HOW DO YOU SEE THE MARKET CHANGING IN 2020?
The market is evolving faster and faster and it is likely that we could soon enter a totally cookieless era. It will in fact be impossible to follow the navigation of users online and trace their history. Some browsers, such as Safari, have already started to adapt to these new guidelines, but they are not yet definitive. Probably 70-80 per cent of cookies that are now tracked to do retargeting campaigns, or at least to know what the user’s browsing behaviour and history are, will no longer be able to be used. Obviously Teads is already ready on this front: we have studied alternative solutions that have the same effectiveness and efficiency. This is one of the aspects that will somehow revolutionise our sector.
WHAT WILL MOST DISRUPT THE INDUSTRY IN THE COMING YEAR?
In the market there is a lot of talk about ‘walled gardens’ in reference to platforms equipped with a closed system, which is limiting because exercising real control is very complicated when it is not possible to insert a third-party verifier. There are certainly advantages, but also problems, such as those related to brand safety or the way user data is used. Where there is user-generated content it is also very difficult to control the quality of the content itself. As an alternative to walled gardens, there are open gardens – the open web, which allows you to integrate many different technologies. However, also in this case there are negative aspects, because very often you have to make different technologies talk to each other. Therefore, there can be a loss of data and – even in this case – you risk going to sites with not exactly reliable content.
In parallel with these concepts, we could define as a technological platform of ‘the curated garden’. That is, a well-kept garden that has barriers and therefore has constraints because it is linked to premium publishers, but with a solid proprietary technological structure that guarantees the security of speaking a single language in a safe environment and giving the possibility to control every activity.
WHAT WORK FROM LAST YEAR ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
We were born as a top player in online video advertising, providing an alternative solution to the classic pre-roll. 2019 was marked by important agreements with brands and publishers, and product releases that gave an important steering to the positioning and innovation mission of Teads. Our technological platform and our offer grew a lot last year. Our suite of formats has expanded, offering not only video but also display and performance formats, capable of guiding the brand from memorability through the construction of a one-to-one relationship with the user through interactivity.
WHAT ONE DIGITAL HABIT SHOULD WE ALL ADOPT?
Verify the quality of the environment within which advertising messages are delivered, to protect brand values and consumer experience.
HOW DO YOU SEE ONLINE AND OFFLINE INTERACTING IN THE MEDIA SPHERE?
The media customer journey has become complex and fragmented. The behaviour of millennials, especially, is evolving fluidly as the digital world changes. It is no longer possible to think of a media strategy built on separate channels only. CMOs need to cross strategies and manage budgets to chase consumers along paths between online (where they spend most of their time) and offline in order to get quality ROI. A holistic view is the most natural way to develop effective strategies.