10 MAJOR ISSUES DIGITAL MARKETING MAY FACE IN THE FUTURE

Digital marketing has become the go-to advertising strategy for many businesses. The return on investment is unmatched, and it offers a unique way to interact with customers. However, despite being such a pivotal part of many businesses’ marketing strategies, digital channels face their own challenges.

Currently, digital marketing is going through a transitional period. We are noticing things occurring in the industry that suggest a time of significant change over the horizon. And change can be disastrous for a company that isn’t prepared to deal with it.

These experts from Ad Age Collective have been working with digital marketing throughout their careers and are well-poised to predict what significant issues the digital marketing sphere will be likely to encounter shortly, as well as how businesses can better prepare for these changes.

1. The collapse of third-party cookies

The collapse of third-party cookies is definitely on the top of the risk list, as it will make it much harder to track users and serve targeted ads. With most major browsers ramping up tracking prevention, advertisers and publishers will be equally affected by this change. There are no easy solutions to this problem, but multiple industry initiatives are underway to compensate for the loss. – Vishveshwar Jatain, AdPushup Inc.

2. Audiences being increasingly ad-adverse

Content-overloaded audiences are increasingly ad-adverse — 86% of viewers skip through ads and 47% utilize ad-blockers. To compete, marketers need to invest in data-driven brand integration strategies to get products directly into content efficiently, and at scale. Artificial intelligence can sort through millions of opportunities to pinpoint the best integrations for brands, helping them beat the ad-blocker curve. – Ricky Ray Butler, Branded Entertainment Network

3. Tone deaf messaging

Tone deaf messaging can become a major issue. An ad that still remains the day after a massive shooting, a pandemic or a major international movement such as BLM can not only appear tone deaf, but can also completely turn off potential customers and spark outrage. Marketers need to have a plan in place to review, pivot and pause ads immediately given the pace of the news cycle and events in the world. – Rebecca Bamberger, BAM Communications

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