Download - MARKETING TRENDS YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO IGNORE
MARKETING TRENDS YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO IGNORE
Digital Marketing Agency
In the lightning-fast marketing world,
tomorrow’s demands are today’s tasks.
The age of technology has arrived and
it seems there is no barrier too great for
entrepreneurs and innovators to develop
the next groundbreaking opportunity. In the
ever-evolving tech world, marketers have
problems keeping up with the attention
graph of their customers.
2017 is rapidly approaching and marketing
agencies must identify the next wave of
possibilities for distributing their message
and attracting more people to their creative
content strategies. These strategies must
adapt to evolving technologies and will
shape the way customers get access to
brands.
Introduction
03 / Two Trends No Agency Can Ignore In 2017
THE SOCIAL BOOM AND THE POWER OF TRUSTIt may be one of the strongest forces in our lives that drives us to act on
certain issues or feel comfortable purchasing a product; that force is “trust”.
Trend One
Marketers follow social trends and analyze
how users interact with the world in order to
capitalize on it. For customers to be aware
of your brand, marketers must be able to put
the brand in front of you. The growing trend
of Customer Created Content may take the
reins out of the hands of marketers and into
the hands of their audience.
Brands that invest in “trust” are brands that
think about long-term success rather than
immediate return. The degree of separation
between brands or marketers and audiences
establishes a visceral hesitation for
audiences to attach themselves to a product.
That degree of separation closes when our
friends or family trust a brand enough to
speak on its behalf to their friends or family,
even more so when the conversation is
facilitated across social media outlets like
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat.
In research conducted by Nielsen,
results discovered 92% of people trust
recommendations made by friends and
family while 70% of people trust online
reviews and recommendations. This
presents a substantial opportunity for
marketers to construct strategies that leave a
door open for consumers to insert their own
feelings into the conversation and inspire the
listening and viewing audience.
people trust online reviews70%
people trust recomendations made by friends
92%
04 / Two Trends No Agency Can Ignore In 2017
This Customer Created Content that
removes expensive campaign tactics
from the marketer and into the hands of
the audience has grown into an essential
component of marketing strategy rather
than a fortunate stroke of luck. Research
performed by Nielsen, on behalf of Twitter,
discovered that 50% of users of the social
platform read about what other users have
bought and 31% will tweet about purchases
they have made. The content generated in
this form is perceived as more authentic,
personal, and trustworthy than classic
content strategy.
In 2013, thousands of customers of a
small camera company took to YouTube
(a platform to be highlighted later in this
report), premiering videos
featuring the company’s name, showing
off the gripping footage captured with
their new toy. Now, three years later, that
company has 1.66 million Twitter followers,
9.8 million Facebook likes, and 10 million
Instagram followers, and 1.3 billion YouTube
views.
GoPro is now the dominant name in the
action-camera space with recent posted
revenues above $220 million1. GoPro has
actively embraced the Customer Content
strategy and witnessed the positive returns.
In 2017, expect agency strategy to reflect
such avenues to customer satisfaction.
Developing trust is a strategy not easily
achieved, but there is another emerging
approach that is growing in popularity
and effectiveness, known as Influencer
Marketing.
The goal of a successful marketing strategy
has not changed. Developing memorable
branding, creative content, and effectively
targeting the appropriate audience is still
Trend One
GoPro revenues over
1.3 bilion views
$220 million
05 / Two Trends No Agency Can Ignore In 2017
the name of the game. In 2017, influencer
marketing will be increasingly embraced
by agency strategists due to an influencer’s
power to inspire trust in a target market.
Rather than cast a wide net across the web
with targeted content, that audiences can
block with easily accessible ad blocking
apps, strategists across social media are
engaging influencers: opinionated online
personalities that have established and
growing audiences similar to that which the
brand is targeting.
Attaching a name and a face to certain
brands is not a novel approach. Nike
attached themselves to Michael Jordan
and remains the most recognizable brand
in sports and a leader in sports footwear.
Mercedes-Benz is a premier brand in
transportation that fosters a certain emotion
in customers. In support of the 2017 GLS,
Mercedes partnered with an Instagram
influencer that inspires exploration and
boasts greater than 1 million followers.
