Online Advertising Trends

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, the conversation has shifted from the dominance of mobile to a more nuanced, multi-platform approach. This shift is marked by two significant trends: the revitalization of desktop advertising and the intelligent resurgence of contextual advertising, now augmented by Generative AI (GenAI). The old battle between native and contextual ads is being replaced by a more symbiotic relationship, driven by consumer privacy demands and the need for richer, more meaningful engagement.

Contextual advertising, which places ads based on the content of a webpage rather than a user’s personal data, is experiencing a renaissance. With the decline of third-party cookies and increasing privacy regulations, this old method is now a modern necessity. It is not so much back to native advertising, but rather an evolution where the two converge. Native advertising, which blends seamlessly with a platform's design, is a format, while contextual advertising is a targeting strategy. On edge devices like desktops and mobile phones, a brand can now deploy a native ad that is also contextually relevant. For example, a sponsored article about a new running shoe (a native ad) could be placed on a fitness blog (a contextual ad placement), creating a non-intrusive, value-added experience.

Desktop advertising, once thought to be overshadowed by mobile, is now proving to be a key player. This revitalization is not a rejection of mobile but an acknowledgement of the different user mindsets on each device. Desktop users are often more focused and engaged in tasks like research or high-consideration purchases. This larger screen real estate and more deliberate user behavior offer a fertile ground for richer ad formats, such as long-form video or interactive experiences that would feel intrusive on a smaller mobile screen. Advertisers are leveraging the desktop's ability to host campaigns with higher conversion rates and more complex storytelling.

The true catalyst for this new era is Generative AI. GenAI is making online advertising contextually fluid across multi-platforms by automating and personalizing content at an unprecedented scale. Before GenAI, contextual ads were often limited to simple keyword matching. Now, GenAI models can analyze the sentiment, tone, and a page's deeper semantic meaning. This allows an AI to instantly generate a dozen different ad variations—with tailored copy, images, and calls-to-action—that are perfectly matched to the specific context of a page, a user's location, or the time of day. This level of real-time, dynamic creative optimization ensures that ads are not just relevant, but also deeply resonant, bridging the gap between a user’s current mindset and a brand’s message. This technology provides a future for online advertising that is both powerful and privacy-friendly, moving beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to a world of endless, personalized, and contextually rich ad experiences.

Four I's

In the vast and ever-expanding digital realm, understanding user behavior is paramount for any entity aiming to thrive. Beyond simple metrics like page views, a deeper comprehension of "Interest," "Intent," "Influence," and "Impact" provides a crucial framework for strategic decision-making across advertising, social media, business, and content creation. These four pillars offer a holistic view of digital engagement, guiding efforts towards meaningful outcomes.

Interest signifies a user's initial engagement and curiosity. It's the spark that draws attention to content, products, or services. For advertising and publishing, interest is measured by metrics like click-through rates (CTR), time spent on page, scroll depth, and content consumption rates. On social media and for news outlets, it manifests as likes, shares, comments, and video views. Understanding what piques audience interest allows creators to tailor content, refine headlines, and optimize visuals, ensuring their message resonates with the target demographic. Contextual signals such as demographic data, past browsing history, and content categories consumed are vital in identifying and nurturing this initial spark.

Intent moves beyond passive interest to reveal a user's underlying goal or desired action. This is where casual browsing transforms into purposeful interaction. In advertising and business, intent is evident in specific search queries ("buy running shoes," "best CRM software"), visits to product pages, adding items to a cart, or initiating contact forms. For influencer marketing, intent is seen when followers click on affiliate links or use promotional codes. Measuring intent involves tracking conversion rates, bounce rates from critical pages, form submissions, and direct purchases. Analyzing user journeys and segmenting audiences based on their declared or inferred intent allows for highly targeted messaging and optimized conversion funnels. Device type and location can also be strong indicators of immediate intent.

