Too Much to Handle: How to Interest Consumers in a World Full of Ads
People constantly hover over the Skip Ad button. So, how do advertisers appeal in unique and interesting ways in this oversaturated world?
Digital adverts are everywhere. Whether it be on your TV or smartphone, laptop or gaming device, you are likely to be faced with a multitude of ads on a daily basis. After a while, they may all tend to merge into one as the same advertisement ideas sell the same products. Due to the number of times you are exposed to them, they become background noise and annoying inconveniences that you look to skip.
Many people feel that advertisements are becoming more and more intrusive as time goes on. In fact, in a survey in 2018, more than 90% of respondents said that ads feel more intrusive than 2-3 years prior, while 87% said they were more ‘general’ than 2-3 years earlier. Almost 80% (79%) also felt they were being ‘tracked’ by targeted advertisements.
Not all respondents were as pessimistic, though. More than 80% of people agreed with the statement: “Not all ads are bad, but I want to filter out the really obnoxious ones.” Some were even willing to downgrade their ad-blockers as 77% of people agreed with the statement: “I wish there were a way to ad-filter instead of ad-block completely.”
So, for those looking to break the mould and truly make an impression on their desired target audience, how can you tailor your adverts in a unique and exciting way?
Spend time getting to know your audience
Before spending any money or time on advertising your product or service, you need to learn as much as possible about your target audience. Whether it be age, gender, location or even interests, you should know them inside out. Do your research and find out who exactly would buy your product and why. If you have narrowed it down to just a few specific groups, come up with surveys specifically tailored to them to truly understand who you are focusing on. Not knowing who they are is half the battle in advertising.
Although, as almost 80% felt ‘tracked’ by targeted advertisements, creating a product to help solve a problem in your audience’s lives rather than pushing a product they do not necessarily need is a great way of making your business stand out from the crowd. We all see targeted ads relating to something we have just searched up on Google. It is about making sure our products are not too similar and repetitive - be distinct and different.
Put time and effort into your adverts
Once you have gotten an idea of who your target audience is, make sure your advert or series of adverts are tailored to their interests and what they may find appealing. Whether this is doing something creative with video or photo, mindmap all the advertisement campaign ideas you have and make sure they are all unique.
It may be hard trying to find out how to engage consumers with ads, so take inspiration from others. Look at your competitors and see how they have gone about their ads and take notes on how they do it well or how it could be improved. See where your product fits into the advertising market, what style it may have and why it would work. Grab inspiration from other sources, not just your competitors, and do not be afraid to go outside of the box. It is best to do so as it could result in something exciting and memorable.
Track your adverts
If you know where your adverts are - whether they are popping up on YouTube or on particular websites - it is always handy to know where audiences engage with them and the stats to back it up. Suppose your advert pops up on a news platform whose audience is primarily older people, but your product is intended for younger people aged 20-30. In that case, it will not have the engagement that you are striving for as it is perceived as irrelevant. Come up with a strategy detailing your adverts’ implementation and analyse how eye-catching they are to your target audience. Knowing the ins and outs will result in better engagement overall.
Use online tools or third-party companies to monitor how well your adverts are performing. If you are getting lots of impressions but fewer clicks - think about how you can improve your advertisement or targeting, so it brings in more traffic. See how much each click on your link costs you and what can be done to make it more cost-effective. There are so many ways online tools and data can be used to your advantage. Getting to know them is the best way to understand consumer behaviour and, therefore, your own product as a result.
With our strategic insights and planning with creative thinking and experimentation, we can be there to help get your message heard. Contact Chameleon, or view our virtual events page for more information. We have got everything you need to create an unforgettable experience from start to finish.