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Avidly's Marketing Trend Report examines future trends alongside their opposing anti-trends. Erik Mashkilleyson, Avidly's senior strategist and the main author of the report, highlights the power of polarisation: "Predictions never unfold as expected. Every emerging trend meets its counter, and this clash shapes the outcome. The truth typically lies somewhere in between."
The trend report dissects the trends and offers concrete suggestions on how to tackle each of them for businesses and brands in the realms of digital experience, brand strategy, and media.
"It's a collective vision, crafted by our team of futurists, strategists, and analysts. They've not only tracked emerging phenomena but also embraced conflicting perspectives, producing a report that both informs and inspires."
"The most important aspect was not the trends themselves - every agency will predict the meteoric rise of AI - but how they break into the mainstream," Erik emphasises.
He spotlights three pivotal themes for 2024:
Brands will have to make real efforts to discover their unique identity. Amid a deluge of AI-generated content, companies that have an original, imperfect tone of voice and a brand that can be simplified to a few core elements will have a much easier time taking up generative AI tools as well. Hundreds of companies could figure out how to make their own pink version of the Barbie meme. If on the other hand, you're attempting to stand out with a slogan like "More than X", no AI can dig your brand out of that pit of irrelevance.
Today's customers have set their lie detectors to high. If your brand's purpose is truly grounded in social good, all the more power to you, voice it. The world needs more capital to flow towards helping the planet and its inhabitants. But you can also be exposed as a fraud if your actions don't match your green-tinted posts. If your brand's purpose feels misaligned, recenter on your core strengths - your 'sweet spots' - and if those are part of the problem, it's time for introspection and realignment.
Gone are the days of mass pop culture. Everyone is following a different set of content, films, music, and memes in segregated digital bubbles. Personal networks have eclipsed traditional media's influence, and everyone has become an influencer in their right, with people being more likely to believe people in our private WhatsApp groups than the news. Marketing now faces a labyrinth: reaching a fragmented audience requires a strategy that's more nuanced, data-driven, and channel-agnostic than ever before. It's about understanding and navigating the myriad paths of customer journeys in a world where trust is hard-earned and easily lost.