Advertising & Marketing

As consumers and businesses alike pull back on spending amid the coronavirus pandemic, 50% of CEOs worldwide say that diminished demand for their company’s products and services is the biggest obstacle to their business’ viability right now, according to June 2020 data from YPO.

Despite a downgrade to our forecast, digital ad spending in China will still grow 5.0% this year. But there will be a power swap among the major platforms, as Tencent displaces Baidu and becomes the No. 2 publisher. And Alibaba will remain No. 1, but with lowered expectations.

As large numbers of people continue to work, study and connect with friends from home, they’re spending more time on portable internet devices.

eMarketer principal analyst Mark Dolliver, junior analyst Blake Droesch, vice president of research Jennifer Pearson and vice president of content studio at Insider Intelligence Paul Verna discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of working from home, Instagram for news, "Starbucks Pickup," YouTube's "Direct Response" ads, Spotify's interactive ads, the truth about shooting stars and more.

US agencies might be looking at a loss of over 50,000 jobs by the end of 2021, per Forrester estimates cited by AdExchanger. For reference, in total an estimated 250,000 people were employed by ad agencies as of the end of 2019, per IBISWorld.

Most in-person events have been canceled, and as continued concerns around face-to-face meetings increases, companies will likely be pivoting to virtual gatherings—even for intimate dinners and cocktail hours with clients.

Mattress company Simmons is turning to TikTok to help drive brand awareness and attract a younger audience as it looks to adapt in a competitive, digitally native space.

Live streaming commerce—a form of online shopping that is interactive and takes place in real time—is creating new and innovative ways for brands and retailers to connect with consumers. The format has gained wide popularity in China particularly.

eMarketer forecasting analyst Eric Haggstrom and principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Nicole Perrin discuss the implications of users being able to turn off political ads on Facebook. They then talk about the current controversy over Apple's App Store.

For the first time since we began estimating ad revenues at Google, the company’s net US digital ad revenues will decline in absolute terms. Facebook and Amazon will continue to grow but at severely depressed rates compared with earlier expectations.

eMarketer principal analyst Victoria Petrock and research analyst Mariel Soto Reyes at Insider Intelligence discuss consumer attitudes around privacy, facial recognition and privacy rules and regulations. They then talk about how much the coronavirus has influenced contactless technology usage and whether virtual reality affects your eyes.

eMarketer principal analyst Mark Dolliver, junior analyst Blake Droesch and vice president of content studio at Insider Intelligence Paul Verna discuss whether its time to say goodbye to the sharing economy, what it will take to make people feel safe in stores, brands protest response, changing the Upfronts, young people watching more TV, taking mobile gaming more seriously, how looking at a photo can relieve pain and more.

Mark Naples, founder and managing partner of public relations firm WIT Strategy, joins eMarketer co-founder and Insider Intelligence chief evangelist Geoff Ramsey to discuss communications and leadership strategies during the pandemic. They focus on the need to provide value in marketing communications, the importance of empathy and opportunities across the digital marketing ecosystem.

As COVID-19 spreads around the world, many governments, health authorities and businesses are using technology and big data to combat the pandemic. But as these systems collect more sensitive personal information, they are also raising thorny privacy concerns.

eMarketer analyst Ross Benes, forecasting analyst Eric Haggstrom and senior analyst Audrey Schomer at Insider Intelligence discuss what the return of live sports will look like, what brands should think about and what the lack of fans could mean. They then talk about TV companies getting together to enhance targeted TV commercials, YouTube's new "Chapters" feature and the future of TV advertising.

As the coronavirus pandemic leaves many fearing for their health and jobs, consumers are shifting their time and money toward things with immediate utility in daily life. But they're not entirely closed off to companies with products that don't fall under that category — brands can still prove their value during the crisis by providing help to others.

eMarketer forecasting analyst Eric Haggstrom, vice president of content studio Paul Verna and Business Insider Intelligence senior analyst Audrey Schomer at Insider Intelligence discuss the most impressive video streaming players this year, whether bundling will come to streaming and how significant is the "mooch factor." They then talk about TVs that rotate, YouTube wanting advertisers to spend more to reach consumers watching content on TVs and what to make of D2C's jump into TV advertising.

The research is clear: Consumers still want to hear from brands, even during the coronavirus pandemic. Ryan Fleisch, head of product marketing at Adobe Advertising Cloud, joins eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Nicole Perrin to discuss some of Adobe's recent research on consumer attitudes about brand messaging, how and where advertisers can reach them, and more.

With the coronavirus pandemic leading to a significant economic slowdown, we’re providing updated guidance to our clients about what we expect for ad spending during H1 2020. We finalized our most recent complete forecast on March 6, 2020, before the cascade of drastic social distancing and market declines began in the US. Since then, we have provided guidance through a series of "Analyst Take" notes on US ad spending. Guidance for US search, out-of-home, display, digital video and TV are now available. We also issued ad spending guidance in Canada, China, France, Germany and the UK. We will update our full-year forecast for ad spending again in June.