What to watch in marketing and advertising in 2017
Now that we have welcomed in 2017, a new marketing year is upon us. This week we’re exploring the marketing predictions made by industry experts and the top trends to look out for when building your new year strategy.
Influencer marketing
AJ Agrawal, Forbes contributor and founder of San-Francisco marketing consultancy Verma Media Consulting Group, has argued in his ‘17 marketing trends to watch out for in 2017’ that influencer marketing is on the rise.
Agrawal suggests that far more effective than a traditional advert selling your product, tapping in to relevant influencers across social media can build consumer trust in the brand and establish credibility.
AdWeek also suggests that 2017 will be an important year for influencer marketing, pointing to research by eMarketer which claims that digital spending will surpass that of TV for the first time in the coming year.
It is argued by contributor Kevin King that although ‘influencer marketing isn’t new, it will mature in 2017 as we see brands not only partnering with digital savvy Snapchatters and YouTubers but co-creating original content that can’t be found anywhere else.’
To get started with your influencer marketing strategy, why not take a look at Forbes’ list of ‘25 marketing influencers to watch in 2017’ for insight into who’s popular on social media right now, and why.
Yet more personalisation
If you’re wondering how marketing could possibly get any more personal, 2017 looks set to see yet more targeted and tailored brand campaigns.
Entrepreneur argues that personal stories and content will become ever more central in 2017. It is suggested that as advertising becomes ever more ubiquitous, and some would argue saturated, people will ‘look towards others like themselves to determine the next big thing and whether a product is worth purchasing.’
The importance of being genuine and authentic in personalisation is key, as consumers become ever savvier in their ability to spot a half-hearted attempt at personalisation. Mashable has likewise argued that with the likes of Amazon and Netflix setting the bar high, brands will have to move beyond simply using a consumer’s first name to create a human connection and integrate personalisation into every platform of a marketer’s toolkit.
Location, Location
Anyone who has been following the rise of location-based marketing will know that such data is quickly becoming a central tool for marketers looking to engage their increasingly mobile-driven consumer traffic.
A few weeks ago we wrote about how Spotify successfully created a head-turning campaign by using location-based insights, and according to an infographic by Marketing Profs GPS-based SEO will soon overtake key word search as mobile begins to dominate.
For AdWeek contributor and president of Foursquare Steven Rosenblatt, 2017 will be the year for location-based marketing. He suggests that location marketing companies will begin to consolidate, clients will demand more transparency over how data is collected, and marketers will begin to see the tool as far more than a gimmick.
Rosenblatt suggests that ‘it’s no longer sufficient to just “check the box”’, and that the smartest brands will aim for actionable consumer insights and ownership of their own location data as we move through 2017.
With so much to look forward to, there’s no time like the present to start thinking about how your marketing strategy can benefit. Happy New Year from the OTB team!
