Not every trend gets the headline it deserves. Our analysts spotted three undervalued ad mediums (in games, shoppable media, and ride-share companies), each holding an opportunity for advertisers to diversify their spend, explore formats, and identify untapped audiences. Here are the ad forecast trends you need to know.

US viewers will spend 10 more minutes each day with digital video this year, per our June 2023 forecast, and streaming platforms will compete for their share of that viewership and its accompanying ad revenues. From Amazon’s ascent in streaming advertising to the growing use of AI in content and potential consolidation among streaming platforms, here are three predictions for video in 2024.

On today's podcast episode, our contestants compete in The Great Behind the Numbers Take Off, 2024 tech trends edition, where they will try and cook up the most interesting predictions for the coming year. They'll discuss how on-device AI features will boost flagging PC and smartphone sales, what happens when GenAI makes content less trustworthy, and how immersive media will take a qualitative leap. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Jacob Bourne, Gadjo Sevilla, and Yory Wurmser.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss what happens now that the actors strike is over, how the Super Bowl is fundamentally changing, whether live sports need new shorter content, what's next for WhatsApp, why people immigrate to the US, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our forecasting writer Ethan Cramer-Flood, forecasting analyst Zach Goldner, and director of forecasting Oscar Orozco.

Earlier this month, a story in The Verge set fire to the SEO world, describing the stereotypes of SEO professionals as “that of a hustler: a content goblin willing to eschew rules, morals, and good taste in exchange for eyeballs and mountains of cash. A nihilist in it for the thrills, a prankster gleeful about getting away with something.”

On today's podcast episode, we discuss some personalization tips and tricks that emerged from research, examples of personalization done well, and how AI is accelerating it. "In Other News," we talk about why an email exhibition at a design museum made headlines and a plan to charge X (formerly Twitter) users to post content. Tune in to the discussion with our director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman and Malinda Sandman, senior director of global acquisition marketing at Intuit Mailchimp.

To retain existing customer relationships and forge new ones, Adobe’s 2023 Digital Trends: Retail in Focus report found that crafting impactful, hyperpersonal shopping experiences is essential. Learn how retail leaders can meet consumers’ rising expectations across all channels for a more efficient year’s end.

National Cinema Day draws 8.5 million attendees: Younger demographics show renewed interest in in-theater experiences.

Instagram has become an essential platform for ecommerce businesses’ social media strategies. Brands that leverage the social platform’s Instagram Story ads can boost their online presence, broaden their audience, and enhance engagement to achieve success.

Concerns surrounding privacy are high, which could weigh on marketers’ efforts to target consumers. US adults under 30 are slightly less concerned (66%) than older consumers about the use of personal information for targeted digital ads, according to the Out of Home Advertising Association of America and Morning Consult.

TikTok is launching ad product Pulse Premiere, an extension of Pulse that allows publishers like Condé Nast, Buzzfeed, and NBC to make money off of ads featured by all of their own content, according to the Wall Street Journal. The new product is part of TikTok’s efforts to make the platform more appealing to publishers, even as risks of a US ban loom.

“[AI] really does raise the bar in terms of what people are going to expect from you,” our analyst Jeremy Goldman said on our recent “ChatGPT and Generative AI” panel. As AI matures, it will become more specialized, automating mundane tasks, ushering in personalization, and changing the way consumers, retailers, and marketers use the internet. Here are eight predictions for that not-so-distant future.

HBO and Discovery+ going to the “Max”: Combined streaming service kicking off in May will bring new business leads for advertisers. Read online.

Social media ad spend declined in the second half of 2022, and the category will make up a shrinking slice of total digital ad spend in the US this year, according to our forecast. But brands still need a social media presence. That’s where AI and ChatGPT can help. Here are six uses for generative AI in organic social campaigns.

This year, time spent with digital video will officially surpass time spent with TV among US adults. Video advertising is also moving toward digital as advertisers set their sights on connected TV and social video, and even take advantage of retail media networks’ video opportunity. Whether you’re pitching a video ad campaign or reevaluating a tight ad budget, here are five charts that will help with the how, what, where, when, and why of video advertising. Whether you’re pitching a video ad campaign or reevaluating a tight ad budget, here are five charts that will help with the how, what, where, when, and why of video advertising.

As marketing budgets bend under the pressure of economic uncertainty, SEO is increasingly important for its low costs and compounding returns. Some 58% of marketers plan to use AI for content and SEO by the end of this year, compared to 10% who currently do, according to BrightEdge data.

In a video- and image-centric world, SEO is still the key to allocating marketing budgets, and Google has already done much of the research for you. “Every time Google shows a search result, they are displaying billions of dollars in R&D to understand the customer,” said Wil Reynolds, VP of Innovation at Seer Interactive, speaking at the Paid Search Association annual conference. “Billions that I don't have.”

US consumers spent $2.17 billion on social media apps in 2022, nearly half a billion more than the year before, according to data.ai. Worldwide, social app spend hit $7.28 billion last year, up from $6.32 billion in 2021.

Meta’s vow of efficiency marks renewed optimism: Meta shares rally after analysts upgrade stock due to Meta’s new, leaner direction. Meanwhile, the company continues to spend billions on an unrealized metaverse pivot.

Despite inflation continuing into the new year, we believe that influencer marketing will endure. Why? Trust may have a little something to do with it.