Pundit
Joshua Lowcock
7 receipts • Tracked since Apr 2026
Global brand safety and media-investment leader (formerly UM Worldwide); commentator on adtech standards and AI ad policy.
Affiliations
No firm affiliations on record.
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7 receipts
2026
1 prediction- Jan 7, 2026Called it.“Expect active debate in the U.S. as other countries look to follow Australia’s social media ban for children under 16 years old.”
Active debate in the U.S. regarding age restrictions and parental consent for minors' social media use, including state-level laws and federal discussions like KOSA, was ongoing by 2025-2026. This aligns with the prediction of 'active debate' as other countries consider similar bans.
2025
4 predictions- Jan 10, 2025Called it.“DIY, at-home health-testing products bought over the counter will continue to grow. … In 2025, we’ll see organizations with future-focused data strategies set themselves apart by producing deeper and more tightly integrated omnichannel marketing campaigns.”
At-home diagnostics continued to grow as a significant consumer health category through 2025-2026. Simultaneously, retail media networks and sophisticated brands leveraged first-party data for integrated omnichannel campaigns, demonstrating the differentiation of 'future-focused data strategies'.
- Jan 10, 2025Called it.“There will be a re-evaluation of what constitutes responsible media investment. Marketers will need to adapt to new norms and guidelines to ensure their investments are ethical and effective in an ever-changing landscape.”
The period saw growing prominence of industry initiatives around 'responsible media,' expanding definitions of brand safety to include misinformation, sustainability, and DEI. Marketers adapted by incorporating these criteria into media plans and using more sophisticated verification tools.
- Jan 10, 2025Called it.“2025 is shaping up to be a year of disruption for Google as a result of ongoing legal challenges to its current business practices. Regardless of the final outcomes to these challenges, they are likely to impact Google’s business operations and the marketplace at large.”
2025 saw ongoing legal challenges, including the U.S. v. Google antitrust case, leading to heightened disruption and uncertainty for Google's advertising and data practices. Regulatory scrutiny in the EU and other regions also contributed to product and policy changes, fulfilling the prediction of operational and marketplace impact.
- Jan 10, 2025Called it.“The focus on data privacy will intensify, with increased scrutiny on the ethical collection and use of data. Legislation will likely accelerate, particularly concerning the use of data about American citizens by foreign entities. This will have wide-ranging implications for data collection practices.”
Data privacy focus intensified with ongoing state-level legislation and enforcement (e.g., California, Colorado, Virginia). Scrutiny on foreign entities' use of U.S. data increased, particularly with debates and legislative efforts targeting Chinese-linked apps (e.g., TikTok). This led to greater emphasis on first-party data and privacy-preserving techniques.
2024
1 prediction- Jan 24, 2024Story still evolving.“Given everything that’s happening in the industry, from cookie deprecation to device ID deprecation to privacy regulation, long-tail publishers don’t have a long history left in them. They’re destined to die… the advertising ecosystem as it’s being rewritten just cannot sustain them.”
While the 'destined to die' part is too absolute to fully confirm yet, the existential pressure on long-tail publishers due to cookie and device ID deprecation, alongside privacy regulation, is clearly observable. Many smaller, ad-dependent publishers face significant challenges, consolidation, or pivots, although some have survived by building direct models.
2020
1 prediction- Jan 17, 2020Called it.“People are and will become increasingly better informed about their digital rights, and will demand that these rights be respected and protected.”
The 2020s saw expanding privacy legislation (e.g., GDPR enforcement, new US state laws) and increased consumer awareness and demand for privacy (e.g., browser tracking prevention, platform privacy controls), aligning with people becoming better informed and demanding protection of digital rights.