Despite 2020 being behind us, IAB’s current impact study expects 2021 to be another volatile year for marketers. They have concerns about 1) Preparing for a cookie-less future / loss of identifiers, 2) the need for 1st party data, and 3) cross-platform measurement solutions.
Multiple, critical trends that have been accelerating for years are converging like never to transform marketing. The year ahead promises to fundamentally reshape how brands are born and how they thrive, what advertising is, how (and where) it works, how measurement and attribution happen and much more.
Change will happen at a dizzying pace, and it will be happening everywhere at once—from privacy and policy decisions in Washington to addressability and attribution across every imaginable device, to the convergence of video and commerce in consumers’ living rooms, to an unstoppable drive for diversity.
As cookies and mainstay methods of in-app tracking change, developing the personal connection with consumers will become essential. While there is no shortage of options in picking partners, there will be fresh new opportunities with companies like TikTok, Walmart, Target, Walgreens and Kroger.
To get ahead of the challenges and win in 2021 and beyond, a focus on customer-centricity, big data, segmentation and unified marketing analytics will be crucial.
