\n<\/p>\n
The end of the year: It\u2019s a time for reflection, planning, and\u2026presents. Lots of presents. Preferably, presents we actually like<\/em>, and will use, instead of stashing them in our regifting closets for the next holiday season (what, you don\u2019t have a regifting closet?)<\/p>\n So, in the spirit of the season, we wanted to give our readers a little something that should fire on all those aforementioned cylinders. Not only is our gift to you useful for both reflection and planning, but it\u2019s also categorically impossible to store in a closet, because it\u2019s digital. We know, so on brand!<\/p>\n Now, without further ado, please accept this humble offering of 22 think pieces, explainers, and news stories that helped capture the past year in digital marketing. The best part? Regifting this list is not only allowed\u2014it\u2019s encouraged!<\/p>\n 2022 was a landmark year for consumer privacy. We saw a slew of new regulations introduced and passed across the globe, increasingly strident data privacy crackdowns from regulators, and yet another delay of third-party cookie deprecation in Google\u2019s Chrome browser. Here\u2019s what to read to make sense of it all:<\/p>\n Advertisers may soon have to confront a new challenge in the realm of\u00a0data privacy: \u201cdigital sovereignty.\u201d But with the global digital economy built on a foundation of free-flowing data, could this concept break the digital supply chain and inhibit a seamless customer experience?\u00a0<\/p>\n Privacy regulations are tightening, third-party cookies are (eventually?) going away, aaaaaand it appears the advertising industry is largely underprepared. At least, that\u2019s what new research from the\u00a0IAB\u2019s State of Data 2022 (Part II)\u00a0reveals. Here, Adweek breaks down the biggest takeaways from the report, as well as what marketers can do to close the \u201cgulf in preparedness.\u201d<\/p>\n Data privacy\u00a0regulators\u00a0are not playing around: In September alone, Zillow, Expedia, Chewy.com, and Lowe\u2019s were all fined for alleged data privacy breaches. In response, marketers are reevaluating their data practices and partnerships with renewed urgency\u2014but that\u2019s easier said than done, thanks to collection and sharing processes that are many-layered and difficult to audit.\u00a0<\/p>\n Privacy changes pushed by Apple and Google have made first-party data all the more important. But one side effect of this shift is that it tilts the playing field towards large digital ecosystems like Google, TikTok, Amazon, and Pinterest, who can easily gather information on their millions of users.<\/p>\n The American Data Protection and Privacy Act, which has been sent to the U.S. House of Representatives for a vote, would pre-empt state data privacy regulation if passed.\u00a0Here are three big things advertisers should know about this piece of legislation.<\/p>\n After\u00a0Google\u2019s announcement\u00a0that it will delay third-party cookie deprecation to 2024, ad execs put the \u201cpro\u201d in procrastination. It\u2019s understandable given everything on marketers\u2019 plates right now, but the trend doesn\u2019t speak well to our industry\u2019s future-proofing abilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n While traditional advertising formats like linear TV, radio, and newspaper have historically been on the decline, new data shows marketers predicting that traditional ad spend will increase in the years ahead thanks to benefits like breaking through digital clutter, tapping into consumer trust, and avoiding third-party cookies.<\/p>\n This past year was so dramatic for Big Tech, it could have been a soap opera. Here are a few of the biggest events and ideas to come out of a year in which lawmakers took some significant swings in service of keeping tech giants like Facebook and Google in check:<\/p>\n Meta\u2019s housing advertising system has been under fire for discriminating against Facebook users based on demographics like race and gender. In June, they reached a settlement with the Justice Department that will compel the social giant to address algorithmic discrimination\u2014a landmark decision for\u00a0digital advertising regulation.\u00a0<\/p>\n European lawmakers approved two new pieces of sweeping digital regulation, paving the way for clashes between regulators and the world\u2019s biggest tech companies over how those rules should be applied. \u00a0<\/p>\n In the past decade, newspaper ad revenue has dropped by an astonishing 50% as advertisers shifted their dollars to the internet. This Q&A explores some of the novel proposals aimed at propping up the news industry\u2014including a \u201cjournalism tax\u201d on digital ads.<\/p>\n Social media\u2019s golden child continues to dazzle users and advertisers alike. Here\u2019s what you should know:<\/p>\n TikTok\u00a0has changed the way people search, buy, watch, communicate, and advertise. Not too bad for a platform once written off as a \u201csilly video-dance fad!\u201d So, how did it grow so dominant, and what are the consequences of that dominance? This in-depth piece touches on all the details.\u00a0<\/p>\n In this op-ed, George Sharpe argues that as TikTok comes closer to surpassing Facebook\u2019s viewership, viewers will come to prefer \u201cnon-perfect video\u201d over produced, polished media. The era of the Instagram filter is coming to an end, and advertisers would do well to consider the cultural shift towards TikTok-style, \u201creal-life\u201d video.<\/p>\n It makes sense that the\u00a0DTC MVP\u00a0would encroach upon the territory of social platforms like YouTube and Instagram\u2026but Google, too?! According to the New York Times, many\u00a0Gen Z\u00a0TikTokers are now using TikTok as their primary search engine\u2014and that may be\u00a0kind\u00a0<\/em>of a red flag, given that one-fifth of the platform\u2019s search results have been found to contain misinformation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n What a year for connected TV advertising and digital video as a whole! These were a few of the biggest pieces of news in the streaming arena:<\/p>\n All eyes were on Netflix when their ad-supported tier launched on November 3. Though their COO and chief product officer told investors there has been \u201cvery strong\u201d demand for ad inventory leading up to the launch, only time will tell if the platform will be able to give advertisers what they want.