Digital Advertising Archives Digital Advertising

Jul 26 2024

Top 7 Most Emotionally Engaging Olympics Ads (P&G Campaigns Are Winning) via @sejournal, @gregjarboe

With the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris officially opening today, DAIVID used its advanced content testing platform to see which ads from the global sporting event have elicited the most intense positive emotions of all time.

Procter & Gamble (P&G) dominates DAIVID’s chart, with five of the top seven ads – including the top three positions.

So, the rest of the search and marketing community will want to figure out what the American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio has understood for more than a dozen years.

1. P&G Thank You, Mom – Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games

A P&G 2014 Winter Olympics campaign honoring the crucial support mothers provide to athletes is the most emotionally engaging Olympic ad ever.

This accolade comes from DAIVID, a creative effectiveness platform, which found that the “Pick Them Back Up” campaign evoked the strongest positive emotions among viewers.

“P&G Thank You, Mom | Pick Them Back Up | Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games” led the chart with 59.6% of viewers responding with intense positive emotions. As the video’s description says, “For teaching us that falling only makes us stronger. For giving us the encouragement to try again. Thank you, Mom.”

2. P&G – Thank You, Mom – The Winter Olympics (2018)

Following the (emotional) success from 2014, Thank You, Mom – The Winter Olympics (2018) was close behind in second place with a score of 59.5%.

This video guides the viewer through moms supporting their kids with their dreams and through their circumstances – whether it be bias over color, religion, disability, or sexual orientation.

3. P&G ‘Thank You Mom’ Commercial: “Best Job” (London 2012 Olympics)

P&G’s ad from the London 2012 Olympics took third place, with 58.4% of viewers responding with intense positive emotions.

In this 2012 edition of Procter & Gamble’s ad campaign, supportive mothers take their children to practices and help the kids deal with setbacks on their way to becoming successful Olympic athletes.

4. National Lottery Funded Athletes – TV Extended Version

The UK’s National Lottery ad, ” National Lottery funded athletes – TV advert Extended Version,” took fourth place with a score of 56.9%.

It was inspired by the story of 800-meter runner Jenny Meadows’ mother and showcased how National Lottery funding supports British athletes in achieving their dreams.

5. P&G ‘Thank You, Mom’ Campaign Ad: Strong (Rio 2016 Olympics)

Another from P&G’s Thank You, Mom series for the Rio 2016 Olympics was placed fifth, with 55.9% of viewers responding with intense positive emotions.

In this two-minute commercial, P&G features supportive mothers helping their children persevere through difficult circumstances on their way to becoming Olympic champions.

The brand positions itself as the “Proud sponsor of Moms” and uses the tagline: “It takes someone strong to make someone strong. Thank you, Mom.”

6. We’re The Superhumans – Rio Paralympics 2016

Channel 4, a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel, took sixth place with its “Superhumans” trailer for the Rio Paralympics 2016. The 3-minute video ad got a score of 55.7%.

7. Procter & Gamble – Your Goodness Is Your Greatness

Your Goodness is Your Greatness from P&G took seventh place, with 55.5% of viewers responding with intense positive emotions.

Now, P&G was founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. Do you think this gave them a head start on the rest of the field?

DAIVID CEO’s Insights

In a press release, Ian Forrester, CEO and founder of DAIVID, said:

“When it comes to emotional Olympic campaigns, no brand has ever gone faster, higher or stronger than P&G.

The company’s incredible tributes to the role mums play in helping to put future Olympic champions on the path to Games glory really tug at the emotional heartstrings and are capable of turning even the most cynical viewers into emotional wrecks.

‘Pick Them Back Up’ is a worthy gold winner, generating some of the most intense feelings of positivity we’ve ever seen for an ad.”

He added, “It’s also great to see Channel 4’s sensational campaign, ‘We’re The Superhumans’ in the top 6. Generating incredibly intense feelings of inspiration, the ad has played a crucial role in putting the Paralympics firmly in the hearts and minds of viewers all around the world.”

What can I add?

I’ve known Forrester since September 2012, when he joined the Unruly Group as global insight lead. And I talked with him several times over the next six years about Unruly’s Viral Spiral charts, which showed which video ads were among the most shared.

So, I’ve learned that Forrester has the kind of Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) that not only Google talks about, but skeptical journalists and bloggers value, too.

That’s why I’ve quoted him – along with other video gurus – in articles like “What’s The Alternative To Spending $7 Million On A Super Bowl Ad?” as well as “How To Make A Video Go Viral.”

