Data is the dominant force in this first scenario, with customer contacts and data emerging as the new currencies—the factors that make it possible to predictively target consumers with relevant transactional messages through the right channels at the right time. Shopping in this scenario is convenient and effortless, and advertising content is designed to be informative and not just appealing. For those with a stake in the game, data ownership is key, making clear the difference between winners and losers across the advertising value chain.

In this scenario, human creativity is the source of targeted, highly relevant campaigns perfectly tailored to individual consumer preferences. Emotion-evoking formats and direct-to-consumer advertising create strong relationships between consumers and brands, and campaigns become highly relevant because they are both highly personalized and creative. In this context, real-time communication plays an important role, with AI providing intensive customization. Importantly, the ability to define and target small and intensely specific customer cohorts allows advertisers to create and deliver messages tailored to, and resonating with, consumers’ needs.

In our third scenario, entertainment value is the foundation of high-quality campaigns with extensive reach. Advertising becomes truly remarkable. Despite low personalization, consumers enjoy exciting ad experiences that they find worth talking about even outside advertising spaces. The focus on creativity and reach here is not by choice; instead it is necessary in a world where, in the wake of serious data privacy scandals, consumers have chosen not to share their information, and where strict regulatory frameworks inhibit the collection, aggregation, and exploitation of usable consumer data.

In this final scenario, brand is king, and buying decisions are triggered largely by brand power and loyalty. Since privacy regulations limit personalized campaigns, advertisers must produce a broad range of options, and aggregate specific niches in order to achieve reach and relevance. Data and AI dominate the ad production process, with human creativity less important. And a fragmented media landscape makes distribution a challenge, with relevant content just as important as access to social media and messaging platforms. In response, advertisers target consumer microsegments, using a large set of niche formats to address each group of consumers.