Exverus President Bill Durrant wrote an op-ed in MediaPost about why performance media (or performance marketing) no longer works the way it used to. This news appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For more tips, research, & analysis, subscribe for free here .

Exverus received a glowing, feature-length review from Michael Burgi, Senior Editor at Digiday. We talked about our expansion into programmatic marketing, something not many small agencies can do. This news appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For more tips, research, & analysis, subscribe for free here .

According to multiple studies (and our own experience), mobile traffic has grown exponentially in daily media consumption over the last decade. It's more important than ever for marketers to optimize for not just the mobile experience but your company's SEO. Optimization is essential for your content and SEO strategy, and that's where Google AMP can step in, but it has some conditions: Advantages of AMP - Faster load times that improve and boost search rankings - Better UX; AMP offers the meat of a webpage without all the extras - Lower bounce rates meaning visitors are less likely to go to a competitor's website Disadvantages of AMP - High implementation effort, a developer will need to build an AMP template which equals time and money - Possibility of lower engagement; there are reports of other AMP users getting less engagement on their content So, Is AMP right for your website? AMP is primarily about improving user experience through faster site speed. Ensure that your site's user experience and content are optimized to get the most media dollars driving people to your business. And keep in mind that AMP is only one of many tools available to help with faster loading and streamlining websites for mobile devices.

The holiday season is almost upon us, so now is the time to consider where your brand will show up during the most competitive time of year. One overlooked platform with tons of potential? Gift review sites. Visits at product and gift review sites (Strategist, Wirecutter, CNET, Consumer Reports) were up an average of 690% from November to December 2020 YOY. This season’s traffic could be even bigger. Remember that not all gift review sites are created equal. Many of the top-searched and most-visited gift guide results don’t accept paid placements at all, or only work with affiliate links. On the other end of the spectrum, fashion and beauty publications like Elle, Vogue, and Glamour offer paid spots and product-focused editorial content. However, these sites do not have as many visits. The trick is to find the balance between quality, trust and scale. This will mean different sites for different categories, or integrating your own gift guide natively into the content on popular sites. Gift guides are a trust-based entry point for brands, especially those with low awareness, to encourage consumers to make an online purchase. By placing your products in gift guides, you can simplify the consideration process for consumers. The rise in ecommerce has magnified the importance of gift guides this holiday season. Many consumers are expected to look to online gift guides for their holiday shopping so meet them where they are. ‘Tis the season (almost).

The next frontier for ads may very well be mobile gaming. Sound far-fetched? A Deloitte Digital survey shows that more than 70% of Gen Z and millennials are open to viewing ads to reduce the cost of games. An additional survey found that 26% of Gen Z rank gaming as their favorite entertainment activity, a 7% increase from last year. But while mobile game ads may have potential, it’s important to keep the content fresh: 78% of gamers say there’s too much repetition in ads they see in mobile games, and they want to see more relevant ads. Why is this important? Mobile game ads could be a great option for brands who want to target millennials and Gen-Zers. Not only is this demographic receptive to ads on this platform but the usage numbers are significant. Mobile phones are the most popular gaming device with more than 150 million monthly mobile gamers, making up over 89% of all digital gamers. Additionally, the rise of mobile gaming may also influence viewership on streaming platforms such as Twitch. For brands seeking to find influencers, 65.8% of total hours spent on gaming video content was watched on Twitch. This gives marketers more options when it comes to deciding where to advertise. Final Takeaways Younger generations do not mind seeing advertisements in mobile games, as long as there is a true value exchange. Gaming is growing increasingly popular as a form of entertainment, giving advertisers more ways to reach their desired audience. Gamers are diverse and should not be generalized as one audience. Specific audience targeting is critical to ensure content resonates and performs.

What Snapchat’s AR Adoption Means for Marketers Augmented Reality (AR) is set to become a core focus in the coming years for brands and opens the door to new marketing, communications, and discovery possibilities. No longer is AR just for gaming. Snapchat conducted a study on AR, and has big plans to become a key player. Why should marketers pay attention? Here’s what Snapchat uncovered in their report: AR is already influencing people's shopping process , with more than 100 million people currently shopping using AR-enabled processes, such as virtual try-on options and digital product placements. AR keeps consumers engaged with new, relevant content that engages with their real life environment, and helps them make strong, confident purchase decisions. There is a gap in the market. Most AR-focused apps include home goods, furniture sellers, and other retailers including Houzz, IKEA, Sephora, and Warby Parker. But as far as social media apps, Snapchat is the only social platform created with a strong foundation centered on AR. The consumer appetite for AR is already here, with consumers far more likely to pay attention to brands who adopt AR into their marketing strategy. As a brand, now is the time to meet the demand and gain success in this market share for the future and utilize existing platforms such as Snapchat, Houzz, IKEA, etc., to participate in AR. - Bill & Team Exverus