And that’s why I’ve cited DAIVID’s critical data and strategic insights in articles like “The Best 5 Super Bowl Ads in 2024 (Brands That Got It Right)” as well as “39 Emotions Digital Marketers Can Use In Advertising.”

But if you want to figure out what P&G already understands, then it’s worth spending a few moments learning more about DAIVID’s methodology.

Check Out DAIVID’s Methodology

Based in London, DAIVID leverages technologies like facial coding, eye tracking, and computer vision to help advertisers enhance the emotional and business impact of their campaigns.

Their platform allows marketers to assess and improve ad effectiveness on a large scale using advanced data analysis methods.

DAIVID’s study of the most emotionally engaging Olympics ads utilized its Self-Serve solution, trained on millions of consumer data points, to predict the emotional reactions and attention levels ads would generate, along with their potential brand and business impacts.

The analysis involved 56 Olympic ads, excluding those from the current Paris Olympics.

Watch For Yourself To See Why These Videos Trigger Emotion

So, watch the seven ads above and see for yourself what kind of video content triggers intense positive emotions in viewers. You may see something that I might have missed.

But the next time you want to know if your ad creative is working, test it. I know, talking about testing social videos the way that Madison Avenue once tested TV commercials seems like pie in the sky.

But with AI as your co-pilot, making creative testing affordable, you can fix problems and identify solutions faster and easier than it could back in the old days.

Okay, this may not bring tears to your eyes – like “Pick Them Back Up” probably will – but it can help you catch up with P&G, which already has a 12-year head start.

More resources:

Featured Image: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock

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Jul 22 2024

Google Abandons Third-Party Cookie Phaseout via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google has announced it will no longer phase out third-party cookies in Chrome.

Instead, it’s trying a new approach that emphasizes user choice and control over their web browsing privacy.

Major Policy Reversal

For years, the company had been working towards eliminating third-party cookies, repeatedly delaying the implementation due to various challenges.

Instead of deprecating these cookies, Google will introduce a new experience in Chrome that allows users to make informed choices about their privacy settings.

Anthony Chavez, VP of Privacy Sandbox at Google, stated in the announcement:

“We are proposing an updated approach that elevates user choice. Instead of deprecating third-party cookies, we would introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and they’d be able to adjust that choice at any time.”

User Control At The Forefront

Under this new proposal, Chrome users can set their privacy preferences, which will apply across their web browsing activities.

This pivot comes after extensive feedback from various stakeholders, including regulators like the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), as well as publishers, web developers, standards groups, civil society, and advertising industry participants.

Continued Commitment To Privacy Sandbox

Despite this major change in direction, Google remains committed to its Privacy Sandbox initiative. The company plans to continue developing and offering Privacy Sandbox APIs to improve privacy protection and utility for those who choose to use them.

Additionally, Google intends to introduce IP Protection into Chrome’s Incognito mode, further enhancing user privacy options.

Implications For the Digital Advertising Landscape

This reversal is likely to have far-reaching implications for the digital advertising industry. Advertisers and publishers preparing for a cookieless future may need to reassess their strategies.

Google has stated that it will continue to consult with the CMA, ICO, and other global regulators as it finalizes its new approach. The company also intends to engage with the industry as it rolls out these changes.

In Summary

As Google shifts its approach to third-party cookies, here are key points to remember:

Google isn’t phasing out third-party cookies as previously planned.
Users will have more control over their privacy settings in Chrome.
The Privacy Sandbox project will continue, offering alternative technologies.
This change will affect advertisers, publishers, and users differently.
The full impact of this decision on the digital advertising landscape remains to be seen.

Featured Image: photosince/Shutterstock

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May 23 2024

New Google Lens Ads Mimic AI Search Results via @sejournal, @martinibuster

A keynote at Google’s Marketing Live event showed a new AI-powered visual search results that feature advertisements that engage users within the context of an AI-Assisted search, blurring the line between AI-generated search results and advertisements.

Google Lens is a truly helpful app but it becomes unconventional where it blurs the line between an assistant helping users and being led to a shopping cart. This new way of engaging potential customers with AI is so far out there that the presenter doesn’t even call it advertising, he doesn’t even use the word.

Visual Search Traffic Opportunity?

Google’s Group Product Manager Sylvanus Bent, begins the presentation with an overview of the next version of Google Lens visual search that will be useful for surfacing information and for help finding where to buy them.

Sylvanus explained how it will be an opportunity for websites to receive traffic from this new way to search.

