Tag: Advertising

At the intersection of technological innovation and evolving consumer behaviours, 2024 is set to be a dynamic year marked by transformative trends that will shape the retail media and advertising landscape.  From free ad streaming TV’s (FAST) exponential growth to the impact of AI in advertising, Let’s take a look at some strategic shifts poised to define the year ahead in an interview with experts from Nexxen. 

 “FAST” growth

For Tanja Williams, director of client success at Nexxen, as media consumptions continue to evolve we expect to see the momentum of connected TV (CTV) viewership continue. 

“Advertisers will spend more time and resources understanding what their audiences are watching in this fragmented space. We will see increased investment in CTV advertising, especially in the free (and ad-funded) services as the economic situation forces people to evaluate their expenditures and the Hollywood strikes affect new programming being produced,” she says.

She added, “Free Ad streaming TV (FAST) services will continue to grow exponentially as users see the benefits in niche channels, as well as their savings. We expect that these services will also evolve in 2024, engaging users and keeping them coming back. Advertisers will see the benefits by leveraging programmatic and data-driven targeting and converged insights.”

AI to significantly impact the scope of advertising in 2024

Meanwhile, Jay Kim, director of analytics and platform solutions for APAC at Nexxen said that AI will have significant impacts on the scope of advertising in 2024. “But we should specifically focus on AI Modelling, which we’ll be utilising quite heavily next year across our VIDAA ACR data activation and measurement,” he explains. He identifies three key AI trends impacting retail media:

  • Personalisation at Scale: AI algorithms excel at processing large data sets to identify patterns and preferences among consumers. By 2024, these algorithms will have become more sophisticated, allowing for even more granular and personalised advertising experiences without manual segmentation.
  • Predictive Analytics: AI’s predictive capabilities are expected to improve, allowing businesses to anticipate consumer needs and trends more accurately. Advertisers could leverage these insights to target users with the right message at the right time, potentially even before the consumer has fully recognised their own needs.
  • Predictive analysis and AI data modelling are advanced techniques that leverage statistical algorithms and machine learning to identify the likelihood of future outcomes based on historical data. They are critical in various sectors, including digital advertising, where they can forecast trends, user behaviour and the impact of different advertising strategies. 

“Furthermore, attention measurement in digital advertising is a critical aspect of understanding the effectiveness of ads,” he says. “By 2024, the methods and technologies to measure attention are likely to have advanced significantly, incorporating more sophisticated data analytics, biometric measures and AI-driven insights.”

Location-based targeting for retail media

According to Andrew Dixon, vice president of sales for APAC at Nexxen, several key trends are shaping the future of location targeting for retail media.

“As location-targeting technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more innovative and effective ways to reach consumers with relevant advertising. Nexxen Locate helps brands to drive sales by using geo and hyper-local targeting,” he explains.

Below is an example of how Nexxen’s location targeting is being used in retail media:

  • Omnichannel targeting: Location targeting is becoming increasingly integrated with other marketing channels, such as social media and email marketing. This allows brands to create seamless and personalised experiences for their customers across all channels.
  • Increased use of first-party data: Retailers are collecting more and more data about their customers, including their purchase history, location data, and browsing behaviour. This data can be used to target ads with greater precision and relevance.
  • Use of AI: AI is being used to develop more sophisticated location-targeting algorithms that can identify patterns and trends in data. This can help brands target their ads more effectively and reach a wider audience.
  • Geofencing combined with contextual targeting: This powerhouse duo not only refines the precision of advertising but also creates a dynamic interplay between location and consumer context. By seamlessly merging real-time adaptability, hyper-local engagement and insightful foot traffic analytics, a geofencing strategy ensures that each interaction is not just targeted but tailored to the nuanced preferences and behaviours of its audience. It’s more than advertising; it’s about creating personalised, memorable experiences that resonate with customers wherever they are.

Interoperable identity solution 

Janice Chan, director and vice president of platform and client services for APAC at Nexxen reveals ehile the deprecation of third-party cookies is a tired topic, it will remain a significant talking point in the coming year. 

“Google has outlined its plans to migrate 1 per cent of Chrome users to the Privacy Sandbox, disabling the third-party cookies for this segment starting early 2024. The full deprecation is scheduled to conclude in the latter half of 2024, marking a pivotal moment for the industry,” she explains.

“However, thanks to Google extending the cookie deadline multiple times since early 2022, the majority of market players have developed more integrated identity solutions over the past few years, reducing their reliance on third-party cookies.”

In 2024, Chan anticipates there will also be stronger asks in the market for higher interoperability between different identity solutions, on both the demand and supply sides, to enable more seamless audience planning, activation and measurement across different mediums. 

