Much to the joy of content marketers everywhere, YouTube is rolling out new advertising technology, which promises an unbelievable level of personalization and audience-targeting.
The tool, known as “Director Mix”, allows a company to create hundreds upon hundreds of versions of a single video ad. All they have to do is upload various voiceovers, images, etc., all of which are different forms of the same messaging. YouTube’s system will then use this content to create different versions of the video, depending on the target audience.
In order to use this new system to its full capacity, YouTube has expanded their Custom Affinity Audiences, which will allow marketers to target their audiences with more precision than in the past. Tech Crunch explains:
Before, advertisers could target ads using Google search data. Now, advertisers will be able to reach people based not only on the kinds of searches they’re doing, but also the kind of places they search for or visit using Google Maps data, or even the apps they have installed on their smartphone.
For instance, Google suggests that an outdoor outfitter could use this feature to target an ad to only skiers by seeking out those who have searched for skis, who spent time at ski resorts, or downloaded a ski resort’s trail guide app.
Google says that using intent-based audiences like this on mobile can help with ad recall (20% lift) and brand awareness (50% higher), versus demographic-only based campaigns. The data was based on early results from over 1,000 advertisers.
However, while some people are excited about the concept, others are not so enthusiastic. Considering how much information these companies will have access to when targeting their audiences, some are concerned that their private information will soon become much more public.
We think that only time will tell whether this new update is an improvement or a violation of individual privacy. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!