The Modern Marketing Summit is undoubtedly one of the most informative events in the industry, bringing out influential players, and detailing cutting edge strategies to deliver seamless customer experiences across platforms. And if anything was readily apparent on my panel this year, it’s that brands must start experimenting with non-standard, innovative formats on digital to stand out from the clutter.Some Takeaways: Banner Ads Are OutSimple, straightforward banner ads are just not cutting it anymore. The outdated formats have been plaguing user experience for over 20 years. This is not innovative. The digital advertising industry must start leveraging the technology at its fingertips, branching out, and experimenting with dynamic, interactive formats like interscroller, mosaic, chatterbot, glide, reveal and switch screen.This sort of forward thinking will lead to organic engagement with consumers, by politely inserting entertaining, interactive ads into experiences. THIS is how brands stand out.And Mike Isabella, Director of Consumer Engagement for Timberland, confirmed the proof is in the pudding.PadSquad created non-standard innovative ad units for Timberland resulting in:

• 6x the sales lift compared to standard banners
• +140% engagement benchmarks

Experiences Must Be Tailored Specifically For The PlatformIf social media has taught us anything, it’s that content must be strategically created for individual platforms. You can’t make a YouTube video, and then haphazardly share it to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat, expecting it to be perceived well. It just doesn’t work. And the same holds true for advertising (especially on mobile).It’s not enough to create compelling content, you must also incorporate proper brand messaging, while exercising an understanding of the device and using it to create a story that makes sense with how users experience a given platform..Don’t Let Technology Drive The StorySo often we run into technology driving the conversation, when it’s the larger brand story that matters most. We get caught up in how the DSP is talking to the DMP and then to the SSP, instead of spending the appropriate time on the story we want to tell the market. Sure, the targeting enabled through the extensive amount of data and customer IDs is useful. But it is nothing without a well-crafted story accompany it.This panel featured:Mike Isabella (Timberland)Benjamin Bring (Ansible)Mihael Mikek (Celtra)Justin Reilly (Verizon Fios)Tamara Alesi (Mediacom) [Moderator]