“…whether you’re snapping a photo with lens or circling to search something on your social feed, visual search unlocks new ways to explore whatever catches your eye, and we recently announced a newly redesigned results page for Visual search.

Soon, instead of just visual matches, you’ll see a wide range of results, from images to video, web links, and facts about the knowledge graph. It gets people the helpful information they need and creates new opportunities for sites to be discovered.”

It’s hard to say whether or not this will bring search traffic to websites and what the quality of that traffic will be. Will they stick around to read an article? Will they engage with a product review?

Visual Search Results

Sylvanus shares a hypothetical example of someone at an airport baggage claim who falls in like with someone else’s bag. He explains that all the person needs to do is snap a photo of the luggage bag and Google Lens will take them directly to shopping options.

He explains:

“No words, no problem. Just open Lens, take a quick picture and immediately you’ll see options to purchase.

And for the first time, shopping ads will appear at the very top of the results on linked searches, where a business can offer what a consumer is looking for.

This will help them easily purchase something that catches their eye.”

These are image-heavy shopping ads at the top of the search results and as annoying as that may be it’s nowhere near the “next level” advertising that is coming to Google’s new version of visual search where Google presents a paid promotion within the context of an AI Assistant.

Interactive Search Shopping

Sylvanus next describes an AI-powered form advertising that happens directly within search. But he doesn’t call it advertising. He doesn’t even use the word advertising. He suggests this new form of AI search experience is more than offer, saying that, “it’s an experience.”

He’s right to not use the word advertisement because what he describes goes far beyond advertising and blurs the boundaries between search and advertising within the context of AI-powered suggestions, paid suggestions.

Sylvanus explains how this new form of shopping experience works:

“And next, imagine a world where every search ad is more than an offer. It’s an experience. It’s a new way for you to engage more directly with your customers. And we’re exploring search ads with AI powered recommendations across different verticals. So I want to show you an example that’s going live soon and you’ll see even more when we get to shopping.”

He uses the example of someone who needs to store their furniture for a few months and who turns to Google to find short term storage. What he describes is a query for local short term storage that turns into a “dynamic ad experience” that leads the searcher into throwing packing supplies into their shopping cart.

He narrated how it works:

“You search for short term storage and you see an ad for extra space storage. Now you can click into a new dynamic ad experience.

You can select and upload photos of the different rooms in your house, showing how much furniture you have, and then extra space storage with help from Google, AI generates a description of all your belongings for you to verify. You get a recommendation for the right size and type of storage unit and even how much packing supplies you need to get the job done. Then you just go to the website to complete the transaction.

And this is taking the definition of a helpful ad to the next level. It does everything but physically pick up your stuff and move it, and that is cool.”

Step 1: Search For Short Term Storage

The above screenshot shows an advertisement that when clicked takes the user to what looks like an AI-assisted search but is really an interactive advertisement.

Step 2: Upload Photos For “AI Assistance”

The above image is a screenshot of an advertisement that is presented in the context of AI-assisted search. Masking an advertisement within a different context is the same principal behind an advertorial where an advertisement is hidden in the form of an article. The phrases “Let AI do the heavy lifting” and “AI-powered recommendations” create the context of AI-search that masks the true context of an advertisement.

Step 3: Images Chosen For Uploading

The above screenshot shows how a user uploads an image to the AI-powered advertisement within the context of an AI-powered search app.

The Word “App” Masks That This Is An Ad

Above is a screenshot of how a user uploads a photo to the AI-powered interactive advertisement within the context of a visual search engine, using the word “app” to further the illusion that the user is interacting with an app and not an advertisement.

Upload Process Masks The Advertising Context

The phrase “Generative AI is experimental” contributes to the illusion that this is an AI-assisted search.

Step 4: Upload Confirmation

In step 4 the “app” advertisement is for confirming that the AI correctly identified the furniture that needs to be put into storage.

Step 5: AI “Recommendations”

The above screenshot shows “AI recommendations” that look like search results.

The Recommendations Are Ad Units

Those recommendations are actually ad units that when clicked takes the user to the “Extra Space Storage” shopping website.

Step 6: Searcher Visits Advertiser Website

Blurring The Boundaries

What the Google keynote speaker describes is the integration of paid product suggestions into an AI assisted search. This kind of advertising is so far out there that the Googler doesn’t even call it advertising and rightfully so because what this does is blur the line between AI assisted search and advertising. At what point does a helpful AI search become just a platform for using AI to offer paid suggestions?

