An Engineer's Risky Marketing Predictions for 2021
This weird year is coming close; it’s time for marketing predictions. The need for renewal, to turn the page, and start fresh was never more present in us. We can’t wait to say goodbye to 2020, with the optimism that 2021 will be different. But what will 2021 offer to marketers? I’ll join the herd of future tellers and share my predictions, hoping that Scott Galloway will learn from me and revise his predictions. He actually had a poor record in 2020.
- People will ignore ads – nothing new, but something to treasure. No real person wants to see your advertisement before their YouTube video starts; very few want to “dive” into your 3-minute long-form content about your brand purpose, yet most will accept being entertained if they pay attention. Make me smile, make me cry, move me, entertain me!
- Marketers will talk to themselves – we will continue to judge our work output by the number of engagements on Twitter or, in rare cases, AdAge or MarketingWeek mentions. We will enjoy talking in our bubble more than ever, as we’ll probably spend most of the year homeworking again, away from the real world. It was never more important to remember: we are not the consumer.
- The TV set will not die – or will it fail again and resurrect while Digital platforms move to capture our attention on our giant TV screens. I now watch more YouTube on my TV than on my Mobile, so TV as a piece of furniture isn’t dead. What could die is the concept of scheduled programs interrupted by ads, something I could not explain to my 5-year-old son.
- Marketers want to become more digital-savvy – when everything we do all day is staring at a digital monitor, sending digital letters, joining digital Zoom meetings, and planning digital holiday celebrations. We probably should identify another milestone to look up to since digital is so 2010s.
- Brand equity is back on the agenda – Now that we squeezed (or got squeezed in) the programmatic value chain with no apparent next gain in view, we will turn back to our brand proposition’s equity. But how do you measure the impact of a single Social Ad on your brand equity? If someone knows and trusts the method, please give me a call.
Have an insightful, consumer-centric, multichannel 2021! And don’t chase marketing predictions.
