Marcomm Trends: Making a case for brand values and consumer experience
By Dipo Mohammed
Trends in marketing communications continue to shift by the second and practitioners are becoming increasingly aware of this reality. Staying ahead becomes pertinent through real and virtual interaction with consumers, the supply chain, and the capacity of decision-makers to spot changes that are determinants for brand growth. With keen observation, we can grasp that while some of the mechanics used in marketing are still with us, extra elements that could be strong determinants for consumer behaviour or branding decisions are raised by the second.
Trends are being determined by new challenges and opportunities and we need to identify its essence and capability to generate the influence it creates. Authenticity plays a part in this, and as humans and society embrace change to make living more convenient, the dynamics of authenticity will change with the acceptance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Organisations need to be prepared for these changes.
When defined per demography, some audiences are more receptive to change than others. They embrace technology-influenced expectations at the speed of light. The Gen Z audience, for instance, grew up seeing digital habits as a normal part of their lives hence, the ideals that make them embrace purchases or product usage must continuously stretch along that purview to keep them interested in brand engagement. Manufacturers and service providers should periodically brace for a recurrent approach that drives this inquisitiveness.
Millennials are more interested in sustainable brands that have lived the test of time and still deliver up to standards enhancing trust among consumers. They are also interested in brands that are ethically responsible for what they communicate, in alignment with the services offered. These dynamic outlooks put brands in a more opportunistic position to accommodate recurring trends that are unique to consumers.
As trends become recurring, content remains a major drive for both B2C and B2B brands. Organisations need to sustain the consumers by ensuring efficient content through their owned and shared channels visibly represented by value communication to reiterate and bolster their interest in consumers’ expectations for long-term retention. Some Organisations have found themselves stretching beyond in a bid to satisfy customers based on trends, while losing the values that got them attracted at the beginning.
It is also important to note that while engaging influencers in marketing campaigns, there should be an alignment between how the customer and influencer perceive the brand. In communicating its values through its products and services, brands should uphold a standard that enhances value retention and enables a platform to drive more sales.
While trends can be inclusive, they can also be evasive. Identifying the right trends that correlate with your brand and timeliness creates a good mode for effective marketing operations. For content creation, there is an increase in the usage of AI, which is applaudable as it showcases the responsive and improved nature of technology. Nevertheless, the need to be diverse in content creation and ensure stability of value should be directed between a bit of human nature and a bit of technology for support to build credibility.
With the wide usage of social media by brands which has made it easier for marketing practitioners to access analytics, big data will continue to be a major determinant of consumer trends. Therefore organisations need to live up to consumer potential by exploring more of big data derived from websites and on social media platforms.
Consumers will be the ones to define what they want and dictate to brands how they should act. The managers who pay attention to that will be the drivers making more impact on Marketing Communication in the boardrooms, enabling decisions that are inclined towards the futuristic consumers who predict, tell and show their preferences with the product and services they are offered. Brands will have to adapt because consumers will continue setting the pace for innovation. To harness brand values, we should be keen on new solutions that breed long-term partnerships modeled on specifics of where the consumers are heading to improve experience.
The activities of consumers in the digital space have enhanced the probability of rightly predicting trends through the conversations that trigger their interest. Our trend-spotting capacities will also need a nudge to absorb all the changes to come. Brands should pay more attention to the possibility of shifting trends from months, weeks, days, minutes, and seconds. The ones who do are the ones who will hit the right spot.
Dipo Mohammed, based in Nigeria, is currently a Manager, Brands, Marketing and Communications at Inlaks.
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