If marketers have learned anything over the past two years, it’s how to adapt to survive in a world that feels as if it’s moving a mile a minute. On top of a pandemic, brands are dealing with global supply chain issues, sweeping shifts in the privacy and data landscapes, and a flight towards new advertising mediums. 

 No one could have anticipated the events of the past few years, but now that the world is settling into a new normal, marketers have learned one thing - adaptability is king. The industry will continue to face disruptors across almost every sector well into the next year, meaning that advertisers will have to continue to shift their thinking on several key topics going into 2022 or risk falling to the wayside. 

Growth in Gaming

Gaming has long been a tough nut to crack for brand marketers, who realize that video games can generate massive profit, but from a notoriously hard to reach audience. But difficult does not mean impossible, and now even Hollywood is looking at gaming in a different light. Samsung Ads has found that gamers are 12% more likely to ‘mostly stream and 35% less likely to mostly watch linear TV, making CTV an important medium to reach these influential consumers. For brands hoping to reach this lucrative audience, it might make sense to look for them when they’re not actually gaming. Brands that do manage to interact organically can expect to be rewarded with access to influential Gen-Zers, as well as the opportunity to be part of a critical moment in a culture that is supported by the proliferation of gaming.

 Programmatic Prominence

Another major shift that marketers can expect in the coming year is an increased reliance on programmatic TV buying, as challenges in attracting talent persist across the industry. And while many employees are electing to remain within the advertising sector, the rate at which they move between companies has increased dramatically. This increased movement from company to company has accelerated a reliance on both programmatic buying and the further use of automation wherever it is applicable to fill the gaps. In many  instances, strong results are already being seen.  This push to efficiency and automation is why Samsung Ads is doubling down on their proprietary ad tech stack moving into 2022.

The Cookie Countdown

Finally, any kind of forward-looking list would not be complete without mention of what the industry can expect once cookies are phased out. For one, brands will have no choice but to seek alternative data sources, either by strengthening their own data collection capabilities (an expensive and timely option) or shifting to mediums that don’t rely on cookies. CTV is one such channel that is isolated from the cookie ecosystem, and therefore a proverbial Garden Of Eden for brands building out their post-cookie strategies. While many multi-threaded solutions have emerged since Google announced the expiration date of the cookie, the fact remains that cookie-free mediums will prove indispensable for brands looking to shift their ad spend. 

 The next year will surely be an interesting one for this industry, with both internal and external factors likely to have sizable impacts within the next few months. The best approach that marketers can use to cope with these titanic shifts within the sector, and the world as a whole, is to remain flexible, and ready to adapt at a moment’s notice.