As early as this past November, I was asked to forecast the marketing trends for the coming year. I was wondering if I had the mental muscles needed. I took heart when I looked back and reflected that quite a few things in recent years have progressed exactly in the direction I had originally predicted.
I revisited the blog I wrote five years ago. That’s when I made forecasts for 2018. Let’s see how many I got right back then.
Trend forecast 1:
“You will become part of Big Data Marketing and the use of your own data in marketing will increase.”
Did I get it right in 2018?
The seed of truth can be found in my prediction – however, it took considerably more than a year for the prediction to come true. Now, data-driven marketing is mainstream and part of the recipe for successful businesses.
Trend forecast 2:
“Technologies take care of creative routines.”
Did I get it right?
Creativity is usually used to influence the recipient’s feelings and personalize the message. The European Union is currently drafting regulations to limit personalization, as Amazon, Google, Facebook and other big players are already far too skilled at it.
Trend forecast 3:
“Agile organization and exponential development of technology.”
Did I get it right?
Agile marketing is done for anti-fragile companies: multi-expert marketing teams combine data analytics, the latest channel tools, and fast-learning methods. Testing and production take place simultaneously.
Trend forecast 4:
“You’ll learn what Account-Based Marketing really means.”
Did I get it right?
In B2B marketing, ABM has become an essential tool for certain players. It is a practice in which marketing and sales have combined to make one power team.
Trend forecast 5:
“Participatory content wins over traditional marketing content.”
Did I get it right?
Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t ask for storytelling. Participatory content builds a long-term relationship between the brand and the customer.
How do I rate my success as a fortune-teller?
In retrospect, I would say that my forecasts seem to be about 78 per cent correct. A statistically sufficient result, encouraging me to continue in the role of prediction maker.
I didn’t see this coming
The change in working life caused by COVID was a phenomenon that even the “real” fortune tellers could not imagine. The transition to remote work happened quickly and even face-to-face sales work was suddenly possible with the help of Teams and Zoom. Surprisingly, the results have not been bad – on the contrary.
What will happen in 2022?
Remote working has created a trend of hybrid events, which is planting the seeds of real growth for other areas of marketing as well. Events organized on the other side of the world can be attended from the couch at home, with the help of virtual ‘glasses’. A new category of VR marketing is growing, selling luxury cars, earthmoving machines and other high-ticket items in the B2B market.
Growth Marketing has been shaping the industry for a few years now. The test-and-implement trend needs to be understood because no one has time to accumulate enough data from new technologies and channels when they already have to move on to the next one. Absolute NO for pilots running for more than a quarter and YES for light tests, the results of which can be seen at a frequency of a few weeks. When growth is combined with sales, Revenue Marketing is created. Finally, there is a view to profitability, and marketing will change from a cost unit to a revenue unit.
Humane acts become part of the content of marketing. Employees feel it is important that the company’s values also include doing good for both the environment and for people. Deloitte estimates that the work motivation factor is 2.6 in favour of a humane company.
The phenomenon of alternative truth has provoked a strong backlash: a confirmed truth is required for effective content of marketing. Fact-checking extends to companies’ sales claims. Credibility becomes a means of competition in which messaging must be dressed as the words and opinions of trusted influencers. Influencer Marketing is growing and becoming more and more important.
Happy marketing in 2022!
