ADVERTISING TECHNOLOGY
Martech and adtech are increasingly essential driving forces in achieving business objectives, writes JOE STEYN-BEGLEY.
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ow, more than ever, there is a clear demand for responsible and accountable spending on advertising, with insightful and attributable reporting. Rapid digital transformation has spurred the desire to invest heavily in martech and adtech – but to what extent and in which order of priority need to be defined clearly. Looking back, it is safe to say that programmatic adoption in South Africa has boomed over the past few years. Although implementation is now arguably on par with our European counterparts, the initial resistance to early adoption and lack of immediate interest from the C-suite have resulted in a potential negative longer-term impact.
Joe Steyn-Begley
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DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION CHALLENGES Understanding martech deployment: The challenges faced include cost involved (with Covid-19 pressure now applied) and a clear understanding of the most relevant adoption approach. Decision-makers: The decision to invest in technologies such as a robust customer data platform is often made at executive level with less input from the individuals who would essentially utilise these technologies, and thus could potentially guide far better implementation and functionality. Data accessibility: With the muchdiscussed and deliberated looming sunset of customer tracking through third-party cookies, as well as increasing pressure to become compliant, a cohesive strategy that facilitates cross-channel customer interaction will now only be possible with a CDP or similar tool that allows you to centralise your audience strategy.
MARTECH OPPORTUNITIES Receptiveness to progressive solutions: Extreme changes in consumer behaviour have encouraged decision-makers to fast track the adoption of new technologies that can revive and ultimately safeguard their businesses from future pitfalls. Technologies such as media measurement and marketing intelligence tools and the insights they provide can answer many of the questions businesses face today. Advisory services: Most leading organisations have turned to consultancies
and advisories to guide their investment strategies, optimise their marketing and advertising activities, and improve their overall customer experience. These advisories, like Carbon1, can evaluate and assemble the right technology and people, identify gaps, and streamline the management of data accessibility, defining the path to achieving ambitious business and marketing objectives. Tangible results: By deploying the most suitable martech solutions, organisations can gain an extremely in-depth understanding of their clients. By leveraging multiple data points captured during the normal course of customer interactions, they can create advanced marketing and advertising strategies that give them a previously unobtainable level of influence over each individual shopper’s path to purchase. Executing strategy adjustments informed by these insights is critical when looking to implement fundamental changes for the better, increase ROI and maintain a healthy ecosystem of customer information.
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Smarter, more targeted advertising
After spending over 15 years in the trenches of digital marketing, leading multiple teams to achieving recordbreaking revenue figures, winning numerous awards and playing a pivotal role in a number of highly successful mergers and acquisitions, Joe Steyn-Begley has recently spearheaded the launch of Carbon1 out of renowned digital specialist Mark1.
themediaonline.co.za
08.04.21 11:47
