On a global level, programmatic adspend has grown from $5 billion in 2012, to a whopping $39 billion in 2017! This is faster than all other digital channels, including social media and online video. Today’s digital marketing has brought about enormous changes in the way we look at the personalization of ads. They are no longer generic—one-size-fits-all—messages; they’re catered to specific audiences that, through their online behavior and other factors, have indicated that they are shopping for a particular item or service.

The cost of human attention has increased 700 — 800% in real terms over the last 27 years. It is the most drastic increase in any business expense over the last quarter-decade. Because of its value, human attention is a commodity in the advertising market. This is why marketers must remain up-to-date with the latest “attention-grabbing” technology as they decide on an advertising platform. They need to take the most cost-effective steps to get the most out of their adspend.

The days of summer are gone and the holidays are coming on quickly. If your holiday marketing plan isn’t in place, you’d better get rolling! Let’s first take a look at two of the most dominant devices; mobile and desktop, and what the digital landscape looks like for them. According to comScore data, in 2016 during the months of November and December, there was a 44% increase in mobile ecommerce retail sales over the same time in 2015.

Over the last 20 years, the cost of buying just one minute of a consumer’s attention from a television ad in the United States has gone up by 700%. Conversely, the percentage of advertisements that are considered to be “fully viewed” with a high factor of attention has decreased from 97% in the early 1900s to less than 20% just a few years ago. It’s no mystery that every brand marketer has one goal in mind, and that’s to catch the attention of consumers.

1. Omni-channel marketing Today in the United States, 35% of companies currently have an Omni-channel marketing strategy. Of the businesses that do not, 27% intend on implementing one shortly. Additionally, 70% of businesses that have this strategy believe that it is imperative for their success. However, 38% of businesses do not see the importance—yet. As most marketers know, the advertising industry is constantly changing, along with the technology that’s continually being upgraded and improved.

Where do you use your smartphone? If you’re like most people, you use it everywhere! Case in point: 91% of smartphone users look up info while right in the middle of a task. 69% of online consumers agree that their perception of a brand is influenced by quality, timing, or relevance of a company’s message. 82% of smartphone users turn to their phones while standing in a retail store trying to decide which item to purchase.

Did you know that: Compared to a year ago, smartphone users are 50% more likely to plan on purchasing something using their smartphones to compare availability, prices or customer reviews. Over the last two years, toothbrush searches have increased over 80%. Over the last two years, “best” toothbrushes have increased over 100% Over the last two years, mobile searches for “best” have increased by 80%. We are now 50% more likely to depend on our smartphones to make spur-of-the-moment purchases than we were last year.

There’s a new, cutting-edge technology that’s changing the face of retail marketing. It’s beacons. Here are a few statistics that may help to emphasize this point: By the end of this year alone, it’s expected that there will be over a million beacons installed in stores here in the U.S. Over 40 billion queries for beacon-related content are pulled by Android devices from Google Services each year. Bluetooth beacons are expected to reach a 133% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) between 2016 and 2021 in advertising, retail and personal tracking.

Once again, Forbes.com has published an article by Genius Monkey’s CRO, Jeremy Hudgens. It expounds on the importance of sticking to the measurements that most impact your bottom line. The title of the piece is: Profits Are More Important Than Impressions. Brand marketers tend of focus their measurements on items that, in the long run, don’t really matter. These items include viewability, impressions and third-party verifications. The dynamics that count most in today’s digital world are Attribution and Conversion.

At Genius Monkey we’re a breed apart from the rest. Most of you reading this will remember a children’s show called Sesame Street. On it, they played a game called “One of These Things is Not Like the Other.” They would show several items, all identical except for one. The children had to determine which item was the different one, and why. If Genius Monkey were featured in a game of “One of These Things is Not Like the Other,” we would certainly be the one that was different!