The pace of change continues to escalate as we turn the corner to a new decade, sparking constant curiosity about how these opportunities could elevate the marketing programs we’re planning and executing. Here are a few of the trends we think could hit a tipping point in 2020.

Personalization.

Over the last several years, we’ve seen customers trade their personal information for the promise of the customization it will provide for their experiences with brands. From online interactions to email to in-store, it will be fascinating to see the many ways and degrees to which we are able to take mass communication and make it (feel) personal.

Voice search optimization.

Voice search is the fastest-growing type of search, representing almost one-third of all searches performed on Google every day. With tools like Google’s speakable schema markup, search engines will begin to prioritize websites that are optimized for voice technology, making it imperative for brands to start optimizing for vocal search to be able to be heard.

Interactive bricks-and-mortar.

Bricks-and-mortar establishments are losing relevancy, often because they haven’t kept up with frictionless, experiential components that consumers are finding online. Bricks-and-mortar will begin developing more and more ways to flow IRL content into their own stores, fighting to delight consumers once again.

Data-infused creative.

Marketers often interchange the words “data” and “insights” mistakenly, leading to confusion (especially for creative and design specialists who continue to see their role as being divergent from those conducting research or performing diagnostics.) In order for brands to succeed, strategy managers and creative thinkers will realign in 2020 to appreciate that collecting data and crystallizing insights are vital for all project owners. We’ll see the tipping point of acknowledgment that good creative can only become great when research is embraced by all.

Shoppable posts.

Instagram may have beaten the pack when it comes to shoppable content, but clickable images that deliver product information and a direct line to purchase will become ubiquitous in 2020. The technology is getting better every day, and brands will continue to leverage it in the coming year.

The purpose-driven CEO.

As profits and purpose continue to become intertwined at companies across the globe, we believe that in 2020 CEOs will have much greater intentionality in their specific role in their company’s purpose. While there’s been great traction in defining a purpose that is meaningful to a brand and to its target audience, this year we’ll see how the CEO will connect to and evangelize a company’s purpose to a greater level.

If there is a specific trend that has you curious about how it can impact your brand, we want to help. Simply reach out to Ted at tjun@hiebing.com to get the conversation started.