• by Michael McLaren , Op-Ed Contributor, November 2, 2021

“Social networking” and “social media” were the most-consumed and fastest-growing topics by agency marketers in recent weeks, as measured by Bombora Company Surge. While the power and mounting influence of social media within the evolving digital metaverse is widely accepted, social networking has continued to grow, as buyers look to validate preferences or decisions with peers and social colleagues. 

Social media platforms are moving beyond their traditional role to offer big and small brands new ways to connect with their audiences - including in-stream shopping. Social networking and social commerce drive an increasing portion of companies’ marketing-driven revenue. We are going to see even more social media tools over time that drive audiences to action and counter any losses in ad spend. 

“Television production” is the third most-consumed topic by brand marketers, as intent data show, and has been climbing since August. Despite the heavy focus on performance-based marketing objectives, video content through broadcast TV continues to be the single biggest advertising vehicle across all countries and industries.

Video has an unmatched ability to elicit powerful emotional responses from a broad base of people. However, it has lacked customization and addressability until now. 

Brand marketers will need to ditch the ‘set it and forget it’ approach they have adopted over time to optimize their TV spend by leveraging data-fueled insights.

Great creative work will continue to be a source of competitive advantage, but marketers will need to unearth ad efficiencies, use customizations, and reduce TV waste over time.