2011 was quite a year for those of us at Triggit.  Once again our revenue grew exponentially, our team more than doubled in size, we expanded into in-stream video and mobile, and we landed some huge clients.  As an old friend of mine used to say, “Not too shabby.”

But enough with 2011. Let’s talk about 2012…

1. Deep Data.  2012 will also be the year of deep data.  For the last three years, we in the industry have all worked hard to make data work, and we have made a ton progress.  Yet as far as we have come, the data we use is still pretty thin, and it often represents a single view into what are very complex user behaviors.   The next step will be the process of unlocking the deep, multi-dimensional data that we have on these users.  This means integrating CRM data, offline data, purchasing data, and complex demographics to build a much more nuanced and accurate targeting model.  2012 will be the year where all of the hard work we have been putting into overcoming these hurdles finally comes to fruition.
2. Google.  2012 is going to be the year of Google, just like it was in 2010 and 2011.  The boys and girls over there have built an amazing stack, market leading exchange, and powerful cross channel capabilities that are simply unrivaled.  The last few years have been about building, and now they have it, and it is awesome.  In 2012 we are going to see them start to flex their muscles and do things that cause the market to realize just how insanely powerful they have become.  Examples could include a big deal for access to advertise in TV inventory with someone like DISH or a cable company; a massive multi hundred million dollar plus direct deal with a major advertiser for multiple channels; a deal leveraging their Motorola purchase to do something to bring IPTV to set top boxes everywhere or something else equally crazy.  Google will be big and powerful in 2012, and it will scare people.
3. Yahoo, AOL, MSFT.  In 2011 the world gave these three the chance to become competitors of Google in the display world, and they largely disappointed.  It is not that they didn’t do anything.  They did some things, but compared to the thousand engineers and intense focus Google has on winning, they were bystanders.  2012 will be the year that someone steps up to compete, and my bet is that it won’t be the three amigos.  By the end of the 2012, at least one of these companies will no longer be independent as it gets eaten up by whoever emerges as the Google competitor.  And at least one of these companies will no longer be relevant as it either quits the market altogether or is simply no longer seen as a viable competitor.   2012 will not be kind to any of these companies unless something dramatically changes.
4. Multi-Channel.   2012 looks like it will be shaping up to be a year kind of like what we had in 2011 in display when it comes to video and mobile.  The groundwork and plumbing has been laid, and both in-stream video advertising and mobile are about to explode through RTB.  Next year will be a big one for both.
5. The Ad Network will be left for dead by the end of the year.  The ad networks have been dying a slow death over the last three years, and the smartest among them sold, diversified, or got out of the business last year.  By the end of 2012, it will be over, and those left clinging to hope will see it extinguished by the cruel finality of the market.
6. Congress will finally do something in 2012, and it scares the hell out of me to think about what it could be.  Legislating the internet seems to be something Congress is finally ready to act on as we have seen with SOPA this fall.  In 2012, they are going to pass something, and given their ignorance, it will do a ton of damage.  My fingers are crossed that it is not too bad.
7. The big offline media, cable, and telecommunications companies will get into the internet battle in a big way.  By the end of the year, it will be clear that they are in this game to play hardball.
8. The Ad Agencies will continue to leave their heads firmly in the sand as their services businesses are automated.  Somehow – most likely due to their remarkable capacity to rationalize – they are convinced that not innovating in technology is the right strategic play.   That decision will get them in a lot of trouble in 2012 as their world continues to be upset by technology and as their franchises are increasingly threatened.
9.  Adobe, IBM, Epsilon, Experian, Axciom, Amazon, Ebay, SAP, Oracle and others will continue their inexorable march to automate marketing.  2012 will be a big year for these companies as they make big moves and establish the new structure for marketing.   At this point, I can’t see anything in the way of these players becoming a huge and dominating force in our space.
10. The online advertising business will continue to grow like a weed, and we will all enjoy the ride.
11. And finally, 2012 will be a year of big winners and big losers in the ad tech space.  Some folks are going to have huge wins, as our good friends at Admeld did last year, and some folks are going to get knocked out of game.  By the end of the year, the Lumascape will be a memory of an innovation cycle that was a wondrous thing to behold but that is now much more consolidated and rationalized.

Happy Holidays from all of us here at Triggit.

Be sure to check out our recap of 2011 Predictions.