Influence speaks to the capacity of an entity or individual to shape opinions, drive discussions, and inspire actions within a network. This is the engine of virality and the core of PR and influencer marketing. Influence is not merely about reach; it's about the quality of engagement and the ripple effect. Metrics include sentiment analysis of brand mentions, share of voice in online conversations, referral traffic from social shares or influencer posts, and the rate at which content is re-shared or cited. For media and news, influence is reflected in how widely their stories are picked up, discussed, and acted upon by the public. Understanding an entity's influence helps in identifying key opinion leaders and amplifying messages through trusted channels.

Finally, Impact represents the ultimate, measurable outcome of all digital efforts, directly aligning with business objectives. This is the return on investment (ROI) that validates strategies. For advertising and business, impact translates to revenue generated, qualified leads acquired, customer lifetime value, or market share growth. In PR, it's about brand lift, reputation enhancement, or crisis mitigation. For publishing and news, impact might be measured by subscriptions, audience loyalty, or the tangible effect their reporting has on public discourse or policy. For virality, impact is the exponential spread and sustained relevance of content. Measuring impact requires connecting digital activities to real-world business results, often through attribution models and comprehensive analytics that go beyond vanity metrics.

These four "I's" are not isolated but interconnected, forming a continuous feedback loop. Interest can lead to intent, which, when fulfilled, can cultivate influence, ultimately driving significant impact. By meticulously measuring and analyzing these dimensions, organizations can move beyond guesswork, crafting data-driven strategies that resonate with audiences, convert prospects, and achieve tangible success in the dynamic digital landscape.

AI is Disrupting Advertising Industry

AI is Disrupting Advertising Industry

Premium Ad Networks

The digital advertising landscape is a complex ecosystem, with publishers constantly seeking to maximize revenue from their content. While Google AdSense serves as an accessible entry point for many, a tier of "premium" ad networks offers a significant upgrade, promising higher earnings, superior optimization, and dedicated support. Understanding these networks, their operational models, and their unique advantages is crucial for publishers aiming to scale their monetization efforts.

Premium ad networks distinguish themselves by acting as sophisticated intermediaries between high-quality publishers and top-tier advertisers. Unlike AdSense, which uses a more generalized auction system, premium networks often employ header bidding. This advanced programmatic technique allows multiple ad exchanges and demand-side platforms (DSPs) to bid simultaneously for a publisher's ad inventory before the page loads. This real-time competition drives up ad prices, resulting in significantly higher RPMs (Revenue Per Mille, or earnings per 1,000 page views) for the publisher. They also cultivate direct relationships with premium brands, ensuring higher quality and more relevant ads are displayed.

To join these exclusive networks, publishers typically face stricter eligibility requirements than AdSense. Common criteria include minimum monthly traffic thresholds (ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 page views or sessions), a substantial portion of traffic from Tier 1 countries (like the USA, UK, Canada, Australia), original and high-quality content, and adherence to strict ad policy guidelines. This selectivity ensures that premium networks maintain a high standard of ad inventory, which in turn attracts higher-paying advertisers.

Compared to AdSense, premium ad networks offer several distinct advantages. AdSense is renowned for its ease of setup and low barrier to entry, making it ideal for new or smaller blogs. However, it often yields lower RPMs, provides limited control over ad types and placements, and offers minimal direct support. Premium networks, conversely, provide:

• Higher Earning Potential: Due to header bidding and premium advertiser demand, RPMs are often several times higher than AdSense.
• Advanced Optimization: They leverage AI and machine learning to optimize ad layouts, sizes, and refresh rates, ensuring maximum viewability and engagement without compromising user experience.
• Dedicated Support: Publishers receive personalized guidance from account managers on strategy, site speed, and technical issues.
• Better Ad Quality: The focus on premium advertisers means fewer intrusive or irrelevant ads, enhancing site aesthetics and user trust.

However, premium networks also come with their own set of considerations. Their higher traffic requirements can be a significant barrier for smaller sites. The setup process is generally more involved, and some networks might have stricter content niche preferences.

