Are your marketing efforts proactive or reactive?

We’ve put together a few trend tid-bits we’re seeing so far this year. We’re helping our clients leverage the ones that make sense for their brand and ambitions.

 

Digital & Social

Video is content king. Advertising on YouTube (via Google Ads) allows you to get more viewership than traditional cable ads. YouTube is the second most popular search engine in the world, with up to 400 hours of video uploaded to YouTube EVERY minute. Being able to insert your ads into a part of this trend will only accelerate in 2022. Video remains the biggest trend with Instagram declaring its emphasis on video over images. Videos across all platforms are getting TikTok-ified — getting shorter and bite sized, from Facebook Reels to YouTube Shorts. At the same time, there will be a rise in live-streaming, longform videos and podcasts.

What’s in a name? Lots, but it depends on where you’re getting the name (or the prospect). Using third party data for ad targeting is becoming more and more difficult, but using first party data (data that you collect from your customers, visitors, white paper downloads) will help target ads going forward. Be sure to check out Google Ad’s Customer match.

KISS Keep your content simple. With voice searches becoming more and more popular, if you’re appealing to the masses, then trim your content to everyday language. Try this app with your marketing copy to help refine your marketing language:

hemingwayapp.com

You can also focus your content to answer people’s questions – what are people asking about? Then use the information to craft your messaging.

answerthepublic.com

 

Direct & Design

In a world with a lot of false information, data visualizations have become more prominent. Consumers have become more comfortable with charts and graphs and brands are using fun visualizations to display data and engage audiences. Bold colors, fun and playful “stats” not just real hard data.

Branded memes – Everyone loves memes, they are fun, engaging and personable. Viral memes have a short lifespan, so brands that capitalize on these are seen as current and edgy. Brands are taking the playful well known medium of memes and using them to add a playfulness in their communicate with customers. The important thing to remember with this 2022 graphic design trend is avoiding overuse. Memes can become stale very quickly.

Brands in Motion – Whether you’re walking past a digital billboard, scrolling through a website, or navigating an app, we see more and more motion design. Brands are finding new ways of engaging consumers through motion and animation to achieve better storytelling. This means more looping GIFS and micro-animations on websites.

Vibrant and Playful Typography – 2022 will be a big year for type with really exaggerated letterforms, dialing up the contrast between flowing lines and sharp angular shapes, in vibrant and vivid colors.

QR Codes – These have re-emerged during the pandemic as a way for people to “scan for more info” in the current environment.

Energetic Design – The past several years have been dominated by minimalist, geometric, harmonious design. And yet, in a world that’s been torn apart by the pandemic and economic crises, that utopian aesthetic seems outdated. As a result, there will be a shift in the opposite direction, moving away from harmony to a joyful clash, with jarring collages, sharp contrasts, powerful bright colors, and much more personality in design in order to grab attention.

Pantone’s Color of the Year – Very Peri(winkle). It encourages personal inventiveness and creativity. Displaying a carefree confidence and a daring curiosity that animates our creative spirit, inquisitive and intriguing PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri helps us to embrace this altered landscape of possibilities, opening us up to a new vision as we rewrite our lives.

 

Media & Content

PR Relationships 101. The effect of the last two years, including the pandemic and newsroom layoffs, will continue to shape the role of media relations in 2022. Increasingly, beat journalism is disappearing, and journalists now rely heavily on a variety of sources to provide trustworthy content. Journalists are playing the role of gatekeeper for audiences, sifting through information from niche influencers, bloggers, podcasters, and more. Adopting the PESO model strategic framework (Paid, Earned, Shared, or Owned) illustrates the value of media visibility, reach, and ROI. Therefore, cultivating deeper relationships in 2022 should be focused on personalization and purpose. Both journalists and PR professionals must join forces to craft unique, timely stories and put themselves in their target’s shoes while discovering ways to cut through the noise.

Content Creation. While newsletters and podcasts have become mainstream, their popularity continues to rapidly grow. Increasing subscribers and listeners motivates everyone from business owners to media conglomerates to produce these booming mediums. As remote work continues to become a new normal, reporters are relocating from global media cities to explore opportunities within new local markets, including creating their own newsletters and podcasts. With an endless variety of topics and low production costs, many creators are turning to newsletter and podcast formats, allowing journalists to share news and curate content in new ways.