Digital Marketing Bliss: Matchmaking Brands with Customers Despite Targeting Hardship

We're quickly approaching Valentine's Day, a holiday synonymous with romance and connection. Marketers need to be smart in their approach and truly offer messages or call-to-actions that benefit and entice consumers, all while adjusting their messages to coincide with the holiday where appropriate.

Brands and advertisers wanting to adjust their approaches need to do so quickly, or miss out on making that genuine connection with consumers.

Gone are the days of generic mass marketing. Today, it's all about understanding the intricate preferences and behaviors of individual consumers. Despite this reality, ongoing changes from the likes of Apple and Google alter the ways most of us need to approach targeting.

Notably, in 2023, Apple introduced several privacy-focused features that present hurdles for advertisers when it comes with targeting users across apps and websites. Notably it added lockable private browsing tabs in Safari; link tracking protection in Mail, Messages, and Safari; and Lockdown Mode for Apple Watch. This makes it more difficult to engage users as they navigate between websites.

Google also introduced some policy changes that challenge brands and advertisers. One of the most significant changes was its announcement that it's finally phasing out of third-party cookies. This has been on the industry's radar for years, but it's finally come to pass. Additionally, Google introduced “Topics”, a privacy-focused alternative to third-party cookies. This feature is based on the idea of grouping users into cohorts based on their interests and browsing habits. This information can then be used to target ads without identifying individual users.

Obviously, these changes had a significant impact on the digital advertising industry, as brands and advertisers rely on tracking data to target ads and measure their effectiveness. Despite being jostled around, our industry is resilient - and we're continuing to innovate approaches to form genuine connections with audiences.

In response to the targeting changes, advertisers are utilizing new strategies to reach consumers - in reality all marketers should try these approaches in the leadup to Valentine's Day to ensure their goals and KPIs are met.

The strategies include doubling-down on your first-party data programs. Essentially, instead of relying largely on third-party data from partners, advertisers can utilize their own assets stemming directly from their websites, apps and consumer interactions. This data often includes insights into demographics, interests, purchase history, behavior and more. From there, the data can be used to create detailed customer profiles to target ads effectively. For example, brands can develop an email newsletter offering insights on products and deals - encouraging consumers to sign up. From there, the brands can offer relevant Valentine's Day sales.

Additionally, contextual targeting stands as a strong approach for engaging consumers - and it's great because it utilizes targeting based on the content of web pages and apps a user visits, instead of personal information. By utilizing location, time of day, weather and local event data, marketers can gleen real world context around a consumer's mindset, moment by moment. For example, a restaurant could utilize a contextual advertising approach by running campaigns for their Valentine's Day offerings on websites aimed at local events or things to do, like Time Out or Tripadvisor. Or marketers can reach adults in Valentine's Day planning moments by serving impressions on mobile phones while they're in-store waiting to purchase items like roses, chocolates or groceries. The important piece here is to have your messaging and creative positioned for the scenario.

It's more important than ever to understand consumer's needs, aspirations, and pain points - and be able to accurately account for them during specific moments like Valentine's Day. It's about offering genuine value, providing solutions, and fostering a sense of community. With Valentine's Day around the corner, brands should try and increase their compatibility with audiences, and foster meaningful interactions that build long-lasting relationships.

For more information on how to use first-party data and contextual approaches for standout Valentine's Day campaigns, visit our creative showcase page.