A new study conducted by media company Xaxis, marketing agency Catalyst, and London Research explores recent shifts in consumer shopping behaviors resulting from the pandemic.  

The ensuing “retail paradigm” showcases a shorter customer journey in which ecommerce is king and all digital media are shoppable. 

Based on a survey of 2,000 consumers in the U.S. -- along with interviews with a range of brands, agencies, and retail platforms -- The Retail Paradigm: The Evolution of Consumer Shopping predicts how many pandemic-era changes are here to stay as brands and platforms adjust their ecommerce, delivery, and retail offerings.

The study shows that pandemic-era ecommerce trends are not likely to shift anytime soon. 

Nearly three-quarters of U.S. consumers (71%) are shopping online more often than they did before the pandemic, the report shows, with over half (54%) of those consumers citing more work-from-home hours. Thus, they are not as likely to stop at a store after work.  

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, half of U.S. consumers (51%) reported that their online purchasing journey begins on ecommerce and retail sites -- a figure that grows to 55% for those over 55 years old.

People ages 55 and up showed the most notable change in attitude to advertising on retail sites. Compared to a previous Xaxis report done in 2021, this age group’s receptiveness has increased 13%, compared to 5% of 18-34 year olds. While 35-54 year olds reported being 4% more resistant to ads on retail sites.

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New York (4 May 2022) — GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, today announces the findings of the Sightline Global Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) survey on perceptions of digital out-of-home advertising, which reveals half of global audiences who have seen DOOH ads say they encouraged them to make a purchase ‘there and then.’ The study, which was commissioned on behalf of Xaxis and Kinetic, also found that two-thirds of respondents said DOOH ads had encouraged them to search for more information online.

The results of the survey also revealed that DOOH campaigns are regarded by consumers worldwide as innovative, impactful, and strong drivers of action, suggesting they can play an important and unique role in advertisers’ media strategies.

Read the full post on Billboard Insider

Originally posted on MediaPost

GroupM surprise: DOOH ads ‘as entertaining’ as TV and radio

New York (4 May 2022) — GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, today announces the findings of the Sightline Global Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) survey on perceptions of digital out-of-home advertising, which reveals half of global audiences who have seen DOOH ads say they encouraged them to make a purchase ‘there and then.’ The study, which was commissioned on behalf of Xaxis and Kinetic, also found that two-thirds of respondents said DOOH ads had encouraged them to search for more information online.

The results of the survey also revealed that DOOH campaigns are regarded by consumers worldwide as innovative, impactful, and strong drivers of action, suggesting they can play an important and unique role in advertisers’ media strategies.

Conducted by research specialist Kantar on behalf of Sightline, the advanced DOOH solution owned by media investment company GroupM, the new study surveyed the views of 11,000 people in 11 major global markets on a variety of different advertising channels, including DOOH, to assess how this fast-growing form of advertising is perceived compared with other on and offline formats. Among its findings were that DOOH campaigns look to be powerful drivers of direct action by consumers; half of respondents who had seen DOOH ads said they encourage them to make a purchase ‘there and then’ and two-thirds said they had encouraged them to search for more information online.

DOOH ads also performed strongly against attributes more associated with brand-focused campaigns. Respondents who saw or heard each ad format in the last month were asked which attributes applied to the format. Those who saw DOOH ads in the last month were most likely to say DOOH was the most innovative format (28%) and they were second only to cinema-goers in terms of associating the format with having the most ‘creative’ ads. Perhaps surprisingly, the same number of respondents seeing TV, radio and DOOH ads (37%) cited the channel as featuring ads that were ‘entertaining’.

The findings also suggest that DOOH advertising has become an established, welcome element of the consumer experience as two-thirds of those seeing DOOH ads agreed said they ‘become part of the location’ and 63% that it made their journeys more interesting. Other findings of the survey included that more than three-quarters (77%) of those seeing DOOH ads believed DOOH ads were quite or very informative and 50% that they connect them with their favorite social media channels.

The survey was commissioned by Sightline, a joint venture between Xaxis and Kinetic, to discover more about how consumers in global markets perceive digital outdoor ads and so provide new insights into the role they might play in advertisers’ media plans.

