Branded Content in the Digital Age: Navigating the Future of Media and Storytelling

We are exposed to 4,000-10,000 advertisements a day (Simpson, 2017). We may not notice to what extent, throughout the day at all times we are constantly bombarded with thousands of ads. However, things weren't always this way. Advertising has drastically evolved over the last couple of decades, with new forms of targeting, technology, and strategic formulas continuously emerging. With the help of the 7th edition of Marketing Communications by PR Smith and Ze Zook, we can better understand these changes and how they are implemented effectively.

The Transformation of Advertising in the Digital Era

As I mentioned, the advertising landscape has been changing a lot, especially with the introduction of social media, remarketing, user-generated content, and so much more. However, you could summarize it by putting it this way: "We are moving from mass messages to mass personalized messages" (P.349). Not only this, but as companies now collaborate with media platforms, they integrate advertising seamlessly into sports, entertainment, travel, etc. Brands are much more than a product, they are now an experience (351). In the midst of all this change, there are three different theories that can help us understand advertising as a whole. First, we have the Strong Theory of Advertising. This one defends the idea that advertising actively moves consumers through stages of awareness, consideration, and purchase. Next we have the Weak Theory of Advertising, which argues that advertising reinforces existing consumer habits rather than driving new purchases. Finally, we have the Awareness-Trial-Reinforcement Model (ATR), which believes advertising primarily increases awareness and knowledge among consumers who already recognize the brand (P.350-351).

Evolution of Content Strategy and Storytelling

The advertising landscape has transformed dramatically with the advent of digital media. In the textbook, the "Magic Marketing Formula" is mentioned. This is a three-step process that claims to deliver the perfect campaign. These steps are 1. Identifying consumer needs. 2. Reflect these needs in brand messaging. 3. Deliver an excellent customer experience (P.352). In order to be able to deliver an excellent customer experience, one must accurately identify their customer's needs and reflect them in their messaging.

Modern Targeting Approaches in Digital Advertising

There are multiple data-driven strategies used to target audiences in today's digital environment. The first is socio demographic and geographic targeting. This is the most common form of segmentation which includes a variety of data points such as age, income, occupation, and location. The following is called contextual targeting, which is when ads align with both the content being shown to the visitor and the visitor's identity. Behavioral targeting operates very similarly, but focuses on a user's past online behavior, as repeated visits to a specific site or similar sites can reveal their interests and preferences. This leads into remarketing or retargeting, which is when a brand is remarketed to your previous web- site visitor when they visit other websites. For example, if you were shopping for a new par if football cleats on Nike, you may get ads for those cleats on different websites you visit. The next and one of the newer strategies is geo-targeting. Previously, location-based targeting was determined strictly by where you lived. This information was revealed by your cell phone courier or address. Geo-targeting differs because with this companies are able to know where you are - at any time. Therefore, if you're travelling, you will receive content and advertisements specific to your current location (P.354-355)

Impact of Data-Driven Advertising

After reading all of this information, you may ask yourself, is all of this form of targeting, research, and segmentation necessary? How much of an effect does it truly have on sales and advertising? Well, it has an extreme effect on sales. The first and most obvious is audience relevance. It's essential to ensure that the audience being targeted is the right one, the one that has a need for what they are trying to sell. The next reason is stronger messaging. Creative teams now bridge the gap between creativity and strategy, crafting compelling, creative, strong context that drives the audience into action. The following reason is optimized targeting. All of the strategies listed above help achieve optimized targeting, which allow the messages to reach the right audience, at the right time. Finally, an extremely important reason is improved ROI. Companies invest hundreds of thousands of dollars to create successful campaigns. They are expecting a good ROI, and the only way to achieve this is to make sure you're reaching your target audience, which is done with the strategies mentioned above.

Conclusion

The digital advertising landscape continues to evolve, ensuring that all messaging in a campaign is received by the right audience, at the right time, through the right channel. Modern advertising brings together creativity and strategy, using hard data and consumer insights to maximize creative potential. The industry is flexible and adapts quickly to changing patterns and movements within the media landscape. Moving forwards, the advertising world must now learn to adapt to and transform the new AI driven, highly personalized landscape.