Display and performance marketing at the turn of 2023/2024

Paweł Sypczuk, CEO of Audience Media Group, a Polish media group providing effective digital marketing solutions, shares his observations on online advertising at the turn of 2023/2024.

What were the most interesting marketing actions and campaigns in 2023 in your opinion?

“Drive carefully! Put on a helmet!”, “Defend the beaver without a helmet!” I have been following online actions and campaigns carried out by the Podlaskie Voivodeship for several years with great pleasure. I appreciate ideas and the lightness of creation. And even if artificial intelligence intervened - as in the case of the holiday social campaign "I ride with a helmet in Podlasie" - I see in the created hyperrealistic images a really well-thought-out and attractive communication, and not just a desire to boast about the use of a technological innovation.

I also continually appreciate Ikea's RTM efforts. The brand did not disappoint last year either. Even though Ikea's real-time marketing campaigns have been with us for quite a few years, they still surprise and entertain us. This is evidenced by the lively and positive reactions of the brand's community, which is as sensitive as anyone to the repetition of ideas and insincere communication.

These two examples confirm for me that it is well-thought-out and long-term strategies that are valuable for the brand, and not one-off actions that are only talked about for a few days...

Among the classic advertising spots, I remember the McDonald's campaign "Give me a sign for Maka". "Restauracja Pod Złotym Łukami" used golden arches in communication, but in a completely different way - as a characteristic eyebrow raise. Sometimes less is more. There is no need to show the restaurant chain and its offer, it is not necessary to use words to communicate effectively with the consumer.

What events and trends have had the greatest impact on performance marketing and display?

It will not be a surprise to anyone if I mention first the "acceleration" that artificial intelligence brought to us in 2023. Of course, we all expected it to happen sooner or later, but at this rate?! Analysis of demographic, geolocation and behavioral data. All of this allows for even more accurate targeting of ads and PPC campaigns. Not to mention the generative artificial intelligence used to create content...

In second place in the context of important trends related to online advertising, I would mention brand safety. New technologies have created the possibility not only of using more advanced and effective methods of targeting and personalizing advertising. Unfortunately, with the advent of generative artificial intelligence, the threat of questionable quality of websites or entire websites full of content created by AI has also increased. Brands investing their budgets in online campaigns should be aware that ads may be displayed on content that is not created by humans and consciously decide to be present in such publications.

It is also worth paying attention to micro-communities. In the context of online activities, the stratification of target groups is becoming increasingly important. Audience groups are no longer focused around one common hobby, but one trend, which is especially noticeable on social media platforms. Among the "smaller" trends - due to the fact that many of our activities are based on video advertising - I will mention the optimization of content for viewing without sound.

What are your most important career plans/challenges/resolutions for 2024?

The most important challenge will undoubtedly be the elimination of cookies in Chrome, Google's browser, which has been announced for a long time. Once again, we have learned the "official" date for the complete withdrawal of cookies, which this time is the end of 2024.

Finally, a personal resolution. Even though I live professionally in the online world every day, I would like to make more time to be present during events that take place offline. An extremely strong impulse for me to make such a decision was my trip to the Web Summit in Lisbon in November 2023 and personal meetings with startup creators.