MUMBAI: A considerate portion of marketers in Asia Pacific (29 per cent)don’t have the right balance and synergies between digital and offline media, while the majority (84 per cent) still struggle with cross-channel measurement. That’s according to the latest annual state of marketing study, Getting Media Right: Marketing in Motion, released today by Kantar.
2020 is set to see a significant rise in digital ad spend, as marketers in the region look to optimise their media mix. 80 per cent of marketers plan to increase their investment in online video advertising over the next 12 months, while 68 per cent plan to increase spend on social media networks and 57 per cent plan to increase spend on podcasts. This is in sharp contrast to print media, where72 per cent of marketers say they will decrease spend in magazines, while 60 per cent will reduce their investment in newspaper advertising.
Despite the projected growth in online advertising, digital measurement remains a challenge for marketers, with blind spots such as ‘walled gardens’ impacting the ability to understand cross-channel performance. This leaves many advertisers in the dark about the performance of their brand across channels.
Now in its sixth year, Getting Media Right examines the current state of marketing in a fast-moving connected world, and is based on in-depth survey feedback from nearly 500 senior marketers globally spanning advertiser brands, media publishers and agencies globally. It reveals an industry that continues to diversify its usage of different media contexts, yet requires better understanding of how ideas, content and media channels work together to achieve their goals of driving short-term sales and long-term brand growth.
Key findings from the study include:
The short-term vs. long-term dilemma comes to a head. Almost all marketers in the region (89 per cent)now recognise the importance of balancing short-term sales with long-term brand building. However, still only 61 per cent of marketers are using both short and long-term measurement; 32 per cent still rely solely on short-term sales results.
Marketers globally still struggle with integrated campaigns, but APAC marketers are having more success. 88 per cent of marketers say they have integrated their marketing organisations, compared to 75 per cent of global marketers.
Programmatic targeting continues to grow. Four in five marketers in APAC (78 per cent) currently use programmatic targeting for their campaigns - and that is expected to reach 87 per cent in 2020. But still one in five marketers(21 per cent) aren’t confident they’re successfully targeting the right audiences.
Cookieless advertising could leave marketers in the dark. More than a third of marketers (36 per cent) haven’t begun preparations for a cookieless world, leaving many concerned about how such change will impact the industry.
Nearly two-thirds of marketers (61 per cent) agree that developing custom content is imperative, but when it comes to understanding how context impacts creative executions, there’s still a gap. More insight is required into how specific content needs to be tailored to specific contexts to improve message receptivity.
“While the rapid growth in digital ad spend comes as no surprise, this new research indicates that marketers still have a long way to go to when it comes to cross-channel measurement and proving ROI,” said Jane Ostler, Global Head of Media Effectiveness, Kantar. “The next 12 months will see huge changes for the industry, with the rise of newer channels, such as podcasts and advanced TV, and the move away from cookies set to transform the way advertisers target and measure campaigns. Marketers should aim for the best of both worlds: they need to create a framework to monitor impact on business and brand metrics. That means harmonising measurement tools, building an infrastructure that enables measurement across the diverse marketing mix, and creating meaningful insights to improve performance across all channels.”
Pablo Gomez, Chief Digital Officer for the region, said: “The results go to show just how dynamic and complex APAC is as a region. Marketers here are faced with the challenge of rapidly increasing their digital investment, whilst at the same time, ensuring there is integration with offline media.
He continues: “Measurement also remains one of the biggest issues for the region, especially online-offline cross measurement which is critical in a region dominated by TV and mobile. It’s clear that marketers need more focused data, with insights that give them the direction they need to better integrate and optimize their campaigns. This will also allow them to customise content better and improve the entire experience for their audiences.”
Kantar executive director, South Asia, insights division Sandeep Ranade said, “This research indicates that many marketers today focus on short-term measurement though they recognise the importance of balancing short-term sales vs long-term brand building. Integrated campaigns are the way forward, however, there is still a lot that needs to be done here. Marketers need to be more cognizant of specific contexts while developing content. This will help them future proof their digital measurement approaches in the rapidly growing and changing digital scenario”
