Fall is almost here, and while most start the season with apple cider donuts or hayrides, marketers are met with an entirely different greeting: Q4. As the busiest time of the year approaches, marketers are trying to figure out which mediums and strategies will bring in the most revenue. Here’s what publishers can anticipate this Q4 — and what will affect the months ahead.
With predictions of a challenging quarter on the horizon, marketers are at a crossroads when it comes to prepping campaigns. Most are hoping for high sales to keep them afloat for next year but the ongoing economic uncertainty presents a challenge. For buyers, it’s a matter of adopting a “wait and see” approach or taking the reins and amping up business-as-usual spend in active digital channels. It’s likely that more publishers would consider making a significant shift towards performance marketing to cover their potential losses.
While connected tv is bound to generate dollars this Q4, it’s also likely to affect ad pricing in the other media buying markets. According to media buyers, some clients in the video marketplace are canceling time booked to purchase due to an excess in ad inventory. This connected tv and streaming supply could affect Netflix’s, and Disney+’s, new ad-supported tiers.
Meanwhile, Facebook is likely to take a hit from this medium in Q4. A good first indicator is the 2022 midterms election investment. It seems like political media buyers are already decreasing their investment on the platform. If this trend continues, we should see lower-than-usual demand on Facebook during the holiday season.
While Facebook is seeing a decrease in volume, audio ads are emerging as a cost-effective medium for publishers this Q4. In-game audio ads have the ability to reach over 3 billion mobile gamers worldwide. This is a profitable market considering these ads have quicker turnaround times and a faster approval process. As publishers are making more significant investments in podcasts and audio products, this might have great synergy for their growth paths.
