ADMA CEO: You May Not Like It, But Native Advertising Is Here To Stay

Native advertising is here to stay, content marketing will increase and the tech space will become hugely cluttered next year, says Jodie Sangster, CEO of the Association for Data-Driven Marketing.

In 2015, the marketing, media and advertising industry will continue to evolve at a cracking pace. Customer experience remains paramount for the year and to deliver on that, there will be more emphasis on technology, data, creativity and content.

The more we move into an automated world, the more technology will need to be balanced with an authentic human touch. More companies will develop right-time marketing messages to individuals to make consumers feel like an authentic connection has been made. Watch for more ‘human’ speak in videos, communications, etc.

Telstra has already done this with their Thanks loyalty program where the CEO and other staff personally telephoned one million people across the country to simply thank them for being customers. More companies will follow Telstra’s successful initiatives.

Bankwest has also lead the way in human-to-human communications with their social media program where team members engage with customers and prospects in real time in a truly engaging fashion.

If you want some guidance around human-to-human communications, I recommend you read Bryan Kramer’s book, There is no B2B or B2C. Human to Human.#H2H.

The rise of the Chief Customer Officer in Australia

In 2015, we will see more chief customer officers (often called chief experience officers in the USA) hired in Australia. In the US, more than 10% of Fortune 500 companies have already hired CCOs. Australian businesses will follow suit.

The rise of the CCO role sends a message that the consumer is now empowered, is seeking a human connection, and will go elsewhere if their needs are not met.

Content marketing…and measurement

Australian marketers clearly understand the value of content marketing and the discipline will continue to flourish, but it will be more strategic in 2015. This is the year that more marketers put a documented content marketing strategy in place after realising this is the piece of the puzzle that’s missing.

Brands will also focus more on using social media to distribute their content and will increase spend on paid social media advertising, particularly on Facebook ads, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Marketers will also increasingly focus on the measurability of their content marketing in 2015. People will learn that it’s not enough to focus on website traffic; other tools need to be put in place to ensure content is truly resonating with consumers.

A final word about content and this won’t appeal to everyone, but native advertising is here to stay. But for native to have credibility it has to be legitimised. The only way this can happen is for the industry to set benchmarks and develop self-regulatory standards for companies to abide by and to ensure enlightened consumers.

Marketing tech environment will be cluttered

On the technology side, the landscape will be increasingly cluttered with the tools and technologies that will underpin marketing, media and advertising. Clients and agencies need to understand how these tools and technologies fit together and work in the new landscape. Marketers and agencies can’t afford to be left behind because clients will be looking for advice on suitable technology and the agencies will have to play this role. ADMA is looking to create a new event around technology in 2015 to address these issues, so watch this space.

Skills shortage in analytics will continue/promotion from within

The increasing demand for analytics across more business units and industries in Australia has boosted demand for analytics professionals, but talent will remain hard to find in 2015.

A recent survey conducted by the Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia (IAPA) suggests that the majority of managers are still having trouble finding analysts to fill key roles.

As a result, more companies will invest in training individuals within the business to have those data skill sets, encouraging those who come from other backgrounds, but have a penchant for data and numbers, to be upskilled in the discipline.