Cox Media Group (CMG) is now a participant in the TAG Registry by the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG). TAG is a digital industry program created to fight fraudulent traffic and improve transparency in the digital ecosystem.  

TAG Registered companies have been verified as legitimate participants in the digital advertising industry through a proprietary background check and review process powered by Dun & Bradstreet and approved by TAG. TAG Registration is also the baseline requirement for companies to apply for TAG’s four certification programs around fighting fraudulent traffic, stopping ad-supported piracy, reducing malware, and improving transparency.

Between DSP, SSP, CPM, DMP, RTB and more, it can be easy to get lost in the alphabet soup that is programmatic buying.

In the simplest of terms, this strategy is the act of using technology and data to choose and buy digital advertising space on the web. The process is often automated and occurs in real time as a collaboration amongst brands, marketing pros and advertising agencies.

According to AdAge, this advertising approach is on the rise. In 2011, spend on programmatic digital display advertising reached $1.1 billion. Projections for 2019 predict a whopping $45.9 billion in ad spend.

When you hear the term "college student," what comes to mind? If you're imagining someone in their late teens or early 20s who lives on campus, depends financially on their parents and attends classes full time, you're only partially correct. Over the past decade, the number of nontraditional students has grown exponentially and continues to change the face of universities across the country.

But what exactly classifies a student as nontraditional? The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) categorizes a nontraditional student as someone who has at least one of the following characteristics:

Everyone from late-night television hosts to your aging relatives thinks they have the millennial generation figured out — and that's the problem. These generational stereotypes may be good for a laugh, but they do a disservice to brands seeking to reach customers in this age bracket.

The huge population of millennial parents is a good indication of this problem. According to research from Barkley, 40 percent of millennials are already parents. In many cases, this group of millennials has little in common with the stereotypes associated with young customers. So how can brands market to millennial parents in a way that resonates with them?

Want to get audiences talking about your brand? New research from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) found that you should ensure your ad strategy includes over-the-top (OTT) devices and airs during programs people watch together.

People are not only more likely to talk about the products or brands they see, they're also 10 percent more likely to change their minds about the products they see when co-viewing on an OTT device rather than linear TV, according to the recent report.

OTT Co-Viewing Is a Powerful Trend

So why does co-viewing (particularly with OTT devices) yield such great results? The IAB noted that this activity is more common "among younger viewers, and with strong brand engagement." Given that a Media Math study concluded that 64 percent of millennials reported being brand loyal — or more brand loyal than their parents — it's no surprise that these younger audiences are more engaged with OTT ads.

Millennials' preferences and online habits have affected multiple industries in recent years, but even these disruptive web users will need to buy a car at some point. And you'd better believe that when they do, they're going to do their homework first.

J.D. Power's U.S. New Autoshopper Study showed that customers who use services like Uber, Airbnb and Netflix — considered "disruptive web users" for their preference of web-based platforms over traditional services — tend to spend significantly more time researching cars when shopping. This audience is bigger than you may think, accounting for about 33 percent of Generation Y and 18 percent of Generation X, as well as 6 percent of Boomers and those older than them. Before making a purchase, these individuals visit as many as 12 websites, whereas traditional shoppers typically visit nine.

The growing number of online purchases has officially eclipsed in-store transactions, according to data from comScore. But while the number of face-to-face experiences is declining, brands are arguably more connected to their customer bases than ever before.

Thanks to social media, online chat tools and other tech-enabled solutions, customers can quickly and easily raise questions, address concerns and provide feedback. However, there's one especially personal method that stands above all others: video responses.

Video may seem time-consuming and challenging, especially for smaller businesses with fewer resources. But thanks to the proliferation of cutting-edge gadgets and ever-present smartphones, sending personalized videos to your customers now takes mere minutes. Here's why video responses are so powerful, and how you can use them to boost customer satisfaction.

Advertisement blocker technology has been popular among customers for years, and its presence continues to grow. According to a report from PageFair, the global use of ad blockers increased by 30 percent during the past year.

Customers may be happy with the software, but marketers and publishers are in the opposite camp. Some publishers depend on advertising as a key source of revenue, while others count it as their primary means of paying the bills. Meanwhile, marketers often use display advertising to engage a targeted audience.

However, with ad blockers becoming so common, it's almost impossible to build a marketing strategy without taking this hurdle into account. Here are some tips for adjusting your digital strategy to better consider the implications of ad blockers — and how you might be able to overcome the technology.

Since the dawn of television, brands have used the platform to successfully deliver their messages directly to viewers' homes. From small, local businesses to global organizations, television advertising has been a staple of the traditional media mix for brands for generations. But over the past decade, TV consumption has changed dramatically — especially among one particular group.

The Challenge of the Unreachables

Coined by Heart & Science CEO Scott Hagedorn as "the unreachables" in a Wall Street Journal article, a significant portion of millennials and Gen Xers are shying away from traditional means of consuming television. Instead, these adults watch TV programs through apps on mobile devices and through streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.

Before breaking out party hats and kazoos to usher in the new year, your marketing strategy deserves a final evaluation. After all, how can you draft your 2018 marketing plan without knowing what worked (and what didn't) in 2017?

This process, often referred to as a "post-mortem review," is an in-depth evaluation at the completion of a project. The University of California noted that the reflection allows everyone on the team to provide feedback in a structured way.