In today’s world, it’s impossible to go online without seeing at least a handful of dynamic ads. Whether you go shopping, look at a new car, or plan a trip abroad: every time you intend to make an online purchase, marketers chase you across the web with products left in your shopping cart or hotel rooms you’ve failed to book.
And while these dynamic ads contain very different products, their layout is often completely the same. Why are these dull, uninspiring creatives so omnipresent?
Dynamic ads by two different brands with a similar look and feel.
A lack of branding
Throughout the advertising industry, companies are spending an increasing amount of money on their brand identities, and Digital Asset Management Systems (DAMs) are springing up like mushrooms. 100-page long brand brooks describe all kinds of guidelines for all kinds of advertising. But when you flip to the chapter on dynamic ads, there’s nothing.
Nothing!
One of the most heard reasons for this is that a lot of advertisers think they don’t have the resources to create customized, better-looking dynamic ads. Even agencies tend to put branding aside because branding is said to “take up too much of their time”. Others are under the impression that dynamic ads don’t really need branding, because they perform well enough.
As a quick fix, people turn to ready-made templates offered by advertising networks such as Google Ads, Criteo, and Facebook. They sacrifice their unique brand in return for free designs.
But that can be a costly endeavor.
Branding is essential
What a lot of advertising professionals don’t realize, is that neglected branding can truly damage a brand. We’ve heard about CEOs calling their marketers, asking: “Is this one of our ads, or is it a scam?”
While that might not be the case for your ads, branding in dynamic remarketing ads is still essential if you want to stand out, but also if you want to maintain a good relationship with your audience. “Never abandon your branding strategy to quickly achieve better results,” Nafkman Valdes, Business Development Director at BBDO Panama stated when we asked him about his thoughts on the matter.
At Ogilvy & Mather in India, Digital Marketing Executive Ashwita Naikodi believes branding is the main aspect of any campaign. “Branding helps connect with potential customers and contributes to building trust and ‘repo’ (a repurchase agreement). Poor branding can in return lead to the perception that your products are of low quality. “We can’t neglect branding in dynamic ads, because it will damage the growth of a brand in the long run,” she explains.
Ad with an image, headline and button based on a generic template.
Stimulating the decision-making process
Miriam Martin Alba, Creative Art Director at Ogilvy & Mather in Madrid believes the goal of dynamic remarketing is not just to increase conversion, but also to improve the user experience and to influence the consumer’s decision-making process. “In order to increase conversion, we need to pay more attention to the creatives,” she says. “Especially when it comes to dynamic ads for remarketing purposes”.
Similar to billboards on the side of the road, the audience only glances at a dynamic ad for a fraction of a second. When they immediately recognize the brand, this stimulates the subconscious mind. The branded elements are stored as implicit memories. Even without actively noticing the ads, the brand is processed and can later pop up. Customized dynamic ads contribute to brand awareness, something that plays an important role in the consumer’s future purchasing process.
A ComScore study done back in 2010 underlined this and proves that remarketing ads have tremendous potential. The study shows that remarketing ads can lead to a 1,046% lift in brand-related search within 4 weeks of exposure. When you make sure the relation between your brand and an advertisement is clear, dynamic ads can contribute to the brand experience without demanding active consumer attention.
Two examples of customized dynamic ads created with a Creative Management Platform.
Best practices for branded dynamic ads
Always keep in mind that dynamic creatives require just as much attention as other advertisements. Both for brand awareness, conversion, and a long-term relationship with the audience. It’s time we stop neglecting branding in dynamic remarketing campaigns.
Obviously, that’s easier said than done. So, how can you make sure your digital ads are on brand? Simply make sure you follow a few guidelines:
- Always add your logo. Templates offered by Google and Criteo already allow you to add this, so that should be easy.
- Make sure you use the right font. Pick the Google Font you use in your other online communication or upload your custom when possible.
- Incorporate your brand colors as much as you can. Check the RGB values or HEX color codes to use the exact colors. Macs have a built-in tool for this, and Google offers a free tool to easily discover the right values.
- Include micro-copy (short descriptions and text lines). This not only increases conversion but also enables you to carry out your unique tone of voice.
Start branding your ads
Most free templates offered by Google Ads, Facebook and Criteo let you include a few of these best practices. However, if you really want to implement all brand elements, you’re probably better off with a Creative Management Platform. This is pretty much the easiest way to create customized dynamic ads. Besides, it even allows you to create templates, so you don’t have to worry about uploading your brand elements for each new ad set.
With a CMP, you can focus on what matters most: creating dynamic ads that convert. And without sacrificing your branding.
