Marketing trends for 2019
Authenticity and vulnerability are two themes that dominated the media landscape in 2018 and will continue into 2019. From everyday people, to celebrities, to media and for brands, transparency was clear across the board and no one could hide from anything. With social media bringing out both the best and the worst in people, Veronica Wainstein, MD of Penquin takes a look at how marketing trends in 2018 have influenced how 2019 will pan out.
So let’s talk about 2019 ….
Lets be honest
We’ve spent so many years trying to portray an image of perfection and now we have an environment that demands honesty. People want to engage, they want to feel a part of it, they want to be heard and they want to know that there is action off the back of their comments. Brands that open their arms up to this conversation will dominate the media landscape for 2019. The power currently sits with the consumer and the only way for the ‘sellers’ to balance the playing field is to be listening and helping – not selling and closing deals, but opening relationships!
Tech Things
Personal AI assistants, Marketing Bots, Smart Houses and more are just a few examples of how AI and machine learning are revolutionising the way we live.
The beauty of living in Africa is that we have exposure to all these new technologies without the mass expense of having to do all the research and development. Our opportunity is to gather all the intel and make use of existing tech to better our lives, how we engage with each other and how we use the tools to better serve our customers. We don’t have to invent the wheel, we just have to learn how to change the tyre to best fit our needs. Get on board, go to conferences, do the research, there are remarkable developments out there, just waiting to be launched locally.
Data… Data … Data
Do yourselves a favour – whether you are a brand or an agency, invest in strategic data analysts. You have to find the people that love nothing more that trawling through heaps of data to find a handful of gems. We can’t continue to try and be everything to everyone. We need our communication to be more focused – this means less is more. We only need a couple of really good insights to make the magic happen. The second part to that is that your strategy and creative should be joined at the hip. If you are using the insights from the data effectively, then ‘cracking the big idea’ should be a combined effort for both strategy and creative.
Be savvy with your marketing budget
The days of endless marketing budgets are gone, so brands and their agencies have to justify every single investment made. I see 2019 being a big year for brands to continue pushing the content creation and partnering with the right media owners is key to getting your message out there. A one size fits all for media no longer applies! Media owners need to be prepared to change from standard commercials to more inventive campaigns. What this essentially means is you have to plan in such a way that every single marketing push has to be maximised to reach the correct target audience.
Penquin is a 360° results-driven agency We offer unique solutions that connect people and make them feel part of something bigger. Experiences are the soul of our creative thinking. They inspire us to tell stories that stir emotions, instil belief, and help you build long-lasting, authentic relationships with your customers.
