Ad spend retraction due to COVID-19 worse than expected: WARC

The "most hostile" year in four decades for advertising has hit traditional media particularly hard while online video advertising's growth is stronger than previously forecast.

By Aaron Baar • Dec. 1, 2020

PepsiCo's in-house technology informs radical shift to digital

An internal measurement system called ROI Engine has guided the marketer's recent decisions to place bigger bets on streaming and e-commerce, while saving the organization millions.

By Peter Adams • Nov. 30, 2020

Explore the Trendline➔

What you need to know about data in marketing

The pressure on marketers is only intensifying to master data and analytics capabilities that can strengthen personalization and foster loyalty.

By Marketing Dive staff

Optimize your data strategy for customer loyalty

To put yourself in the best position to boost CLV, it’s important to examine the data foundation supporting your marketing efforts. Here are three ways to bolster your data strategy and keep customers happy.

By Alice Stratton • Nov. 30, 2020

Winners and losers of Black Friday 2020

Online sales, curbside and store pickup all surged as a sales event defined by the pandemic took shape.

By Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 28, 2020

CPG marketers roll the dice on new experiments amid data upheaval

In a quest to get closer to customers through data, brands are asserting their independence from walled gardens by recentering on owned experiences.

By Peter Adams • Nov. 23, 2020

Holiday ads nod to COVID-19, but depicting gatherings also works, study finds

An Ace Metrix analysis found that showing safety measures like wearing masks doesn't register a significant difference in an ad's reception.

By Peter Adams • Nov. 19, 2020

YouGov: Top brands reflect consumers' pandemic priorities

With consumers spending more time at home, the rankings reflect an emphasis on cooking, cleaning, home improvement, e-commerce and streaming.

By Aaron Baar • Nov. 19, 2020

ANA: Gender diversity in ad industry improves, while ethnic inclusion stalls

The percentage of female CMOs grew to 52% this year from 47% last year, while ethnic diversity changed little despite renewed calls for inclusion.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 18, 2020

57% of US consumers would forego marketing personalization to protect their data

Findings from The Conference Board show marketers walk a fine privacy line, as 20% of global consumers have ditched a brand over its data practices.

By Peter Adams • Nov. 17, 2020

Is the DTC brand aesthetic bad for business?

Sans serif font and bright colored backgrounds are hallmarks of digitally native brands, but it may not matter if they all look the same.

By Cara Salpini • Nov. 16, 2020

OOH ads could sway shoppers on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, study says

Among people planning to spend at least half their holiday budget on the two key shopping days, 58% report interest in ads featuring QR codes, NFC tags or text messages.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • Nov. 16, 2020

Dentsu reinforces data's role in video creative

An expanded partnership with VidMob helps brands leverage computer vision and machine learning to optimize creative in real time across channels.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 11, 2020

40% of marketers now use shoppable video ads, underpinning 'storeless' economy

The IAB found "shoppable media" will be the fastest-growing advertising category as people buy more from livestreams and other interactive ad formats.

By Robert Williams • Nov. 10, 2020

Amazon ads have 20% higher ROI than average brand marketing, study finds

Nearly half of paid display ads on the platform impact sales elsewhere, further demonstrating the new omnichannel reality of shopping and advertising.

By Chris Kelly • Nov. 10, 2020

Heineken merges creative, data and brand experiences in agency model shakeup

Executives said Le Pub, a bespoke agency powered by Epsilon and Publicis Sapient, was inspired by operational shifts made in response to COVID-19.

By Aaron Baar • Nov. 6, 2020

Non-political ads find common ground among Democrats and Republicans, analysis finds

Despite a divided landscape, adherents of both parties favor many of the same non-political ads, including a few purpose-driven themes.

By Aaron Baar • Nov. 3, 2020

Forrester: AI, automation will shrink ad agencies in 2021

Agencies could look different in the future, boasting more entrepreneurialism and creative support not just for CMOs but the broader c-suite as well.

By Robert Williams • Oct. 28, 2020

Forrester: Marketing will shift to localized, loyalty-based efforts in 2021

Greater difficulties in tracking consumers and a weaker economy may drive strategic changes, including brands trimming budgets for sports sponsorships.

By Robert Williams • Oct. 27, 2020

Growth rate for ad spending on e-commerce sites will max out in 2020, eMarketer finds

The pandemic has accelerated the pace of brands placing ads on e-commerce sites, with the next wave of players expected to include eBay and Etsy.

By Aaron Baar • Oct. 23, 2020

Unilever plans spending jump on 'manpower-intensive' digital marketing

CEO Alan Jope highlighted the effectiveness of digital campaigns in Q3, including steps to ensure its ads were seen in brand-safe environments.

By Robert Williams • Oct. 23, 2020

Amazon, Spotify, Netflix see big gains in brand value during pandemic, study finds

A quickly changing landscape has created opportunities for some brands — especially those with a digital focus — to gain value.

By Robert Williams • Oct. 21, 2020

Nielsen adds ratings for YouTube CTV ads as digital viewing surges

The move can help Nielsen bring together viewer data that may be siloed across platforms, so advertisers can better measure campaign effectiveness.

By Aaron Baar • Oct. 16, 2020

CMOs must decipher pandemic-related consumer behavior changes, Dentsu survey finds

While more than half of chief marketers have been affected by the health crisis, there are stark differences between how prepared and unprepared executives are handling the challenges.

By Chris Kelly • Oct. 15, 2020

Wells Fargo cracked empowerment formula as advertising heated up in Q3, analysis finds

Typically a quiet period, Q3 was busier this year as many brands played catch-up after keeping their powder dry in the early days of the pandemic.

By Tatiana Walk-Morris • Oct. 8, 2020

Social listening enabled Kroger's speedy pandemic marketing response

Focusing on the channel helped America's largest grocery chain develop a three-pronged playbook that's kept it reactive to continued volatility, executives said during Advertising Week.

By Peter Adams • Oct. 7, 2020