Predictive behavioural targeting is often mistakenly perceived as nothing more than a tool designed to generate increased click-through and conversion rates.
But this limited understanding of its strengths fails to factor in the true potential of what the tool can offer online marketers. In fact, it would be a great disappointment if this association with online performance continued to be the main value linked to these innovative online campaigns.
So what exactly is the greater offering of predictive behavioural targeting? To answer this we must expand the way we think about online advertising and marketing and consider the value of traditional media which, even in an age of digital growth, attract the greatest share of advertising budgets.
The fundamental indicators of television and print media potential are target audience share, reach and brand effect. Making them controllable and capable of optimisation, predictive behavioural targeting takes these measures and extends them into the digital world to evolve online advertising beyond click-through and conversion rates.
Rather than being driven by this archaic model of online success, predictive behavioural targeting has always been focused on measurably growing a brand’s target audience share. This growth is achieved by directly delivering targeted content to groups that have been pre-defined by both their product interests and socio-demographic criteria. This ensures that consumers only receive content and messages that are specifically relevant to them and tailored to their existing relationship with a brand.
When assessing the branding impact and effect of online advertising, it is vital to use the established brand recognition trinity – recognition, affinity and intent – to optimise activity. And incorporating realtime market research – a unique advantage of predictive behavioural targeting – maximises its impact.
It is also important to acknowledge the increased audience scope that predictive behavioural targeting campaigns provide. While performance-driven online campaigns solely target the 20% of users clicking on ads, predictive behavioural targeting campaigns expand this scope to include all other Internet users. This wider focus evolves the way we talk about online campaigns, from discussions of pay per impression (PPM) at cost per click (CPC) to measurement and results of high quality branding campaigns.
This is what predictive behavioural targeting delivers, which is clearly the best way to extend online advertising activity from a performance-driven model to one that incorporates and capitalises on the medium’s potential for branding.
Ben Humphry is country director for UK and Ireland at nugg.ad
