Last week, we took a look back at 2013 to discuss the biggest trends in digital marketing over the past year. Today, as we brave the cold, it's time to look ahead to 2014. Below are my guesses as to what the year holds in digital marketing:
1. The new Google Shopping release heralds in a new era of product listing ads - Although Google product listing ads and ad extensions have been available for several years, the release of the new Google Shopping platform, which DigitalGroundUp was so lucky to get a sneak peak of during SES, will dramatically change the way product ads are done. Previously, product ads were very cumbersome to execute. They required the existence of a Google Merchant Center account, which in turn required the uploading of the merchant's product feeds (or an API connection) every 30 days. Customization was challenging, and it was hard to breakdown and see the performance of specific products or groups of products. In the new Google Shopping interface however, which should be rolled out to the public in Q2, campaign management, set-up, and reporting all become significantly easier. Once Google Shopping is something that can be easily navigated, its already proven effectiveness should lead to more spending in Product Listing Ads. Expect them to be a staple for any eCommerce campaign by this time next year.
2. Content discovery continues to do well and proliferate - Content discovery is where users "stumble" across the content on a site without necessarily having to click on an ad. I still consider content discovery engines to be hidden gems and a best kept secret when it comes to digital marketing, but by next year, I expect the word to be out, and my secret to be a best practice. Sites like Taboola, Outbrain, and Stumbleupon flourished in 2013. Now, as Outbrain, Taboola, and Stumbleupon release and modify their self serve platforms, I expect the market to get more crowded -- both with platforms offering the service and with advertisers utilizing it.
3. Video, video, and more video - Starbucks just made me watch a video before I could connect to their wireless network. When the video did not properly load on one browser, I was not permitted to connect. Many of us have already noticed videos auto-playing on a variety of websites or being triggered by rollover ads. Expect these behaviors to become more common in 2014, as ads increasingly utilize more different and varied types of media. A simple text ad won't necessarily garner attention anymore, as rich media begins to comprise a larger percentage of the online ad inventory.
4. Multi-channel attribution - Multi-channel attribution is and has been the holy grail of marketing for years. How do we know which channels are working? How do we know which channels are working together? Multi-channel attribution seeks to answer these crucial questions. 2013 saw Google attempt to roll out some answers of its own, including "The Full Value of Mobile" calculator that came out at the end of March and several of the changes that came in the new version of Google Analytics. Expect more companies to throw their hats in the ring.
What else do you think 2014 will bring the marketing world?
