One of the coolest things (and probably most dangerous) about digital is that it breaks through walls all of the time. New technologies or approaches enter the picture and, at first, marketers delicately dip their toe in. A few weeks, months or years later, a marketer throws delicate in the trash to take full advantage. The copycats then ruin it.

Banners have plodded through this process, starting small and then growing annoying. Email has gone through it, starting tentative and then reaching spam level quickly. Social is protected to a degree because the platforms can control all of their own dials.

Automation is on this path. Its promises are fantastic for the future. The current reins are firm on automation to avoid customer experience issues and inhuman interactions (too much, too choppy). Why aren't chatbots huge? Tentative marketers coupled with cost to build/program well. Some even fear it. Those elements are just a decision away from invisibility.

Tobbias Matthews wrote for Fourth Source that automation will be king over the next 10 years. The basics of campaign operations and data-action-response processes are hindered by humans and automation will improve it all. But, for it all to be realized, we need bold and smart executors of the automation. Then, the foolish will stand out by doing it terribly.

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DIGITAL MARKETING: Chrome will kill the third-party cookie over the next two years, sending digital marketers into a frenzy. First, Chrome has announced lots of things it never implemented. Second, there will be alternatives. Third, two years is a long time. MORE ... Even more reason to build up your own data. MORE ... If you already have data, traffic and content, you are in the driver's seat. MORE ... But, marketers and publishers aren't in on the conversation at the moment. MORE ... Do you have your own proprietary blacklist to block sites you don't want used in your programmatic campaigns? Most do. MORE ... And if you rely on vendor blacklists, you likely will miss out on some of the premium spots. MORE ... If you enjoy the MarTec 7000 graphic (and I know you did from past clicks), you can play a part of the next one. MORE ... The speed of reporting in digital needs to improve quickly. MORE

DATA: We hunger and thirst for more data but if that isn't coupled with a hunger or thirst for quality, you're eating junk food. MORE

VOICE: WAKE UP! Voice is going to be serious business, and you are likely already behind. MORE ... In case I haven't mentioned it enough, the thing marketers need to do right now as voice grows critical usage is prepare for voice search. MORE

SOCIAL: What'sApp has shelved plans to integrate advertising ... for now. MORE ... Pinterest has overtaken SnapChat in audience, but they are so different, it shouldn't have any impact at all. MORE ... This checklist for onboarding social media clients is also great for anyone launching a new channel/platform or solidifying current channels. MORE ... Eighty-six percent of Americans are not interested or haven't heard of TikTok. MORE ... Twitter's lack of an edit button is less about a stance and more about ambivalence. MORE ... But they added emojis to DM responses. 😀 MORE ... Don't over-estimate organic reach in social. MORE ... Nothing more authentic than a virtual social influencer. A sure sign of the Apocalypse. MORE

EMAIL MARKETING: Here are a few ideas for brands and their own audience communications. MORE ... Dark mode for email? Interesting concept. MORE ... Stop doing email like everyone else. It's boring. It bores me. MORE ... On another subject, don't mismanage your inbox as this describes. No matter how it makes you feel. MORE

AUDIO/VIDEO: So much of video mirrors methods of video that aren't engaging or replicatable on a shoestring. Instead, do it the more personal way. MORE ... Mobile programmatic video is exploding. MORE ... While audio is growing and was at an extreme in popularity (and audience adoption) in 2019, maybe in 2020 it can be an effective inclusion in your plans. MORE ... Podcast fans are also buyers of the brands supporting the podcast. MORE ... Every trip to YouTube earns an average of 6.5 page views. How do I get on that last view where the video is watched? MORE

SEARCH: Google results look a little different. No worries at the moment. MORE

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE: Brands considering CX are far more likely to be successful digitally than the average. MORE