2024 - ins and outs
Last year, we laughed (and cringed) as more brands embraced TikTok, got AR fatigue (I don’t want to see any more of your products flying through London), and said most likely blamed the cost-of-living crisis at least once for a low performing campaign.
But what’s going to be the next big thing that’s in this year - and what’s out? In this blog, I’m giving my 4 ins and 4 outs for 2024.
In:
1. IRL
With the rise of AI/AR, I predict that audiences are going to be bored of this soon. Yes, it may be more cost-effective than actually having one of your products roll through London, but they no longer generate curious comments (like the OG-Maybelline).
Instead, to get customers interested again and there to be a buzz around your marketing efforts, out-of-home and guerilla marketing is going to come back this year.
2. Community over Influencers
51% of users scroll past posts from influencers when they see them in their feeds and 29% said they flat-out hate influencer content (Entribe). Although influencers still hold value, consumers no longer feel that they can trust their reviews or are tired of trying to keep up with their purchases.
Instead, I think marketing budgets are going to lean toward the brand’s community rather than hoping a singular person will bring their own community over to the brand.
For example, brands will host events where customers are on the guestlist rather than A-Z list influencers and obtain real testimonials - both will mean consumers can experience the brand and product without the help of an influencer review. My two favourite examples of this are Free Soul’s Hot Girl Walks, creating touchpoints for customers to try an online brand’s products; and Shreddy’s power to bring together an online community and show off their users' amazing transformation results.
3. Reading the Data
It’s 2024, cars almost drive themselves and we’ve lived through several ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ crises - it’s also the year you actually start having a deep look at your marketing reports.
Did you go viral in 2023? Great - but how did you make that into conversions? How did you keep that hype going whilst you gathered new stock?
Did you get more views on your website? Great - but did you look at where that traffic came from? Who is part of this traffic? Can you repeat this success?
4. Being more than just a brand
In 2024, consumers want a brand they can get behind, one they can really cheer on, admire, and look up to. We’ve seen this slowly happen as brands realise planting a tree isn’t enough - this is the year where you need to be proud to shout about your brand values, and there to be a purpose behind them.
Out:
1. Calling everything AI
After Chat GPT launched in 2022, 2023 was the year we all couldn’t stop talking about AI.
But, did we all understand what it really was? We had AR be called AI and people calling 5+ year software AI… but never really AI being called AI. 2024 is going to be the year it’s given the right label, and we start to see it as a tool that will aid us rather than replace us 🤞.
2. Copy & Paste Trends
In 2023, more brands have invested in their social media strategy and output. But, to appeal to the Gen Z market, they lost themselves on the way by forgetting to add their own brand personality or consider their tone of voice when jumping on the latest trend.
This is out this year please, instead, consider how you can add your own brand style to that trend and conversation to stand out.
3. High Screentime
Whose goal this year is to spend less time on social media? We are continuously being hit with the negative effects of screen time; younger generations are picking up ‘old-school’ hobbies like crochet, sewing and reading in desperation to get off their phone and this is growing with Gen Alpha expecting to turn against Social Media.
Brands who realise that they need to plan beyond ‘going viral’ by focusing more on building a deep relationship with their following and searching for more than the basic touch-points are going to be the next ‘it’ brand. For example, I love Waitrose’s ‘Dish’ podcast - they gather a wide range of age ranges, demographics, and interests through their guests, and are subliminally enticing their listeners to shop at Waitrose to make their A-list-worthy dishes.
4. Being inauthentic
Call-out culture is going to be rife this year. Because of this, if your actions aren’t aligning with your values, expect boycotts and PR scandals that you may not recover from if you’re not showing how much your brand cares about what their customers have opinions on.
Do you agree with my ins and outs? Tell me what you think on LinkedIn or Instagram!
