Trends Identified
Transparency trailblazers
Why a new wave of brands are placing honesty and openness at the heart of their marketing
2018
Most contagious
Contagious
Modern masculinity
Brand feminism has been one of the most discussed themes in our industry recently and forward- thinking companies are working hard to improve the way women are portrayed in ads. But some brands are now adopting the same approach to challenge male stereotypes. From husbands doing housework to guys in heels, last year brands began to embrace more diverse representations of men. Since then, the cultural conversation around ‘toxic masculinity’ has gained momentum, pressuring marketers to adapt to the shift or risk irrelevance.
2018
Most contagious
Contagious
The man in the cardboard castle
‘Amazonification’ has become the watch word of 2017. The retail giant has subsumed more than just Whole Foods this year. It has its eye on the whole economic enchilada, the appetite to create an ecosystem and the ambition to build an empire. And as Jeff says, it’s still Day One.
2018
Most contagious
Contagious
The political lifestyle
Pepsi practically invented life- style marketing in 1963, when it struck upon the idea for the Pepsi Generation, and the brand has been distilling the essence of youth into its ads ever since. In previous years, this involved montages of clean-cut teens cavorting at swimming holes and collaborations with the Spice Girls, but in 2017 Pepsi decided it meant protests and social conscience.
2018
Most contagious
Contagious
The march of the bots
News of machines taking human jobs has caused widespread nail-biting for some time, but the tension reached fever pitch in 2017. More than 70% of people in the US are now anxious about a future where computers perform human tasks, according to a study by think tank Pew. Sinovation Ventures founder Kai-Fu Lee, for example, believes that half of all jobs globally will be replaced by AI over the next decade.
2018
Most contagious
Contagious
Dynamic data
This year, a number of companies made use of impossibly detailed personal information. Not age, name or location, but details gathered from saliva samples and body tracking sensors. Biometric information, like your genomic profile, has become more easily accessible, thanks to the increased efficiency and falling costs of the technology involved in obtaining it. This has given brands in various categories, from luxury fashion to FMCG, the opportunity to use biometric information to both add value to their product and strengthen their marketing messages.
2018
Most contagious
Contagious
Augmented Reality Gets Real
Let’s get one thing clear: Augmented Reality is not a new thing. It has been a very, very slow burn. From BlippAR- integrated magazines to interactive head-tracking promotions for movies, creative technologists, brands with more money than sense, and agency innovation leads – you know the kinds of people we’re talking about – have been trying to make AR happen FOR YEARS. And let’s be honest: it hasn’t. But things are changing...
2018
Key digital trends for 2018
Ogilvy
The End of Typing
ComScore says that 50% of searches will be done by voice by 2020. Gartner believes that by 2020, 30% of searches won’t involve a screen at all. At present, Google says that 20% of searches in the U.S. on Android devices are done by voice. In the UK, Deloitte found that 36% of smartphone owners are aware of voice search and 11% use it regularly. 60% of people using voice have started in the last year, according to Mindmeld. Voice searches are three times more likely to focus on a local topic than a text search. And people are shifting to voice for the obvious reason: It’s easier and more efficient than typing.
2018
Key digital trends for 2018
Ogilvy
The Tragedy of the Commons in Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing only works when the communications are authentic – from the perspective of the audience. When influencers are offered a load of cash to pimp the latest product or service, the audience is usually tolerant for a while. But when an influencer veers towards shill too often, credibility loss and audience erosion are sure to follow. We know this because we’ve seen it before – with celebrities. Will.i.am isn’t a particularly valuable partner for brands these days (in our opinion), because everyone knows he’s for sale. And yet, some agencies and lots of brands are happy to stump up to established and emerging digital influencers and expect that the influencer will become a spokesperson for the brand. Over time, this threatens to disrupt the opportunity for everyone as audiences question the credibility not just of individual influencers, but of the whole medium.
2018
Key digital trends for 2018
Ogilvy
The Amazon Awakening
Amazon will be the most important emerging platform for digital advertising in 2018. This is not about product pages. It’s about thinking of Amazon as a useful platform for advertising in every part of the sales funnel. And they’ve got the product suite to match.
2018
Key digital trends for 2018
Ogilvy