Instead of asking industry leaders for their industry predictions for 2013, we asked them what we should expect not to see in the next 12 months even if these things get lots of attention. The bottom line: Don’t bet against TV, and check your enthusiasm for native advertising and the dawn of the mobile era.
James Kiernan, svp and managing director, Zenith Media
Marketers will not be walking away from TV as it continues to deliver scale and drive our clients’ business. They will, however, continue to apply a fluid approach to video across all screens inclusive of TV, video and mobile video. Marketers will come to the realization that the concept of “native” is not new and that brands have been aligning with content dating back to when P&G invented the soap opera. It is a big buzzword, but it’s helped to get brands to recognize the need to develop custom, real-time content that fully capitalizes on a variety of unique environments and across multiple platforms. Native should not be about deceiving the consumer but rather delivering content and experiences which provide value in the form of information, utility or entertainment that is consistent with the brand’s equity. They will take advantage of new technologies that enable them to be more nimble as it relates to creating and curating content in real time. If the term “native” gets brands’ attention and opens up the conversation, then I’m on board.
Darren Herman, chief digital media officer, The Media Kitchen
I do not believe that we’ll see considerable dollars in “native advertising” even though it’s all the rage today. I say this because it generally does not scale, and that’s the beauty of native advertising in that it’s platform specific and generally at least a bit custom. What I specifically like here, however, is that publishers recognize that units and programs fit into the user experience of their publishing platforms perform much better than commoditized standard ad units, and the agency world will start adopting tools and frameworks to measure the performance of these campaigns. It’s important to note that agencies have been buying site-direct programs for almost two decades, so technically “native advertising” isn’t really anything new. Also, I do not believe that Facebook will ultimately find its dominant advertising strategy in 2013. The reason for this is, I believe, the headwinds in government will not allow it to fully embrace its targeting platform to the extent it could. I believe that the government and privacy advocacy groups will be Facebook’s worst enemy and Google will draft behind all of this.
Andrew Bailey, chairman, Proximity North America
There’s a lot of chatter about mobile, and every year for 10 years has been the year of mobile, but you can’t argue with the breakneck speed of consumer penetration. That is happening, and there’s no doubt mobile will play an increasingly important role, but what not to expect is a huge influx of advertising dollars into the channel because the real estate is just not there. We as an industry simply haven’t figured it out yet, and as much as we’ll continue to see tremendous consumer traction, I think we won’t see the dollars there next year. It’s almost as if the industry has been caught off guard by mobile.
David Berkowitz, vp, emerging media, 360i
Storytelling will stop being used as a way to cover for ideas with no substance: Storytelling was one of the big buzzwords of 2012. Agency folks love it, as what could make us feel more creative than telling stories? But we can’t forget that we have jobs to do. One of those jobs is to tell the stories the brands already created and make those stories relevant for new consumers. Another is to achieve clients’ mutually agreed-upon objectives, and a story is only great if it makes progress toward those objectives. We will keep telling stories, as great stories spread, but we can’t get so gaga over storytelling that we forget about the work we need to do each day.
More in Marketing
Why the New York Times is forging connections with gamers as it diversifies its audience
The New York Times is not becoming a gaming company. But as it continues to diversify its editorial offerings for the digital era, the Times has embraced puzzle gamers as one of its core captive audiences, and it is taking ample advantage of its advantageous positioning in the space in 2024.
Why B2B marketers are advertising more like consumer brands to break through a crowded marketplace
Today’s marketing landscape is more fragmented than ever. Like consumer brands, business brands are looking to stand out in a crowded and competitive marketplace, making marketing tactics like streaming ads, influencers and humorous spots more appealing.
As draft puts WNBA in spotlight, the NBA is speeding up ballplayers’ transition to creators
The NBA’s star athletes are its greatest marketing asset.