Ads, Relevance and Creativity

It’s a well-accepted marketing reality that ‘Relevance’ is the key that unlocks consumers’ gates. If the message is relevant then the consumers will allow it to pass through their filters — both literal (ad blockers) and figurative (they will really pay attention to it) and finally, consume it. How do we know this? Because, I have been working with a B2B company who keeps on asking consumers and customers questions like, “Do you like ads and emails which had been showcased to you?” Do you find it bothersome when content is irrelevant to you? And, to my surprise! (Sarcasm Intended!), people favor the relevant ones.

Another, perhaps less widely accepted truth: Sometimes a fact is simply too good to be true. For example, what exactly do Marketing and Sales understand by relevance?

Consumers, Sales and Marketers Do Not Agree On What Is Relevance In Terms Of Content

We as marketers and sales frequently presume that consumers have the same concept of “content and context relevance” as we do. According to many marketers and sales team, a relevant ad is one that is tailored to the viewer. And that personalization is largely determined by the designation, demographic or location-specific data points we have on them.

Verifying this definition will just slow us down!

As a result, we don’t usually bother defining our terminology in surveys where we ask customers what types of advertisements they prefer. The problem is that assuming consumers’ share marketers’ notion of “content and context relevance” can lead to poor decisions and wasted opportunities. Consumers, it turns out, do not share our idea of content and context relevance.

Consumers don’t define relevant in the way we do. They also have a range of different ways they define it.’- Kate Muhl, Gartner Blog

The Consumer Definition of Content and Context Relevance

When it comes to content of email and advertisements, consumer perception of context relevance is significantly personal, distinctive, and emotive. They consider the content to be relevant when it offers them with new information about product, items and services. Content becomes more relevant when they have emotional appeal, evoke feelings, and feature music or visuals that they enjoy. According to consumer studies, a relevant content and context within an Ad can help the customer comprehend to an issue or to people who are different from them.

So, what is the connect throughout these conceptions of context relevance? Relevant commercials speak to something personal and emotional to the particular viewer. Currently, data points gathered by marketers through tracking aren’t great at uncovering this kind of relevance.

Targeted advertising has a special place in B2B Technology Advertising. When a Tech ad appears to be based on prospects online searches or previous purchases, a portion of customers think it relevant. The problem is that devices and browsers are restricting access to third-party cookies and device IDs. As a result, the data required to create this level of relevance is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to obtain.

Traditional is the New Modern way of Advertising Content

What should a modern digital marketer do in the face of this technology/data-privacy paradigm? Go back to the marketing playbook! (Ogilvy, Kotler, Seth Godin, Piyush Pandey etc.) More population-level insights can be gained by diving into the basic values, experiences, and interests of our target consumers as a group, rather than the single user/ad viewer.

Although it may appear counter-intuitive, leaning into more ultimate reality may be the most efficient and current method to get to specific relevance in marketing.

About me:

As a marketing and branding professional, I have worked in a very specific role of supporting the marketing teams in campaign management, collateral creation, social media management, and website creation.

Highlights
DxSherpa Technologies (www.dxsherpa.com) | Brand development and marketing Strategy
Cogniwize Infosystem(www.cogniwize.com) | Brand development and marketing Strategy — support
Location Based Advertising Platform (www.leap.ooo) | Co-creation and brand development
Gateway Digital (www.gatewaydigital.eu) | Website strategy, brand strategy & content distribution
Digifacets (www.digifacets.com) | Brand strategy, division management, brand presentations etc.
Win@Pin (www.winatpin.com) | Brand creation, customer engagement (games)
eHealthcard (https://tinyurl.com/uyv53sk) | Website strategy, brand strategy & customer engagement