1. Beacon Technology Sends a Message
   I think Beacon Technology will have a surge in 2016. If I can get some quick info on a product or service that I am standing next to and without much effort at all, I see the value. It’s like the sore in your mouth that you have to push your tongue against, even if you don’t want to. The obvious knock on Beacons is that their predecessor, QR codes, never caught on en masse though there is some value. Beacons aren’t as complicated though if you keep your Bluetooth on. And, if I am interested enough in the company’s app to have it on my smart phone, then I am interested enough in the message they are pushing to me.
2. Bot Traffic Continues to Click
   There might be a lot of legal implications for bot traffic falsely increasing online clicks. But, for the marketer, it will mean less this year. Why? We aren’t going to spend less ‘until the industry gets a handle on it by gosh.’ Further, you can argue that we aren’t really paying for that traffic. Our cost is what it is and if some of that traffic isn’t legit, we accept it and try to maximize the larger percentage that is human.
3. Ad Blocking
   Although it’s a hot issue in the marketing world, ad blocking on digital devices will grow slowly. And it will only grow at all because the technologically sophisticated population is growing slowly. The rest of us will continue to accept that ads are part of our lives and pay for the online content that we want to consume.
4. Drones Fly
   Drones will make a noticeable impact on the marketing industry this year. I’m not sure how, but ours is an opportunistic industry, employing idea generators at every turn. Drones have too many possibilities to make chores less burdensome and life more enjoyable. They are what the SegWay claimed it was going to be: Changing the way that we live.
5. Your Search is Over
   You don’t need to look any longer for the one tactic that you must use if you are marketing anything. The consumer has been appropriately trained to use their browser’s search function to find anything and everything. Paid search (Pay per Click) will continue to grow as an industry. And while more consumers understand the difference between a paid ad and organic placement, more also trust those ads to deliver what they are looking for. In 2016, expect political candidates to invest heavily alongside barber shops and pizza delivery.
   
   (Bonus #6) Black Friday Goes Dark
   Black Friday will continue to mean less and less. I know, this is an easy prediction- but it’s important.

REI didn’t really gamble too much after all by closing on Black Friday. They certainly got great publicity by understanding that retailers will continue to try to grab the early dollar in stores and online, reducing Black Friday’s importance to the holiday shopping season.

(Checkout last year's 2015 Marketing Predictions. Did we nail it?)