Skeptical about programmatic digital advertising?

So were we. As firm believers in the idea that any marketing effort should be able to pay its own way, we were initially on the fence about the merits of programmatic display advertising. After meeting with MiQ we knew we had a partner with the experience and insights necessary to make this work for our client, Muskoka Steamships and Discovery Centre. Our ambitions for the campaign were modest. Yes, we were interested in boosting ticket sales for their cruises, but we thought the digital presence was more of an awareness builder than a sales driver. We were wrong. Our team of Barbara Rowell, Matthew Waller and Chelsea Johnston persuaded us that yes, indeed we could judge this campaign by its ability to drive ticket sales. We designed and produced the banner ads in collaboration with our clients John Miller and Jordan Waines at MSDC. Then we let MiQ work its magic. To our surprise, the campaign was a great success, with attributable ticket sales increases vastly outstripping the cost of media and production.

The strength of programmatic digital advertising is its ability to not only target with precision, but also to find the best contexts for the presentation of ads. Unlike purely search-based algorithms, the programmatic side ensures that ads will be displayed in environments that complement the ads themselves. For us, in always looking out for the interests of our clients’ customers, this was a critical point distinguishing this approach.

Best moment? Reading an article on cbc.ca and seeing our ad appear.

Now we’re taking programmatic advertising to several of our other clients. Live and learn.