Trends and Technology

With the economy growing at a rapid pace and rates of COVID-19 declining, companies that had sent workers home to work remotely are reopening their offices and people who left their jobs in the so-called “Great Resignation” are beginning to return. But both are bringing with them a different perspective on how the workplace should, well, work. Organizations will have to be much more accommodating compared to before the pandemic.

Influencer marketing is expected to grow to more than $4 billion this year, according to a recent study, with micro influencers leading the charge. Finding micro influencers begins with identifying creators whose audiences align with a brand's target audience and who have a strong affinity for a company's product and services.

Podcast advertising still needs to catch up with the explosion in programming in the past few years, with plenty of marketers taking a wait-and-see approach. But with consumers increasingly burned out by screens, podcasts may grab both mind- and wallet-share a lot sooner than marketers anticipated.

Many American consumers may be reluctant to buy stuff from Twitter, Facebook, and other social platforms. However, younger generations are among the biggest social shoppers, suggesting that adoption rates are poised to surge. Job one for marketers to join the fray is to meld their catalogs with their social media accounts and tag their products in posts and videos.

Even before the surge in the COVID-19 Omicron variant, there was ample data chronicling the huge toll the pandemic has taken on people's mental health. Brands in the health care sector are responding proactively, offering new counseling services at or near their retail outlets. The efforts have led marketers to reevaluate how they talk about the highly sensitive subject of mental health and reduce the stigma people have about asking for help.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion is top of mind among a growing number of CMOs. In this interview, Esther Franklin, president of global strategy and cultural fluency at Spark Foundry, offers brand managers a roadmap.

Consumers may think of augmented reality and similar platforms as just more digital accessories, but marketers who develop ad campaigns that combine the online and physical worlds must take care to not get carried away by the technology.

The traits associated with empathy have been part of the marketing mix for years. But COVID-19 has dramatically, and perhaps permanently, altered the framework when it comes to how brands communicate with their audiences.

Retail media advertising is helping major brands keep pace with consumers who have shifted a lot of their spending to e-commerce amid the pandemic. But the market may be in danger from oversaturation and issues with data privacy.

Deepfake technologies, or synthetic media, have advanced rapidly in the past few years, spawning a range of applications that could have profound implications for marketers. For all its potential, however, synthetic media presents thorny ethical and legal questions for brands and organizations.

With awards season around the corner, consumer brands have to make sure their real-time marketing operations are up to speed and not in any danger of missing something that suddenly goes viral.

A growing number of consumers are looking for an escape from the familiar as they start to venture out and the pandemic starts to wane. Some niche brands are responding to the call by touting the unique experiences they have to offer while encouraging consumers to unplug from their digital devices.

To push back against the tide of the “Great Resignation,” agencies and brand-side marketers need to focus on building a people-first workplace. They have to be flexible when it comes to where people want to work and reassure current and prospective employees that their time is valued — inside and outside of the office. Companies demanding that people constantly be in the office are going to lose.

Originally the stuff of science fiction, the metaverse is on the verge of reality. Companies are taking an incremental approach to entering what is a very complex universe for brands — and people — to navigate.

When CMOs and CIOs collaborate the results include more engaged customers and healthier returns from marketing technology investments. However, without both sides first agreeing on governing principles, merging marketing and IT teams may end up being a wasted exercise.

The pandemic has accelerated major changes in media consumption and revealed sharp differences among the various generations when it comes to the type of content they like — and where they find it. But while traditional media vehicles such as broadcast TV may be on the wane, they still command the biggest audiences.

The escalating threat posed by climate change has prompted some of the globe’s largest brands to take steps to dramatically reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. As they bolster their sustainability efforts, marketers must strike a delicate balance between communicating how they’re helping to improve the environment and keeping the focus on the benefits of their products and services.

The hospitality sector is finding unique ways to overcome the ongoing adversity caused by the pandemic. With most Americans keen to travel to places within driving distance, boutique brands are plugging destinations that are easily accessible by car. The major hotel chains, suffering even severer losses, are catering to existing customers and touting loyalty programs.

Knowing what consumers love is all well and good. But marketers also need a sixth sense for what makes their audiences tick — particularly during stressful and uncertain times — if they want to generate love in return.

The proliferation of chief purpose officers provides CMOs with a lot more runway to boost the value of marketing throughout the company. But as they bring their company’s brand purpose to life, marketers must take the long view and be careful not to slip into ad-mode. They also need to collaborate with other business units on the best path forward.