In 2014, brands shored up their commitment to social, made innovations in their use of new platforms, and began to map and measure the effectiveness of their efforts. We saw Instagram outgrow and outpace Twitter, paralleling the overall rise of visual content and visual-first platforms. Wearable tech began shedding its sci-fi image, marketers pushed back against the loss of organic reach on Facebook, and YouTube influencers went mainstream.
The question now is, "What will 2015 hold?"
Recently, I had the opportunity to connect with marketers across the Fortune 500, brands, publishers, and agencies at the Visual Revolution Summit.
Most people were discussing challenges to overcome, accomplishments, and areas for improvement.
I was curious to get a visceral read on what was top of mind for them in the upcoming year.
Over a dozen conference speakers shared their perspectives, resulting in some key themes and predictions for the new year. You can find those in the following video.
In case you didn't get to look at the video, here's a look at some of the top marketers' comments.
2015 is the year of...
- Branded content. Branded content and social syndication will be pervasive. Brands want to convey their philosophies in the most authentic way possible.
- Social measurement. Cross-channel measurement is necessary to understand how everything works together. Marketers will begin moving past the last click towards multi-channel attribution. Companies will need more defined KPIs around brand affinity and loyalty as they will be strong indicators of success.
- Social shopping. More social and visual content will be integrated into commerce, particularly driven on mobile. Millennials are models for a new generation that wants to make purchases directly from favorite social media platforms.
- Evolution of real-time. Brands, publishers, and agencies will jump into moments and conversations that consumers are involved in, such as during live events or major news events. Real-time marketing will transcend live events for the first time.
- Participatory marketing. Brands need to give fans and superfans the necessary tools to continue evangelizing. Companies need to think about how their audiences can participate in the visual narrative of a brand's website. In 2015, there will be a heavy reinvention of how brands engage consumers.
- Defined strategies. Marketers will need to figure out what's working and what's not working. For so long, digital marketing has felt like the Wild West, without a clear idea of what works or doesn't work. 2015 will be the year marketers learn how to make their goals operational and get them right.
- Video. Brands will be turning to video (short-form video or user-generated video) to reach and engage audiences.
The brand marketers who participated in the video are...
- Jessica Kia—founder, RJK Project
- Sujean Lee—senior vice-president, Corporate Affairs; Chobani
- Alex Amado—senior director, Creative & Media; Adobe
- Thiago Guimarães—analyst
- Ranvir Gujral—co-founder and CEO, Chute
- Stacy Greco—head of Integrated Marketing, Teen Vogue
- Milton Pappas—president of E-Commerce, Nine West Group
- Stacy Minero—head of Content Planning, Twitter
- Vejay Lalla—partner, Davis & Gilbert LLP
- John Koller—vice-president, Platforms Marketing; Sony PlayStation
- Piera Gelardi—executive creative director, Refinery29
- Gregarious Narain—co-founder and CTO, Chute
- Vic Walia—senior director of Brand Marketing, Expedia
- Raman Kia—executive director of Integrated Strategy, Conde Nast
- Michelle Castillo—digital media reporter, Adweek
- Bob Estrada—senior vice-president, senior director, BBDO NY
- Adam Miller—coordinating producer, NBC TODAY Show
Enter 2015 with a winning content marketing strategy. Download the Content Marketing Aperture guide here (email required).
