Around this time last year, many were hoping for the light at the end of the pandemic tinged tunnel. After 2020 shuttered office doors, in-store shopping and in-person events, 2021 promised vaccinations that could end the pandemic and return things to normal.
However, no one could have predicted the realities that 2021 brought with it, including everything from Apple and Google’s privacy crackdown to the surging preference for shopping online over in-store.
As another year of the pandemic sunsets, Digiday takes a look at the predictions versus realities of 2021:

More in Marketing
Digiday+ Research: The marketers’ 2026 guide to creator marketing, including Duolingo, Ulta and YouTube
While Instagram, TikTok and YouTube remain dominant social platforms for influencer partnerships, creators are increasingly being used across other media channels, including retail media, CTV and display ads.
How 3 brands are using TikTok Shop to expand abroad
As these brands venture into the U.K., Europe and Japan, they say that the key to a global approach to TikTok Shop involves tailored marketing campaigns.
How beauty brands are popping up around World Cup festivities
Beauty and skin care in particular have taken a bigger spotlight this year, exemplifying just how closely beauty and sports have become intertwined.