Not all advertisements are the same. That’s true in traditional advertising (television and radio) and newer digital media.
In advertising, it’s easy to focus on quantity: more ads, impressions, and reach. Yes, advertising is a numbers game, but impressions are not the only number that counts. At Walker Media Agency (WMA), we’ve learned that our key to success isn’t only the number of ads; it’s how we strategically place and deliver them.
Yes. We want to be efficient.
But it’s not about flooding the market with as many ads as possible—it’s about impressions that people actually see and will take action on.
For example, in traditional broadcast TV, would you rather have your ad in Sunday’s NFL game, or would you prefer to have your ad in the 1 AM replay of your local news?
Not all ads are created equal. That’s true in digital media, too. The current advertising world is a race to the bottom, driven by getting ads at the lowest price possible through a programmatic auction. In my experience, the current digital media landscape has produced a world where many blindly trust an auction to drive their placement, meaning where their ads are shown online, to a bidding model that drives low quality placement or even, in some cases, ad fraud.
Quality Cuts Through the Noise
We’re all overwhelmed by ads. No really. We’re all annoyed with the amount of ads. Even the people selling the ads.
It’s not as bad as cold text messages, but it’s still annoying.
So, how did we get here? How did we find so many advertising channels available to us in digital media?
Fragmented Media in the 21st Century
People are scattered over a media landscape of many publishers and content creators. They have the entire world at their fingertips and available in an instant. This is a dramatic shift over the last century of media consumption, as the United States consumer was limited to 3 or 4 stations on TV. Information also moved at a much slower pace. I know I have seen this in my own life where I can choose from podcasts on Spotify to live streams on YouTube, or my radio while I’m in the car (streamed on the TuneIn app). Not to mention the extensive library of apps on my Roku TV or mobile apps on my iPhone.
And growing up in a political family has only highlighted media consumption habits in the United States. As our media has become more fragmented, so have we.
As we explore how to advertise to business leaders, consumers, or stakeholders, we need to understand how they engage with media. As mobile devices expand their role in our lives, in addition to computers and televisions, we know that the viewer is spending more time overall connected. This means there is more time to engage someone in our target audience with an ad. Just because we can place another ad doesn’t mean we should!
Why does ad placement matter?
Your audience is online more. You can reach them more.
Yes. But should you?
Will they remember it? Will it make an impact?
To dig in further, what we’re talking about here is ad placement. Basically, we’re discussing where the ad showed up. And how it showed up.
Ad placement refers to specific locations, such as within a blog, a YouTube video, or during a particular TV show, and it plays an essential role in maximizing reach and impact.
Working to get our ads in quality placement will improve the likelihood that they are actually seen by the target audience.
In turn, this increases the likelihood of engagement and conversion.
Poor placement of ads can lead to people missing the ads entirely, not engaging with them, and poor performance.
In digital media, it’s about where we see the ads are actually running. Did they run on your local news station affiliate for ABC (for us in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that would be www.WISN12.com), or did it run on vietsingle.com (a Vietnamese dating site).
If you’re targeting people in our local area of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who speak English, one is more likely than the other to reach your target audience.
Just like in broadcast TV advertising, many advertisers don’t want to buy ads for a 1:00 AM infomercial because it’s a low-quality placement with little to no impact. We should think about media placement in the same way in digital channels and traditional media, too.
Quality content creates better audiences, which is exactly what we’re looking for as advertisers.
Quality Ad Placement Is More Affordable Than You Think
Let’s talk about the cost. You might think, ‘High-quality ads mean high costs.’ But here’s the truth: smart placement actually saves you money. Instead of spreading ads everywhere online, we focus on the spots where your ideal customer spends time.
Think of it this way: you want to reach basketball fans. You could spend $500 on a large quantity of ads, but they might end up showing at 1 a.m. during an infomercial or on some random mobile gaming app.
Or, you could take that same $500 and invest in one, two, or maybe three commercial spots on CBS during March Madness. You’ll get fewer spots, sure, but they’ll be seen by exactly the audience you’re targeting – passionate basketball fans.
And it doesn’t have to be for only basketball fans. We can use this for a specific industry, location, or any other number of targeting tactics.
Yes, getting those premium spots might cost a bit more upfront, but the return on investment and the better engagement from reaching the right audience will make it a much wiser investment.
Your audience recognizes the quality of the content. Why don’t advertisers do the same?
Building Trust and Loyalty Through Quality
Advertising isn’t just about making a quick sale. It’s about building lasting relationships with your customers. Quality ads show your audience that you understand them, and that you’re paying attention to their needs. This builds trust, and that’s incredibly valuable.
