Marketing trends

As we approach 2024, marketers must grasp the evolving landscape of digital activation. Understanding emerging audience trends and activation strategies is key to developing impactful marketing initiatives and positioning your brand for success.   In Experian's 2024 Digital audience trends and predictions report you'll find:   Data-driven insights that will empower you to confidently develop marketing strategies that resonate with your audience and drive meaningful results.   Insights from Experian experts and our industry-leading data. Our outlook for 2024 marketing trends. In this blog post, we'll provide a sneak peek of the 2024 marketing trends you can expect in our full report. Digital activation  Digital activation grew by 63% between 2022 and 2023. We expect digital activation to increase in 2024 but at a slower rate than in 2023 due to economic uncertainty caused by high-interest rates, recent state privacy regulations, and work stoppages in the entertainment and automotive industries.  Top digital audiences  Which digital audiences are advertisers purchasing from Experian?  We are seeing growth in four major data categories: Automotive, Demographics, Lifestyle and Interests, and Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based audiences. Here are a few audiences within these categories that you can activate on-the-shelf of your preferred platform:   Automotive: Autos, Cars, and Trucks > In Market-Make and Models  Demographics: Demographics > Homeowners/Renters > Renter  Lifestyle and Interests: Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Activities and Entertainment > Wine Lovers  Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based: Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Food and Drink > Restaurants: Fast Food/QSR Chicken Frequent Spenders  Top digital audiences by industry  What are the top digital audiences being activated by industry? Download our 2024 Digital audience trends and predictions report to discover the top digital audiences in the following industries:  Automotive  Health  Financial Services  Retail & CPG Download our new 2025 Digital trends and predictions report Marketers, agencies, and platforms are facing new challenges as privacy regulations evolve, AI technology advances, and consumer behaviors shift. Our latest report highlights actionable strategies for navigating these changes and improving how you connect with audiences, measure impact, and deliver results. What you'll learn Navigating signal loss: Explore the rise of alternative IDs and contextual targeting as privacy regulations and signal loss reshape data-driven advertising.  Connected TV (CTV): Understand the growth of connected TV (CTV), the importance of frequency capping, and strategies for effective audience activation.  Omnichannel campaigns: Learn how marketers are moving from channel-specific strategies to audience-led omnichannel campaigns that tell a more cohesive story. Retail media networks: Learn how retail media networks (RMNs) are capitalizing on enriched first-party data to learn more about their customers and reach them across on-site and off-site inventory.  Curation: Examine how curation is transforming programmatic campaigns by combining audience, contextual, and supply chain signals to deliver premium inventory packages that maximize addressability, efficiency, and performance. Download now Contact us Latest posts

2023 has been an unprecedented year for AdTech. With new challenges arising every day — from ongoing signal loss to changing consumer privacy regulations– staying on top of trends is more important than ever before.   To help you stay informed on successful tactics from across our ecosystem we’ve compiled a list of our top five 2023 AdTech blog posts. Keep reading to learn about the top themes from CES and Cannes this year, why contextual targeting is so popular, and more - so you can remain competitive in today's rapidly changing environment.  #5 CES 2023: Clean rooms, activation, and more  Experian attended CES in January to kick off the AdTech year, connecting with partners, clients, and industry leaders to understand their challenges and goals. Discussions were focused on clean rooms and digital activation to address data deprecation and consumer privacy.   Clean rooms have the potential to standardize data and address interoperability issues.  Digital activation was predicted to increase significantly in 2023, with more focus on demand-side, video, and supply-side platforms. Did digital activation increase in 2023? Download our 2024 Digital audience trends and predictions report to find out.  Read our full 2023 CES recap here. #4 Experian identity resolution now available in AWS Clean Rooms  Earlier this year, Experian announced that our identity resolution solution is now available in AWS Clean Rooms. Through this new partnership, customers can pair Experian's identity capabilities with AWS Clean Rooms to safely collaborate and access deeper insights without exposing sensitive data.  Check out the full announcement to hear from Kalyani Koppisetti, Principal Partner Solution Architect at AWS, Matt Miller, Business Development Principal at AWS, and Tyler Middleton, Sr. Partner Marketing Manager at Experian.  #3 Four key themes from Cannes Lions 2023  At Cannes Lions 2023, discussions revolved around four main themes:  Signal loss: Experts discussed the importance of adapting paid media strategies to align with consumer behaviors. Collaboration: Discussions highlighted the need for industry players to collaborate and focus on solutions that benefit all stakeholders in the ecosystem. Personalization: This was a key topic and emphasized the growing significance of tailored content, data-driven insights, and first-party data solutions for advertisers adapting to cookie deprecation and the evolving consumer privacy landscape. Balancing AI and creativity: Attendees explored how to balance AI capabilities and nurture creativity while maintaining a human touch. Cannes 2024 will be here before we know it and Experian will be there. To get ready, check out this post by Tyler Middleton, Sr. Partner Marketing Manager, to hear from a first-time Cannes attendee,   #2 Three key insights from our 2023 Holiday spending report  Experian's annual Holiday spending trends and insights report analyzed recent trends, consumer spending habits, and anticipated what was to come in the 2023 holiday shopping season. This blog post covered three key insights from our report:  Consumers are starting their holiday shopping earlier, particularly with online sales.  Online sales have been increasing year-over-year, surpassing in-store sales. Spending during the 2022 holiday season was lower than in previous years but is expected to be on par with what was seen in 2023. For advice from our experts and access to all of our predictions for this year’s holiday shopping season, download our 2023 Holiday spending trends and insights report today.  #1 How contextual ad targeting addresses signal loss  Our most viewed blog post of 2023 was How contextual ad targeting addresses signal loss. Marketers are seeking new solutions due to signal loss caused by the phasing out of third-party cookies. Contextual ad targeting offers a way to combine contextual signals with machine learning for more accurate targeting.  Experian's Jason Andersen and Yieldmo's Alex Johnston discuss the challenges of signal loss, addressability, the importance of good creative, and tips for digital ad success in this blog post. By understanding contextual advertising, marketers can create powerful and effective campaigns to reach target audiences.  Subscribe to our newsletter  Sign up for our email newsletter to receive our latest blog posts, product and partnership announcements, thought leadership, and more straight to your inbox. Subscribe Contact us today Latest posts

