What does 2022 hold for marketing?
While we don’t have a crystal ball, SmartBrief did reach out to experts from across the marketing communications spectrum and asked for their vision of what you should watch for as you plan your marketing moves.
Read on and then … let us know your 2022 marketing forecast on Twitter.
Social will drive e-commerce
Raj Nijjer, Chief Marketing Officer
Refersion
The pandemic has changed shopping habits and at Refersion we saw Black Friday traffic patterns kick in as early as September coupled with a 39% increase in affiliate marketing sales. With paid ads at saturation and e-commerce sales slowing, the next wave of growth will come from social commerce driven by affiliates and influencers powered with an ROI of $6.50 in revenue for every $1 spent comparative to paid ads at $2 in revenue to $1 in ad costs.
Add to that, Refersion’s customers average order values climbed from $107 in 2020 to $138 in Black Friday Cyber Monday 2021, showing the strength of social commerce powered by affiliate marketing!
Ensuring media security
Sarah Evans, Founder & CEO
Sevans PR
Think of it as cyber security’s cousin for communicators because cyber attacks are not the only organizational threats. Informational warfare is at an all-time high and impacts every level of a company from brand affinity to employee relations, and of course, financial bottom lines. Those in charge of a brand’s messaging, marketing and communications must move beyond social listening as a gauge. In 2021, Weber Shandwick launched a new industry practice, called Media Security along with a dedicated Media Security Center, powered by an AI-driven threat detection technology partner to address reputational risk.
Seek to build trust
Gaurav Sharma, CEO & Founder
Attrock
The biggest marketing trend that we witnessed in 2021 and will affect marketing in 2022 is trust-based marketing.
Consumers are now demanding more authentic and genuine connections with brands, instead of intrusive promotions. Conversely, brands are focussing more on building loyalty and retaining good customers, than attracting new ones.
In that light, the following marketing tactics and best practices will dominate the future of marketing:
- Personalized, useful and highly-targeted marketing content
- Lucrative loyalty programs that engage existing customers
- Brand collaborations with microinfluencers to build trust and reputation
- Cause marketing and inclusive campaigns to win customer trust and loyalty
- Live videos and events with real-time interaction with viewers/customers
Today’s customers want to buy from brands they trust and brands need to fulfill this demand for stronger customer connections. The focus for all marketers, in the near future, should be on earning trust and building strong customer relationships.
The metaverse is becoming a virtual reality
Kent Lewis, President & Founder
Anvil Media
In early 2021, I was smitten with NFTs and how they can be used for marketing. The virtual world has become increasingly compelling to brands and consumers, driven by Facebook/Meta’s big push into the metaverse. While other large players (Microsoft, QSR and luxury brands) are also investing heavily in the metaverse, the most exciting aspect in 2022 will be the opportunity to tie the real, virtual and augmented world into one omni-commerce world via blockchain.
While it will take years for consumers adoption to reach critical mass, forward-thinking brands will make a big virtual splash in 2022 with functional and engaging metaverse applications that result in the consumption of digital goods.
Out-of-home takes center stage
Craig Benner, CEO
Accretive Media
You know you’re a hot category when analysts start creating new subcategories for you, as terms like On-Premise Media and In-Store Retail Media Networks gain more momentum, further fortifying OOH’s re-emergence. Physical spaces don’t deal with the baggage of other channels, and despite the Omicron variant, consumers are longing for a return to normalcy.
In 2022, we’ll see this public sentiment of COVID-19 exhaustion overtake brand caution and advertisers paying attention will invest in the formats where audiences spend their time. HINT: it’s not linear or CTV-centric anymore, and it’s certainly not fragmented digital.
As the wise philosopher Matt Damon once said, “fortune favors the bold,” and in this case, bold brands will circumvent big tech’s issues and capitalize on the simplicity, elegance and impact of OOH. With its new measurement innovation and programmatic ease of use, advertisers get the same scale, performance and insights as any other channel – without the baggage.
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This article first appeared in www.smartbrief.com
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