Predictions for digital advertising growth in 2017 continue to be robust, yet the story covers a multitude of developments and trends, some of them concerning for the advertising industry. Ad blocking has grown incredibly fast across both desktop and mobile. Consumer trust in and appreciation of advertising is at low levels. Marketers are responding to the seismic shifts in consumer attention but enduring winning media approaches are hard to find in the modern, constantly changing context.
The paradox is that while advertising is rejected or ignored, the public’s appetite for information is greater than ever. At a very basic level advertising is providing people with information so that either immediately or eventually they are likely to buy something. However people are seeking information in different ways from different sources. The Generation Curious research from Kantar and Blippar set out to explore curiosity in a digital and mobile world, and to understand the underlying behaviours, mindsets and attitudes of the consumer. The research suggests how marketers can change their approach to access consumer curiosity in ways which are accepted and even welcome.