Marketing Talks. Weronika Szczepanik, dentsu Polska

Weronika, how long have you been working with the advertising market? What do you find specifically attractive about this industry?

It’s funny, but I got into digital marketing by accident! My love affair with digital marketing began about 10 years ago, when I was studying management & marketing at the Warsaw School of Economics. Working in a corporation was my biggest dream, so I decided to get an unpaid internship in one of the largest banks in Poland (I knew it was an investment in my development. Nowadays, unpaid internships are no longer the norm). At the time, I dreamed of producing spots for TV and by chance I landed in the digital team department. I was terribly disappointed that they made me learn Google Analytics and coordinate design projects with an agency. Now I am very grateful for this twist of fate.

I think digital and performance marketing is a fairly new field. A decade ago I had practically never heard of it. What’s most interesting here is that you can meet people with experience in totally different fields and backgrounds. My team has people with degrees in finance, quantitative methods in economics, media logistics or even film studies and psychology. And they are all super-specialists in digital! Qualities and skills such as good time organization, teamwork and team management, analytical thinking and sometimes creativity are key here. This makes our work diverse and every day you do something different — one day you analyze data and the next you work on creative workshops.

Performance is characterized by an individual approach. In performance marketing, the key issues are the analysis of media and sales data.

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You are currently Senior Performance Manager at dentsu Polska. Could you please tell us more about your responsibilities and what your team does?

I went through the entire career path of planning and coordinating digital campaigns (from junior to senior specialist). In particular, focusing on performance marketing and e-commerce. I was in charge of display media buying, vendor cooperation, mailing campaigns and programmatic buying.

Then, already knowing the media and digital tools very well, I moved to the Client Service Department. There I focused on close cooperation with clients, whom I advise in the business and marketing area.

I am currently managing two teams as a Senior Client Performance Manager. I am responsible for financial targets, customer growth, and my team’s development. I also take part in creating and executing digital marketing strategies and external media tenders. I work with both of my teams with clients who range from e-commerce sector, beauty, banking & finance to travel and insurance. My team members do exactly what I did a few years ago. That’s why I appreciate my entire career path, because it allowed me to understand the work of specialists.

Dentsu collaborates with brands from all around the world, and each market is certainly different. In your opinion, does the Polish market have any peculiarities and nuances in terms of marketing communications?

According to the DataReportal.com, Poles are highly digitized:

• 89% of the population in Poland has access to the Internet, which is much more than the global average (Global average — 64%),
• We use social media a lot and with great frequency — 66% of Poles do it daily (global average — 59%),  
• Poland stands out in the global data in terms of high use of desktop computers. It ranked 2nd and is used by 84% of Internet users (vs. global average of 65%),
• 60% of Internet users in Poland buy online (vs. global average of 57%), and 33% make purchases from mobile devices (global average of 27%).

Poland is ranked among the TOP10 countries in the world in terms of AdBlockers usage and awareness of the advertising market — as many as 36% of Internet users install it.

The dominant place where Poles start their shopping is still shopping platforms — 34% of Polish Internet users start their shopping path here. Most people start their search for a product from Allegro — 30% of Polish Internet users. In comparison, 18% of Poles start their shopping path from Google^[1]. According to the most up-to-date data from the National Bank of Poland, at the end of 2022 the number of operations carried out using BLIK was higher than the number of card transactions by as much as 230%. So in summary, we use the Internet a lot, we are willing to pay by mobile, but our problem is the low level of mobile shopping. I think this is a direct result of the low quality of apps on the market.

Let’s delve deeper into the performance aspect. According to your professional experience, what is a must for a modern brand’s marketing strategy media mix? What promotion tools work best at the moment?

I think there is no universal recipe for media mix just like for pancakes. Performance is characterized by an individual approach. In performance marketing, the key issues are the analysis of media and sales data. The basis is continuous A/B testing, as well as drawing conclusions and optimizing ongoing activities. For sure, it’s an excellent knowledge of the market and product, analysis of competitors’ digital activities and correct analytics and use of CRM data. Invariably, for years, the base of performance marketing has been performance activities within Affiliate networks and Paid Search.

Performance marketing to be effective must be systematically supported by brand-building («reach») activities. According to Byron Sharp, author of «How Brands Grow — What Marketers Don’t Know,» focusing on customer retention rather than attracting new customers is one of the biggest mistakes a brand can make. His research across a wide range of industries has shown that it is extremely difficult for companies in direct competition to increase customer loyalty. Therefore, the ideal situation is when brands can afford to combine the two goals of both securing and re-engaging with existing customers and continually acquiring new ones in their marketing efforts.

We can’t help but ask about mobile marketing and in-app traffic in particular. Do you feel that the brands are now more willing to communicate with their audience through this channel, or are there still barriers and doubts?

