Self-serve ads and the rise of DIY advertising

These are relatively new waters for blue chip advertisers who are used to having a much more pronounced share of voice not just literally but figuratively, too: if Ford, Coca-Cola, and Starbucks other Top 100 advertisers decided to pause their TV advertising that would cause network and cable execs to jump into action: this group accounts for ~70% ... See more

Today’s CMOs need to operate on a much quicker test-place-analyze-optimize cycle, know which of the thousands of marketing technology solutions can give them an advantage, rebalance their media mix frequently, and juggle vendors, agencies, and services providers with the skill of a top performer at Cirque du Soleil. We’ve gone from a world where ad... See more

We’re presented with a modern advertising platform paradox:

Self-serve is meant to make everything easier; in reality the proliferation of different self-serve options seems to have the opposite effect.

Small businesses are the focus of every self-serve platform and the theme for this cohort is automation. Think about the day-to-day operations of a restaurant chain or a local bar: they likely won’t have dedicated marketing staff on board and their budgets are small and tied to performance.

Rather than thinking through whether or not advertising on TikTok makes sense for your real estate agency or if TripAdvisor is a good fit for your restaurant let someone else (ideally an algorithm) figure it out for you.

Growth/Challenger Advertisers: These brands have largely perfected how to promote within a single channel very effectively. Facebook, Instagram, email lists, and community-building are frequent staples with some high-density area out-of-home advertising sprinkled in for good measure. These advertisers are now running face-first into platform limita... See more

The explosion of self-serve is driven by one main theme:

making it easier and cheaper to buy advertising ultimately brings in a wide variety of new buyers and creates an advertiser long-tail.