Accelerating Trust in the Real

As we approach the IAB ALM, I wanted to share some thoughts on the evolving landscape of marketing and advertising. These aren't exactly predictions, more like observations rooted in years of industry experience. Call it "Mark, my words," (“MMW”) if you will.

MMW: CREATIVE IS THE NEW COOKIE: In an age where we are deprecating the cookie and privacy legislation in the EU and China looms large, creative in advertising and marketing will once again become the thread that connects consumers to brands. Recent studies have emphatically proven that new generations are brand savvy. A brand matters, and the cesspool of advertising that fills our feeds will only get better as targeting becomes secondary to great creative.

MMW: RETAIL EMBRACES REALITY: Real retail is going to make a comeback over the next decade. While the pandemic reinforced the shift to DTC, consumers are growing tired of virtual. Consumers want to see, touch and feel products before spending their hard-earned dollars. The confluence of the three “Is” inflation, isolation has led to indignation. Generations want to experience products before they buy.

MMW: AI IS THE ACCELERATOR OF TRUST: Trust will be rooted in real.?Unless we get to that tipping point where you put the goggles on, and you completely forget that you are a human, you will not trust what’s in front of your eyes unless you are seeing it for yourself. This is not “The Matrix” (yet).? I worked with a developer building out a virtual reality experience years ago. As we were walking through the Oculus down at World Trade, he blinked his eyes and touched his face. I asked him what he was doing, and he said I just wanted to make sure I was in reality. AI is accelerating distrust and by doing so is creating an environment where new generations will only trust what they can see, feel and experience.

Despite all the tech, advertising and AI chatter, I genuinely believe we're on the brink of a positive transformation. Buckle up, because MMW, it's going to be good for consumers, brands, marketers, and advertisers.

See you at the IAB ALM. Let's chat about these thoughts and maybe grab a cup of coffee. Mark my words.?