When your message is clear, relevant, and shown in the right places, it does more than just drive sales. It creates a connection with your audience. They feel like you ‘get’ them. This kind of connection leads to loyal customers who keep coming back and telling their friends about you.
On the other hand, if you focus only on putting out as many ads as possible, you end up with generic messages that don’t really connect with anyone. You might get some short-term exposure, but you won’t build those long-term customer relationships that are essential for lasting success.
Exposure Without Engagement Doesn’t Matter
Getting your ad seen is important, but it’s not the whole story. What really matters is if people actually do something after seeing it. You can have a million views, but if those views don’t lead to action, they’re basically wasted.
We use precise targeting tools to ensure your ads reach the people most likely to care about your business. For instance, we might use demographic targeting on platforms like YouTube to reach specific age groups or interests.
Or, we could leverage contextual targeting on news sites, placing your ads alongside articles relevant to your industry. We can even utilize first-party data to retarget website visitors. This approach means fewer wasted impressions and more meaningful results. Every view counts, and we make sure it counts for the right people, driving actual engagement and conversions.
Combining quality placements with the right audience targeting will lead to more people recalling your ad, more engagement, and better outcomes.
The Hiseems of Quantity
ght seem tempting to just flood the market with ads and hope something works. But that ‘more is better’ approach – or, as we like to call it, ‘boiling the ocean’ – can actually cost you more in the long run. Here’s why:
- Creative Fatigue: When you’re constantly pushing out a ton of ads, the quality suffers. You end up with rushed, less effective work. Your ads become generic and forgettable.
- Ad Waste: Running ads in places where your target audience isn’t hanging out is like throwing money away. You’re paying for views that don’t matter.
- Brand Confusion: If your ads have inconsistent messages, you’ll confuse your audience. They won’t know what your brand stands for, which weakens your overall brand.
In our experience, we can avoid these problems by focusing on quality over quantity in advertising placement. We believe that a few well-placed, high-quality ads will consistently outperform a bunch of irrelevant ones. It’s about being smart with your budget, not just spending it.
How to Prioritize Quality in Your Advertising
So, how do you actually put quality advertising into practice? Here’s how we approach it at Walker Media Agency:
- Focus on Premium Platforms: We use Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs), which is the technology that allows advertisers to buy ad space across a wide range of websites and apps. This is a tool to access programmatic auction inventory, and when not used correctly, it’s a race to the bottom. Knowing the limitations of these platforms is critical. We’ve also worked our tactics and teams to focus on quality with streaming services like Hulu, Peacock, Disney+, Paramount+, YouTube, and YouTube TV. This ensures your ads appear in high-quality environments alongside engaging content. Quality is controlled here through allowlists, Private Marketplace deals (PMPs), or Programmatic Guaranteed Deals.
- Secure Guaranteed Placements: We negotiate programmatic guaranteed deals to secure premium ad placements on top-tier websites and platforms, giving you greater control and visibility over where your ads appear.
- Leverage Broadcast TV: We strategically place your ads on broadcast TV channels, focusing on local news, live sports, and major events to reach large, engaged audiences. It is significantly cheaper than you think.
- Use Cable TV (sometimes): If your target audience is passionate about sports, we’ll secure placements during popular sporting events on cable TV, ensuring maximum visibility and impact. Depending on ratings and your audience, we’ll find the right opportunities.
- Reach Engaged Radio Listeners: We target morning and afternoon drive times on local radio stations, reaching commuters and active listeners when they’re most tuned in. Radio still reaches way more people than you could imagine on a weekly basis.
- Extend Through Digital Audio: We leverage digital audio platforms to place your ads alongside live sports broadcasts, news updates, and other engaging audio content, reaching your audience wherever they listen.
- Make a Statement with Out-of-Home (OOH): We have no contract options for digital billboard locations. This can be a great way to dip your toe into a new market. This cost-effective approach ensures high visibility on major highways and key locations, especially during peak traffic times like rush hour.
The Bottom Line: Investing in Quality Costs Less Than You Expect, and It’s Worth the Investment
The bottom line is this: Investing in quality advertising pays off. We’ve seen firsthand how a strategic, quality-focused approach delivers better results than simply blasting out a ton of ads.
By focusing on where your ads appear and who sees them, we ensure your message resonates with the right people at the right time. This means more engagement, stronger brand recognition, and a better return on your investment.
Yes, high-quality advertising might require a larger upfront investment, but it’s a smarter investment. You’ll avoid wasting money on ineffective ads and build long-term value for your brand.
Let’s ditch the old method of placing as many ads as possible, hoping they stick, and focus on creating ads that genuinely matter. Invest in quality, and watch your brand grow.
