As the end of 2016 draws near, marketers often wonder what is in store for 2017 and what should they be looking out for. It seems as though digital trends change daily, and they almost do. But what is expected to be the trends of 2017? The answer is many things, but these are the ones we think are worth watching out for:
Over the most recent years, we’ve heard Native was going to be huge. Yet, it doesn’t seem to have taken off as was predicted at first. This might be a lack of advertiser knowledge about what Native actually is, or it might just be that clients are more comfortable with the traditional digital they are used to doing because of its proven results. After all, it has taken some time for digital in general to really make an impact in most plans. More education might simply be needed. The typical internet user finds native, whether they know it’s an ad or not, to be less intrusive and more disguised. They are more likely to click on a Native ad because it appears to be interesting content as opposed to an annoying banner on the side of the page they are browsing. Either way, Native is definitely moving in the direction of being more appealing to advertisers.
Social Media & Mobile Apps:
It is no surprise that when a new social media platform or mobile app takes off and gains popularity advertisers ask “what advertising opportunities exist?” We saw this almost immediately after the launch of Pokémon Go, and we are seeing more and more advertisers asking about Snapchat. Advertisers know the importance of getting in front of their audiences on these platforms since so much time is spent on mobile devices and social media. Although “old news” in the sense that it has been out for over 10 years, Facebook’s opportunities are constantly changing and evolving. We are currently seeing this with the moving away from right-hand rail ads. Newsfeed ads have more of a native feel in that the ads are sometimes hidden as content. The larger scale of them too makes for more interaction from users. Right-hand rail is also only available on desktop. It makes sense that more often than not, an advertiser will opt for Newsfeed.
Online Video definitely has shown its importance in the digital world. Advertisers see it as an extension of their TV buys, helping to reach the cord-cutters of today. Studies show more and more people are spending more time watching content on their devices, especially the younger demographic, than a television. YouTube alone reaches more 18+ during prime-time TV hours. As a results, many advertisers are shifting TV dollars over to support Online Video platforms. In 2017, eMarketer shows more than $3.89 billion ad dollars will be spent on programmatic video alone.
Geo-fencing Conversions:
For retail, QSR, and other advertisers with physical locations, geo-fencing conversion advances are especially important. The ability to tell how many people saw an ad and physically showed up at a location brings so much value to these verticals. Geo-fencing use to only be able to target mobile devices within a certain designated shape. With that, came the ability to define exactly what that shape would be, eliminating a large portion on waste. Through different technologies like Beacons and GPS, advertisers can hit mobile device users that enter a specific location and hit them with a specific message, for example a coupon. They can then see that a user entered their location and ultimately made a purchase.