Among the leading premium ad networks, each offers unique strengths:

• Mediavine: Highly regarded for its strong RPMs, exceptional customer service, and vibrant community, particularly popular among lifestyle, food, and travel bloggers. Its main disadvantage is a relatively high traffic requirement (50,000 sessions/month).
• Raptive (formerly AdThrive): Known for very high RPMs and catering to larger, established publishers, offering comprehensive ad management and support. It has one of the highest traffic requirements (100,000 page views/month).
• Ezoic: Offers AI-driven optimization that can significantly boost revenue, even for sites with lower traffic (some plans have no minimum). Its complexity and potential for initial site speed impact can be drawbacks, though it aims to improve Core Web Vitals.
• Monumetric: A solid choice for mid-tier publishers (starting at 10,000 page views/month), offering good RPMs and hands-on onboarding, though it might have a setup fee.
• Media.net: A strong contextual ad network, often considered a direct alternative to AdSense, performing well for US/UK traffic, but its RPMs might not reach the peaks of Mediavine or Raptive.

For publishers who have outgrown AdSense and meet the necessary traffic thresholds, transitioning to a premium ad network is a strategic move that can dramatically increase their advertising revenue. While requiring a greater commitment and meeting stricter criteria, the benefits of higher RPMs, sophisticated optimization, and dedicated support make them an indispensable tool for serious content creators in the competitive digital landscape.

Future of Online Advertising

Online advertising has undergone a seismic transformation since its nascent days, evolving from simple banner ads to a complex ecosystem driven by data, algorithms, and sophisticated targeting. Looking ahead, the future of online advertising promises even more profound shifts, shaped by advancements in artificial intelligence, evolving privacy regulations, the rise of new digital environments, and a persistent demand for more personalized and impactful consumer experiences. This evolving landscape will necessitate adaptability from advertisers, platforms, and consumers alike.

One of the most significant forces shaping the future will be the continued and accelerated integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI will move beyond just optimizing ad placements and targeting to truly understanding consumer intent and predicting future behavior with unprecedented accuracy. Generative AI will revolutionize ad creative, enabling dynamic, personalized ad copy, images, and even video content that adapts in real-time to individual user preferences and contexts. This will lead to hyper-personalized advertising experiences, where ads feel less like interruptions and more like relevant, timely suggestions. AI-driven analytics will also provide deeper insights into campaign performance, allowing for continuous optimization and better return on investment.

Alongside technological advancements, privacy regulations will continue to exert a powerful influence. The deprecation of third-party cookies, coupled with stricter data protection laws globally, is forcing advertisers to rethink their targeting strategies. The future will likely see a greater reliance on first-party data, contextual advertising, and privacy-enhancing technologies. Advertisers will need to build direct relationships with consumers and earn their trust by offering clear value in exchange for data. This shift could lead to a more transparent and ethical advertising ecosystem, where consumer consent is paramount and data usage is more tightly controlled.

The emergence of new digital environments will also open up fresh advertising frontiers. The metaverse, with its immersive virtual worlds, presents a nascent but potentially lucrative space for brands to engage with consumers in entirely new ways. In-game advertising, virtual product placements, and branded experiences within these digital realms will become more sophisticated. Similarly, the growth of connected TV (CTV) and streaming services offers opportunities for addressable advertising on the big screen, blending the reach of traditional television with the targeting capabilities of digital. Audio advertising, particularly within podcasts and voice assistants, is another area poised for significant growth, demanding creative audio-first strategies.

The underlying trend driving these changes is a persistent consumer demand for authenticity and value. Consumers are increasingly discerning and ad-fatigued. The future of online advertising will be less about interruption and more about integration. Brands that can seamlessly weave their messages into relevant content, provide genuine utility, or offer engaging experiences will be the most successful. This could manifest in more native advertising, sponsored content that truly adds value, and interactive ad formats that encourage participation rather than passive viewing.

