The impact of Covid has transformed almost every industry over the past year — and when it comes to advertising, in particular, the disruption has sparked more trends that are both emerging and here to stay.
Looking at the recent events in the last year, I was trying to understand the most significant changes in consumer behaviour — and which of those will be around for some time — we can predict the most influential advertising trends to embrace for the future. Here are the most prominent trends I expect to dominate the marketing industry post-Covid…
Ecommerce is here to stay
Digital transformation is the biggest common factor in the advertising trends of the future. With more people than ever before now online as the world has adapted to pandemic-accelerated virtual lives, so too have consumers swapped bricks-and-mortar stores for online shopping. Global retail e-commerce sales accounted for 4.28 trillion US dollars in 2020, with that number expected to grow to a massive 5.4 trillion US dollars in 2022: it’s not going anywhere. In turn, this means that businesses should increase digital ad spend on platforms like Amazon and on social apps like Instagram and TikTok, where their customer bases are.
The end of cookies/ tracking
We all heard the recent news from Apple privacy feature for iOS, which will prompt iPhone and iPad users to opt-out of tracking in apps that monitor their behaviour and share that data with third parties, thus massively affecting digital advertising targeting. In addition, Google has said that it will block all third-party cookies in its Chrome browser by 2022. Greater crackdowns on GDPR regulations and a keener interest from consumers in topics of user privacy means that advertisers will have to adapt to new ways of measuring the performance of their ads. Instead of third-party cookies, marketers should invest in more useful first-party data by strengthening their customer relationships and creating a transparent value exchange between the company and its users.
Live video/ audio
We’ve always known video content can increase engagement, but the vital use of live video during the pandemic to connect people has seen its impact skyrocket. The live video saw the highest engagement rate on Facebook in Q3 of 2020 over any post. Now, marketers should be using that engagement to their advantage plus keep the radar for growing mediums such as webinars and social media audio (e.g. Clubhouse & Twitter Spaces).
Brand authenticity
One of the reasons live video resonates so well with consumers is that it promotes authenticity about a brand, portraying it as a relatable, accessible human voice rather than a sterile faceless company. This trend for authentic and socially conscious brands will continue to grow post-Covid. According to research by CNBC, authenticity is increasingly important to Gen Z, as “67 percent of those surveyed agreeing that ‘being true to their values and beliefs makes a person cool”. In the future, consumers will pledge brand loyalty to companies that authentically align with socially conscious values on topics of equality and sustainability, for example — but it has to be genuine.
What are the biggest trends you predict for the advertising industry? Share your thoughts in the comments below…
