The past year was filled with expected and unexpected turns, from Google’s stay of execution for the third-party cookie to the rise of CTV and Retail Media Networks. As we focus on 2023, we asked the Audigent executive team to predict the big trends and major events that will shape digital media and advertising over the next 12 months.
This is a ‘Do or Die’ Year
“With so much uncertainty in the global markets at the same time as brands and media agencies critically need to futureproof their media strategies given the disruption in identity and addressability – 2023 is a ‘do or die’ moment for media buyers. For those that embrace new technologies, curated marketplace strategies and new identity methodologies that balance probabilistic and deterministic targeting and measurement – their ability to scale value and performance is secure. For those that do not, they will wish it was 2022 again.”
– Drew Stein, founder and CEO
Curation Will Catch on in a Big Way
“The practice of media and data curation will rise to new heights in 2023 as advertisers outside of retail look to adopt retail media strategies. Every marketer (retail or not) is sitting atop of a mountain of data that can be combined to create their own unique media and data supply chain tailored to specific business goals. Curation is the practice of activating that data with premium media to drive a highly performant, scaled, and safe supply chain. Just as we watched curation serve as the driving force in the growth of retail media in 2022, in 2023 we will see its impact extend well beyond retail.”
–Greg Williams, President
Data Providers Will Experiment with New Partners
“Third-party data providers will look outside of traditional DSP and DMP models when it comes to new integrations, bringing advertisers with them. All of the hand-wringing over the loss of the cookie is largely tied to a feared loss of third-party data. Off-the-shelf audience segments keep the programmatic machine running, and cookie deprecation will make it harder to find audiences the old way. The data providers know this, so they are pursuing alternative ways to activate their trusted data and help advertisers accomplish their goals. Momentum for alternatives will increase in 2023 as these top data purveyors find the new solutions that help them. Once those new solutions are in place, advertisers will follow.”
– Gina Cavallo, CRO
CTV will need to add functionality
“CTV already looks to be recession-proof, as the IAB is forecasting double-digit growth that outpaces the wider ad industry at large. We’ve already reached a point where CTV is on every brand’s media plan. The question is just how much space will it occupy on the 2024 plan. More inventory is entering the market, more buyers are looking for opportunities, and more viewers are signing up. To stand out, platforms and providers are going to need to add greater digital functionality around addressability and attribution and those that do will cause the dam to burst as CTV becomes a true TV replacement.”
– Dave Rosner, CMO
Publishers will push for more first-party data products
“Publishers will evolve first-party data strategies as demand for targeting customization, including seller-defined audiences, continues to grow. Additionally, with uncertainty around the value of cookieless IDs, publishers will want to understand how demand is being generated from advertisers before continuing to implement an ever-growing array of providers. Proven approaches that can show lift on cookie-challenged publisher pages, especially through privacy-preserving and advanced tech such as real-time data injection into bids, will see widespread adoption.”
– Jake Abraham, Chief Commercial Officer
