Welcome to Scout! Each week, our team tracks down the best digital marketing articles, POVs, and reports—so you don’t have to. Here’s what to read from the week of 9/30/22 – 10/6/22 to stay ahead of the curve:

Hold on to your hats, folks: for the first time ever, the US advertising industry is on track to surpass $300 billion in total annual ad spending. A key driver of this growth? The trifecta of this year’s Winter Olympics, FIFA World Cup, and midterm elections.

Gen Zers are a force to be reckoned with—especially as they continue to enter the workforce and exercise their purchasing power—and advertisers are learning that the “glued to their phones” stereotype is…incomplete. As brands seek connection via different channels, many are turning to the channel of the moment: CTV.

Speaking of CTV: according to Basis Technologies’ 2022 Digital Media Insights in Political Marketing survey, growth in the channel is considered the most prominent development for digital campaigns. Read on to learn more about the trends and factors shaping this year’s political advertising landscape.

As marketers react to consumers’ new holiday shopping habits, political campaigns are gobbling up pre-election ad inventory—and potentially driving up prices. Find out what roles are being played by the economy, connected TV, and this cycle’s “more vituperative political environment.” (No judgment if you had to look that one up—we did too!)

Although Google delayed its third-party cookie cut-off, the adtech industry is going through a drastic evolution as it explores new and effective ways to address consumers in an increasingly privacy-compliant world. This piece breaks down 10 of the most prominent alternative ID solutions.

— 

Want a monthly digest of all the best Scout content delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for the Basis Scout newsletter!