- Advanced technology in cars is changing the way advertising is delivered directly to consumers.
- Advertisers are learning more about digital behaviors in vehicles and can begin targeting demographics.
- This conversation was part of Insider's virtual event "The Future of
Mobility : Data Driving Innovation," presented by Arity, on Tuesday, September 14.
Connecting vehicle data, driver insights, and in-car media habits improves the driving experience and gives consumers and advertisers access to more personalized opportunities - and it's only going to get better.
"Car technology is advancing, and what we see is a traditional ad being delivered as part of your radio programming on a commute is going to completely change," Melanie Elliott, Mindshare's global head of strategy on the Ford team, said during Insider's recent virtual event "The Future of Mobility: Data Driving Innovation" presented by Arity, which took place on Tuesday, September 14. "Things like platform integration, content integration, and the way in which that gets us to move into the car experience is going to change."
Elliott spoke with John Vermeer, EVP of digital distribution and platform partnerships at iHeartMedia, in a conversation titled "How mobility and
Vermeer said that digital platforms coming into the car has created new ways for content to be consumed on-the-go.
"With things like CarPlay and Android Auto, we can now deliver streaming experiences in a way that we previously could not. And that's of course opening the door to all sorts of new ways to connect advertisers through to end users," he said.
Traditionally, advertisers have used "dayparting," where they schedule ads at specific times of the day, such as fast-food ads when workers are on their commute home.
"What's changing and what's exciting is we're introducing new tools to allow marketers to do that in a new way," Vermeer said.
"Now, it might not just be about time of day - it might be about a demographic or it might be about a more personalized connection with a consumer that we know because of digital behaviors," he added.
It's about meeting the consumer where they are with the content they're looking for. This innovation is changing the nature of advertising - like iHeartRadio's recent partnership with Amazon Alexa that allows listeners to request songs.
"I think the key for any brand as you start to enter any of these new frontiers is to be quite deliberate about what it is that you're choosing to engage in, because it needs to remain authentic to the brand," he said.
Elliott added that 5G in cars is going to transform vehicles into advertising platforms.
"As people move into the new future of mobility, smart cities are partnering with smaller, startup situations where you're able to craft new experiences that become unique and connected to the brand," she said.