What I’ve learned: Time for the ad industry to catch up.

March 16th, 2010 Posted by Ryan Nasipak in Code, Design, Inspiration, Usability

Ok, everyone take a deep breath. I’m not going to go on an endless rant on why I think more companies need to modernize their approach to rich media ads……or am I? (cue evil laugh) Ahhhh-ha-ha-ha-ha.

What I will say is that a little more progressive thinking would help cut out a lot of the senseless number of versions required for some companies running rich media ads and also (potentially) increase your margin for success. So how did I come to this conclusion? Through recent conversation with some ad partners and also jumping through a technical hurdle or two.

We recently completed an XML fed rich media ad for a client. The ad featured a small content management system that allowed the client to update that XML feed and thus create a new ad “on the fly” for as long as they were running their ad unit.

So, why does this matter? It obviously doesn’t seem like a radical concept (or I would hope not ). It’s a process almost all designers have used when building a website. Make something the client can not only use but also maintain. Why? Because it ads value to both the client and the agency.

1.) It cuts down on versioning.
2.) It gives content control to the client.
3.) It removes back and forth (you know, the 45 email chains).
4.) It ads flexibility to their ad campaign.
5.) It ads longevity to the ad.
6.) It softens mistakes.

If you’re asking how? You’re in luck (descriptions below).

1.) It cuts down on versioning - If you’ve ever created a rich media ad, you’ll soon begin to notice that there sometimes are 26 versions of an ad that accomplish the same goal. You’ll probably sit in photoshop or flash at some point and say (or possibly scream) “why am I doing this!?” and with good reason. A dynamic solution allows a designer to create one universal flash ad that updates in real time and then leaves 1 simple static ad (in the event flash cannot be delivered) for each iteration. Instead of doing 26 ads, maybe you can cut it down to 13. In terms of efficiency, that’s obviously huge.

2.) It gives content control to the client - Making the client an active participant helps ads value to what you do. It also ads ownership and accountability to what is ultimately their product. More often than not, that leads to a richer experience all around (which is never a bad thing).

3.) It removes back and forth (you know, the 45 email chains) - I don’t think I’ll explain this one. Why ruin the fun for someone who has yet to experience one of life’s miracles. /sarcasm

4.) It ads flexibility to their ad campaign - So what happens if you’re 5 weeks in to a 10 week ad campaign and you realize what (or the way in which) you’re advertising could be improved. Different wording, a larger percent off, an “hourly discount”, etc. etc. etc. Or what if you sold something that absolutely flew off the shelves and you like to replace another so-so sale, later in the campaign, with that same discount?

How is that going to happen if you have 50 versions of an add that all need updated by a designer, reloaded in to an ad portal and then relaunched individually? The answer is, it’s not.

How about if you have an XML feed that populates those ad units instead? and all their ad sizes (728×90, 300×250, etc., etc., etc.). Update a single text file, hit submit and all your ads just changed in real time. No contacting the agency or the ad portal. Simply update your CMS and hit enter. So why isn’t this design strategy happening more? Maybe it makes too much sense?

5.) It ads longevity to the ad - An ad that updates via an XML document (and not a designer) is not only cheaper over time but it also stands to last infinitely longer than a static ad. Did your campaign change? Are you selling a different product? No problem. Just update the CMS, relaunch the ad and you have now been able to recycle something that typically would have been thrown away. There’s value in that for everyone involved (a superior product, happy customers and ultimately more business).

6.) It softens mistakes - So you spelled a word wrong? (unfortunately been there and done that). What next? Well, it obviously needs changed (my head is starting to hurt thinking about this) and ASAP. In a dynamic ad, 90+% of people are seeing the flash unit. Having the ability to immediately wipe out that mistake for nearly every user in about 60 seconds is HUGE. Log in to the CMS, update the XML and the spelling error is removed. You’ll obviously have to make changes to the single accompanying static ad (if the same error was made) but you’ll SIGNIFICANTLY reduce the pain of a small correction.

So my question is, why are people NOT making more ads that are dynamic, flexible and client friendly?

If you’re shouting “We are! We are!” then I might have just wasted your time……well, while validating your work. I hope you consider that an even trade.

If you’re shouting “Why aren’t we doing this!?” Well…….Why aren’t you? Ads need love too.