Watch The Keynote At The 32 Minute Mark

Featured Image by Shutterstock/Ljupco Smokovski

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May 21 2024

7 Ways AI Took My Job [To The Next Level] via @sejournal, @CallRail

With AI-powered call attribution, you can gain valuable insights into which channels are driving the most conversions.

How Call Attribution Works

Step 1: Assign – Select unique call tracking numbers to assign to each campaign or listing.
Step 2: Track – Potential customers see your ad or listing and call the associated phone number.
Step 3: Forward –The calls ring directly into your main business phone, regardless of which number they use.
Step 4: Analyze – Because they used one of your tracking numbers, you instantly know which ad or campaign inspired them to call.

With AI-powered call tracking, gone are the days of wondering how your digital marketing efforts are tied to high-value inbound calls.

For agencies, this helps prove the real value of your services and extend the life of your client relationships.

2. AI Can Help You Save Time On Manually Reviewing Calls

Listening to and analyzing phone calls manually can be time-consuming and inefficient for agencies.

However, it’s an important part of understanding the customer experience and sales team performance.

With AI-powered call analysis tools, you get quality, keyword-tagged transcriptions with near-human-level accuracy.

Not only can this technology help you save over 50% of the time spent listening to phone calls, but it can also help you deliver actionable recommendations to clients and drive better results.

Conversation Intelligence, for instance, is trained on over 1.1M hours of voice data and enables real-time analysis for instantaneous results.

This advanced tool provides opportunities for you to improve your strategy through the following granular insights:

Spotting disparities in the industry-specific lingo your sales team uses, compared to the lingo your prospects are using to describe their business challenges and goals.
Identifying trends or gaps in your service offerings based on what your prospects are asking for.
Identifying frequently asked questions and other important topics to address through content marketing.
Setting goals for lead qualification — not just the quantity of leads generated for your business.

Conversational AI is perfectly suited to summarize the content of long conversations – however, the call summaries still require a human to read them and determine the main takeaways.

But if you work in a bustling small business, it’s unlikely you’d have the bandwidth for tasks such as call transcription, summaries, keyword spotting, or trend analysis.

Rather than displacing human labor, conversational AI is assisting businesses in taking on tasks that may have been overlooked and leveraging data that would otherwise remain untapped.

3. AI Can Help You Lower Cost Per Lead / Save Money On Tools & Ad Spend

Ever wonder why certain campaigns take off while others fall flat? It’s all in the data!

Even failed campaigns can offer invaluable insights into your client’s audience and messaging.

But if you can’t spot the underperformers quickly enough, you risk wasting your ad budget on ineffective tactics.

The quicker you can identify what’s working and what’s not, the quicker you can pivot and adjust your marketing strategy.

With AI-powered tools, agencies can access instant insights that enable them to reduce wasteful spending and improve overall campaign efficiency.

How To Deliver More Value With AI

Make a bigger impact in less time: AI-powered technology creates a force multiplier within your agency, allowing you to make more of an impact with the same level of inputs you’re already using.
Unlock actionable insights from call data: AI is revolutionizing the way companies leverage call data by enabling them to gain insights at scale. As a result, businesses can increase their ROI and deliver greater value to their clients by analyzing hundreds of calls efficiently.
Foster alignment with data-driven strategies: By analyzing customer conversations with AI, businesses can align their marketing strategy with data-driven recommendations, enhancing overall coherence. Additionally, the ability to create triggers based on specific phrases enables automated analysis and reporting, further streamlining the alignment process.
Drive effectiveness with rapid insights: Leveraging Conversation Intelligence enables agencies to deliver better insights faster, increase conversion rates, refine keyword strategies, and develop robust reporting capabilities.

With the right AI-powered tools, you can access the insights you need to ensure maximum ROI for your clients.

4. AI Can Help You Improve Overall Agency Efficiency

Are you spending too much valuable time on tasks that produce minimal results?

Many agencies find themselves bogged down by routine, administrative tasks that don’t contribute much to their bottom line.

But with AI automation, agencies can streamline their operations and redirect their energy towards more strategic endeavors.

From email scheduling and social media posting to data entry and report generation, AI can handle a wide array of tasks with precision and efficiency – giving you time to focus on high-impact activities that drive growth and deliver tangible results.

