Digital advertising landscape: Revolutionizing targeting strategies at Wavemaker-Amman

Once upon a time, marketers and businesses were lost in a sea of guesswork, unsure of their target audiences and relying on broad segmentation. The uncertainty was quite a common tale in the world of communication.

This is, however, a relic of the past. Today, we have a crystal-clear understanding of our audiences, all thanks to the digital landscape. Data has emerged as the goldmine of this age, making products and services increasingly better and more convenient to use as they become more personalized.

However, raw data is just that—raw. Like any unrefined resource, data has no value until processed. Without thoughtful interpretation and application, it remains a collection of numbers and insights with little impact. It requires analysis and interpretation in order to unlock its potential.

At Wavemaker, a media agency under the MENACOM group that blends creativity and analytics to shape consumers’ decisions and experiences, they are transforming the way brands connect with consumers. The agency’s approach utilizes data to fuel Dynamic Creative Optimized Ads (DCO), a technology that enables brands to automatically generate customized advertising in real-time.

While DCO has been around for years, Wavemaker has taken it to the next level by optimizing data combinations to drive desirable outcomes. In their collaboration with Teeba, a subsidiary of Almarai, they employed this cutting-edge strategy to ensure the campaign reached the right user, at the right time, in the right context.

Let us paint a picture: It is noon time on a weekend during the summer. A working mother of two goes out for a run, listening to music on a streaming app. Based on these various elements, DCO creates an ad for an Almarai Lemon and Mint juice with text addressing the summer heat.

This advert is then shown to her through the app she’s using if it supports ads. The next morning, she checks her social media before preparing her children’s lunchboxes, an ad reminds her to add Almarai Greek yogurt.

That’s a lot of things to get ‘right’. To achieve this level of precision, Wavemaker employs data and machine learning, even artificial intelligence (AI). For this specific campaign, 4 elements in the ad’s visuals were made dynamic: the product, the logo, the text, and the call-to-action button.

These elements changed depending on real-time factors such as time of day and weather conditions. This approach creates near-endless combinations from Teeba and Almarai’s range of products, allowing the campaign to be optimized for individual moments and environments.

What sets this process apart is its hyper-personalized approach in record times. Instead of manually creating multiple ad versions, Wavemaker’s algorithm dynamically selects the right visual elements based on predefined triggers, delivering the most relevant combinations to consumers in mere fractions of a second.

The result is a dramatic reduction in production time (200x faster) and substantial cost savings (66% on the campaign budget and up to 90% on production costs).

Sawsan Hayek, Head of Planning and Digital Buying at Wavemaker, is a firm believer in the transformative power of dynamic data. “Advertising without personalization is like fishing in an ocean without fish,” she said. “Every person is exposed to countless ads daily. The only ones that resonate are those that speak to their pain points. Going mass is no longer an option in this era.”

As part of the MENACOM group, Wavemaker dives deep into consumer data, crafting strategies that align with business goals and brand objectives. What sets them apart is their innovative approach, refusing to view data in isolation. Instead, they uncover hidden correlations, leveraging insights to drive growth through media, content, and technology.

In a data-driven world, Wavemaker is leading the way, transforming raw data into actionable strategies and reshaping consumer engagement.

It is time for brands to embrace this evolution, as the ultimate key to success lies in understanding the stories that data can tell us.