As cookies decline in relevance and companies build out their first-party data approaches, organizations need clear data collection, maintenance, sharing, and targeting strategies. “Disparate data is going to lead into a fragmented view of customers, and that will make a broken experience,” said Moitree Rahman, senior director of first-party strategy at Eli Lilly & Company, speaking at our EMARKETER Summit.

Out-of-home (OOH) advertising is offering more opportunities for advertisers to take advantage of context, measurement, and experiential innovations to drive conversions. “Try it more. Use it not just for that one stunt,” said Anna Bager, president and CEO at the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA). Instead of focusing on one tentpole stunt, marketers should be using multiple OOH formats to supplement digital campaigns, Bager said.

CMOs are using AI tools to transform marketing by enhancing creativity, optimizing campaigns, and streamlining operations. AI will shape marketing's future, but strategic implementation, data privacy, and bias remain hurdles for widespread adoption.

We spoke with four CMOs on their approaches to data management, communication, and fostering a culture of innovation to maximize marketing effectiveness.

Google may have reversed its decision to deprecate third-party cookies, but providing individual consumers with the ability to opt-out is still likely to decrease signal loss, according to our analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf. In addition, increased legislation and consumer concerns around privacy will require marketers to invest in privacy-safe ways to collect and activate data.

Nearly two-thirds (66%) of US data and ad professionals have adopted data clean rooms as a result of privacy legislation and/or signal loss, according to February 2024 data from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and BWG Strategy. Since data is at the core of retail media success, enabling brands to target and measure campaigns more accurately, it’s not surprising that data clean rooms have come into play.

“Cookies are going to be the exception rather than the rule,” analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf said on a recent edition of our “Behind the Numbers” podcast. “Advertisers and publishers are going to need cookieless strategies going forward.”

On today's podcast episode, we discuss standout data points from this year’s back-to-school season, creators' role in this shopping period, and what back-to-school is trying to tell us about this year's upcoming holidays. Listen to the conversation with our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Sarah Marzano and Zak Stambor.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss how Google might present its third-party cookie opt-in to Chrome users, what cookie and cookieless traffic will look like in the future, and what the next move for marketers should be. Tune in to the discussion with host Marcus Johnson and analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf.

The role of the CMO has expanded far beyond traditional marketing expectations. Despite high expectations and many challenges, CMOs can find new opportunities to lead successful teams and drive business growth. Four CMOs share their perspectives for this report.

US ad spending is projected to grow 6.8% next year, surpassing $400 billion, according to EMARKETER’s forecast. Despite robust ad spending growth, AI tools, advancements in attribution, and cautious consumer behavior will add complexity for the latter half of 2024.

The digital advertising industry has begun sharing feedback on Google’s Privacy Sandbox as individual stakeholders conclude their tests. While many believe the current Privacy Sandbox needs tweaks before it can function as an alternative to cookies, that’s not surprising, according to Andrew Pascoe, vice president, data science engineering at NextRoll.

Social media is crucial for B2B marketing success. However, B2B marketers’ ages may be affecting their campaigns’ effectiveness. Younger B2B marketers are leading the way in leveraging social media and data-driven strategies.

Financial institutions are vying with nonbanks for customers in a sluggish lending market. Updating their marketing, lending, and product strategies can help attract and keep customers, slowing the outflow to nonbank lenders.

Industry leaders are making progress in AI adoption, but it’s early yet. We delve into where bankers want to take the technology next.

To be effective communicators, marketers must convey data in easy-to-digest ways. Whether they’re advocating for more resources, delivering a performance report, or influencing strategic decisions, marketers should integrate data at every step, presented in a cohesive way. Here are six steps to tell data stories effectively.

Even in a scramble for cookieless identity solutions, collecting consumer data should never feel sneaky. Consumers are aware of the need for their data in providing better, more tailored experiences. Nearly three in four consumers understand that sharing their data enables websites and apps to serve personalized ads, according to a January 2024 report by the IAB. The same report found that 70% of consumers are willing to share their personal data to support advertising. To work with them instead of against, here are four right ways to take a consumer-centric approach to data collection.

“[Generative AI] is an aggregated view of all we know,” said Tess Kornfield, vice president of product and data science at ThredUP, at our Outlook and Strategies for 2024’s Second Half EMARKETER Summit. Issues with generative AI aren’t always a result of the tech itself. Often, AI exposes existing issues which are exacerbated by the tech’s scale and efficiency. Here are three areas marketers should watch when working with generative AI.