Every year, it seems that there is unprecedented change happening in the marketing world. And while 2020 might not bring the evolutionary changes cable television, search engines, or social media have had on our society, the habits of consumers are evolving as dramatically as they have in the last 30 years I’ve been in the business. As a result, so is how we’re reaching them with our messages. This marketing predictions blog is intended to highlight shifts that will have the most significant impact on the marketing landscape in 2020.

When it comes to marketing, the Super Bowl is… well, the Super Bowl of advertising. The event where the commercials rival the big game itself. What will be talked about more: San Francisco’s impenetrable defense, Kansas City’s fast-paced playmaking, or the death of Mr. Peanut?

These days, if it’s not happening live on Facebook, it’s not happening at all. Streaming live on Facebook is becoming crucial for anything from press conferences to publicity stunts. Before you run out and press that “Go Live” button, there are a few things you can do to make sure your event is successful.

As we enter 2020 and the digital landscape continues to evolve, so must marketers’ understanding of available mediums. How we use digital tactics to motivate consumers should be influenced by the context in which our messages appear.

In behavior change marketing, creating high-quality content is vital. It should be strategic and tailored to the right audience. Obesity prevention is a great example to show how rich content can move an audience through the stages of behavior change. 

For our client, Shape Your Future, we craft content that motivates our audience to become aware, educated and then takes action to change proven obesity-related behaviors — like encouraging them to drink less soda and fill half their plates with fruit and vegetables. Our ultimate goal is to make challenging life changes like these seem worthy and attainable. 

In early 2019, we posted this blog, predicting how our marketing world would change and evolve. There was a lot that happened last year in both digital and traditional media, social media, streaming media, sponsorships, content strategies, and on and on. But, did we foresee any of it? Let’s review what was predicted and how that compares to what happened.

1. SEO Growth

We will see an increased priority placed on SEO (search engine optimization) for a variety of reasons. First, paid search costs are going to increase. Only about 50% of US companies have paid search campaigns at last measure. That’s a low number and will surely grow. That means the demand for key search terms will increase and subsequently elevate prices of those terms. So, marketers will need to rely more on organic ranking to avoid drastic increases in their paid search budgets.

More than three quarters of consumers (76%) say they would buy from a brand they feel connected to over a competitor. Creating a sense of connection and community around your brand allows you to attract and retain engaged and loyal customers. This is where the term "branded community" enters the picture.

Let me ask you a question. Maybe a series of questions. That’s how insight discovery starts – by asking the right questions. But it’s not just the type of questions you ask, it’s also how and when you ask them.

As we enter into 2020, I’ve seen a whirlwind of 10-year flashbacks popping up all over social media. Was it just a minute ago or a small lifetime? After the recent release of the 2020 Golden Globe nominees, I decided to peek back at this award show 10 years ago. Do you want to take a guess at what show won best musical or comedy? The nominees were Glee, 30 Rock, Entourage, Modern Family and The Office. And the winner was…

Sorry to disappoint, but there’s no such thing as a future-proof brand design. It’ll never be something you can set and forget. But why would you want that anyway? Your company, your audience and the landscape constantly change and evolve, so fluidity to evolve your brand is natural. The good news is, there are a few ways you can set yourself up for success when you’re creating the look and feel of your brand.

For everyone following along at home, you know that we finished the previous insight blog entry looking at the difference between quantitative, qualitative and market intelligence data as they applied to a hypothetical situation. Using all of this data, we came to understand ‘why’ males ages 40-50 were frequenting a certain convenience store on Friday evenings to buy certain snacks. We came to a greater understanding of what motivated their behavior by recognizing a dilemma that led to an insight. Voila! We’re done, right? Addressing a dilemma with data, observation and market intelligence to build something meaningful and actionable = insight, right? Not so fast. We are still lacking one very important element: imagination.

The word ‘insight’ gets misused a lot. Some of this stems from a lack of understanding and incorrect assumptions, most often arising when we think insight is something that it’s not. We might see a research study that makes us raise an eyebrow. We might see someone doing something that prompts us to rethink a cause and effect. Or we might stumble upon some facts that need to be analyzed deeper. All of these are critical breadcrumbs on the road to insight. Alone, they are simply breadcrumbs.