What does 2019 hold for marketers?

We asked several heads of WFA national advertiser associations to reflect on what the next twelve months hold for the industry.

Stronger partnerships

“Next year we will seek to collaborate with other industry associations in Japan to create an organisation that ensures the reliability of the digital advertising ecosystem.” (Shinji Suzuki, JAA Japan)

“In 2019 ABA turns 60, an important milestone for an organisation such as ours. I believe the best is yet to come. This way of thinking is essential to keep our eye on the future, as there is still much work to be done in partnership with all players in the industry. I am convinced that this collective involvement will form the basis for the future that we want for our country, companies and marketing professionals of the next generations.” (Sandra Martinelli, ABA Brazil)

Better representation in marketing

“RVD will work even harder to reinforce a more balanced gender representation in ads in Turkey. RVD’s Board of Gender Equality in Advertising, formed in late 2017, carried out a study where 489 Effie-winning TV ads were subject to content analysis and the results revealed an urgent need for improvement with regards to gender representation in ads. In 2019, we will focus on developing operational principles for advertisers and ad agencies, preparing an educational toolkit for industry professionals and developing a self-regulation system specific to gender equality in ads.” (Süreyya Deniz, RVD Turkey)

New regulatory pressures

“After a relatively benign period of advertising restrictions, New Zealand advertisers face the real threat of regulatory intervention across a range of sectors – food, alcohol and medicines. It will be a key moment for the wider industry to collectively demonstrate the benefits of responsible self-regulation.” (Lindsay Mouat, ANZA New Zealand)

‘Reinstalling consumer trust in advertising’

“In 2019 we must reinstall consumer trust in advertising and repair the digital supply chain. At UBA, we hope 2019 will offer us the opportunity to enhance our communication measurement systems, promote self-regulation, decode the complexity in the marketing ecosystem and cooperate even better among national advertiser associations.” (Chris Van Roey, UBA Belgium)

Marketing the marketing profession

“The Marketing Society of Kenya will continue to highlight the importance of marketing as a profession, push for more recognition within companies’ organisational structure and ensure that continuous learning is fostered for all marketing professionals. In addition, we will be championing the passing of a marketing bill that will be enacted in law and ensure the professionalism of the industry.” (Joel Karubiu, MSK Kenya)

 ‘The year of change’

“In 2019 we must clean up and solve many of the issues we have struggled with in recent years. Hopefully the Media Charter will put an end to many of these challenges. The industry will continue to change. The agency world is struggling, being “attacked” from all sides. Social media platforms need to clean up their act in order to avoid regulations and the same applies to the growing base of influencers.” (Jan Morten Drange, ANFO Norway)

“2019 will bring concerted efforts that allow us to make measurable incremental progress on all counts that include setting a robust digital audience measurement, aligning ourselves with the Global Media Charter, revisiting the agency model, working with big tech giants and keeping up with the fast technological advancement that is changing the very role of marketers and our conventional approaches to deal with challenges.” (Qamar Abbas, PAS Pakistan)

“I hope 2019 will be a year of growth, for both the industry and Greece. And a year of peace and solidarity for people all over the world.” (Nerina Komioti, SDE Greece)