We always think about the future. But the change we’ve been through in the last few years is making us think even more about the future. It’s no different when it comes to media buying. Let us share with you some of our predictions about the future of media buying.

Technology Will Shape the Future

This is not a new fact. We all know that technology is the number one variable that will drive the future of media buying. What we don’t know is how technology will develop and how people will adapt to it.

In particular, the fact that streaming services have become much more common and concepts such as metaverse are based on concrete foundations will cause the media where people see advertisements to change forever. This will naturally affect the dynamics of media buying.

Targeting: A Much More Complex Job

Thanks to technology, targeting is now much easier. But in the future, when audiences will be more split up, it will be harder for media buyers to keep track of all these different groups.

Here we need to add that the line between media buying and creative operations will become more and more blurred with each passing day. In a communication environment where messages must be shaped according to the medium and context, knowing the media will be a prerequisite for being creative.

The Future of Media Buying Agencies May Be at Risk

In the future, media buying operations will have much more strategic importance. Advertisers are likely to want to keep these operations, which will have more complex structures, in-house. We can observe this trend even today. In a future where access to data will be much more problematic with the privacy regulations made, brands will not want to consolidate all their data sources and share them with the outside.

The Human Factor: Much More Important

We may be exaggerating when we talk about the future role of technology. We see this in the TV programs of the 1960s in which predictions about the future were made. Most of the predictions about the 2000s in this era of technological optimism are inaccurate. None of us are driving flying cars yet.

The same may be true today. While technology facilitates many media buying operations, there may be a greater need for human insight in making strategic decisions. We need to know that the foresight of machines has to be based on the data available but that humans do not always act in accordance with the data. If that were the case, millions of dollars could be made in the stock market just thanks to algorithms.

We live in a time of great change. It is not possible for us to predict most things. One thing we do know: Time will tell what will happen.

Recently, the concept of “metaverse” has become one of the concepts we hear most often. Although not new as a concept, metaverse, which has become more realistic to become a part of the future with the development of technology, naturally attracts the attention of advertisers. This concept, which has started to be perceived more seriously, especially with Facebook’s change of company name to Meta, has many unknowns. We would like to share with you some of our predictions for this area where no one has definite ideas.

It Could Be the End of the Internet as We Know it

Metaverse and the concepts developed around it indicate that we will enter a new era on the internet. This era is called “web 3.0”.

You are probably familiar with the concepts of web 1.0 and web 2.0 and know the difference between them. It looks like the change in Web 3.0 will be bigger than the change between the first two phases of the internet. The biggest reason for this is the disappearance of central structures to a large extent.

Most of the Metaverse projects have the character of DAO (decentralized autonomous organization). Therefore, it seems that the central structures of the physical world that are moved to the internet will not exist in the metaverse. This will basically create a very different communication and working environment for advertisers.

Data and Context

One of the most important consequences of the disappearance of centralized structures is the dramatic change in data sources. In advertising, which can now be called “conventional”, user data is provided by centralized structures. The massive reduction in the number of these structures in the Metaverse will force advertisers to collect data more creatively for accurate targeting.

It won’t be easy. Being anonymous and establishing an alternative life to the physical world may become popular in the metaverse. This will make the job of advertisers very difficult.

In Metaverse, advertisers will have to deal with audiences that are more trailered. In order to know the masses, it will be important to know the metaverse and social dynamics closely. This can result in advertising operations being dependent on more insight and becoming much more complicated.

Delivering Value

One of the most important aspects of the metaverse concept is the more equitable sharing of the value generated within the community. It is possible to say that this share distribution, which is possible thanks to the crypto economy, will be fairer than today’s conditions. At least on paper…

Today, platform owners keep an extremely large slice of the revenue pie. They share a small portion of this cake with content producers. For ordinary users, there is nothing left.

Things are changing in the Metaverse. Thanks to NFTs and coins, everyone will be able to earn something.

Brands need to understand these dynamics well. Sharing only commercial messages will no longer make sense. Messages from brands that do not offer value to the Metaverse will disappear.

What We Actually Know: Nothing!

As we said at the beginning, we actually don’t know much about the metaverse. What we know does not go beyond simple guesses. This is the nature of change on the Internet. Therefore, it is very important to follow the developments closely and observe them constantly. The future will show us what will happen in the future.

