Brands’ marketing moves must balance quick and engaging with deep and meaningful in an ever-evolving business landscape.
The marketing song remains the same: connect with audiences with content that makes a lasting and impactful impression. Yet, many business factors affecting brands can be dizzying in their dynamics, including consumer behaviors and tech advancements. Good marketing strategy is finding a way to align all the moving parts to reach that main objective.
That’s why it’s critical for branding professionals to stay on top of the latest marketing trends. Want to do more in 2024? Forbes counts down the top 5 marketing trends for the new year:
1. Conversational Marketing & AI-Driven Interactions
Waiting in line at the ol’ customer service desk in many ways seems like the Stone Age. In the era of smartphones and Siri, today’s consumer wants answers now. Catering to the immediate gratification consumer universe, conversational marketing “is poised to redefine customer interactions,” according to Forbes. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants allow brands to instantly engage consumers, addressing their informational needs and advancing their purchasing decisions. Through speed and personalization, such conversational marketing tools elevate the customer experience, which increases satisfaction and ultimately conversions.
2. Virtual & Augmented Reality Integration
The global virtual reality (VR) market is expected to grow from approximately $60 billion in 2022 to more than $435 billion by 2030. The possibilities are, well, virtually limitless for brands using VR and Augmented Reality as they continue to push to create captivating, immersive experiences for customers. One innovation allows residents in senior living communities to revisit their childhood home, wedding location or other special place from their past. Brands will increasingly incorporate these technologies into their marketing campaigns as VR and AR hardware become more accessible, Forbes notes.
3. Sustainability and Ethical Marketing
“From eco-friendly packaging to fair trade sourcing, marketing in 2024 is as much about values as it is about value,” writes Jennifer Gaier in Forbes. Increasingly, it’s not enough to do well with modern consumers; brands must do good by them as well. As reflected in the heightened corporate focus on ESG (environmental, social and governance), consumers these days go deeper beyond the sale or a campaign to what matters most to brands and how they regard and support things like environmental and social responsibility. Sustainability and ethical marketing are a smart way to grow meaningful connections with customers as well as the bottom line.
4. Hyper-Personalization Through Big Data and Analytics
The days of shotgun marketing are gone, and personalization and customized experiences are in. With so many ways to collect customer information and better and better processing technology, such as machine learning, brands better be taking advantage of Big Data and analytics to fashion “hyper-personalized marketing strategies where content, product recommendations and even advertisements are customized for individual consumers.”
5. Video Marketing and Short-Form Content Dominance
The fact that the number of U.S. households owning television sets grew from approximately 8,000 in 1946 to 45.7 million in 1960 is an old school, yet still very impressive confirmation of the power of the visual medium. In new school marketing, TikTok, YouTube Shorts and similar short-form video platforms are elevating the dominance of video. Used for more than just ads, “the ephemeral nature of this content, combined with its engaging visual appeal, aligns perfectly with the dwindling attention spans of modern audiences,” asserts Gaier.
“When your name means unlimitedness, you’d better be ready for new trends and challenges,” said Vince Vitti, infinitee’s VP, Employer Branding. “As brand makers, storytellers and creative advocates for your business, we’ll be there every step of the way to help your marketing team view challenge as opportunity and something new as a chance to improve.”