So as the year comes to an end, it seems like it’s a good time to start thinking about and planning for 2013. Here’s a short list of some interesting predictions I think are worth paying attention to for 2013 digital advertising – covering both spending and innovations in media and technology expected next year.
DIGITAL SPENDING UP
According to GroupM’s biannual worldwide report, “This Year, Next Year,” digital media investment globally would be stronger than anticipated. For 2013, the report forecast a 16 percent spending hike; GroupM Futures Director Adam Smith said all digital spending trends are positive everywhere irrespective of local economic conditions. “Internet advertising is growing in every country, so powerful is its structural and evolutionary development,” Smith said.
MOBILE/SOCIAL MAJOR FACTOR FOR AD SPENDING GROWTH
Because people use these media on the go, often checking Facebook or Twitter from their mobile phones while they’re out shopping, they also offer the chance to deliver targeted messages at the point of purchase, which is hugely appealing to retailers. It’s that promise that will be a major factor in 2013 ad spending growth, according to London-based agency ZenithOptimedia
Jonathan Barnard, head of forecasting at ZenithOptimedia, expects strong increases in Internet advertising, particularly in mobile and social media, to drive faster growth in 2013.
Retailer advertisers are realizing that the mobile market is becoming vital to their businesses, as shoppers use their mobile devices to look up facts, compare prices and even purchase products, often while in store.
Social media already accounts for a large proportion of the time that people spend online, and the value of social media ads is rising as the platforms introduce new creative formats and offer improved targeting.
Source: Media Life Magazine article
INTEGRATING ADS WITH CONTENT DRIVES INNOVATION
Time Inc, like many of the big media companies are betting on and investing new ad solutions to fuel their growth. Delivering the next generation of advertising solutions is considered as one of their three pillars of growth strategy. The idea is to allow advertisers capitalize on consumers’ interest in content, on Time Inc. destinations and elsewhere.
For 2013 they are introducing a digital ad unit that pairs its editorial content with brands’ marketing messages. The product, which Time Inc. is calling Amplify will show up as a 300×600 ad unit on a traditional desktop website.
It’s built with AOL’s Pictela technology, comprising one tile with an advertiser message and another with content from Time Inc. websites. Clicking on the top will take consumers directly to an advertiser website, but selecting the content piece will bring up an interstitial with a marketing message and then the Time Inc. page with the promised content. The ads can also run on mobile sites and in mobile apps.
The company is informing the ads’ targeting by layering some of its subscriber data with behavioral and social data collected on its sites by an outside company. That will allow it to create profiles of non-Time Inc. users who look and act on the web like people who would be interested in Time Inc. content and the advertiser’s message, according to Adam Solomon, Time Inc.’s VP of digital advertising products.
