Thursday, April 28, 2016

Marketing communication now and Future trends


For a successful marketing communication is important to realize who your audience is, what they do and how they behave. Its known that most of millennials are shaping the kind of advertisement they want to be exposed to, therefore in the near future they will become the most important (largest) target group and marketers must find a way to get through them.


Embrace the Customer Experience Model. It’s been a slow grind for some, but marketing departments are moving from a silo of advertising and non-interactive communication toward becoming a natural part of the sales cycle and an extension of customer service. Marketers, using integrated tools, can engage with customers online, track the buyer’s journey, measure sentiment and loyalty, and match behavior with outreach tailored to meet their audience’s needs and interests. But for customers already bombarded with information, a great customer experience is becoming baseline. The year 2016 will see brand ambassadors given a higher priority, more effective customer engagement—using tactics highlighted below—and tighter collaboration with sales and support to directly affect conversion rates.

Will Ad Blockers Change the Game? Consumers are sick of in-your-face marketing. As marketers and builders engage in a healthy debate about the presence of ad blockers, the truth is that if advertising isn’t relevant it’s annoying—and consumers have little patience for anything annoying. How can a good brand get noticed? Watch for companies to continue to create advertisements that seamlessly blend with—rather than interrupt—the browsing experience, as well as to use those customer-centric insights to drive content and social engagement.

Dream and Market in 3D. Virtual reality literally drops people inside their favorite TV show, provides an on-the-ground preview of their next vacation, or puts them behind the wheel of their next car. Customer experience is priority number one and—although it’s still evolving—3D technology is poised to move from novelty to mainstream. It will start most heavily in the gaming industry, but as the technology to create and consume becomes more accessible, smart marketers will look for ways to bring their products to virtual life.

Marketers Will (Finally) Recognize Social Media as a Channel, Not a Strategy. Social media isn’t marketing, and it doesn’t work as a “strategy” on its own—something that seems to have finally sunk into the collective marketing consciousness. Social media is one platform of many, a tactic that does a great job of supporting broad campaigns but flounders by itself. This distinction will shape marketing strategies and budgetary considerations in 2016.

If relevance, context, and effective delivery aren’t the topic of regular conversations in your marketing department, 2016 is going to be a frustrating year for you.

Businesses need to keep a clear focus on the needs and expectations of their customers—a group that’s diverse and fragmented, with high expectations and little patience for anyone who can’t keep up. To stay competitive you need to be visible, and that’s no easy feat.
Which marketing trends should you be prepared to follow? Here’s a look at the 10 marketing trends that will drive conversations and conversions in 2016.

1. Embrace the Customer Experience Model. It’s been a slow grind for some, but marketing departments are moving from a silo of advertising and non-interactive communication toward becoming a natural part of the sales cycle and an extension of customer service. Marketers, using integrated tools, can engage with customers online, track the buyer’s journey, measure sentiment and loyalty, and match behavior with outreach tailored to meet their audience’s needs and interests. But for customers already bombarded with information, a great customer experience is becoming baseline. The year 2016 will see brand ambassadors given a higher priority, more effective customer engagement—using tactics highlighted below—and tighter collaboration with sales and support to directly affect conversion rates.

2. Will Ad Blockers Change the Game? Consumers are sick of in-your-face marketing. As marketers and builders engage in a healthy debate about the presence of ad blockers, the truth is that if advertising isn’t relevant it’s annoying—and consumers have little patience for anything annoying. How can a good brand get noticed? Watch for companies to continue to create advertisements that seamlessly blend with—rather than interrupt—the browsing experience, as well as to use those customer-centric insights to drive content and social engagement.

3. Dream and Market in 3D. Virtual reality literally drops people inside their favorite TV show, provides an on-the-ground preview of their next vacation, or puts them behind the wheel of their next car. Customer experience is priority number one and—although it’s still evolving—3D technology is poised to move from novelty to mainstream. It will start most heavily in the gaming industry, but as the technology to create and consume becomes more accessible, smart marketers will look for ways to bring their products to virtual life.

4. Marketers Will (Finally) Recognize Social Media as a Channel, Not a Strategy. Social media isn’t marketing, and it doesn’t work as a “strategy” on its own—something that seems to have finally sunk into the collective marketing consciousness. Social media is one platform of many, a tactic that does a great job of supporting broad campaigns but flounders by itself. This distinction will shape marketing strategies and budgetary considerations in 2016.

