What lies ahead for GMP users in 2024?
This year was filled with product updates and positive change for Google Marketing Platform and Google Analytics users. As we head into the festive holiday season, our Google Technology Practice experts reflect on the key themes driving change in the sector, and what to anticipate in 2024.
The end of Universal Analytics
“Standard Universal Analytics properties were sunsetted on 1st July 2023, and on 1st July 2024 the same will happen for Google Analytics 360 properties. This is the last year for 360 users to get themselves ready for the full transition to Google Analytics 4 (GA4).
If you are still on the journey towards GA4, you do still have time to get ready, but it’s imperative to act now. First, familiarise yourself with the new GA4 data model and learn how to use the platform. Next, migrate your existing reports and dashboards to GA4. Finally, train your team and wider business stakeholder’s on how to use GA4, particularly leveraging the new advanced Exploration Reports.
By taking these three steps, you can ensure that your business is ready to make the most of GA4 and continue to collect valuable data about your customers.”
- Liam Mordew-Lee, Experience Analytics Partner
Privacy-first measurement continues to be imperative
“In the ever-evolving digital landscape, marketers face the challenge of balancing effective measurement with user privacy. Google's suite of privacy measurement tools offers a solution to this challenge, enabling marketers to measure their campaigns effectively while respecting user privacy.
Our focus areas for clients in 2024 are Enhanced Conversions, Consent Mode, and Server-Side Tagging. Enhanced conversions allow marketers to track user actions without relying on cookies or other identifiers, ensuring that data collection is privacy safe. Consent mode ensures that data collection and measurement only occur when users have provided explicit consent, aligning with regulations such as GCPR and CCPA. Server-side tagging shifts data processing from the client-side (user's browser) to the server-side, minimising the exposure of sensitive user data and reducing the risk of data breaches.
These tools provide a roadmap for the future of marketing, enabling marketers to navigate the privacy landscape with confidence and continue to deliver impactful campaigns that resonate with their audience.
- Jason James, Digital Analytics Director and Privacy Lead
Cloud unlocks additional GMP performance
By leveraging cloud solutions like Google Cloud Platform (GCP), marketers can gain deeper customer insights, optimise campaign performance, and drive business growth.
GCP’s robust infrastructure and powerful tools seamlessly integrate with Google Marketing Platform and Google Analytics, providing marketers with a unified platform for data management, analytics, and machine learning. For instance, BigQuery, GCP’s data warehouse solution, enables marketers to collect, store, and analyse vast amounts of customer data, uncovering hidden patterns and trends that can inform marketing strategies.
Additionally, Vertex AI, GCP's machine learning platform, empowers marketers to build and deploy predictive models that anticipate customer behaviour, personalise marketing messages, and optimise campaign performance.
By leveraging GCP's capabilities in 2024, marketers can transform GMP into an even more powerful tool for achieving their marketing goals through digital maturity."
- Arran Gosal, Senior Data Engineer
Increasing need for first-party data strategy
“First-party data is the data that businesses collect directly from their customers, such as website visits, purchase history, and email interactions. Unlike third-party data, which is often inaccurate and can be difficult to access, first-party data gives businesses a direct line to their customers.
In 2024, businesses that have a strong first-party data strategy will be at a significant advantage. They will be able to create highly personalised experiences that resonate with their customers, leading to increased engagement, conversions, and customer lifetime value. They will also be able to deliver more effective marketing campaigns, targeting the right people with the right message at the right time.
The Google Tech stacks in both GMP and GCP give businesses a strong platform from which to execute their first-party data strategy, allowing marketers to create personalised experiences, deliver effective campaigns, and build lasting relationships with their customers.”
- Kristina Vasiliauskaite, Senior Growth Director Data & Analytics
AI creates new possibilities
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the marketing landscape, and the Google Marketing Platform (GMP) and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) are at the forefront of this revolution. With its powerful AI capabilities, these platforms are enabling marketers to gain deeper insights into their customers, automate repetitive tasks, and make better decisions.
Hyper-personalisation will enable marketers to create highly personalised experiences for each customer. This will involve using AI to predict customer preferences and behaviours to identify potential opportunities and proactively deliver the right message at the right time. This will enable marketers to engage with customers exactly when required and prevent them from churning.
AI will also automate many of the repetitive tasks involved in marketing, such as email marketing and social media management. This will free up marketers to focus on more strategic initiatives. Similarly, AI will be used to automate at least some of the creative process, such as designing ads and social media posts. This will enable marketers to produce more content at scale.
With its powerful AI capabilities, GMP and GCP are empowering marketers to create new possibilities and achieve success in 2024 and beyond.
- Mark Lee, Digital Analytics Director and AI Lead
If you have any questions regarding your Google tech, don’t hesitate to contact us below – we are always happy to discuss all things marketing and analytics!