Akama Davies, global practice lead for digital OOH at Xaxis, said: “Receptiveness to DOOH ads is clearly strong among consumers everywhere, as seen through their positive attitude towards its quality and innovation. As a non-interruptive channel, the survey findings seem to endorse our view that DOOH offers advertisers a unique opportunity to engage their audiences with high-impact but highly relevant messages in spaces where those messages are welcomed by consumers. It offers a large creative canvas but also gives ad buyers the precision planning and agility of digital, programmatic media, as well as a powerful location-based element that drives a multitude of actions. The survey findings also validate our view that DOOH does not replace existing forms of ad media but adds its own unique value for marketers.”

Dennis Kuperus, global head of innovation and partnerships at Kinetic commented. "It's exciting to see how consumers recognize and respond to the potential for creativity and innovation in DOOH. We have long considered it to be a channel ripe for tools and formats that create engaging experiences and drive impact for brands," said Kuperus. "AI, virtual reality, interactivity, immersive and responsive experiences in DOOH all create unique offline and blended opportunities, especially when used within an omnichannel approach. Interactive elements like the QR code allow brands to drive consumers directly to a website, a purchase or more information, making them invaluable as lower-funnel options for conversions and brand impact – off and online."

The global Sightline survey was conducted by research specialist Kantar on behalf of Xaxis and Kinetic to discover more about how consumers in global markets perceive digital outdoor ads and provide new insights into the role they might play in advertisers’ media plans. It surveyed the views of 11,000 people in 11 major global markets on a variety of different advertising channels, including DOOH, to assess how this fast-growing advertising medium is perceived compared with other on and offline formats.

Sightline is GroupM's advanced programmatic DOOH solution from Xaxis and Kinetic that helps plan, execute, and measure DOOH campaigns as well as integrate them into a holistic omnichannel programmatic strategy at scale.

The full findings of the survey are detailed in a new research report ‘The DOOH difference: Global consumer attitudes to digital outdoor advertising and its unique potential for advertisers’ published today via Sightline and available at https://www.xaxis.com/sightline/.

About GroupM

GroupM is the world's leading media investment company responsible for more than $50B in annual media investment through agencies Mindshare, MediaCom, Wavemaker, Essence, and m/SIX, as well as the outcomes-driven programmatic audience company, Xaxis. GroupM’s portfolio includes Data & Technology (Choreograph), Investment, and Services, all united in the vision to shape the next era of media where advertising works better for people. By leveraging all the benefits of scale, the company innovates, differentiates, and generates sustained value for our clients wherever they do business. Discover more about GroupM.

About Xaxis

Xaxis combines innovative AI technology, advanced omnichannel solutions, data-driven creative, and worldwide programmatic expertise to transform digital media investments into real business outcomes. Discover more about Xaxis.

About Kinetic

Kinetic is a passionate and talented team who believe in the power of Out-Of-Home advertising. They use intelligence, technology and creativity to help brands communicate with valuable audiences on the move. Discover more at www.kineticww.com

Bidstack Group PLC the native in-game advertising group, is delighted to announce a new partnership with Xaxis, GroupM’s outcome media specialist.

The partnership enables Xaxis to access Bidstack’s extensive portfolio of seamless in-game ad formats and branded experiences. It also provides Xaxis with access to Bidstack’s global supply of programmatic inventory which features 70+ exclusive titles including Dirt 5, Football Manager 2022, and Top Eleven. The inventory is available across mobile, PC, cloud gaming and VR formats, with additional supply for console being added in the coming months.

In 2021, Xaxis expanded its portfolio of innovative, omnichannel media solutions to include a full suite of gaming products. The partnership with Bidstack further bolsters Xaxis’s ability to engage the growing, diverse, worldwide gaming audience through immersive, innovative, and effective content.

2021 was a breakout year for in-game advertising with the format becoming an established part of media plans for advertisers across the industry. The trend towards gaming was accelerated in part by the pandemic, with average playing times increasing by 14% globally and gamers across all age groups displaying a clear preference for playing games over watching TV shows and movies, according to research from Limelight Networks.

2022 is anticipated to be another important year for gaming, with in-game advertising gaining significant traction among advertising industry bodies such as the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) and updated measurement standards set to be introduced by the MRC (Media Rating Council), making campaign success easier to measure for advertisers.

Regarding the new partnership, Lewis Sherlock, SVP Programmatic at Bidstack said, “We are really proud to be working with one of the most respected names in the industry in Xaxis. The partnership is great news for Bidstack and is the culmination of around two years of groundwork from myself and the team. We are looking forward to scaling brand investment into a number of markets in the next few years and to work alongside Xaxis to deliver immersive branded experiences in-game for their clients.”

