6 Best Practices for Programmatic Advertising

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By: David DeMartini

There are few locations within the world of digital media that can rival the reputation of San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Last month, Backbone was invited to attend a client immersion day hosted by Rocket Fuel, a programmatic partner with which we work closely. Eager to experience what some call the promised land of innovation, we jumped at the opportunity.

For two days, we attended roundtable discussions covering a range of programmatic topics spanning from ad security and viewability, to mobile device tracking. We were amazed by the level of intelligence and drive to innovate, evidenced by the group of 50 young, eager new hires attending orientation.

Anyone working in the digital advertising space would tell you programmatic advertising has profoundly impacted the marketing landscape. While this shift has provided brands with great opportunity, it’s also become difficult to navigate. In attempts to alleviate some of the challenges, we’ve compiled a list of 6 best practices for programmatic adverting.

 

6 Best Practices for Programmatic Advertising         

1. Integrate prospecting and retargeting efforts – Programmatic advertising works best when it’s allowed to combine upper- and lower-funnel efforts. Delineating funnel objectives can have a negative effect on performance and should be avoided if possible. Integration allows for maximum data capture, driving faster learning and optimization.

2.  Collect pixel data on every page of the advertiser’s website – Allowing for more data capture drives faster optimization and more efficient impression buying.  Programmatic tactics work best when the maximum amount of data is provided.  While capturing data from conversion pages is important, the systems can also learn from the behavior of users who do not convert, which in most cases is just as valuable.

3. Relax your constraints – Programmatic tactics perform best when they are free to optimize without constraints. Limiting the initial audience to a specific demographic slows the optimization process as less data can be collected. There may be users who convert that fall outside of the target audience- allowing the systems to test this audience will identify either a new group that’s likely to convert or a group that can be ruled out. Either scenario is a useful insight.

4.  Test multiple creative variations in real time – Just as programmatic tactics work best when they are free to analyze many different audience segments, allowing for creative/messaging optimization can vastly increase performance. When optimizing in real time, small variations in creative can greatly impact performance. Allowing the algorithms to make these optimizations based on the millions of data points they collect is the most efficient way to ensure maximum performance. The reality is that these algorithms are able to identify optimal messaging much more efficiently than humans, eliminating errors we sometimes don’t catch.

5. Allow the algorithms to make daily optimization decisions – Marketers by nature, carry a very hands-on mentality. We are used to constantly checking in on our campaigns and making adjustments when necessary: shifting targets, adjusting budgets, changing creative messaging. While this is necessary for traditional advertising tactics, it can be counterproductive in the programmatic space. The systems are able to take environmental variability into account and adjust at the most opportune time. Changing or shifting campaign initiatives can cause models to reset and decrease efficiency.

6. Embrace view-through conversions – View-through conversion is a topic we discuss frequently here at Backbone Media. If we as marketers are succeeding in our profession, a consumer’s path to conversion should be filled with our advertiser’s messaging. Whether it be a display ad, an FBX in feed post, a search result or an email, each play an integral role in driving users to convert. For this reason, it makes little sense to attribute the full conversion to the last touchpoint or click that the user executed before purchase. Ignoring view-through eliminates the value on any top-funnel initiatives. While it’s tempting to take this approach, the reality is it oversimplifies attribution models and can have far reaching negative effects on marketing strategies.

 

The programmatic space can be difficult to navigate. Feel free to leave any further questions in the comments section or reach out to us directly.

Source: www.1daybanner.com

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Posted in: Digital, Interesting Read, Technology, Uncategorized \ Tagged: , , ,

Turning a Passion into Action, by Kara Armano

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Everyone who knows me, knows that I love to fish and often back with words “lost my shoes“. What a lot of people don’t know is that more than anything I love to teach and share the joys of fly fishing with others, for this I always use the best fly reels under 100 which are great for fly fishing. Of course, to share my passion there needs to be wild places where the rivers run free and the fish are abundant. Those places should be celebrated and protected. I was recently moved to take action to defend and protect both my passion for fishing and wilderness when I learned that they were in danger of being compromised.

The Thompson Divide, 220,000 acres of federally owned land just outside Carbondale and Glenwood Springs, has exposed me to some of the greatest outdoor experiences of my life. The Divide includes free flowing streams that are home to native cutthroat, and vast expanses of pristine forests and meadows that are teeming with herds of elk and deer.

