At the end of 2017, we published eight digital marketing trends to watch in 2018. The list reflected the questions marketers were asking about artificial intelligence, new content formats and changing customer expectations.
This is a retrospective of that outlook. The predictions belong to their original period; they are not current adoption statistics or proof that every expectation was realized.
The article's opening advice remains useful: choose where to invest deliberately, build a plan and decide how you will assess the results. Here is how the eight themes translate into practical questions.
1. Artificial intelligence in marketing
Our 2018 outlook discussed AI for budget analysis, audience segmentation, campaign decisions, customer chat and more personalized shopping experiences. It reflected an expectation that AI would become more involved in both internal marketing work and customer interactions.
The useful planning question is specific: which task or customer problem are you trying to improve?
A team evaluating a tool should define its inputs, the decisions it can support and the human review required. Faster production has limited value if the resulting information is inaccurate or the customer experience becomes harder to use.
For a more recent agency perspective, see our discussion of AI and the changing customer journey.
2. More live video
The original article highlighted live event coverage, behind-the-scenes access, holiday displays and promotions as possible uses of live video. These examples were about giving audiences a reason to participate in the moment.
That is still a sound way to evaluate a live format. Ask what the audience gains from seeing something as it happens: a demonstration, a question answered or access to a relevant experience.
Plan the production, moderation and follow-up. Decide whether the recording will remain useful afterward and how the team will assess participation, qualified traffic or other intended outcomes. A format choice should follow the content opportunity.
3. Influencer marketing and brand ambassadors
Our 2018 outlook anticipated more influencer campaigns and discussed turning loyal customers into brand ambassadors. The underlying idea was to work with people who could explain a product credibly to an interested audience.
Evaluate that relationship through audience fit, content quality, product relevance and working expectations. A large following alone does not establish that a partnership will meet your goals.
Ongoing relationships can also give both sides time to learn. Define content responsibilities, compensation, review processes and measurement before the campaign begins. Our influencer marketing approach places those partnerships within the broader growth plan.
4. Responding to ad blocking
The original article considered ways marketers might respond to ad-blocking software, including alternative advertising formats and product placement technology. Some of its forecasts and platform claims were specific to that period.
The more durable question is why people find an advertising experience unhelpful or intrusive. Evaluate the relevance of a placement, the space it occupies and the effect on the surrounding content.
Build distribution around useful experiences and permissioned relationships where appropriate. Treat visibility as something to assess with evidence, rather than something a format or technology can universally guarantee.
5. A stronger focus on customer experience
Our outlook connected customer experience with loyalty and personalization. The opportunity was to make interactions more relevant; the risk was assuming that more targeting always created a better experience.
Start with the friction customers can identify: incomplete product details, unclear shipping information, difficult navigation or inconsistent offers. Fixing those problems can be more useful than adding another layer of customization.
When considering personalization, ask whether the benefit is clear and whether the customer would reasonably understand the information being used.
6. More investment in content
The original post named stories, case studies, articles and video as ways to help people understand a brand. Those formats serve different purposes and require different resources.
Choose content according to a real customer question. A comparison may help someone choose among options. A demonstration may explain use. A case study may show how a product addressed a specific problem.
Plan for maintenance as well as publication. Product details, links, availability and claims can change. Useful content needs an owner who can keep it accurate.
7. Voice search and conversational questions
The 2018 forecast discussed smart devices and digital assistants, along with the use of conversational phrases in content.
The practical lesson is to understand how customers ask questions. Write clear answers using the language people recognize, and organize information so it is easy to find and interpret.
Avoid forcing awkward keyword variations into every paragraph. An article should answer the question fully and help the reader decide what to do next.
8. Trust, transparency and privacy
The final theme connected trust with reviews, a clearer view of the business and the handling of customer information. Those considerations belong in the operating plan, not just the marketing message.
Use supportable claims, clear commercial relationships and accurate product information. Make privacy statements that reflect actual practices, and coordinate them with the people responsible for those practices.
Trust takes consistency across content, purchase and service. A campaign cannot compensate for an experience that repeatedly contradicts its promises.
A useful way to evaluate the next trend
Define the customer problem, the required resources and the intended outcome. Run a proportionate test, document what happened and decide whether to expand, adjust or stop.
If you are deciding how emerging discovery experiences should fit your partnership strategy, talk with our team about your priorities. We can help connect the opportunity to a practical program of work.
