The importance of agile marketing in today’s shifting media landscape | Sponsored Content

Last year, the pandemic significantly impacted media and advertising. According to Kantar, US media spending in the first half of 2020 dropped nearly 20% compared to the same period in 2019—with travel category media spending plunging more than 50%. On the flip side, consumers spent an unprecedented amount of time at home in 2020, causing an unusual boost in time spent with media and online.

As places around the world continue to reopen, consumer behaviors are shifting. To understand how digital and traditional media consumption trends are changing, we worked with eMarketer on a custom snapshot of time spent with media in nine countries. Here are three strategies for optimizing your approach to consumer engagement in a post-pandemic and increasingly digital world.

A multi-channel digital approach is key

By 2023, eMarketer predicts US adults will spend nearly 8.5 hours per day with digital media, accounting for nearly 65% of total time with media. The increase in digital media consumption is also spurring investment in digital advertising. GroupM forecasts global ad spending will jump 19% in 2021, bolstered by a 26% increase in digital ad spending.

With consumers turning to various devices, platforms, and resources for content, a multi-channel, hyper-agile marketing strategy remains key.

Many marketers are betting big on digital media, particularly digital channels that drive demonstrated returns, like social and digital video. From more than 10 years of experience helping advertising partners navigate the unpredictable environments of a crisis, we know that the ability to start, pause, shift, and restart campaigns with short notice is essential. Last year, we saw this in action, as digital channels allowed marketers to be nimble and adjust quickly.

Implement an insights-led strategy

With digital content consumption increasing, the touchpoints and opportunities for brands to connect with consumers are growing. When these brand touchpoints are relevant and add value to consumers, marketers can truly create loyalty and drive marked results.

Data is critical to creating an impactful strategy for these touchpoints, and is more essential than ever before as brands start to recover and rebuild. We mine more than 300 petabytes of Expedia Group first-party data to provide our advertising partners with insights into traveler intent and demand trends. This data is used to inform marketing strategies, optimize campaigns, and demonstrate meaningful results.

Test, learn, and optimize

The increase in time spent with media, acceleration of mobile usage, and growth of digital has also increased competition for consumer attention. Marketers must work harder to break through the clutter, while maintaining relevance and creating meaningful connections. This includes expanding on tried-and-true digital solutions like performance marketing and testing tactics such as video, brand partnerships, and augmented reality.

However, the insights gleaned from campaign performance are as important as the strategy and tactics. Having access to the right reporting and performance data enables you to best optimize future campaigns toward success.

To learn more about Expedia Group Media Solutions and our exclusive first-party data, solutions and reporting capabilities, visit advertising.expedia.com or contact us.

— Monya Mandich, Vice President of Marketing, Expedia Group Media Solutions