5G series: Programmatic goes 5G but what are the implications?

With the launch of 5G slowly emerging, the excitement is building around the potential for this new technology. Not only within digital advertising but also from a much broader perspective, with the impact likely to be felt across transport, education, healthcare and many other sectors.  

Of course, within advertising there are going to be some seismic shifts with the introduction of 5G. Some pretty obvious, such as new rich creative applications, but also some areas that may not seem so obvious at first, such as advertising opportunities borne out of integrations with household products, such as fridges, as the Internet of Things finally starts to make inroads into advertising. 

However, in this piece I want to focus a few key areas where the adoption of 5G is likely to precipitate some significant shifts in the way we use programmatic. 

Video consumption will explode  

Already the fastestgrowing digital format, according to the IAB, with 25% growth year on year. The widespread adoption of 5G is only going to accelerate the use of video, especially within mobile, which will witness the largest revolution of all digital channels, with internet speeds surpassing those on WIFI in the next few years. For our industry this is a key point. With mobile video already the primary driver of ad revenue growth (source: eMarketer) this is only going to accelerate with higher and more consistent internet speeds across mobile devices, and hence drive the continued growth of video.

Interactive formats will become the norm 

With access to higher and more reliable data speeds, both landing pages and ad units will load almost instantaneously. This opens a whole new host of opportunities for compelling, high-res interactive ad units that will drive far greater levels of engagement. Some practitioners are even predicting the demise of ad blockers, as creative units become less intrusive and more engaging. 

The ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) will become a ‘thing’ in programmatic 

IoT has been around for a few years, with the promise of fridges that tell you when your food is going off, or ovens that tell you when that roast chicken is perfectly cooked. There was even the story in the press recently of the schoolgirl banned from using her mobile phone who tweeted from her family’s LG Fridge! But what if advertisers could utilise this information to deliver more tailored ads? Imagine a scenario where you’ve got some milk that’s going off. Soon we may get an ad to our phone extoling the virtues of organic milk, with a special offer chucked in for good measure. Sounds a bit sci-fi, but it could be a reality in the next few years with 5G. Watch this space! 

Voice will become key 

With voice assistants already becoming pretty common within UK households, it makes sense that voice will play an increasingly important role in digital advertising. But what will be interesting here will be the mobilisation of this technology. For exampletaking your virtual assistant with you wherever you go, and the advertising opportunities within that, such as helping with your evening meal. Expect to see more and more of those slightly weird ‘one way’ conversations happening as you go about your daily lives! 

Here I’ve listed a few of the more obvious innovations we’ll see with 5G. However, in my opinion this could herald changes in the same way that the introduction of the mobile, paid search or social media has impacted our society. It really is that big! If you’re keen to learn more about this or how Space Time can help your business deliver growth through programmatic get in touch and we’ll call you right back. 

-