Let’s see what this week’s numbers say about online advertising, shall we?
- For the first time, personal decision drivers have overtaken professional ones in importance among B2B buyers, according to the 2024 dentsu B2B Superpowers Index. The study, which reports on an analysis of more than 25,000 B2B brand experiences globally since 2021, reveals that factors such as personal safety and value alignment now outweigh traditional professional considerations including pricing and product functionality. Looking at the overall influence of various factors on B2B buying, the study finds that professional ones (“good for business”) – such as the product/service being competitively priced and the availability of variety and choice – sum to 48% of the overall influence of decision drivers. That’s down from 59% last year, 61% in 2022, and 65% in 2021. Instead, personal decision drivers – including that the product/service aligns with the buyer’s personal values/ethics or teaches them new skills/knowledge – have grown to be the major influence on buying decisions. Specifically, those drivers that are “good for people” represent 27% of the decision weighting, while those that are “good for society” are an additional 25%. These are up from 21% and 20%, respectively, last year.
- The media ecosystem relies on good stories. So perhaps it’s no surprise that communication skills and storytelling are the most valued skills among media leaders around the world, according to research from Kantar. In surveying 1,110 professionals who are directly involved in data, research, and insight within the media industry, Kantar found 79% rating these communication and storytelling skills as “very important.” Marketers are well acquainted with the power of storytelling, and communications professionals have also earmarked them as a growing emphasis. Beyond storytelling, media leaders also acknowledge the importance of data analysis and interpretation, which 73% consider highly important. As the media landscape changes, respondents are seeing the value of connecting complex techniques to practical applications: almost two-thirds (65%) highlight the ability to explain complex techniques simply as crucial. This aligns with a broader industry trend of making data and technology accessible and useful for diverse teams. Data visualization and the ability to connect various data sources are also prioritized, with 60% and 59% of leaders respectively considering these skills vital.
- Apple is once again the top brand for customer loyalty in the US, retaining its dominance for the third consecutive year. So reveals Brand Keys in its latest annual brand loyalty report, which ranked customer engagement and loyalty to 1,465 brands across 142 categories. Apple took the top spot again for its Smartphone brand, with Amazon in second for the third consecutive year for Online Retail, after previously leading the list for 5 years in a row. Apple is also the most valuable brand in the world, according to recent research, passing the $1 trillion brand value for the first time this year in a new milestone. Rounding out the top five in brand loyalty this year are: TikTok, up 2 spots to #3, for Social Networking; Domino’s, down a spot to #4, for Pizza; and Netflix, down a spot to #5, for Video Streaming. These brands were among the most likely to meet customer expectations for their respective categories.
- Data privacy laws are expected to reshape digital advertising, with 88% of advertisers foreseeing a moderate (37%) to notable (33%) or significant (18%) impact on their ability to deliver personalized advertising, according to a report from Proximic by Comscore. Audience targeting is thought to be most affected, with 61% of respondents highlighting it the component of digital advertising with the largest anticipated impact, ahead of measurement & validation (23%), creative personalization (9%) and planning & forecasting (6%). This aligns with the fact that 6 in 10 advertisers have already adjusted their targeting strategies to some extent to comply with privacy regulations. Still, the current impact of data privacy laws remains somewhat limited. Only around 1 in 5 (19%) of respondents said they’ve significantly changed their approach to targeting as a result, with a plurality (41%) instead saying that they’ve made some adjustments but that it has been a minimal impact overall. Even fewer (15%) report significantly changing their approach to digital advertising strategy overall, with far more reporting either minimal impact (41%) or no noticeable impact yet (35%).