Corrosive Business Problems Created by Impressions.
Today, 31 years after the first Display ad was delivered, the butterfly effect created by an obsession with Impressions has created four underappreciated, deeply corrosive, problems.
Collectively, they harm the art and science of Marketing in profound ways.
Since knowing is the first step, let’s get to it.
#1. An activity-centric advertising world.
Impressions are somewhat related to an ad being delivered (an invisible pixel being fired). It is essential to appreciate the harmful incentives created by a focus on Impressions/Views.
I have a thousand examples. Let me share one, a conversation the other day:
We have never had Brand Lift on your Ad Platform.
You have a massive relevant audience. I want our advertising with you to deliver business impact.
I want to stop buying ads on tiny screens. Let’s buy ads on the biggest devices, TV. My hypothesis is that all that real estate allows more undistracted attention focused on our creative.
Combined with my Frequency-centric media plan, this will ensure persuasion, and deliver Brand Lift.
The first words from the Ad Platform Representative:
I want to emphasize this is someone I respect and appreciate.
They were focused on the impact of my decisions on the activity-number. That the new strategy would (finally!) have a shot at delivering business outcomes was not on their horizon.
I don’t blame them.
It is what Agencies tend to trade in (efficient activity!), it is what Agencies negotiate (efficient activity!), it is what Agencies prioritize as “value” (efficient activity!). This is a harmful incentive.
I am inherently allergic to being activity rich and outcomes poor.
My reply:
And, that’s precisely what we did. We paid more, reached fewer people, but did so with an eye on persuasion, and we delivered +4 Lift in Purchase Intent! We did not Reach a billion people with a spray of uncontrolled Impressions. But, of the ones we did Reach, we delivered a solid Number of People Lifted result. Outcomes over activity.
Let me ask you: What are your Video and Display campaigns being planned to deliver?
I bet, it is activity. CPMs.
I bet, you strip back the fancy fonts and clip art on your Agency sides, spray and pray rules your world?
That in turn creates zero incentives to do advertising that demonstrates to the humans at the end of your ads: We give a sh1t about your precious attention, as we interrupt you.
Because that would require an obsession with outcomes. Which in turn would force thinking about relevance, intent, moments of truth, radically better creative, and so much more. We do none of that.
End Result: Lots of Impression. No business impact.
Whose fault is this? Chief Marketing Officers of the world. Activity-centricity would die if they insisted on outcomes-centricity. That insistence would also create incentives for better advertising that clearly demonstrates we value your attention.
[Premium Subscribers: Please see TMAI #416: Rock Creative Pre-Testing - The Right Way. It outlines why activity-centric Pre-Testing results in low-impact Marketing – and how to do outcomes-centric CPT.]