The digital marketing landscape is ever expanding and fluctuating. The past year marked a time of unprecedented increase “celebritism,” advancements in marketing automation and virtual reality, change among social platforms, and an increased awareness of brand’s social responsibility. So, what can we expect to see in 2015 following the progress made in 2014?
1. More celebrities partnering with brands
The year of 2014 marked a time when celebrity obsession was taken to an unprecedented level. With the worldwide use of social media platforms, celebrities are getting more attention than they ever have. It is expected that this trend with continue into the new year. Brands have already started to capitalize on celebrities’ social popularity as a media outlet. The term “celebrity” is not solely reserved for movie stars and football players. The past year has seen a massive boom in micro-celebrities (think YouTubers), and the next year will continue to see the increase in these specialized celebrities. We will see more brands engage in partnership strategies with celebrities in an attempt to target specific demographics and interests.
2. Automation leads to increase in video publication
Marketing automation has made significant strides in 2014, and in 2015 we can expect to see the rewards of the efforts. Automation is allowing brands to have more free time to get creative with content generation. Brands are quickly learning that video can be the most effective way to communicate a branding message. In the past, video has been a media outlet avoided by many because it is time, labor, and monetarily intensive. But now that automation has taken root in many marketing activities, video has a chance to shine.
3. The decline of Facebook as a media outlet
Many marketing professional are predicting the decline of Facebook as a reliable media outlet on a social platform. Rather, brands are finding the platform to be best utilized as a conversation tool. As Facebook users up their platform scanning skills, the effectiveness of advertising on Facebook will continue to decline. Brands are finding that their digital campaigns are better served on more niche platforms and micro-sites, rather than the “everyone and your mother” platform that Facebook has become. However, Facebook still hosts the most conversations, so brands cannot abandon the platform all together, rather they should choose to use it as a means to communicate conversationally rather than “advertise.”
4. Transparency gains importance
Brands will find that an increase in transparency will help business more than a standard marketing campaign. Brands need to show that they are a business that cares, empathizes, and understands their target market. A company’s mission, vision, and values will truly affect the health of the business and how the public perceives the brand. As a result, the brand will have happier employees, which translates to happier customers.
5. Brands explore the possibilities of virtual reality
Big brands (who can afford to invest in branded virtual realities) are excited about the possibilities virtual reality technologies have to offer. The possibilities are nearly limitless, so brands have the opportunity to spread their creative wings and set the precedent in a virtually uncharted territory (pun intended).
We are excited about the prospects in 2015 and can’t wait to see where the technological yellow-brick-road leads.
