Adtech challenges for marketers in 2021

2020: a year that forced marketers and advertisers to learn to expect the unexpected

With another year where brands are potentially still facing uncertainty, the clear winners are those that are adapting their digital strategies accordingly: by understanding online consumer behavior, being reactive to content trends and continuing to provide authentic engagement with consumers. Employing a cookie-less, user first experience is vital, and driving quality engagement and connections is a must – but what are the key challenges in the adtech market that digital players should be thinking about – and mastering?

Privacy protection and navigating the cookie-free world

Privacy previously focused on regulation, however the tech giants have taken this one step further and limited cross-site tracking: Google with the expiration of the third-party cookie, and Apple via updates to ITP. Regulation will buckle to compliance and digital players will need to adapt to a world of unidentified users and increasingly rely on probabilistic data for targeting relevance. But these challenges foster innovation and we now have the opportunity to bring advertising back to its golden gauntlet: delivering engaging and relevant advertising, supported by new technology and strategies that deliver a great user experience. We must remember that consumers are willing to receive useful ads in exchange for free content; therefore the emphasis must be on driving authentic engagement in a privacy-first culture.

Navigating context and contextual

Contextual is having a renaissance and will imminently be acting as the proxy for audience, creating a new transparent way to reach consumers in a cookie-less future. Contextual targeting in 2021 is now more sophisticated than before, delivering true understanding of content and context. Contextual AI that provides true, human-like understanding of the page, interpreting tone, sentiment and emotion now enables advertisers to drive value and greater alignment in their digital marketing. Via machine learning techniques, marketers and advertisers can now optimize the content they deliver to consumers and extract better data on how users are actually engaging with their content. Marketers need to gain better understanding of context to guide their future strategies and put more emphasis on creativity to cut through the clutter and engage their audiences.

Mastering creativity and placement

Contextual creativity will be fundamental. Knowing what creative to place in front of your target consumer will be important in order to drive those connections that marketers – and consumers – crave. Delivering hyper-relevant advertising that grabs consumers’ attention and guides them throughout their online journey will return a more loyal customer. At the same time, placement and delivering messaging into high-attention slots is crucial. With consumer attention at a low, capturing attention whilst delivering ads in placements to positively influence consumer perception of your brand, will be a fine balancing act.

The pandemic has proven that marketers need to be smarter, faster and more nimble than ever. With consumer behavior and consumption rapidly changing, what has remained constant is the proven effectiveness of contextual. Significant advancements in A.I. and predictive analytics mean that both in-depth real-time contextual analyses can be leveraged, alongside respecting privacy compliance.

Therefore, the key to success in 2021 will be to partner with industry players that use smart technology to make better data-driven decisions whilst connecting with consumers and remaining front of mind – surely a win for all.

Emilia Kirk

Global Head of Growth at seedtag