AI is working its way into all aspects of marketing. With connected TV, AI will soon be used to personalize ads for viewers while optimizing based on data.

At the recent Beet Retreat 2023 in Santa Monica, a fireside chat featuring Kimberly Gilberti, Experian’s Chief Product Officer, shed light on how connected TV (CTV) is changing content delivery and introducing a profound shift in audience engagement and advertising strategies. In this blog post, we’ll recap Gilberti’s discussion about advertising on CTV. CTV's transformative impact on media consumption CTV brings together the nostalgia of traditional television and the cutting-edge capabilities of digital targeting, opening new doors for advertisers to connect more meaningfully with audiences. This integration heralds a new wave of viewer engagement opportunities. The revolution goes beyond altering content consumption modes; it fundamentally transforms how audiences interact with media. Advertisers now have the tools to forge deeper, more personalized connections with their audience, thanks to CTV. "The evolution of media is exciting, offering endless opportunities due to the vast inventory and engaged audiences. The key to using this is understanding the consumer, the 'who' behind the viewing."kimberly gilberti, chief product officer The evolution of advertising on CTV In CTV, traditional advertising strategies are being re-evaluated. Advertisers must pivot to meet changing viewer trends, focusing on campaigns that resonate on a personal level and harness the targeted delivery capabilities of the medium. Data and technology stand at the forefront of advertising on CTV. Effective collection, analysis, and application of audience data are crucial for creating impactful CTV campaigns. Advanced analytics tools are essential in deciphering complex viewer habits. Companies like Experian are key players, offering the necessary tools and insights for advertisers to navigate the CTV space effectively. "Experian's unique data assets are incredibly valuable. We understand consumers wherever they are, connecting the offline and online worlds. Our database, rooted in real people's information, is extensive and privacy-focused, covering virtually every U.S. household."kimberly gilberti, chief product officer The complexities and opportunities in advertising on CTV Even though the CTV landscape is filled with vast opportunities and significant challenges, one major hurdle is accurately identifying viewers within shared household accounts, complicating targeted advertising on CTV efforts. Additionally, the fragmentation of content across multiple streaming platforms amplifies the challenge of reaching specific audience segments. The presence of 'walled gardens' adds another layer of complexity in achieving a comprehensive understanding of audience behavior across different platforms. Despite these challenges, the potential for effective, personalized advertising on CTV is immense. Key to unlocking this potential is the accurate measurement of ROI and the alignment of content with viewer preferences. These areas of focus underscore the need for sophisticated identity resolution and audience analysis solutions. Collaboration is the key to unlocking CTV's potential The future of advertising on CTV relies on collaboration. Joint efforts from advertisers, agencies, technology providers, and publishers are essential for sharing data and insights while maintaining consumer privacy. This collective approach is pivotal in tackling the challenges of advertising on CTV and harnessing its full potential. As the industry dives deeper into the CTV landscape, insights from Beet Retreat 2023 and leaders like Gilberti underscore the importance of understanding and engaging with your consumers. The collaborative efforts of the industry, bolstered by technological and data-driven expertise, are critical in capitalizing on the power of CTV. Experian’s Collaboration solution connects our client's and partner's data to unlock more robust insights, smarter activation, and more holistic measurement for online and offline media efforts. To learn more about what our data collaboration services can do for your business in this new era of CTV, visit our website or connect with a member of our team today. Start collaborating with Experian Latest posts

