The year 2020 has changed human processes. Our habits, business operations and pattern of communications have all changed. Many impossibilities were made possible and tons of industrial norms was broken.
First, it was Covid-19, then the BlackLivesMatter campaign, both shook the world to its core. Let’s bring it even closer, the ENDSARS campaign had as much impact, even breaking the set record of Tweets by the BlackLivesMatter campaign in a matter of days.
This year, both organisational leaders and marketing were tested. We saw more companies hiring for marketing roles and expanding the responsibilities of marketers to include Diversity and Inclusion.
There hasn’t been any year like this– an unexpected start into a new decade. This left many to wonder what the year 2021 would be like as many organisation are caught in the web of the uncertainties that lie ahead amidst the second wave of Covid-19.
Top Trends, Predictions In Marketing For 2021
Predictions and Trends aren’t playbooks. Rather, they offer guidance to greater outcomes in our decisions. In marketing, these trends and predictions are the expected outcome of what would be in at the centre of brand activities and how consumers would perceive effective marketing in 2021.
Purpose and cause-related marketing take centre stage:
In 2020 we saw many brands at the frontline, leading initiatives against Covid-19 and racial injustices– supporting health care workers, institutions and pledging support to important causes. Expect 2021 to be no different, brands of all sizes will roll out plans for causes as part of next year’s plan especially as causes like climate change, data security, human right, gender equality etc. gain more relevance than ever.
Brands will do more with XR:
Before the world started Social Distancing, brands were already exploring the opportunities in XR.
Social Distance will take centre stage even after Covid-19 as more people consider public health a priority. This poses a threat to experiential marketing which is largely dependent on physical contacts, with XRs like; Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality allowing for contactless marketing (giving customers a more intimate experience with your products). Expect more brands to invest more in VR/MR/AR especially with the capabilities of new devices such as; HTC Vive Cosmos, Valve Index, Oculus Quest 2.
Empathy will drive strategies:
As brands lead with purpose, they will do so with compassion. In 2021 the quest for consumers want to feel valued and loved will grow stronger. Expect less “sellsy* of products, but more listening. Brands that sell kindness will outperform those that don’t.
Content will expand kingship:
As more and more data are gathered, expect them to be transformed into consumable content. However, this content will take various forms. I expect more brands to invest heavily in content, and devise new approaches to create and present content valuable content to consumers. We should all look out for impactful and purposeful stories.
Brands will walk, talk and work with communities:
In 2021 bigger brands will take community engagement more serious than they used to, and brands who haven’t invested enough in community building online and offline will make it a top agenda. Brands will both walk and work the journey with customers to unravel new opportunities and as well gain competitive advantage.
Let’s Automate
Marketing automation will continue to be the buzz in 2021. I expect more successful solutions aimed at shrinking acquisition consumers processes to launch. With more sophisticated AI inclusion automation will be the game-changer for many digital marketers for improved the acceptability, ROI, CAC and other evaluation tactics.
Thought Leadership
Asides from informing and educating, in 2021, brands in the service sector will invest heavily on positioning themselves as authorities. Sales will be done creative in ways that positions brandd as solutions to consumers’ problem.
Summarily, do not expect a drastic change in 2021. We can only talk about things getting back to normal in the latter stage of 2021. However, expect marketers to be at the forefront of discussions across industries, leading with purpose, empathy, insight and conviction.