The annual study provides a current snapshot into how the industry is driving growth and examines how marketers, agencies, and media owners in the region can navigate these challenges with a focus on current trends and future opportunities.

Paul Stringer, Managing Editor of Research & Insights, WARC, said, “The pandemic has resulted in improved digital marketing capabilities. But driving growth in the digital age brings new complexities and marketing needs. 

In image above: Paul Stringer, Managing Editor of Research & Insights, WARC

“Insights into where to allocate investments, what objectives and tactics to choose, and what capabilities to develop are outlined in this must-read report that will help the marketing community future-proof for business success.” 

This study is based on an online survey conducted in APAC by WARC in association with the MMA. Carried out between July and September 2022, more than 700 marketing professionals took part, a mix of client-side, agency, media owner, and technology vendor marketers.

The State of Modern marketing in APAC 2022 highlights the following key insights:

• Marketers feel confident in their digital marketing capabilities despite third citing skills as a barrier to digital marketing growth.
• APAC has 2.14 billion active social media users, accounting for nearly half of all global users. Unsurprising, Social remains the most popular channel in digital marketing, receiving over a quarter of the budget.
• Multi-screening, cited by 51% of survey respondents, is now seen as the most significant consumer behavior, overtaking online commerce (47%) following a slowdown in online shopping as consumers emerge from lockdown.
• Half of APAC marketers are preparing for the advancement of Web 3. A similar number expect the metaverse to significantly impact marketing in 5 years.
• One in five marketers currently use AI and machine learning to drive marketing improvements, but it is the technology expected to have the most impact on marketing in the next 2 years. IDC predicts spending on AI systems to rise from $18 billion in 2022 to $32 billion in 2025.
• A higher proportion of media owners (66%), up from 38% last year, are investing in the capture and analysis of audience data as they look to grow their own first-party data capabilities as they prepare for a cookieless future.
• Although measurement is seen as the biggest obstacle to digital marketing growth, only a small minority of marketers (5%) are focused on employing greater measurement.

Summing up, Rohit Dadwal, Managing Director – Asia Pacific, MMA Global, commented: “With the region’s accelerated digital adoption post-COVID, investing in digital marketing capabilities such as AI, capturing proprietary audience data, better measurement and skill sets, and preparing for Web 3, will give marketers competitive advantage.”