At PEAK Week 2024, one of the standout discussions was about mastering the art of omni-channel programmatic advertising. The session, titled “Omni-channel Overlook: Navigating the Landscape,” was moderated by Ventura Growth’s Emily Gucwa, featuring experts Trent Hill, VP of Digital Marketing at Gatorworks and Chris Kappen, Chief Digital Officer at Epicosity. They shared experiences and strategies for integrating digital channels to enhance customer engagement, elevate campaign performance, and create cohesive brand experiences.
What is Omni-channel Advertising?
The session began with a clarification of what “omni-channel” really means in today’s digital advertising landscape. As Emily explained, it goes beyond traditional multichannel approaches by connecting all available channels into a unified strategy. This ensures a seamless and consistent message delivery across platforms, devices, and touchpoints, enhancing the customer journey. In contrast, multichannel campaigns might use different platforms but often operate in silos, lacking the interconnectedness that defines true omni-channel.
Why Omni-channel Matters: The Proof
The effectiveness of an omni-channel strategy is well-supported by data. According to The Alchemy of Omnichannel by The Trade Desk and PA Consulting, connected campaigns are 1.5 times more persuasive than their disconnected counterparts. They also reduce audience fatigue by 2.2 times, offering a better experience for consumers while delivering superior results for brands.
Key Benefits of Omni-channel Advertising
The panelists highlighted several benefits around the topic:
- Audience and Channel Understanding: Knowing when and where to reach audiences is crucial. Understanding the unique strengths of each channel helps deliver the right message at the right time, increasing relevance and engagement.
- Consistent Messaging Across Platforms: Ensuring that the message remains consistent across channels helps reinforce brand identity and encourages consumer trust. Whether through CTV, audio, or digital out-of-home, leveraging the same voice and message resonate with audiences.
- Enhanced Engagement: Omni-channel campaigns enable brands to engage users multiple times, utilizing various touchpoints to build a stronger connection and encourage conversions.
- Better Measurement and Attribution: With omni-channel strategies, marketers can track a user’s journey more accurately, providing a clearer picture of how various channels contribute to conversions. This comprehensive attribution model helps in understanding the true impact of each channel.
- Improved User Experience: Seamless experiences across channels prevent ad fatigue, ensuring that users are exposed to the right number of impressions without feeling overwhelmed.
Leveraging The Trade Desk’s DSP for Omni-channel Success
The Trade Desk’s Demand-Side Platform (DSP) plays a crucial role in executing a successful omni-channel strategy. By consolidating various channels—CTV, audio, digital out-of-home, and display—marketers can create a connected ecosystem that drives better campaign performance.
Trent Hill explained, “The measurability and attribution capabilities of The Trade Desk have enabled us to consolidate our advertising efforts and deliver more value to our clients.”
Real-World Success Stories
Epicosity made a significant shift to programmatic advertising using The Trade Desk, allowing the agency to offer clients greater transparency and measurable results.
“We suddenly were able to give way more value to our clients, more transparency. It’s been a great transition, and I feel like we’ve now leapt forward from maybe being a bit behind to now feeling like we’re right in the thick of it,” shared Chris Kappen.
Similarly, Gatorworks transitioned from a multichannel to an omni-channel approach, particularly in the healthcare sector. By building brand familiarity with CTV ads and then using display and audio for retargeting, they saw a significant reduction in conversion times, demonstrating the power of connected touchpoints.
Flexibility and Adoption: Key to Omni-channel Strategies
Adopting an omni-channel approach requires flexibility. As noted during the session, brands often start by testing one or two new channels and gradually expand their strategy based on performance insights. The agility to reallocate budgets and adjust strategies in real time was seen as a key advantage, allowing marketers to stay responsive to changing consumer behaviors and campaign results.
Implementing an Omni-Channel Strategy: Essential Steps
- Define Your Goals: Clearly outline your marketing objectives and how omni-channel advertising can help you achieve them.
- Understand Your Audience: Identify your target audience’s preferences and behaviors across different channels.
- Create Consistent Messaging: Develop a unified brand message that resonates across all channels.
- Leverage Data and Analytics: Use data to measure the performance of your campaigns and make informed decisions.
- Choose the Right Channels: Select the channels that best align with your target audience and marketing goals.
- Ensure Seamless Integration: Ensure that your marketing channels are integrated and working together cohesively.
Wrapping Up: The Future of Omni-channel Advertising
The discussion at PEAK Week 2024 demonstrated that while implementing an omni-channel strategy comes with challenges—such as navigating production costs and managing data integration—the rewards are significant. With the right tools, like The Trade Desk’s DSP, and a commitment to understanding audience behaviors, brands can unlock new levels of performance and deliver better user experiences.
Stay tuned for more insights from PEAK Week 2024 as we continue to explore cutting-edge strategies for reaching new heights in digital advertising.