<\/p>\n Hut, hut\u2026hike! In an effort to expand their streaming audiences, Apple, Amazon, and Google are competing for the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket (with Apple the current frontrunner). See what Big Tech\u2019s dominance of live sports could mean for media companies, leagues, and streamers.\u00a0<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t the first time monthly streaming exceeded broadcast in terms of viewership, but it\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>the first time that streaming also surpassed cable. The downturn in both sports programming and new content on traditional television likely contributed to the shift. Just another day in the rise of OTT and\u00a0CTV\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n The economy. Climate change. In-game advertising. Misinformation. Overwhelmed yet? Never fear\u2014these articles will get you up to speed on all the other big topics 2022 threw our way:<\/p>\n As brands continue to grapple with\u00a0inflation and economic uncertainty,\u00a0more and more of them are having to raise prices just to stay afloat. How are marketers approaching inflation-borne challenges? Here, the New York Times explores the \u201cnew playbook\u201d for weathering the storm.\u00a0<\/p>\n Plenty of marketers have worked with their company and\/or client on campaigns focused on\u00a0climate change, but what about the impact of the ads themselves? Between greenwashing, funding climate misinformation, and the media creation process itself, advertising-related emissions have reportedly increased by 11% since 2019\u2014leading some agency leaders to call this moment a \u201cwake-up call.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n As hype around advertising in the\u00a0metaverse\u00a0builds, many brands seem to have\u00a0forgotten\u00a0all about gaming\u2014a channel that\u2019s intimately connected to the metaverse, but largely untapped (plus, it actually, you know\u2026exists?) This deep dive covers all the bases on how to tap into gaming\u2019s vast and diverse audience.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the wake of Elon Musk\u2019s Twitter takeover\u2014and the subsequent blue checkmark debacle in which several brands were impersonated on Twitter\u2014online misinformation\u00a0is top of mind for digital advertisers. New research, outlined here, shows how consumers feel about mis- and disinformation, and how they think brands should address it.\u00a0<\/p>\n As advertisers pull money out of Twitter due to aforementioned\u00a0brand safety\u00a0concerns, where exactly are those dollars going? While some marketers are reallocating spend to social platforms like Snapchat and\u00a0TikTok, others are saving them for a rainy day (we are in an\u00a0economic downturn,\u00a0after all). What\u2019s certain? Media organizations are making their plays for advertisers\u2019 newly available cash.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Association of National Advertisers (ANA)\u2019s effort to audit the US programmatic advertising industry has been rife with complications and controversy (and understandably so, given the nature of\u00a0programmatic advertising\u00a0itself). Here, peek behind the curtain into the ANA\u2019s attempt to give marketers some transparency into their programmatic budgets.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2014<\/p>\n Did you like our present? Did you?!<\/em> If you didn\u2019t, we\u2019ll be so sad we might just go hide in our regifting closet\u2026<\/p>\n If you did, we\u2019ve got another to share: Each month, our team of digital marketers rounds up the all the best news, tips, and insights from around the adtech industry, and delivers them straight to marketers\u2019 inboxes. Want in on the fun? Sign up for Basis Scout today!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nPrivacy, Please!<\/h2>\n
The Era of Borderless Data is Ending<\/h3>\n
Takeaways for Marketers From the IAB\u2019s State of Data Report<\/h3>\n
CMOs Are on Their Toes and Not Conducting \u2018Business as Usual\u2019 as Data Privacy Regulators Get More Assertive\u00a0\u00a0<\/h3>\n
You\u2019re Still Being Tracked on the Internet, Just in a Different Way<\/h3>\n
Three Things to Know About the American Data Protection and Privacy Act\u00a0<\/h3>\n
\u2018Lack of Commercial Incentive\u2019: Google\u2019s Third-Party Cookie Delay is a Flip to Procrastinators<\/h3>\n
Why Marketers Are Returning to Traditional Advertising<\/h3>\n
Law and Order: BTU (Big Tech Unit)<\/h2>\n
Meta Agrees to Alter Ad Technology in Settlement with U.S.<\/h3>\n
EU Lawmakers Approve Sweeping Digital Regulations<\/h3>\n
Can a National News \u201cUtility\u201d\u2014Funded by Taxing Big Tech\u2014Help Save Local News?<\/h3>\n
The TikTokification of\u2026Everything<\/h2>\n
How TikTok Ate the Internet\u00a0\u00a0<\/h3>\n
As TikTok Takes Over From Facebook, \u2018Non-Perfect\u2019 Advertising is Here<\/h3>\n
Gen Z is Increasingly Using TikTok Videos Instead of Google Search, But 1 in 5 of Them Contain Misinformation, a New Study Says<\/h3>\n
Stream On<\/h2>\n
As Netflix Dives into Advertising, Media Buyers Watch the Clock\u00a0<\/h3>\n
Why Big Tech Is Making a Big Play for Live Sports<\/h3>\n
Streaming Claims Largest Piece of TV Viewing Pie in July<\/h3>\n
Annnd\u2026 Everything Else<\/h2>\n
Our Prices Are Going Up, But We\u2019re in This Together<\/h3>\n
As Global Emissions Keep Rising, Advertisers Grapple with the Industry\u2019s Role at UN Climate Talks<\/h3>\n
Your In-Game Advertising Cheat Codes: Everything Marketers Need to Know to Play<\/h3>\n
Misinformation is Thriving\u2014and What Brands Should Do About It<\/h3>\n
Where Exactly Are Twitter\u2019s Lost Ad Dollars Going?<\/h3>\n
Inside the Tensions Countering Advertisers\u2019 Latest Quest for Programmatic Transparency<\/h3>\n