Making The Most of Paid Media During Recession According to IAB’s Coronavirus Ad Spend Impact report, 70% of media buyers have changed their spending habits…which seems a little low, doesn’t it? Fortunately these drops in automotive and entertainment spend mean an opportunity for other brands. Currently, we are facing recessionary impacts with predictions lasting through the majority of 2021. This means that in *some* channels ad inventory has gone up, while bidding and spending have gone down. Google and Facebook aren’t necessarily giving ad space away as supply and demand shifts, but CPMs have dropped as companies have been more conservative and flexible in spending. A lower demand shift creates an exciting dynamic where it becomes easier for your brand to stand out and take on new opportunities that weren’t previously there in a saturated market. The two channels most affected are social media and programmatic because the ads are easiest to turn on and off or pause as needed. That’s where a lot of avenues for paid opportunity have opened. Other channels, such as podcasts, video and TV have stayed linear through most of the pandemic and brands can expect to pay similar rates. So, as you think about reinvesting in paid media, there is a strong case for social media and programmatic. Those are the channels that not only offer you the greatest deals right now but also offer you the most flexibility. And flexibility is crucial as we continue to navigate uncertainties in the world while we await widespread distribution of the vaccine. -Team Exverus

Choosing Search vs. Social It’s an age-old (er, decade old) battle: Paid Search vs. Social Media. While they both have advantages and work best together, today we will highlight areas where paid search has the upper hand. SEM Is Intent-Based Social media is full of articles, pictures, and videos that cover all of a consumer’s interests. But in paid search, customers don’t typically find you unless they’re searching for you or something you offer. This means that traffic coming from search to your site is usually consumers who are lower in the marketing funnel and are closer to becoming customers. Think if it like casting a smaller, more refined net, with target-customer-shaped holes. SEM Provides Unique Data One of the most powerful assets of paid search campaigns is its keyword lists. If you look closely, search keywords and phrasing offer golden insights into the mind of your customer. Keywords and phrases can influence creative, help you understand your customer, and plug into your website or landing pages for better SEO ranking. SEM Is Better for B2B Let’s face it: social media wasn’t made for B2B advertising. Social feeds are built for distraction – users want something shiny they can see quickly, understand immediately, and keep scrolling past. Speaking of scrolling, that’s what most users do on social media. CPG and other DTC products have an advantage here, as they’re inherently more enticing than B2B services. An ice-cold bottle of beer with on an artful backdrop is just going to get more likes and shares than an ad for small business IT services. There’s no unfair competition in paid search. Your B2B brand isn’t competing with B2C products, and anyone who sees your ad is looking for exactly what you offer. While we believe the real discussion is not search versus social, instead it is search plus social, consider search’s unique advantages and if they are aligned with your brand’s objectives during your next media allocation. -Team Exverus

How to Tell if Ad Repetition is Hurting Your Brand With the rise and rapid growth of OTT platforms, added with the death of cookies, ad repetition has become a major issue noticed both by marketers and consumers. According to a survey by Deloitte, 50% of Americans said they were watching ad-supported video content (AVOD) in 2020—a figure that was 18% higher than in 2019. The bad news? Ad pods have emerged without any regard for frequency, resulting in increased ad redundancy. Ad redundancy has frustrated consumers, who then seek another service that will provide a better user experience. This means that not only are OTT platforms losing subscribers, but brands are losing security with target audiences. So, what can your brand do to help minimize ad repetition? Take a cue from Tubi, a San Francisco-based technology company that has developed tools and methods to help excessive ad repetition: Capping frequency at the campaign level regardless of demand source. Having visibility into the buy and what creative is running. Pinpointing households that are the same target and demographic but that have not been exposed through other channels. Consider utilizing similar target definitions across platforms and managing frequency on each platform to ensure people are not overloaded. The core thread between each solution is tied to improving the customer experience. The better the user experience, the more opportunities for advertisers and a happier target audience. Reduce your ad frequency and see an increase in efficiency.

Exverus Media's Managing Director Talia Arnold lent her expertise on streaming ads to a Marketing Brew article on frequency caps. Learn what they are below: This news appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For more tips, research, & analysis, subscribe for free here .

Exverus Media is named the 2020 Silver Small Agency of the Year: Media by Ad Age ! Read our full-length editorial celebrating the win. This news appeared in our weekly Paid Media Insights newsletter. For more tips, research, & analysis, subscribe for free here .