Netflix has been said to be working on ad-show plans for some time. Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings’ recent words indicated that the firm has taken concrete moves in this regard. Probably in the next few months we will see Netflix packages with ads that are much lower in price. So, in the grand scheme of things, what does this mean?

The most compelling reason for Netflix to make such a drastic adjustment is clearly the company’s recent revenue decline. The loss of approximately 700,000 Netflix members as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as well as its inability to compete in international markets against local competitors, are two of the most significant causes for this fall. Netflix is, of course, working on formulas to adjust for the drop. Among these solutions, the most logical one is to offer packages with advertisements.

This isn’t a brand-new idea. This solution has previously been tested and successful by Hulu, Disney, and HBO. Netflix relies on the success these companies have achieved.

Netflix’s choice is also supported by consumer studies in developed nations such as the United States and the United Kingdom. According to studies, the vast majority of consumers are prepared to see advertising in exchange for significantly lower membership fees.

This significant shift reveals an important truth about consumer behavior. Let’s talk a little about that.

Until now, the biggest sales force of paid video on demand platforms was thought to be ad-free. Users did not object to seeing advertising in exchange for decreased membership fees, indicating that convenience was a more essential factor.

Subscription-based entertainment services, including Netflix, do indeed provide users with a wide pool of high-quality content as well as convenience. Low-cost content platforms have made it much easy to access content that was previously difficult to obtain, particularly through illicit means. As a result, these video, music, and gaming content providers have become a vital part of our lives.

Netflix, a high-end video streaming service, has customer data that makes advertisers salivate. As a result, advertising on Netflix will almost certainly be substantially more expensive than on other channels. Advertisers, on the other hand, will be willing to pay the premium because the targeting is so much more precise.

In the following days, we may expect this paradigm to spread to more premium content producers. While the ad-free membership plans are still available, we may see ad-supported membership programs with significantly cheaper rates. Advertisers will be drawn to these platforms because of their high engagement and targeting possibilities. These advancements could be a lifesaver for marketers in today’s world, where access to customer data is becoming increasingly difficult.

The tourism industry is quickly recovering from the losses it has suffered in previous years. As is customary in such transitions, digital media will play a significant role. If you own a tourism business, or if you are continuing the marketing activities of such a business, we have a few suggestions for you.

Be a Good Traveler

Being a good traveler is the first step toward marketing success in the tourism industry. Without being trapped in your own little world, look at what’s around. Consider yourself a traveler. As a result, your ability to empathize will improve, allowing you to better comprehend the requirements of tourists.

Of course, don’t forget to jot down your thoughts as you go. Creating user personas and designing consumer purchase journeys can work for you.

Make The Most of Your Resources

Your potential customer can be found all over the web. That’s why you need to be all over the internet. Depending on the scale of your marketing operation, you may want to improve your digital marketing skills in various areas or add new employees to your team.

Be Aware of Your Surroundings

The visuals you employ in your tourism marketing are crucial. Keep in mind that the photos you create should be of the same high quality as those produced by major brands. An art director and expert photographers can help you with this. A professional in-house photographer can make your job easier when it comes to capturing photographs of your company’s regular activities.

Be Active Throughout the Year

It’s possible that your business is seasonal. However, that doesn’t mean you can close the curtains some times of the year. People plan vacations all year long. That is why you must have a digital presence throughout the year.

Of course, at different times of the year, you’ll need to communicate using different tactics. If you have a popular business for summer vacation, you should start your early booking campaigns in the winter period. During the summer, you should target last-minute vacationers as well as those who are beginning to plan their vacations for the next season.

Take Charge of Your Data

Your existing consumers will be your most valuable marketing assets. However, you must be able to listen to them.

It’s critical that you maintain track of all of your company’s data by centralizing it, and that you properly examine this data when the time comes. Even the amount of fish you buy for your facility’s kitchen might provide marketing insight. Don’t just rely on simple customer satisfaction surveys to do this; instead, diversify your data sources. On the other hand, look into the worldwide and regional research on your sector that has been published.