“However, there is still a long way to go for a truly interoperable identity ecosystem, especially with the rise of CTV and walled gardens. As identity solutions gain more traction, advertisers will start demanding a more interoperable identity solution to understand, share, activate and measure audiences in a unified approach, helping to unlock the full benefits of cross-channel advertising,” she adds. 

“Apart from enriching and advancing the use of first-party activation via identity partners, contextual targeting will stay as one of the most popular tactics for brands to engage with audiences on the right content at the right time. Contextual targeting also has a lower activation barrier since it doesn’t rely on cookies and can deliver strong performance with cost efficiency.”

Growing reliance on ACR 

For Josif Zanich, managing director for JAPAC at Nexxen, as 2024 approaches, Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) is poised to become a pivotal tool across the dynamic Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.

“ The scarcity of ACR data at scale has made it challenging for brands to truly understand how users interact with their Smart TVs and associated apps. However, ACR technology steps in as a catalyst, providing a wealth of insights that were previously elusive,” he says.

“Furthermore, by leveraging its sophisticated content recognition capabilities, ACR not only bridges the data gap but also adds valuable colour and depth to planning, buying and analysis at scale. As we move forward, we anticipate a growing reliance on ACR in the APAC region, not as a replacement but as a complementary tool that enriches the planning and buying processes.”

The ad server evolution in CTV and BVOD environments

Lastly, Adam Hunt, vice president of partnerships and business development for JAPAC at Nexxen reveals as the gap between streaming and linear audiences closes, publishers are placing increased importance on ensuring their tech stacks are set up to perform with the inevitable demands of a streaming-first future. 

“One of the main areas of focus is ad serving, as the “broadcast quality” experience that BVOD publishers strive for becomes increasingly important to manage effectively with more eyeballs. The ability to monetise these digital audiences through advertising remains a key component for success for all broadcasters, which is expected to grow in importance as streaming audience share continues to shift,” he says.

“Many CTV publishers are choosing to test and onboard secondary ad servers that have been purpose-built with the demands of CTV ad serving at the core of their functionality, best achieving the linear viewing experience for their audiences and maximising programmatic revenue through unified auctions.”

“Unified auctions that allow multiple demand sources to compete simultaneously for the same ad slot, ensure back-to-backs and competitor clashes are avoided, as well as lower page latency, higher inventory yield and increased fill rates. Combined with growing advertiser sentiment towards programmatic and an increase in CTV ad inventory, the role of programmatic is expected to gain a crucial role in monetising CTV and BVOD environments.”

The insight is published as part of MARKETECH APAC’s thought leadership series under What’s NEXT 2023-2024. What’s NEXT 2023-2024 is a multi-platform industry initiative which features marketing and industry leaders in APAC sharing their marketing insights and predictions for the upcoming year.

New Delhi, India – Advertising agency Cheil India has recently announced its latest significant business win with Indian fashion-led hypermarket Vishal Mega Mart with a mandate to focus on integrated advertising and marketing solutions.

This expansive partnership comes at a pivotal juncture where the agency is poised to grow its roster of clients through its assortment of creative, media, data, activation, and retail capabilities.

Talking about the partnership, Hanish Batra, head of marketing, Vishal Mega Mart, said, “We look forward to our association with Cheil India and a great partnership in our ambition of making aspirations affordable for our customers.”

Meanwhile, Neeraj Bassi, chief growth officer, Cheil India, commented, “Vishal Mega Mart is a retail powerhouse enabling consumers to experience high end fashion across India. We are elated to partner with them in their quest to make fashion accessible to masses.”

“We are eager to create a benchmark creating work that sets a new standard for the fashion retail industry. This partnership will mark our foray into managing retail clients, which is a dynamic category in itself,” he added. 

Queensland, Australia – In a bid to reduce the risk of skin cancer across the state, Queensland Health has partnered up with advertising agency CHEP Network to launch the latest sun safety campaign, with a twist that definitely generates awareness. 

The campaign has been crafted to resemble a horror film starring Queensland’s sneakiest killer – the sun, with a series of trailers and promotional posters telling audiences that the sun can also be a cause of something terrifying.  

Utilising well-known horror tropes including a spooky young girl, a foreboding elderly lady, a bathroom mirror scene and lots of screaming, the campaign is aiming to engage 18-34 year olds across the State to better protect themselves from the sun’s damaging UV radiation as this age group, melanoma is the most diagnosed cancer.

The campaign tagline ‘You do the 5. You Survive’, aims to educate young Queenslanders how to be safe in the sun by adopting the slip, slop, slap, seek shade and slide on sunglasses advice that is crucial in protecting your skin from the sun, and reducing your risk of skin cancer.

