I want to launch an Ad marketplace where advertisers can buy ads from publishers online with a click. Which ad server do you recommend I work with?
To explain the Ad Server, we must understand what an advertisement is. Ads are quite common, sometimes during a movie-break they are shown for a stipulated point of time. We often see them around the city in hoardings and banners as we drive down the highway. Advertisements do not limit themselves to only television sets or hoardings they can also be found on various social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. In India however advertisement is a big revenue generating market. GroupM, the media investment arm of British advertising major WPP, expects India’s advertising expenditure (adex) to increase about 11% this year, led largely by growth in the industry's digital segment. In its annual futures report, This Year, Next Year (TYNY) 2020, GroupM said that total adex should climb to Rs 91,641 crore in 2020. Last year, adex climbed 9% to Rs 82,795 crore. Initially, GroupM had projected a 14% growth in adex last year. The media agency network added that India would continue to be the fastest-growing major ad market in the world, expanding at more than double the rate of global adex increase (5.1%), and is set to become the world’s eighth-largest market, surpassing Canada and Australia this year itself. GroupM estimates digital adex to increase about a quarter this year to Rs 27,803 crore, making it the second largest medium in the country. Television will continue to be the largest medium, albeit with a 7% rise in adex, at Rs 38,081 crore. Print is expected to remain the third largest medium, garnering Rs 18,140 crore of adex.
To choose an appropriate Ad Server, advertising research is important. Advertising Research is defined as the systematic and objective approach to the development and provision of information for the advertising management decision – making process. It is research activity that is performed in support of the planning, development, placement or monitoring of advertising.
STEPS IN ADVERTISING RESEARCH PROCESS:
1. NEED FOR INFORMATION: establishing the need for advertising research or information is the initial steps in the survey process. The researcher must understand why the information is needed and define precisely the pertinent information required for making decision about the situation under consideration
2. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND INFORMATION NEEDS: The research must specify the objectives of the proposed research and develop a specific list of information needs.
3. DATA SOURCES: Determine the source or sources of data, whether the data are currently available from sources internal or external to the organization. Internal sources include previous research studies and company records. External sources include commercial research reports, government reports, and advertising agencies’ research reports. If the data are not available from internal or external sources, the firm can collect new data by means of mail, telephone, personal interviews, observation, experimentation, and simulation.
4. DATA COLLECTION FORMS: The form should be prepared in a manner that establishes an effective link between the information needs and the questions to be asked or the observation to be recorded.
5. SAMPLE DESIGN: In its design, a clear definition of the population from which the sample is to be drawn must be established. The method used to select the sample can be classified as to whether they involve a probability or non-probability procedure and the size of the sample must also be established.
6. DATA COLLECTION: the process by which data would be collected must be established, whether it would be done by communication using questionnaire or observation. The process may determine the research budget and other factors, including the selection, training, and control of interviewers.
7. DATA PROCESSING: The processing of data includes the functions of editing and coding. Editing involves reviewing the data forms as to legibility, consistency, and completeness. Coding involves establishing categories for responses or groups of responses so that numerals can be used to represent the categories. The data are then ready for hand tabulation or computer data analysis.
8. DATA ANALYSIS: The data analysis should be done and made consistent with the requirements of the information needs that have been identified.
9. PRESENTATION OF RESULTS: The research results are communicated to the firm through a written report and oral presentation in a simple format that addresses the information needs of the decision situations. (Vanden Bergh and Katz, 1999).
10. PROMOTION MANAGEMENT DECISION-MAKING: Promotion management decision-making involves the availability and use of adequate information.
Once you have done that you must research the problem. Advertisements are basically problem based because they provide easy solutions to the problems at hand. Take for example a detergent. Detergent removes stains from clothes. Stains are the problem and the detergent give an easy solution to the problem. Advertisements revolve around this concept of problem solving quickly like chilled soft drinks in a hot summer day or virus free fabric during the pandemic period. Take for example Anti-Viral Fabric. Arvind limited; India’s leading textile-to-retail conglomerate announced the launch of Anti-Viral Textile technology for the first time in India under its brand Intellifabrix. Arvind has partnered with Swiss textile innovation leader HeiQ Materials AG in association with Taiwanese Speciality chemical major M/S Jintex Cooperation to introduce this revolutionary technology in India. Research shows that viruses and bacteria, can remain active on textile surfaces upto two days. Garments treated with HeiQ Viroblock actively inhibits viruses and kill them upon contact, helping to minimize the potential for re-transmission of the pathogens through clothing. HeiQ Viroblock is one of the most advanced global antiviral products created by HeiQ, a swiss textile innovator, HeiQ Viroblock significantly enhances the antiviral log reduction and reduces viral infectivity by 99.99% and is one of the first technologies in the world to claim such efficiency on SARS COV-2. Viroblock has been designed to stay active on treated garments for 30 gentle washes, ensuring safety for the consumer that lasts for a good part of garment’s life.
