Bridging the disconnect between creatives and data.

2016 AGENCY SURVEY REPORT

The study was conducted in May 2016 among 206 creative decision-makers in the UK by Morar Consulting. Respondents involved in the research ranged from junior to director level. Company sizes comprised small (up to 50 employees), mid-size (up to 250), and large agencies (over 250).

Turn’s survey of more than 200 industry professionals highlights some of the key differences and disconnects:

When asked whether they’re confident that they understand what programmatic advertising is:

of all respondents agree that data insights create more personalized ads. But when asked about their greatest challenge to producing a successful campaign:

88%

said getting THE BRAND to share data-driven insights

35% said getting

MEDIA AGENCIES to share data-driven insights

29%

of creatives at LARGE agencies replied YES

59% of creatives

at SMALL agencies replied YES

11%

With 60% of UK desktop display traded programmatically in 2015,* advertisers have an opportunity to harness audience insights at an unprecedented level.

Whether you’re using first-party, second-party, or third-party data, it’s never been easier to understand your audience, what they’re looking for, and where they’re looking for it.

The challenge? The data, insights, and intelligence gained from programmatic should be informing the creation of great campaigns. But the information isn’t getting to creatives—and as a result, brands are suffering.

Brands must make sure that their media and creative agencies are communicating and that everyone has access to the same insights.

The data is there. Creatives should know about it.

* IAB PWC Digital Ad Spend Study 2015

22016 Agency Survey Report | Bridging the disconnect between creatives and data.

2016 Agency Survey Report | Bridging the disconnect between creatives and data. 3

The absence of programmatic in creative briefs may be contributing to an attitude among junior creatives that programmatic doesn’t matter. Seventy-seven percent of junior creatives are confident that they don’t need the insights programmatic offers. And when asked if creatives had been used solely for programmatic advertising, 48% of directors said they do this most of the time, while only 7% of junior creatives said the same.

The chasm in these percentages suggests a significant knowledge or communication gap that must be tackled if agencies are to progress in fully serving brands.

The gap skews young.

Seventy percent of senior creatives estimate that more than half of their work uses data to inform messaging. By contrast, 19% of junior creatives weren’t sure they’d ever seen the word “programmatic” in a creative brief.

The more senior respondents were, the more highly they rated their awareness and understanding of using data to develop creative messaging.

SeniorityMANAGERJUNIOR DIRECTOR

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

14.8%

32.4%

48.0%

AWARENESS OF DATA IN RELATIONSHIP TO SENIORITY

2016 Agency Survey Report | Bridging the disconnect between creatives and data. 4

Again, this may be a product of the fact that programmatic isn’t a regular feature in creative briefs: 72% of respondents reported that in the past year, they’ve seen the word “programmatic” in a brief fewer than 10 times.

But when we look at larger agencies, things change. In these agencies, 59% of respondents know what programmatic is and have actively worked on programmatic projects. Whereas in small agencies, just 11% share that same level of confidence.

Clearly, large agencies lead the way in best practices around programmatic.

A disconnect in the creative brief.

Many creatives don’t yet understand the opportunity that programmatic brings. In fact, among the survey respondents, 62% admitted that they aren’t sure they fully understand what programmatic advertising is.

OCCURRENCE OF “PROGRAMMATIC” IN BRIEFS

In the past 12 months, creatives at small agencies saw the word “programmatic” appear in briefs far less frequently than their peers at large agencies.

NEVER

up to 50 staffover 250 staff

NEVER

SMALLAGENCIES

7.7% 25.9%

LARGE AGENCIES

NEVER

up to 50 staffover 250 staff

NEVER

SMALLAGENCIES

7.7% 25.9%

LARGE AGENCIES

2016 Agency Survey Report | Bridging the disconnect between creatives and data. 5

Sixty-five percent said that at least half (and sometimes all) of their current work uses data to inform creative.

Regardless of size, 67% of agencies cite relevance as a top priority for digital ads. Location (60%) and timing (59%) were also rated as top priorities—all of which speaks to an understanding of the importance of data in delivering performance.

Impressively, smaller agencies are the most acutely aware of the importance of location in advertising today, with 65% of respondents choosing it as one of their top priorities, as opposed to 56% of large agency respondents.

Relevance begins with data.

The results from our survey show overwhelmingly that data is key to developing a successful ad strategy. Eighty-eight percent of respondents agreed that data is something they either depend on or find helpful in developing messages with greater impact.

SMALL

LARGE

MID

YES NO N/A

over 250 staff

50- 250 staff

I depend on data It is somewhat helpful I don’t find data plays much of a role

I‘m not sure

up to 50 staff

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

YES

RELIANCE ON DATA FOR SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN CREATION

Large agencies currently depend on data more than small ones do—but most creatives agree that data is important.

2016 Agency Survey Report | Bridging the disconnect between creatives and data. 6

Unfortunately, 35% of creatives say that getting the brand to share insights is currently their greatest challenge in producing a successful campaign, and 29% point to similar difficulties in communications with media agencies. These barriers are cited far more often than cross-device compatibility (15%) and creating a consistent, multichannel experience (17%).

The good news is, larger creative agencies report having great relationships with media agencies. And they’re looking to make those relationships even stronger. Fifty-three percent of creatives at large agencies regularly sit down with media agencies to share insights and coordinate campaign planning.

At the other end of the scale, small agencies learn by example, with 50% involving media agencies at least occasionally, although primarily when they have a specific need for data-driven insight.

Success is built with shared data.

For brands to realize all of the benefits in delivering the right ad to the right person in the right place at the right time, data-driven insights have to be shared among the media agency, creative agency, and brand.

Agency Size

MIDSMALL LARGE

9.3%

23.0%

52.6%

over 250 staff50-250 staffup to 50 staff

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

PERCEPTION OF MEDIA AGENCY RELATIONSHIP STRENGTH

In a clear upward trend, the larger a creative agency is, the stronger it rates its relationships with media agencies.

There are significant differences between the attitudes of small and large agencies, with larger agencies more exposed to programmatic technology.

Key takeaways:

Creatives clearly understand the need to use data, and they want to gain visibility into the data-driven insights that brands and media agencies access.

There are also differences between senior and junior creatives, regardless of agency size, with seniors using data more often than juniors.

1 Where to go next.Overall, for campaigns to succeed, all involved parties need to promote collaboration.

Brands: Should take a more structured approach to sharing data-driven insights with creatives and emphasize the importance of working together to both their media and creative agencies.

Creative Agencies: Should do more to learn about programmatic, especially the data-driven insights that enable more relevant, personalized storytelling.

Technology Providers: Ad tech partners can play a major role in helping marketers get smart about using data and programmatic. They should also make sure that the brand, media agency, and creative agency collaborate to ensure a successful campaign.

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3

72016 Agency Survey Report | Bridging the disconnect between creatives and data.

About Turn

Turn, the independent ad tech company, delivers real-time insights that transform the way leading media agencies and enterprises make marketing decisions. The Turn platform enables anonymous audience planning, data centralization, cross-device advertising, and advanced analytics, along with point-and-click access to more than 150 integrated technology partners. Turn works with the world’s top brands and agencies, including DirecTV, Experian, HP, Kia, Kraft Heinz, L’Oreal USA, Thomas Cook, and Zales. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Turn offers its products and services worldwide.

© 2016 Turn Inc. All rights reserved. Turn is a registered trademark of Turn Inc. All services are subject to change or discontinuation without notice. July 2016.

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