Samba: Digital advertising as we know it is very different from a few years ago. Mobile devices have become pervasive and that has changed the way we consume information and interact. Consumers like you and I constantly switch between several connected devices daily to do things. It has become second nature to start off on one device, such as picking up your smartphone to get information on a product, then continue to another to make a purchase. So marketers have to think differently about how they engage customers with multiple devices.
Samba: I’ve seen many marketers start to adopt an omni-channel and multi-screen approach to advertising, unlike the single channel and screen approach that they've been accustomed to. They’re also increasingly using programmatic ad buying instead of negotiated ad buying. What we refer to as “programmatic” is the automated process of purchasing and running digital ad campaigns, mainly in real-time. It helps marketers to reach the right audience with the right message at the right time and in the right place. That’s why programmatic is the future of advertising.
When it comes to mobile advertising, I expect it to continue to grow rapidly as consumers increasingly shift their time online to mobile devices. But it is video in particular that will grow faster than any other format over the next few years. This will be driven by a robust demand for mobile video as social platforms become video-centric.
Samba: You’re right to say that the digital advertising ecosystem is going to continue to get more complex, especially with the ever-growing number of devices, apps, ad formats and media channels. Marketers are already grappling with disparate systems and budgets across different platforms, and trying to figure out how it all adds up. Few can manage it in-house because they lack the capabilities and talent.
What they really need are experts who can serve as consultant, strategist, media buyer and trader all rolled into one, to distil this complicated landscape and help them innovate and execute campaigns and react to the data in real-time. This is the value that Amobee can bring to marketers. Amobee, which is Singtel’s global digital marketing arm, can empower customers to make unbiased, data-driven decisions, and achieve a better ROI across the entire internet and all media.
Samba: As consumers switch between devices, they expect their information searches and viewing experiences to keep up with them. They also want advertising that is personally relevant – the right ad at the right time and place. Data enables marketers to make connections between the channels and provide these personalised experiences to consumers. With this data, Chief Marketing Officers can gain a much deeper understanding of real time and historical consumer sentiment, media behaviour, brand associations and competitive insights, all of which are used to inform everything from strategy to media buying, creative and content development and delivery of digital advertising for brands.
Samba: Earlier this year, Amobee acquired Turn, a global technology platform. This is an exciting, strategic investment for us and we believe it will help marketers solve the challenges they face and bring greater benefits.
This acquisition strengthens Amobee’s existing programmatic and data management capabilities in the rapidly evolving market of digital advertising and accelerates its growth into a significant global digital marketing player. Amobee now offers customers an independent end-to-end advertising and data management platform across all programmatic channels, formats and devices. And this is over and above proprietary Amobee Brand Intelligence insights, as well as advanced analytics and media planning capabilities. Experienced marketers will know that there are few independent buy-side platforms in the world that provide such a comprehensive range of capabilities.
What this means for marketers is that they now have access to more resources and technical capabilities, deeper consumer insights and media strategy, and all the benefits of a unified buying platform with expert strategists for support. More importantly, they can think about buying ad media holistically instead of in silos.
Samba: Our priority is for Amobee to continue to innovate and grow its presence across channels and expand into the Asia Pacific, where the Singtel Group reaches some 640 million customers across 22 countries. One of Amobee’s strongest strategic assets is the independence and objectivity that comes with not owning media, and this significantly differentiates it from the competition. No matter the channel, marketers want to know how and where their budgets are spent, and how to do so most effectively. Amobee will continue to be that trusted adviser to marketers, helping them make sense of data to better understand and reach their customers, and enhance the way they engage them, on a global scale.
