It seems like every day there’s a new headline in the advertising media devoted to measurement.
It’s no wonder; according to Deloitte, more than half of marketers say they are under increasing pressure to justify the value of their spend. And measurement is only going to become more important as marketers grapple with economic uncertainties and supply chain scarcity.
But an over-reliance on measurement, regardless of the cyclical nature of advertising strategy, hurts both the advertiser and the client. Measurement results feed audience insights that affect media planning. In fact, measurement should be the starting point, not the end point, of an advertising campaign.
In this regard, let’s take a closer look at what marketers should consider before embarking on creating a campaign, even if it has been created with effective measurement in mind. Because the better the planning, the better the results.
Don’t lose sight of the objective
Traditionally, advertising campaign planning has prioritized budget over target. Today, however, smart brands tend to create a more “scientific” objective, imagining the ideal campaign outcome and allocating budget based on that plan, turning traditional planning practice on its head.
Before thinking about the best way to analyze the effectiveness of your advertising tactics, you should analyze the main objective of a campaign and the audiences you want to try to reach, and then consider how much budget it would require. Marketers should determine if adequate reporting is available to know if the desired results have been achieved, as well as to inform the next cycle of the advertising strategy. “Measurement should be the starting point, not the end point, of an advertising campaign.” Smarter planning can help you better understand growth opportunities and you don’t need a big budget to make a big impact. You just need to think through how you plan.
Focused on the future
A common trap that some marketers fall prey to is an over-reliance on performance marketing. Many marketers focus too much on sales and return on advertising spend (ROAS). This is understandable, as ROAS can be a very valuable indicator of effectiveness.
Of course, last contact attribution is important, and marketers should invest in lower funnel tactics. In fact, some brands get everything they need from performance marketing. But most marketers should also think about the entire customer journey, including the most valuable touch points and how to connect them. According to McKinsey, campaigns that combine brand and performance elements deliver higher ROAS than campaigns focused solely on performance.
It makes sense. When you start planning a campaign, you not only need to drive purchases, but also increase the size of the customer base that is ready to make a purchase. Marketers must make strategic investments to continue to increase the number of customers who reach the bottom of the marketing funnel and can be measured by that last click.
By focusing efforts on performance marketing tactics, you may be sacrificing medium- and long-term growth in favor of short-term results. It’s also important to think about how to allocate budget to efforts at the top of the sales funnel.
Overcoming the challenges of fragmentation
When it comes to measurement, many brands struggle to tie information to campaign planning for future cycles. In fact, only one-third of marketers are confident they can get information fast enough to make meaningful decisions.
Today, many marketers work with multiple vendors for different elements of their campaigns. There are many options and they are not always connected. This means it’s up to the advertiser, or sometimes the technology provider, to try to connect the dots and make sense of the results.
Amazon Ads is investing in connecting all these disparate perspectives for its customers. Yes, fragmentation is, and will continue to be, a problem. But it is possible to work with vendors that can help make planning and measurement a more holistic experience. This is critical as marketers consider what to focus on before measurement.
For Amazon Ads, ad tech is at the heart of everything it does as it works to drive efficiencies for customers and deliver a holistic advertising solution.
Focused on the future
A common trap that some marketers fall prey to is an over-reliance on performance marketing. Many marketers focus too much on sales and return on advertising spend (ROAS). This is understandable, as ROAS can be a very valuable indicator of effectiveness.
Of course, last contact attribution is important, and marketers should invest in lower funnel tactics. In fact, some brands get everything they need from performance marketing. But most marketers should also think about the entire customer journey, including the most valuable touch points and how to connect them. According to McKinsey, campaigns that combine brand and performance elements deliver higher ROAS than campaigns focused solely on performance.
It makes sense. When you start planning a campaign, you not only need to drive purchases, but also increase the size of the customer base that is ready to make a purchase. Marketers must make strategic investments to continue to increase the number of customers who reach the bottom of the marketing funnel and can be measured by that last click.
By focusing efforts on performance marketing tactics, you may be sacrificing medium- and long-term growth in favor of short-term results. It’s also important to think about how to allocate budget to efforts at the top of the sales funnel.
Overcoming the challenges of fragmentation
When it comes to measurement, many brands struggle to tie information to campaign planning for future cycles. In fact, only one-third of marketers are confident they can get information fast enough to make meaningful decisions.
Today, many marketers work with multiple vendors for different elements of their campaigns. There are many options and they are not always connected. This means it’s up to the advertiser, or sometimes the technology provider, to try to connect the dots and make sense of the results.
Amazon Ads is investing in connecting all these disparate perspectives for its customers. Yes, fragmentation is, and will continue to be, a problem. But it is possible to work with vendors that can help make planning and measurement a more holistic experience. This is critical as marketers consider what to focus on before measurement.
For Amazon Ads, ad tech is at the heart of everything it does as it works to drive efficiencies for customers and deliver a holistic advertising solution.