Dynamic Creative Optimization provides the answers Marketers seek for a solid return on investment. By [wire]framing the problem properly we can optimize the ad interface with solid content strategy, delivering a branded experience that users trust.

1. UX Design + Dynamic
Creative Optimization
Efficiency that is beautiful and functional
Brant Nesbitt
Interactive Design Lead, Creative Innovation Team
2 November 2017

2. “Good design is good business.”
Thomas Watson Jr., Former Chairman and Chief Executive at IBM
Lecture at the Wharton School (of Business) at the University of Pennsylvania, 1973
2

3. Today, DCO strategy means great business.
Trustworthy
Design behaves as intended
Provides clarity
Visual cues guide the user
Offers a solution
Brands take advantage of technical
affordances and trust Sizmek for
their mobile rich media advertising
3

4. A user-first approach
Business requirements
Goals or conversions requested for ROI
User requirements
How the experience feels
Technical requirements
What is needed to technically execute
the experience
4

5. DCO from a
Business-first
perspective
Framing the problem,
for a BUSINESS SOLUTION.

6. “What is the best
performing call-to-action?”
Amelia, VP of Sales
6

7. 7
“Which discount performed
the best?”
Jamie, Director of Marketing

8. 8
“What if we could find the
best performing price?”
Claire, VP of eCommerce

9. Pausing for a moment from a business perspective:
designing for Programmatic DCO gives us the perfect
opportunity to ask the “What ifs?” and the “Hows?”
§ How could our creative strategy pair with high-level
branding and dynamic content to impact profit margin?
• For example: Test CTAs with better response rates with a
lesser discount
§ What if we could generate a better response with clients by
presenting the targeting scenarios as a creative strategy?
• Use personas to tell the story and convey the strategy to
the brands
9

10. Required information for DCO campaigns
§ KPI’s—what are we hoping to achieve?
§ Creative Collateral (see next slide for examples)
§ Click through link URL's (if applicable)
§ COPY/MESSAGING/DIRECTION - What is the key message
for this campaign including call-to-action (CTA)?
§ Brand guidelines
§ Which ad formats are required?
§ Go live date
10

11. Creative collateral required for campaigns
Pre-existing standard and print ad units for
reference
Vector logos (.ai, .eps)
High resolution imagery (please indicate file
name(s)/element(s) to be used in the creative)
Layered Photoshop files (.psd—please indicate
specific file name(s)/element(s) to be used in the
creative) – if available for style samples and
embedded assets
Fonts (are they licensed for web use—default font
is Helvetica if not provided)
High quality uncompressed video (.mov, .mp4)
11

12. DCO from a
User-first
perspective
Make the uncertain, CERTAIN.

13. 13
“Does the ad
convey the brand?”
Sarah, Avid Online Shopper

14. “How well will the ad work
on my mobile/touch-
screen device?”
Brooks, Mobile Device Power User
(who hates long load times)
14

15. Two main considerations for UX
15
Load Time Fat Fingers

16. The minimum hit area
16
§ 44 pixels:
recommended
minimum
tap area for
touch screen
devices*
*Per iOS Developer Library
https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/
UserExperience/Conceptual/MobileHIG/LayoutandAppear
ance.html

17. DCO from a
Technical
perspective
Make it light, make it WORK.

18. Technical considerations from a creative perspective
18
On what devices/browsers will
this appear?
How fast are the mobile networks?
What can we do to
reduce load times?
Could we use code instead of
imagery?
What’s the plan for graceful
degradation or fallback imagery?

19. Rapid Design,
Execution &
Deployment
with DCO
19

20. Messaging is key
to establishing a dialogue
Be concise
Font selection should complement imagery
Copy should use the brand’s “voice”
to evoke emotion
20

21. Plan KPIs accordingly: variables and impact on your design(s)
Headline(s)/Key messaging
• How many headlines are necessary?
• Does the message complement the visual?
• Is the message as concise as it can be?
Call(s)-to-action
Location(s)
Discounts
Pricing
Imagery
21

22. HomeAway Dynamic Creative Design
22

23. 2
3
Sports, Fitness
Context Foodies, Baking
demo link
Health Conscious
Diet & Fitness,
Healthy Eating

24. 2
4
demo link
LG G3 BEAT LTE
Samsung Ace 4
NEO
Retargeting Alcatel Pop 2

25. DCO Design
Strategy & Process

26. DCO campaign process
26

27. Recommended deliverables for your DCO campaign
PSD complete with ad layout(s)/sizes
Utilizing Artboards for a bird’s eye view of
the complete campaign
A brief storyboard displaying simple
animation
Shows how the ad may animate (optional)
Branded PPT deck with previews of
all deliverables
Created for Sales/CSMs for presentation
purposes; clearly documents the how and
the why of the DCO campaign
27

28. Recap: Implementing a DCO Design Strategy for a Better ROI
28
How can a design strategy provide
a business solution by planning
KPIs ahead of time?
What content may we leverage/do
we need from the client for our
targeting scenarios?
How does this content drive the
user interface (UI)/ad design?
Is the end point/landing page/web
form responsive and optimized for
the user to make a conversion?
How do we optimize the design(s)
to leverage the data to provide a
solution for retargeting or a
subsequent campaign?

29. Thank You
For more information, contact brant.nesbitt@sizmek.com