What matters most to marketers—and the agencies that serve them—is as changeable as today’s frenetic consumer trends.So, to better understand what matters most to Canadian advertising agencies (and, thus, their clients), BrightRoll and IAB Canada conducted their 2015 Advertising Agency Survey.
The survey—based on responses from more than 100 Canadian ad agency executives—digs for insights into trends and topics advertisers can focus on to grow their business. Here, six interesting takeaways:
Digital video is becoming mainstream. In response to the question, “What portion of your RFPs include a video ad component?” more than 30% of respondents said “a majority.” That represents a 47% increase from 2012 to 2014 in the number of Canadian agencies that say RFPs that include a request for video advertising are now in the majority.
Online video advertising is effective. More than two thirds (67%) of respondents say they believe that online video advertising is as or more effective than television. About a quarter still hold fast to TV being the more effective channel.
Confidence in programmatic is growing. Only about 18% of respondents plan to dedicate a majority of digital video budgets to programmatic in the next 12 months. But that represents an increase of nearly two-and-a-half times the number of respondents who did so in 2013.
Viewability isn’t a top success metric. Completed views, conversions, and brand lift are the metrics that matter most to Canadian agencies polled. Viewability is relevant, but its importance is deteriorating in terms of digital video; respondents rank it in a tie with click-through rates for fourth most important.
Targeting sits atop the list of digital video benefits. Nearly half of respondents say that targeting capability is the most valuable aspect of digital video. The next highest-ranking benefit is reach, at 27%.
Mobile and tablet spending are poised for growth. Not surprisingly, considering the ever-increasing popularity of mobile devices of every size, slightly more than half of respondents concur that mobile video is where they expect the largest increase in digital media spend to come this year. Desktop video and mobile display are tied for second in terms of expected growth, according to 36% of respondents.
