Top MarCom Trends to Consider in 2021

As we take stock of 2020 and all of the impacts the pandemic has had on our businesses, it became clear that the pandemic accelerated the trends we highlighted at the start of 2020.  In our January post, we highlighted these 3 trends for 2020:  1) Adopting New Technology 2) Purpose Built Positioning & Key Messaging and 3) Privacy & Trust.  In 2021 our formula for success as you build out your marketing plans will highlight 5 key trends critical to success in 2021 and beyond:

1. Purpose will enable key messaging that attracts and retains customers, employees, volunteers, partners & funders

• • The Deloitte 2021 Global Marketing Trends Report summarized the importance of Purpose.  In 2020 more than a quarter of consumers walked away from brands they perceived to be acting self-interestedly and 79% could easily recall brands responding to COVID-19 by helping their consumers, workforces and communities. Fifty-eight percent of respondents could recall at least one brand that quickly pivoted to better respond to their needs, and 82% said this led to them doing more business with the brand.
  • Almost every consumer behaviour study published by firms like Ipsos, Accenture, McKinsey, EY, and Vividata reported that the pandemic had massively disrupted buying patterns and brand loyalty was up for grabs.  Brands had to reassess 1) the need for what they do and 2) how easy or difficult it was to be replaced (consider taxi cabs vs. Uber, movie theatres vs. Netflix, gym memberships vs. youtube at home workouts, etc.).  Study after study showed that having a clear brand purpose and compelling key messaging was critical to both retaining loyal customers and attracting new.  
  • Nonprofit trends are aligned.  Salesforce, a global tech. firm supporting nonprofit, education and other sectors, surveyed nearly 7,000 marketers who reported they saw “donors and volunteers come for the cause, but stay for the digital experiences” highlighting the draw of a clear purpose but also the need to follow thru on digital platform accessibility.

2. People – Personalized messaging is no longer optional and retaining & re-training key staff leads to a faster recovery

• • We now send out over 300 billion emails a day and most research reports show consumers are bombarded with over 5,000 advertisements daily.  In 2020 having a robust understanding of your consumers and a great audience segmentation strategy allowed brands to ensure they were providing personalized, relevant and responsive messaging to consumers.  Companies that simply blasted out generic COVID-19 messaging were quickly ignored as peoples inboxes got even more cluttered. 75% of customers now report being annoyed if a website isn’t individualized to their requirements.   If you are not individualizing your messaging to consumers in 2021 you will be well behind the competition.
  • Zoom dominated the news and our internal communication pivot plans in many cases in 2020.  Cisco and other tech leaders are forecasting video is anticipated to make up to 82% of online traffic next year as the pandemic pivots remain in place and new 5G technology is introduced.  Facebook videos continue to see over 135% increases in organic reach over photos and live-streaming is now commonplace.  Video has the ability to engage viewers in both the rational and emotional components of your brand messaging and will become key for both internal and external audiences.  In addition to video, your 2021 plans need to consider SMS messaging – 75% of people report they wouldn’t mind receiving a SMS message from a brand.
  • As we look back to the lessons learned from past recessions a “people” plan was critical to recovery. Companies that emerged from crisis in the strongest shape relied less on layoffs to cut costs and were able to bounce back due to their access to the intellectual knowledge and skills they had retained.  Companies that adapted to change, adopted new technology, reduced complexity and excess costs, refreshed their mission and  focused obsessively on the priorities were able to better adapt and recover.  HBRs 10 Must Reads on Managing in a Downturn learnings highlights also include ensuring internal communications systems are robust – to communicate what will happen, when and whom  as teams pivot to focus on what they will be doing to revitalize the business.

3. Participation vital as brands engage not only consumers heads and heart, but also hands

• • In 2020 the goalposts shifted – Consumers were now spending significant amounts of time online and some brands scrambled in 2020 to be able to proactively engage their audiences where THEY were spending their time online.  As social media and content marketing exploded, almost every social media channel introduced new features,  such as Instagram (largest demographic 25-34 yrs.) introducing last August 15 sec. short video’s called “Reels” to compete with the popularity of TikTok.  Look for more new digital tools to be introduced in 2021.
  • But meaningful engagement only happens when brands properly map out their consumer journeys and consumer profiles (free profile tool) to provide relevant and meaningful content when and where it’s the most useful.  Too many brands have found their content plans were filled with redundant, out of date and/or trivial content.  As you look to develop experiential marketing opportunities in 2021 focus on what matters most to your audiences, and this may mean taking the time to do a little more research to ensure you are making the right investments in time, talent, and technology.