A quick portrait of the moment the sector is going through.
The advertising industry is always evolving, and therefore we are prepared for challenges, especially those unexpected events, of which there are more and more, and that generate uncertainty. This year is anticipated to be intense, marked by disruptive technological advances, geopolitical decisions, financial fluctuations and uncertain economic expectations, all in a context of moderate optimism.
The growing strength of audiovisual seems to be one of the predominant trends. What others stand out for 2024?
Audiovisual consumption has experienced a significant increase, with traditional television and streaming platforms such as Netflix, HBO, and Amazon Prime Video being the main sources of entertainment. This increase is also due to the change in consumer habits towards on-demand content. This 2024, linear television is and continues to be relevant, especially in live events, large audience programs and local programming, and, complementary, the flexibility and variety offered by streaming platforms are a clear growing trend in audiovisual consumption in Spain .
In addition to the rise of audiovisual content, several trends in advertising are anticipated for 2024. Such as the consolidation of personalized advertising based on data, the management of data privacy, the increase in augmented and virtual reality in advertising experiences, strategies brand with a more sustainable approach for society, and the growing importance of interactivity in campaigns with a focus on creating more experiences. Of course, artificial intelligence will play a crucial role, not only in generating images, but also in optimizing processes in advertising campaigns.
Is data the way to achieve the greatest satisfaction of recipients? Also the solution to avoid its saturation?
Data is key to knowing more about the end user, their preferences, their consumption habits, their routines, but it has to be quality data, and that it complies with consumer data protection and privacy regulations.
If brands know and have access to this data that users provide, we can personalize messages and experiences, which undoubtedly increase the satisfaction of the end user, and also allow the saturation of advertising messages to be more efficient if it is based on certain data. At the end of the day it is a balance between the quality of the data, its use and application to generate more personalized and less saturated advertising.
In an increasingly globalized reality, can strategies always be globalized as well? What is the weight of global accounts compared to local accounts at OMG?
At Omnicom Media Group Spain I believe that we have a portfolio of very global clients, and also very local ones, including clients that belong to multinationals and that we manage with local contracts. In fact, we are very proud to also be able to manage global accounts from “hubs” in Spain, providing digital media strategy and planning services to more than 30 markets where our clients operate. In short, it is about having flexible structures that provide communication solutions to our clients, knowing how to adapt to different needs.
As for what the strategies are like, there are global brand strategies that are replicated in the local market, and they are perfectly valid, but at the same time, there are global brands that have developed their strategies more locally than globally because that is how they are. requires the sector, market or other aspects. Once again, flexibility and agility are common denominators.
The application of artificial intelligence in creative processes is undoubtedly a tool with vast possibilities in advertising, but should limits be set?
Everything has, or should have, its limit, or rather its regulation, with the goal of seeking its proper use. And, precisely because artificial intelligence may have no limits in creative processes, they must be set, to guarantee that the principles of ethical, truthful and responsible advertising are met.
Limiting does not mean censoring, but rather establishing restrictions to control or regulate a situation or process, which in the case of limiting the use of artificial intelligence in advertising has more to do with defining standards aimed at ensuring its responsible use, avoiding problems or abuse, or, fraud.
What margin do audiovisual platforms leave for advertising? What are the formats that brands can use today, and how do you think they will evolve in the future?
If the audiovisual platforms are paid and do not allow advertising, there is no margin or space for advertising beyond the fact that the brands are present in the audiovisual content themselves as active or passive elements.
On the contrary, if audiovisual platforms allow advertising, I don’t think there are limits on the formats since, technically, any format is possible, from exclusive sponsorships on entrance masks of audiovisual content, “pre-rolls” (which would be a spot just before of the broadcast of the content), “mid-rolls” (which would be one or several spots during the broadcast of the content), interactive formats.
They can also be “skippable” formats, that is, the user can voluntarily decide not to watch the entire sport, or non-skippable formats, where the user has to watch all the advertising content if they want to watch the series, movie or content. And, of course, different durations, from 6-second “bumpers” spots to much longer formats, even mini films with advertising content.
Regarding its evolution, it has to do with us being able to measure more and better, and being able to segment and personalize advertising to many users at the same time, changing in real time, and in “shoppable” formats, which means you can buy directly. the products from the audiovisual platform.
Goodbye to cookies in 2022 meant hello to contextual advertising to direct the strategy to a target audience. Has it proven its effectiveness? If so, in some sectors or specific targets more than others?
Contextual advertising is based on understanding the content of the web page on which the advertising is displayed. Instead of relying on specific user data such as cookies, it focuses more on the contextual relevance of the ad to the content of the page. This strategy can be effective in sectors where the user’s affinity with a specific topic is essential, and therefore contextual advertising is not equally effective for all sectors.
For example, in fashion, contextual advertising can adapt to current trends and styles that are present on the website, thus increasing the probability that users are interested in the advertised products. Similarly, in the food sector, ads can be customized according to the type of content on the website. But above all, the effectiveness of contextual advertising depends on the quality of the content and the ability to understand the context in which it is displayed and adapt to it.
Consent is today one of the workhorses of the sector, especially in online dissemination. Is it necessary to reinforce the limits to prevent excess noise from generalizing rejection?
The privacy of user data is fundamental, as is people’s own privacy. But not all users want to guarantee the privacy of their data, and that is why they “consent” to its use to have a better browsing experience based on the user’s own tastes.
The best way to approach this issue is with absolute transparency and that is what the new regulation governed by the General Data Protection Regulation brings, where the user must be able to choose in a clear and simple way whether to accept or reject the use of cookies.