Another example of Anti-Viral Home Textiles. Welspun India Limited, a global leader in home textiles, has announced the launch of an exclusive range of anti-viral home textile products for Indian market. The company has created an innovative home textile range that is treated with Health Guard AIMC technology, which has shown outstanding results against the Human Strain SARSCOV-2virus (COVID-19). Health Guard AMIC has already proven 99.94% effectiveness against coronavirus, combating the spread of harmful viruses through textiles. This technology not only has anti-viral properties but also have antifungal and anti-microbial properties. Furthermore, the anti-viral properties in this technology has high wash durability and can stay active on treated textiles for minimum 30 domestic washes, ensuring long lasting protection for the customers.
These innovations are based on the research done on SARS COV-2 and thus are advertised describing the properties they have.
Every decision situation often presents a problem of understanding what are the variables operating in such a situation. Research provides data about operating variables in a decision situation. It is important for a researcher to define the problem properly.
RESEARCH PROBLEM is an interrogative statement that depicts a relationship existing between two of more variables.
It often consists of at least two variables, independent variable – the cause and dependent variable, the effect.
For example, a marketing manager can ask, “why is the sales of product – X falling fast?” The drop in sales has provided the symptom for a research problem, which has led to the formulation of the research question.
The stated research question can be analysed further as –
i. What is product X?
ii. What are its major sales features?
iii. What competition does it face?
iv. What type of promotional support does it have?
v. What is its price and discount structure?
This analysis has amplified the problem situation and can lead to a proper definition of product X as follows:
“Product X is our new liquid detergent. It was launched just over six months ago with heavy press and television coverage. The campaign platform stressed its foaming qualities in cool water and its care of hands. It was distributed via the company’s national sales force to retail multiples, voluntary chains, and wholesalers in both the grocery and hardware trades. It was offered in two sizes (medium and economy) with a 2 kobo offer on the medium and a 4 kobo offer on the economy size. Sales are now running at 20% of forecast as shown by the sale data”.
The amplified definition of the same research problem given in more detailed terms has opened up a number of positive hypotheses about the reason why sales are behind on forecast. The researcher can develop various hypotheses such as:
a) Was the product a “good” one in terms of those offered by competition? How do consumers react to it as a product?
b) Was the launch campaign of “hand and lather” meaningful to the users? How did it compare in effectiveness with competing brands? particularly those with similar theme. How well was it put over? Was the media selection and balance correct?
c) How did the sales force do their parts? Were they effective in selling it?
d) How were the original offers arrived at? What were the redemptions? Did they result in respect purchase of the new product? What was the pay-off?
e) How were the original forecasts made? What evidence was used in analysis and forecast build-up? Could they have been over optimistic?
The analysis has focused on a research problem of “falling sales” and more hypotheses can still be formulated. Once an analysis is done, most problems of this type can be seen to be broken down into several subject areas such as:
i. The product
ii. Promotional campaign
iii. Sales coverage and distribution factors
iv. Competitive action and reaction
The researcher is now faced with the problem of how to gather relevant data in the identified subject areas. Exploratory research may be used at this stage to isolate the main casual aspect of the problem and to suggest possible ways in which the problem might be rectified.
RESEARCH HYPOTHESES: are tentative statements assuming certain characteristics of the research subject under study. It is an educated guess or a tentative answer to a research question. It is an educated assumption about possible disparity, relationships, or causes of variable between two or more variables. Hypotheses are often formulated in a pattern that either one or the other assumption is true. After the formulation of hypotheses, the researcher will collect and investigate data or information relating to such hypotheses to decide whether they are real or null. Null hypotheses are often rejected. The main objectives of hypotheses include:
• To direct a researcher in organizing his focus among different available variables in the problem.
• To transform the researcher’s ideas into testable forms
• To suggest explanation for certain facts and guide investigation of other facts in the problem.
• To offer a tentative answer to the research problem.
• To serve as a useful guide in the research design for effectiveness and collection of relevant data.
TYPES OF HYPOTHESIS:
1. NULL HYPOTHESIS is a statement indicating that there is no relationship existing between the characteristic of the subjects being studied or there is no difference between the experimental treatments on the subject of study. It shows that there is no contradiction between the believed mean and the sample mean.
2. ALTERNATIVE HYPOTHESIS is the other statement that is opposite to the null hypothesis. It is a hypothesis that shows difference or contain statement of inequality. In a survey research, this hypothesis is often accepted for further investigation and research.
RESEARCH DESIGN is the basic plan, which guides the data collection and analysis phases of the research project.
