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Writing about past events and predicting trends that will shape the upcoming year is a challenge for those dedicated to specific fields. While fashion experts discuss the impact of the ‘Mob’s Wife’ and ‘Clean Girl’ aesthetics, and political analysts analyze geopolitical changes globally, marketing professionals carefully observe the dynamics of various industries to anticipate what might dominate in the next period.
Though we lack a crystal ball in the Vizual Office, we can discern some trends based on recent market movements. Below are our predictions for trends that will define the year 2024.
Some collaborations are well-known and expected, such as the partnership between McDonald's and Coca-Cola, while others bring a touch of uniqueness. In 2024, brands will increasingly seek partnerships and create joint campaigns. The more original and unconventional these partnerships are, the better they will capture attention and induce change.
Spotify has recognized the benefits of collaboration and has established partnerships with Uber and Starbucks. Spotify and Uber collaborate to enhance the user experience during rides. Users with premium Spotify accounts can link the app with Uber to enjoy their favorite music directly through Spotify. Starbucks and Spotify have formed an innovative partnership to provide artists with greater access to Starbucks consumers, while Starbucks gains access to Spotify's rich music repertoire. This is an excellent strategy for brands to increase visibility and provide users with a more enjoyable experience.
Examples of collaborations include BMW and the fashion brand Louis Vuitton, Heinz ketchup and Absolut Vodka, Red Bull and GoPro. Some share the same audience, belong to the same segment, or share common values and culture, while others are quite unusual and intended to attract customer attention.
The budget allocated by companies for collaborations with influencers and content creators has been rapidly increasing in recent years and is expected to continue growing in the future.
In 2024, the field of collaboration with content creators is expected to undergo numerous innovations, and its ability to influence sales should not be underestimated. To better respond to challenges, many companies will need to create hybrid teams, combining internal employees and external creatives who will serve as consultants or have ongoing contracts with the companies.
The future of AI in social media has already arrived. The focus on machine learning and the democratization of AI will increasingly automate some processes used by marketers, such as social media monitoring and customer support. Companies are expected to double or even triple the use of artificial intelligence for tasks such as text and image editing and customer support for social media users. This trend indicates that AI is not just a passing trend but a valuable tool to help manage tasks on social media more efficiently. AI and artificial intelligence tools will simultaneously provide users with a wealth of data on user behavior and emotions. This will help marketers focus on the bigger picture and start thinking more about strategic projects.
Regarding the development of artificial intelligence, we believe that AI tools will quickly evolve, creating richer and higher-quality content. We predict that the use of AI by marketing professionals, along with considerations of responsibility, will become crucial. Audiences and marketing professionals are already cautious about the language generated by AI and its impact on customer trust. Therefore, we also predict that social media teams will need to use artificial intelligence responsibly and ensure they maintain the brand's authentic, personalized voice.
In a world where AI tools generate an increasing amount of content, authenticity and the quality of content become more critical than ever. Creativity in storytelling and the skill of conveying it will distinguish recognizable brands from those that blend in with the rest.
In the marketing world, storytelling is the skill of creating an appealing story about a brand or product. Its goal is to establish emotional connections, enhance message retention, differentiate the brand from competitors, and humanize it.
As the trend indicates, an emphasis on a personalized approach to brand storytelling, focusing on the human aspect, will likely be a key component of effective marketing strategies in the future.
In today's world, many people use search engines to help them find information – but that's not the only place. More and more people are turning to social media for information. This trend began long ago when users found travel destinations and sought authentic pictures of destinations via Instagram. Today, TikTok has taken on that role, with users searching for information on any topic. According to research, up to 40% of consumers now use TikTok as a platform to search for information about things they need or are interested in.
Regarding the future, as TikTok changes consumer behavior in search, content creation strategies are likely to adapt to this trend.
We have reached a time of saturation with the traditional approach to social media. The internet is full of fake news, low-quality content, and toxic messages, and people have less time for such things. Social media users increasingly seek safe places where they won't be exposed to such content.
Brands increasingly need to think about how to stand out in the sea of information and attract attention. This places Community Managers in an entirely new role, where they must juggle between multiple platforms, actively communicate with the audience, and create content that best reflects the specificities of their brand.
Watching video content is expected to remain the dominant consumer behavior compared to other activities on social media. The popularity of TikTok and Instagram Reels, as well as the rise in popularity of YouTube Shorts, shows that short video formats are still in the spotlight. However, long-form videos also have their racehorse in the form of educational content, tutorials, lifestyle content, and podcasts. Many brands will seek to achieve an optimal balance between long and short content to leverage the best of both worlds.
Speaking of video, it would be remiss not to mention the other part of the topic, which is how we record. In recent years, the focus has been on creating professional, beautiful, and high-quality videos. However, TikTok requires an entirely different type of content. Content comes out so quickly and frequently that there is no time for a traditional approach to filming and lengthy video editing. This will compel brands to collaborate more frequently with content creators and publish user-generated content (UGC) that is less formal but more interesting and unpredictable.
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