The new year brings hopeful reflections for what the next 365 days will hold – and what challenges may arise. In an ever-changing arena like marketing, finding a foothold can be tricky. Our Hiebing experts are here to help. We asked our experts what trends could maximize a brand’s impact in the new year – and they delivered. Here are the marketing predictions worthy of consideration for 2023.

Data Democratization on the Rise
When an organization makes data accessible to all employees and stakeholders, regardless of their technical background – it opens the door to educating the masses on how to work with data. This creates an environment that is data-centric and makes it easy, fast and reliable for everyone in the business to garner insights without the need for qualified data analysts or scientists at every turn. In 2023, democratizing who has access to data and arming them with the knowledge of how to wield it will keep brands one step ahead.

Social Media Shake-ups Will Continue

• Short-Form Video Reigns:
  We saw Meta’s TikTokization of their user offerings with the introduction of Reels. We hypothesize that video, specifically short, first-person video, will continue to dominate and present opportunities for brands interested in authentic storytelling moments to shine.
• Brands Will Get Real:
  Brands will dive into BeReal but will struggle to actually be real. The swift rise in this popular app indicates that audiences are fighting back against perfection fatigue built up from other social apps. For brands, this could mean a moment in time to get real and meet audiences authentically. The irregular cadence of push notifications and the limited two-minute window, however, can present logistical issues for brands who want to connect with their target in this way.

Artificial Intelligence Will Impact Us All

• Business Analytics Benefit Big-Time:
  AI will have a huge impact on how we establish and measure our success within marketing activities, showcasing tangible results of marketing to the C-suite. Business analytics will benefit from its use by making predictions that are more accurate, saving time on tedious tasks like data collection and cleaning, and enabling workers to act on data-driven insights regardless of their position or degree of technical ability.
• AI-Generated Creative Experiments Take Hold:
  While the idea and ability of a computer using AI to generate cogent copy is not new, 2022 was the dawn of AI being able to also generate imagery. AI has come a long way and will continue to until an artificial neural network can grasp context, nuance and cultural cues like a human, we should be just fine. The current state of AI-generated imagery will continue to act as springboard for inspiration and experimentation we can all take advantage of.

Authenticity and Purpose Deepens
Authenticity is a trend we’ve seen in years past, and it’s not going anywhere. Consumers are savvy, and in 2023 they will no longer accept empty promises veiled in authentic messaging. They know when brands are feeding them a message that isn’t backed by their actions. With so much transparency today, there’s great responsibility to live the purpose your brand champions – or be at the mercy of internet sleuths who will expose you otherwise. If your brand chooses to take a stand or stack a story rooted in purpose, make sure it’s something that feels authentic.

Curious to partner with a team that knows how to activate one of these marketing predictions? Hiebing can help. Email Nate Tredinnick at ntredinnick@hiebing.com to set up a call.