Professionals recap 2023 trends that will extend to 2024
By Felicia Nwosu
As the year 2023 winds down amidst emerging industry trends, professionals in the Integrated Marketing Communication have averred that the outgoing year has witnessed lots of transformations led by various trends.
Recall that at the beginning of the year, some industry professionals had listed out several trends that would run through to help practitioners navigate the entire spectrum of the IMC till the end of 2023.
As the year gradually winds down, MARKETING EDGE, took a reflective journey to recap some of the trends that started the year, which some experts noted will impact in the upcoming year 2024. Projecting that that the same trends may likely continue to take the center stage in the marketing and advertising space for a long time to come, Yinka Adebayo, Group Executive Director for Omnicom Media Group said that there will more collaborations among practitioners. He added that the trends, which gathered force this year, will garner more momentum in 2024.
“One of the trends was the fact that TV as a platform is going to enjoy some level of impact in it. And I will say that the investment in content and, of course, the effect of social media is really getting stronger and bigger, especially in influencer marketing.
“You know in Nigeria, whatever they are passionate about, they don’t only pay for the service, they hold on to it. So, the role of influencers is becoming key and brands are beginning to key into that direction and progress it. I see that trend happening even on a big scale from next year.
Ladybird Limited’s CEO and Lead Consultant, Olubunmi Oke, also affirmed that collaboration among practitioners will expand. She explained that the digital landscape is undergoing many changes and added that professionals also have to grapple with regulations along the line.
“One of the biggest trends has been AI, disruption by digitalization, the fact that they need to also comply with the regulator, the fact that agencies are repositioning themselves for greater service to clients. Clients are also realizing that they cannot do without the advancement of agencies. We have realized that the ecosystem of media, advertising, marketing, experiential are getting more and more important as we collaborate. It is definitely going to be a trend in 2024. It’s only going to get tighter because AI is going to disrupt some areas,” she said.
The former AAAN president added that agencies must re-strategize and grow for succession, as well as pursue long-term growth.
“Training is also where I think there is a gap, because a lot of us who are here benefited from both global and local training. The business of advertising and marketing is a modern profession, so you must continue to keep yourself ahead and open up to trends. I think training must increase, especially for us strategists, in writing and marketing skills. It is for us to hone our skills, to understand those demographics that make us assets. We need to keep on reinventing ourselves and keeping ourselves so that 2024 will be even a greater year for us all,” Mrs. Oke said.
Adeola Kayode, Head of brands & Creative Services, 9Mobile, revealed that his company has already operating ahead of the year in view with the existing trends.
“The trends have been powerful and I see that it will take off a lot more. Number one is artificial intelligence. To a large extent, AI is getting a lot of traction. A lot of people are using it and some brands are already exploring how that will work. We have to be conscious in how we employ it to ensure that we are getting higher quality for whatever we have as well.”
The creative expert also highlighted other trends that have been identified with 2023.
“The other part of it is also the afrocentricity of everything that we are doing. We are growing globally, everybody is now appreciating the pan-Nigeria nature of whatever we are doing. The brands are able to dive deep into that and are also able to get a lot more mileage; that becomes a guide.”
He noted that the professionals need to get prepared as many of the existing trends will be unleashing their immense prowess next year.
“Another thing is micro-influencing. I mean the celebrities up there have gained a lot of visibility, and micro influencers have gained a lot of visibility as well. Those are the online influencers. But to a large extent, people now think about the nano-influencers, the ones who have over 1,000 followers.
“Celebrities have high visibility, but the level of trust is lower. Nano-influencers don’t have huge followers, but the level of trust is a lot higher. So you will see brands begin to engage in this. It will help them find youthful communities if they want to reach out to youth; also find sports communities if they are into sports. They are small communities, but they are deep. That is another trend that I think will be a lot more in 2024,” he added.
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