The future of the Thompson Divide is threatened by oil and gas development. Because the area means so much to me, I spoke up.

I’ve worked with the Sportsmen for the Thompson Divide via Trout Unlimited to express what the area means to me. I’ve supported the Thompson Divide Coalition in its effort to teach the community more about the issues.

Working at Backbone Media, it’s easy to share my passions with my colleagues. Nate, one of the partners, feels just as strongly as I do about the Divide and the hunting opportunities it provides him. But as a growing agency we have several new employees who don’t know about the local land conservation issues. So, I decided to host a get together at my house to educate people about what’s at stake, the status of the pending oil and gas leases, and how everyone can get involved.

So last night Scott Hanley from the Thompson Divide Coalition and Aaron Kindle from Trout Unlimited came to my house to lead an open discussion about the issues facing our water and land, domestically, agriculturally and recreationally. A lot of people from work showed up. All the attendees seemed moved by the discussion and asked good questions. My hope is that my passion to save this area from drilling was instilled in them and that with their support, and possible action, we can protect the Thompson Divide for future generations to experience and enjoy.

Posted in: Colorado, Environment, Fishing, Hunting, Interesting Read, Videos

Content is not a new Concept

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800px-Pancho_Villa_Expedition<_Around_the_Campfire_HD-SN-99-02005.JPEGJust when you think you’ve cracked the code to creating a successful communications strategy, things change. Whether it’s big data, UGC, virality, influencers, followers, fans…the communications landscape is fast-paced and ever-evolving (and full of buzzwords).  In the midst of change, it’s important as an agency to take a step back and understand how we got here.

Backbone Media’s business model was built on telling memorable, authentic stories about the products, people and places we love. When you have great stories, you want to tell them, enjoy them, and maybe learn something along the way. This is a pretty basic concept, but one that won’t ever change because it’s based on a meaningful interaction.

ContentKing

More and more we’re hearing that “content is king,” “content is the new social currency,” and “content is the center of communications.” What is content? To us, it’s a great story, a memorable message or a shared experience. We want to help craft these stories in an authentic and compelling way, and we want to share them with the world. The only difference with telling brand stories today versus five or even two years ago is that these stories can now be multidimensional­ with, images, videos, animation, infographics and editorial. Change in the media medium is inevitable and attention spans may be depleting, but the value of good storytelling stays the same.

At Backbone, content isn’t a new trend we’re chasing—it’s something we’ve always been all about. It’s the heart and passion of our business. It’s a PR manager taking editors backcountry skiing in the Wasatch or fly-fishing in Argentina to build a story about that experience. It’s our digital team putting a great consumer testimonial into an ad unit and delivering it to a targeted audience across various media platforms. It’s our social team developing a hashtag strategy to bring a community together to be a part of the brand story.

We’re doing it right. We’re always adapting to change and new technology, but most importantly, we’re staying rooted in the basics—telling great stories. And to me, that’s the most refreshing and human approach to communications.

Posted in: Digital, Interesting Read, Social Media, Technology

Those Who Tell Stories Rule the (PR) World

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Rule PR world_graphic
The PR landscape is rapidly shifting as consumers become product reviewers and brands become publishers. As technology and the prolific use of social media has made it easier than ever for brands to connect directly with consumers, some have questioned the need for public relations and some have even dared question the value of traditional media in the compressed news cycle.

Despite the fact that the communications path from brand to consumer looks drastically different than it did 5 years ago, I’d argue that more than ever, brands need public relations to craft, tailor and distribute their messages across all media channels.

For brands, being able to convey their story in a way that solves a problem, informs and entertains its audience is increasingly important. Stories give customers a reason to invest emotionally in a brand that goes beyond the aesthetic or mere functionality of its products. A brand’s stories merge the people at the heart of the company with the how and why that went into the finished product.

Brands can tap into their communications and PR teams to craft and distribute these stories on their behalf as part of an integrated communications strategy that feeds the purchase funnel. In fact, public relations pros are often the people best equipped to craft such stories, since they already intimately know the audience and how the customers talk about and where they connect with the brand.

This approach, which can been called “PR direct to consumers,” delivers stories unfiltered by the media that align the brand’s relevant expertise, understanding or experience in a certain area with the needs and interests of its audience. Known as “the sweet spot,” this intersection at which the audience learns something new or is entertained by the story, helps the brand gains relevancy and authenticity.

