How ready are you for the new marketing trends that will dominate this year?
We live in a fast-paced world. We have approached 2022, and that means developing year-long marketing plans, updating budgets, creating Q1 campaigns, and making predictions.
The insights we gain from data are better than anything we could get from a crystal ball. Based on our research, these are the marketing trends we’re likely to see more of in 2022.
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2022 trends: augmented and virtual reality for a true immersive experience
Technologies like Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) can fundamentally change the way we interact with the Internet and the physical world. These are ways of injecting technology into real-time experiences to enhance everyday life.
Google, Oculus VR, and Sony introduced a range of innovative products in 2016. Facebook has acquired another 11 companies in the AR/VR space since it bought Oculus for $2.1 billion, marking the company’s belief that the future belongs to VR and AR. As the tech giants invest in and acquire these technologies, these platforms will become increasingly integrated into how we consume content.
Approximately $95 billion is expected to be generated by AR and VR by 2025, according to Goldman Sachs. Currently, gaming, live entertainment, video entertainment, and retail are driving the greatest demand for these technologies. However, over time, these technologies will find wider applications in industries as diverse as healthcare, education, the military, and real estate.
Augmented Reality
AR uses a smartphone camera and screen to simulate a layer of information that overlays the real world. Instead of creating a new virtual world like virtual reality, AR simply takes information that already exists and enhances it.
The Skyview app is an excellent example of how AR works, allowing you to see constellations in the sky while you move your phone around. There has been 106% growth in the AR market in the last 3 years alone, and by 2022, the market is projected to grow even further.
Virtual Reality
In virtual reality, a user is immersed inside a digital simulation that they can interact with. For the user to feel like they are really in that virtual environment, it is essential to stimulate their senses as much as possible.
Mobile VR examples like Google’s Expeditions allow users to explore worlds they can only imagine. Virtual reality has the potential to be a game changer for marketing of all kinds in the near future. VR and AR are predicted to be worth $1.5 trillion by 2030, according to PwC.
Latest trends: artificial Intelligence (AI) will replace influencers
Influencer marketing hasn’t died yet, despite being predicted often. The market may reach $15 billion by 2022 after fetching $9.7 billion in 2020, with a majority of marketers reporting that they spend more than 20 percent of their budgets on influencer marketing. Influencer marketing has shifted over the years, as demonstrated by the recent shift toward micro-influencers and their more highly engaged audiences.
Artificial intelligence will eventually become a mainstream technology. This technology is valuable for identifying influencers and identifying consumer trends. AI would be able to perform influencer marketing by watching and assessing millions of videos in ways a human would not be able to. Based on predictive artificial intelligence, this model charges only when the influencers produce conversions and sales. Therefore, ROI is virtually guaranteed.
There’s a 19-year-old robot on Instagram named Lil Miquela who is a hot influencer. Miquela is watched by 1.5 million of her followers while she consumes sherbet at the beach, visits her favorite art galleries, and hangs with other robot models. The thing is, Lil Miquela isn’t exactly a being created through artificial intelligence. Nor is she a robot.
Lil Miquela was created using motion graphics. For a while now, motion graphics has been used as a tool that companies utilize to make digital influencers. Despite the fact that she’s not a true AI creation, her success has inspired venture capitalists like Betaworks to invest heavily in virtual creators. Danika Laszuk, the general director of Betaworks’ startup bootcamp, believes the future of influencers will be digital beings powered by artificial intelligence.
Throughout the year, the company will invest $200,000 in startups that want to develop technology that creates better digital influencers. It’s a big moneymaker: Lil Miquela has collaborated with Supreme and Barney’s as well as major department stores. Lil Miquela might not be real, but the money sure is.
In many industries and businesses, artificial intelligence (AI) is fast becoming a vital component. In light of this, we should make the most of it, not shy away from it. We have been forced to completely digitize our businesses faster than we thought we could – but we did it, and so have others. Our industries and businesses are able to grow even further as we have access to new technologies.
AI & Influencer Marketing Agencies
With the right use of AI, marketers and agencies can streamline their jobs, allowing them to focus more on the human element of influencer marketing.
The use of artificial intelligence can be helpful to agencies and brands in identifying fake followers, inauthentic engagement, and unreliable social media influencers.
AI is also able to process and detect relevant and valuable content. Natural language processing (NLP) together with machine learning (MI) and artificial intelligence (AI) can revolutionise the way brands and agencies conduct their business.
By generating likes, industries, demographics, and interests of an influencer’s following, artificial intelligence is not only helpful to brands seeking to create collaborative campaigns, but also to influencers who want to better understand their audience. Influencers can ensure that the content they share is relevant and useful by analyzing their audience and followers on social media. Brands can determine who to work with based on this analysis.
Be prepared: live events will go hybrid
Another major marketing trend prediction is the increase of hybrid events.
Virtual events such as online festivals, webinars, and product launches have become crucial to the success of many industries due to the global pandemic. Marketing professionals use events to connect with customers, increase brand awareness, and engage with both existing clients and potential new customers. Many events were able to pivot online due to constant closings, social distance requirements, and event cancellations around the world.
As a result of the pandemic, events from store grand openings to big-ticket concerts were canceled due to closings and social distancing requirements. As a substitute for traditional events, virtual events became a mainstay of customer engagement. The success of these events was partly due to spending more on social media and other digital platforms.
Consumers today face two competing impulses, and marketers must address them both. Certainly, gathering again is a strong urge. Consumers have grown accustomed to watching live events from the comfort of their couches, but a few still prefer keeping things virtual. Creating hybrid events can help you attract both of these audiences. There will be a strong digital component to in-person events, and technologies such as AR and VR can enable an immersive experience for those who don’t wish to venture out.
Digital-first events are proving to be more accessible for global attendees, and the unspent budgets for events have led to a greater investment in marketing on social media and other digital channels.
In-person events are still preferred by many due to their atmosphere and immersion. We predict that marketers will begin to adopt hybrid events as the world continues to open up. In an event held by personal finance content creators, #FinCon2, attendees are given the option of attending in-person from Texas or virtually from anywhere in the world. As part of the virtual event, attendees will be able to watch the main stage live, connect 1:1 with other attendees, and enjoy various networking and conferencing opportunities.
Looking Ahead
It’s clear that 2022 has a lot to offer in terms of marketing challenges and opportunities. It is best to start making plans to make the most of these marketing trend predictions so as not to stay left behind.
Are you looking for help in setting your marketing plans for 2022? Get in touch today to discuss your project with us.
