This post was written by the leadership team of Boston-based advertising agency DigitasLBi.
For 2014, DigitasLBi compiled a series of ad industry predictions from leaders across France, Germany, Hong Kong, Spain, Singapore, the UAE, the UK, the U.S., and more. Here are three from some of their Boston-based leaders.
Startups: they’re more than just the new black.
While the term “startup” has been something of a buzzword for marketers in recent years, in 2014 we’ll see a deeper bridge grow between the agency and startup communities. More and more agencies will begin to incubate these companies in their own offices, and incorporate them into their client work. It’s win-win all around: agencies will teach more startups how to better scale and monetize their offerings, while startups will help agencies build and innovate faster. And for today’s brands, who must constantly evolve or get left behind, this closer partnership will give them better access to some of the best new technology in real-time.
- Barbara Goose, President, DigitasLBi Boston and Detroit
Real-time marketing: it will get better (and bigger).
Despite some recent backlash, real-time marketing is here to stay. In 2014, we’ll see deeper investment from brands and agencies both in terms of budget and time spent. And, we’ll start to see greater integration of RTM into every day brand building versus just one-off moments—or, using the newsroom analogy, think more feature stories vs. breaking news. The result will be a substantial increase in quality content that anticipates what audiences need and want—it won’t all be reactive ŕ la the Super Bowl blackout, but if done correctly, it’ll feel right in the moment. And though social will continue to lead the way as marketers’ choice of medium for RTM, we’ll see greater expansion into other channels as well, including DOOH.
- Anne-Marie Kline, SVP, Social Content / Managing Director, BrandLIVE, DigitasLBi North America
The birth of People-based analytics (PBA).
With the emergence of always-on, wearable devices (such as Fitbit, Galaxy Gear, and Google Glasses) we’ll see new types of analytics for understanding audience behavior. The ability to look at real geo-location, motion, patterned behavior not just through media consumption or product purchase but through other everyday aspects of a consumer’s life creates both new data and new uses for this data. In 2014, wearable devices will help marketers deepen their understanding of the consumer’s shopping process, product consumption, and offline social interaction — and with that, they’ll find countless opportunities to add utility to their products and to the lives of their audiences.
- Jason Kodish, SVP/North America Strategy & Analytics Lead, DigitasLBi
Check out more predictions from DigitasLBi leaders worldwide here.
Image via Digital Bus
