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11 Best Advertising Management Software for 2024
As a marketing manager at HubSpot, I’m always looking for tech tools that are easy to use and save me valuable time in my day. And when it comes to advertising management software, I have some non-negotiables, like integration, automation, and advanced reporting.
If you work in advertising and haven’t been using ads management tools (or even know what they are), you could be missing a trick.
In this blog post, I’ll talk about what ad management is, outline high-quality advertising management software, and explain why they’re beneficial for all businesses.
Let’s dive in.
Table of Contents
What is Advertisement Management?
Advertising Management Software
Best Ads Management Tools
What is Advertisement Management?
Advertising management is overseeing different marketing activities and responsible individuals to ensure that ad campaigns are running effectively and target markets are being reached.
Depending on your business needs, advertising management can focus on various metrics that contribute to campaign success, like ROI, conversions, or media placements that make sense for where your target audiences are.
As a senior marketing manager, I’ve seen the value of advertising management first-hand, but I know it’s difficult without effective advertising management software.
Advertising Management Software
Before I take you through my list of the best ads management tools, I’ll get you up to speed on what they are and the benefits they bring.
What is an Ads Management Tool?
Ads management tools streamline and automate different aspects of advertising, including ad and campaign planning, collaboration, execution, sharing, monitoring, and analysis. Some of these tools are all-rounders, while others focus on specific advertising tasks, such as social media campaign management.
Why Do I Use Ads Management Tools?
Not every ad management tool out there has the functionality I’m looking for. That said, I’ve found that my personal favorite ad management software programs offer the following benefits:
They save me valuable time.
I find them very user-friendly for marketing and advertising professionals — not just the tech-savvy ones.
They have features that increase my productivity and efficiency.
They allow me to easily collaborate with others, such as marketing team members and ad agencies.
They let me operate cross-channel marketing campaigns with ease.
They help me optimize campaign structures and workflows.
Many ad management tools have powerful analytics and reporting tools, which have given me insightful, customizable reports.
I can visualize advertising data that’s specific to my marketing goals.
They increase the likelihood that my campaigns will reach their target audience and succeed.
Now that you know why I use advertising management software, I’ll give you my honest review of the best tools I found and tell you what they do best.
Best Ads Management Tools
1. HubSpot Ad Management Software
As a marketing professional and HubSpot employee, I have lots of experience using HubSpot’s customer relationship management (CRM) platform and its ad management and tracking software.
This platform has become my go-to hub for inbound marketing campaigns, and I regularly call on its various features for marketing support, such as:
Ad creation and lead syncing with my preferred CRM (HubSpot, of course!).
Automated ad targeting, which I find efficient regardless of project size.
Integration of ad campaigns across various platforms, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Google Ads. This helps me see the fruits of my multi-channel marketing strategies under one roof.
Flywheel reporting, which gives me detailed insights on leads and return on investment.
What I like: Call me biased, but I find this tool to be very user-friendly — I think it’s suitable for any marketer, regardless of their technical skills. I was able to get started quickly, and I didn’t need to do any IT setup.
Price: It’s free, but you can get additional features in the premium versions of HubSpot. See the pricing page for more information.
2. AdRoll
AdRoll is an all-in-one marketing management platform that caters to teams of different sizes and marketing budgets. I usually associate it with ecommerce advertising, but it has plenty of other tricks up its sleeve.
I played around with some AdRoll features to see how they stacked up, and here’s what stood out to me:
The display ads let me easily introduce media elements like animation, audio, images, and videos into ads.
I loved the retargeting feature. After a potential customer bounces, AdRoll sends automated emails and shows them display ads to help win them back. I tested the tool on myself, and what surprised me most is that it’s quite… gentle. Typically, retargeting ads can be a little much to the person on the receiving end, but AdRoll strikes a nice balance between doing what it has to and not getting on the recipient’s nerves.
What I like: With features like consent management, I appreciate how seriously AdRoll takes customer data protection and makes it easy for marketers. Also, I like that AdRoll has management services for those who want an ads management solution that isn’t too time-consuming.