Industry leaders recently gathered at the influential Beet Retreat 2023 conference held in Santa Monica, sharing forward-looking perspectives on the future of advertising. This renowned event known for its diverse mix of leaders from TV, agencies, advertising, and technology sectors, was enriched by insights from Experian’s very own Chris Feo, SVP of Sales & Partnerships, and Kimberly Gilberti, Chief Product Officer. Both Feo and Gilberti brought their expertise and perspectives for harnessing the potential of high-growth connected TV (CTV) advertising. The era of connected everything at Beet Retreat 2023 In the “Era of Connected Everything,” panel, Feo dived into the concept of a ‘connected everything’ world. He emphasized the importance of balancing consumer and privacy expectations with the increasing integration of AI and machine learning. “As decisioning evolves, creative tech and data derived from creative scale will play a bigger role.”chris feo, svp, sales & partnerships Feo further discussed the potential of creative technology, particularly in how AI and machine learning could revolutionize content personalization. He cited examples where the same creative content is used indiscriminately across diverse demographics, suggesting a future where creative content adapts and performs well for a variety of audience identities. Experian's balanced approach at Beet Retreat 2023 During a fireside chat, Gilberti shared her vision on the transformative role of television in the advertising technology landscape. “Connecting exposure to business outcomes is the holy grail of measuring CTV and effectiveness.”kimberly gilberti, chief product officer Her insights reflected the growing interplay between digital and traditional TV advertising, and the opportunities arising from this convergence. Gilberti emphasized the critical role of data analytics in enabling advertisers to tailor content more effectively to diverse TV audiences. She envisioned a future where the integration of digital strategies and traditional TV advertising create a more cohesive and impactful AdTech approach. Future focus: Diversification and partnerships Both Feo and Gilberti underscored the need for advertisers to diversify their partnerships. By working with a variety of partners, you can mitigate risks and foster innovation, ensuring you are not overly dependent on a single channel or approach. Navigate what’s next with Experian Experian's contributions at Beat Retreat 2023 underscore our pivotal role in the AdTech industry. With a unique balance of offline and online data expertise, we are not just adapting to changes but leading the way in innovation and strategy. Our insights and approaches, as highlighted by Feo and Gilberti, demonstrate our commitment to guiding the industry through its rapid evolution, making our role indispensable in the future of advertising technology. At Experian, we’re your partner in data-driven marketing and can help make your interactions more meaningful. To learn more, connect with a member of our team today. Connect with us Latest posts

Walled gardens produce the majority of digital advertising revenue and will continue to be a major marketing challenge according to industry leaders.

Discover 2024 data collaboration strategies for better business intelligence. Learn to use data sharing, APIs, and secure frameworks.

