Prediction 1 – Winners and Losers
Will our data always be F**ked? What could f**k our data in the future? It’s time for us to make our own predictions of the future – the big things we see happening months or even years from now.
The winners and losers of all this change will not be who you think or even who was intended to benefit from them.
Facebook, Google, and other large tech publishers of information will continue squeezing agencies out of the market by developing AI, leveraging data, and improving their direct-to-market capabilities of ad-purchasing tools.
The ultimate victors of further legislating and restricting the storage, movement, and use of customer data will be larger companies and owners of the aforementioned ‘walled gardens’, now ready for harvesting: the companies collecting information for decades and providing purportedly free services to use their platforms. Not the consumer and not the businesses paying for advertising to service their customers. Until some form of technology can give direct consumers ownership over their data to sell as needed, big tech platforms will win more from this change than consumers.
Small and big businesses will be forced to pay more to activate their customer data. They will need to do this directly through big platforms, paying more for the privilege, improving their own marketing stacks, and increasing their capability. The companies providing this technology, typically SaaS companies and big tech, will profit in this increasingly competitive environment.
‘Ongoing data privacy disruptions and consumers’ accelerated adoption of digital channels are upending traditional ad placements. Digital marketing leaders should prepare by exploring how leading brands adapt ad efforts within the walled gardens of YouTube, Amazon, and Facebook.’
-Gartner
Nearly four out of five US digital advertising dollars are spent with walled garden publishers like Google, Meta, Amazon, and Apple. Legislation put in place to protect consumers and shift the balance of power will do this successfully, although occasionally rapping the knuckles of those testing the new legislation. Ultimately these companies stand the most to gain.
It’s not all doom and gloom, as it’s hoped that after more data and wider opportunities become available through smart technology and the Internet of Things, we will begin to see greater marketing opportunities open up again.