Price: Native and display ads are pay-as-you-go, and its Marketing & Ads+ plans start at $36 per month. I was disappointed to learn that social media channels aren’t in the pay-as-you-go option. That means no Facebook ads unless you fork out on a monthly plan.
3. RollWorks
RollWorks is an account-based marketing and advertising platform targeted at various industries, such as technology and business services. I think this advertising management tool will benefit anyone involved in account-based marketing, from beginners to seasoned pros.
Here are some features and benefits I made sure to note when testing this tool:
It gave me a good insight into anonymous users and their actions.
Its keyword intent data let me bring search engine optimization into play.
It has an impressive fit-scoring feature, which helped me prioritize high-value accounts. In essence, RollWorks uses machine learning to create an Ideal Customer Profile, and it then gives a “fit grading” from A to D. This means I could see which accounts I’d have the best chance of converting.
What I like: I like that RollWorks doesn’t pretend to be my all-in-one marketing and advertising solution. Instead, it makes life easier by integrating with the top CRM tools (e.g., HubSpot, Salesforce).
Price: I found that their pricing page was big on marketing but murky on figures. This left me thinking, why bother with a pricing page if you won’t tell me your prices? So, you’ll have to schedule a demo to get a quote that fits your needs.
4. Influ2
Influ2 is high up on the list of my favorite person-based marketing tools. Essentially, you target certain people, like decision-makers, and check up on their engagement with your ads.
In reviewing this advertisement management tool, I took a deep dive into various features, such as:
Person-based targeting, which identified key decision makers and let me run ads wherever they would be most effective, including LinkedIn, Google, and Amazon.
Contact-level engagement data, which gave me all I needed to know to initiate conversations with leads.
Buyer journey building, which provided me with features like automated content marketing.
Impact and revenue measurement, which gave great pointers on how to turn hunches into data-driven decisions.
What I like: I think the level of detail that goes into their person-based ad tool is excellent.
Price: There was no misleading pricing page here. Instead, I was prompted to contact them for pricing. A 30-minute product demo is also available.
5. 6sense
6Sense is an account-engagement platform with account-based advertising capabilities. The platform uses AI, big data, and machine learning to help marketers identify their target audience’s buying behavior, prioritize sales and marketing accounts, and create and share personalized and engaging campaigns/content.
I think the technologies used by 6sense should be in any marketer’s arsenal. Why? Its proprietary Revenue AI™ feature collects data on things like website activity, company size and revenue, buyer profiles, and intent. But as any good marketer knows, data alone isn’t enough to convert.
What impressed me about Revenue AI™ was what it did with the data collected. It could tell me which employees are on the buying team, when to contact them, and even what to say.
While this approach wasn’t foolproof, I was impressed with the intelligence gathering and found the suggestions provided sensible.
To get a better idea of what 6Sense’s AI-driven approach can do for advertising professionals, I took a look under the hood. Here’s what I found:
Account identification allowed me to sort anonymous and known buyers.
Predictive analytics put the tool’s AI-powered chops to good use. The useful digital marketing benefits I noted were buyer stage predictions and data on the best time to engage potential buyers.
The conversational email feature, which leverages AI to craft personalized emails, didn’t read awkwardly, which is such a hazard with some AI tools (I’m looking at you, ChatGPT).
What I like: I think the laundry list of integrations is useful for people like me who can’t stick to one tool. A minor point, but 6sense’s explanation of the so-called “Dark Funnel” shows that this company practices what they preach — I think it’s a masterclass in content marketing and great entertainment.
Price: Contact 6sense for pricing.
6. Celtra
Celtra is a cloud-based software program that automates creative production. With the platform, all aspects of collaboration are streamlined and more efficient thanks to its cloud-based nature — team members can design, approve, and share digital assets among markets, campaigns, and more.
For this article, I had a look at Celtra’s three solutions, namely Creative Automation, Dynamic Product Ads, and Creative Enablement, to test their features. Here’s what I found:
If you’re like me and appreciate modularity, you’re in luck with Creative Automation. The modular design made it easy for me to tweak content or design without altering the original image format.
The Dynamic Product Ad feature has some great options for product sellers, such as ad templates and video.