Julia Rast, Senior Manager, Global Solutions & Innovation at Xaxis added, “Developing a programmatic in-game product has been an exciting journey. Understanding the uniqueness and novelties of this type of media while answering the needs of our agencies and clients has been both challenging and rewarding. We’re confident that the partnership with Bidstack will allow us to further develop sustainable and impactful solutions that lead to stronger business outcomes for our clients.”

About Bidstack

Bidstack is the leading in-game advertising and video game monetisation platform. Their sophisticated technology allows brands to serve advertisements into natural spaces within video games whilst protecting the gaming experience.

These branded experiences can vary from trackside banners and cityscape billboards to pitchside LED boards, skins or any other contextually relevant spaces within the metaverse.

The company has more than 80 staff across five international locations and is a public company listed on the London Stock Exchange.

www.bidstack.com

About Xaxis

Xaxis transforms digital media into business outcomes. We maximize the ROI of our clients’ digital media investments by combining innovative AI technology, advanced cross-channel solutions, and dedicated programmatic expertise to develop and optimize to success metrics that connect directly to their business goals. Founded in 2011, Xaxis is GroupM’s outcome media specialist, serving more than 3,000 brands in 48 markets around the world. Find out more.

In-game advertising has undergone a renaissance in recent years, with unprecedented numbers of consumers flocking to video games to stay entertained during the COVID-19 pandemic. Advertising measurement standards have not necessarily kept pace with this rapid growth. As in-game advertisements become commonplace, brands and marketers are starting to look at different metrics to gauge their effectiveness.

To take a pragmatic look at the numbers of in-game advertising, Digiday spoke to Huawei and an independent in-game advertising expert to crunch the data on the technology firm’s first in-game advertising campaign, done in conjunction with in-game ad firm Anzu and adtech company Xaxis.

The in-game advertising push was part of a wide-ranging campaign that Huawei kicked off to raise brand awareness and recall among audiences in the United Kingdom. Huawei and its media agency Wavemaker paid particular attention to the performance of the in-game part of the campaign, as it was Huawei’s first time dipping its toes in this relatively new medium.

“This was something new that we were working on together, as opposed to the other parts of the campaign that were a little bit more aligned with what we’ve done in the past,” said Daniela Badalan, a senior marketing manager at Huawei. “Obviously, it’s difficult to understand the impact of this in isolation, after the entire campaign. And that’s why having the measurement specifically for the audience that was exposed to this was really important for us.”

Read the full article on Digiday here

Advertising/Media Technology of the Year

Unmissable (DFS) by MediaCom, Xaxis, Finecast, iDOOH

See the full shortlist here

How can marketers most effectively reach consumers in 2021?
Marketers must think flexibly when allocating budgets instead of rigidly assigning them to channels such as video, radio, OOH, social media, and so on. If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that we need to be agile as conditions quickly change.
Let’s be open-minded as we activate, measure, analyze, and learn what works. We should think more about impact and less about silos. Budgets that were once based on historical performance or general trends should instead be finely tuned in real-time to adjust to changes in behaviors and lifestyles. We can’t presume in today’s fast-changing environments that any channel will necessarily deliver as hoped. Consider how DOOH seemed dead in the water then roared to a comeback during COVID as regions opened up and marketers saw they could gain unique share of voice while targeting consumers who’d been over-saturated by TV ads in the home.
Let’s plan across channels rather than tie ourselves to specific line items, too. Demand-side platforms (DSPs) help facilitate more fluid movement of impressions among channels, and can also help maximize targeted reach by enabling strategies like omnichannel retargeting, sequencing, and frequency capping, and optimization tactics such as multi-variate testing of creative elements by audience segment. AI, too, will progress this year, perhaps enabling live tests of ads assembled from extracted elements — an audio track, here, some images there — then testing the automated assemblage through dynamic creative optimization (DCO) or even recreating the combination of assets as a video creative and testing its performance.

Read the full article on ANA

During lockdown 1.0, publishers saw digital audio consumption increase up to more than 30%; with 74% of listeners intending to continue engaging at the same rate. Lockdown 2.0 further cemented streaming and podcast content as the consumer’s constant companion, making it crucial for the industry to harness its large-scale connection potential.
To achieve that, however, advertisers will need a better understanding of how they can turn this developing opportunity into their newest headline act. Rising interest among media buyers isn’t new: 2019 studies show 60% already planned to increase their spending over the coming 18 months. But adoption has been held back by uncertainty around inventory supply, measurement, and available technology.

