Mobile ad spending surged 26% in 2020 as pandemic fueled demand

App Annie indicates financial pressures sent marketers on the hunt for cheaper ad inventory like interstitials during a banner year for engagement.

By Peter Adams • Jan. 14, 2021

Ads on Facebook may not be that important for brands after all, Forrester data shows

An analyst with the research firm studied what happened when companies pulled their advertising from the social platform during a boycott last year.

By Ben Unglesbee • Jan. 13, 2021

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AI and Marketing Data

Top stories that underscore the key role of artificial intelligence, generative and otherwise, for many CMOs looking to better manage troves of data. 

By Marketing Dive staff

88% of marketers say collecting first-party data is a 2021 priority, study says

About half of respondents have amplified digital experiences and strategies to collect more first-party data, per Merkle's 2021 Customer Engagement Report.

By Chris Kelly • Jan. 12, 2021

T-Mobile, Snickers, Capital One top rankings of 'stand-out' 2020 ads

Next month's Super Bowl is likely to bring more lighthearted, nostalgic and inspiring spots as brands look to engage pandemic-weary consumers, Ace Metrix predicts.

By Robert Williams • Jan. 11, 2021

Retailers see 32% lift in conversions for email ads around holidays, study finds

Digital ad spend by retailers climbed 22% in October and November from a year earlier as part of efforts to reach homebound shoppers.

By Robert Williams • Jan. 6, 2021

Pandemic-fueled omnichannel shopping surge here to stay: Nielsen

Buying across both store and online channels increased 50% in 2020 and doesn't show signs of slowing, the data firm noted.

By Rosie Bradbury • Jan. 4, 2021

How consumer expectations for brand experiences, personalization are changing, per Forrester

While the most empowered consumers expect to become more digitally engaged with brands, they require multiple types of experiences for a richer, holistic emotional journey.

By Chris Kelly • Dec. 23, 2020

Walmart boosts new advertisers on media network by 40%

A self-serve platform that launched in January is now responsible for half of the retail chain's sponsored products ads revenue.

By Robert Williams • Dec. 22, 2020

Study: Influencer impact up 57% amid shift to Instagram Stories, TikTok

While the number of Instagram #ad posts declined this year, sponsored Stories on the platform and TikTok activity both rose, Klear found.

By Chris Kelly • Dec. 17, 2020

OpenX, Neustar work to improve audience tracking without cookies, device IDs

OpenX is supporting Unified ID 2.0, an open source tracking technology backed by The Trade Desk, while Neustar's Fabrick ID merges audience data across stakeholders. 

By Robert Williams • Dec. 17, 2020

Cookieless tracking, need for first-party data top 2021 concerns for ad buyers, IAB says

While budgets are expected to increase, concerns about data privacy, ad tracking and cross-platform measurement remain.

By Chris Kelly • Dec. 16, 2020

Why 'shared value' will always beat out shareholder value

In a new phase of capitalism, companies will adjust their marketing techniques to provide both economic and societal value, writes Steven van Belleghem.

By Steven van Belleghem • Dec. 14, 2020

Short video ads impact all stages of purchase funnel, study says

Six-second ads can be as effective as 15-second ones in helping brands raise awareness and lift brand preference, search intent and purchase intent.

By Robert Williams • Dec. 14, 2020

App Annie: Business apps exploded in 2020, driving 25% lift in time spent on mobile

As mobile usage surged this year, the biggest winners were TikTok and remote collaboration apps that became de facto tools of people working from home.

By Chris Kelly • Dec. 10, 2020

49% of podcast fans approve of ads, but volume concerns grow

More than one-third of respondents think podcasts carry too many ads, though a new report found no meaningful change in ad-skipping behavior.

By Peter Adams • Dec. 10, 2020

Caution, connection and comfort: A 2020 holiday trifecta

As brands engage with consumers this year, it's imperative they find useful ways to foster connection, alleviate stress and enhance experiences, writes Connelly Partners' Hillary Williams.

By Hillary Williams • Dec. 8, 2020

PS5, Xbox rollouts drive 80% jump in ad spending for video games

The video game industry spent $45 million on ads during the first two weeks of November to build excitement for the holiday shopping season.

By Robert Williams • Dec. 7, 2020

Heartfelt, wholesome emotions dominate 2020 holiday ads, study finds

Brands are ramping up familiar tones in their seasonal spots as they look to connect emotionally with consumers at the end of a tough year.

By Aaron Baar • Dec. 4, 2020

Walgreens debuts retail media network, with revamped loyalty program front and center

The pharmacy chain follows chief rival CVS in pushing an ad engine that looks to seize on growing marketer demand for first-party data to support digital ads.

By Peter Adams • Dec. 3, 2020

Digital ads account for majority of media spending for first time, GroupM says

Google, Facebook and Amazon will be the biggest beneficiaries of digital ad growth, per GroupM's revised estimates for U.S. ad expenditures.

By Robert Williams • Dec. 3, 2020

6 months later: Activist marketing takeaways from Nike, Ben & Jerry's calls for racial justice

Analyzing brand messages supporting Black Lives Matter, Gartner found terms like White supremacy alienated consumers — but an ad's reception doesn't tell the full story.

By Peter Adams • Dec. 2, 2020

Ad spend retraction due to COVID-19 worse than expected: WARC

The "most hostile" year in four decades for advertising has hit traditional media particularly hard while online video advertising's growth is stronger than previously forecast.

By Aaron Baar • Dec. 1, 2020

PepsiCo's in-house technology informs radical shift to digital

An internal measurement system called ROI Engine has guided the marketer's recent decisions to place bigger bets on streaming and e-commerce, while saving the organization millions.

By Peter Adams • Nov. 30, 2020

Optimize your data strategy for customer loyalty

To put yourself in the best position to boost CLV, it’s important to examine the data foundation supporting your marketing efforts. Here are three ways to bolster your data strategy and keep customers happy.

By Alice Stratton • Nov. 30, 2020

Winners and losers of Black Friday 2020

Online sales, curbside and store pickup all surged as a sales event defined by the pandemic took shape.

By Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 28, 2020