Creative Enablement really shows what Celtra brings to the table. To test this feature, I created an out-stream video ad for a car, which I used on a basic blog article. The transition from text to the ad was smooth, and the loading was superfast. Creating this ad from scratch was quicker than I expected, and I didn’t get frustrated when playing around with the various features.
I forgot that this tool is cloud-based. Internet connectivity isn’t usually a problem for me, but a spotty internet connection while I was on the move interrupted my creative flow.
What I like: The ad builder is very user-friendly — I particularly liked the drag-and-drop components. Also, I think Celtra should be commended for trying to increase ad load speed while reducing the carbon footprint of advertising professionals.
Price: Get in touch with Celtra.
7. Smartly
Smartly is an AI-primed advertising company that specializes in social media. It started out with just Facebook advertising, and it has now branched out to include Instagram, Google, Pinterest, Snapchat, and TikTok.
Here’s some notable features I found in my quest for the best ads management tools:
Smartly’s all-in-one platform comprises three “suites,” namely Media, Creative, and Intelligence. For me, this made for a good user experience, since I found it easy to navigate through the platform.
Real-time insights and optimization give you all the data you need on one platform. I was able to set KPIs for a marketing campaign I designed and integrate third-party data to measure performance accurately.
Integration with Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, and Google Marketing.
What I like: I liked playing with Smartly’s snazzy pivot tables, which look and feel better than boring old Excel sheets (sorry, Microsoft).
Price: Book a demo and start from there.
8. WASK
WASK helps manage and optimize digital ads without the need for deep technical knowledge or an enterprise-sized wallet.
Its main selling points are:
Campaign optimization, which I found quick and user-friendly.
Smart advice, which gave me highly actionable insights on cost per click when I paired it with my Google Ads account. Instead of just telling me what I wanted to hear, it helped identify missed opportunities, like lost impressions, and gave advice on how to improve (e.g., changing keywords).
What I like: I’m always up for a free trial, and WASK gives you one week free to show you its value. It also has some free tools, like pay-per-click (PPC) competitor analysis and a keyword research tool.
Pricing: Some clear pricing — hooray! The basic plan is $29/month, and the professional plan is $129/month.
9. Marin Software
This performance marketing software is beyond the budget of some marketers, but it has great integration and functionality. What’s more, it’s trusted by some major companies worldwide.
I used a free trial from Marin, and here are my takeaways:
From my trial run, I could see how Marin would save time and provide revenue-generating insights.
Its bidding engine provided personalized bidding strategy recommendations — this feature is something I’ve recommended to marketing contacts who need bid management services.
I liked the dashboard layout and toolbar — very easy to navigate.
Some reviewers mentioned that the software can be somewhat buggy, but I didn’t experience any problems.
What I like: The unified reporting feature brings together marketing data from many sources, such as CRMs and Google Analytics.
Pricing: Starts at $500/month.
10. StackAdapt
StackAdapt is a programmatic advertising platform that digs deep into business data to give unique insights, helping its customers develop and deliver high-impact campaigns to target audiences.
Here are my main takeaways for you:
Advertising campaigns are its bread and butter, and it has everything you’ll need, from planning and execution to analysis.
It has plenty of media channels, which is great for marketing professionals who use more than just social media and browser ads. For example, I was surprised to see connected TV and in-game advertising options available.
What I like: It has services that are tailored toward a wide range of industries, like finance, healthcare, and gaming.
Price: Contact them for pricing information.
11. Hootsuite
If you’re a social media marketer, you might have this marketing and management tool. It does its job well, but it won’t interest marketers who don’t leverage social media much.
Here are some stand-out points from this top name:
AI content creation from OwlyWriter, which didn’t impress me as much as I’d hoped.
Social advertising, including publishing, analysis, boosting, and reporting on how ads are performing, all from a dashboard I found very easy to get around.
Social listening, which will be further boosted if an upcoming acquisition of Talkwalker goes through.
What I like: The publish and schedule feature saved me hours of time and gave me good inspiration for new posts.
Price: The Professional plan is $99/month, and a free 30-day trial is available. This is limited to one user, so I wouldn’t recommend it for an agency.
