Here are a couple more slides and notes from my recent presentations for ScreenMediaExpo in London (you can get the full presentation here) and NgageWithUs in Sidney, Melbourne and Auckland.
Fig.1. DISCOVERY IS INTENT OR CONTEXT. (Click to enlarge)
PRIVATE SCREENS: DISCOVERY VIA INTENT
Private screens (e.g. a user’s desktop or laptop) are best targeted by advertisers via an “Intent” model. i.e. a user’s intent is exposed via a search query (e.g. pizza near Natick, MA) or social media pages (e.g. Fan of Joe’s Pizza, Natick, MA). This is an eminently monetizable opportunity and advertisers can measure the effectiveness of what can then become a two-way link between the user and advertiser (shown as the 2-way red dotted line to/from advertisers in Fig.1.).
We know that the value of Intent via private screens is huge (just ask Google), but the value of “context” is still largely untapped on these screens.
If we now look at public screens, the oppose it true.
PUBLIC SCREENS: DISCOVERY VIA CONTEXT.
Unlike private screens, an advertiser can effectively get on to public screens just by paying for that privilege. In theory, they choose to do so based on the desirability of the target audience around those screens i.e. their context. For example it might be determined that people potentially interested in pizza could be found at gas stations within 1 mile of the pizza restaurant around lunch or dinner time.
The value of this context is OK, but is typically a one way (i.e. passive) message from an advertiser to the public screen (shown as the one-way blue dotted line to the public screens in Fig.1.) with no direct engagement path to the audience, in other words, this approach lacks the actionable, two way connection that’s inherent in the Intent model. It’s also less measurable or immediate, and therefore, from the perspective of a digital media buyer, potentially less valuable.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could leverage the advantages of both the Intent and Context models in one hybrid approach? Of course that’s a soft-ball question addressed in the slide below.
FIG. 2. MOBILE BRIDGES INTENT AND CONTEXT. (Click to enlarge)
MOBILE SCREENS: DISCOVERY VIA INTENT AND CONTEXT
An out of home audience is mobile. Their mobile behavior moves between Intent and Context models all the time. And the mobile phone, because it’s always on and available, can support both Intent and Context models. For example the user might want to find a pizza restaurant near by and type that into their phone’s browser (i.e. Intent Model shown as the 2-way red dotted line to/from the phone and advertiser in Fig. 2). They might also act on a promotion they discover at the gas station near the pizza restaurant or respond to a poll, check in, or send a message when they are at the restaurant (i.e. Context Model shown as the 2-way blue dotted line to/from the phone and advertiser in Fig. 2).
The mobile phone is providing a “mobile click” to an otherwise passive public screen.
As our ability to leverage all screens is better understood, and the friction of doing so is reduced, the entire eco-system will benefit - i.e. locations, advertisers, network operators and end users will each get a more valuable experience.