Talking about the campaign, Phil Shearer, executive creative director at CHEP Network Brisbane, said, “Our audience know they need to be sun safe. Unfortunately they’re not putting that into action in their daily behaviour. It’s scary. We knew we had to do something different to engage a notoriously difficult audience.”

“To properly get their attention, we made some scary film trailers to get under their advertising radars and remind them that the sun can actually kill,” he added.

The campaign launches today across online video and audio, social media and a range of out-of-home placements.

Singapore – Online advertising has continued to grow despite the challenging economic conditions, reaching $3.732b for the Q3 2023, according to data which was drawn from the IAB Australia Online Advertising Expenditure Report (OAER) prepared by PwC, showing how online advertising increased by 7.8% year-on-year and 2.1% over the preceding quarter.

Specifically, the data suggests that total expenditure by category in Q3 2023 quarter was $1.630b for search and directories, $1.451b for general display and $649.2m for classifieds. 

Furthermore, general display advertising increased 2.7% over the June 2023 quarter and 8% year-on-year from the September 2022 quarter. Search and directories also softened by 1.6% from June 2023 but increased 10.6% year-on-year from September 2022.

Within general display advertising, audio advertising expenditure recorded no growth quarter over the June quarter reaching $68m for the September quarter, but it increased 16.2% year-on-year from September 2022. Video advertising recorded a 5% growth quarter-on-quarter to reach $968.1m for the September quarter and 15% growth year-on-year from September 2022.

Additionally, the retail, automotive, and health & beauty sectors all reported strong growth in Q3 2023, with retail reaching 17.1% share of general display advertising, automotive increasing to 15.4% and health and beauty reaching 7.9%. Finance (8.7%) and FMCG (5.7%) remain in the top five industry categories for expenditure.

Lastly, connected TV continues to yield the greatest share of content publisher’s video inventory investment, increasing from 45% in Q2 2023 to 54% in Q3 2023 buoyed in part by Women’s Football World Cup activity. Desktop reduced from 38% to 25% in the same period, while mobile investment increased from 17% to 21%.

Talking about these results, Gai Le Roy, CEO of IAB Australia, commented, “It is encouraging to see marketers continue to invest in advertising to drive growth. However, investment in different media environments was not universal and the market was tough for many organisations.” 

“Retail continues to be the number one advertiser category with investment from local and global retailers. It is also pleasing to see the uplift in automotive advertising with the share of spend in the general display category above 15% for the first time since September 2020,” she added.

UAE – Location Media Xchange (LMX), the enterprise software provider for out-of-home (OOH) media owners, has announced its partnership with UAE-based digital-out-of-home (DOOH) advertising company BackLite Media to offer advertisers access to a more expanded inventory.

Through this collaboration, advertisers can leverage BackLite Media’s comprehensive DOOH inventory while also capitalising on the benefits of programmatic buying and the streamlined workflow integration of LMX.

BackLite Media offers premium DOOH media opportunities across a wide range of settings in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, including bustling highways like Sheikh Zayed Road and upscale malls and destinations.

LMX will seamlessly connect its supply-side platform (SSP) into BackLite Media’s dynamic DOOH inventory to give advertisers streamlined access to an extensive audience across the UAE.

With the integration of both platforms, advertisers can now seamlessly tap into this extensive inventory through their DSPs with a variety of programmatic buying options, including open auction, programmatic guaranteed, and private marketplace deals.

BackLite Media and Moving Walls herald a new chapter in programmatic OOH media evolution in the UAE. As the partnership gains momentum, it stands poised to contribute to the continued evolution of programmatic advertising in the UAE market.

Sean Gadsby, head of programmatic at BackLite Media, said, “This new partnership has further opened up our Programmatic inventory to the rest of the world. With over 200+ screens available in our Programmatic network and more significant expansion planned for 2024, it is the ideal time to partner with Moving Walls. Moving Walls has a depth of experience in the Programmatic DOOH space, and we look forward to working closely with them to develop the market here in the UAE.”

He added, “I have met with Srikanth and the wider team at multiple industry gatherings across the globe, and we are delighted to finally make our partnership official. The future looks bright for Programmatic DOOH in our region.”

Commenting on the partnership, Srikanth Ramachandran, founder and group CEO at Moving Walls, also shared, “BackLite is well known as one of the most premium DOOH providers not just in the region but globally. This partnership makes it easier for global and regional advertisers to advertise on some of their iconic media assets in the UAE.”  

Mumbai, India – The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has released its half-year report on complaints on the local Indian advertising scene, and has noted that healthcare emerged as the most violative sector, constituting 21% of all processed ads, followed by classical education and personal care at 18% each.

