Buyers and the cookie-less world in 2021
Dive Brief:
- Ad buyers expect a 6% overall increase in 2021 budgets compared to estimated actual spend in 2020, but have concerns about the end of third-party cookies, the loss of identifiers and the need for first-party data and cross-platform measurement, per the IAB's 2021 Marketplace Outlook Survey that was shared with Marketing Dive. However, 41% of buyers don't know if their stakeholders understand the ramifications of third-party cookies' demise and the changes to identifiers, while more than a third believe they need more first-party data.
- Buyers also plan to shift strategies to better meet consumers as behaviors have changed due to "continuing societal, health and market challenges." Half plan to increase ad tactics to promote e-commerce options and drive e-commerce sales, 47% plan to increase creative testing, 41% plan to increase testing for incremental reach, and 41% plan to shift away from media that presents upsetting, controversial and inappropriate content from users.
- While cause-related and mission-based advertising increased in the first half of the year, performance marketing notched upward in Q3 and is expected to be a focus in the new year, with 64% of buyers planning to ramp up its use in 2021. Meanwhile, diversity and inclusion is a priority, with half of buyers looking to do more business with minority-owned media companies, though many (51%) don't know if their companies have a list of such businesses that they can utilize.