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 9/9/22 – 9/15/22 to stay ahead of the curve:

To say something, or not to say something? That is the question. Or, at least, it has been for social media managers following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. What can brands learn from the mass marketing mourning of the past few days? Here, The Drum does a deep dive.

Metaverse, meet online advertising: gaming and entertainment platform Roblox announced it will be introducing “immersive” 3D ads into its virtual worlds beginning in 2023. With users spending less time on the platform and revenue slowing year-over-year—combined with the overwhelming majority of Roblox users being under the age of 18—will budget-sensitive advertisers be willing to roll the virtual dice? Or will the experimental allure of this new inventory prove too intriguing to pass up? 

Over the past 15 years, programmatic advertising has exploded across the digital media ecosystem, now accounting for 90.2% of all US digital display ad spend. Where to from here? Check out this piece on the trends fueling programmatic’s continued evolution.

Confused about the economy? You aren’t alone. For advertisers trying to understand consumer sentiment amidst conflicting indicators, this graphic maps how conditions are faring for jobs, income, consumers, and production. (And for those looking for a deeper dive on advertising through uncertainty, join us for our webinar later this month.)

It’s no secret that e-commerce and retail media have made their mark on media buying and selling in recent years. And advertising experts now suggest that considering the two as one giant industry—commerce media—could be beneficial for stakeholders across the entire marketing ecosystem.

Privacy regulations are tightening, third-party cookies are (eventually?) going away, aaaaaand it appears the advertising industry is largely underprepared. At least, that’s what new research from the IAB’s State of Data 2022 (Part II) reveals. Here, Adweek breaks down the biggest takeaways from the report, as well as what marketers can do to close the “gulf in preparedness.”

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