1. iOS14 Update Impacts and The Rise of First-Party Data
The iOS14 update changed how data is used in marketing, but its impact is far from over. Advertisers are using omnichannel reporting to look at the bigger picture rather than results from a single channel. It also means first-party data will continue to rise in value and popularity as it allows brands to communicate directly with their audience without limitations.
2. Influencer Content for Advertising
Influencer content is becoming a huge part of the advertising mix, with brands seeking to blend into platforms like TikTok and connect with their customers. Influencers from a variety of backgrounds are trusted sources for product reviews and can relay promotional messaging for brands or products in their own voice. This type of marketing will grow as social media evolves and audiences continue to become more opposed to traditional forms of advertising.
3. Marketing Automation
With the growth of AI and automation, businesses will be able to automate more and more tasks, including marketing tasks. This can range from automating social media posts to automatically responding to customer inquiries. This shift toward automation means that businesses will need to increasingly focus on areas that cannot be automated, like creativity and strategy. Marketing professionals will be expected to do more, and automation will be the key to automatically engaging, responding, managing and reporting at any time.
4. The Metaverse
This year, the term “metaverse” became synonymous with “the future of the mobile web” after Facebook changed its name to Meta; the company predicts it will become the future of online social interaction. Immersive online communities such as Roblox already exist, and big companies like Nike have started building their digital presence in the Metaverse. Combined with the endless new potential to reach and engage with audiences it provides, expect more brands to find creative ways to enter the metaverse.
5. Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)
AR and VR technologies will continue to grow in popularity, with AR especially showing a lot of potential for brands already. Gaming apps and large brands like Coca-Cola use AR regularly to create immersive experiences in their advertisements, and AR features on major ad platforms are becoming more available. With rumors that Apple Glasses are coming soon, we can expect that the hardware for VR & AR will become more popular in advertising and in general.
6. AI Drives Content Creation
AI will play a larger role in creating and optimizing content. With more affordable tools like Jarvis or Cyfe, marketers and individual content writers can quickly create ad copy, blog posts and more. Ad platforms leverage AI, and the promise of lower CPAs seems like a worthy tradeoff from giving SkyNet your credit card. However, marketing managers need to be aware of how reliant their writers are on AI-generated content. AI is only as good as its inputs and still needs a human eye for oversight, but expect AI to win in the long run.
7. DSP Audiences
8. TikTok Storytelling as a Marketing Framework
Have you ever noticed that a lot of TikTok content feels like conversations or stories being told by friends around a campfire? TikTok often tells businesses to “Make TikToks, not ads,” and it’s golden advice going into 2022, even on other social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram. Audiences respond well to brands that use user-generated content or produce content that seamlessly blends into non-promotional content in their feeds. This campfire-style storytelling makes a really good structure for introducing products without feeling pushy or invasive.
9. Employee Contract Work
Covid and the work-from-home economy have changed a lot for the marketing industry. Companies still need work to be done, but employees now have options when choosing a job. Many businesses have turned savings from expensive office leases into higher salaries as an incentive. Still, expect to see a rise in companies choosing 1099 freelancers and independent contractors over W2 employees. Sites like Upwork allow companies to quickly hire key individuals and allocate workload based on their performance. Marketers will need to become extremely skilled at specific tasks and will be measured on their ability to produce results.
10. NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens)
NFTs erupted this year and now make up a multi-billion dollar industry of digital collectibles. The exciting part is that it focuses on digital art, and there is much more about smart contracts. Marketers and companies can use NFTs to represent all sorts of things, including collectibles, loyalty points, event tickets and exclusive experiences. The possibilities are endless at this point. AMC and Sony offered an NFT for anyone pre-ordering “Spider-Man: No Way Home” tickets. The demand was so great it crashed the AMC website and helped lead Spider-Man to the largest movie opening since COVID slowed movie theater attendance.
Conclusion
It’s an exciting time to be in the marketing industry. These are just a few of the trends that I think will make the biggest impact over the next few years, but there are plenty more where they came from. What trends do you think will be noteworthy this year? Regardless, keep your eyes open and stay ahead of the curve — it’ll pay off in 2022.
