AdTech & MarTech Rundown

A roundup of the world of AdTech and MarTech

Coca-Cola launches AI-generated holiday ads [link]

The same company that popularized the jolly image of Santa Claus for its 1931 Christmas ad campaign has launched AI-generated holiday ads. Predictably, some are unhappy, while others cite the high ranking of the ads (5.9 out of 6)... when people don't know they are AI-generated.

MarketingOps.com released the State of Marketing Operations Professionals Report [link]

The 87-page report (registration required) surveyed over 600 marketing operations professionals, a group representing a relatively new career path for marketers.

The tech takeaway is that data and integration with existing tech stacks are top priorities. Over the next 12-18 months, the top tech investments will be in AI (42.2%), analytics tools (39.2%), and account-based marketing (ABM) tools (35.5%). When choosing technology tools, the number one consideration is integration, with 81.3% of respondents citing it as key.

Credit: 2024 State of the Marketing Ops Professional

Balancing personalization and privacy: Build trust with your customers [link]

Consumer privacy concerns and new regulations like GDPR and CCPA are changing digital marketing. They are forcing businesses to find a balance between personalization and ethical practices. To build trust and adapt to a world that cares about privacy, businesses need to be transparent, use AI in an ethical way, and design their products with privacy in mind. Brands that focus on trust and sustainable data practices can build strong, long-term relationships with customers and stay ahead in a changing regulatory landscape.

Retail Media advertisers are understandably skeptical of attribution measurement [link]

Advertisers prize incrementality in retail media networks (RMNs), yet other metrics matter too. Near-purchase ad placements raise doubts about true sales impact. Incrementality measures a campaign's added value, topping 71% of advertisers' priority lists in a 2024 ANA study. ROI and lift are closely aligned. To please clients, RMNs must excel on various performance metrics. They must balance proximity concerns with proven results.