The online world has relied on the concept of intent for a long time. Users have been looking for product information, browsing the web, comparing alternatives, and making choices over the years. Copywriting for this behavior has been simple – understanding the users’ wishes, communicating the right information, and fighting for users’ attention when they are ready for decision-making.
The current reality, however, is starting to change.
More and more users are exposed to information about brands inside their feeds. The use of short videos, social networks, recommendation algorithms, videos produced by influencers, and the trend of tailoring media to users’ tastes means that people can encounter ideas, brands, and products without even looking for anything in particular. A user might be using an application that is not related to shopping and be inspired to buy a new gadget, for instance.
The situation described is an example of passive discovery, which alters the function of advertising in the process.
In the search case, we can see that relevance can be mostly determined by an intention. Thus, when somebody searches for running shoes, a running shoe advertisement would seem more relevant and appropriate. In the case of feed advertising situations, however, there may be no sign that indicates that the person is buying something at the moment, and therefore the ad must create relevance instead of merely reacting to it.
This creates the importance of creative context, making it even more crucial.
Thus, an effective ad in the feed should not solely rely on the presumption that its audience is aware of the brand/category/issue. Instead, it has to convey its message clearly and promptly, while appearing seemingly integrated into the surrounding media content. The best executions will actually resemble not advertisements, but rather pieces of media that are either useful or entertaining.
The importance of frequency also changes. When discovery is happening everywhere, it’s possible for consumers to come across the same brand several times before making use of it. Each occurrence can introduce the brand or explain the product, while one later encounter might provide the needed motivation to use it. Thus, the main challenge of advertising changes from a single conversion event to the building of experience through discovery.
For marketers, measurement isn’t getting much easier. Traditional methods help gain insights only into last-click attribution, which is hardly enough to assess the effect of content in introducing customers to brands long before actual purchases are made.
This change brings with it a fresh issue: to grab users’ attention without detracting from their experience. Users search through extremely tailored content at an incredible pace, so ads must compete not only against other companies but also against textile authors, news and refreshment sources, etc. Raising the number of advertisements won’t solve this dilemma. It’s important to know the environment, format, and culture.
For advertising systems, this means they can improve their search. It’s high time for brands to think not only of keywords and intentions but also about priorities, behaviors, content environments, etc.
The feed does not replace search engines or other methods of digital discovery. The feed does increase the avenues through which people discover brands. Instead of consumers actively searching for advertising, advertising will reach them increasingly.
In this way, the best advertising may look and feel naturally integrated into discovery as opposed to an interruption.
(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)