Matthew is a marketing expert focusing on the SEO & martech spaces. He has written over 500 marketing guides and video scripts for the WebFX YouTube channel. When he’s not striving to put out some fresh blog posts and articles, he’s usually fueling his Tolkien obsession or working on miscellaneous creative projects.
Advertising technology, or adtech, is an ever-shifting landscape. Like the rest of digital marketing, it experiences fresh changes and trends every year — and keeping up with those changes is a must for your business. If you don’t stay on top of things, you’ll fall behind your competitors.
To that end, we’ll use this page to go over some of the most significant advertising technology trends going into 2024. Knowing these trends is important for staying ahead of the curve, so even if you don’t follow every one of these trends yourself, at least be aware of their significance.
The seven 2024 adtech trends we’ll go over include:
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1. First-party data
The first item on our list of 2024 adtech trends is first-party data.
In the first half of 2023, Google announced plans to phase out third-party cookies — that is, cookies that are placed on a user’s device by websites other than the ones they visit. This change is being made to help improve user privacy, and it will roll out over the course of 2024.
In the wake of this shift, businesses are moving toward a heavier reliance on first-party cookies — those that only function on the websites users actually visit. That indicates a shift in the way that user data is tracked and stored, which in turn will affect the way that ad targeting is set up.
Expert insights from
Karley Ice-KalinayWebFX’s Director of Social & Media Advertising Operations
“Activating first-party data will be more important than ever in 2024. Businesses will win when they leverage owned data in ad formats across digital experiences and segment audiences to reach people at the right time, in the right place, and with the right message.”
2. Artificial intelligence
Another of the biggest 2024 trends for adtech — unsurprisingly — is artificial intelligence (AI). AI has been making enormous waves in many different areas of the business and marketing world, including digital advertising.
Specifically, many businesses and agencies will likely invest in AI advertising models specific to their industries or companies. These models will be used to create advertising content, as well as to refine ad targeting and distribute ads to the right channels and users.
It’s debatable whether this trend is good or bad. For some businesses, it could reap notable rewards. But AI is still largely uncharted territory, so it could also potentially spell disaster for businesses who dive into it too deeply and recklessly. For that reason, it may be a good idea to partner with a professional agency for AI solutions.
3. Increase in video ads
As time passes, video advertising has only grown more popular and effective. It’s always been a great way to engage your audience, but that’s even more true today, with faster Internet speeds and the increased impact of channels like social media and YouTube. In recent years, video ad spend has consistently gone up over time.
This trend is fully expected to continue in 2024, with video ads becoming more prominent than ever. Many businesses seem to view it as more effective than text- or image-based ads.
4. Greater focus on TikTok
Building off the last trend, TikTok is becoming an increasingly important channel for marketing and advertising. The platform has only grown bigger in the last few years, and advertisers have taken notice. 2023 was the year that many businesses realized the advertising potential of TikTok, and 2024 will be the year that they take advantage of that potential.
Advertising on TikTok is something of a new frontier, relying on short-form videos rather than the kind you would find on YouTube or other social platforms. It also commonly attempts to mimic the more casual, less produced feel of regular TikTok videos.
5. Audio and connected TV
It might seem like television ads are a relic of days gone by, but that’s not quite true — TV ads are still around, they’ve simply evolved into a new format. That format is known as connected TV (CTV). CTV ads are typically shown through streaming platforms, and unlike traditional TV ads, they can be targeted to specific users based on their interests.
The same applies to audio ads, which appear in audio content like podcasts or between songs on music streaming services. Just like with CTV ads, they can be directed to specific audiences to reach the people most likely to respond positively to them.
Expert insights from
Karley Ice-KalinayWebFX’s Director of Social & Media Advertising Operations
“Audio and connected TV ad formats will continue to grow as opportunities for marketers and businesses to reach audiences in ways they can’t through other forms of digital advertising.”
Both of these advertising advancements have been around for a few years now, but they’ve picked up popularity over time, and they’re expected to be one of the biggest trends for adtech going into 2024.
6. Contextual targeting
Another of the biggest advertising technology trends right now is contextual targeting. This is an interesting trend, because it’s not new at all — it’s older than digital marketing itself. But with Google’s decision to remove third-party cookies, marketers are turning back to it in greater numbers.
Contextual targeting is basically where, rather than directly targeting your ads to specific users, you instead place ads in locations where your target audience is known to go. So, if you sell boating equipment, advertising on boating-related websites is probably a safe bet.
It’s an extremely simple concept that advertisers have been doing for ages, but it’s newly relevant going into 2024.
7. In-app ads
Last on our list of 2024 adtech trends is in-app advertising. The name of this one pretty much says it all — it refers to ads that that appear within mobile apps. Like some of the other trends on this list, in-app advertising is nothing new, but it’s gaining more traction going into 2024.
The reason in-app advertising is so successful is that apps are often able to incentivize people to watch ads voluntarily. For instance, in a mobile game, users might be given the opportunity to regain lives by watching 30-second ads.
Recognizing the success of this method, many businesses are latching onto the trend as they head into the new year.
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If you’re looking for a way to take advantage of these advertising technology trends for your own business, you might not know where to start. In that case, you can consider partnering with a digital advertising agency like WebFX.
We have over 29 years of experience driving revenue for our clients through advertising, and we can do the same for your business.
Matthew is a marketing expert focusing on the SEO & martech spaces. He has written over 500 marketing guides and video scripts for the WebFX YouTube channel. When he’s not striving to put out some fresh blog posts and articles, he’s usually fueling his Tolkien obsession or working on miscellaneous creative projects.