Grow Better With Ad Management Tools
I hope this journey through advertising management tools has not only been informative, but helped you understand how they can help — and maybe even pinpoint the tool that will best fit your needs. I find advertising management tools to be a great time-saver in my work, and I love the data and insights they give me.
If you haven’t used any before or are looking to change things up, try a few of them out — on a free trial if possible.
Winning in Creative Business
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The Rise of Rewatch Podcasts & Nostalgia Bait
Ever feel like Hollywood is stuck on rewind? Sequels, reboots, remakes — it’s all a bit … well, repetitive.
And it’s not because Hollywood is unoriginal or out of ideas. It turns out that we, as the audience, crave the comfort of revisiting what we know and love.
Barbie and Top Gun? Enough said.
I also noticed that rewatch podcasts have been super popular lately and wanted to understand why. So, I dug into the whole “nostalgia bait” thing and talked to marketers to discover what makes this trend so hot.
What is a rewatch podcast?
The rewatch podcast is hosted by the cast members of a famous film, series, or TV show that is no longer running. Hosts watch episodes or scenes together and chat about them.
Sometimes, directors, writers, and other actors join in and make the episode even more exciting. The most interesting parts are behind-the-scenes stories that every fan enjoys.
For instance, do you remember Pam and Angela from The Office? Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey launched a rewatch podcast, Office Ladies, back in October 2019. And by 2022, it was one of the top 10 most listened-to podcasts.
Every week, Angela and Jenna choose one episode of The Office and spill all the juicy secrets you never knew.
The podcast gets even better with other Office actors like John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Ed Helms, and Brian Baumgartner. As an avid fan, I can’t get enough of the show.
So now that we know what a rewatch podcast is, how does it tie into nostalgia? Well, first, we need to start with a definition.
What is nostalgia bait?
Nostalgia bait is a marketing strategy that relies on fond memories of the past to sell something. It uses references or elements from pop culture, fashion, or even historical periods to trigger positive feelings that we have about those times.
The goal is to make you think, “Hey, I remember that from when I was a kid/teenager. What great times these were!”
This good feeling can make you believe the new product or media is as good as the original, even if it’s not actually that unique or high-quality.
Here are a few examples of the nostalgia resurgence:
Y2K fashion is back. Popular styles from the late 1990s and early 2000s, like low-rise jeans, butterfly clips, and chunky sneakers, are trending again. Instagram and Pinterest are full of it.
Classic TV shows sometimes get rebooted or revived decades later so fans can enjoy their favorite characters and stories again. A good example is Fuller House, which continues the story of Full House with the one and only Tanner family.
We had Super Mario on old Nintendo consoles with simple graphics and enjoyed the game in which a little man punched the boxes with his head. And almost 30 years later, it’s still here! In a bit newer, fresher look, 3D versions of Mario Bros bring amazing games, toys, and even a movie. A man of 50 and a kid of 5 both know who Mario is. How cool is that?
So, why is nostalgia bait so popular?
“Nostalgia wraps us in a comforting blanket, and that’s why it works,” says Digital Marketing Strategist Charles Lange.
And that makes sense.
Nostalgia highlights positive memories and makes us want to relive those moments. Brands understand this and use the emotional connection to link their product with our memories and “manipulate” us to buy.
Julie Snow, content marketing strategist at Big Leap, agrees and says that nostalgia-themed ads and designs are more favorably rated and can boost a consumer’s willingness to pay more.
She continues, “Everybody seems to want to go back to a time period that was a bit more carefree than it may seem today.”
Content creator Tiffany Ferg points out that even with blatant fan service or nostalgia bait, many fans eagerly consume it.
The best example is the Mean Girls Walmart commercial for Black Friday, which was a huge boom.
Ferg questions what‘s fueling this nostalgia craze — audiences or the industry? She believes it’s both.
There’s a massive demand for nostalgic content, translating to profit, such as through fan conventions, once stigmatized but now lucrative.
Rewatch Podcasts That Take Me Back
Besides Office Ladies, here are some of my favorite for rewatch podcasts. I’ll also dive into what makes the so enticing so you can unlock the power of nostalgia.
