPO) for global healthcare company, Haleon which owns healthcare brands such as Advil, Centrum, and Tums.

PubMatic has been selected by Haleon as a preferred supply partner to increase efficiency and streamline access to video, display, and connected TV (CTV) inventory globally, while also making media investments more sustainable. 

Moreover, PubMatic provides transparent bidding technology and actively supports Haleon brands including Advil, Centrum, and Tums through programmatic media buys, thus maximising efficiency and performance.

Since the launch of the original ISBA PwC study in 2020, Haleon has taken a proactive approach to improving supply path transparency. With this new partnership, Haleon benefits from direct access to inventory sources, maximising commercial efficiency, transparency, data-driven insights, and optimisation capabilities. 

In addition, by creating the most direct supply path, this SPO partnership enables the reduction of any carbon emissions related to Haleon’s media investments by directing it towards responsible media while decarbonizing the media supply chain.

Emma Newman, CRO for EMEA at PubMatic, said, “PubMatic is committed to promoting transparency, efficiency and responsible media across the digital advertising landscape, and SPO is a crucial component of achieving that objective. We’re thrilled to bring our SPO capabilities to Haleon, enabling them to make more informed, data-driven decisions about their programmatic ad spend and deliver better outcomes for Haleon’s brands.”

Meanwhile, Brook Minto, global investment director for marketing edge at Haleon Health, commented, “We are on a journey to optimize the quality of our media investments while reducing the carbon footprint of our media buying operations and driving effectiveness. Following initial tests, we identified opportunities to improve by working more closely with the sell-side. We selected PubMatic to remove undesirable inventory that is more than one hop away from the supply source.”

He added, “By creating a global marketplace that enables Haleon’s regional teams to work only with publishers that meet our inventory quality targets, we have been able to significantly increase our media impressions while improving the environmental footprint and effectiveness of our campaigns. This is only made possible because we are directly controlling our media supply chain through PubMatic.”

Singapore – Tech giant Google has introduced confidential matching, a new way to allow advertisers to securely connect their first-party data for measurement and audience solutions. For Google, this marks the first use of confidential computing in its Ads products, and that they plan to bring this privacy enhancing technology to more products over time.

According to Google, the use of confidential computing means added protections for their customers’ information that are secure by default. Other technical assurances include transparency into a product’s code and the ability to receive proof, known as “attestation,” that data is processed as intended.

Moreover, they have also highlighted how technologies like confidential computing, which use special software and hardware known as Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs), unlock new ways for businesses to use their first-party data to reach customers and measure the impact of their digital ad campaigns.

“We’re using this same confidential space technology, which has already received rigorous security reviews from third-party auditors, as the technical foundation in Ads for confidential matching,” Kamal Janardhan, senior director of product management and measurement at Google, said in a recent blog.

Janardhan added, “In line with our privacy principles, we’re committed to making confidential computing and other complementary technologies accessible to everyone. That is why confidential matching will be available at no additional cost to customers.”

Google also stated that they will also share their TEE architecture along with a few open source examples to help others build confidential solutions. Moreover, they will also continue to work alongside others in the ads industry to further adoption of and build standards for this privacy enhancing technology.

With this solution rollout, the confidential matching is now the default for any data connections made for Customer Match including Google Ads Data Manager. For advertisers with very strict data policies, it also means the ability to encrypt the data themselves before it ever leaves its servers.

“In the coming months, we’ll continue to roll out encryption support in confidential matching globally. We also plan to expand our use of confidential matching across more of our advertising solutions. For example, in the next few months enhanced conversions implemented with the Google tag will start rolling out first-party data processed with confidential matching. Processing will happen behind the scenes, without changing how you measure conversions or manage your Google tag,” Janardhan explained.

The confidential matching follows Google’s abandoning plans to sunset third-party cookies, with a large chunk of APAC industry leaders already stating that they are doing their own part to move towards privacy-centric advertising measures. Moreover, this also comes in line with Google’s ongoing antitrust trial by the United States’ Department of Justice over Google’s control on web adtech market.

Singapore – Teads is aiming to redefine travel advertising with its ‘Teads Conversions’ solution, transforming the way travel brands achieve their business goals and engage with consumers in a post-pandemic world.

One of the standout features of Teads is its ability to suggest creatives using generative AI. As part of its ongoing efforts to innovate and enhance capabilities, the company has employed Teads Internal (Beta) tools powered by Generative AI. At Teads, their cutting-edge AI technology empowers clients to streamline their processes and deliver superior outcomes. By integrating advanced AI, Teads aims to stay ahead of the curve, maintaining a competitive edge in the industry. 

This approach enhances creative effectiveness while continuously optimizing top-performing assets through Dynamic Creative Optimisation (DCO). In addition, they provide detailed reports and insights that allow clients to track campaign performance and make data-driven decisions. Its consultative team offers support throughout the entire partnership, ensuring success every step of the way.

It is worth noting that Teads launched its Conversions solution as part of its Performance suite in 2023 . Having conducted over 260 campaigns (measured as opportunities with won & with spend) in the past year, Teads has supported clients engaged in direct e-commerce across 26 countries, optimising for objectives such as quality leads, purchases, and subscriptions on direct-to-consumer websites. 

Teads’ roadmap includes plans to export support of objectives on web and mobile platforms this year, delivering stronger results and increased efficiency through automation.

In terms of the overall trend in travel advertising, key markets such as Singapore, Australia, and Hong Kong have seen a substantial rise in media investment. Brands across various industries, including airlines, hotel chains, tourism boards, theme parks, and zoos, are doubling down on their advertising efforts. 

Moreover, the primary goals for brands are to boost brand awareness and, more importantly, achieve aggressive business objectives that were hindered during the pandemic. To accomplish this, they aim to make their media efforts more accountable by focusing on driving quality visits and conversions.

