Why rich media should be a part of marketing strategy

Our guest author explains the importance of rich media and its use in the ad world.

Advertisement is a real constant, and as David Ogilvy says, “The more informative your advertising, the more persuasive it will be.”

Marketers in the digital universe, put in a lot of effort to persuade and acquire users, but how frequently they return and engage with the brand, depends on the power of the message delivered by the campaign.

Ogilvy also said, “If it doesn’t sell, it isn’t creative.” So, to make a difference in ad practices to effectively sell the offerings of a brand, rich media ads make a difference in a brand’s presence, reach and recall.

People see may ads in a day and, sometimes, they, unfortunately, develop banner blindness, until the showcased ad is of any use to them. There is nothing wrong in saying that too much bombardment of plain or static ads, gets overlooked, even if they deliver the right message. In fact, it is also true that the digital advertising ecosystem is ever-evolving and tech advancements, along with innovations, never leave any stone unturned to revolutionise the ad landscape.

This year, the global digital ad spend is projected to be $681.39 billion. It is expected to reach $876.1 billion, wherein, rich media is carving its own pace. This is because rich media is a dynamic way of advertising that plays a vital role in drawing netizens’ attention towards a campaign.

Why rich media?

Rich media content often depicts a story that is usually appealing and eye-catchy, because it delivers a message via authentic elements like a poll, GIF, game, animation, quiz, etc., that encourages users to scroll more and makes the campaign more interesting. This is why it has become a hot topic in the digital ecosystem and remains in the minds of not just advertisers, but also the audience, since users get a chance to see something innovative and engage with it.

Well, I would also like to say that rich media ads are a way forward, because they have become an essential part of HTLM5 websites. It is also called HTML5 ads. In fact, the more innovative and engaging it seems, the better the overall reach and impact.

What rich media has in store?

Owing to the engagement of tech aspects, rich media ads trigger user interaction in different ways and forms of content. For example, Tilt Device, 3D Motion, Rotating Cube, Flip, Panoramic Motion, Product Gallery, Shake to Reveal, and a lot more. Engaging and interacting with such ads, provide the user with a friendly and responsive experience, since it adjusts to their device or screen size and works organically without any push.

The concept of rich media is broader and there is a lot more to talk about it. Thus, I would like to suggest marketers incorporate rich media ads in their marketing strategies, as it enables them to obtain user metrics into their marketing automation platform. It delivers quality impressions, view rates and CTR, drives brand awareness and purchase intent with a user-friendly experience and much more.

With the noise of ads, where standard ones have become saturated, rich media ads are a solution that breaks through the clutter and restores the audience’s attention towards a campaign. Marketers using rich media in their marketing strategy, can actually see the difference in consumer engagement and wonders in their overall campaign effectiveness.

(The author, Alok Pandey, is VP, sales & marketing at Xapads Media)