More 2015 Predictions: How the Ad Tech Landscape Will Transform in 2015

Here's a bold statement:  I predict that there will be many more predictions for 2015 with regards to mobile advertising, cross device tracking & social shopping.  There, I said it!  Shocking, I know.

I enjoyed this article on how the ad tech landscape will transform in 2015, written by James Collier - PerformanceIN.  The section, "Brands Will Move Beyond Cookies," was particularly interesting to me.  Collier writes:

There's still a big education process waiting to happen and this will begin during 2015.  Brands will increase their use of identification management with data segmentation over the next 12 months to simplify the process of understanding who consumers are and how to interact with them at a device level.  Data will be properly managed and used effectively as a means to identify consumers, and this transition will apply most significantly to the mobile space.  In 2015 - through use of trading desks and advanced identification tools - brands will become better educated and more able to collect, share, and interpret consumer data from any device and environment.

I'll go one further & say there is still a big education process with regards to integration of campaigns across channels, as well as devices.  Connecting the marketing activity between channels (paid search, content, SEO & display) is next-generation action.  Marin Software released results from a new survey of over 300 digital marketers across the US and UK.  Here's what they found:

Marin Software argues that segregating campaigns across channels and devices is a throwback to a bygone era, and that modern-day marketing requires these to be running in tandem with each other.  

The “old model” The survey found issues with integration flooding across to the most basic of levels, as a mere 24% of marketers were found to have integrated their digital campaigns with offline activity, such as TV and billboard advertising. 

While coherent and consistent messaging across campaigns may solve part of the issue, notes from the study also highlighted a need for a greater transparency of data across disciplines, with 50% of the group citing this as a key challenge.  

Matt Ackley, chief marketing officer and senior vice president of product at Marin Software, believes marketers that can make good use of data to power their campaigns are more likely to gain greater ROI.   “Advertisers that are not integrating their campaigns across channels and devices are leaving money on the table,” he commented.  “The old model of each discipline operating within its own silo is counter to how people shop and consume media.” 

A brand's growing need to address the need to collect & interpret consumer data from any device & environment, as well as to integrate campaigns across channels is a major topic I'll be watching for in 2015.