We started with text based ads, then visual ads, and then motion visual ads. Video advertising allows us to take a 5,000 word post and convert it to motion graphics in a way that tells a story, compels, and entertains. While video advertising is still in its relatively nascent state, the symmetry to traditional TV advertising has caused brands and agencies to re-purpose those mass media assets and showcase movement to the new digital front lines.

Social and video advertising platforms quickly adopted terminology and buying methodologies that matched those used by mass media buyers and the like. This further increased the adoption of video advertising and more money continues to flood towards video advertising platforms and social networks. Now with programmatic making its way to video advertising, this meteoric rise is only set to further increase.

Focusing on the wrong performance target

However, while reviewing the study from Sequent Partners and Eyeview, published by Emarketer relative to how Brand Marketers Measure Success from Digital Video Advertising, the number one item... the most important metric they are measuring is...

Measuring Site Traffic at 71% of the respondents.

Items such as ROI, CPA, and ROAS come in much lower. This tells me that brand marketers are more interested in a potential vanity metric such as site traffic than they are that their advertising dollars are generating the revenue and return that they hope for.

Brand Marketers just don't get it

This continues to showcase the misalignment of brand marketers when it comes to performance, which is driven by the insatiable need of the C-suite to deliver audience increases. The size of the audience continues to be the most important metric, whether it is page likes, followers, pins, site traffic etc. All of these metrics denote the size of the audience, yet are not indicative of a consumer, actively interested in your brand.

All of these metrics denote the size of the audience, yet are not indicative of a consumer, actively interested in your brand.

This arms race relative to audience size continues to follow traditional mindset of mass, while niche focused brands such as Warby Parker, Dollar Shave Club, and others focus less on audience size and more on audience relevance.

What the platform is supposed to be used for

Video advertising on a social platform or video platform such as YouTube, offer you targeting options that are borderline creepy. Big Data sets and consumer self-disclosure allow us digital marketers to pin point a advertising target so refined, that it ensures the highest relevance of impressions.

However, the misalignment of performance targets from brand marketers prevent the platform from being used for what it should be used for, and not following in the footsteps of other mass media channels such as TV.

Come on brand marketers... you know better. Combat the C-Suite's thirst for audience size with several micro-audiences of extremely relevant consumers; evangelists for your brand, empowered through custom made video ads that speak directly to their loyalty and interests. These well placed ads are cost effective and highly valuable.