The Internet has grown up as a separate medium, but its future might lie more in meshing with other media than trumping them, according to MediaMind founder and chief digital officer Gal Trifon.
“If you ask me about the future of digital media, I’ll tell you about convergence,” he said. “As consumers access information across multiple screens, advertisers who are now operating in complete silos will benefit from having systems, like ours, which will allow them to communicate with consumers across these channels.”
Broadcast advertising technologies company DG last week inked a deal to buy MediaMind for $414 million in cash and shares.
Trifon believes that cross-platform solutions that are data-driven, enabling efficient identification and targeting of consumers, will separate the winners and the losers in the marketing technology space as advertisers become increasingly focused on measurable ROI and consumer engagement. According to Trifon, DG and MediaMind will collaborate on the development of rich media advertising solutions that connect broadcast advertising strategy with online campaign strategy.
“We see an environment where convergence takes place at every level, from the services that advertisers receive from companies like ours, to strategy and campaigns that are responsive to a very different kind of consumer behavior – content consumption behavior that occurs across multiple channels.”
Trifon believes that the proliferation of multiple devices upon which consumers can access premium online and broadcasted content, as well as the advancement of advertising technology in general will create ads that garner better responses from consumers.
“Some things will begin to change drastically as consumers have more choice, more content competing for their attention,” said Trifon. “Advertisers will have to work harder to engage consumers in this environment. In the digital media environment consumers are in control; you have to locate them, you have to chase them, you have to interact with them more intelligently to get better responses.”
Trifon believes that targeting will evolve in the next few years into more forms that generate better ROI as long as consumer privacy is respected, and advertisers are willing to see beyond the data silo.
“TV advertising, when combined with online advertising technologies and strategy will greatly benefit as convergence moves forward, ” said Trifon. “Ads will become more relevant to consumers because of better data from more effectively targeted advertising.”
Last year MediaMind delivered campaigns for 9,000 brands through 8,200 global web publishers in 64 countries. Now combined, DG and MediaMind will collaborate to create rich media solutions for online and broadcast advertising in the US, Latin America and Asia.
“Globally, this eventual convergence will mean that consumers will have better levels of engagement because ads will be centered on things they are already interested in, said Trifon. “TV ads will be truly interactive, consumers will be able to connect via TV with information about a product and perhaps subscribe via mobile phone. The capabilities are being developed right now and in a few years this will become the standard for consumers and for advertisers.”
