How To Understand Identity And Its Relationship To Online Advertising

The online advertising industry needs to better articulate the concept where the free exchange of ideas on the open Internet must be a mutually beneficial relationship between consumers, content owners as well as advertisers. This is the tension which has confronted our industry since the modern era of interconnectivity started.

The challenge has been explaining how each of the above critical elements, which are required to continue to be part of this healthy symbiotic relationship, are not mutually exclusive:

• Consumers are able to have the transparency as to who has access to their data thanks to data privacy laws, such as the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).
• Advertisers are able to have the data that they need in order to reach their target audiences, thereby allowing quality local content to be produced and thrive in a healthy and open online advertising environment.

The Consumer’s Role In Online Advertising

Studying consumers’ decision-making process assist advertisers with finding a way to approach those consumers and how to have an effect on their decision-making process. Consumers pass through a process in their decision making, such as the following:

• Problem recognition,
• Information search,
• Evaluation of Alternative,
• Purchase, as well as
• Post-purchase satisfaction or dissatisfaction.

This process shows the behaviour of a consumer while purchasing goods or services. Each of these stages shows a different goal for the customer.

What The Content Owner Does

The content owner is ultimately the person or company who is responsible for the completion of the content. The remaining members of the team, who are ‘Assigned to’ a content item, will likely handle individual production tasks (such as copywriting, editing, creating a graphic, etc.) or be part of the review or – alternatively – the approval process.

The content owner is one of the hardest roles to get someone on the team to play. Traditionally, the assignment of content owner is given to the one who wears the big hat and their calendar is almost always full with other tasks associated with the business.  Burdens of new hires, team morale and endless meetings do not offer the time needed to focus on the content strategy.

If you’re lucky enough to have the title of Chief Content Officer in your organisation, then you are probably set to receive the assignment of content owner. If you are not this blessed, then you might need to hand off some responsibility to someone who is next in line to the big cheese.

The Online Advertiser

Advertisements alert customers about new products as well as services in the market that could potentially fulfil their needs or solve their problems. A characteristic advertisement will tell you the following:

• What is the service or product?
• Where it can be purchased, for how much and by whom?
• Why should it be bought?

This is can be done through the power of the media to reach millions of people at the same time.

Think of all the popular brand names you know. These are where they are at the moment as they utilised the phenomenon of advertising nicely. Through continual re-publishing and replay to large groups of individuals, the media popularises the brand. Many individuals see it multiple times, and it sticks in their heads. Ultimately, when they see it out there, they will recognise it and – as a result – are more likely to buy it.

The target audience of advertisements is usually large, whether you are advertising in social media, print media, radio, or television. A well-produced advertisement will persuade the public that they should buy the product or subscribe to the service being advertised. As a consequence, whatever is already in the market becomes exhausted or oversubscribed, leading to a rise in demand for the product or service.

Get in touch with the Digital School of Marketing

Keen to learn more about maximising online advertising reach? If you are, then you need to do our accredited National Certificate in Advertising. For more information, please follow this link.