5.  Omni channel will be Retail’s Best Friend. Tweet for Pizza! Dominos has one of the catchiest Omni channel campaigns right now, but brands across the board will quickly learn that an integrated customer experience is essential—one that creates one smooth interaction, rather than multiple micro events. From addressing the causes behind abandoned shopping carts to creating an easy transition between online and bricks-and-mortar locations, Omni channel will improve the bottom line for both retailers and B2B.

6.  Big Data IS for Marketers. Big data, which includes social and unstructured data, is a goldmine for marketers. Until recently, many marketers shied away from big data because they lacked the skills—or the big budget resources—to translate it into something meaningful. Now, tools are coming to the marketplace that makes mining and managing data easier than ever. 2016 will be a banner year for incorporating big data and perhaps more importantly, analytics into marketing decisions.

7.  Mobile, Mobile, Mobile. Marketers who’ve been lazy about pursuing mobile are about to miss the train altogether; the number of people who do their browsing on devices passed desktop users a while ago. For retailers, mobile is basic; for others, it soon will be. At a minimum, this means a mobile-optimized and responsive website, and may include custom apps and mobile-targeted campaigns. The frontrunners have already moved on to other things; mobile can’t be put off for another year.

8.  Video Use Explodes While Live Streaming Finds a Purpose. If you want to engage with millennials, video is a must-have marketing tactic; they prefer to find entertainment and education on YouTube over conventional channels like television. Snapchat, YouTube, gifs, Vine, and more are being consumed at a rapid rate. Streaming video takes this to the next level, and platforms like Periscope and Blab have put interactive live video into the hands of anyone with a smartphone. The next year will see video continue to shine and streaming move to the forefront of marketing, with innovative new campaigns that allow consumers to be the stars.

9.  No Rest for Content. It may sounds like a broken record, but content is still king—even more so given the deterioration of interruptive tactics. But context is a stronger factor than ever. With no decline in sight for the importance of good content, the next year will see greater focus on bringing influencers on board for more organic marketing. Storytelling will also play a key role in drawing consumers in and keeping them engaged. Natural, relevant content in the right channels will drive content campaigns.

10. Data (Read: Results) Will Be an Overarching Theme. It isn’t enough to think you should do it; feel good marketing is over. CEOs, CMOs, and every other influencer in the C-suite will look to marketers for data before, during, and after campaigns to validate return on their marketing investments. (forbes.com)

Predicting future consumer tendencies is never an easy task but I have compiled a list of five trends that have enough momentum to be cornerstones of the industry.  Some of most well known brands are already adapting to these trends, but so are the ones you probably have never heard of. It will be these hidden gems that have the most potential to takeover next year.

Future Trend #1 – Tech Immersion
Technology has permeated into nearly every aspect of consumers’ lives and it will only continue to do so in 2015.  Wearable tech is the new trend that did not stick with millennials right away, but as the price point becomes more “millennial friendly,” we will see young adults sporting more tech innovations on their wrists. Wearable tech will truly take off in the healthy living space where brands like Jawbone Up and Fitbit have already experienced the highest rates of success.
Newcomer to the tech industry, Bellabeat, is already making waves with millennial parents stepping into their new roles for the first time. Bellabeat has created a line of products that help monitor, record and track pregnancy. The technology used in the products allows parents to create a shareable recording of their baby’s heartbeat before the little one is born. These innovations are not just the latest advancement in technology but they fit a growing need and will win with millennials because they align with the insight, Useful is the New Cool

Future Trend #2 – Mobile Payment will Become the Norm
Millennials are the most on-the-go generation to date and are constantly seeking out ways to streamline their busy lives. Enter Venmo, Apple Pay and Snapcash. These mobile payment apps have taken the market by storm and are becoming increasingly more popular with young adults in the millennial demographic.  The platforms are designed to make the payment process even more efficient and remove the fees that many associate with mobile or online payment options.  According to data released by Forrester, mobile payments will reach close to $90 billion by 2017. Especially as we enter into the holiday season, we predict that mobile payment will reach a peak and will continue to be a go-to form of payment moving into 2015.

