As the new year rapidly approaches, it’s exciting to take a minute and think about all the untapped potential that the B2B world has at its fingertips. After spending much of 2023 making technological and strategic advancements, we have even more to look forward to next. If you’re starting to plan for 2024, or wonder what might lie ahead, here are some well-informed predictions.

1. Signal Loss Gets Real

After teasing the idea of removing third-party cookies for the past three years, Google is following through in the coming year. Cookies will start to be removed from Chrome in January, and be fully removed for all users by the end of July. Instead of relying on cookies like advertisers did for so long, they will now need to target users based on broad topics in which they’ve shown interest.

In addition to being aware of these new signals in Chrome, advertisers should continue to apply best practices that have been recommended since Chrome’s intentions around third-party cookies were first announced. This includes making a plan to maximize consented first-party audiences, and an understanding of how contextual signals can be used as part of future targeting efforts.

2. AI Finds its Place

Ever since ChatGPT launched in late 2022, conversations around AI have accelerated and amplified. Many businesses are currently using some form of AI, like chatbots and ChatGPT, to assist with certain business functions. Others are still not quite sure how to embrace the technology, although most would like to. How does this look moving into the new year?

To start, there’s a lot of talk about AI-driven creative becoming the norm. While people assumed that machines couldn’t contribute creative ideas for a long time, this thinking has largely been dispelled. This doesn’t mean that AI will replace humans in terms of dreaming up new concepts; it just means that more businesses will likely be using it during the creative process and to generate deeper personalization.

Additionally, AI has a role to play in addressing the signal loss mentioned above, as advertisers and publishers use deterministic first-party data to model the best approach for anonymous third-party audiences. In other words, AI can be used to capture performance data from the audiences we know most about (first-party) to predict what third-party audiences will respond best to.

Finally, AI is all but guaranteed to drive an increased emphasis on outcome-focused campaigns. This means that performance metrics will be measured on a far more narrow scale, based on the specific expectations for a given campaign set-up.

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3. CTV Becomes a Staple

Since the dawn of the internet, there’s been no shortage of advertising channels available to marketers. But, there are still some newer channels that are proving their value in the mainstream. One of these is connected TV (CTV), which is already demonstrating great returns on investment for B2B advertisers. In the coming year, these results – and CTV’s prevalence – are sure to only increase.

Consider the statistics. In 2023, more than 90% of households had access to CTV devices. The channel is seen as a higher-quality option for advertising, since CTV content is on-demand and viewers are actively choosing what to watch (and therefore more engaged). It also works well with other advertising strategies, given that research from Insider Intelligence and MNTN found that CTV campaigns have been shown to boost paid search recall by 22% and social by 8%.

4. The Value of Specialized Tools is Realized

Marketers have been leaning into specialized tools built for specific use cases for a while now, and it makes sense. The more specialized, the more a solution has been designed to take nuance and other important factors into account that would be missed in more general solutions. For example, custom demand-side platforms (DSPs) are used in retail media, with Amazon, Walmart, Target, Marriott and many more using their proprietary customer insights to create unique buying opportunities for advertisers. Additionally, there are also mobile app DSPs, location DSPs and more. The more precisely designed for its intended use, the better.

An example of this in a B2B context is using a B2B-specific DSP. By going this route rather than choosing a tool that relies on a B2C DSP, B2B advertisers can far more effectively identify, target, and engage with their ideal customers. In 2024, marketers will continue to recognize the value of specialized tools and make their technology investments accordingly.

As we all prepare to turn the calendar to a new year, there’s no better time to think of all the possibilities B2B organizations have to leverage technology, optimize their practices, and reap the rewards. I think we can all toast to that.

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