2020 Data Predictions for Publishers

It’s no real surprise that spend on data grew $3 billion in the last year alone. For publishers, capturing, organizing, activating, and analyzing data helps them develop deeper relationships with their audiences and create new opportunities for advertisers. For marketers, audience acquisition and engagement are paramount. But as investments in data ramp up, so do the challenges. Broad regulatory changes shook the industry in 2019, and there is widespread concern around the future of data targeting in 2020. As we look to the new year, here are some key trends to consider for your business success. Privacy and Identity Walk into a Bar Respecting consumer consent will continue to be the third rail for brands and publishers through 2020. What to watch out for, however, is how these conversations begin to fuse with those around identity. As technologists know, for consumers to “own” control over how their data is used, you need some mechanism in place to consistently persist the choices they elect across every instance of their digital identity. The connective tissue that ID mapping provides is critical to any conversation about privacy. As more states follow California’s example with CCPA, brands and publishers will need to find, develop, and partner with others to put in place those mechanisms to address both privacy and identity. No Publisher (or Marketer) Is an Island The most used word in 2020 will be “partnership.” Brands and publishers are starting to come around to the notion that no one can afford to be an island and expect to compete. Publishers will begin to see each other as collaborators, whose connected and combined data sets can generate a greater return for their clients and themselves. The same will be true of brands, who will have a growing openness to not just one partner but a range of partners who can collaborate and connect easily. One real example of this partnership-palooza will be around the notion of a 360-view of the consumer. In order to achieve that holistic view, you need to work with others who can round out what you know about your customers and fill in the gaps of what you don't know due to business limitations or consumer relationships. Bespoke Data Solutions Yield Competitive Advantage After not getting what they want from the duopoly, brands and publishers are going to seek more hospitable partners for their data needs. If everyone relies on the same prepackaged data and the same modeling, then presumably no one has a competitive advantage. This is where tailor-made data solutions will be a trend to watch. Unique data sets combined in specific ways based on business needs will yield not only a market advantage but smarter data-driven decision making, planning, activation, and analysis. In Summary 2020 will be the Year of the Partnership. Unexpected alliances will become de rigueur as publishers begin to see the upside of joining forces with one another and data solution providers over a “lonely island” approach. Talk to colleagues now about which partners may add the greatest value so you can hit the ground running in 2020.

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2020 Data Predictions for Publishers

Adam Solomon

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Adam Solomon