As the data shows, there are still many brands in Poland that have a big problem with creating a well-functioning mobile app and providing good analytics. And consequently, they have a challenge with investing in mobile campaigns. Undoubtedly, we have a lot of potential in the market to exploit. In 2023, 90% of Internet users in Poland will use cell phones to access the Internet. We have better and better technological facilities in Poland (high-speed Internet), we spend more and more time with our phones, so mobile marketing is a must have for all brands. Advertisers in Poland are eager to use the mobile channel and mobile app campaigns.

Trend 1: The popularity of rich media formats for e-commerce, which use an augmented reality module that allows us to bring virtual objects into the space we are currently in, continues to grow. Using this type of solution, we can also virtually try on glasses, jewelry, clothes or shoes. Brands are also using this type of solution in their e-commerce applications, including CCC, which allows potential customers to measure shoes before they make a purchase.

Trend 2: Mobile devices give marketers precise opportunities to study the effectiveness of campaigns thanks to geolocation and Wi-Fi signals. Thanks to BTS transmitters and geolocation, we are able to reach the recipient at a specific place and time. Such action allows us to create a message tailored to the consumer’s current situation.

We implemented a drive to store campaign for luxury products to reach the right target audience and encourage them to visit offline stores in the Shopping Malls. ​The goal of the campaign was to analyze how many people after interacting with advertising went to selected stores. ​We operated in several different luxury segments. The best results were recorded among target groups such as: 4- and 5-star hotels in Poland, premium and luxury car dealerships and among people visible in premium fashion places.

A great example of a geolocation campaign is that of the grocery store Żabka on JakDojade, an app for planning routes by public transportation in Poland. Żabka’s ads are displayed in the JakDojade app near the planned route with the «Stop by the store in 200m» message.

Push format on mobile devices is also a very interesting solution. We can precisely target it based on: geolocation, demographics, interests, operating systems, as well as external data such as: weather, stock price.

In your opinion, what are the best practices for mobile User Acquisition?

Mobile app can be used as a subsequent step, after the initial purchase, to loyalize the users. Mobile app install campaign will be part of retargeting activities and a test for as a user acquisition tactic. We certainly can’t forget the basics.

• In Google mobile search we have dedicated solutions to download app: Search Campaign based on brand and generic keywords, 2 phases: acquisition, remarketing (RLSA), text ads with app extension and call-to-action.
• Universal App Campaign uses machine learning algorithms to find converting users (optimization towards mobile app installs and in-app actions).
• On Meta & TikTok we’re using a wide variety of formats while optimizing towards target CPA (optimization towards mobile app installs and conversions).
• Use of targeting across channels based on users buying or installing apps from competitors.
• Taking care of ASO, or App Store Optimization in order to increase the visibility of the mobile app page in the internal search engine of the respective mobile app store: (including Google Play (Android), App Store (IOS) or Amazon Appstore).

A great solution is Advantage+ app campaigns (Meta) that maximize the performance of app install ads. They encourage installation in combination of audiences, placements and creatives. One of our fast-food clients experienced a dip in mobile app downloads. They wanted to find a way to reach more people and increase the number of app installs. To understand the effectiveness of automated app ads, we ran a split test comparing them to its business-as-usual campaign of mobile app install ads. The campaign delivered 1.2X more app installs, 1.2X higher reach, 18% lower cost per reach and 9% lower cost per app install.

And what about the general trends? How do you see performance marketing evolving in the next couple of years? Can we expect any significant changes?

As we write in the latest dentsu Media Trends 2023 report, the digital advertising market is becoming increasingly diversified and new communication channels continue to emerge. First, the growing share of streaming with ads, which is straining the previous dominance of the subscription model. Second, ubiquitous gaming, which is being used by brands as an element to build consumer engagement. Third, the rapid growth of digital audio in terms of listening to streaming music, but also podcasts. Finally, with the new advertising opportunities, the search for better performance measures is beginning, as reach or impression alone is no longer the determinant of quality advertising.

Weronika, as we know, you are also actively involved in two other significant projects in the industry, Korki z Digitalu and Her Digital Bar. What are their missions, and what tasks do they seek to solve?

I was a mentor in the DareIT mentoring program and later worked as part of the Her Digital Bar Foundation team. Both organizations support the presence of women in digital marketing and help them change jobs and switch into working in IT. During the pandemic I launched with my friends the Korki z Digitalu project, where we provide trainings in Facebook Ads, Google Ads and performance marketing for small businesses and people who want to start working in digital. I think #sharingiscaring can be a superpower that will empower me and other women in the IT market. I believe that women should play a major role in the tech industry, and not be confined to a minority.

I’m a mentor, I publish articles in the marketing press (Marketer+, E-commerce w Praktyce), I co-create and lead trainings at dentsu. I want to say: Girls, speak boldly and loudly about everything you do and your every success along the way!

And our traditional question — what knowledge and skills do marketers need to keep up with the trends? And most importantly, where do you acquire them?

I recommend reading a lot, staying up to date with marketing reports and constantly looking for free knowledge and events. In Warsaw, many companies organize free meetings and events where people from the industry share their experiences and expertise.

Sources I recommend and use daily: SocialMediaToday, WeRSM, Benedict Evans or official newsrooms of portals like: Press Corner

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