Good news for the ad market?; Brands take notice of Gen Alpha

Plus: Entertainment and commerce will take off in connected cars [Insider Intelligence]( [Emarketer Daily]([Emarketer Daily]( Charts. News. Analysis OCTOBER 16, 2023 | By Sara Lebow, Arielle Feger, and Becky Schilling While digital adoption delivers more data about broader audiences, most event marketing teams still struggle to harness event insights to improve their overall performance and attendee experience. Learn more from our report on leveling up your event platform capabilities. [Download it here](. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up [here](. TOP STORY [Ad outlook for the rest of the year shows signs of hope]( A hurting US ad market is showing signs of recovery. Our forecast predicts 3.8% growth in overall US media ad spend this year, for a total of $353.86 billion. Magna upped its [US ad spend forecast for 2023 YoY growth]( from 4.2% to 5.2% in September. And in August, the US ad market achieved two consecutive months of growth for the first time since last June. “As it relates to advertising, we’ve seen so many signs of small improvements compared to what we might’ve expected a year ago,” said our analyst Paul Verna on our “[Behind the Numbers](” podcast. Here’s a breakdown of the good and bad signs. [Keep reading]( NEWS AND VIEWS [Brands are taking notice of Gen Alpha]( Our view: Some of the best ways to reach Gen Alpha include through their parents, educational programming, and Roblox. [YouTube’s new tool helps advertisers ‘own the moment’ around key events, holidays]( Our view: Spotlight Moments identifies the most popular, relevant videos so that marketers can understand what’s resonating with consumers and create content that will keep them engaged. [Microsoft and Activision Blizzard merger sets the stage for a mobile game advertising giant](Our view: Beyond its console and PC gaming implications, the Activision Blizzard acquisition will help make Microsoft a giant of the mobile game industry, where ad revenues and consumer spending are both expected to surge. INDUSTRY VIEWS [Top Q4 digital trends for retail]( To retain existing customer relationships and forge new ones, Adobe’s 2023 Digital Trends: Retail in Focus report found that crafting impactful, hyperpersonal shopping experiences is essential. Learn how retail leaders can meet consumers’ rising expectations across all channels for a more efficient year’s end. This article was contributed by Adobe. [Top Q4 digital trends for retail | Sponsored Content ]( [Keep reading]( BY THE NUMBERS [Entertainment and commerce will take off in connected cars]( - The number of connected car drivers will increase by 15.5% from this year’s 151.4 million to 174.8 million in 2027, per our forecast. - Expect Google and Apple to add search products geared for car systems. Google Maps already lets users pay for parking through the app, but wider search advertising options through navigation apps are likely. And they may face additional competition if carmakers provide an opening for the Overture Maps Foundation, a rival map system founded by Meta, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and TomTom. - Native car advertising will open new advertising platforms. As media proliferates in cars, the combination of location, direction, and demographic data with media consumption is a recipe for creating new media formats and platforms. Google already faces some regulatory scrutiny in Europe for its efforts to control the automotive ecosystem, but who will ultimately control those platforms remains up in the air. [Dive deeper]( THINGS TO KNOW 📝 [Google’s Randomized Generalized Second-Price ad auctions explained]( 🎥 [YouTube passes Netflix as top video source for teens]( 🥤 [Pepsi, McDonald’s, and the latest in digital out-of-home]( 💰 [Walled garden programmatic digital display ad spend to cross $100B]( PODCAST [Behind the Numbers: The Daily]( How creators are changing, the right social commerce approach, and freedom of speech on social media. Tune in on [Apple Podcasts](, [Spotify](, or wherever you listen to podcasts. [Follow us on Instagram.]( “Behind the Numbers” is made possible by Intuit Mailchimp. [Listen in]( THE BIG QUESTION Still searching: True or false? More than half of US digital ad spend will come from search next year. [Get the answer]( Email sent to: {EMAIL} If you cannot view the HTML newsletter, [please read it in your browser here](. [Become a Premium Subscriber]( | [Advertise with us]( [Manage your email preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [Terms of Use]( | [Privacy Policy]( ©2023 Insider Intelligence, One Liberty Plaza 9th Floor, New York, NY 10006 [LiveIntent Logo]( [AdChoices Logo](