We predict that by 2030 the current way of reporting ad spend will be dated and not fit for purpose.
We predict the following to also contribute to this change:
1) Data dominance
With the always evolving digital landscape, brands and advertisers will look to increase spend in data and AdTech to ensure they will be at the forefront of analytics, attribution and evaluation. This squarely sits within the context of the foundations of the advertising industry continuing to be challenged with issues, for example, around data protection, sharing and transparency, as well as the death of the cookie.
Thus by 2030, the spend in AdTech and data will continue to increase, but as part of digital budget investment.
2) Move towards platforms
The majority of media that is now consumed by users is platform-based. From long form content on Netflix, to podcasts on Spotify, to photos shared of ‘Instagram moments’ - all of this is done within walled gardens. However, there isn't yet a singular perfect formula for platform buying.
Currently, buys are based on what the platforms tell us is the right way of doing so (e.g., Google and affinity audiences), but we expect that there will be a huge turning point by 2030 on methodologies and how this is reported.
In addition, with consumer behaviour shifting to platforms and services based on subscription (even in fashion with Rent The Runway), the need for what we deem as ‘media’ and ‘media spend’ becomes obsolete. This will be true with both the more traditional platforms and emerging platforms looking to new sources of income vs. media spend.
3) New Categories
On the other side of the data and technology coin is the expansion of what comprises media into entirely new categories.
New categories such as experiential have already established themselves as an extension of OOH and command a large proportion of ad spend. Although these are not currently tracked, they are media by its definition. For example, more and more clients are putting their media budgets towards making over a derelict building, repurposing a car park etc., and these expensive one-off projects are PR-able moments that generate a lot of media coverage, social and non-traditional in the ways they are amplified. These events can have a significant impact and give an identity to a brand whose core values are personified in these moments.
