AdTech and MarTech: two hot button words in the advertising/marketing space backed by new approaches, concepts, and tools that are reshaping how businesses make money. They’re very different, but also exceptionally complimentary. And if there were a Facebook profile to represent their relationship, the status would certainly be #itscomplicated.
The key distinction between advertising and marketing is that marketing represents the “big picture,” while advertising is just a small slice of the process. Even so, back in the days of yore, or what we will dub the “Mad Men” era, most businesses directed their dollars directly to advertising agencies, rather than seeking a more comprehensive approach to branding and marketing.
Advertising is a necessary facet of any marketing strategy as ads have the power of reigning in cold leads for conversion. Newspaper postings, billboards, television, radio, and, of course Facebook ads and email are all “advertisements.” Marketing, on the other hand involves the systemic planning, processes, and control of a variety of business activities/tools intended to generate increased sales. Marketing, of course, always begins with a brand strategy which also can also be viewed as a piece of an organization’s marketing mix.
Since the rapid acceleration of technologies, the marketing and advertising worlds have been in for a major shift. The greatest shift of all has been the realization that consumers are driven by a more dynamic and customized approach; people don’t want to be talked over they want to be talked to. Luckily for them, AdTech and MarTech have their backs.
Thanks to Marketing Technology, marketers are better equipped with the tools and platforms to assess consumer behavior in a manner that will ultimately benefit them. CRM platforms, analytics tools, SEO, and even advertising technology within the mix are all major game changers.
In essence, Adtech is making the goals of MarTech more achievable—especially in areas of relevance. Adtech provides the tools and software necessary to target and deliver digital marketing efforts. Think native advertising. Programmatic native ads have revolutionized the way publishers market to specific demographics thanks to the positive user experiences that come with them. Yet the success of these types of new integrations cannot be properly measured without the help of MarTech.
MarTech and AdTech are in a longterm relationship, and it’s likely to last. You may wonder who’s in charge? Though AdTech complements MarTech, MarTech wouldn’t be the same without AdTech’s newest innovations. To sum it up, they’re just a pretty nice coupling.