It is the framework, which specifies the type of information to be collected, the sources of data, and the data collection procedure. Research design ensures two things:
1. The study will be relevant to the problem
2. The study will employ economical procedures
It should be noted that there is no standard or idealized research design to guide the research because many different designs may achieve the same objective. The objective of the research project usually determines the characteristics desired in the research design. Research objectives are dependent upon the stages of the decision-making process for which information is needed.
Three types of research have been identified to serve stages of decision-making process:
1. Exploratory Research
2. Conclusive Research
3. Performance-monitoring Research
Research designs are typically classified according to the nature of the research objectives or types of research.
REPORTING RESEARCH FINDINGS: Research report is the presentation of the research findings directed to the company management, to assist in decision-making.
Common format in use follows this outline:
1. Title page
2. Table of contents
3. Summary, including
i. Research objectives
ii. Results
iii. Conclusion
iv. Recommendation
4. Body of report should have
i. Introduction
ii. Methodology
iii. Results
iv. Limitations
5. Conclusion and recommendations
6. Appendix – which contains sampling plan, data collection forms, supporting tables not included in report body.
DATA SOURCES FOR ADVERTISING RESEARCH
There are four basic sources of research data as follows:
• Respondents
• Analogous situations, such as case study and simulation
• Experimentation
• Secondary data
RESPONDENTS: these are the major sources of research data. There are four principal methods of obtaining data from respondents.
• Communication: It requires the respondent to actively provide data through verbal response.
• Observation: This requires the recording of the respondent’s passive behaviour
• Analogous situation: This involves the study of analogous or similar situation to the
• Analogous situation: This involves the study of analogous or similar situation to the One under examination of case histories or case study and simulations
• Experimentation: This involves arranging data for an experiment in such a way that relatively clear statement can be made regarding cause-and-effect relationship.
An experiment is conducted when one or more independent variables are consciously manipulated or controlled and their effects on the dependent variables are measured. The objective of an experiment is to measure the effect of the independent variables on a dependent variable, while controlling for extraneous variables that might confuse the researcher’s ability to make valid causal inferences.
TYPES OF DATA FOR ADVERTISING RESEARCH
There are two categories of data:
PRIMARY DATA: They are collected specifically for the research needs under consideration. Its sources include respondents, analogous situations, and experimentation.
SECONDARY DATA: Are already published data collected for purposes other than the specific research needs at hand. Secondary data can be classified according to its sources.
SOURCES OF SECONDARY DATA
There are two sources including:
• Internal sources
• External sources
INTERNAL DATA SOURCES: These data originated within the organization, collected for purposes other than the research being conducted. All organizations collect internal data as part of their normal operations, such as sales and cost data, sales reports, advertising and promotion activities, research and development, and manufacturing reports.
EXTERNAL DATA SOURCES: These are data available outside the organization. They are available from various sources, syndicated and others like libraries, government publication or consultants.
SYNDICATED SOURCES: Are external data sources not available in a library, which are usually standardized data, sold by consultants for a price, such organizations have profit orientation.
Syndicated data source can be classified as:
a) Consumer Data: Consisting of data collected on purchases by customers and the motive behind such purchases.
b) Retail Data: Focus on the products sold through outlets and characteristics of such outlets
c) Wholesale Data: Estimate on sales of a brand and its competitive brands in various markets. Such data allow marketers to analyse trends in sales or package size and the impact of promotions as well as competitive actions.
d) Industrial Data: Provide data that can be used to construct sales prospect lists, identify sales territories, establish sales potentials, and target promotional efforts.
e) Advertising Evaluation Data: Provide data on media that can assist advertisers in the measurement of the effectiveness of promotion expenditures. They evaluate advertisement in broadcast and print media.
f) Media and Audience Data: The task of the media planner is to identify media that have audience characteristics like those of the target market to be reached. The types of data used in matching market and media typically include demographics, psychographics and product usage rates. All data specializing in the provision of audience measurement for a particular medium can be obtained from such sources. The media planners need data regarding the advertising effects of competitors. It is important to know how much competitors are spending, where they are spending their advertising funds and in what media mix.
g) Scanner Data: They are an improved data source used for both retailers and manufacturers. The retail outlets are equipped with computerized checkout scanners, thus scanner data are recorded by passing merchandise over a laser scanner, which optically reads the bar-coded description printed on the merchandise. This code is then linked to the current price held in the computer memory, and the amount due is calculated and printed out on an itemized sales slip, giving descriptions and prices of all items’ purchases. Scanner information can be used to make better decisions in a variety of merchandise areas such as product assortment, promotion, and pricing.
h) Scanning Diary Panels: This involves recruiting shoppers in the market area to participate in the panel. Panel members are compensated for their participation. Each household member is given an identity card which looks like a credit card. The panel member goes to the store, shops normally, but presents the identity cards at the beginning of the checkout process. The checker keys in the identity card number and each item of that customers’ order is isolated and data are entered into the computer. The data are stored by day of week and time of day. This method has various advantages over traditional diary panel. Such benefits include:
a) There is less selection bias in scanner panel owing to the minimal effort required by the panelist. They simply use identity cards.
b) There is less price sensitivity bias in that the panelist is not required to be overly conscious of price levels and changes imposed by the traditional diary recording process.
c) The data are more accurate in that the panelist memory is not relied upon for the recording of purchases.
d) There is a complete record of purchases
e) In-store variables such as pricing, promotions, and displays are part of the data set.
i) Since the diary and sales data come from the same source, there is no need to adjust the diary sales data.