Future Trend #3 – Badge Experiences will Replace Badge Products
More than 69 percent of all millennials consider themselves adventurous. That means that nearly two thirds of an entire generation value brands that provide experiences they can not get in their every day lives.  In 2015 the idea of a badge experience will take over.  Traditionally, young adults paid the premium for a name brand product or designer label.  Now, millennials are foregoing their $100 shoes for a better experience they can remember instead of wear.
Big brands are already starting to realize this. Even Abercrombie, one of the original brands to stamp their logo all over their apparel, has begun removing it from much of their clothing. Instead of recognizing a brand by a name or a logo, millennials will find true value in the experiences they co-create with the brand.

Future Trend #4 – Reimagination of Social Marketing
Facebook more or less has dominated Social Marketing since its origination, but other brands have begun finding ways to engage younger demographics better than Zuckerberg’s social behemoth. In fact, three in ten Facebookers say they have “un-liked” a brand within the last 30 days and 38 percent of 16-24 year olds have done the same. This ratio is worse than Twitter and even Google+.
This does not mean that 2015 will be the end of Facebook as we know it. The social media giant is still the go-to platform for millennials. However, a greater emphasis will be placed on content and brands will seek out new and more engaging places for their content to live.  The faster brands are able to respond in real-time to consumers, the faster they will convert them into loyal brand partners.

Future Trend #5 – The Rise of Fast Casual
This last trend should come as no surprise if you’ve been paying attention to the news. With McDonald’s changing its menu more than Beyonce’s wardrobe at the VMAs, the fast food industry as a whole is playing catch up to the fast casual chains across the country. Yes, everyone knows how impactful Chipotle has been on the foodservice market, but other brands including Firehouse Subs, Pie Five and Smashburger are the ones disrupting the market and driving the trends. These chains are technically considered fast food but have created an in-store environment that is more similar to a fast casual restaurant. The speed of food production combined with the high quality ingredients and more of a “sit down and enjoy” environment will be what sets these brands and others like them apart from the rest in 2015.



Generations


 Teens are extremely social. They are obviously very concerned about appearances and image. Nothing new, as this has been the case for ages. At the same time the world they live in changes rapidly, shaping them into a new generation. These digital natives grow up surrounded by technological advances such as mobile internet, smartphones and Snapchat. They learn and think differently and have other priorities in life than teens before them. This shifting mentality is raising questions on how and where to reach the lucrative teenage consumer market in the highly fragmented mobile social universe. The sooner companies get to know this generation, the better.


1995-2002



We can say a lot of things about millennials. For example: they are dualistic, optimistic realists who love eclectic stuff that’s real. The millennials are very different from their predecessors, generation X, but surprisingly similar to the generation that comes immediately after them (digital natives). We sometimes call millennials the light version of the digital natives (in the sense of Coca-Cola Light). The millennial generation is a very important cohort, as they were the first generation to grow up after the Cold War. In a new world order and its explosion of technology, new media, products and marketing.

1980-1995


 The so-called ‘forgotten generation’ are treated true to their name: like they are virtually forgotten. Few brands seem to focus on the wishes and needs of this generation. That is a pity, as the Gen X-ers are the parents of Digital Natives. Therefore, they have more influence on the youngest generation than companies may realize. X-ers are also on the brink of taking over companies and politics from the boomers – and when they do, they will do things differently.


1960-1980



Everybody knows the Baby boomers. They are the biggest generation cohort with the greatest wealth of any generation. In contrast to the generations before them, they like to spend their money. They are very active and open to new experiences. These facts alone should make this generation the focus of many companies. But, surprisingly, most companies seem to focus only on the young. So it’s not surprising that most Boomers still don’t feel understood and catered to by brands and organizations. This lecture presents the tools to unlock the Babyboom potential.

1945-1960

Virtual reality -VR


VR solves huge problems marketers have around engagement and awareness for the following reasons:
Immersive – users wearing a headset are completely immersed in the content meaning fewer distractions and more attention on the message.
Impactful – the intensity of a VR experience is greater than traditional media generating strong emotions in its users which are linked to real behavior change.
Memorable – our brains are built to remember events linked to locations, this means that VR experiences have a longer trace in the audience’s memory.
Novel – with high media and public interest in VR early adopters can benefit from favorable media exposure.




Through their Happy Meal Box, McDonald has released their own Google Cardboard. They’re doing a trial run in Sweden where the happy meal toy is a McDonald’s Cardboard VR Headset. In this case, it’s helping people turn happy boxed into happy people. Slope Stars is the game that comes with the goggles. It’s tied to a Swedish recreational holiday that centres on skiing.

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