Brands Need to Identify “Micro-moments” to Run Better Digital Ads

Long gone are the days of traditional marketing where targeting-based demographics suffices. Brands that use to capitalize on ads based on gender, age, or income are beginning to realize that their strategy needs to go deeper beyond these proxies. Living in the age of information has proven that “intent matters more than identity; it’s not who you are, but what you want that matters”.

According to Think with Google, micro-moments are times when consumers need to learn, discover, watch, find, or buy something and reflexively turn to their digital device to act on that need. These times are precisely when decisions are made and preferences are shaped; intent beats demographics and even brand loyalty. While we saw the first glimmer of this concept begin with Google Search on the West’s desktops, Asia’s embrace of the smartphone has made micro-moments more important to marketers in Asia than to marketers in any other region.

“Asia no longer goes online; it lives online”.

As the global leader in mobile, Asia has five of the top ten markets when it comes to smartphone adoption, including Singapore (#2) at 88%, followed by South Korea (83%), and Hong Kong (79%). 

• In Malaysia, 91% of mobile searches lead to further action3—whether it’s looking for more information or purchasing a product or service—and in Singapore this figure is 84%.
• In Indonesia, 67% of online consumers use their smartphones to make a purchase, compared to 10% in the U.S.

Knowing that people in Asia are highly dependent on their smartphones to make informed decisions. Brands need to align with their customers’ needs by incorporating the following:

• I-want-to-buy moments: E-Commerce and delivery services

• I-want-to-do moments: Stay-At-home learning or social activities such as movie night, after-work drinks, group chat, stay productive while working from home, etc.

• I-want-to-save moments: Value-conscious offerings like reasonable discounts and promos

• I-want-to-help moments: provide opportunities to show support for local communities by promoting social and environmental responsibilities

• I-want-to-go moments: Being resourceful through localized information, facts and figures, enabling users to find anything they need instantly, while on the go.

A buyer’s intention changes in a blink of an eye and most brands are trying to figure out what it would take to access their consumer’s thought process within those matter of seconds. Brands have to become more thoughtful in order to be within the radar of their consumer’s daily wants and needs.

The art of shaping brand preference comes with understanding people’s aspirations and concerns – from what they seek in order to grow to what they need to do to rise above day to day challenges, knowing what your customer wants and giving them what they need in the right moment matters more than ever. We gathered some topics and examples that would be relevant during the pandemic.

1. Staying Physically Active. 

You’ll have to agree, hiking is one of the most enjoyable and safe ways to get a change of scenery amidst this pandemic. This is why Nike encouraged the audience to stay physically active by hiking. And at the same time, Nike shined its spotlight on Black and Brown women to showcase their brand culture of inclusivity and equality.

2. Mentally Healthy and Positive

Featuring their brand ambassador, Lana Condor, Neutrogena created a short and sweet video of how to have a relaxing day at home with Neutrogena products.

3. Self Reliance + DIY

Who doesn’t like an easy home cooking recipe? With the commencement of stay-at-home orders, home cooking was picked up by many during the pandemic. That’s why we saw Tasty give away super easy recipes in collaboration with mom-influencer, Hannah Willams through their paid Ads.

As a marketing agency, we’re always trying to create content that caters to various channels and devices, to build frictionless experiences for the moment. By doing so, brands will be able to keep audiences engaged at the right time of the day/week/year with higher chances of having the user take the necessary action based on the moment in time.

When it comes to setting up and launching digital ads, brands need to make sure that their product or service offering can be found on mobile at the right moment. Curious to know which type of social or Google ad suits your current business goals? We’re here to guide you through. Drop us a message at contact@wavemakers.co