The report shows a 34% increase in complaints (4491) processed, coupled with a corresponding 27% rise in the number of ads processed (3501).

Moreover, Out of 3,501 ads processed, 564 (16%) were flagged as potential direct violations of the law, which represents a 22% increase over the previous year. 35% of the total ads processed were not contested and were promptly withdrawn or modified. 

A further 47% of ads were found violative of the ASCI Code and the advertisements were recommended to be withdrawn or modified. Only 2% of complaints were dismissed.

Meanwhile, of the 3,501 complaints processed, digital media remained the primary source of violations at 79%. Print media and television contributed 17% and 3%, respectively, while other mediums accounted for 2% of the reported violations.

Lastly, consumer complaints comprised 21.3% of the total complaints, indicating significant public engagement in upholding advertising standards. 75.4% of complaints were initiated suomotu by ASCI.

It is also worth noting that in the digital advertising sphere, influencers contributed to 22% of total ads complained against at ASCI. 99.4% of advertisements processed for influencer guidelines were found to be in violation. ASCI received compliance with its recommendations in 92% of influencer cases taken up v/s 86% in previous years, signalling greater compliance with ASCI’s CCC recommendations.

Manisha Kapoor, CEO and secretary-general at ASCI said, “ASCI remains committed to addressing the challenges posed by digital advertising. All stakeholders need to come together to tackle the issue of online safety of consumers given that they spend high amounts of time there, and where there is a proliferation of objectionable advertising.”

She added, “Our constant vigilance of the online space helps call out the advertisements and brands that violate the ASCI code requiring ads to be truthful, decent and safe. We hope that the various sectors recognise the breaches and commit to more responsible advertising.”

Manila, Philippines – Following the recent launch of their agency, Filipino indie agency Leron Leron Sinta has debuted its first agency film–and in true hilarious fashion features a tirade of various ad industry cliches most are familiar with now.

The film features local content creator Armando Loko as he wanders through the streets holding cardboard signs that pose clever questions about advertising tropes. In the film, he approaches people in wet markets, jeepneys, and parks to ask them these thought-provoking questions but none of the people seem to have a clear-cut answer. 

In the film, Armando spewed questions to the public like, ‘Why do commercials show menstruation blood in blue color?’, ‘Why isn’t there an ad for rice?’, and ‘Why are little people not shown in ads?’.

The film, and its other versions, garnered millions of organic views on TikTok without any paid media spend.

According to Dionie Tañada, co-founder and creative partner at Leron Leron Sinta, the partnership between Leron Leron Sinta and Armando Loko is a testament to the agency’s capability and commitment of championing the masses and Pinoy grassroots creativity.

In a previous exclusive interview with MARKETECH APAC, the agency noted that their roots of being catered to the masses is what makes them unique in contrast to other agencies.

“We’re the only agency that’s 100% founded by people with an attitude and perspective that came from the grassroots, streets, and rural settings. We’re masa, and we’re proud of it,” they explained, further adding, “Leron Leron Sinta specializes in work that is ‘pang-masa’ (for the masses) and is anchored on creative ideas that help businesses sell and grow,” they stated.

Australia – Kantar has announced the launch of its new proprietary attention framework. Marrying Kantar’s decades of creative evaluation expertise with the latest technology, the approach uses facial coding to uncover how well advertising content captures the attention of viewers on a second-by-second basis, an essential tool in marketers’ arsenal.

Part of the expansion of Kantar’s creative testing portfolio, the new attention framework gives advertisers a summary of an ad’s ability to capture viewers’ attention, gain a comparison to norms, and access a second-by-second trace to diagnose where attention is retained and lost.

The norms and benchmarks for this new framework are built using Kantar’s expertise in measuring attention and database of 50,000 attention ad tests. The attention framework uncovers whether people pay attention to ads in different media contexts and what creative strengths drive attention, giving advertisers the insights that they need to optimise their ad to improve its ability to engage viewers. 

Said framework is available in LINK+, Kantar’s automated, self-serve or serviced solution for testing and evaluating creative; and Context Lab, Kantar’s digital media optimisation solution.

As part of the newly-launched framework, Kantar is deploying significantly improved attention measurement. The upgraded facial coding technology now includes gaze monitoring components making it more accurate. Advertisers receive measures of both active and passive attention, giving them richer and deeper understanding of how their ads will perform in context. 

Ted Prince, global chief product officer at Kantar, said, “The race for attention is one of the defining challenges of our time for modern marketers. How to capture the attention of viewers amid the myriad of distractions is something that keeps many awake at night. At Kantar, we are using the latest technology in combination with our decades of expertise to tackle these thorny questions.”