Five Keys to Successful Storytelling

1. Choose a specific topic. Rather than cram too many ideas or topics into one story, take each key message and map out two or three different angles around each message. If you end up with a dozen different story ideas, narrow the list to the best ones to craft into stories.

2. Consider your audience. Take into account where the story will be posted and who will read it, are you speaking to tech heads? Parents? Sports fanatics? Millennials? Can you use specific jargon or terminology that will resonate with these readers? Be especially cautions when using slag; any mistakes there can draw ridicule.

3. Consider the platform through which the story will be shared. A blog post should be concise and include subheads, a bullet list or step-by-step solution. In many instances blog posts are 500 words or less. However, if placing the story on the Huffington Post, for example, a more long-form essay is acceptable. If sharing the story on social media, can the story’s essence be summed up in less than 140 characters or a short Facebook post?

4. Just as the most critical part of any press release is a strong lede, story-based content must also immediately grab the reader’s attention right from the first sentence. What will he learn or gain from giving this story his attention? Give him a reason to keep reading beyond the first paragraph.

5. Avoid the sales pitch. Keep any and all marketing speak out of the story and save the call-to-action or sales pitch for your other communications pieces. Nothing spoils a flow of a good yarn than entertaining narrative that lurches into sales copy that reads like it came from a catalogue or e-comm website.

Examples:

Black Diamond CEO Peter Metcalf in “Driven”

Running Form tips on Newton Running’s Blog

Inside Boa Technology video:

Posted in: Interesting Read, Uncategorized

Authenticity. Is it for real?

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willywonkaAuthenticity is a word that’s bandied about in marketing circles all the time. In the outdoor industry, brands large and small zealously remind us how authentic they are. At Backbone, all of our clients use the word authentic to describe themselves. It’s even one of the four guiding values for our agency (advocacy, growth and well-being are the other three if you were wondering).

But what does authentic really mean? And more importantly, how valuable is authenticity to a brand?

Last week, the New York Times published an interesting story about The North Face that ultimately posed the question: can a brand appeal to the masses and still maintain its authenticity? Or as the writer wonders, “how did The North Face manage to pull off that marketing miracle?”

In the story, Todd Spaletto, president at TNF says, “I think a big mistake other brands make when they find a wide variety of different consumers like their product is that they try to change the way they position their brand. We have never done that.”

While every brand that we represent at Backbone wants to grow, like Spaletto they all recognize how vitally important it is to stay true to their roots and remain authentic to their core customers.

Case in point: I just returned from the Chaco sales meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Chaco was founded 25 years ago down the road from Carbondale in Paonia. In 2008, Wolverine Worldwide acquired the brand. Their shoes are no longer made in Colorado, but the quality of the product is  better than ever and now they’re backed by an ironclad warranty.

So the company ownership is different from where it started and most of the manufacturing is now overseas. Does that make Chaco less authentic?

I don’t think so. Every single person I met at Chaco was passionate about the brand and their customers. They know they have a special bond with their community of Chaconians–they celebrate it and protect it fiercely. I know because I saw tears of pride on several faces as a slideshow of customer-submitted photos scrolled across the big screen during the opening session of the sales meeting.

Furthermore, with Wolverine’s investment, last year the brand launched MyChacos.com, allowing customers to completely customize their sandals. The MyChacos sandals are sourced and made in the USA. It’s been wildly popular.

Chaco continues to make great product designed and supported by passionate people who believe in the brand. To me, that’s the very definition of authenticity. Like TNF, Chaco proves that a brand can grow and reach new markets, without sacrificing authenticity.

The Times article hits the nail on the head in this quote:

“They [TNF] are really authenticated by their relationship with climbers and people who camp in frigid weather,” said Marie Driscoll, an apparel industry analyst. “So in New York City, people think, if such-and-such athlete is willing to trust this on the hills of Latin America, I’m willing to pay a little more for the brand.” She added: “With sports apparel, unlike fashion apparel, there’s not the same negativity that big is the enemy of cool. It means we’re part of the same clique or team.”

Posted in: Interesting Read

Backbone Media – Fall 2013 Charge

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Harry Gates Hut, Sawatch Mountains (Sept. 10th & 11th)

Please enjoy some photos from the recent Backbone Charge* – high country cragging at Lime Creek, fly fishing, biking, mountain games, and a massive bonfire. Thanks to a remarkable CO resource 10th Mountain Division Hut Association for the Gates Hut, La Sportiva for the loan of demo shoes and of course the entire Backbone team for general awesomeness. — Penn

*Backbone Charge is a semi annual gathering. We do not ‘do’ retreats we charge.