The future of online advertising is dynamic and multifaceted. It will be characterized by an unprecedented level of personalization driven by AI, a renewed focus on privacy and first-party data, and the exploration of new, immersive digital landscapes. Success in this evolving environment will hinge on advertisers' ability to innovate, adapt to regulatory changes, and prioritize genuine consumer engagement over mere exposure, ultimately fostering a more intelligent, respectful, and effective advertising ecosystem.

Why Adsense is so Bad

Google AdSense, for many website owners and content creators, represents the shimmering promise of passive income. The allure of monetizing one's passion, turning clicks into cash, is undeniably strong. However, beneath this veneer of opportunity lies a complex and often frustrating reality. While AdSense has democratized online advertising to a degree, its dominance comes with significant drawbacks, making it a far less ideal solution than its ubiquity might suggest. 

One of the most persistent criticisms of AdSense is its inherent conflict of interest. Google, the platform provider, ad network, and search engine giant, holds immense power. This creates a system where the incentives are not always aligned with the best interests of publishers or users. The focus on clicks, often regardless of their quality or relevance, can lead to a race to the bottom. Websites may prioritize clickbait headlines and intrusive ad placements over valuable content and user experience, simply because those tactics yield higher immediate revenue. This degrades the overall quality of the web, forcing users to navigate a minefield of distracting and often irrelevant advertisements. 

Furthermore, the revenue generated through AdSense, particularly for smaller and newer websites, can be disappointingly low. The cost-per-click (CPC) rates are often meager, requiring significant traffic to generate even a modest income. This can be demoralizing for creators who pour time and effort into their work, only to see minimal financial returns. The platform’s opaque algorithms for determining ad rates and placement further exacerbate this frustration, leaving publishers feeling powerless and at the mercy of Google’s ever-changing rules. 

Control is another major point of contention. Publishers have limited say in the types of ads displayed on their sites. While some broad filtering options exist, the platform ultimately dictates what appears, potentially leading to the display of ads for competitors, unethical products, or content that clashes with the website’s brand and values. This lack of granular control can damage a website’s reputation and alienate its audience. 

Moreover, the reliance on third-party cookies for ad targeting raises significant privacy concerns. While Google has made moves towards a more privacy-centric web, the legacy of AdSense is deeply intertwined with tracking user behavior across the internet. This not only feels intrusive to users but also places the onus on publishers to navigate complex privacy regulations and ensure compliance. 

Finally, the platform’s customer support is often criticized for being impersonal and difficult to navigate. When issues arise, whether related to policy violations, payment discrepancies, or technical glitches, publishers can find themselves struggling to get timely and effective assistance. This lack of human interaction can be particularly frustrating for smaller website owners who lack dedicated technical teams. 

While AdSense provides a relatively easy entry point into online advertising, its dominance comes at a significant cost. The inherent conflict of interest, often low revenue, limited control, privacy concerns, and inadequate support paint a picture of a platform that prioritizes its own interests over those of its publishers and the wider web ecosystem. As the digital landscape evolves, content creators should critically evaluate their reliance on AdSense and explore alternative monetization strategies that prioritize user experience, content quality, and sustainable revenue generation. The lingering irritant of AdSense, while ubiquitous, is a reminder that a better, more equitable future for online publishing is desperately needed.

Decentralization of Ad Networks

The current advertising landscape is heavily centralized, with a few dominant players wielding immense control over data, pricing, and reach. This concentration of power raises concerns about privacy, transparency, and fairness. Decentralizing ad networks offers a compelling alternative, distributing control and fostering a more equitable ecosystem.

A primary benefit is the democratization of data. Currently, user data is largely collected and controlled by a handful of corporations, leading to potential misuse and privacy violations. Decentralized networks, often leveraging blockchain technology, can empower users to own and control their data, granting them greater agency over how it's used for advertising purposes.