Ways Your Business Can Benefit From Automation

Automatically transcribe your calls to boost close rates: See how your team is handling difficult objections and ensure that they’re delivering your businessʼ value proposition in an effective manner.
Score calls based on quality and opportunity: Take the time-consuming work out of scoring your calls and determine which campaigns drive the best calls to your business.
Classify calls by your set criteria: Qualify, score, tag, or assign a value to the leads that meet your criteria, automatically.
Automatically redact sensitive information: Protect your customers by removing billing or personal information. Keep your data safe and secure through complete HIPAA compliance.
Monitor your teamsʼ performance: Use Conversation Intelligence as a valuable sales training tool to ensure your team doesn’t miss any key messaging marks.
Know your customersʼ needs: Identify conversation trends in your phone calls and stay privy to evolving customer needs.
Improve your digital marketing strategy: Use AI-powered insights to inform your digital marketing strategy and boost your online presence.

By automating mundane tasks, agencies can optimize workflows, increase productivity, and improve efficiency across the board.

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Apr 30 2024

Google Unveils 4 Updates At IAB NewFronts 2024 (YouTube Fails To Share Any News) via @sejournal, @gregjarboe

Google unveiled four Display & Video 360 updates during IAB NewFronts 2024 on Monday morning, while the YouTube evening reception failed to make any news during their Monday evening event.

Why did Google hold one NewFront event on Monday morning and YouTube hold another one on Monday evening at the 2024 IAB NewFronts?

There’s a classic strategy for maximizing your retail shelf space that involves product segmentation to get more space allocation (minimizing your competitors’ space on retail shelves).

Procter & Gamble (P&G) has used this strategy for more than a hundred years, which is why it has multiple brands of laundry products (including Ariel, Cheer, Era, and Tide).

The marketing executives at Google and YouTube may have segmented the audience that attends IAB NewFronts into two groups: one focused on connected TV (CTV) and another on social video.

The Right Time To Unveil How Google Display & Video 360 Has Evolved

As I reported last week in Video Ad Spend And Trends Revealed Ahead Of IAB NewFronts 2024, the IAB expects ad spending on CTV to grow by 12% to $22.7 billion in 2024.

However, when people now say they “watch TV,” it means different things than it did in the past. Today’s viewers seamlessly jump from hit shows to creator content on their CTVs. Heck, they’re even watching YouTube Shorts on their smart TVs.

Audiences are fluid, so reaching them now means showing up when and where they watch the video content they love instead of appearing on the large-screen television during prime time in the family room.

This explains why the Google NewFront seemed to be the right time and place to unveil how Google’s Display & Video 360 has evolved to help marketers and media agencies adjust their strategies and video ad buys to reach their audiences across streaming content.

A Nielsen Media Mix Modeling (MMM) meta-analysis of 15 U.S. consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands, commissioned by Google, found that marketers using unified media buying through Display & Video 360 achieved a significant advantage. They saw a 120% higher return on ad spend (ROAS) compared to third-party video bought directly and an 18% higher ROAS than linear TV.

4 Updates For Google Display & Video 360 Updates At NewFront

At the Google NewFront event on Monday morning, Kristen O’Hara, the VP of Agency, Platforms & Client Solutions at Google, provided four updates that were amplified by a dozen other speakers.

Image from Google NewFront, April 2024

Strategic relationships with streaming partners

First, O’Hara announced:

“We’re strengthening strategic relationships with streaming partners like Disney, Paramount, NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery. For example, our integration with Disney’s Real-time Ad Exchange (DRAX) lets you tap into their vast inventory and reach at scale.”

In response, Pete Chelala, the VP of Programmatic Advertising Sales at Paramount, said:

“Paramount specializes in creating content fans love on the platforms they can’t live without. Partnering with Google ensures that our clients can access Paramount Advertising’s premium inventory seamlessly through Display & Video 360.”

And Jill Steinhauser, the senior vice president of Ad Sales Revenue and Planning at Discovery Communications, added:

“We’re thrilled to bring MAX’s diverse content to Display & Video 360. This allows advertisers to programmatically reach audiences at scale, unifying their media in one place.”

Introducing Instant Deals Tool For Marketers

To move as quickly as streaming audiences are these days, agencies also need more flexibility. So, the second announcement featured a couple of new products.

O’Hara said:

“We’re introducing instant deals – a new tool for marketers to configure customized deals with top publishers right from the Display & Video 360 interface, skipping the complex negotiation process.”

She explained, “This buying method is already available today for high-impact reservation YouTube placements, like YouTube Select and Masthead. And soon, agencies will be able to access those same placements with non-guaranteed deals for even greater budget flexibility. Plus, instant deals are expanding beyond YouTube to major publishers like Disney.”

