The
biggest trend and phenomena for 2015 was probably the rise of #socialconsciousness,
which led to the explosion of the local social media landscape. Who would have
thought that a hashtag would be able to mobilise such large numbers of people
for a common course. A few characters on
Twitter, is all it took to get people to express their views, took action and
the results are unavoidable. It was a
first for #southafrica and this trend has the potential to continue in 2016.
High impact minimal investment.
#Product placement in the past,
was diligently policed, but recently it has almost become the norm for brands
to use this method of communication in their campaigns. Gone are the days when subtlety was at the
order of the day. Clever execution to
avoid alienating the consumer, successful competitive advantage achieved and the
ability to convey the planned messaging across to the target audience to change
#perceptions sustainably. Always consider the essence, personality and values
of the brand during engagements with your stakeholders. Overt, desperate approach and lack of
clarity, during product placement leads to alienation of your brand,
irrespective of the target audience. This might be a trend to avoid in 2016.
There has been a noticeable
increase in government advertising regarding various issues ranging from water
preservation, electricity usage, health matters, road safety etc. This trend
will continue in 2016 to create awareness of what government is doing for its
#citizens.
#Insurance companies are still
leading the way when it comes to advertising, including retail brands. They (insurance companies) are now occupying
prime time spots as well. Gone are the
days when they only occupied the timeslots during the quiet times on TV or low
viewer’s figures, because people are already at work. You are guaranteed to see an insurance ad
during an ad break on TV throughout the day.
Their sms call to action initiative is an excellent tool to measure the
effectiveness of their campaigns for the various products. The trend for 2016 will see an increase in
advertising, because of the competitive nature of this market.
2015 had pockets of excellence as
far as some #ads were concerned. These
ads were able to speak to a diverse audience without trying too hard. And there were the usual suspects where the
content was factually incorrect, the use of characters, which were
inappropriate and lack of cultural sensitivity in their messaging. Unfortunately, we have witness an increase in
the use of children in ads. It works for
some brands.
“It’s
true, less will remain more and #quality will always enable the conversation…”
A car manufacturer re-introduced
music from an ad they did a decade ago with so much success and brought back
the nostalgia of that brand. If it works for your brand, why change it?
Some brands incorporated music
from days gone by. Mostly local
#southafrican music from the late 80’s and 90’s. The question is whether all your stakeholders
are able to relate to the music, is very important.
The trend of celebrity product
endorsement continued in 2015. Let’s
wait and see how this approach evolve in 2016.
So may risks with recorded tangible case studies, especially in the area
of endorsements and the use of well-known personalities.
Avoid the #socialmedia trend if
your brand is not suitable for a specific channel or in the absence of skilled
resources to manage the offering.
Continue to be creative, current, progressive, responsible, relevant,
clear in your messaging and align your social media offering to your bigger
strategic objectives. These channels
will continue to be channels and not the blue-print solution for your short
term objectives. We will see more #Apps
developed in 2016 as an ongoing trend; let your App be the one, which people
embrace and talk about.
Start your own trend in 2016!
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