ADOTAS – Here are 10 predictions that we feel will be essential for digital marketers to keep top of mind in the year ahead:
1. Multi-platform consumers and advertising will be supported by Cookie+ data
- Consumers continue to utilize a combination of devices throughout the day – tablets in the morning, PCs during the day, TV at night, and smartphones throughout.
- Media continues to follow consumer patterns as publishers push further content distribution through mobile channels to “surround sound” audiences.
- Data goes multi-platform through Cookie+ solutions provided by the big 3 (Microsoft, Google, Facebook) in public beta tests and independent options through ad-tech data leaders. Statistical IDs (Stat IDs) will usher in an era of scalable multi-platform audience targeting.
2. DMPs begin to capture some enterprise credibility as major players will begin to tout their data management success stories. Those companies that demonstrate the ability to effectively execute data driven marketing through DMP integration will start to gain competitive advantages. As much hype as DMPs are garnering, it is still the first inning of full data transformation as players like Accenture and IBM, the enterprise technology change agents are still building out their data transformation practices. DMPs will realize that storing and distributing data isn’t enough and will struggle to have hard-hitting use cases.
3. As data options continue to soar, Data Accuracy will become a front and center issue. Social media leaders like Facebook will tout having the ultimate in data quality while the data industry will work with data validation leaders like comScore and Nielsen to score data accuracy.
4. TV watching continues to digitize as the younger generation consumes more and more media through devices connected through 4G network connections and Wifi. This will lead to cable and satellite company consolidation. The first TV impressions will be bought through RTB in 2014.
5. The identity wars begin. Beyond enabling Cookie+ based multi-platform advertising, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo will battle for online ID supremacy. Each of them will tout as having the go to “digital driver’s license” to prove one’s digital identity. Expect financial institutions to experiment with these options under secure environments.
6. Programmatic continues to take a much larger percentage of the overall display market as machines prove more efficient than humans. More algorithms will be built to maximize campaign lift by utilizing the best possible third party data.
7. Ad-tech IPOs slow down as markets take a “wait and see” approach to see if profitability is possible.
8. The marketer stack will continue to be digitized and marketing functions like market research and insights will be the next stack item that is turned into a service. Insights-as-a-Service will become the source of consumer signal for brand managers.
9. Facebook continues its push by introducing better targeting, reach, and measurement products. Innovations like dwell time and viewability metrics will make facebook an even more attractive medium for advertisers.
10. Mobile Mobile Mobile. Every point in the marketing technology ecosystem will be expected to support mobile data, management, and execution. Digital omnivore consumers will also expect to get the same experience across their Android, iOS, and Windows Phone devices – making mobile app and web data critical.