Black Friday, the international shopping frenzy that first hit South Africa in 2014, has become a staple in the retail and e-commerce landscape. As we reflect on the recent Black Friday extravaganza, we sat down with Paid Media Managers Helga Ndawula and Cassidy Lassen to dissect key insights that defined this year’s shopping spree and extract actionable takeaways for brands aiming to optimize performance in the coming seasons.

Organizations will soon have to rely on their own first-party data for targeting and ad buying. The most common advice for marketers that depend on third-party cookies is to work on a first-party data strategy. This is necessary not only to reach target audiences, but it’s also a prerequisite for running marketing solutions powered by AI and machine learning (after all, if you can’t walk, you can’t run). However, for many organizations, it’s practically impossible to build a large enough first-party data stack. Such parties require two concrete solutions.

Google’s recent introduction of AI-powered features for Performance Max (PMax) presents a host of  exciting opportunities for advertisers. PMax represents the ultimate game-changer for advertisers to gain improved ROI and seamlessly integrate AI into their Google Ads strategy.

With 2023 showing us how quickly digital priorities can shift throughout the year there’s no doubt that 2024 is going to be another rollercoaster of a year for brands. While fluctuations in market volatility can make it difficult to anticipate what’s coming next, we sat down with our team of digital specialists and leaders to gauge their thoughts on future trends for the coming year.

Following Meta’s record 1.2bn euro fine for failing to comply with all GDPR regulations, the EU Data Protection Board (EDPB) has, from November 2023 onwards, imposed a ban on Meta using personal EU user data for targeted advertising – with Meta being notified of the sanction at the end of October.

In an industry where change is the only constant, learning and development is pivotal. Incubeta, like many other organizations, recognizes the need for continuous upskilling and cross-skilling to thrive in an ever-evolving environment. Our internal knowledge sharing program, the Ignition Series is a testament to our commitment to staying agile and innovative. We are proud of the Incubeta Cape Town L&D team who embarked on a mission to revamp the way we shared knowledge within our organization. Here’s how they did it.