O’Hara continued:

“We also know managing yearly commitments across multiple publishers and deal types can be a tangled mess of spreadsheets. This is why we’ve built a tool called commitment optimizer in collaboration with our agency partners to streamline the process of managing commitments. Input your deal terms and goals, then Google AI intelligently optimizes the mix of guaranteed and non-guaranteed inventory for flexibility as well as reach.”

Agencies that have been testing the commitment optimizer are already driving results, expanding access to premier deals to five times more clients.

For example, Clare Ritchie, the senior vice president and global head of Programmatic & Inhousing at OMG, said,

“Our co-development initiatives with Display & Video 360 enable OMG to deliver custom technology solutions that help our clients achieve better results.”

Privacy-Forward Audience Solutions

The third announcement at the Google NewFront event promises to help the advertising industry reach audiences accurately while respecting people’s privacy.

Google has encouraged advertisers to invest in first-party data for years.

Google’s Publisher Advertiser Identity Reconciliation (PAIR) solutions provide a way for advertisers and publishers to reconcile their first-party data securely. This enables marketers to show relevant ads to high-intent audiences, like past purchasers, while protecting privacy.

To date, PAIR has delivered strong results for advertisers like Omni Hotels. According to LiveRamp, PAIR audiences provide 11% incremental reach compared to cookie-based lists.

O’Hara said:

“To further scale this privacy-forward solution, we’re collaborating to build open standards and contributing the PAIR protocol to the IAB Tech Lab. This will enable ad tech companies – and the industry as a whole – to adopt privacy-forward audience solutions that benefit everyone.

Shailley Singh, the executive vice president of product and chief operating officer of IAB Tech Lab, observed:

“It’s a big step towards making privacy-enhancing technologies mainstream in the programmatic supply chain.” He added, “We’re eagerly looking forward to ushering the PAIR protocol into an open industry standard.”

Seamlessly Integrating Generative AI Into Display & Video 360

The fourth announcement at the Google NewFront event focused on Google AI.

O’Hara said:

“The rise of programmatic advertising brought efficiency to media buying, but it’s time to evolve even further. We’ve heard from marketers and their media agencies that they expect a simpler, more intuitive DSP experience. So, we’re continuing to make Google AI an essential part of Display & Video 360, seamlessly integrating it into your workflows and bringing generative AI capabilities.”

She added:

“One of the first places you’ll see generative AI show up as a helpful collaborator in Display & Video 360 is in setting up your audience strategy with a feature called audience persona. Describe your ideal audience, and audience persona instantly generates a combination of audience segments that matches your goals.”

This tool enables agencies to select the right audiences from thousands of options while helping them uncover new, high-potential audiences. It improves unduplicated reach and delivers better results for their clients.

And even though Google AI offers suggestions, advertisers always have the final say. They can easily edit the generated selection, giving them full control over their campaigns.

Audience persona is expected to launch this summer, starting with Google’s audience and demographic segments.

“Of course, not all customers within an audience segment bring the same value to your business,” O’Hara acknowledged. “That’s where custom bidding comes in.”

This capability lets advertisers indicate their highest priorities within Display & Video 360. Then, Google AI uses these custom signals to focus on the impressions that deliver the results that an advertiser wants.

She said:

“Custom bidding now includes brand awareness and engagement objectives, so you can optimize for behaviors like ‘time on screen.’ We soon plan to add CTV-specific signals like genre as well.”

O’Hara concluded:

“Transparency is a key responsibility for Display & Video 360 as marketers harness the helpfulness of AI. This is why we’ve launched experiment center, a tool that lets you take control, test strategies and optimize the way you use Google AI for maximum impact.”

The tool’s dashboard offers top-line insights, enabling quick, data-driven decisions. The experiment center goes beyond tracking just conversions, providing a comprehensive view across the entire customer journey – from awareness to consideration and action.

It provides a new way for advertisers to see how their latest AI-powered strategies compare to their previous approaches and understand the impact of consolidating their video streaming buys on a single platform.

Youtube Evening Reception Failed To Share Any News

As I reported last week in Video Ad Spend And Trends Revealed Ahead Of IAB NewFronts 2024, social video is on track toward its second year of 20% year-over-year (YoY) growth and is projected to rise to $23.4 billion.

So, I was expecting YouTube to unveil umpteen updates to their digital video strategies during their evening reception. However, YouTube didn’t share any news or presentations during the closed event for customers.

Why not?

