Advertising helps to ensure most of the internet is free. It helps consumers discover new products and brands. Targeted advertising is a vital component for connecting brands with customers, especially for up-and-coming businesses that might struggle to reach the right people in a marketplace crowded with deep-pocketed competitors.

And while it’s common, if not popular, to complain about online ads, 67% of consumers prefer having online ads versus paying for website content, according to a Yahoo survey from August 2021. Relevant ads help guide consumers to the right experiences. In fact, 44% of users find online ads more helpful than they used to be. With quality creative and high-precision targeting, advertising should be viewed as an addition rather than a distraction to a consumer’s internet experience.

Leading with quality ads

We’ve all heard the complaints about pop-up ads and the terrible user experience of exiting (or attempting to exit) out of them. In the August report, 65% of internet users said that online ads are more intrusive than they used to be. While we’re working on cleaning up the data pipeline, it’s time we clean up the creative pipeline as well.

Quality ads are critical across the entire consumer journey. Performance advertisers often place creative on the back burner as they chase audience optimization and clicks, only to find themselves in a hole of micro iteration and waning performance. In reality, the same consumers are seeing your discovery ads and your performance ads. Investing in high-quality creative throughout the consumer lifecycle is imperative for consistent brand equity and performance. If the message or visuals don't entice a user, the other parameters are wasted.

Personalization makes a difference

As the digital ecosystem evolves it is growing in complexity, but users aren't afraid to tell us what they enjoy. Customers want personalization, with 88% of users reporting they see the benefit of personalized ads, while 50% will make a purchase and become brand-loyal if they receive personalized content, according to Yahoo research from March 2021. As machine learning and automation level the playing field—across targeting, bids, and budgets—creativity and quality become key differentiators for advertisers looking to elevate performance.

As we transition to a cookieless world, creativity is becoming more important than ever. People-based creative personalization such as dynamic creative and dynamic product ads (DPA) are the north star in how we deliver quality individualized experiences. Finite targeting doesn’t need to come at the cost of poor creative.

Creative innovation equals greater impact

Good creative doesn’t need to be complex, but smart features can often help drive engagement and interest. We have found that interactivity generally boosts product and brand awareness by a startling 20%, according to May 2021 research from Yahoo, IPG Media Lab, and Magna.

Clear, quality visual effects and intelligently crafted animations and interactivity can often have a tremendous impact.

In a fast evolving digital landscape, new digital creative canvases are emerging every day. Out-of-home is coming online fast, connected TV (CTV) is opening new lanes to former linear-only content, and high-quality mobile cameras have sprouted scalable 3D and augmented reality (AR) capabilities. While these add complexity, they are also ripe opportunities for enhanced brand engagement.

Let’s replace asking for “never been done before” experiences with “never been done well before.” This will allow advertisers to focus on the execution, not the technology. Technology is moving fast these days, but the art of execution is what transforms technology into meaningful experiences.

Develop a strategy

It's no surprise advertising gets a bad name. Bad ads contribute to bad experiences and bad press. Imagine if we all agreed to put out high-quality, beautiful creative that enhances the user experience. That's the vision we aim for, with the incredible benefit of powering a free and fair internet.

Yahoo Creative Studios is here to partner with your creative team to help with end-to-end creative and campaign strategy—ensuring that your vision maintains its power and integrity through to the consumer. Let’s connect today to learn how we can help you create ads that connect with your precise audiences.

—Tony Gemma, Head of Global Ad Creative, Yahoo