Furthermore, decentralization enhances transparency. By distributing the ledger of ad transactions, it becomes more difficult to manipulate pricing or engage in fraudulent activities. This increased transparency builds trust and accountability, benefiting both advertisers and publishers. Publishers, in particular, gain greater control over their inventory and revenue streams, reducing their dependence on monopolistic platforms.

Decentralization also fosters innovation. By lowering barriers to entry, it encourages the development of new advertising technologies and business models. This competitive landscape drives progress and creates a more diverse and dynamic advertising ecosystem. Ultimately, decentralizing ad networks aims to shift the balance of power, creating a more user-centric, transparent, and equitable advertising landscape.

Elements of Behavioral Economics

• Bounded Rationality: limited cognitive resources leads to imperfect rational decisions and may rely on heuristics with limited access to information at the time 
• limited cognitive capacity
• incomplete information
• time constraints
• Cognitive Biases: Errors in judgement influence decision-making like loss aversion, framing effect, anchoring bias
• Prospect Theory: Values vary in gains and losses, people are more risk-averse when facing losses, decisions vary on risk, uncertainty, and probability
• loss aversion
• value function
• probability weighting
• reference point
• Social Influences: choices are influenced by social norms and peer pressure
• Choice Architecture: presentation of choices influences decision-making 
• power of presentation
• nudging behavior
• defaults
• framing
• incentives
• simplification
• References:
• Thinking, Fast and Slow
• Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness
• Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
• Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics
• The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds
• Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much
• The Winner's Curse: Paradoxes and Anomalies of Economic Life
• Behavioral Economics
• Advances in Behavioral Economics
• behavioraleconomics.com
• behavioral scientist
• The Behavioral Scientist
• Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization
• American Economic Review
• MIT Courseware - Psychology and Economics

Automated Image Generation

• Bannerbear
• adCreative
• Canva
• VistaCreate
• Adobe Express
• Bannerflow
• Creatopy
• DynaPictures
• Abyssale
• Creatomate
• Placid
• Frameshift
• Duply
• Switchboard
• Templated

ChatGPT

ChatGPT OpenAI

adsML

adsML

Unpredictable Google

Google services are the worst. One minute they are available for use. The next minute they are going through a decommissioning process. Then there is that aspect of their page ranking algorithms which keep changing effecting the publisher revenue. Not to mention the way they have recently been giving preferential treatment through a preferred advertising supplier network. One minute an API is available to use, next minute it is gone. The same is the case on GCP. Nothing seems to stay for very long before it is changed with a total lack of regard for the user. No time frames given for planning a migration. Not to mention the fact to find any information one has to literally hunt for it. One would think if they are a search company they would know how to make their searchable and findability functions user-friendly - but no. And, it takes ages to remove anything from their search engine. The company is also slack in following basic privacy and regulatory compliance. The company just gives off an air of arrogance like they can get away with everything without really being very responsible with user data. There seems to be a complete disconnect across the internal organization which shows in their products and services initiatives. Over the years, with multiple court cases in the international community, Google has been slowly but surely losing the sense of credibility of their services with users. Large company like Google eventually meets its faith when more issues with reliability and security of their services come into question while increasing frustration for their users for their lack of responsive customer care and dodgy business practices. A perfect example of a company that just doesn't care about the end-user.

Platform Marketer

Platform Marketer

Marketing Technology Landscape

Metacert

Metacert

Contextual Signals of Measurement

• Interest
• Intent
• Impact
• Influence

Blockchain

HyperLedger - B2B
Ethereum - B2C

Marian

Marian

Dark Patterns

Dark Patterns linger on the web as a tell tale signs of user deception and trickery. Often unnoticed by the user through the interface where they are purposely and intentionally made to confuse. They set on a gamut of actions which are unauthorized by the user. The darkpatterns.org provides further details on examples of deliberately confusing and deceptive user interfaces. There are also shady patterns which push boundaries for user desires but are not deliberately deceptive in practice. They may be construed as misdirections with unclear language which tend to trick a user into doing things that they would otherwise not intentionally do. Many companies are aware of such practices but slither within the boundaries of safe zones. And often signs of such deceptions linger in the use of language, the misdirections, as well as when there are too many things happening on the site. Some ads are also deliberately deceptive which use behavior targeting, follow user's web history, and search patterns. 