Fake Doctors, Real Friends
This podcast by Zach Braff (J.D.) and Donald Faison (Turk) is a total laugh riot. It’s a re-watch of the Scrubs show where Braff and Faison provide commentary and BTS insights into each episode.
They reminisce about filming, break down classic scenes, and interview guest stars like Neil Flynn (the Janitor). Wanna watch it? Then I need to warn you — get ready for some serious “Daaaang” moments.
What I like: Their real-life friendship makes the whole thing even funnier.
What brands can learn: Your hosts are arguably the most important part of your show. If you want to tap into the power of nostalgia, you’ll need people who lived through the era. Hosts with lived experience will make the nostalgia feel authentic.
Clueless Rewind
Clueless Rewind is a popular podcast in which hosts Alan Scott and Kerensa Cadenas take listeners back to the 1995 film Clueless.
They analyze the fashion, the slang, and the life lessons hidden beneath the Clueless exterior. This podcast totally bugs out with fun and takes us back to one of the most popular ’90s teen comedies.
What I like: Interviews with cast and crew, serving up some juicy gossip.
What brands can learn: Sometimes, you can’t snag a celebrity to host your podcast. However, you might be able to get some on-screen icons to join you for an interview. Special guests can help you overcome these limitations and make a great show.
Drama Queens
Bethany Joy Lenz, Hilarie Burton, and Sophia Bush, aka the Drama Queens themselves, are back together! They break down every single episode of One Tree Hill and share so many good secrets here.
You’ll feel like you’re on coffee with your besties and chat about the good old days. That’s the feeling it brings.
What I like: The topics are so interesting, so girly, and so perfectly covered that you simply can’t stop listening.
What brands can learn: Think about the references your audience knows. Drama Queens appeals to listeners who not only loved the show but likely went to high school when One Tree Hill aired. The hosts can then make references and jokes that people in their audience can relate to.
Welcome to Our Show
Welcome to Our Show is a hilarious podcast hosted by three real-life best friends from the sitcom New Girl. In each episode, the trio rewatches an episode of New Girl and shares BTS stories and hilarious anecdotes.
They goof around, riff on iconic lines, play fun games, and simply make your day better.
What I like: This isn’t just a straight replay. The hosts also share their personal memories, which sometimes bring a tear to my eye and sometimes make me snort-laugh out loud.
What brands can learn: A rewatch podcast doesn’t need to be focused only on an iconic television show. You can add elements like games or themed segments to keep the show entertaining.
Other Examples of Successful Nostalgia Bait.
Many brands have been jumping into the nostalgia pool lately, but not every company gets it right. Here are a few campaigns that caught my attention and gave me an authentic blast from the past.
Converse: Chuck Taylor All-Stars — Limited Edition Pokemon Designs
I love this genius collaboration of Converse with Pokemon that created limited edition Chuck Taylors featuring characters like Pikachu and Charizard. They even re-released some of the older designs to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Pokemon.
The result? The brands combined two things more of us loved as a kid and tapped into nostalgia bait.
Nintendo: NES Classic Edition
In 2016, Nintendo presented the NES Classic Edition. This tiny console had 30 old-school NES games and flew off shelves.
It was great for reliving childhood gaming memories and introducing Super Mario and Donkey Kong to new generations.
Well done, Nintendo — retro gaming at its finest!
Barbie
The 2023 Barbie movie sparked nostalgia for 2010s pop feminism. Social media was flooded with campaigns urging women and girls to share old photos and stories.
The movie itself was a mix of nostalgia and empowerment, though it sparked some concerns about profiting from insecurities.
But despite the debate, Barbie seems to have bounced back stronger than ever. Her influence isn‘t just limited to toys anymore. She’s in fashion and cosmetics, and impacting the whole industry.
How To Get Nostalgia Bait Right?
It’s easy to get lost here and make a nostalgia bait campaign a total fail, so I have the tips to make your audience feel the warm fuzzies (the good kind) without being cheesy.
Here’s what you should(n’t) do.
1. Nudge, don’t shout.
If you need to shout “nostalgia” in your campaign, you’re doing something wrong.
