The rise of ad blocking is a wake up call to the entire industry. One which underlines the need to rethink our practices, and really start to focus on creative quality. In the programmatic space we've seen brands invest heavily in adopting technology to evolve how, where, and when audiences are reached. But the what, creative, is only now becoming the big talking point. Why spend all that money on smart, sophisticated targeting only to miss the opportunity to do the same with your messaging?

If we take a step back and look at the challenge that exists in the industry today, it's widely accepted that, in many cases, there is a disconnect between creative and media. So, what challenges exist, and how can we move closer to fulfilling this aforementioned promise of programmatic.

Here are three common challenges I've encountered that, if we can start to address, can really help us deliver more relevant ad experiences and, ultimately, better performing campaigns.

The old adage, the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, could be attributed here. On one hand, a creative concept is being developed, often with a clear vision of how this should work, tell a story, or deliver the message.

The media agency, on the other hand, are simultaneously busy planning whom to target, with which partners, and on which platforms. Both are working on a brief, under time pressures, but without a clear understanding of the respective output of the other party.

Some creative agencies claim that they are reduced to 'filling boxes' bought by media agencies, whilst the media team argue that they are supplied with creative assets that 'aren't fit for purpose'. This apparent lack of high-quality, relevant creative is hampering the ability of the media team to be able to achieve the required campaign results; yet, still are under pressure and expectation from the client to do so.

It's not that both pieces of work aren't individually strong; it's that they are not necessarily harmonious.

The best work that I've seen is when there is a high level of communication between creative and media stakeholders. In many cases, the client also enjoys being involved, and with greater frequency, is actually the driving force that leads this evolution. The key is that there is a clear understanding of how both creative and media should work together to deliver the campaign goals.

There needs be a good understanding from all sides of the role of creative technology here. The earlier this can be included in discussions/planning, the better. I've seen on numerous occasions that, when a creative stakeholder has a real understanding of the potential of a creative management platform, they are able to better shape the core assets at the conception stage to better align with the media strategy. I must underline that this doesn't (and shouldn't) shape the 'big idea'; but it is important in understanding how that big idea can then be shaped and deployed to suit particular audiences, or certain situations to deliver a more relevant and personalised experience.

It's really about improved communication and collaboration. Unsurprisingly, ensuring this happens early in the process will be instrumental in delivering the best possible work. I don't believe the big idea should be democratised, or that technology should be the driving factor, but simply a better understanding of the campaign goals, the tools available, and and how all elements combine to deliver this should be key considerations.

Many creative campaigns start, and even end, with 'traditional media'. The 30-second TV Commercial (TVC) still dominates, even in 2016.

The big idea is rarely digital first, with programmatic or data even part of the conversation. With the potential programmatic unlocks to have a more relevant conversation with your audience, the one-size-fits-all approach that has been appropriate for linear TV just isn't sophisticated enough; and we're missing a huge opportunity here.

Assuming creative and media is aligned for a moment, the next consideration is asset production. The legacy way of doing this would have been delivering one finished 30-second ad, and applying the 'spray and pray' methodology. Showing the same ad repeatedly in the hope that it would appeal to enough people. Thankfully, the programmatic revolution gives us the opportunity to be smarter, more efficient, and, dare I say it, more creative.

We're starting to move to a place where creative teams are thinking more about creating the key assets for the various platforms, audiences, or contexts. The creative lead now delivers a master creative, plus an associated asset bank for example.

The development of this asset bank is where we can start to make that master creative more relevant and personalised for the end user. A simple example may be a 15-second master video, with an asset bank that includes 10 alternative lines of copy which could feature within that ad - each copy line being relevant to a specific audience segment highlighted in the media plan. The creative management platform then decides which copy line to include in real time based on recognising who is viewing that ad.

Don't be limited in your ambition simply because you may have limited assets. Even small, subtle changes to the creative can have a profound effect. By evolving your current creative, you can gain insights that can help you on your journey. Try running five different lines of copy, when previously you'd only had one, and go from there. The creative potential and possibilities are huge, but a phased approach is often the most successful.

The huge Art v Science debate that still rages is interesting. This isn't a zero-sum game. I firmly believe that data shouldn't shape creativity, but, used smartly, the insights gained can be valuable.

The reason media agencies (as opposed to creative agencies) have historically been leading the adoption of data-driven creative campaigns to date is that they typically sit closer to the data. They are focused on the business of targeting audiences more specifically, often they have teams who are continually analysing and optimising the media, and, therefore, arguably have a greater need to want to align the creative to deliver the most relevant message.

In recent times, brands have leveraged creative technology to bring the power of the data they have access to into their creative to better align with their media. The power of the technology opens up a huge amount of potential for both creative and media stakeholders to deliver more relevant messages (whilst retaining complete control of the look and feel of the execution), plus, the ability to gain greater insights into what's working beyond just a click measurement, which I'm sure we're all agreed is archaic and largely irrelevant. For example, measuring engagement rate, or dwell-time for a branding campaign is a much more appropriate and powerful metric.

This added level of insight and understanding on the creative level can help to fuel learning to evolve creative. Does the creative perform better with or without the TVC included, what's the view-through rate, and how does this intel influence the length of video we create or develop for the next campaign?

It is fair to suggest that insights are more important, rather than a whole host of potentially overwhelming numbers that can quickly become meaningless. As brands become smarter in their use of data, both their own and from third parties, the question should now be 'and how can I use this to influence my creative'.

As I suggested earlier, this is a journey. It does require a willingness and investment from all parties to commit, and evolve together. The test and learn approach is highly advisable, and I've seen firsthand that taking this phased approach is the surest way to ongoing success.

If we can bring creative and media closer together, and focus on delivering high-quality, relevant campaigns, that are respectful to the user, we may just be able to help make this programmatic dream a reality.