4 Digital Marketing Trends To Watch For In 2022
Marketers have been riding a rocky rollercoaster these past two years as brands have had to navigate wave after wave of new regulations, pandemic restrictions, changing consumer behaviour and emerging tech. While the list of priorities can seem limitless at times, below are 4 trends we believe should be top of mind for marketers as they tread through 2022 and what it means for your talent.
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Building A First-Party Data Strategy
2022 will be a pivotal year for data, privacy, and digital marketing in general. With the recent iOS updates and Google’s plan to phase out third-party cookies in the next year, marketers have to change the way they’re working.
“A lot of really good marketers still fail to realize that, in reality, your audience is owned by Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any other social media network you use. You don’t have control over them. That is why 2022 should be the year you begin to own your audience.”
- Brian Snedvig, CEO at Jobibo
Many of today’s marketing strategies rely heavily on the third-party audiences from media companies. Yet even with just the iOS updates, advertisers have noticed degraded performance from their top campaigns. Time is ticking to build a first-party audience strategy they can rely on.
When asked which first-party data sources will become most valuable in the wake of third-party cookie losses, the top five selected by marketers in a SEJ survey were:
36%: Customer purchase history
32%: Social media profiles
31%: Website registrations
26%: Survey respondents
26%: Mobile app usage
What it means for your talent
Marketers need to be well versed in these data privacy changes to reimagine their marketing strategy in a way that continues to produce results and creates trust with customers. Your leaders can help by breaking down any silos across web, data and media teams so that together they can build a first party audience strategy for the future. If your marketing leaders are not prepared for this change, consider bringing in data talent or interim leaders who can fill in skill gaps.
The Rise of Social Commerce
Consumers are starting to make the entire shopping journey - from discovery to checkout - within social media platforms. In a way, social platforms have become search engines in themselves, with people following content creators, hashtags and groups in order to discover new products to love.
Not everyone is going to see a product and want to buy immediately, but social users are not mindless scrollers either. They are looking for inspiration. By using checkouts imbedded directly in the social platforms, people can translate that inspiration into action with very little friction.
There are an estimated 7.9 million social buyers in Canada as of 2021, which accounts for approximately 25% of active social users. The numbers of social buyers continues to grow. The lingering ecommerce-first mindset from the pandemic, continuously innovated social features, and the always-on desire for seamless user experience are key factors in this growth.
So if you’re an ecommerce brand who is not already set up for social commerce, ask yourself: What are you waiting for?
What it means for your talent
Most people think of an eCommerce specialist as someone who can help set up and optimize a brand’s ecommerce site or app. Now there is increasing demand for eCommerce talent that can help brands sell in other places - such as social apps, Amazon, or Walmart Marketplace. If you are a retail or eCommerce brand, consider whether you have experienced people on your team who can help you branch out to reach new customers and meet your target audience in the marketplaces they’re spending time in.
Video As The #1 Format
A couple of years ago, video was mainly used by big brands who had sizable budgets for production, actors, editing and studio space. With the help of free-to-low-cost video software and stock videos, businesses of all sizes are able to make effective videos. Now 39% of marketers are creating videos in-house and 38% use just their smartphone apps to produce those videos.
And they’re seeing the results. In fact 94% of marketers who are currently using video say they plan to continue, and 74% said video has had a better ROI than static imagery. This comes as no surprise considering how quickly video consumption has been growing and the psychological impact video has compared to other mediums. Today, One third of online activity is spent watching videos, and studies show that people retain 95% of a message through video compared to only 10% with reading text.
Brands who want their messages to stick and engage will be making video a foundation of their strategy. We’re talking video ads, social video, product videos and in particular, live video.
The live video industry is expected to hit $184.27 billion by 2027 and is a growing trend shaping video consumption as we know it. Whether it’s social live streams, gaming or news coverage, people want to feel like they’re part of the moment and are more attentive when they do.
What it means for your talent
Living in a static world is simply not an option anymore. At the same time, nobody needs to be Steven Speilberg or win an Oscar for visual effects to create impactful videos that drive revenue. In fact, more organic-looking videos have been winning the hearts of consumers in recent years. So if you’re a marketing leader, focus on making sure your marketing, media and social teams either:
Have the skills and tools needed to create engaging videos on their own with these new tools, or
Are provided adequate budget for and access to video creators
AR/VR Unlocks New Levels of Buyer Confidence
The AR/VR market size is forecasted to hit $296.9 billion in 2024. During the pandemic, AR/VR usage increased significantly to overcome the new restrictions posed for bricks-and-mortar shops. Now the impact has become permanent, as consumers continue to value the convenience these features provide. In some cases, AR/VR provides experiences that can’t be replicated even in a bricks and mortar shop - for example, allowing customers to view a sofa in their own living room or see how a customized car paint job would look. In fact research shows that AR/VR can increase customer conversion rate by 90%.
So how are brands using AR/VR to improve the customer experience? Below are just a few examples.
ASOS
Since 2020, the mega-retailer ASOS has been using VR to digitally fit hundreds of products to models instead of having in-person photoshoots. ASOS has used this functionality to produce product photos easily, at scale, and with multiple variations for different clothing sizes. This last bit is being trialed as a “See My Fit” function that allows shoppers to see a clothing piece on a model of their same size.
Sephora
Sephora has been leveraging AR/VR long before the pandemic. Without needing to come into a store, you can see how certain makeup products would look on your own face via Sephora’s Virtual Artist feature. This feature uses facial recognition to allow shoppers to see how a product would look on them using either their phone camera or uploaded photo of themselves.
IKEA
According to IKEA’s team, the IKEA Place app was built to give customers the opportunity to “try before they buy”. In the AR app, you can see what a piece of furniture would look like in your own home. The technology scales the product accordingly and allows customers to test how a product would look in different places of their home - whether it be in the bedroom corner, beside the wardrobe, or in the kitchen. The app has quickly earned popularity and has become one of the most popular free apps within Apple’s ARKit and Google’s ARCOre within its first year of release. Since then, Home Depot, Target, Anthropologie and Wayfair have developed similar AR products.
What it means for your talent
AR/VR used to be primarily associated with gaming or social apps. Now it’s reshaping customer experiences and shopping journeys. Marketers, particularly those working on ecommerce, need to be able to identify and envision opportunities for AR/VR where it makes sense and build the teams to manage those innovations. Bringing in fulltime or interim talent who have experience in this space can help your team leapfrog over skill barriers. Brands investing in these skillsets and product functions are positioning themselves to win over market share and loyalty.
Our take
Disruption is happening all around us. Sometimes this disruption stems from new restrictions - such as the ones born from the pandemic or data policy changes. Sometimes it’s from innovative technology - like the increase in no-skill-needed video software or AR/VR. Regardless, it’s been an exciting time to watch brands and marketing teams creatively rise to every occasion.
Brands who are changing the game, and not just playing the current one, are the ones who will grow and last. Today’s marketing leaders need to be comfortable with ongoing experimentation as well as the constant upskilling of their teams. It’s no surprise that there is a growing demand for eCommerce, data, creative and design talent. Not every company needs full in-house teams for each of these functions But - and it’s a big but - these are becoming fundamental skill sets that companies need to be leveraging frequently, if not on a day to day basis. So consider your marketing team’s DNA right now - do they have what it takes to grow your company into the future, or just the past?
At Ari Agency & Ari Executive, we’ve spent over a decade helping companies build future-ready teams and leaders. We specialize in the most in-demand talent across digital, marketing, and innovation-focused functions including executive leaders. Check out our recent launch of Ari Executive that focuses on future-ready leadership and digital transformation. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you improve your talent acquisition strategies and find your next all-star.