The power of dynamic creative optimisation

Explained quite simply, if John were to visit the sports section of a news site, would this make him a sports enthusiast? Maybe, but not necessarily. However, if he were to visit this section four out of five times that he visits the news site, then we could indeed assume that he is interested in sports.

Why is this so-called audience segmentation important?

We often hear of people's aversion to online ads, but if relevant ads were to be shown I'm sure numerous people would be more tolerant towards ads offering certain products or services. In fact, some internet users might even be more inclined to follow through on certain offers and purchase said products or services. John, being a sports enthusiast, would more likely click on an ad promoting sports gear as opposed to one promoting women's fashion!

Let's go one step further and say that John lives in France. Don't you think John would be pleased if he not only saw a sports ad, but one that was written in French?

If one were to take each individual and their user information into consideration then one would have to create an endless pit of creative material to accommodate all wishes! So, how can one reach the desired user without having to create numerous different ads and diving into a deep sea of creative production and media management costs? The answer is a dynamic creative and dynamic creative optimization (DCO).

An introduction to Dynamic Creative Optimisation

Based on the DoubleClick Studio and DFA platforms

The recipe for a good dynamic creative is based on an ad template or general creative outline, but more importantly on a set of variables. Variables can be any of the following:

• An image
  
• A logo
  
• A video
  
• A headline
  
• A price indication
  
• A call to action
  
• Font colour
  
• Text language

Usually up to four dynamic elements are incorporated into an ad, but more advanced rule-based options, in the form of data feeds, can allow thousands of possible combinations!

A distinction can thus be made between basic and advanced dynamic creatives:

Basic dynamic creative

• Changes to a variable are made manually after the ad has been trafficked
  
• No new creative file upload necessary
  
• No need to re-traffic creative

The disadvantage, in this case, is that the ads don't change based on the viewing audience - everyone will see the same ad.

Advanced dynamic creative

• Content changes based on user information, such as location, date or site where the ad appears
  
• Data feeds with dynamic content are implemented
  
• Rules that apply to each feed can be set, for example to randomly rotate ads or to auto-filter based on user or impression data

other targeting options:

• DFA parameters
  
• site ID
  
• placement ID
  
• keywords
  
• date and time
  
• data pass
  
• and more...

Below are three dynamic creative examples:

Seen from a basic dynamic creative perspective, the image, price and/or call to action could easily be changed on the fly without having to re-traffic the ad, but there would be no point of having the different languages or currencies if the ads were to be shown in only the UK, for example.

To accommodate more advanced optimization a feed could be used and, based on geo-targeting, if the user were to be living in France, he would see the French version, whilst the user sitting in Spain would see the Spanish version. Setting a date rule could further allow the user to see different prices, based on, for example, an end of offer special.

Dynamic creative stepping stones for advertisers and creative agencies

Using DoubleClick Studio

Decide on a clear dynamic strategy. Create your feed based upon your strategy and creative. Build your creative and implement the feed.

DoubleClick structures the feed as follows:

• Elements = spreadsheet tabs
  
• Element Fields = spreadsheet column headers
  
• Element Values = data in rows

Rules, or filters, are based on the columns and work on an "AND" selection. This means that you can have more than one column set as a filter, but all of these element fields must apply for the rule to function correctly and display a relevant ad. It is wise to set a row as Default, which will deliver if no conditions match.

A quick guide to the workflow in DoubleClick Studio

1. Create a profile with a unique ID
   
2. Add fields that supply dynamic content (text, image or whole numbers)
   
3. Enter values for these fields
   
4. Add feeds, such as product data, weather data, or financial. - feed data is stored in a Google doc spreadsheet or a .csv file
   
5. Set up rules that apply to each feed. - randomly rotate ads or auto-filter based on user or impression data (geolocation, site, start and end dates, etc.)
   
6. code will automatically be generated - paste this into the Flash creative
   
7. Upload the creative to DoubleClick Studio
   
8. Set reporting dimensions
   
9. Publish the profile
   
10. Publish the creative
    

In a nutshell

A combination of audience segmentation, dynamic creatives and DCO allows advertisers to deliver ads to users that show them what they want, when they want it, based on where they are and how they interact with sites. To have one creative with different variables will not only save creative production and media management costs, but will enable targeting the desired market more specifically, which will increase conversion rates and ROI substantially, and this is why DCO is such a powerful tool!

It is important to note, however, that DCO should not completely replace conventional media and audience targeting strategies. Thorough market research, planning and analysis are nevertheless required to fulfil an advertiser's ideal campaign philosophy.

DQ&A Media Group has a team of campaign managers with extensive knowledge of various DoubleClick products, including DoubleClick Studio, and can easily assist in setting up dynamic creatives. Please do not hesitate to contact us for further support.