Marketers Grapple With The Best Time To Optimize Campaigns


Marketers Grapple With The Best Time To Optimize Campaigns


by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, October 6, 2017


Gaps in data and a misunderstanding of the nuances of today’s advertising campaigns have marketers wondering about the best times to optimize.


Kantar Millward Brown conducted research to analyze the optimal time for media agencies to begin tweaking their media buys for everything from search to television. The research queried more than 300 global executives at marketing firms, agencies and media companies and found that despite the data available to them, more than a third of marketers still don’t begin the optimization process until after the campaign has launched.


When asked to name the top strategic marketing challenges, marketers cited measuring and providing return on investments, understanding omnichannel behavior, optimizing media investments, developing content for multiple media channels, and managing shrinking budgets.


Marketers agree that optimization of campaigns should begin in the prelaunch stage. Some 54% admit that the point at which they begin optimization begins earlier. About 28% begin to optimize campaigns when they think about the idea or strategy, 14% when they develop the creative or content, and 16% when they think about placing a media buy.


That still leaves about 39% who wait until after the campaigns have launched. The research finds that about 35% of marketers don’t begin campaign optimization until their campaigns are live, 4% only measure post-campaign, and 3% don’t optimize campaigns at all.


The study suggests that mastering optimization means tackling tough challenges. Those include viewability, brand safety, targeting, ad fraud, and ad blocking in that order.


While timely access to data is key, expectations vary by channel. For example, 73% of marketers define “real time” online as within 48 hours; 17%, within a week; 8%, monthly; and 2%, quarterly or more.


When it comes to mobile ads and apps, 69% of marketers define “real time” online as within 48 hours; 18%, within a week; 10%, monthly; and 3%, quarterly or more.


About 21% of marketers define “real time” for television online as within 48 hours; 38%, within a week; 28%, monthly; and 13%, quarterly or more. The time frame for “other traditional” media is 13%, 19%, 51%, and 17%, respectively. Cross-channel is 21%, 31%, 34%, 14%, respectively.


MediaPost.com: Search Marketing Daily

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