The media landscape is changing as consumer preference for viewing television content shifts from the TV to a viewing experience that involves laptops, tablets, phones and TVs. As consumer preference is shifting, so too is ad spending. In a May 8th article, The New York Times’ Sydney Ember reported that, according to the Interpublic Group’s Magna Global, “digital media is expected to pass TV as the biggest advertising category in the United States this year, with roughly $68 billion in ad sales compared with $66 billion for TV”. But this huge market expansion has necessitated a tactical shift from the 30 second ad spots on TV.

As advertisers shift where they place their advertisements, they are also realizing that they need to shift their design approach in order to capture consumer attention spans. As more and more online users are resorting to ad blocking technology, advertisers are seeking less abrasive means of generating impressions, giving rise to the concept of “sponsored content”. While the article brings up the issue confronting many advertisers that “advertisers want their ads to look less like ads even as they are fighting harder for attention” from consumers in the digital world, another important issue is how to make sure that advertising content is relevant to each consumer.

As organizations like Condé Nast, Hulu, BuzzFeed and The New York Times begin to blur the line between news and “sponsored content”, consumers are faced with the challenge of sifting through information to find relevance. In order for advertisers to regain the power of the “Mad Men” days, they must improve the availability, digestibility, and the relevance of their content without consumers feeling hoodwinked by “sponsored content”. Solving this challenge will help brands achieve greater cross-selling and share of wallet, the ultimate goal of any advertising campaign.

About DataOceans

DataOceans offers customer communications management solutions that help companies across multiple industries improve existing customer communications, including billing and invoicing for print, portal, tablet and mobile phone deliveries.  Newly transformed customer communications can be quickly implemented without significant involvement of client IT resources and offer interactive experiences, personalization, highly-targeted ads with a focus on increasing revenue and decreasing costs.

Visit www.DataOceans.com for more information about the company and our products.