The holiday season is just around the corner, and retailers and marketers are gearing up for the busiest shopping period of the year. It's crucial to understand how consumer behavior is evolving and what emerging trends to expect. Experian's 2023 Holiday spending trends and insights report analyzes recent trends, consumer spending habits, and anticipates what's to come in 2023 to help you deliver a top-notch shopping experience this holiday season. In this blog post, we'll cover three key insights from our report. 1. Consumers are shopping earlier It's no secret that December has always been the go-to month for consumers when it comes to holiday spending. However, holiday shopping now starts earlier, particularly with online sales. This can be attributed to a surge in promotions and deals, enticing shoppers to open their wallets ahead of time, giving a significant boost to holiday sales. Notably, Cyber Week sales have proven to be an influential factor, accounting for 8% of total consumer holiday spending. Experian tip Reach the right shoppers with your promotions with sell-side targeting. This powerful approach gives you control over where your ads are placed while ensuring maximum visibility through direct connections with publishers. Whether on mobile, web, or CTV, this seamless ad experience will engage your audience effectively. 2. Online sales are on the rise The popularity of online holiday sales is continuously growing, surpassing in-store shopping. There has been a consistent 1% year-over-year increase in online sales, while in-store sales have seen a 1% decrease. "It’s easier for consumers to comparison shop for large ticket items online that they might find at a mass retailer or office supply store. Consumers prefer to have larger, bulkier items shipped directly to their home for minimal cost. By shopping online, consumers can save time since they don’t need to wait in checkout lines." Anna Liparoto, Sr. Account Executive, Retail & CPG Although online sales currently make up only one-third of all holiday shopping, there is immense potential for further expansion. Mass retailers and office, electronics, and games industries particularly excel in online holiday sales. While in-store purchases remain the primary choice for holiday shoppers, consumer online and offline activities intersect before the final purchase. Experian tip Take advantage of the surge in online shopping by diversifying your marketing channels. An agnostic identity graph can bring together device and media data, capturing valuable user insights. By gaining a holistic view of your target audience, you'll be able to optimize your ad spend and allocate resources effectively, ultimately boosting your return on investment. "Omnichannel targeting during the upcoming holiday season will continue to prove to be the best way to reach scale and maximize ROI across all marketing channels."Joe LigÉ, Head of Enterprise Demand Partnerships 3. 2023 holiday spending will be on par with 2022 During the holiday season in 2022, consumer spending showed an anticipated increase, although the growth rate was slightly lower compared to previous years. October saw a surge in average consumer spending, indicating a swift response to early discounts and promotions offered by retailers. As the holiday season progressed, holiday spending gradually slowed down and reached a level similar to that of the previous year. Overall, there was a modest 2% growth. Looking into the future, if economic conditions remain stable in the second half of 2023, we can expect holiday spending to align with the figures from last year. Experian tip To truly maximize impact, consider data enrichment. By diving deeper into your target audience's preferences and behaviors, you can better tailor your strategies and seamlessly integrate the enriched data across various channels. This allows you to unlock the true potential of your ad inventory, creating more meaningful connections with your audience. Download our 2024 report Get ready for the holiday shopping season with Experian's 2024 Holiday spending trends and insights report. Inside you'll find: Analysis of past trends and what they mean for 2024 Exclusive predictions for the upcoming holiday season The top audiences to activate this holiday season To access to all of our predictions for this year's holiday shopping season, download our 2024 Holiday spending trends and insights report today. Download now Contact us today Latest posts

