New York, NY – January 22, 2020 – Privacy concerns, the impending death of the cookie and the explosion in streaming TV are at the top of marketers’ agendas this year, according to a new report from Integral Ad Science (IAS), the global market leader in digital ad verification. The company’s annual Industry Pulse Report homes in on the issues and challenges that US digital media professionals are focused on for 2020. Based on a survey of over 400 industry insiders, IAS found that hot topics such as Connected TV, data privacy, contextual targeting, and media quality will be key priorities this year. 

89% of respondents said that advancements in Connected TV (CTV) and Over-The-Top (OTT) video will accelerate the shift of media consumption and ad spending from linear TV to digital outlets. Alongside mega-events for advertisers like the Summer Olympics and the 2020 elections, CTV will play a major role in reaching younger audiences at scale. Already, direct-to-consumer brands are investing heavily in CTV ads, thanks to the efficiency and precise targeting it offers in contrast to traditional linear TV advertising.

And as expanding data privacy legislation such as CCPA and GDPR gives private individuals more control over their personal data, 83% said that contextual targeting will gain favor in the advertising industry. 44% of respondents cited data privacy legislation as a challenge they’re facing this year. Just this month, Google reaffirmed its commitment to privacy by announcing an end-date for support of third-party cookies in its Chrome web browser. As more data regulations are implemented and the cookie is phased out, marketers will need to reassess their approach to reaching consumers and leverage contextual targeting. 

83% of advertising professionals said that verification solutions — such as brand safety, fraud mitigation, and viewability — will become more important to improving overall media quality in 2020. While in 2019, over half of respondents (57%) assigned a higher priority to brand safety, this year, 60% of respondents said that brand suitability will be equally or more important than brand safety in 2020. Brand suitability considers the core values, messaging, and goals of a brand, taking a more nuanced and customized approach to create meaningful connections rather than simply avoiding negative associations.

“With the cookie crumbling and the expansion of the streaming wars, the industry is seeing a shift in their priorities as they build out their 2020 plans,” said Tony Marlow, Chief Marketing Officer at IAS. “Our Industry Pulse Report shows that consumer priorities are directly impacting advertisers’ campaign planning in the coming year.”

“Consolidation and alignment of digital performance and verification metrics across channels will be of utmost importance when navigating potential media partners and solutions,” said an advertising agency media planner who was surveyed.

The IAS Industry Pulse report provides insight into the emerging trends, technologies, opportunities, and priorities that will drive change in digital advertising in 2020. The results are based on a sample of over 400 US participants comprised of digital advertising professionals representing brands, agencies, publishers, and ad tech vendors collected over a four-week period in November of 2019.