The prestigious Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, industry leaders, Ruslana Zbagerska, Vice-President of Technology and Product Development at Amazon Ads, and Duncan Painter, CEO of Ascential Digital Commerce, took the stage to explore the evolving landscape of creative campaign measurement. In an era where every marketing dollar must deliver, they delved into the challenges of assessing creative efficacy over time.
Zbagerska emphasized Amazon Ads’ commitment to helping brands establish meaningful connections with consumers who navigate a fragmented digital landscape using various devices and channels. She stressed the importance of storytelling, encouraging brands to convey their identity, values, and authenticity. By incorporating these elements into their narratives and experimenting with creative experiences, brands can engage consumers along their shopping and entertainment journeys.
According to Zbagerska, brands should focus on three key elements: crafting a compelling message, sharing an authentic story for customers to connect with, and identifying the perfect moment to convey that story. This, she believes, should be followed by innovative approaches to establishing and nurturing connections.
Duncan Painter chimed in, highlighting the dwindling attention spans of today’s consumers, who are bombarded with advertising across numerous platforms. In such an environment, brands have a mere 10 seconds or less to capture attention and convey a message that resonates longitudinally.
Painter emphasized that many brands are fixated on short-term performance metrics and neglect the importance of longitudinal measurement, particularly regarding Customer Lifetime Value (LTV). He noted that emerging formats like Social Commerce and Influencer Marketing are changing the dynamics of short-term and long-term brand objectives.
For instance, in China, advertising on platforms like Douyin (the TikTok of China) has driven a significant market share increase, illustrating the power of new formats in driving marketing activity.
Zbagerska echoed the sentiment, pointing out that over 50% of marketers are redirecting their ad budgets towards influencer marketing due to its effectiveness.
As the discussion turned to technological advancements, Painter acknowledged the buzz around Generative AI at Cannes Lions 2023. He noted that while Generative LLM models have existed for decades, recent developments have generated considerable excitement. These technologies, along with predictive AI, are set to become integral components of the advertising landscape.
Zbagerska highlighted the role of AI in creating relevant and relatable experiences, particularly in sponsored ad solutions. She stressed that when measuring holistic campaigns, advertisers should look beyond traditional KPIs like brand awareness and immediate sales. Instead, they should focus on every engagement throughout the customer journey and the value each interaction contributes to the brand.