30-second summary:
- Despite the overall doom and gloom, some industries actually skyrocketed in 2020.
- 2021 is supposed to dot some i’s and cross some t’s in the field of transparency and first-party data solutions.
- Live streaming related to gaming and sports is a huge advertising-friendly zone that is expected to expand further in 2021.
- Header bidding solutions for OTT and CTV, new attribution, and monetization features are the advertising technologies that will gather momentum in 2021.
- AI and ML predictive algorithms will further revolutionize personalization in the advertising world.
Surreal, eye-opening, melancholic, thought-provoking… 2020 has been like no other year in this century so far, as those wearing t-shirts with an “All I want for Christmas is 2021” logo will eagerly confirm. And though there’s a lot to be done before all pieces of the 2021 puzzle can be put together, the upcoming year has many hopes to fulfill. No pressure, 2021, but you’d better be good! On this cautiously positive note, let’s briefly revise 2020 based on the insights from the ‘OTT Executive Summit‘ before we can warmly welcome the upcoming year. Read on for foresight on the future of advertising.
Looking back at 2020
The reality of 2020 dictated new rules, values, people’s habits, and a new outlook on what “normal” was. Unsurprisingly, despite the overall doom and gloom, some industries, which fit in this transformed layout really well, actually skyrocketed. They say every cloud has its silver lining, and that was true even for 2020.
Take for instance CTV, whose ad spend increased by 19%[1] this year, according to IAB, primarily due to the pandemic and mass lockdowns.
“TV forever has been a top funnel media, a media that you used to drive awareness but not to