OTHER SOURCES OF SYNDICATED ADVERTISING DATA:
PUBLICATIONS: various publications give detailed information on newspapers, magazines, television, radio, the cinema, outdoor advertising, and other media.
THE NEWSPAPER SOCIETY: some national organizations looking after the interests of morning, evening, and weekly paper publications.
THE AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS (ABC): this is a professional body founded by advertisers, advertising agencies, and advertising media owners to secure, by standard and uniform methods of audit accurate net sales, distribution, audience figures and other elements of advertising media.
PUBLISHING HOUSES: large publishing houses produce research data regularly. They frequently use the services of professional research organizations to ensure objectivity and acceptance by clients.
PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTES: statistical information on advertising is collected by relevant professional organizations and published regularly. Research consultants are part of this group.
Research is used in various aspects of advertising as follows:
• Media audiences
• Testing the effectiveness of advertising messages
TYPES OF ADVERTISING RESEARCH: There are four major types of advertising research; they encompass aspects data that could be gathered for decision-making:
1. MEDIA RESEARCH gathers data relating to: -
i. Media vehicle distribution
ii. Media vehicle audience
iii. Advertising exposure
iv. Advertising perception
v. Advertising communication
vi. Sales response
2. MEDIA VEHICLE DISTRIBUTION involves data on circulation levels of publications
3. MEDIA VEHICLE AUDIENCE involves audience exposures concerning:
i. Magazine audiences
ii. Newspaper audiences
iii. Television audiences
iv. Radio audiences
4. COPY TESTING: this involves gathering data pertaining to the effectiveness of each advertisement message or copy.
Once you have identified the problem and done the research, now you can choose the Ad Server.
An ad server is the ad technology that enables the management, serving, and tracking of an ad or internal promotion on one's digital properties. Ad servers decide, in real-time, the best ad to serve based on relevance, targeting, budgets, and revenue goals.
Popular Ad Servers are as follows:
1. Adzerk: Adzerk is the market leader in server-side ad serving, enabled through APIs. With Adzerk, brands can launch custom, fully bespoke ad servers in a fraction of the time and cost of trying to build it from scratch. Companies expecting to build an ad server in months, or a year can use Adzerk to easily release the same one in just weeks.
2. Google Ads Manager: Of the popular ad servers, Google Ads Manager (previously DFP or DoubleClick for Publishers) is the leading third-party ad server by a wide margin, and it benefits from a seamless integration with Google's other ad products.
3. Revive Ad Server: Revive Adserver, which spun out of OpenX many years ago, is a self-hosted ad server (via an open source script) you can download for free. After downloading, there is additional work needed to host and run the code. In 2019 they also released a hosted version.
4. Smart Ad Server: Smart Ad Server is a Google Ads Manager competitor whose selling point is its integration with an SSP for instant access to programmatic demand. Additionally, they are pre-integrated with multiple brand safety vendors, DSPs, and DMPs.
5. Adform: Like Smart, Adform is a GAM competitor who focuses on programmatic-focused publishers. Their platform comes with detailed revenue forecasting, analytics for identifying new monetization opportunities, and bidding tools to maximize CPMs.
6. EPOM Ad Server: EPOM is an ad server that caters to ad networks; their key value is around white-labelling and turnkey RTB integrations. They are also open to custom development.
7. Broadstreet: Broadstreet provides a niche ad server to digital magazines and online news sites whose focus is on direct-sold ads.
8. LiveIntent: While most ad servers offer email compatibility, email-only ad servers exist too, such as LiveIntent. LiveIntent acts as both an ad server and a network for monetizing emails. They also offer robust filtering options to personalize and optimize messaging.
9. MoPub: Most ad servers enable app targeting, but if you're looking for an app-specific mobile ad delivery platform, MoPub will be a great option. Bought by Twitter in 2013, they're the leading mobile app mediation solution for managing direct sold and programmatic ads.
10. Ad Inserter: If you have a low-traffic WordPress site and GAM seems too complicated, the Ad Inserter WP Plug-in is a good option. It has the most active installations of any WP ad server solutions and provides an easy way to manage direct deals and Google AdSense ads.
I will advise you to choose an ad server that provides quick and easy solution to the problem you want to address through the Ad Server. Try to get a server that can balance the needs and demand ratio of your marketplace.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath
