Talento. Resultados. Innovación.

2018 has been all about AI and its progression into mainstream. The impact of AI in shaping daily living; in the form of smart home devices like Alexa and Google Home, is just the surface layer of what we see developing in the digital advertising arena. With so many advertisers now beginning to understand that data is key, the success of AI in delivering true value, in my view, will require the right combination of human, data and market intelligence.   Brands willing to invest in talent, data, and technology will gain significant advantage in 2019.
Over the last 12 months, European agencies and brands have continued to assess the effectiveness of their digital measurement method and have begun embracing the migration from traditional KPI’s such as CTR’s to outcome driven KPI’s powered by AI. Eighty two percent of Senior Digital Marketers across Europe are looking to increase their investment in outcome-driven media over then next two years, according to our recent Outcome Media survey (see below for full results). This ‘outcome-driven media’ focus is all about planning and optimizing campaigns against KPIs – often tailor-made – that align to a client’s ultimate marketing and business objectives
If I were to jump on the 2019 prediction bandwagon, I predict it will be all about innovation, specifically in media channels that have yet to fully embrace digital as an enhanced route to consumers.
The IAB estimates radio and digital audio advertising to triple in the next year.   With large and growing audiences and a mobile focused environment, digital audio offers advertisers a unique opportunity to reach a consumer when screens are not in use (commuting, working, exercising etc) with an impactful personalised message.

 “It's a great media format because literally you get inside someone's head”  - Terence Kawaja, Founder & CEO, Luma Partners.

Video will continue to present even more opportunities. Short video messages between six and 15 seconds are playing an increasingly important role in marketing, especially when advertisers leverage omnichannel strategies. They help increase brand lift, recall, and intent to purchase. In a study by Facebook, six-second ads delivered an 11% increase in estimated ad recall, a 12% increase in return on ad spend, and a 271% increase in video completion rate over 30-second ads.
Influencer marketing is also ripe for liftoff...over 60% of respondents in a recent survey have taken a blog reviews or social media posts, viewed on a device, into consideration while shopping in-store. If brands can ask themselves what outcome they are hoping to obtain, they will find a range of innovative solutions available for the taking.

“A year from now, you’ll wish you had started today”- Karen Lamb (author)

2019 will be about innovation, automation and AI powered technology, resulting in better customer experiences.  Those who look to stay ahead of the curve and embrace the opportunities will yield the best outcomes. Change is the only constant and 2019 has some big changes ahead.