If there’s one thing marketers know, it’s that change is constant, and pivotal shifts are afoot in the world of marketing this year.
From the phasing out of third-party cookies to the rise in adoption of AI, these changes can seem daunting to navigate. But with robust insights and strategies at hand, you can take on these changes with speed and confidence.
We rounded up the most relevant digital marketing strategies and insights below, to help you find your footing quickly and scale new heights in 2024.
Rethink the role of AI
The era of AI-powered marketing is firmly upon us. Brands are moving beyond early trials of using AI to accelerate their adoption and spending on the technology. However, only 30% of firms in APAC are strategically positioned to harness AI’s benefits.
For your brand to be on the cutting edge, you’ll need to rethink how you’re tapping into AI to maximise its potential. Here are two ways you can do so:
Get the basics down
While AI is a powerful engine, it can’t drive marketing success by itself. To set yourself up for AI-powered success, use the AI Essentials checklist to make sure you have everything in place to unlock the full potential of AI.
Embrace the right mindset
You’re not competing against AI — you’re competing with other marketers who are using AI. So keep experimenting with new ways of integrating AI into your digital marketing strategy. Google APAC CMO Simon Kahn, for example, plans to tap into AI’s potential to transform the way his team applies marketing principles.
Prepare for a post-third-party cookie world
The ever-evolving advertising landscape will mark a watershed moment in 2024 as browsers phase out third-party cookies. In APAC, where almost 8 in 10 brands rely heavily on third-party cookies to reach customers and measure results, there’s a critical need to switch to durable measurement and audience solutions.
Building a strong first-party data foundation is key to navigating a post-third-party cookie world.
Below are steps you can take to set up a durable measurement strategy. It lets you gain valuable audience insights in privacy-safe ways while you measure campaign results, so you can optimise your campaign performance.
Prioritise a first-party data strategy
Building a strong first-party data foundation is key to navigating a post-third-party cookie world. The data not only lets you gain a deeper, more accurate understanding of your customers, it also fuels AI-powered solutions to help you achieve greater marketing efficiency.
Meet your customers’ privacy expectations
People value the security of their personal information, so it’s important to make data sharing meaningful, memorable, and manageable for customers. By providing a fair value exchange, you get the audience insights you need to create relevant ad experiences that’ll help you grow brand trust and win shoppers’ preference.
Unlock growth, power profitability
Consumers might be more careful about their spending in 2024 if growth of the global economy is slower. And this could mean greater pressure on marketing budgets and investments. Indeed, 45% of CMOs say demonstrating ROI for their marketing activities is a top goal.
To deliver strong business impact, you’ll need to win over undecided customers and adopt digital marketing strategies that improve the bottom line. Here’s how:
Power a “confidence shift”
In a climate of uncertainty, people in APAC may struggle with their purchase decisions. So you’ll need to know how to power a “confidence shift” and have them feel certain about choosing your brand. Ad solutions powered by Google AI can help you power this shift at speed and scale efficiently, whether your audience is financial customers, travellers, or shoppers.
Engage high value users
Nearly half of Southeast Asia’s top online spenders plan to increase their online spending in 2024,1 so make them your priority audience and optimise your engagement with them to drive profitable growth.
Maximise ad revenues
If you're looking to grow the bottom line of your app, choosing the right monetisation platform can be a game changer. Platforms like AdMob let you maximise ad revenue while providing a good app experience, so you can retain users and drive sustained revenue growth.
Innovate customer engagement
With an endless buffet of content available to audiences across platforms, screens, and formats, you’ll need to show up where they are to win their attention and drive sales. And you’ll have to do so creatively, since many APAC consumers expect brands to deliver more engaging experiences.
To engage audiences, you’ll need to know which platforms matter to them, and show up in relevant, creative ways.
Here are three things to keep in mind for increasing customer engagement:
Be where it matters
Audiences today believe in curating their own viewing experiences to suit their unique lifestyle and interests; if a platform fails to meet their needs, they’ll simply disconnect from it. So know how people make their video viewing decisions, and show up on trusted platforms that matter.
Tap into audience needs
Keep up with the complex viewing behaviors of audiences in the region by understanding what truly engages them. Winning campaigns from the 2023 YouTube Works Awards SEA offer inspiration for how your ads can address viewers’ needs.
Think out of the box
A little fun goes a long way when it comes to engaging your customers. Whether it’s riding the live stream shopping wave or adding HTML5 games to your site, consider how you can make your marketing entertaining.