One of the most essential traffic sources for websites is paid and organic traffic. A balance between these two types of traffic is needed according to the objective of the websites, business strategy, and financial strength. When it comes to striking this balance, there can be a lot of disagreement among marketers.

What Is the Difference Between Paid and Organic Traffic?

Let’s start with the fundamentals…

Paid traffic is the type of traffic you get by spending money. You can get traffic with this strategy by using ad types like search engine ads, social media ads, and display ads.

Organic traffic, on the other hand, is the kind of traffic that comes when your website’s pages show up on search engine results pages, such as Google.

The main difference between paid and organic traffic is that paid traffic costs money, while organic traffic is free.

Which Is the Better Option?

It is illogical to claim that one form of traffic is superior to the other. Because the two sorts of traffic serve distinct strategic objectives. As a result, striking a balance between these two forms of traffic is critical.

At this point, we need to talk about the second big difference between paid and organic traffic.

Paid traffic has a short-lived effect, but organic traffic has a long-term effect that lasts a long time.

As a result, you should prioritize paid traffic when you need to have an immediate impact and organic traffic when you need to be long-term.

Strategic Purposes

In what situations would the short-term effect of a short time be attractive to you? You might need a big impact in a short amount of time to boost traffic to a landing page on your website where you announce a deal or a popular product page on your e-commerce site. When you’re racing against the clock, paid traffic can help you get a leg up on the competition.

But not every piece of content on your website is a race against time. As long as your website is up and running, a blog page with a buying guide for your products will be valuable to your consumers. Therefore, for a sustainable business model, this page must constantly receive free organic traffic.

Return on Investment

Organic traffic is not genuinely free, despite the fact that we say it is. You must create content for this traffic and pay for its creation as well as SEO effort. For a long time, you might not get your money’s value.

As a basic principle of business, you need to make a profit in return for your advertising investment in paid traffic. As a result, the concept of return on investment (ROI) is very important when it comes to making and promoting content.

A hands-on approach is required for optimum ROI. By regularly analyzing your advertising strategy, content generation methodologies, and content performance, you should be able to make the necessary optimizations on time. Websites are all different, and to grow your site, you need to learn and grow with it. No matter how much experience you have, you will go through a trial and error process.

Your destination at the end of the day will be to better understand the concept of traffic. You’ll determine which form of traffic is optimal for each of your business challenges. For the success of your business, it is very important for you to constantly observe and be determined.

In digital advertising, we focus heavily on targeting so that ads can have maximum impact. However, using good ad copies is the most critical requirement for reaping the benefits of all of our hard work in targeting. We cannot always say that we place enough emphasis on the effectiveness of advertising copies. So, let’s return to the fundamentals of advertising. Let’s look at some tips for writing good ad copy.

Understand the User’s Context

Users in online media encounter your ads in a specific context. This context can range from fixing a problem to simply having a good time. When it comes to crafting your ad copy, understanding this context is invaluable. This context can be determined from the keywords used in ad targeting.

Think Well the Title

You’ll see that in classic advertising books, spend half your time writing the ad copy and the other half finding a good headline. This advice still applies. A good headline is what will get your ad to read.

So, what should a good title be? A good title should be simple. Get straight to the point without being too rambunctious. Tell the consumer directly about your promise. Remember that nobody cares about your ad, and you have to deliver your message in a very tight time frame.

Talk About the Benefit of the Product to the Consumer, Not the Product Features

We buy products and services to get our lives from point A to point B. Product features are meaningful as long as they benefit us. Do not forget this fact. Therefore, instead of focusing on the features of a product, explain how these features will change the life of the consumer. “What’s in it for me?” Make sure you have the answer to the question.

Problem – Solution – Evidence

We use every product in our life to solve a specific problem (even the most useless ones). So it might be a good idea to address this problem at the beginning of your ad copy. Then you need to briefly explain how you solved this problem. But you also need to prove why this solution works. Use numbers, be specific. Make the consumer feel like you know what you’re doing.

Test It

Even with years of experience in copywriting, there’s no way you can know for sure whether an ad will work or not. Take advantage of online advertising to maximize the performance of your ad creatives. When creating an ad campaign, start by preparing a few alternative copies. Measure which copies perform better by performing A/B tests and shape your campaign with the insights you gain.