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The Trade Desk, the technology company that specialises in digital advertising, has identified key trends in the AdTech space. Here is a summary of the top advertising and AdTech trends and developments in the UAE in 2024
TREND #1 IDENTITY
As media consumption becomes increasingly varied and fragmented, finding the right advertising position at any given moment is impossible without applying data and technology. AI-powered digital advertising will be the future tool of the advertising industry, enabling marketeers to run effective campaigns, for example for Ramadan and during key retail and travel periods for UAE consumers throughout the year.
Understanding where the audience is on the open internet and which identity solution is best to use will be crucial for brands when third-party cookies disappear. The cookieless future will not be a place with one winning solution, but rather a patchwork of different solutions created to do what cookies never did: namely benefit advertisers and support the consumer experience.
Markeeters must learn to combine the different solutions in the market to get a meaningful picture of consumer behavior and engagement across all channels.
TREND #2 RETAIL DATA
In a post-cookie environment, retail data will be a crucial piece of the omnichannel puzzle as it provides a more holistic view, connecting shopping to the broader digital marketing journey. Retailer websites are a great advertising destination for brands, however, activating that data to reach the right audiences in the entire open internet – including audio, Connected TV and even Digital Out-of-home – brings very powerful insights for targeting and measuring success. The decision by major retailers to disclose their data and information on shopper behavior is a key leap for the advertising industry.
Retailers have powerful information about shoppers - from their online browsing behaviors to what might have been a cart and, most importantly, the items that make it to the final transaction. The ability for advertisers to extract insights from this data will radically change digital marketing. By allowing brands to optimize and attribute touch points in the pursuit of the most important KPI of all: sales.
TREND #3 THE RISE OF CONNECTED TV (CTV)
According to a recent survey by global advertising technology leader The Trade Desk in partnership with market research company YouGov, UAE residents spend nine hours daily with digital media on various channels and devices outside of social media. Of that time spent on the open internet, Connected TV (CTV) accounts for 17 percent.
Switching viewing habits to CTV content is a rising consumer trend in the UAE, resulting from the growth of streaming platforms and the availability of diverse content.
Winning hearts and minds to guide purchasing behavior is increasingly shifting from traditional advertising channels to digital, because consumers today spend a lot of time on connected devices, including smartphones, connected TV or computers, and are exposed to digital out-of-home screens. 67 percent of digital time is in fact spent outside of social media.
Understanding the customer journey and addressing the right people with the right frequency across these channels is key for efficient messaging by marketeers.