Mercedes gave the new model to Loki
The Wolf Dog and his owner, Kelly Lund, to
travel the Colorado mountain peaks and
produce stunning video content for the car
behemoth’s YouTube channel.
The result was 173 million impressions
and 2.3 million likes and comments2.
Additionally, like GoPro, Mercedes took
advantage of the growing use of creative
and riveting video content.
Whether the endorsement from an
influencer comes from paid(1) or unpaid(2)
influence, this approach provides a real-
world perspective and informed opinions
regarding the product. In 2017, there will
be a repeated approach to successful
influencer marketing coming from agency
strategists.
Trend One
2.3 million likes
06 / Two Trends No Agency Can Ignore In 2017
SEEK OUT A NUMBER OF INFLUENCERS IN YOUR FIELD.
ALLOW INFLUENCERS CREATIVE FREEDOM
APPROACH INFLUENCERS EARLYDeveloping a relationship with influencers takes time and effort. Approaching
them early and involving them in the process will provide the best chance for
success.
Influencers have a brand of their own and they understand their audience
better than anyone. Provide them with as much information as possible then
take a step back and allow them to adapt the message for themselves.
Before spending a chunk of your budget on paid influencers, explore the field
of influencers that may already enjoy your product. Becoming a face of a brand
they trust will give influencers more exposure, resulting in a wider net for your
brand. Should the paid influencer route become more attractive, develop a list
of known influencers to approach with access to your target audience
Trend One
07 / Two Trends No Agency Can Ignore In 2017
VIDEO IS KINGIn 2017, everyone will have an HD camera in their pocket and free apps like
Periscope have already shown promise.
Trend Two
As audiences’ expectations become
more complex, content must rise to the
challenge. In 2017, 74% of Internet traffic
will be video content and the growing ease
of access to live video through Facebook,
Snapchat, Twitter, and YouTube provide
brands prime real estate with audiences
in the social space3. Twitter and Facebook
have already rolled out their respective live
video roadmaps with featured content and
Twitter’s “Moments” feature while Snapchat
is the fastest growing mobile video platform
with users watching 8 billion videos every
day.
While Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat
grow their audience and establish their
respective platforms, when it comes to
video, YouTube wears the crown. In 2015,
YouTube reported 20 billion views on
branded content. Additionally, YouTube
gives access to some of the most prolific
influencers available.
YouTube will undoubtedly continue its
prowess in the video space but expect
mobile video to present new ways for
agency strategists to distribute brand
awareness as well.
74%
08 / Two Trends No Agency Can Ignore In 2017
In 2017, everyone will have an HD camera in their pocket and free apps like
Periscope have already shown promise. Industry and content marketing leader
Red Bull has embraced the live video platform for broadcasting their live
events, like Miami Music Week and Redbull Baylines competition, for fans all
over the world. Moving forward, expect agency strategists to emulate industry
leaders like Red Bull, GoPro, and Mercedes-Benz in their pursuit of captivating
video content.
IN 2017 EVERYONE WILL HAVE AN HD CAMERA
Trend Two
Agency strategists are always looking for
the next great opportunity and should follow
the audience’s attention. In 2017, strategists’
attention will be focused on video with
exciting content that grips the imagination
and provides value for the user.
The public’s attention will be on friends,
family and influencers they trust. Audiences
are no longer susceptible to being told what
or who to trust; they must be convinced. In
2017, agencies must adapt to the evolution
of social trends or risk losing ground on the
future of marketing strategy.
Sources
1. http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurengensler/2016/07/27/gopro-second-quarter-earnings-karma-drone-hero5/#5f660a484c5d
2. https://insights.newscred.com/influencer-campaigns-content-marketers/
3. http://www.redcrowmarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/7-Digital-Marketing-Trends-For-Your-Brand-Success-in-2016-Brandanew.jpg
Conclusion
CCG is a global branding, creative & digital
marketing agency based in Los Angeles.
CCG was founded in 2010 with a deep
focus on blending creative & technology to
empower businesses, engage consumers
and drive social change. Having worked
with over 500 companies globally including
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thing or two about branding and scaling
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