Historical events always rewire human behaviours and attitudes, with inevitable implications for business. The global financial crash of 2007–2008 created huge socio-economic and political change. Years of austerity followed, along with hardened attitudes and behaviours reflecting tough economic times.
In the media and advertising industry, austerity focused brands attention on ROI. This altered mindset turbo-charged the inexorable rise in investment in measurable digital media, stimulating in turn the then-nascent programmatic media technology scene and increased the impetus behind the commercialisation of digital platforms.
Without sounding too insensitive to the massive societal and human cost it has wreaked, the COVID-19 pandemic...