“The big change for 2024 will be the final death of the cookie, with Google pulling the plug mid-year, so marketers need to get ready. There will be a change in how brands address customer lifecycle targeting, specifically retargeting, as Google removes the support they’ve been giving via DV360.
“Publishers of premium content will take back control of the customer experience, as the death of cookies puts context front-and-centre of advertiser requirements. And, with the EU ruling on Facebook’s behavioural targeting, meaning they can’t use user information to build contextual audiences without explicit consent, access to premium contexts will be key for effective advertising planning, delivery and measurement.
“The final trend, again driven by the loss of cookies and growing privacy regulations, will be real-time advertising activation and measurement, due to the coming inability to link systems together via tracking software. Instead, advertisers will need to use real-time activation to quickly react and pivot to intent signals and optimise their campaigns for maximum performance.”
Justin Thomas, Agency Leader, CRKLR
“There are major tailwinds around consent mechanisms, frameworks and of course, cookies, which marketers need to solve. Plus, it goes without saying how transformational AI is already becoming in areas from search to content generation.
“If you’ve been keeping an eye on your device reports in Google Ads, you will have noticed CTV appearing and gradually growing within campaign types like Performance Max. Hardware, connectivity and on-demand platforms are coming together and will offer new experiences, inventory and opportunities for marketers.
“This alignment of creative content at scale and across devices naturally leans towards programmatic delivery. The winners will be those advertisers who are able to leverage (consented) data and understand the benefit of high-impact creative formats on their brand performance.”
Nicola Jones, Senior Marketing Manager
“Sustainability will continue to grow in importance for marketers in 2024. Finding a way to balance the requirements of campaign performance with the environmental impact of digital advertising and rising consumer demand for brands to act in a more sustainable way will be key, both in terms of future-proofing marketing strategies and building brand affinity.
“This also feeds into relevancy, with customers wanting to engage with brands they feel connected to, so targeted, dynamic creative and messaging through the use of AI and smarter formats such as CTV will become more important, to ensure brands are reaching and speaking to the right people, with the right messaging.
“Clever measurement and attribution across channels will also be key, as marketers need to prove the value of their ad spend and show the true return on investment of their campaigns, not just the number of clicks on an ad, as budgets are cut even further and marketers need to do more with less.”
We look forward to seeing what 2024 brings, and if you’d like to talk to us about your advertising plans for the new year, get in touch today.