We are entering the era of mass personalisation, tempered by strict data protection in the opinion of Guy Phillipson writing for The Drum about predictions for digital advertising in 2018
1. In the next decade Oligopoly instead of Duopoly
Google and Facebook supremacy in digital advertising that peaked last year might be challenged by Amazon this year. Latest research shows that 70% of consumers searched Amazon in their consumer journey. It is mainly down to Amazon’s Demand Side Platform (DSP) which powers advanced targeting using rich consumer behaviour data.
2. The end of May will be a pivotal moment for internet data protection
Friday 25 May 2018 will be a date etched in the history of digital advertising. On that day the General Data Protection Review (GDPR) legislation becomes law. That means we have to gain specific consent to use personal data including cookies, IP addresses etc
3. The possibility of the future legislation over harmful and illegal content
last year was characterised by brand safety exposures., from Jihadi websites to fake news and even child abuse. It is no wonder market professionals cite brand safety as their number one concern
4. Voice search increases it’s usage on the Internet
Voice search has already reached 20% of all queries. We can expect further increase due to Google, Siri, Alexa and Cortana virtual assistants who are getting smarter and smarter. That will have a definite impact on the new SEO strategies to optimise future consumer voice queries. For the brands who do it well it will offer their consumers a better consumer experience and give them an advantage in the market.
5. Chatbots to take over sales and service front line
Businesses successfully implementing chatbots to help answer consumer questions in real time show great efficiency in customer service and sales conversion. As it turns out, customers love the convenience of chatting to a virtual assistant who, when the questions become too difficult , connect the customer to a real human being. The customers expect excellent, fast service in 2018 and we are going to witness the emergence of excellent virtual helpers.
6. Mass personalisation
We have more and more data about target audiences. Not just time and place, but consumers likes and dislikes, search, social and purchasing history etc. It is that “big data” we kept talking about five years ago that can now be analysed in nanoseconds to customise our communication and get closer to the consumer.
