2021 was an up-and-down year for marketers. Beginning with the rollout of vaccines and increased optimism for the return to normal before the emergence of the Delta variant, marketers had to be agile in adapting and forecasting changes to consumer behaviors. Now, the crucial holiday season is threatened by unprecedented shipping delays.

With 2022 around the corner, we surveyed 70 marketing leaders at some of the biggest brands and agencies in the country to get their take on what’s ahead in 2022. While the supply chain is not looming heavily over their 2022 planning, changing priorities and media consumption has them looking for new channels, ad formats, and messaging to reach and engage consumers in an evolving landscape.

Here’s what they had to say:

Get Ready for the Demise of Third-Party Cookies:

“In my opinion, digital media buying will see an uptick in contextual targeting testing as more advertisers take first steps to prepare for a cookieless future.” – Allison Slocum, Associate Media Director, The Martin Agency

Trust and transparency became increasingly important for marketers. 2022’s most common prediction focused on how marketers must shift their strategies to account for the evolving identity and privacy landscape, as we brace for the impact of Google’s depreciation of third-party cookies in 2023. As a result, marketers will look to contextual and location-based advertising (Geo Contextual) as well as shifting their ad spend to alternative channels like social media and CTV.

Facebook and Twitter are Cheugy, Focus Shift to TikTok:

“I believe legacy social channels (Facebook, LinkedIn) will lose share to newer, younger platforms (TikTok).” — Allison Slocum, Associate Media Director, The Martin Agency

With 1 billion global active users, TikTok is a social media platform driving significant growth and opportunities for brands of all sizes and industries. The platform’s ability to engage users and create experiences was noted most often in terms of where investments dollars would be flowing in 2022. Creating exponential growth opportunities for brands both big and small, TikTok’s video-focused content enables brands to connect with mass audiences and be part of the social conversation. As TikTok rises in engagement and legacy platforms lose share to their younger counterpart, TikTok’s reach will continue to expand in 2022.

Flexibility and Convenience will Drive Brand Value:

“In 2022, brands need to continue to demonstrate that they add long-term value and strong support, building loyalty.” — Michelle Leavitt, Director of Consumer Marketing, Acer

“Faster, better BOPIS (Buy Online Pick Up In Store) and SDD (Same Day Delivery) programs across retailers” — Jennifer Olsen, Director, Commerce Media, The Mars Agency

Successful brands in the current landscape are the ones that create meaningful and value-driven customer experiences and can do it in real time. Connecting with consumers throughout the customer lifecycle and adjusting marketing and product strategies to stay on top of consumer needs and trends will become essential in 2022. In 2022 retailers will focus on providing consumers more flexibility and conveniences to shop including where, when and how given consumers more options while providing marketers more opportunities to reach them in an omnichannel way.

Streaming is the Future of Entertainment… and Marketing:

“CTV and Podcasts will continue to thrive.” — Anonymous

“Time spent on mobile and CTV dollars will significantly increase” – Michael Wolf, Director, Digital Investment, dentsu Media US

With continued stress on linear budgets, marketers are shifting their focus to digital channels like CTV, OTT and mobile. According to eMarketer, there will be a 32% increase in CTV marketing in 2022, as these platforms thrive and there is increased pressure on marketers to drive ROAS.

The 2022 predictions highlight that the upcoming year will be an exciting one as marketers shift focus to experimentation and testing in the face of an evolving landscape. At the same time these predictions emphasize a renewed focus on catering to consumer needs and looking at marketing programs in a more holistic omnichannel way.

While the challenges of doing this well will increase with the deprecation of cookies, orchestrating messaging and engagement across channels and throughout the purchase process will be critical. Channels like CTV and Mobile will continue to attract increased investments due to the fact that is where consumers are increasingly spending their time. Emerging social channels and rising powerhouse TikTok will attract more media dollars as agencies and brands create engaging, viral experiences to drive both brand awareness, interest, sales, and overall ROAS.