Why now?

Digital audio has long offered huge scope for meaningful one-to-one interaction across an expanding range of audiences and devices. The main reason for its recent popularity surge is a blend of accessibility and adaptability. Unlike many other mediums, digital audio can carry on regardless of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions; with digital-first creators able to continue and even boost content production independently and at low cost.
From the listener perspective, audio is also uniquely positioned to fit the shift to remote working; providing screenless content audiences can enjoy as they go about other tasks. Research from the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) revealed that 74% of those who have been streaming more music and 62% of those consuming more podcasts since the outbreak plan to continue doing so. For advertisers, the spike in supply and demand adds irresistible allure to an already enticing proposition that includes highly immersive environments, 100% share of voice, and the potential to boost incremental impact for multi-media campaigns. In a digital climate where competition for attention is stronger than ever, digital audio presents an opportunity few can afford to miss.

What’s the hold up?

While barriers to entry may be few for creators and listeners, many buyers have struggled with several challenges. Top of the list is measurement; with 49% saying they want to understand the precise impact ads have on revenue. This isn’t that surprising given the rising pressure to provide tangible evidence of success, but the problem is being exacerbated by inconsistent measurement approaches.

Read the full article on Marketing Tech News

Binnen digitale sector wordt al een tijd geroepen dat er een duidelijk en meetbaar verband moet zijn tussen digitale marketingactiviteiten en bedrijfsresultaten. Waarom gebruiken de meeste marketeers dan nog steeds ouderwetse, indirecte proxy metrics zoals cost-per-click (CPC), cost-per-action (CPA), click-through-rate (CTR), conversiepercentages of onduidelijke viewability benchmarks?

Opdringerige advertenties

Meer dan ooit leiden metrics die zwakke correlaties aantonen met bedrijfsresultaat tot onbetrouwbare informatie, resulterend in misplaatste strategieën. Zo zorgen bijvoorbeeld opdringerige en moeilijk te ontwijken advertenties zeker voor meer kliks, maar wordt er door die ‘onbedoelde’ kliks ook daadwerkelijk meer verkocht?
Daar staat tegenover dat upper-funnel marketing-metrics, zoals brand impact, klantentrouw en lifetime waarde, nauw verbonden zijn met zakelijk succes. Hoewel dergelijke data meestal niet worden gebruikt in digitale performance strategieën in het lagere deel van de funnel, kunnen we wel een vergelijkbare denkwijze hanteren: streven naar metrics met een directe relatie met het verkoopresultaat, in plaats van primitievere, indirecte meetmethoden.

Kunstmatige intelligentie

Wanneer geautomatiseerde of programmatische media-inkoop wordt gekoppeld aan een grote hoeveelheid data en technologie voor kunstmatige intelligentie (AI), biedt dit beter inzicht in zakelijk succes. Op basis van zakelijke doelstellingen van de klant en het gedrag van diens publiek, kunnen we duidelijk observeren, analyseren en concluderen wat wel en niet werkt. Deze resultaten kunnen we vervolgens verwerken in elke reclamecampagne, elke media-inkoop, elk bod; en zorgen voor intrinsiek waardevolle resultaten voor de klant.
Dat is iets heel anders dan met (te) grof geschut meer impressies en kliks genereren, en dan maar hopen dat deze iets voor de verkoop doen. Maar belangrijker; met deze strategie wordt rekening gehouden met de individuele behoeften en omstandigheden van elke klant.

Ford

Gewapend met deze inzichten zijn we in Nederland en Noorwegen aan de slag gegaan om een op maat gemaakte aanpak te ontwikkelen voor Ford en diens media en reclamebureaus Mindshare en GTB.
Samen hebben we het bezoekersgedrag op de website van Ford Nederland geanalyseerd en een statistisch model ontwikkeld dat een nauwkeurige waarde toekent aan belangrijke acties op de site, zoals het boeken van een proefrit, downloaden van een brochure of zoeken naar de dichtstbijzijnde dealer. Nadat die acties werden gekoppeld aan hun impact op de offline autoverkoop konden we een algoritme ontwikkelen dat elk bezoek en elke handeling op de website evalueert, en voorspelt hoe waarschijnlijk het is dat deze leiden tot een nieuwe autoaankoop.

Read the full article in Dutch on EMERCE
Read the English version on our blog here