Entering the year of the tori
It’s that time of the year again. In the northern hemisphere, coats are worn as temperatures drop. In the southern hemisphere, the opposite happens. Across the marketing industry, predictions are made for the coming year.
As I sit down to pen this piece, the past year flashes across my mind. After flying all over the region to explore business opportunities since starting the company in April, it’s increasingly obvious that Asia is a region that requires both a micro and macro focus.
Both marketers and publishers who lie within the bulk of the Southeast Asian region are increasingly adopting modern tools to generate better returns. However, there remains a general lack of knowledge and skills required to unlock full value from these tools.
On the other hand, Asian powerhouses like Japan, China and India have sprouted their own ecosystems with differing levels of maturity.
Of course, there are many other countries in Asia, but the above just touches the surface of what is a diverse region, with each market requiring a varied strategy.
The past year has also been filled with discussions on viewability, ad fraud and ad blocking. These issues affect the entire Asian region with ad blocking being the biggest, since it affects all parties in the advertising sphere including publishers.
Having said that, there are some pretty obvious hints which will set the direction for the rest of this piece. My intention though, is not to state the obvious but to put up some points for greater consideration.
Let’s begin with the most obvious one.
Evolved consumption
The past year, we saw digital video rise to another level. From the jump in popularity of Snapchat and vertical videos (due to the high mobile penetration rate in Asia), to the rise (somewhat) of VR and 360-degree videos.
It’s a no-brainer that marketers are turning towards online video advertising, since the originally-produced creative can be adapted for different mediums and platforms.
In fact, native video advertising will grow even more in the coming year.
With social media platforms leading the way and the rumors of Google’s in-SERP ads featuring videos, there is a great possibility of users becoming accustomed and receptive to this form faster than we know it.
In addition, OTT content is also rising in popularity in Asia, with favorites like Viu, Hooq and Netflix changing the way this content is consumed.
Publishers in Asia will also look at capturing this increase in video advertising budgets, shifting towards integrating the wide variety of available video ad formats on both desktop and mobile. The noticeable increase in video content by publishers mean it is prime time for in-stream ads, and out-stream videos are already proving popular with publishers that have worded content.
The number of avenues that users can consume video has increased, and it will be interesting to see some of the new video ad formats 2017 holds. We may also possibly see the rise of interactive video capabilities, allowing customers to complete their entire purchasing process within a single ad.
Driving influence
Influencer marketing has been around for some time now, with this form of marketing providing the most ‘un-blocked’ route yet to the screens of customers.
Earlier this year, influencer marketing came under scrutiny, especially in Singapore. However, this mostly stemmed from a lack of management over influencer content, and the level of influencer buy-in to the brand.
Data is powering media buying and it should power influencer marketing too. Understanding more about an influencer including what brand an influencer favors, should be top of mind when engaging influencers. Influencer marketing should be about how well the influencer fits your brand, and not just about reach and engagement.
The engagement of micro-influencers is also gaining in popularity. Arm 10 to 20 micro-influencers with a strong cause and user action (think ice bucket challenge), and you’ve got yourselves the possible beginnings of a viral meme. It may even be more cost effective compared to a single macro-influencer with great reach.
It will be interesting to see how marketers benefit from influencer marketing in the coming year, especially when influencers are not just limited to social media now.
Connecting everything
The desire for a ‘connected everything’ environment has always been around. Just see how our smartphone is now a communication device, computer, wallet and entertainment system. Connected devices already have one foot into our doors. Last year, IDC predicted that Asia will have almost a third of the world’s connected devices by 2020.
With smart TVs, smart pans, smart bins – you get the gist – entering our personal space, understanding customers has never been easier. We may even reach a time where appliance brands open their device screens to peripheral product vendors.
Take for example, a refrigerator brand giving data access to marketers of supermarkets. Smart home systems can allow household hardware brands or services to flash ‘suggestion’ advertisements to a user’s smartwatch when an appliance is faulty. The possibilities are exciting and endless.
Looking ahead
2017 is the year of the tori (rooster) – a creature who’s crowing symbolizes the dawn. It is a fitting symbol for the year ahead, as new frontiers will be explored.
Tech vendors and agencies will have addressed the various issues of 2016 and will look towards greater innovations. Publishers will have new revenue streams and marketers will have increased avenues to reach their audiences.
Ultimately, those who dare venture into the new, will reap the benefits that 2017 brings.
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