#pcon Live Blog: Connecting Dynamic Creative with Programmatic Advertising

von Sophie Kubec

29. September 2016

Lesedauer: 3 Minuten

Management Summary

Justin Campbell, CEO of agcs starts his presentation "Connecting Dynamic Creative with Programmatic Advertising" with a promise - "to keep the audience on its toe-tips, just before the lunch break". And it was not an empty one: He outlines that there is a problem in Online Marketing: the demise of Flash. Despite having been announced for years, many creative agencies were not able to transition to other formats in time when major browser vendors ceased to support Flash creatives last year. This gave rise to a new kind of agency: technical agencies, of which agcs is one example.

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Mehr Erfahren

Dynamic Banners with HTML5

agcs specializes in the creation and optimization of dynamic banners based on the HTML5 markup language. But Justin Campbell is quick to point out, that HTML5 is much more than a programming language: it’s a framework and ever evolving environment for the creation of not only websites but also creatives for online marketing. Indeed, HTML5 is currently used to mash up classical creative visuals with real-time data and the specifics of the platform they are being served to. The last year has seen a massive surge in demand for HTML5 developers and major market shifts in creative and technical agencies. In a dynamic market like that, it is always important to look out for certifications in partners, so that you can be sure you place your media budget in good hands.

Understandably, creative agencies are struggling with the transition from Flash to HTML5. A shortage in creatively-minded HTML5 developers especially in the DACH-region, generates a need for collaboration of creative and technical agencies. To reduce friction, Justin Campbell recommends that creative professionals should always bear in mind that using the power of HTML5, especially the data mashing capabilities, will increase a creative’s “wow effect”.

The Power of HTML5

HTML5 is the up- and coming standard for the development of online creatives. It achieved this position due to a number of reasons:

Dynamic: Just like Flash used to be able to, HTML5 can be used to create dynamic creatives that change over time, including cut-scenes or stunning visual effects. This requires only a fraction of the computational power that Flash consumed for the same task – especially important in the mobile scenario where weak CPUs and limited battery time are still considerable constraints.
Data: HTML5 can be mashed up together with data sources, allowing to dynamically include information on the user or his environment, like a banner changing its contents depending on the current weather at the user’s location.
Context: Unlike Flash, HTML5 is geared towards being supported by all kinds of different devices, ensuring optimal viewability and presentation for the user.

A key feature of HTML5 is its extensibility: Tens of thousands of libraries and tools have sprung up, that aid in the process of producing HTML5 creatives. Integrating visuals with data becomes feasible even for small advertisers for the first time.

HTML5: Testing, external data, …

Justin Campbell underlines the power and flexibility of HTML5 by stories from his considerable wealth of experience:

One of the main challenges he and his agency face are reluctant advertisers that only provide a single creative for a campaign. Using a single creative prevents them from harnessing HTML5’s true power. Fortunately, HTML5 enables the creation of templates that can be used to create dozens if not hundreds of different creatives. Using multiple creatives allows for testing them against each other – ensuring that only the best creatives are used in the roll-out and to gain insights on one’s audience in a scientific way.

A prime example of the power of HTML5 is show-cased by Volvo’s recent campaign: There the creative adapts automatically to the time of day of a user that is looking at it, creating a stronger emotional bond between user and product. But HTML5 only starts there. All sorts of advertiser data – think shopping histories – and external data like current events can be fed into an HTML5 creative to create an experience that matters to the user. And obviously, creatives that matter to users drive performance and conversions.

Conclusion

HTML5 might not be the solution to every problem – but it certainly is a more than suitable replacement for Flash and enables agencies to create far better creatives than ever before.

Check slides on SlideShare.