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2017 has been quite a year in digital marketing. From the rise of artificial intelligence to the decline of brick-and-mortar retail, this year was proof that, in the digital landscape, the only thing that ever stays the same is change.<\/p>\n
So what will 2018 bring? Here are this year\u2019s top five answers from DAC\u2019s team of Strategy Ninjas:<\/p>\n
Who\u2019s sick of hearing about Millennials? Well, we think everyone is. But, more importantly, as digital marketing continues to transform and digital maturity hits its stride, we believe that transcending the typical targeting against an audience is next. Just look at how we got here: Consumer behaviour has gone from offline to online transactions since the mid-1990s, from the first brand to market (Pizza Hut \u2013 yes, really!), to Google\u2019s Zero Moment of Truth to the year of mobile with its focus on consumer micro-moments. We believe that traditional audience targeting is next: 2018 will be the year when we prioritise understanding the behaviours and motivations behind a purchase ahead of the traditional age bucketing of Millennials, Gen Xers, Boomers and so on. We\u2019re moving beyond the traditional way of thinking about the consumer to align with consumer behaviour. My prediction: 2018 is going to be the year that personalised brand experiences will become a minimum requirement to drive business success. There has been a lot of hype around storytelling in recent years, and the hype is here to stay. With consumers in the driver’s seat, and with the increasingly intense competition faced by businesses in all sectors, pressure is mounting on marketing professionals to come up with marketing strategies that tell a story. Customers feel connected to brands that craft stories that illustrate what they stand for, how they fit in and how relevant they are to the lives of their consumers. Creating this emotional and personal attachment is crucial for brands that wish to engage and attract consumers. Personalisation is no longer a nice-to-have; customers demand and expect it, and, with the abundance of data that marketers have access to, it has become easier than ever for brands to get personal. Together, storytelling and personalisation are powerful tactics that allow brands to craft winning marketing strategies. Brands need to hop on the bandwagon if they want to continue to be relevant. My prediction is that there will be a large increase in the adoption of conversational platforms, voice and AI by consumers with products like Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomePod and so on. This will lead to a major disruption in the way in which marketers are currently measuring effectiveness within the space. The current pay-per-click or impression measurements will be replaced with pay-per-transaction, which to some is controversial, but also solves for current issues like ad-blocking. Pay-per-transaction would work with the consumer asking the connected assistant, “Where can I find a babysitter nearby?” and the assistant providing this information along with deals on restaurants and movie tickets \u2014 with Google or similar companies getting a commission. Google and others within this space have not made their intentions known in regards to re-configuring a model which has been the standard for so long. If they do make this shift it will be monumental within advertising. \n Get exclusive insights into digital
\n– Lynn Duffy, Senior Manager, Strategic Insights<\/em><\/p>\n2. Personalised experiences will become table stakes<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nConsumers\u2019 expectations keep increasing, resulting in today\u2019s standard demand: Provide me with an experience I appreciate and one that is specific to my personal needs!
\n<\/em>Fortunately, today\u2019s technology has caught up with these expectations: Artificial intelligence is becoming better able to understand individual human needs and suggest solutions that they actually want.
\nIn 2018, more brands will put all the pieces of the data and technology<\/a> puzzle together and start creating genuine, personalised and highly relevant consumer experiences, which will generate transformative business results.\u00a0Happy customers remain loyal to brands. And the more loyal customers become, the more brands will have the opportunity to learn about these customers and tailor solutions to meet their individual preferences. Customers of brands that are failing to deliver personalised experiences will look for brands that do this \u2014 and those brands stand to receive positive reviews and ratings from these happy new customers.
\n\u2013 Koen Smeets, Strategy Director, Europe\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n3. Storytelling will become more important than ever<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n\u2013 \u00a0Marina Azmy, Strategic Insights Analyst<\/em><\/p>\n4. We\u2019ll optimise for voice, not text<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n\u2013 \u00a0Andrew Tully, Strategy Director, USA<\/em><\/p>\n\n \n \n Stay Forward <\/h2>\n
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