It’s time for digital industry to “put down the Clearasil” and work collaboratively to address common challenges, says IgnitionOne MD Simon Haynes

“As a result there needs to be a realisation, especially from brands that have been online a while, that they have served an ad to everyone. Sending an ad isn’t hard, but now the question must be – is [advertising] being served in the most efficient and effective way to present value? I think sometimes it is not – which is why things like transparency and viewability are important,” he said.

Haynes believes it is the duty of everyone involved in the sector – brands, agencies, vendors and trade bodies – to work together to address challenges.

“We are all in this together – we are all stakeholders in the success or failure of this industry – it’s incumbent on all of us to address these challenges and address concerns with viewability and the rights and wrongs of what the sector does on a daily basis – we have reached the difficult teenage years now, and it’s time to put down the Clearasil and start growing up,” he said.

Marketers must turn to their first-party data to ensure they can take their digital advertising to the next level, rather than focusing on using third-party data – which everyone has, according to Haynes.

“Realising that the first-party data that any client has is imperative to success or failure of their digital marketing strategy and that the days of them relying on third party data providers or using reach and frequency to quote new customers is not viable anymore.

“How are response rates going at the moment? However you judge that – whether by click, or land or acquisition – in a lot of cases we [the market] are not moving the dial in a positive direction – when was the last time you clicked on an ad and brought a product?,” he said.

He stresses that instead of blanket targeting to key demographics, marketers must use their first-party data to hone their targeting to specific customers that the client can tell from its own data, have a higher propensity to purchase and therefore is worth the marketing spend.

Next steps should include deeper demands for transparency across buying and selling of media, ad positioning, the policing of the industry, and at times, margins, adding that clients must also be proactive in addressing this and according to Haynes.

“Industry direction should be more collaborative – not just defined just by the Google’s, Facebook’s, Microsoft’s and Twitter’s and neither should it be set by our side of the fence – we should invite different perspectives – and perhaps that would help build a healthier level of trust and as a result the valuation of what we do on a day and day out basis,” he said.

The Drum's Digital Convergence is a day dedicated to helping marketing professionals stay on top of the increasingly 'always on' nature of their audiences.

The conference, which will tackle topics including The Power of Context & Being Relevant to the Moment; Connecting with Consumers Rather than their Devices; Real Time Opportunities, and Unification & Leverage of Data, will be located at America Square Conference Centre in East London on 12 March.