 

A complete gallery of photos can be found on the Backbone Media Facebook Page

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Posted in: Backbone Adventures, Climbing, Colorado, Fishing, Interesting Read, Trip Reports, Uncategorized

What is Native Advertising?

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What’s all the talk about native advertising?

Dan Vaughan from Competitor Group explains native ads and the trend toward real time video.
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We were excited to share the Competitor Group POV following OR. That sparked a great conversation internally at Backbone. Below we’ve included our thoughts and an update:

“Native” comes in all shapes and sizes, when done right it is that perfect alignment of advertisers’ and publishers’ message. It should be seamless, and it should not be obvious. The voice between brand and content should be cohesive.  We think some of the following examples do this well, and others have a ways to go. It is up to you to decide what is going to be the best fit, and we invite responses and discussion regarding this emerging hot topic.

Backbone Associate Media Director Page Kelley recently put together some links native advertising to spur discussion within the media team. “Native” comes in a lot of shapes and sizes, so these kind of run the gambit. If you have additional comments or questions please feel free to reach out to Page at the link above.

  • The Yahoo! homepage recently launched native placements.  These placements are designed to look like any other article, but they are shaded in yellow to indicate that they are sponsored.
  • Wired and Olympus cameras:  this example is much more seamless and a less obvious integration.  Wired and Olympus partnered on their Spring Camp edit, which featured a variety of different products and content.  The catch was, all the photos used in the section were taken with an Olympus camera.  The banners within the section are no longer Olympus, but for a program like this, they would typically have 100% share of voice at the time of launch.  Their logo remains, as does the subtext below the fold that all photos were taken with Olympus.  This is a much more subtle approach to “native”/content integration.
  • Buzzfeed:  Probably the most widely referenced when it comes to native.  Just go to their homepage, and you will find (similar to Yahoo approach), sponsored stories shaded in yellow for brands from Slimfast to Virgin Mobile to Levis.  The idea here is for a brand to link themselves to highly shareable content that somehow ties to the messaging and personality they want to communicate.  i.e.:  Levis and creativity.
  • Afar:  This is an example of placement that doesn’t perfectly fit in the definition of “native” as easily as the above cases.  This is more about the actual banner placement, rather than the brand contributing to the content on the page.  Afar is able to take a standard 300×250 banner, and help it look like a piece of content within their site.  When the brand messaging aligns with what readers are already consuming, this can be highly effective.  Their homepage layoutis a great example of this tactic.

 

 

 

 

Posted in: Interesting Read, Outdoor Industry News, Social Media, Technology, Uncategorized \ Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Big Idea Day | Summer OR Recap

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On July 30th, the day before the start of the Outdoor Retailer show, Backbone hosted its first-ever http://thevintry.com.au/simple.php Big Idea Day (BID). The concept behind BID was simple—bring together the most influential media outlets in the active lifestyle space and ask them to present their lens into the future of media, the outdoors and adventure. In a marathon of seven, one-hour sessions, Backbone met with Outside Magazine, Men’s Journal, National Geographic, GearJunkie, Active Interest Media (Climbing, Backpacker, Ski, Skiing, etc), the Competitor Group (Velo, Triathlete, etc) and Mountain Magazine.

Backbone isn’t stopping there, and we already have plans to follow the same format with partners like Wired, ESPN, The Atlantic, Rodale, Demand Media, Google, Sports Illustrated and On the Snow to name a few. Below is a summary of what we learned. http://busingers.ca/legion.php  

Partnerships

  • Without question, publishers are eager and open to partner with brands in new and creative ways. Almost every media partner now offers video production capabilities. Many are building slick, customized branded content for big and small brands alike.
  • For example:
  • Brands used to rely on media to deliver audience and scale. Now, through social media, many brands have their own audience that rivals the reach of many media outlets. The unique value proposition media offers today is engaging content with third-party validation.
  • A buzzword for 2013, Native advertising is advertising that is done in a style or format that is indistinguishable from editorial. This means greater collaboration between brands and media.
  • Regardless of whether it’s the brand or the media partner delivering content must be authentic in order to be valued.

