The turbulent year 2020 has vastly shifted consumer behaviors and the speed of digital adoption. The outlook of a world where COVID-19 is controlled in 2021 is positive. However, the changes that have started in 2020 will continue to the subsequent year and will lend to the 2021 marketing trends.

Why is it important to track marketing trends?

• You can integrate trends into your marketing strategy and it can present opportunities or barriers for your company
• It is crucial to spot these early, so you can be prepared to act 

Marketing trends are most important to watch as you are deciding the strategy going forward into the new year. In this article, we will outline some of what we expect to see more of in 2021 and going forward. 

User-Generated content

As COVID-19 took the world by storm in 2020, there were restrictions placed on video production. This caused many brands to run out of marketing content. They could not shoot new adverts or create new content and so, they turned to promoting products and services with user-generated content. This is effective as it allows consumers to relate to the content instantaneously. With the global pandemic, people were also more inclined to 

Brand Activism

With 2020 being such a transformative year, in every shape and form, brands have become more engaged in playing a role. Consumers are also expecting the brands that they support to use the voice they have to be advocates for the causes they believe in. The Black Lives Matter movement has been revolutionary in that if a brand did not speak up in June, younger generations questioned their core values. Brand activism is becoming table-stakes. 

eCommerce Small Business More Sophisticated Marketing

eCommerce marketing tools are becoming more readily accessible to small businesses and eCommerce is growing exponentially. Small eCommerce business will become more sophisticated in 2021. They have been upskilling and adopting new integrations for their companies in 2020 and we can expect them to be in full swing next year. The marketing that consumers will receive from small business will reflect this change. Shopify, Etsy, and other third party marketplaces are aiding small businesses in running more like larger companies online and it is benefitting the sector. Support small businesses next year and reap the rewards! 

Nostalgia Marketing

This marketing that triggers comfort in people and improves connectedness with a brand has seen a come-back!  As the world has been an unpredictable place over the last 9 months, consumers have been drawn to what they know. 

It is important to stay abreast of the most up to date and innovative marketing techniques in 2021. This can be an advantage for your company. It is vital for us to stay up to date as we conduct market research with brand strategy as our focus. All of our research have also worked in strategy, therefore we often recommend marketing techniques to clients, if the findings point to one thing or another. Most recently, we recommended to a client that user-generated content would work for their core audience because they search for authentic brands and place a lot of value in other customer reviews. 

Check out some of our other blogs on marketing technique and market research:

• Questions to Ask A Market Research Company
• Six Things To Watch Out For When Writing A Research Survey
• Three Common Misconceptions About Market Research

Thinking about conducting market research?  Check out Provoke Insights research services here.

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