Data notes that compared to pre-COVID levels, the number of individuals planning to purchase an overseas vacation in the next 3-6 months increased by 11%, from 19% in 2019 to 21% in 2023. Similarly, those planning to purchase travel tickets in the next 3-6 months have increased by 13%, from 24% in 2020 to 39% in 2023.

Moreover, despite slow post-pandemic recovery and challenging economic conditions, airline brand Cathay Pacific have achieved significant business success with Teads’ Conversions. Cathay Pacific has credited Teads with significantly boosting flight bookings in key markets such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia.

Vivian Chan, head of marketing communications at Cathay Pacific, said, “Collaborating with Teads on our digital advertising campaigns has revolutionized our business growth beyond traditional ad networks. Their expertise and strategic use of Teads Conversions have greatly enhanced our online presence and driven us to new booking heights in the highly competitive travel industry.”

She added, “Since day one, the Teads team took precious time to understand our unique business needs, target audience, and aggressive goals. They crafted a tailored strategy that perfectly aligned with our objectives, ensuring maximum ROI while maintaining high brand safety within a quality environment.”

Advertising company Taboola has announced that Maximize Conversions, an AI-powered bidding technology, is now open to all advertisers.

Previously accessible to Taboola advertisers, Maximize Conversions has been leveraging Taboola’s conversion tracking methods and tools to enable efficient AI-driven campaign management while eliminating complexities such as manual optimisation. With Maximize Conversions now being accessible to all, the bidding process of any advertiser’s campaign can be automated. 

“We’re continuing to make it easier for advertisers to succeed on Taboola. The massive adoption we’re seeing from Max Conversions makes it clear that advertisers like the tech, and most importantly it works for driving results for performance campaigns,” Adam Singolda, chief executive officer and founder of Taboola, said. 

“We’re seeing 70% of advertisers use it, and keep using it. Today, we’re giving thousands more advertisers the ability to tap into this AI-powered technology,” Singolda added.

‘Maximize Conversions’ is increasingly being adopted by various brands, including Hyundai, ERGO, Leica Camera, Sonova, Peugeot Turkey, and Opel Turkey.

Contextual advertising might be considered a modern phenomenon, but it is one of the oldest tricks in a marketer’s playbook. From advertisements for cold cream in early women’s journals to the first-ever car advertisement in Scientific American, contextual placement has long played a key role in enticing prospective customers. 

Today, however, the media environment is considerably more sophisticated, and capitalising on the e-commerce boom of recent years calls for a strategy that meets customers in the right place and in the right mindset.

There’s no questioning the value of the prize on offer. E-commerce presents an immeasurable opportunity for Asia Pacific’s marketing community, with an estimated market size of US$4.2 trillion in 2024. This is expected to reach US$6.76 trillion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 10% over the next five years. 

In the past, brands looking to ramp up e-commerce sales, either on their own platforms or via digital marketplaces, had limited advertising options. Banner ads and pop-ups were commonplace, often appearing in inappropriate places and completely out of context, much to browsers’ frustration. 

Now, with heightened consumer expectations and growing awareness around data privacy, the playing field looks very different. With Google’s sunsetting of the cookie progressing at a glacial pace, context-based marketing has emerged as the clear cut privacy-friendly alternative to previous data-intensive strategies.

Why context is king in today’s digital advertising realm

In a vast market like APAC, context matters deeply. As home to a wide range of people, ethnicities and cultures, not to mention 60% of the world’s population, APAC poses both an exciting and challenging landscape for e-commerce brands. 

In order to be successful in this space, marketers need to thoroughly understand their target audience’s preferences, interests and passions. By delving into the consumer’s psyche and emotional drivers at precise moments, and assessing the advertising creative that cuts through with specific audiences, brands can deliver highly relevant ads. 

Correspondingly, consumers are increasingly demanding personalised experiences. But even without access to device IDs and third-party cookies, marketers can still deliver hyper-personalised experiences by curating creative that matches the page content (or video) the user is viewing. 

Cutting edge technology to deliver highly relevant e-commerce ad creative

AI-powered contextual advertising is undoubtedly one of the biggest game-changers across the digital landscape of recent years. With fast-advancing innovations in contextual platform capabilities, buyers now have a new and compelling opportunity presented to them.

Given the seemingly infinite number of pages and users on offer, it’s these AI-powered platforms that are best poised to deliver business’s commercial objectives at the necessary scale.

But what exactly should e-commerce-focused marketers be looking for? In essence, the ability to forensically delve into context is what will separate the best from the rest. The most innovative platforms now offer not just in-depth keyword search analysis, but rigorous web page and video analysis that ranks thousands of pieces of creative at speed. 

Then, combining all these data points, standout platforms will match ad creative with high-attention online inventory, giving each placement a greatly increased chance of successfully driving conversions.

That’s why it’s essential to have the right platform partner: to gain a serious analytical leg up, while also having a compelling case to reach relevant publishers. 

Successful partnerships between marketers and publishers are those that create a win-win situation. Publishers can benefit from advanced contextual advertising to increase monetisation opportunities, while advertisers can be assured that their creative is appearing alongside content that is suitable for their brands.

In a cookieless and privacy-conscious world, e-commerce brands require new ways to deliver targeted ads to consumers digitally. Contextual advertising, in many ways, may be as old as the industry itself, but it has rapidly risen to meet the demands of the modern age. With advanced advertising platforms as partners, marketers can seize on the billion-dollar opportunity presented, while also delivering ad creative that is the perfect match for today’s privacy-focused consumer.

This thought leadership is written by Sorrel Kesby, Head of Global Commercial Operations at GumGum