We all live in times when consumers are being constantly targeted with tons of information, each step of the way. A lot of information that people need to digest on a daily basis is marketing-oriented – commercials on TV, billboards on the streets, advertising spots on the radio or streaming services, display ads on the websites and social media apps on their phones – you name it. Overcoming the oversaturation is a challenge that everyone who wants to have their product or their services sold, faces. The answer to this lies in intelligent advertising, also going by the name of ‘smart ads’.
Using the most recent developments from the world of artificial intelligence and automation, intelligent advertising is the industry that turns the quite ambiguous and highly subjective process of advertising into a process that is surprisingly predictable and far more efficient, as compared to the traditional advertising.
A Wakefield Research conducted in the first half of 2017 revealed that although 77% of polled marketers think that Artificial Intelligence is a critical trend in the industry, as much as 90% of them are currently *not* using it in their promotional activities – meaning that the adoption rate is very low, and oscillates around 10%, resulting in large budgets being misappropriated and vast opportunities being, simply, missed.
In order to satisfy the needs of the marketers and advertisers alike by reaching the intended audiences and target markets, ads need to be relevant and personal at the same time. As artificial intelligence can gather vast amounts of data and categorise it neatly, it is far easier to create content that is targeted and responsive – therefore suited towards the consumer’s needs, requirements and expectations – as opposed to being one-sided and aggressive.
Several characteristics of Intelligent Advertising, and indisputable advantages over the more traditional advertising forms – which can largely be seen as a ‘one-way communication’, sending information to the consumers without engaging in a conversation, are:
– Hyper-targeting, as employed by Spotify amongst others, in their campaigns where the streaming behemoth dug deep into its vast user behaviour databanks to form the basis of a series of witty and irreverent outdoor slogans on large digital billboards throughout Europe and America (“Dear person who played ‘Sorry’ 42 times on Valentine’s Day, what did you do?”, “To the 1,235 guys who loved the “Girl’s Night” playlist this year, we love you.” and others);
– Intelligent data use, e.g. a campaign for the movie “Baywatch” (released mid-2017), where displays were linked to weather forecasts and actual weather information, and used the data to tailor displayed messaging accordingly;
– Great social and mobile integration – e.g. KFC’s campaign with Snapchat, where special codes located in publicly accessible places allowed people to unlock a unique filter and take a selfie as the brand’s mascot, The Colonel;
– Interactivity, as employed by Netflix on their billboards: viewers could tweet in support of their favourite characters from the “Daredevil” series, who would then enact damage on rival characters’ billboards; A Women’s Aid billboard using facial recognition technology to heal an image of a woman’s bruised face the more people looked at the panel, as part of the organisation’s “Don’t turn a blind eye” campaign, or a Reebok outdoor ad with integrated speed camera, where people were encouraged to run past the ad in an attempt to beat a 10.5 mile an hour pace and win a pair of trainers.
These are just some of the trends and examples employing interactive displays and intelligent advertising, services also provided by BoldMind – and an ecosystem that will define the future.
