Per the COVID-19 pandemic, Forrester expects near-term challenges for search marketing as marketers move ad spend around. A few things to consider:

  • Digital advertising, including search advertising, is easier to cancel than other forms of advertising.
  • Brand will still matter and, in some cases, will matter more.
  • Search advertising is closer to the point of purchase, sitting lower down in the purchase funnel.
  • Travel and hospitality spend casts a shadow over everything else.

As the impact of the pandemic across the US, Forrester anticipates consumers’ media routines to be disrupted just as much as their daily routines. Spending more time at home will drive more people to several digital forms of information and entertainment.

Forrester Forecast Analyst Brandon Verblow and Principal Analyst Jay Pattisall are available for interviews to discuss further.