Gently guide customers instead of overwhelming them with loud and too obvious ads. Use cool details and nods to the past that make people go, “Hey, I remember that!”
According to John Pennypacker, vice president of marketing and sales at Deep Cognition, you need to subtly incorporate old references into content for effective nostalgia marketing.
He continues, “Instead of blatantly stating that your product is a ‘throwback to the 90s,’ use design elements, color schemes, or even specific references in a more subtle and understated manner. This will allow your audience to feel nostalgic on their own terms rather than being told what to reminisce about.”
2. Be authentic.
Authentic nostalgia isn’t just about cashing in on memories. It must honor the fans, the creators, and the stories themselves.
People can easily see your attempts to just profit from a trend, so be careful.
I recently watched a great NickyandCoco episode discussing whether nostalgia bait kills creativity and looks too salesy. They talked about how important it is to make it feel real.
Just like with Marvel movies — if you keep doing the same thing over and over, people get tired, says Nicky. It’s called “superhero fatigue.”
This stat proves why it’s important to keep your original content fresh by adding authenticity, originality, and new angles. Otherwise, the audience interest may flop like this.
Here’s a brand that got it right…
The Hunger Games franchise does a great job of mixing old and new.
It brings back familiar characters and places from the original books and movies but also adds new twists and interesting elements all the time. This way, it keeps both longtime fans and newcomers interested.
Getting It Wrong
Using nostalgia to make money instead of telling a good story can be super dangerous. It can lead to rushed sequels or adaptations that disappoint everyone.
That happened with Game of Thrones. It was amazing (my favorite, honestly), but then it ran out of books, and things went downhill fast. The ending wasn’t what fans expected.
They rushed it, and it was obvious.
3. Add a modern twist.
Don’t just rehash the past. Use the nostalgia as a springboard to introduce something fresh.
For instance, Polaroid cameras, once hugely popular, lost out to digital photography at some point. Now, they’re more popular than ever.
How did this happen?
Polaroids today offer the vintage joy of capturing a moment and watching it develop in front of your eyes but with modern features — digital storage and instant sharing.
Instagram also has a great retro-modern approach.
Its vintage camera filters add a grainy, old-timey feel to your photos, but you can still edit and share them digitally.
Lessons from both: Make classic styles cool again.
4. Don’t focus solely on one audience.
The biggest mistake marketers make is focusing too much on one type of audience, let’s say the 90s generation, and targeting them only. It should not be like that.
You need to find a balance on how to appeal to different generations.
Lee Moskowitz, director of growth marketing at SmartPass agrees and emphasizes that the many nostalgia campaigns only work for a portion of the audience and can isolate others.
“There are multiple generations in the workforce, and your main decision-makers could be any of Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and now Gen Z. If you are going to use nostalgia bait, make sure you’ve done a full demographic and psychographic analysis of your audience and TAM; otherwise, it can do more harm than good,” Moskowitz says.
So, how do we target different ages at the same time?
Google’s Real Tone campaign from 2022 is a perfect example. It deals with the problem of smartphone cameras not showing darker skin tones well.
The ad uses old photos and black-and-white movie scenes to help you realize how photography has changed over time.
This especially resonates with older generations and reminds baby boomers of their past snapshots from youth.
The campaign also includes selfies and young people to attract Gen Z. This way, everyone sees “themselves” in the ad and understands why the Google Pixel 6 is something they all might need.
The Future of Nostalgia: Why It’s Here to Stay
Rewatch podcasts and all this nostalgia stuff are hot because they let us revisit happy memories. And this isn’t just a marketing fad that will disappear at some point. It will be here, and I feel like it’ll be used more than ever because:
It feels good, like comfort food for our brains.
Rewatch podcasts give us juicy behind-the-scenes info.
Old favorites are back, but cooler, modern, and simply better.
And finally, here’s the best tip to make your nostalgia bait campaign work (thank me later):
Feel it: “It’s Saturday morning. You’re on the couch with colorful cereal, watching Pokémon. No worries. No adult problems. Just a freedom and the coolest Cartoon Network show.”
Recreate that excitement and feeling in your marketing, and you’ll win.