Connected Concepts & Things

A sample idea for connected retail:

Within the etiquette of robots.txt constraints crawl the link graph as determined by the sitemap in order to formulate a custom ontology which could then be linked to DBPedia and GoodRelations schema and various search engines (especially Google). The ontology is then mapreduced against any products and services available on Amazon. Do this across all UK and US retailers based on consumable context of products and services. However, this may grow regionally. Such ontological context can then be derived as schema.org markup to enrich searchability whether that be in context of chatbots, web search, mobile, contextual advertising, and even in store promotions.

Example of Supermarkets:

• Sainsburys
• Morrisons
• Asda
• Lidl
• Iceland
• Aldi
• Tescos
• Walmart
• Marks and Spencer
• Whole Foods
• Farmer's Market
• Lowes
• Giant
• Safeway
• Vons
• Shoprite
• Meijer
• Costco
• Kroger

Example of Departmental Stores:

• Selfridges
• Harrods
• Macy's
• Bloomingdales
• Debenhams
• Harvey Nichols
• Fenwicks
• House of Fraser
• Fortnum and Mason
• Marks and Spencer
• Neiman Marcus
• Saks
• Kohls
• Sears
• Dillards
• Nordstrom
• JC Penny's
• Lord & Taylor
• Target
• KMart
• Walmart
• Marshalls
• John Lewis

Individual Retail Brands
And, various consumable and service contexts ranging from banking to clothing/apparels, and electronics. Essentially, many of the similar domains as Amazon categories.

Benefits of such things incorporate:

• Free and Open Source so any business can make their products and services more reachable and findable to target customers
• Free for customers to compare prices
• Free for customers to check for availability
• Free for customer recommendations
• Free for enriching localized ecommerce searching
• Free for enrichment of products and services for retailers
• Free for SPARQL queries
• All products and services essentially become resources in context of URI/URLs
• Free to check custom and focused chat bots for customers
• Free to leverage insights from customer behavior via machine learning.
• However, all data storage is decentralized so no real localized store for any personal information on customers and all competitive data is stored on retailer systems.
• Such services provide Linked Data services as a Web of Data one can do more NLP and Semantic Web to better understand customers as well as product pricing and sales
• They are also a way to make it easier for customers to find things on the web, and shop on the go. One can even target or identify customers who are not entering stores
• One can also find out clusters through network science about customers and which customers one should be targeting and in what way.
• This approach of resources turns queries into a connected linked data graph or knowledge graph
• Basic knowledge is already derived from DBPedia which understands what a retail is in context to a business and various other concepts and things.
• Also, it can be applied to keeping track of new releases, new fashions, new trends, and news in general on retail
• Postal Deliveries and shop at your convenience
• Semantic Product/Service and Collaborative Recommendations
• Semantic Sentiment Analysis on Customer Service Experience
• Semantic Intent Graph formulations
• Semantic Customer Understanding

The services are supposed to be free and funded by ad revenue to try remain objective in the searchability with no preferential affiliations. Possibly, even with percentage on targeted conversion.

Such things are the natural steps towards Web 3.0 and Internet of Things where everything is available. Retailers are facing tough competition from Amazon and attempt is to try to make all retailers essentially more available, targetable, and reachable to customers as a basic enrichment to the customer service experience.

Alternatively, such approaches are currently being used for:

• connected libraries
• connected research
• connected learning
• connected businesses
• connected social
• connected games
• connected entertainment
• connected interests
• connected travel
• connected news
• connected profiles
• connected utilities
• connected city
• connected publishing
• connected ads
• connected things 

This is in context to connected retailers especially where the market is so fiercely competitive it makes more sense.