Editor's Note: This report has been updated. It was revised to include viewpoints from a more diverse yet still representative group of industry executives. We regret not including these additional voices when we first released the report. While we stand by the report’s findings and comments made by its original contributors, we believe that a wider set of viewpoints adds valuable additional perspectives and strengthens the report’s analysis and findings.

Executive Summary

Amid a tumultuous political landscape, marketers in the UK continue to face uncertainty over Brexit and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Still, digital ad spend—particularly digital video spending—continues to rise.

How will continued consumer privacy concerns affect the ad industry?

GDPR will finally hit the ad tech sector in the pocket this year. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has given fair warning, and 2020 will see sizable fines meted out to those firms falling foul of the regulation. The importance of first-party data will thus gain greater prominence, particularly outside the walled gardens of Facebook and Google.

Will Brexit uncertainties have any measurable effects this year?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson set a hard date of January 31 for Brexit to be enacted. And now there’s a tortuous road ahead regarding trade deals and other fine print, so Brexit’s effects will continue to be felt through 2020. Certain industries will feel the pinch, which will have a demonstrable effect on ad spend. Digital shopping options, meanwhile, will put pressure on physical retailers, leading to further retail transformation.

What’s the outlook for digital video in 2020?

A common complaint has been that there wasn’t enough digital video inventory in the UK. That’s changing, as it becomes clear that digital video is where it’s at. From a consumer perspective, though, the digital video landscape is becoming more crowded than ever, with more services demanding ever more subscriptions. In 2020, continuing economic uncertainty will force many consumers to question just how many subscriptions they can justify.

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This report covers some of the main trends that digital marketers in the UK should track in 2020.