“Real-time context’ includes delivering the appropriate ad size and interactive elements to match the device type and screen size. “Time of day” ensures that the right message is delivered depending on whether it’s business hours or non-business hours, since most people have different behaviors during these timeframes. And “location” means the offer is different depending on whether a person is at home, work, commuting, shopping, or on vacation.

Why is it important that marketers start thinking beyond singular devices? According to eMarketer’s U.S. Programmatic Ad Spending Report published in October 2014, mobile programmatic spending is projected to surpass desktop as early as 2015, taking 56.2% of all programmatic ad expenditure. Those thinking in terms of cross-device optimization will not only keep up as programmatic ad spend diversifies across channels, they will thrive as early adopters begin separating from the pack. The ability to trace a consumer’s path to purchase across each of their devices also strengthens the case for the true impact of each channel as an intent driver and touch point for brands.

As marketing becomes more and more about the consumer in 2015, it will become crucial to identify and leverage behavior patterns that develop as consumers flit across devices to create more relevant messaging—and understand exactly what motivates audiences and drives them to conversion. Not only will advertisers be one step closer to the holy grail of 1:1 personalization and relevance, they will be able to better prove their business outcomes. When marketers start thinking about the customer, they start thinking about how to be competitive in the next 20 years of marketing and advertising.

Originally posted by Rocket Fuel on Dec 15, 2014