Well, it’s worth noting that this year’s YouTube Brandcast event, part of the broadcast upfront week, is scheduled for May 15, 2024 at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall.

This is probably where YouTube plans to share a plethora of strategic insights with television network executives, major advertisers, and the media at the beginning of an important advertising sales period.

VidCon Anaheim 2024 will take place from June 26–29, 2024 at the Anaheim Convention Center. Over 55,000 attendees are expected to pack the Community, Creator, and Industry tracks. Stay tuned for more breaking news and important developments at this event.

In the old days, TV newscasters would say, “Don’t touch that dial” or “Film at 11.” But neither of these statements makes any sense today. These days, CTVs don’t have dials, and digital cameras don’t use film.

So, just as we’ve had to adjust to these changes in the way we watch TV, we’ll also need to adjust to the new way that Google and YouTube package and communicate their video strategies.

In 2023, YouTube revealed its strategic direction over three key events, and in 2024, we may not get a clear picture of the changing landscape until the end of June.

More resources:

Featured Image: metamorworks/Shutterstock

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Apr 2 2024

Humans Vs. Generative AI: A Head-To-Head Ad Copy Content Test [Data Study]

Generative AI is already making a significant impact on advertising, creating pressure on advertisers to reassess their strategies and explore alternative ways to reach target audiences.

One prominent debate within this space centers around the effectiveness of human copywriting versus AI-generated ad copy.

Both sides claim the crown for crafting compelling messaging that drives clicks and conversions. However, the question remains: What truly resonates with audiences in the digital age?

The Click-Through Conundrum: A Deeper Dive Into The AI Debate

Click-through rates (CTR) and cost per click (CPC) are crucial metrics for gauging ad performance.

They reveal which messages entice users to engage with the advertised product or service and at what cost.

Our recent study at Hop Skip Media delves deeper into these metrics to shed light on the power of human copywriting in advertising.

Methodology: Decoding The Data With Carefully Defined Parameters

For our study, we utilized Copy AI, a popular AI-powered copy-generation platform. We chose Copy AI due to its widespread use and positive user reviews within the advertising industry.

The ad’s target audience was business owners and marketing managers looking for pay-per-click advertising services. The focus product/service advertised was our services at Hop Skip Media.

We designed a controlled test with one responsive search ad (RSA) sample size per copywriter (human and AI). This format allowed for a comprehensive content comparison across various headlines and descriptions.

Each ad contained 15 headlines and four descriptions, following the best practices for the RSA structure recommended by Google Ads. The ads were then placed on Google search via Google Ads for a duration of eight weeks. We allocated a total budget of $500*.

* We acknowledge that these two factors were limitations in our study and have plans to redo this study in 2024 with a larger budget and longer timeline.

Results: Human Copywriting Beats AI-Generated Ads – Exploring The Numbers In Detail

The results clearly show that human-written ads significantly outperformed AI-generated ones. Let’s delve deeper into the key metrics:

Metric	AI-Generated Ads	Human-Written Ads
Clicks	26	65
Impressions	713	1,306
CTR	3.65%	4.98%
Average CPC	$6.05	$4.85

The human-written ads achieved 45.41% more impressions and 60% more clicks, resulting in a significantly higher CTR of 1.33%.

This suggests that the human-written ad copy resonated more effectively with the target audience, prompting them to engage with the ad at a higher rate.

Furthermore, the human-written ads boasted a lower average cost per click, indicating potentially greater efficiency in acquiring clicks.

These findings highlight the human copywriters’ effectiveness in crafting compelling ad copy that drives clicks and potentially leads to conversions.

Analysis: Why Humans Outperform AI – Unpacking The Reasons Behind The Results

Several factors likely contribute to the observed differences in performance between human-written and AI-generated copy:

1. Understanding The Audience Beyond Demographics

Humans possess innate skills in understanding the target audience’s emotions, needs, and desires.

They can tap into cultural nuances and tailor messaging to resonate on multiple levels, creating a deeper connection with potential customers.

While continuously evolving, AI still struggles with this level of nuanced understanding.

2. The Power Of Creativity And Emotional Appeal

Humans possess greater creativity and can craft messages that evoke emotional responses, humor, or a sense of urgency – all of which can significantly improve ad effectiveness.

AI, while adept at generating various text formats, often struggles with the subtle nuances of language and cultural references that resonate with audiences on an emotional level.

This can lead to generic ad copy lacking the emotional appeal necessary for click-throughs.

