It’s hard to remember a news cycle that wasn’t engulfed with constant COVID-19 updates. With the pandemic starting during Q1 and continuing to take shape during Q2, we have had the chance to reflect on the past two quarters and analyze trends we’re seeing in the adtech space. Trends are moving quickly and adapting to meet the needs of consumers but key things remain as we move forward.
Remaining Transparent
The majority of brands have done a great job of taking a step back to assess the situation by halting ad campaigns to ensure sensitivity. Digital advertisers were quick to deliver a strong help message to loyal brand advocates. While many companies shifted business to deliver physical products such as hand sanitizer and face masks, Kite Hill client VDX.tv launched a global digital video PSA initiative to inform the public about COVID-19 and help prevent the spread of misinformation.
The Value of Data
Data has always played a key role in advertising but now more than ever, marketing leaders are looking to data to help spot trends, provide clarity on future predictions and continue to meet consumers’ needs during the ongoing crisis. Kite Hill client Unacast created a dashboard to capture social distancing behavior by using location data which was recognized by The Wall Street Journal.
Kite Hill clients Merkle and Goodway Group also launched their own dashboards to help the industry analyze COVID-19’s market impact and localized programmatic data in order to better inform future strategies.
The Shift to All Things Digital
Working from home presented companies the opportunity to test their remote capabilities and conduct business virtually. Kite Hill client Jellyfish recently explained that working from home has made individuals more comfortable with being on video calls as opposed to before the pandemic when many people preferred a traditional phone call to conduct business pitches or brainstorms.
The beginning of the quarter also presented the constant news of large digital events being canceled indefinitely like the Facebook Global Marketing Summit while others like the Adobe Summit moved to an online-only event. The timeline of in-person events remains unclear but we are seeing more clients opt for virtual events. At Kite Hill, we have pivoted all of our Women in Media Meetup events to online and are shifting our annual Communications Week events to consist of virtual programming.
While many places around the world begin to lift stay at home orders and reopen economies, we predict brands will continue to focus on connecting with consumers at a more intimate level, analyze consumer data in new ways and pivot to an online world that’s more accessible.
- Kyle Murray, Senior Account Executive