Outlook 2022: Adweek's Predictions for the Industry

Over the last 22 months of unprecedented change across media, marketing and tech, we’ve learned to work in new ways and to tackle the inherent challenges of doing so as they arise—always with an eye toward the future, as uncertain as it may still be. Forecasting the year ahead is no small task, but it’s one Adweek’s editors are more than up to. From consolidation in the TV industry to the value of agencies in 2022 and the unintended consequences of media’s pivot to privacy, our editors grapple with tough questions about what that future will look like at the outset of yet another year that promises to be unlike any other. Convergent TV outlook: With Warner Bros. Discovery—the result of AT&T's WarnerMedia merging with Discovery—looming over the entertainment landscape, industry watchers are already homing in on the next big deal that will again reshape the media space. Click here to read more from Kelsey Sutton. Programmatic outlook: Almost every programmatic player has cast a line in the CTV ocean, hoping to reel in a piece of the $65 billion in linear media spend that many view as up for grabs in the new streaming reality. Their hooks carry the same bait that provoked earlier waves of programmatic adoption: identity, automation, perfect measurement. Click here to read more from Zach Rodgers. Agencies outlook: What’s the purpose of an ad agency? It’s a bit of a loaded question for agencies and industry observers. Agencies are so much already, and in 2022, they will continue to expand their services to creatively solve their clients’ business needs through marketing. Click here to read more from agencies editor Jameson Fleming. Brand Marketing outlook: In 2022, the challenges of communicating a brand’s value, identity and purpose will fully come to light as the shocks of the past two years settle into a “new normal.” Click here to read more from brand marketing editor David Kaplan. Creativity outlook: As the pandemic lingers into its third year and the public understanding of concepts like cryptocurrencies and NFTs continues to grow, creative marketers who pride themselves on innovation are confronting a topic that’s grown from a novelty to a mandate: What will metaverse marketing look like in 2022, and how can brands start getting involved before they’re officially late to the party? Click here to read more from creative and inclusion editor Shannon Miller. Publishers and Platforms outlook: While alternative identifiers’ viability for targeting audiences is on the docket in 2022, the consequences of a global push for privacy will emerge. Among those consequences are further consolidation, ratcheting tensions around who owns publisher contextual data and the further growth of already domineering tech platforms. Click here to read more from media editor Lucinda Southern.

Outlook

Adweek's 2022 Outlook for Media, Marketing and Tech

Our editors boldly predict where an industry facing another year of uncertainty is headed

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