Content

  • While short stories, slide shows and lists like Buzzfeed delivers are driving a lot of digital content, there is still a demand for long-format journalism, especially if it incorporates multi-media elements and a beautiful presentation. For example this 5,500 word story on Outside.com is one of the most popular on the site right now. 

Urban, Fitness, Technology

  • Obstacle racing, Cross-Fit and exercise in general continues to be a major U.S. trend. In many cities, people are using social media to schedule large scale fitness meet ups – or fitness flash mobs.
  • Marketers need to point their ideas beyond the outdoor niche. Consumers are becoming more urban. How can we engage and excite this segment? Whether it’s running, yoga, or SUP—there are many urban adventures to be had. Several media partners offer popular urban outdoor events.
  • Bike commuting is exploding in the U.S. Cargo bikes are everywhere. Ally cat races, gran fondos and gravel grinders are proving to be popular alternatives to traditional road racing.
  • Half marathons continue to be the fastest growing race segment but the explosion of fad runs (color runs, rave runs, neon runs, zombie runs, etc.) is unmistakable.
  • No longer is it a debate of whether technology belongs outdoors. Fitness is changing along side technology with the introduction and increased usage of mobile apps like Strava and Map My Run.

Social — bridging the social conversation to reality 

  • Use and create local events to create a 1 to 1 relationship with consumers. Bring people with common interest together for an afternoon run, happy hour, scavenger hunt — something that fits your brand’s voice.
  • Scalability: Don’t cross your fingers and hope that people attending actually capture the moment with the right hashtag. Instead, make sure you have the right people and partners on the ground to capture the moment and distribute your branded content beyond the event.

Thank you for your interest in our Big Ideas. For more information please check out these posts:

 

Posted in: Case Study, Client News, Interesting Read, Outdoor Industry News, Social Media, Technology \ Tagged: , ,

Running the Roaring Fork

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Trail running; it’s something almost every Backbone employee loves to do in some capacity. Whether they’re escaping into the Tetons, taking lunch runs on Colorado’s front range, or running ultra marathons across the High Rockies, Backbone employees have a certain place in their hearts for scenic single-track. There is, however, one individual on the Backbone team with an unparalleled love for the sport and her name is: Elinor.

One of the Roaring Fork Valley’s foremost experts on the topic, our in-office guru represents Newton Running, talks running shoes with media all day every day, and offers sage advice to untrained trail-running rookies. Elinor also brings Backbone’s running culture to the next level having accomplished such feats such as the Leadville 100–one of the longest and toughest races in the Rockies–and most recently, the San Juan Solstice 50 miler. When not hustling for her clients or exploring the Rocky Mountain wilderness on foot, Elinor will occasionally author a piece about the virtues of trail-running.

In her latest freelance assignment for Apsen Magazine, Elinor profiled the world-class trail running scene that exists just outside the Roaring Fork Valley and the athletes that revel in it. Check out some excerpts from her piece below, or visit Aspen Magazine to read the full story. (Images and text courtesy of Aspen Magazine)

 “When asked why trail runners gravitate to long, relatively remote routes like the Four Pass Loop or the relatively mild Conundrum Creek–which offers a very runnable and scenic 9-mile jaunt to a natural hot springs–the answer is about tapping into the sport’s ‘Zen-inducing’ effect that isn’t achieved in road running.”

“With so many trails here–and up and down the Roaring Fork Valley–Aspen’s trail-running community can seem to be small and dispersed. It’s not until races such as the Ute Mountaineer’s Golden Leaf Half Marathon, held each September on the Government Trail from Snowmass to Koch Lumber Park, that trail runners congregate here in any great number.”

Posted in: Backbone Adventures, Colorado, Interesting Read \ Tagged: , , , , ,

The Millennial Generation

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This summer, we tasked our intern James with exploring the “Millennial Generation.” Born approximately from 1978-1994, the millennials are the first generation to come of age in the new millennium. In 10-15 years, millennials will make up the majority spending group in the U.S. and will begin to find themselves in positions of political influence. Why should we care? What do millennials mean for your and your brand?

A millennial himself, James was well-suited to delve into the psyche of his generation. Here’s what he came up with:

 

On a completely related but way funnier note, Stephen Colbert weighed in on the Millennials last night. Check it out:

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Millennial Generation Soup Campaign
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive
Posted in: Case Study, Interesting Read, Videos