What’s next: A look at the next era of digital omnichannel
From AI-driven innovation to the next era of digital omnichannel, media advertising continues to evolve at an accelerated rate—signaling yet another major shift for media advertising teams.
Over the past few decades, we’ve seen how new platforms, media types, and tools can propel transformation across the media landscape—especially as technology lowers the cost of experimentation and the risk of failure. From the emergence of Search and Social to the rise of Retail Media, certain monumental shifts—or waves—have repeatedly redefined standards for media activation teams.
While many past shifts in digital media advertising hinged on a major innovation, our latest shift won’t hinge on one medium—but many of them. Digital omnichannel is being redefined in real-time. Expanding targeted campaigns across multiple screens and establishing direct purchase pathways are now the benchmarks of success. Driven by eCommerce and CTV advancements, privacy legislation, the rise of AI, and more immersive ad mediums, advertising is evolving to be more seamless and adaptable, blending naturally with our daily media consumption and native environments.
Contextual Advertising & Adaptive Retail at the Center
At the beginning of the year, Walmart’s CTO shared his take on where digital advertising was headed.
“Today’s customers don’t think about which “channel” they are using. They move seamlessly across platforms and spaces. The lines are blurred, and, to succeed in this next generation of retail, we are adapting.
We are agile, predictive and responsive as we redefine omnichannel.”
Leveraging CTV and DOOH to drive eCommerce outcomes and applying advanced AI for unparalleled data utilization, players in the media and advertising ecosystem are crafting seamless ad experiences and tapping into the power of the "second screen."
These changes signal a new wave in advertising, redefining "omnichannel" and streamlining the customer journey with more efficient purchasing pathways. In essence, the fourth wave's "Media X" won't be a single new medium but the ability to create campaigns that effortlessly span across all of them, delivering unprecedented ROAS.
Frictionless, Omnichannel Ad Experiences
Recent studies confirm that 84 percent of shoppers reported using digital media before their last in-store shopping experience. Now, advertisers can meet consumers where they are and close the loop between campaigns that reach audiences at a wider scale and conversion.
DOOH also flips the “second screen” concept, especially for advertisers looking to extend digital-first campaign reach beyond mobile screens. Now, DOOH allows retail advertisers to quickly launch, optimize, and customize their campaigns for local markets and sync campaigns with omnichannel, 360 strategies.
Spotlight 1: Roku offers AI-powered contextual advertising & one-click shopping
Expanding on their one-click shopping integration with Shopify, Roku will offer AI-powered contextual capabilities, allowing brands to automatically run ads next to relevant in-video moments.
Spotlight 2: Disney Advertising’s Gateway Shop
Disney’s Gateway Shop, unveiled at the beginning of 2024, will allow viewers to interact with ads while they stream entertainment without disruption. It will also allow viewers to opt for mobile shopping alongside their streaming experience.
Spotlight 3: TikTok: Digital-out-of-Phone to DOOH
The second screen is reversed: TikTok is expanding its ad offerings for advertisers looking to extend campaigns beyond mobile to DOOH.
The Bottom Line: Impact on Media Innovators
With the continued convergence of channels and proliferation of more walled gardens and direct purchase paths to consumers, media buyers and planners can expect to be inundated with large amounts of valuable consumer data—and greater pressure to leverage it to differentiate options against ROI and optimize in real-time.
READ MORE: MX INSIGHTS
Are you ready for the 4th wave of digital advertising?
From the continued evolution of TV and video advertising to the emergence of adaptive retail, AI-powered strategies, immersive ad formats, and frictionless experiences, we are in the midst of a new ad industry wave. While we all want to stay ahead of the curve, media teams that don't have the right tools to buy, bill, and pay for media across new channels, platforms, vendors, and formats will quickly be left behind.
