TWO MISTAKES THAT DAMAGE ONLINE CAMPAIGNS

AdTech is sometimes difficult to understand at first glance.Simple explanations help to avoid mistakes in complex topics. This also applies to the use of behavioural targeting, where the fundamental goal of selling as many products or services as possible with the help of advertising often falls by the wayside.

Online often only reaches a third of people

Most online campaigns usually try to deliver adverts to specific target groups where people are identified via cookies, identifiers or logins.But not everyone has an online subscription to Bild or SZ (and therefore a login).Not everyone is on TikTok and not everyone has been on Facebook for a long time. And for many years now, cookies and identifiers have only reached a third of the actual net reach of people on the internet - a rate that has worsened since the introduction of mandatory consent.

Sticking unconditionally to ‘data-based’ targeting, despite the knowledge that you are only reaching a reduced proportion of potential customers, is like a retailer opening his shop in a secret location that is difficult for people to reach, rather than in a well-known and easily accessible shopping area.

This is why high-reach non-digital media remain in the media plans of successful advertising companies.On digital media, the risk can be avoided through the use of organic targeting (choice-driven advertising) and/or contextual targeting approaches, with which 100% of users can be addressed with an advertising message on the respective pages.

Targeting hinders purchases

The small-scale and far too niche target groups that are often used in digital advertising communication are like a doorman that the retailer places in front of his shop to ensure that only the right shoppers enter the shop.More stringent targeting than targeting people interested in a product category has been known as a recipe for negative growth since Byron Sharp.This type of advertising doesn't drive new sales, it facilitates or defends sales that are driven by other factors - price or advertising on other channels.

It takes some courage.Not because without the use of person-based targeting or broader target group definitions you also cause small wastage.Courage to reject approaches and features that AdTech, Martech and CRM experts make possible and thus risk being judged as outdated.One last comparison to make clear why the above two mistakes should be avoided at all costs.Delivering a media budget only to a reduced number of people leads to more frequent and intrusive advertising (see also Shouting louder and more often is not the solution).This makes these people experience advertising like a salesperson who loudly and intrusively follows you around the shop and tries to sell you products that you are not interested in.