The End of the 2010’s – Digital Advertising

29th November 2019

As we come to the end the second decade of the second millennia, It seems a good time to reflect on certain shifts that have occurred over this 10 year period. 

Change, everywhere.

A lot has changed, in all aspects of life. It feels like life has shifted to hyper-speed and everything is moving at an exponential rate. Technology, climate change and even shopping habits to name a few, have seen changes which have reshaped the way we live. 

With a focus on design and technology, we find it hard to keep up to date with the constantly changing environment. What makes it even harder is that there are so many sources to which we can find out what the ‘next big thing’ will be – it is overwhelming!

Internet habits

As it is Black Friday, I want to focus on something which reshaped the way we browse the internet; Digital Marketing. Targeted advertising and data driven marketing is something that has become increasingly apparent as we use our digital devices. Information is constantly being collected about what websites we visit, what we like, what we click on and our demographics.

This data is then analysed and presented back to us in the form of advertising. It is tailored to our browsing habits, with the hope that we will bite, and ultimately, make a purchase.  

What we tend to forget is this this has a huge impact on the physical high street stores, forcing them to close, people lose their jobs and the shops move online. Interestingly, the fashion industry has seen the biggest hit. 

Guardian graphic. Source: Local Data Company. *Net loss of ‘multiple’ retailers (five or more stores) across the top 500 GB town centres, 1 January to 1 July 2019 SOURCE

This form of targeted advertising suits the younger demographic more than the older because of the amount of internet usage.  

As we continue into 2020, there is no sign of this stopping. Will this be a positive direction to follow? or will it come back to haunt us in the future?  

The high street may become a thing of the past and online shopping will become the norm.