The cookieless future is here, and it's time to start thinking about how you will adapt your strategies to this new reality. In a cookieless world, you will need to find new ways to identify and track users across devices. This will require reliance on first-party data, contextual advertising, and alternative identifiers that respect user privacy. To shed light on this topic, we hosted a panel discussion at Cannes, featuring industry leaders from Cint, Direct Digital Holdings, the IAB, MiQ, Tatari, and Experian. In this blog post, we'll explore the future of identity in cookieless advertising. We'll discuss the challenges and opportunities that this new era presents, and we'll offer our tips for how to stay ahead of the curve. How cookieless advertising is evolving Programmatic advertising is experiencing multiple changes. Let's dive into three key things you should know. Cookie deprecation One significant change is cookie deprecation, which has implications for tracking and targeting. Additionally, understanding the concept of Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS) is becoming increasingly crucial. The demand and supply-side are coming closer together Demand-side platforms (DSPs) and supply-side platforms (SSPs) have traditionally been seen as two separate entities. DSPs are used by advertisers to buy ad space, while SSPs are used by publishers to sell ad space. However, in recent years, there has been a trend toward the two sides coming closer together. This is due to three key factors: The rise of header bidding Header bidding is a process where publishers sell their ad space to multiple buyers in a single auction. This allows publishers to get the best possible price for their ad space, and it also allows advertisers to target their ads more effectively. Cookie deprecation As third-party cookies are phased out, advertisers need to find new ways to track users, and they are turning to SSPs for help. SSPs can provide advertisers with data about users, such as their demographics and interests. This data can be used to target ads more effectively. The increasing importance of data Advertisers are increasingly looking for ways to target their ads more effectively, and they need data to do this. SSPs have access to a wealth of user data, and they're willing to share this data with advertisers. This is helping to bridge the gap between the two sides. The trend toward the demand-side and supply-side coming closer together is good news for advertisers and publishers. It means that they can work together to deliver more relevant ads to their users. Measuring and tracking diverse types of media The media measurement landscape is rapidly evolving to accommodate new types of media, such as digital out-of-home (DOOH). With ad inventory expanding comes the challenge of establishing identities and connecting them with what advertisers and agencies want to track. Measurement providers are now being asked to accurately capture instances when individuals are exposed to advertisements at a bus stop in New York City, for example, and tracking their journey and purchase decisions, such as buying a Pepsi. To navigate cookieless advertising and measurement, we must prioritize building a strong foundational identity framework. What you should focus on in a cookieless advertising era In a cookieless advertising era, you will need to focus on two key things: frequency capping and authentic identity. Frequency capping Frequency capping is a practice of limiting the number of times an ad is shown to a user. This is important in cookieless advertising because it helps to prevent users from being bombarded with ads. It also helps to ensure that ads are more effective, as users are less likely to ignore or click on ads that they have seen too many times. Frequency capping is often overhyped and yet overlooked. Instead of solely focusing on frequency, consider approaching it from an identity perspective. One solution could be to achieve a perfect balance between reaching a wider audience and avoiding excessive repetition. By increasing reach in every programmatic buy, you naturally mitigate frequency control concerns. Authentic identity The need for authentic identities in a digital and programmatic ecosystem is undeniable. While we explore ways to connect cookies, mobile ads, and other elements, it's crucial to remember who we are as real individuals. By using anonymized personal identifying information (PII) as a foundation, we can derive insights about households and individuals and set effective frequency caps across different channels. Don't solely focus on devices and behaviors in your cookieless advertising strategy and remember the true value of people and their identities. What’s next for cookieless advertising? The deprecation of third-party cookies is a major challenge for the digital advertising industry. Advertisers will need to find new ways to track users and target their ads. Here are three specific trends that we can expect to see in cookieless advertising. First-party data is moving in-house Many major media companies, equipped with valuable identifier and first-party data, are choosing to bring it in-house. They are focused on using their data internally rather than sharing it externally. "Many larger media companies are opting to bring their identifier and first-party data in-house, creating more walled gardens. It seems that companies are prioritizing data control within their own walls instead of sharing it externally."laura manning, svp, measurement, cint Fragmentation will continue The number of identifiers used to track people online is growing rapidly. In an average household, over a 60-day period, there are 22 different identifiers present. This number is only going to increase as we move away from cookies and toward other identifiers. This fragmentation makes it difficult to track people accurately and deliver targeted advertising. This means that we need new identity solutions that can help make sense of these new identifiers and provide a more accurate view of people. A portfolio of solutions will address signal loss Advertisers are taking a variety of approaches to cookieless advertising. A few of the solutions include: Working with alternative IDs. This refers to using alternative identifiers to cookies, such as mobile device IDs or email addresses. These identifiers can be used to track people across different websites and devices, even without cookies. Working with data index at a geo level. This refers to using data from a third-party provider to get a better understanding of people's location. This information can be used to target ads more effectively. Working with publisher first-party data that's been aggregated to a cohort level. This refers to using data that is collected directly from publishers, such as website traffic data or purchase history. This data can be used to create more personalized ads. Working with contextual solutions. This refers to using contextual data, such as the content of a website or the weather, to target ads. This can help to ensure that ads are relevant to the user's interests. "Cookie deprecation is often exaggerated, and alternate solutions are already emerging. As data moves closer to publishers and first-party data gains prominence, the industry will adapt to the changes."mark walker, ceo, direct digital holdings There is no one-size-fits-all solution for cookies, and you will need to be flexible and adopt a variety of different approaches. How will these solutions work together? You can take a waterfall approach to cookieless advertising. A waterfall approach is a process where advertisers bid on ad impressions in sequential order. The first advertiser to meet the minimum bid price wins the impression. In the context of cookieless advertising, a waterfall approach can be used to prioritize different targeting signals. For example, you might start by bidding on impressions that have a Ramp ID, then move on to impressions that have a geo-contextual signal, and finally bid on impressions that have no signal at all. This is a flexible approach that can be adapted to different needs and budgets. Watch our Cannes panel for more on cookieless advertising We hosted a panel in Cannes that covered the future of identity in cookieless advertising. Check out the full recording below to hear what leaders from Cint, Direct Digital Holdings, the IAB, MiQ, Tatari, and Experian had to say. Watch now Check out more Cannes content: Our key takeaways from Cannes Lions 2023 Insights from a first-time attendee Four new marketing strategies for 2023 Exploring the opportunities in streaming TV advertising Maximize ad targeting with supply-side advertising Follow us on LinkedIn or sign up for our email newsletter for more informative content on the latest industry insights and data-driven marketing. Get in touch Latest posts