3. Training Data Quality And The Evolving Landscape Of AI

The effectiveness of AI-generated content hinges largely on the quality of the training data it is fed.

Limited data or biases within the data can lead to subpar outputs that miss the mark. Additionally, the capabilities of AI tools themselves are still evolving.

While advancements are promising, there’s room for improvement in their ability to replicate human copywriters’ creativity and emotional intelligence.

However, it’s important to acknowledge that AI tools can be valuable assets when used strategically.

By providing them with high-quality training data, in-depth information about the target audience and product/service, and careful human review and editing, they can offer valuable support to human copywriters.

We should also point out that Google’s Gemini (formerly Bard) and other large language models (LLMs) pointing to Google’s platform data were not available at the time of the study, which could be a limiter to Copy AI’s performance with this experiment.

4. The Importance Of Context And Adaptability

Humans excel at adapting their messaging to specific contexts and platforms.

They can tailor ad copy for different demographics and online behavior patterns, and even adjust based on real-time campaign performance data.

While AI is improving in its ability to adapt, it still struggles to replicate the level of flexibility and context awareness that human copywriters possess.

Optimizing The AI Advantage: Tips For Success And Responsible Use

While our study highlights the limitations of AI in crafting truly impactful ad copy, these tools still offer benefits when used strategically as long as you take the following into account to get the most out of them:

1. High-Quality Training Data

Ensure Copy AI or the AI tool of your choice is trained on a comprehensive and diverse dataset of high-quality ad copy relevant to your industry and target audience.

This will feed the AI with the necessary information to generate more relevant and impactful outputs.

2. Detailed Audience And Product/Service Information

Provide the AI tool with as much specific information as possible about your target audience, product/service, and marketing objectives. The more information you provide, the better the AI can tailor its suggestions to your specific needs.

3. Careful Review And Manual Editing

Never rely solely on AI-generated copy. Always review the outputs critically, edit for clarity and emotional appeal, and ensure alignment with your brand voice and messaging.

Additionally, use AI-generated copy as inspiration and a starting point, but don’t hesitate to inject your creativity and expertise to elevate the ad copy truly.

While Google recently introduced generative AI for Performance Max campaigns in the United States, it’s important to note that the rollout is currently limited and will reach other countries later in 2024.

Google rolls out features with a phased approach, allowing them to gather data and refine the feature before making it broadly available.

Also, it’s important to be mindful that Google will likely prioritize and showcase the content it generates through AI during the initial rollout.

This could potentially impact the initial performance data you see for your campaigns, as Google’s AI-generated content might receive more prominent placement compared to the content you’ve manually created.

Because of this, monitoring campaign performance over time is crucial, allowing Google’s AI to learn and adapt while observing how your own manually created content performs.

By keeping these considerations in mind, you can better understand the true potential of generative AI in your Performance Max campaigns.

Ethical Considerations: A Note of Responsibility In The Age Of AI-Generated Content

As with any technology, ethical considerations are paramount when utilizing AI-generated ad copy. Using this technology responsibly is crucial to ensure:

1. Accuracy And Transparency

Always double-check the accuracy of AI-generated information. AI is capable of creating highly convincing fraudulent articles that resemble genuine scientific studies.

Additionally, be transparent with consumers about using AI in your ad creation process if applicable.

2. Avoiding Deception And Manipulation

AI-generated content should never be used to deceive or manipulate consumers. The MIT Technology Review discovered that users are 3% less likely to spot false information in an AI-generated tweet than humans.

Although the credibility gap is small, it is concerning as that gap is likely to grow significantly. Ensure the messaging is clear and truthful and avoids any misleading claims.

3. Respecting User Privacy

Be mindful of user privacy concerns when utilizing AI for ad creation. Ensure any data used for training the AI is collected and used ethically, and in accordance with all relevant data privacy regulations.

Conclusion: The Human Touch Endures – A Look Toward The Future Of Advertising

Though narrow, this study clarifies the broader value of human copywriters in advertising.

Their ability to understand audiences on a deeper level, craft emotionally engaging narratives, and adapt to specific contexts remain unmatched by AI.

While AI continues evolving and offers valuable support when used strategically, the human touch will likely remain crucial in crafting ad copy that carries cultural and sensory nuance, leading to better interactions.

As the field progresses, further research and exploration will be key to understanding how AI can best complement and enhance human creativity in advertising.

Additionally, responsible and ethical use of AI-generated content should remain a top priority as this technology continues to play a growing role in advertising.

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Featured Image: Rob Hyrons/Shutterstock

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