Hey there! I’m John Cobb , the CEO and co-founder of VuePlanner . I’m excited to introduce our latest VuePoints Newsletter! Inside, you’ll find articles on Ad Tech trends, podcasts, marketing trends, and much more. It’s packed with valuable insights to keep you informed. Enjoy!
Ad Market Braces for M&A Surge
According to this Digiday article, the advertising market is poised for a surge in mergers and acquisitions, driven by economic recovery and dealmakers’ readiness to capitalize on current conditions. Recent acquisitions, such as Publicis Groupe buying Spinnaker SCA and Skydance Media’s pursuit of Paramount, indicate a trend toward consolidation in ad tech and media sectors. High interest rates and economic uncertainty have previously stalled M&A activities, but a shift towards proactive dealmaking is anticipated in the latter half of the year.
https://digiday.com/marketing/ad-market-braces-for-ma-surge/
Is Ad Tech Dying?
This Next in Media article from Michael Shields discusses the decline of the open web and its implications for ad tech. Key issues include the rise of “made for advertising” sites, ad fraud, intrusive ads, and the impending end of cookies, which undermine traditional online targeting methods. Additionally, the shift in advertising dollars to walled gardens like Meta , Google , and TikTok , coupled with AI-driven conversational search, raises questions about the future need for current ad tech. The industry may see a transformation, with ad tech becoming more integrated into infrastructure rather than standalone solutions, and the market consolidating around fewer, larger players.
VC Says “Chaos” Coming for Startups, Ads, and Online Business as Generative AI Eats Web
Generative AI is expected to bring significant disruption to the online economy, impacting startups, ads, and business models built on referred traffic and online advertising. This Big Technology article discusses how as AI changes how users find and interact with information, traditional online sectors like travel and e-commerce may face substantial shifts, and current ad tech infrastructures might become obsolete. While this presents challenges, it also opens opportunities for new business models and more direct consumer relationships, although these new models have yet to be fully developed.
https://www.bigtechnology.com/p/vc-says-chaos-coming-for-startups
Advertising Trends to Watch for 2024
This video fromEMARKETER features Insider Intelligence vice president of content Paul Verna reveals the seven can’t-miss advertising trends for 2024 and shares predictions on what’s next for hot topics like the cookieless reality (it’s time!), generative AI, streaming media and cable bundles, walled gardens, and more. He’s joined by Brian Mandelbaum , CEO and Co-Founder at Attain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVT_JKD-04g
This week’s Post of the Week spotlight goes toJonathan Springer , Creative Director of Campaigns and Digital at REI . His post announces that REI has a new brand platform! A new tag! A new call-to-action. The company is launching ‘Opt Outside’ as the underpinning of everything we bring out to the world, every single day! Check his full post here.
This week I have really been enjoying the Big Technology Podcast hosted by Ben Smith and Nayeema Raza. The episode I have linked for you features Joe Marchese, the general & build partner at Human Ventures . The three join Big Technology Podcast for a VC + Journalist conversation on whether the news industry can survive its dealings with generative AI tech providers, like OpenAI, after several publications inked multi-million dollar content deals. Give it a listen!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3dcepfPP5JUvcDvDt8QPVh
David Berkowitz is now the Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Athena Solutions .