Cotton & Company representative directors attended two of the top global digital marketing technology conferences of 2021: The Ad Exchanger Programmatic I/O in New York, NY and the Web Summit 2021 in Lisbon, Portugal.
AdExchanger PROGRAMMATIC I/O Event
The AdExchanger PROGRAMMATIC I/O conference in New York City brings the entire digital marketing industry together to gather and share their knowledge regarding important topics pertaining to digital marketing. Important topics included performance optimization, marketing strategies, privacy, and reporting. Over the span of two days, expert speakers shared information regarding programmatic media and the digital marketing field.
The overall theme of the conference this year was the shift to a privacy-first world. Voice-activated virtual assistants are becoming the new norm and are expected to drive over 30% of all web searches by 2022. Traditional out-of-home ads will evolve due to the addition of digital components. These ads combined with mobile location data will enhance offline conversations. Connected television will continue to soar but will become more competitive, ultimately driving costs up.
Angelene McCullough, Director of Digital Strategy, says, “Now, more than ever, where digital advertisers get their data matters. While third-party data has been the go-to method to break through to new audiences, the evolution of data privacy regulations, elimination of third-party cookies and the rigors of crafting personalized customer experiences in a privacy-first world are the driving force for change. Consumers own far more electronic devices than in any other preceding decade: a smart phone, smart watch, a tablet, smart home devices and many others and they’re becoming wiser and more demanding, therefore traditional marketing approaches will no longer be effective.”
Programmatic advertising trends of 2022 are projected to cause change within the ad tech industry. Cotton & Company continues to further client media plans by incorporating elements such as artificial intelligence, behavioral targeting, and improved personalization in our foundation. Powered by machine learning, the programmatic advertising trends of 2022 will allow Cotton & Company to make intelligent decisions throughout each creative process, from planning to optimization and analysis of their digital marketing.
The Web Summit 2021
Sonya Pereira, Director of Web Development, travelled to Lisbon, Portugal to attend this year’s Web Summit, considered to be “the World Cup of Tech.” This in-person conference was attended by over 40,000 individuals from 128 countries, making this the biggest technology conference in the world. World leaders, entrepreneurs, tech developers and celebrities gathered to educate technology and web professionals on a variety of topics. New technology discussions surrounding non fungible tokens (NFTs) and the crypto infrastructure were highlights as they in time could potentially transform finance as it is today.
Pereira states, “The conference was not just about the internet. The world has changed after the pandemic and companies are focused now more than ever on very important issues like diversity, sustainability, and inclusion. The speakers touched on topics of great importance to the entire world. It was an amazing opportunity for me to see what’s new in innovative technology at the same time as gaining insight on the thought provoking issues that the world’s leading companies are addressing and network with like-minded professionals. No matter what country you are from these subjects resonate and allow us to develop.”
Technology has fundamentally changed the world around us and is constantly evolving. Marketing real estate in today’s environment requires a dedicated focus on intelligence gained from web-based communication. “It is my top priority for my executive team to stay in tune and up to date with the world’s ever-changing and innovative technology, says Laurie Andrews, Cotton & Company President. “By encouraging my team to attend global conferences allows them to gain knowledge from some of the greatest digital marketing experts globally.” Cotton & Company continues to combine a four-decade legacy of creativity and real estate expertise with today’s most innovative digital strategies.