He added, “With digital ad spend continuing to rise, it is key that marketers understand how their creative will perform in digital channels. The era of repurposing a TV ad and hoping for the best is over.”

Meanwhile, Sharon Hilton, head of media at Kantar Australia, commented, Attention is a big topic of conversation in Australia as local marketers continue to grapple with ensuring that campaigns cut through.”

She added, “Our 2023 Australian Media Reactions study found that the attention economy was in the top three list of priorities for marketers in 2024 with 41% stating it was a key priority. Almost half of marketers say that attention is an important industry debate (47%) and nearly three in five said that channels where consumers pay more attention was the key factor influencing how to allocate media budget (58%).”

Lastly, Irene Joshy, head of creative at Kantar Australia, stated, “The content maze that we live in has amplified the problem of ‘selective’ attention. Selective attention impacts creative effectiveness adversely. To help marketers navigate this, the development of this new attention metric built into in-context digital testing is revolutionising the way that we measure the relationship between playback, attention and engagement to drive stronger digital ROMI.”

Singapore – Global brand suitability and contextual advertising platform Channel Factory has strengthened their APAC operations, recently appointing Kevin Rooney to managing director for Southeast Asia and India, and Kriti Jetley to head of sales SEA.

In their new roles, Rooney will be assuming overall responsibility for SEA and India and collaborate with other APAC leaders, whilst Jetley will be instrumental in driving Channel Factory’s sales efforts and building on key client relationships in the SEA region. 

With an impressive career spanning over 20 years, Rooney brings extensive expertise in sales, leadership and marketing, having over 19 years across WPP agencies with his former role being APAC CEO for mSix and Partners. His notable achievements include winning Campaign’s New Business Team of the Year and setting two ‘R3 new business leagues’ records.

On the other hand, Jetley brings with her 14 years of experience in the dynamic digital landscape of the Asia-Pacific region. Most recently Head of Product Marketing at TikTok SEA, she has also held senior sales roles at Criteo and Outbrain, bringing with her an extensive knowledge of the digital ecosystem. 

Speaking on his appointment, Rooney said, “I am honoured to join Channel Factory as Managing Director for Southeast Asia and India, and I look forward to driving the company’s growth in these vibrant markets. Channel Factory’s commitment to transforming the media landscape through brand suitability and advanced technology aligns perfectly with my passion for innovation and business development.”

Speaking on her appointment as well, Jetley also mentioned, “I am proud to now be a part of Channel Factory, a company that is at the forefront of revolutionising brand suitability by aligning content seamlessly with advertisers’ needs.”

“In the era of burgeoning User-Generated Content, reaching in-target audiences at scale has become a challenge for brands and the demand for effective brand suitability solutions has never been more critical. I am thrilled to extend my expertise across the digital landscape and contribute to Channel Factory’s mission in this regard,” she added. 

Meanwhile, Alex Littlejohn, managing director of APAC at Channel Factory, commented, “We are delighted to welcome Kevin and Kriti to the Channel Factory team. Their wealth of media and industry experience will contribute significantly to our growth in the APAC region, and we look forward to achieving great success with this robust team.”

Singapore – The Land Transport Authority (LTA) in Singapore has awarded to Stellar Experience its road assets advertising operator (AO) tender, effective for 10 years starting from January 1, 2024.

Through the tender, Stellar Experience will be managing and operating the advertising spaces at LTA-owned bus and taxi shelters as well as designated pedestrian infrastructure, with an option to extend for another six years.

LTA has been appointing AOs to manage the advertising spaces, as well as the general maintenance (such as cleaning) of bus and taxi shelters since 1999. This approach allows LTA to select best-in-class AOs to manage these assets and introduce creative campaigns to boost advertising revenue, which is then shared with the Government through a concession fee model.

This mandate marks the first time that LTA has consolidated the advertising concessions for bus and taxi shelters under our purview into a single contract. Bus and taxi shelter advertising spaces were previously tendered out as two separate AO contracts, specifically to Clear Channel Singapore and JCDecaux Singapore, and will expire in December 2023 and March 2025 respectively.

“Consolidation of bus and taxi shelter assets, and the inclusion of additional advertising assets into single contract will provide the AO with greater scale and enable the AO to sell across multiple platforms. This will help to boost advertising revenue, and in turn the concession fees,” LTA said in an online statement.

LTA had received a total of seven proposals from four tenderers for this tender. Proposals were evaluated on their quality, whether tenderers are able to maintain the bus and taxi shelters per LTA’s requirements, as well as their ability to generate non-fare revenue from these road assets.